"At his chateau of Ste-Sévère, on the borders of La Marche and Berri the Chevalier Hubert, head of the Mauprat family, leads a tranquil life." "Edmée, his beloved only daughter enjoys long rides on horseback which often leaves her father worried." "The Rock of Mauprat spread terror for 20 leagues around." "Bad news never comes alone." "The Vicomte de la Marche, the King's Lieutenant General for the Province, and Edmée's suitor, hesitates to add to the Chevalier's obvious burdens." "His Majesty has lost patience with these impious and riotous gentlemen." "The local constabulary being powerless, I've been ordered to attack their lair and destroy them this very night without mercy." "Do your duty!" "My good Marcasse, the weather is bad, and I'm worried" " Edmée hasn't returned." "You know our woods so well – go look for her, and I will search on horseback." "Do us the honor of coming in, Mademoiselle de Mauprat." "Your cousin, the Marquise de Rochemaure, whose house this is, will be sorry not to be able to welcome you herself, as she is confined to her bed." "Gentlemen!" "For the second time this year the constabulary honors us with a visit." "Prepare to receive them in an appropriate manner." "I declare, Mademoiselle, you please me greatly!" "And I will have a kiss from you, or my name isn't Bernard de Mauprat!" "Mauprat!" "Edmée was in the clutches of her impoverished cousins, a fearsome band of outlaws and reprobates!" "Bernard!" "I am your cousin..." "Edmée de Mauprat!" "Oh, indeed, my cousin, are you?" "!" "Edmée de Mauprat?" "!" "The constabulary is hitting us hard, you yellow skunk!" "Get up to the ramparts at once, or you'll find out what I do to cowards!" "Heavens!" "It must be my father your uncles are attacking!" "He's come looking for me!" "Bernard, I beg you:" "prevent this crime!" "If you really are my cousin, Edmée, and they're firing on your father," "I swear I will stand between him and any who would do him harm." "It's not your father – it's the army and the peasants who are attacking us." "And whether you fall into the hands of soldiers and enraged peasants or the hands of my uncles drunk with bloodlust, your fate will be the same." "Stratagem of war" "Feminine wiles" "You love me, don't you, Bernard?" "Can't you think of some way to save me from these brutes so that I can be yours alone?" "Mlle de Mauprat is within the walls of the castle you are bombarding." "We will hand her over safe and sound if you halt the attack and spare us from death and destruction." "Just be patient, Monsieur!" "We will go and inform Edmée, who is resting upstairs." "Please be seated." "Edmée!" "Listen!" "Our only chance is to flee." "But you will not get out of here until you are mine!" "I'd rather kill myself!" "You tricked me!" "Go, then!" "The left-hand corridor leads out into the countryside." "As for me, I will share the fate of my uncles." "Their treachery is no worse than yours." "Bernard!" "I won't leave without you!" "You can't stay here – your uncles will punish you for me escape." "Let's flee together!" "If you swear to be mine..." "I... swear... that I will never belong to anyone... if not to you..." "On condition that this be a secret between us!" "What are they going to do to Bernard?" "Bernard?" "What does it matter to you?" "Our relative, Bernard de Mauprat, saved my honor and my life." "The soldiers took him away - have pity on him!" "Bernard is my nephew." "Poor child!" "Ah, if only I had succeeded, fifteen years ago." "Bernard, an orphan, was the sole surviving member of the middle branch of the Mauprat family." "Hubert and Tristan, heads of the senior and junior branches fought over custody of the child." "I thank you, sir." "Because of you, this child has finally come back to me, and it will be my task to turn him into a gentleman." "And here is your rescuer of last night, the Vicomte de la Marche." "Work to deserve his friendship, especially as his marriage with Edmée will make him one of the family." "Edmée!" "You're making fun of me!" "You gave your word..." "Bernard gazed rapturously upon his old rags." "Their folds breathed the perfume of the outdoors, the appeal to liberty!" "Get back, bumpkin!" "Learn the respect due from a servant like you to a freeborn gentleman!" "What will Edmée say when she sees you fallen back into your wild ways?" "Her beautiful eyes will weep!" "Her noble mind will regard you with scorn, my young gentleman..." "After this escapade, Bernard devoted himself to the development of his character and his behavior." "He expected a reward for this hard work, and only Edmée's love could content him." "But Edmée refused to speak to him, and seemed to flee from every private meeting with her cousin." "That boy is a barbarian, a brute!" "Yesterday he shoved me on the stairs, when I caught him watching you go out." "Edmée!" "I've had enough of your behavior;" "you owe me an explanation!" "I charge you to keep the promise you made to me or I will consider you a liar whose word means nothing." "I promised to belong to no one unless it was you." "I did not promise to belong to a boorish lout!" "Take heart, Bernard, I didn't mean to hurt you so." "I will never be yours through force." "But work hard, become a noble man like my father and one day I may love you." "Their almost equally headstrong natures ensured that it was not long before tension flared again between Bernard and Edmée." "Sir, you do me great honor..." "Edmée, I've finally discovered your secret:" "Bernard loves you." "But I am sure you do not love him..." "For myself, more than ever I am resolved to offer you my name;" "I pray you will accept it." "Ah, so it's to Monsieur de la Marche that you write with so much care." "Edmée, what did you tell him?" "I want to know." "My father is wasting his time trying to educate you." "You'll always be a low vulgarian!" "Sir, I am most grieved by the generous sentiment you say you have for me." "It is possible that at one time I might not have cared much for Bernard;" "but now it's possible that I love..." "The unconquerable pride of the Mauprats poisoned the useless quarrel, each holding firm to their position." "Edmée, I see clearly that you will never love me and all the efforts I could make would only inspire more mockery." "So I've decided to leave Ste-Sévère." "With my uncle's consent, I am going into the army." "Good Marcasse, you must go into the army with Bernard to watch over him." "He is so impetuous." "Do it for me!" "But never tell him that I asked you to." "Mlle Edmée, I entrust Blaireau to you while we are away; take good care of him..." "That night, in the park, mysterious figures lurked about." "The dull year passed without any great changes to the routine at Ste-Sévère." "The good Chevalier feeling age creeping upon him, thought of Edmée's future, and so waited impatiently for Bernard's return." "Ah, no one loves me; all thoughts are for the absent, awaiting his return." "You're not deserting us, are you Monsieur?" "Would you care to come fox-hunting with the young people next Tuesday?" "My dear Bernard, thinking of your future, I've kept for you the inheritance that your uncles' misconduct has unfortunately ruined." "You must go to Mauprat and see what can be rebuilt." "The Lieutenant General had a strange encounter while leaving Ste-Sévère as did the chaplain walking in the park." "There, there, dear brother!" "All sins shall be forgiven, and I will support you in the path of goodness." "Accompanied by Marcasse, Bernard wanders among the ruins of Mauprat and views his new property." "A local farmer's daughter is their guide." "Marcasse!" "I had an awful dream:" "My uncles appeared before me threatening me with a horrible death." "Afraid of awakening painful memories, Bernard said nothing to the Chevalier about his terrible dream." "So on a lovely fall morning, the horns rang out merrily through the forest." "Get down, Edmée!" "Finally I can speak to you alone!" "Alas, age now bars me from hard riding." "But there's no need for you to lose this pleasure because of me." "Go rejoin the children." "A strange hunter, this lame monk whom the Lt. General seemed fated to meet in the most unlikely circumstances." "Miserable wretch!" "What madness overtook you?" "How could you have committed...?" "Ah, now I see that you are innocent, my friend;" "but alas, what an unfortunate accident!" "Some clumsiness while handling your gun, a slip of the finger..." "But it wasn't me, Marcasse!" "I swear it!" "And I know nothing of this crime..." "Edmée being unable to speak, suspicion rested heavily on Bernard whose fiery temper and stormy past caused tongues to wag." "My dear child, I have brought you this holy man whose pious conversation will while away the long days of your convalescence." "Only Marcasse believed in Bernard's innocence and visited him in prison." "Alas, my poor Bernard!" "No news." "The doctors are still keeping visitors away from Edmée." "And malicious people continue to accuse you!" "However, I had an idea;" "I remember the sharp eyed little peasant girl at the Rock of Mauprat..." "Who are those men?" "Tonight you will show me their hiding place, or else the gendarmes..." "The trial opened before the county court of Bourges." "A great throng of people attended, eager to see brought to justice the last member of the Mauprat gang." "I don't know anything..." "I never saw anything." "I hardly know Bernard de Mauprat!" "Gentlemen, you don't know all the facts!" "The Rock of Mauprat still harbors strange occupants men who are no strangers to crime!" "But the protests and words of a poor man like Marcasse are of little consequence." "Certainly, gentlemen!" "Bernard is quite capable of such a crime and his past conduct and brutal nature leave him open to suspicion." "The Chevalier, overpowered by shock, is still too weak to testify in person." "He asked me to express his feelings, which I share, on this sad event" "This case cannot be properly tried without the presence of Mlle de Mauprat." "She is better, and I offer to fetch her here at once." "The chaplain's friend, the penitent monk, arrived at Edmée's bedside as usual." "I recognize you, you devil's monk!" "You got tangled in my horse's hooves during the tragic hunt just about the time poor Edmée..." "The hearing resumed the same night." "I solemnly swear that I believe Bernard to be innocent and if I said anything else, it was due to delirium." "Why would Bernard do such a thing?" "He loves me and I love him, and I am going to be his wife." "And here is the skulking owl who nests in the ruins with a gun under his robe:" "Jean de Mauprat!" "Second in command of the bandits..." "Jean "Squint-Eye" de Mauprat had no choice but to admit his complicity." "Marcasse swore to punish with his own hands the chief culprit:" "the elusive Tristan de Mauprat who hid among the ruins of his ancient fortress."