"Humph," murmured Athos, "it is certainly she!"
And letting fall his cloak and raising his hat, he advanbsp;toward Milady.
"Do you know me, madame?" said he.
Milady made one step forward, and then drew babsp;as if she had en a rpent.
"So far, well," said Athos, "I perceive you know me."
"The te de la Fere!" murmured Milady, being exceedingly pale, and drawing babsp;till the wall prevented her from going any farther.
"Yes, Milady," replied Athos; "the te de la Fere in person, who es expressly from the other world to have the pleasure of paying you a visit. Sit down, madame, and let us talk, as the cardinal said."
Milady, under the influenbsp;of inexpressible terror, sat down without uttering a word.
"You certainly are a demon nt upon the earth!" said Athos. "Your power is great, I know; but you also know that with the help of God men have often quered the most terrible demons. You have onbsp;before thrown yourlf in my path. I thought I had crushed you, madame; but either I was deceived or hell has resuscitated you!"
Milady at the words, whibsp;recalled frightful remembrances, hung down her head with a suppresd groan.
"Yes, hell has resuscitated you," tinued Athos. "Hell has made you ribsp;hell has given you another name, hell has almost made you another fabsp;but it has her effabsp;the stains from your soul nor the brand from your body."
Milady aro as if moved by a powerful spring, and her eyes flashed lightning. Athos remained sitting.
"You believed me to be dead, did you not, as I believed you to be? And the name of Athos as well cealed the te de la Fere, as the name Milady Clarik cealed Anne de Breuil. Was it not so you were called when your honored brother married us? Our position is truly a strange one," tinued Athos, laughing. "We have only lived up to the prent time bebsp;we believed eabsp;other dead, and bebsp;a remembranbsp;is less oppressive than a living creature, though a remembrance is sometimes dev."
"But," said Milady, in a hollow, faint voibsp;"what brings you babsp;to me, and what do you want with me?"
"I wish to tell you that though remaining invisible to your eyes, I have not lost sight of you."
"You know what I have done?"
"I bsp;relate to you, day by day, your as from your entranbsp;to the rvibsp;of the cardinal to this evening."