第3章

Theconversationflagged，althoughthedoctorrelatedanumberofanecdotes.Rivalalonerepliedtohim.Duroytriedtoappearself—

possessed，buthewashauntedcontinuallybythefearofshowinghisfeelingsoroflosinghisself—possession.Rivaladdressedhim，saying："ItookthepistolstoGastineRenette.Heloadedthem.Theboxissealed."

Duroyrepliedmechanically："Thankyou."

ThenRivalproceededtogivehimminutedirections，thathemightmakenomistakes.Duroyrepeatedthosedirectionsaschildrenlearntheirlessonsinordertoimpressthemuponhismemory.Ashemutteredthephrasesoverandover，healmostprayedthatsomeaccidentmighthappentothecarriage;ifhecouldonlybreakhisleg！

Attheendofagladehesawacarriagestandingandfourgentlemenstampingtheirfeetinordertokeepthemwarm，andhewasobligedtogaspinordertogetbreath.RivalandBoisrenardalightedfirst，thenthedoctorandthecombatant.

Rivaltooktheboxofpistols，andwithBoisrenardapproachedthetwostrangers，whowereadvancingtowardthem.Duroysawthemgreetoneanotherceremoniously，thenwalkthroughthegladetogetherastheycountedthepaces.

Dr.LeBrumentaskedDuroy："Doyoufeelwell？Doyounotwantanything？"

"Nothing，thankyou."Itseemedtohimthathewasasleep，thathewasdreaming.Washeafraid？Hedidnotknow.JacquesRivalreturnedandsaidinalowvoice："Allisready.Fortunehasfavoredusinthedrawingofthepistols."ThatwasamatterofindifferencetoDuroy.Theyhelpedhimoffwithhisovercoat，ledhimtothegroundsetapartfortheduel，andgavehimhispistol.Beforehimstoodaman，short，stout，andbald，whoworeglasses.Thatwashisadversary.Avoicebrokethesilence——avoicewhichcamefromafar：

"Areyouready，sirs？"

Georgescried："Yes."

Thesamevoicecommanded："Fire！"

Duroyheardnothingmore，sawnothingmore;heonlyknewthatheraisedhisarmandpressedwithallhisstrengthuponthetrigger.

Soonhesawalittlesmokebeforehim;hisopponentwasstillstandinginthesameposition，andtherewasasmallwhitecloudabovehishead.Theyhadbothfired.Allwasover！Hissecondandthedoctorfelthim，unbuttonedhisgarments，andaskedanxiously：

"Areyouwounded？"Hereplied："No，Ithinknot."

Langremontwasnotwoundedeither，andJacquesRivalmuttereddiscontentedly："Thatisalwaysthewaywiththosecursedpistols，oneeithermissesorkillsone’sopponent"

Duroywasparalyzedwithsurpriseandjoy.Allwasover！Hefeltthathecouldfighttheentireuniverse.Allwasover！Whatbliss！

Hefeltbraveenoughtoprovokeanyone.Thesecondsconsultedseveralmoments，thentheduelistsandtheirfriendsenteredthecarriagesanddroveoff.Whentheofficialreportwasdrawnup，itwashandedtoDuroywhowastoinsertitinthe"Echoes."Hewassurprisedtofindthattwoballshadbeenfired.

HesaidtoRival："Weonlyfiredonce！"

Thelattersmiled："Yes——once——onceeach——thatmakestwice！"

AndDuroy，satisfiedwiththatexplanation，askednomorequestions.

M.Walterembracedhim.

"Bravo！youhavedefendedthecolorsof’LaVieFrancaise’！Bravo！"

Thefollowingdayateleveno’clockintheforenoon，Duroyreceivedatelegram：

"MyGod！Ihavebeenfrightened.ComeatoncetoRuedeConstantinoplethatImayembraceyou，mylove.Howbraveyouare.I

adoreyou.Clo."

Herepairedtotheplaceappointed，andMme.deMarellerushedintohisarms，coveringhimwithkisses.

"Oh，mydarling，ifyouonlyknewhowIfeltwhenIreadthemorningpapers！Tellme，tellmeallaboutit."

Duroywasobligedtogiveheradetailedaccount.

"Youmusthavehadaterriblenightbeforetheduel！"

"Why，no;Isleptverywell."

"Ishouldnothaveclosedmyeyes.Tellmewhattookplaceontheground."

Forthwithheproceededtogiveheragraphicdescriptionoftheduel.Whenhehadconcluded，shesaidtohim："Icannotlivewithoutyou！Imustseeyou，andwithmyhusbandinParisitisnotveryconvenient.IoftenhaveanhourearlyinthemorningwhenIcouldcomeandembraceyou，butIcannotenterthathorriblehouseofyours！Whatcanwedo？"

Heaskedabruptly："Howmuchdoyoupayhere？"

"Onehundredfrancsamonth."

"Verywell，Iwilltaketheapartmentsonmyownaccount，andIwillmoveatonce.Minearenotsuitableanywayformenow."

Shethoughtamomentandthenreplied："NoIdonotwantyouto."

Heaskedinsurprise："Whynot？"

"Because！"

"Thatisnoreason.Theseroomssuitmeverywell.Iamhere;I

shallremain."Helaughed."Moreover，theywerehiredinmyname！"

Butshepersisted："No，no，Idonotwishyouto."

"Whynot，then？"

Shewhisperedsoftly，tenderly："Becauseyouwouldbringothershere，andIdonotwishyouto."

Indignantlyhecried："Never，Ipromiseyou！"

"Youwoulddosoinspiteofyourpromise."

"IswearIwillnot."

"Truly？"

"Truly——uponmywordofhonor.Thisisournest——oursalone！"

Sheembracedhiminatransportofdelight."ThenIagree，mydearest.Butifyoudeceivemeonce——justonce，thatwillendallbetweenusforever."

Heprotested，anditwasagreedthatheshouldsettleintheroomsthatsameday.Shesaidtohim：

"YoumustdinewithusSunday.Myhusbandthinksyoucharming."

Hewasflattered."Indeed？"

"Yes，youhavemadeaconquest.Didyounottellmethatyourhomewasinthecountry？"

"Yes;why？"

"Thenyouknowsomethingaboutagriculture？"

"Yes."

"Verywell;talktohimofgardeningandcrops;heenjoysthosesubjects."

"Allright.Ishallnotforget."

Shelefthim，afterlavishinguponhiminnumerablecaresses.

CHAPTERVIII.

DEATHANDAPROPOSAL

DuroymovedhiseffectstotheapartmentsinRuedeConstantinople.

Twoorthreetimesaweek，Mme.de—Marellepaidhimvisits.Duroy，tocounterbalancethem，dinedatherhouseeveryThursday，anddelightedherhusbandbytalkingagriculturetohim.

ItwasalmosttheendofFebruary.Duroywasfreefromcare.Onenight，whenhereturnedhome，hefoundaletterunderhisdoor.Heexaminedthepostmark;itwasfromCannes.Havingopenedit，heread：

"Cannes，VillaJolie."

"Dearsirandfriend：Youtoldme，didyounot，thatIcouldcountuponyouatanytime？Verywell.Ihaveafavortoaskofyou;itistocomeandhelpme——nottoleavemealoneduringCharles’slastmoments.Hemaynotlivethroughtheweek，althoughheisnotconfinedtohisbed，butthedoctorhaswarnedme.Ihavenotthestrengthnorthecouragetoseethatagonydayandnight，andIthinkwithterroroftheapproachingendIcanonlyasksuchathingofyou，formyhusbandhasnorelatives.Youwerehiscomrade;hehelpedyoutoyourposition;come，Ibegofyou;Ihavenooneelsetoask."

"Yourfriend，"

"MadeleineForestier."

Georgesmurmured："CertainlyIwillgo.PoorCharles！"

Themanager，towhomhecommunicatedthecontentsofthatletter，grumblinglygavehisconsent.Herepeated："Butreturnspeedily，youareindispensabletous."

GeorgesDuroyleftforCannesthenextdaybytheseveno’clockexpress，afterhavingwarnedMme.deMarellebytelegram.Hearrivedthefollowingdayatfouro’clockintheafternoon.A

commissionnaireconductedhimtoVillaJolie.Thehousewassmallandlow，andoftheItalianstyleofarchitecture.

Aservantopenedthedoorandcried："Oh，sir，Madameisawaitingyoupatiently."

Duroyasked："Howisyourmaster？"

"Notverywell，sir.Hewillnotbeherelong."

Thefloorofthedrawing—roomwhichtheyoungmanenteredwascoveredwithaPersianrug;thelargewindowslookeduponthevillageandthesea.

Duroymurmured："Howcozyitishere！Wherethedeucedotheygetthemoneyfrom？"

Therustlingofagowncausedhimtoturn.Mme.Forestierextendedbothherhands，saying：

"Howkindofyoutocome."

Shewasatriflepalerandthinner，butstillasbrightasever，andperhapsprettierforbeingmoredelicate.Shewhispered："Itisterrible——heknowshecannotbesavedandhetyrannizesoverme.I

havetoldhimofyourarrival.Butwhereisyourtrunk？"

Duroyreplied："Ileftitatthestation，notknowingwhichhotelyouwouldadvisemetostopat，inordertobenearyou."

Shehesitated，thensaid："Youmuststophere，atthevilla.Yourchamberisready.Hemightdieanymoment，andifitshouldcomeinthenight，Iwouldbealone.Iwillsendforyourluggage."

Hebowed."Asyouwill."

"Now，letusgoupstairs，"saidshe;hefollowedher.Sheopenedadooronthefirstfloor，andDuroysawaformnearawindow，seatedinaneasy—chair，andwrappedincoverlets.Hedivinedthatitwashisfriend，thoughhescarcelyrecognizedhim.Forestierraisedhishandslowlyandwithdifficulty，saying：

"Youarehere;youhavecometoseemedie.Iammuchobliged."

Duroyforcedasmile."Toseeyoudie？Thatwouldnotbeaverypleasantsight，andIwouldnotchoosethatoccasiononwhichtovisitCannes.Icameheretorest."

"Sitdown，"saidForestier，andhebowedhisheadasifdeepinhopelessmeditation.Seeingthathedidnotspeak，hiswifeapproachedthewindowandpointingtothehorizon，said，"Lookatthat？Isitnotbeautiful？"

InspiteofhimselfDuroyfeltthegrandeuroftheclosingdayandexclaimed："Yes，indeed，itismagnificent"

Forestierraisedhisheadandsaidtohiswife："Givememoreair."

Shereplied："Youmustbecareful;itislate，thesunissetting;

youwillcatchmorecoldandthatwouldbeaseriousthinginyourcondition."

Hemadeafeeblegestureofangerwithhisrighthand，andsaid："I

tellyouIamsuffocating！WhatdifferencedoesitmakeifIdieadaysoonerorlater，sinceImustdie？"

Sheopenedthewindowwide.Theairwassoftandbalmy.Forestierinhaleditinfeverishgasps.Hegraspedthearmsofhischairandsaidinalowvoice："Shutthewindow.Iwouldratherdieinacellar."

Hiswifeslowlyclosedthewindow，thenleanedherbrowagainstthepaneandlookedout.Duroy，illatease，wishedtoconversewiththeinvalidtoreassurehim，buthecouldthinkofnowordsofcomfort.

Hestammered："Haveyounotbeenbettersinceyouarehere？"

Hisfriendshruggedhisshouldersimpatiently："Youwillseeverysoon."Andhebowedhisheadagain.

Duroycontinued："Athomeitisstillwintry.Itsnows，hails，rains，andissodarkthattheyhavetolightthelampsatthreeo’clockintheafternoon."

Forestierasked："Isthereanythingnewattheoffice？"

"Nothing.TheyhavetakenlittleLacrinofthe’Voltaire’tofillyourplace，butheisincapable.Itistimeyoucameback."

Theinvalidmuttered："I？Iwillsoonbewritingundersixfeetofsod."Alongsilenceensued.

Mme.Forestierdidnotstir;shestoodwithherbacktotheroom，herfacetowardthewindow.AtlengthForestierbrokethesilenceinagaspingvoice，heartrendingtolistento："HowmanymoresunsetsshallIsee——eight——ten——fifteen——twenty——orperhapsthirty——nomore.Youhavemoretime，youtwo——asforme——allisatanend.AndeverythingwillgoonwhenIamgoneasifIwerehere."Hepausedafewmoments，thencontinued："EverythingthatIseeremindsmethatIshallnotseethemlong.Itishorrible.Ishallnolongerseethesmallestobjects——theglasses——thedishes——thebedsonwhichwerest——thecarriages.Itisfinetodriveintheevening.HowIlovedallthat."

AgainNorbertdeVarenne’swordsoccurredtoDuroy.Theroomgrewdark.Forestieraskedirritably：

"Arewetohavenolampto—night？Thatiswhatiscalledcaringforaninvalid！"

Theformoutlinedagainstthewindowdisappearedandanelectricbellwasheardtoring.Aservantsoonenteredandplacedalampuponthemantel—piece.Mme.Forestieraskedherhusband："Doyouwishtoretire，orwillyougodownstairstodinner？"

"Iwillgodowntodinner."

ThemealseemedtoDuroyinterminable，fortherewasnoconversation，onlythetickingofaclockbrokethesilence.Whentheyhadfinished，Duroy，pleadingfatigue，retiredtohisroomandtriedinvaintoinventsomepretextforreturninghomeasquicklyaspossible.Heconsoledhimselfbysaying："Perhapsitwillnotbeforlong."

ThenextmorningGeorgesroseearlyandstrolleddowntothebeach.

Whenhereturnedtheservantsaidtohim："Monsieurhasaskedforyoutwoorthreetimes.Willyougoupstairs？"

Heascendedthestairs.Forestierappearedtobeinachair;hiswife，reclininguponacouch，wasreading.Theinvalidraisedhishead.Duroyasked：

"Well，howareyou？Youlookbetterthismorning."

Forestiermurmured："Yes，Iambetterandstronger.LunchashastilyasyoucanwithMadeleine，becausewearegoingtotakeadrive."

WhenMme.ForestierwasalonewithDuroy，shesaidtohim："Yousee，to—dayhethinksheisbetter！Heismakingplansforto—morrow.WearenowgoingtoGulfJuantobuypotteryforourroomsinParis.Heisdeterminedtogo，buthecannotstandthejoltingontheroad."

Thecarriagearrived，Forestierdescendedthestairs，stepbystep，supportedbyhisservant.Whenhesawtheclosedlandau，hewantedituncovered.Hiswifeopposedhim："Itissheermadness！Youwilltakecold."

Hepersisted："No，Iamgoingtobebetter，Iknowit."

Theyfirstdrovealongashadyroadandthentooktheroadbythesea.Forestierexplainedthedifferentpointsofinterest.Finallytheyarrivedatapavilionoverwhichwerethesewords："GulfJuanArtPottery，"andthecarriagedrewupatthedoor.Forestierwantedtobuyavasetoputonhisbookcase.Ashecouldnotleavethecarriage，theybroughtthepiecestohimonebyone.Ittookhimalongtimetochoose，consultinghiswifeandDuroy："Youknowitisformystudy.Frommyeasy—chairIcanseeitconstantly.Iprefertheancientform——theGreek."

Atlengthhemadehischoice."IshallreturntoParisinafewdays，"saidhe.

Ontheirwayhomealongthegulfacoolbreezesuddenlysprangup，andtheinvalidbegantocough.Atfirstitwasnothing，onlyaslightattack，butitgrewworseandturnedtoasortofhiccough——arattle;Forestierchoked，andeverytimehetriedtobreathehecoughedviolently.Nothingquietedhim.Hehadtobecarriedfromthelandautohisroom.Theheatofthebeddidnotstoptheattack，whichlasteduntilmidnight.Thefirstwordsthesickmanutteredweretoaskforabarber，forheinsistedonbeingshavedeverymorning.Herosetobeshaved，butwasobligedtogotobedatonce，andbegantobreathesopainfullythatMme.ForestierinaffrightwokeDuroyandaskedhimtofetchthedoctor.HereturnedalmostimmediatelywithDr.Gavantwhoprescribedforthesickman.Whenthejournalistaskedhimhisopinion，hesaid："Itisthefinalstage.Hewillbedeadto—morrowmorning.Preparethatpoor，youngwifeandsendforapriest.Icandonothingmore.However，Iamentirelyatyourdisposal"DuroywenttoMme.Forestier."Heisgoingtodie.Thedoctoradvisesmetosendforapriest.Whatwillyoudo？"

Shehesitatedamomentandthensaidslowly：

"Iwillgoandtellhimthatthecurewishestoseehim.Willyoubekindenoughtoprocureonewhowillrequirenothingbuttheconfession，andwhowillnotmakemuchfuss？"

Theyoungmanbroughtwithhimakind，oldpriestwhoaccommodatedhimselftocircumstances.Whenhehadenteredthedeathchamber，Mme.ForestierwentoutandseatedherselfwithDuroyinanadjoiningroom.

"Thathasupsethim，"saidshe."WhenImentionedthepriesttohim，hisfaceassumedascaredexpression.Heknewthattheendwasnear.

Ishallneverforgethisface."

Atthatmomenttheyheardthepriestsayingtohim："Whyno，youarenotsolowasthat.Youareill，butnotindanger.TheproofofthatisthatIcameasafriend，aneighbor."Theycouldnothearhisreply.Thepriestcontinued："No，Ishallnotadministerthesacrament.Wewillspeakofthatwhenyouarebetter.Ifyouwillonlyconfess，Iasknomore.Iamapastor;Itakeadvantageofeveryoccasiontogatherinmysheep."

Alongsilencefollowed.Thensuddenlythepriestsaid，inthetoneofoneofficiatingatthealtar：

"ThemercyofGodisinfinite;repeatthe’Confiteor，’myson.

Perhapsyouhaveforgottenit;Iwillhelpyou.Repeatwithme：

’ConfiteorDeoomnipotenti;BeataMariaesempervirgini.’"Hepausedfromtimetotimetopermitthedyingmantocatchuptohim.

Thenhesaid："Now，confess."Thesickmanmurmuredsomething.Thepriestrepeated："Youhavecommittedsins：ofwhatkind，myson？"

Theyoungwomanroseandsaidsimply："Letusgointothegarden.Wemustnotlistentohissecrets."

Theyseatedthemselvesuponabenchbeforethedoor，beneathablossomingrosebush.AfterseveralmomentsofsilenceDuroyasked：

"WillitbesometimebeforeyoureturntoParis？"

"No，"shereplied;"whenallisover，Iwillgoback."

"Inabouttendays？"

"Yes，atmost."

Hecontinued;"Charleshasnorelativesthen？"

"None，savecousins.Hisfatherandmotherdiedwhenhewasveryyoung."

Inthecourseofafewminutes，theservantcametotellthemthatthepriesthadfinished，andtogethertheyascendedthestairs.

Forestierseemedtohavegrownthinnersincetheprecedingday.Thepriestwasholdinghishand.

"Aurevoir，myson.Iwillcomeagainto—morrowmorning";andheleft.Whenhewasgone，thedyingman，whowaspanting，triedtoraisehistwohandstowardhiswifeandgasped：

"Saveme——saveme，mydarling.Idonotwanttodie——oh，saveme——goforthedoctor.Iwilltakeanything.Idonotwanttodie."Hewept;thetearscourseddownhispallidcheeks.Thenhishandscommencedtowanderhitherandthithercontinually，slowly，andregularly，asifgatheringsomethingonthecoverlet.Hiswife，whowasalsoweeping，sobbed：

"No，itisnothing.Itisonlyanattack;youwillbebetterto—

morrow;youtiredyourselfwiththatdrive."

Forestierdrewhisbreathquicklyandsofaintlythatonecouldscarcelyhearhim.Herepeated：

"Idonotwanttodie！Oh，myGod——myGod——whathashappenedtome？

Icannotsee.Oh，myGod！"Hisstaringeyessawsomethinginvisibletotheothers;hishandspluckedcontinuallyatthecounterpane.

Suddenlyheshudderedandgasped："Thecemetery——me——myGod！"Hedidnotspeakagain.Helaytheremotionlessandghastly.Thehoursdraggedon;theclockofaneighboringconventchimednoon.

Duroylefttheroomtoobtainsomefood.Hereturnedanhourlater;

Mme.Forestierwouldeatnothing.Theinvalidhadnotstirred.Theyoungwomanwasseatedinaneasy—chairatthefootofthebed.

Duroylikewiseseatedhimself，andtheywatchedinsilence.Anurse，sentbythedoctor，hadarrivedandwasdozingbythewindow.

Duroyhimselfwasalmostasleepwhenhefeltapresentimentthatsomethingwasabouttohappen.HeopenedhiseyesjustintimetoseeForestierclosehis.Hecoughedslightly，andtwostreamsofbloodissuedfromthecornersofhismouthandfloweduponhisnightrobe;hishandsceasedtheirperpetualmotion;hehadbreathedhislast.Hiswife，perceivingit，utteredacryandfelluponherkneesbythebedside.Georges，insurpriseandaffright，mechanicallymadethesignofthecross.

Thenurse，awakening，approachedthebedandsaid："Ithascome."

Duroy，recoveringhisself—possession，murmuredwithasighofrelief："ItwasnotashardasIfeareditwouldbe."

ThatnightMme.ForestierandDuroywatchedinthechamberofdeath.

Theywerealonebesidehimwhowasnomore.Theydidnotspeak，Georges’seyesseemedattractedtothatemaciatedfacewhichtheflickeringlightmademorehollow.Thatwashisfriend，CharlesForestier，whothedaybeforehadspokentohim.Forseveralyearshehadlived，eaten，laughed，loved，andhopedasdideveryone——andnowallwasendedforhimforever.

Lifelastedafewmonthsoryears，andthenfled！Onewasborn，grew，washappy，anddied.Adieu！manorwoman，youwillneverreturntoearth！Hethoughtoftheinsectswhichliveseveralhours，ofthefeastswhichliveseveraldays，ofthemenwholiveseveralyears，oftheworldswhichlastseveralcenturies.Whatwasthedifferencebetweenoneandtheother？Afewmoredawns，thatwasall.

Duroyturnedawayhiseyesinordernottoseethecorpse.Mme.

Forestier’sheadwasbowed;herfairhairenhancedthebeautyofhersorrowfulface.Theyoungman’sheartgrewhopeful.Whyshouldhelamentwhenhehadsomanyyearsstillbeforehim？Heglancedatthehandsomewidow.Howhadsheeverconsentedtomarrythatman？Thenhepondereduponallthehiddensecretsoftheirlives.HerememberedthathehadbeentoldofaCountdeVaudrecwhohaddoweredandgivenherinmarriage.Whatwouldshedonow？Whomwouldshemarry？Hadsheprojects，plans？Hewouldhavelikedtoknow.Whythatanxietyastowhatshewoulddo？

Georgesquestionedhimself，andfoundthatitwascausedbyadesiretowinherforhimself.Whyshouldhenotsucceed？Hewaspositivethatshelikedhim;shewouldhaveconfidenceinhim，forsheknewthathewasintelligent，resolute，tenacious.Hadshenotsentforhim？Wasnotthatakindofavowal？Hewasimpatienttoquestionher，tofindoutherintentions.Hewouldsoonhavetoleavethatvilla，forhecouldnotremainalonewiththeyoungwidow;thereforehemustfindoutherplansbeforereturningtoParis，inorderthatshemightnotyieldtoanother’sentreaties.Hebroketheoppressivesilencebysaying：

"Youmustbefatigued."

"Yes，butaboveallIamgrieved."

Theirvoicessoundedstrangeinthatroom.Theyglancedinvoluntarilyatthecorpseasiftheyexpectedtoseeitmove.

Duroycontinued：

"Itisaheavyblowforyou，andwillmakeacompletechangeinyourlife."

Shesigheddeeply，butdidnotreply.Headded：

"Itisverysadforayoungwomanlikeyoutobeleftalone."Hepaused;shestilldidnotreply，andhestammered："Atanyrate，youwillrememberthecompactbetweenus;youcancommandmeasyouwill.Iamyours."

Sheheldoutherhandtohimandsaidmournfullyandgently：

"Thanks，youareverykind.IfIcandoanythingforyou，Isaytoo：

’Countonme.’"

Hetookherprofferedhand，gazedatit，andwasseizedwithanardentdesiretokissit.Slowlyheraisedittohislipsandthenrelinquishedit.Asherdelicatefingerslayuponherkneetheyoungwidowsaidgravely：

"Yes，Ishallbeallalone，butIshallforcemyselftobebrave."

Hedidnotknowhowtotellherthathewouldbedelightedtowedher.Certainlyitwasnotimetospeaktoheronsuchasubject;

however，hethoughthemightbeabletoexpresshimselfbymeansofsomephrasewhichwouldhaveahiddenmeaningandwouldinferwhathewishedtosay.Butthatrigidcorpselaybetweenthem.Theatmospherebecameoppressive，almostsuffocating.Duroyasked："Canwenotopenthewindowalittle？Theairseemstobeimpure."

"Certainly，"shereplied;"Ihavenoticedittoo."

Heopenedthewindow，lettinginthecoolnightair.Heturned：

"Comeandlookout，itisdelightful."

Sheglidedsoftlytohisside.Hewhispered："Listentome.DonotbeangrythatIbroachthesubjectatsuchatime，butthedayafterto—morrowIshallleavehereandwhenyoureturntoParisitmightbetoolate.YouknowthatIamonlyapoordevil，whohashispositiontomake，butIhavethewillandsomeintelligence，andI

amadvancing.Amanwhohasattainedhisambitionknowswhattocounton;amanwhohashiswaytomakedoesnotknowwhatmaycome—

—itmaybebetterorworse.Itoldyouonedaythatmymostcherisheddreamwastohaveawifelikeyou."

"Irepeatittoyouto—day.Donotreply，butletmecontinue.Thisisnoproposal——thetimeandplacewouldrenderitodious.Ionlywishtotellyouthatbyawordyoucanmakemehappy，andthatyoucanmakeofmeasyouwill，eitherafriendorahusband——formyheartandmybodyareyours.Idonotwantyoutoanswermenow.I

donotwishtospeakanymoreonthesubjecthere.WhenwemeetinParis，youcantellmeyourdecision."

Heutteredthesewordswithoutglancingather，andsheseemednottohaveheardthem，forshestoodbyhissidemotionless，staringvaguelyandfixedlyatthelandscapebeforeher，bathedinmoonlight.

Atlengthshemurmured："Itisratherchilly，"andturnedtowardthebed.Duroyfollowedher.Theydidnotspeakbutcontinuedtheirwatch.TowardmidnightGeorgesfellasleep.Atdaybreakthenurseenteredandhestartedup.BothheandMme.Forestierretiredtotheirroomstoobtainsomerest.Ateleveno’clocktheyroseandlunchedtogether;whilethroughtheopenwindowwaswaftedthesweet，perfumedairofspring.Afterlunch，Mme.Forestierproposedthattheytakeaturninthegarden;astheywalkedslowlyalong，shesuddenlysaid，withoutturningherheadtowardhim，inalow，gravevoice：

"Listentome，mydearfriend;Ihavealreadyreflecteduponwhatyouproposedtome，andIcannotallowyoutodepartwithoutawordofreply.Iwill，however，sayneitheryesnorno.Wewillwait，wewillsee;wewillbecomebetteracquainted.Youmustthinkitwellovertoo.Donotyieldtoanimpulse.ImentionthistoyoubeforeevenpoorCharlesisburied，becauseitisnecessary，afterwhatyouhavesaidtome，thatyoushouldknowmeasIam，inordernottocherishthehopeyouexpressedtomeanylonger，ifyouarenotamanwhocanunderstandandbearwithme."

"Nowlistencarefully：Marriage，tome，isnotachainbutanassociation.Imustbefree，entirelyunfettered，inallmyactions—

—mycomingandmygoing;Icantolerateneithercontrol，jealousy，norcriticismastomyconduct.Ipledgemyword，however，nevertocompromisethenameofthemanImarry，nortorenderhimridiculousintheeyesoftheworld.Butthatmanmustpromisetolookuponmeasanequal，anally，andnotasaninferior，orasanobedient，submissivewife.Myideas，Iknow，arenotlikethoseofotherpeople，butIshallneverchangethem.Donotanswerme，itwouldbeuseless.Weshallmeetagainandtalkitalloverlater.Nowtakeawalk;Ishallreturntohim.Good—byeuntilto—night."

Hekissedherhandandleftherwithouthavingutteredaword.Thatnighttheymetatdinner;directlyafterthemealtheysoughttheirrooms，wornoutwithfatigue.

CharlesForestierwasburiedthenextdayinthecemeteryatCanneswithoutanypomp，andGeorgesreturnedtoParisbytheexpresswhichleftatone—thirty.Mme.Forestieraccompaniedhimtothestation.

Theywalkedupanddowntheplatformawaitingthehourofdepartureandconversingonindifferentsubjects.

Thetrainarrived，thejournalisttookhisseat;aportercried：

"Marseilles，Lyons，Paris！Allaboard！"Thelocomotivewhistledandthetrainmovedslowlyoutofthestation.

Theyoungmanleanedoutofthecarriage，andlookedattheyouthfulwidowstandingontheplatformgazingafterhim.Justasshewasdisappearingfromhissight，hethrewherakiss，whichshereturnedwithamorediscreetwaveofherhand.

CHAPTERIX.

MARRIAGE

GeorgesDuroyresumedhisoldhabits.InstalledinthecozyapartmentsonRuedeConstantinople，hisrelationswithMme.deMarellebecamequiteconjugal.

Mme.Forestierhadnotreturned;shelingeredatCannes.He，however，receivedaletterfromherannouncingherreturnaboutthemiddleofApril，butcontainingnotawordastotheirparting.Hewaited.Hewasresolvedtoemployeverymeanstomarryherifsheseemedtohesitate;hehadfaithinhisgoodfortune，inthatpowerofattractionwhichhefeltwithinhim——apowersoirresistiblethatallwomenyieldedtoit.

Atlengthashortnoteadmonishedhimthatthedecisivemomenthadarrived.

"IaminParis.Cometoseeme."

"MadeleineForestier."

Nothingmore.Hereceiveditatnineo’clock.Atthreeo’clockofthesamedayhecalledatherhouse.Sheextendedbothhandstohimwithasweetsmile，andtheygazedintoeachother’seyesforseveralseconds，thenshemurmured：

"Howkindofyoutocome！"

Hereplied："Ishouldhavecome，whensoeveryoubademe."

Theysatdown;sheinquiredabouttheWalters，hisassociates，andthenewspaper.

"Imissthatverymuch，"saidshe."Ihadbecomeajournalistinspirit.Iliketheprofession."Shepaused.Hefanciedhesawinhersmile，inhervoice，inherwords，akindofinvitation，andalthoughhehadresolvednottohastenmatters，hestammered：

"Well——why——whydoyounotresume——thatprofession——under——thenameofDuroy？"

Shebecamesuddenlyserious，andplacingherhandonhisarm，shesaid："Donotletusspeakofthatyet."

Diviningthatshewouldaccepthim，hefelluponhisknees，andpassionatelykissedherhands，saying：

"Thankyou——thankyou——howIloveyou."

Sherose，shewasverypale.Duroykissedherbrow.Whenshehaddisengagedherselffromhisembrace，shesaidgravely："Listen，myfriend，Ihavenotyetfullydecided;butmyanswermaybe’yes.’

Youmustwaitpatiently，however，untilIdisclosethesecrettoyou."

Hepromisedandlefther，hisheartoverflowingwithjoy.Heworkedsteadily，spentlittle，triedtosavesomemoneythathemightnotbewithoutasouatthetimeofhismarriage，andbecameasmiserlyashehadoncebeenprodigal.Summerglidedby;thenautumn，andnoonesuspectedthetieexistingbetweenDuroyandMme.Forestier，fortheyseldommetinpublic.

OneeveningMadeleinesaidtohim："YouhavenotyettoldMme.deMarelleourplans？"

"No，mydear;asyouwishedthemkeptsecret，Ihavenotmentionedthemtoasoul."

"Verywell;thereisplentyoftime.IwilltelltheWalters."

Sheturnedawayherheadandcontinued："Ifyouwish，wecanbemarriedthebeginningofMay."

"Iobeyyouinallthingsjoyfully."

"ThetenthofMay，whichfallsonSaturday，wouldpleaseme，foritismybirthday."

"Verywell，thetenthofMay."

"YourparentslivenearRouen，dotheynot？"

"Yes，nearRouen，atCanteleu."

"Iamveryanxioustoseethem！"

Hehesitated，perplexed："But——theyare——"Thenheaddedmorefirmly："Mydear，theyareplain，countrypeople，innkeepers，whostrainedeverynervetogivemeaneducation.Iamnotashamedofthem，buttheir——simplicity——theirrusticitymightannoyyou."

Shesmiledsweetly."No，Iwilllovethemverymuch.Wewillvisitthem;Iwishto.I，too，amthechildofhumbleparents——butIlostmine——Ihavenooneintheworld"——sheheldoutherhandtohim——

"butyou."

Hewasaffected，conqueredashehadneverbeenbyanywoman.

"Ihavebeenthinkingofsomething，"saidshe，"butitisdifficulttoexplain."

Heasked："Whatisit？"

"Itisthis：Iamlikeallwomen.Ihavemy——myweaknesses.Ishouldliketobearanoblename.Canyounotontheoccasionofourmarriagechangeyournamesomewhat？"Sheblushedasifshehadproposedsomethingindelicate.

Herepliedsimply："Ihaveoftenthoughtofit，butitdoesnotseemeasytome."

"Whynot？"

Helaughed."BecauseIamafraidIshouldberidiculed."

Sheshruggedhershoulders."Notatall——notatall.Everyonedoesit，andnoonelaughs.Separateyournameinthisway：DuRoy.Itsoundsverywell."

Hereplied："No，thatwillnotdo;itistoocommonaproceeding.I

havethoughtofassumingthenameofmynativeplace，firstasaliterarypseudonymandthenasmysurnameinconjunctionwithDuroy，whichmightlateron，asyouproposed，beseparated."

Sheasked："IsyournativeplaceCanteleu？"

"Yes."

"Idonotlikethetermination.Couldwenotmodifyit？"

Shetookapenandwrotedownthenamesinordertostudythem.

Suddenlyshecried："NowIhaveit，"andheldtowardhimasheetofpaperonwhichwaswritten："Mme.DuroydeCantel."

Gravelyhereplied："Yes，itisverynice."

Shewasdelighted，andrepeated："DuroydeCantel.Mme.DuroydeCantel.Itisexcellent，excellent！"

Thensheaddedwithanairofconviction："Youwillseehoweasilyitwillbeacceptedbyeveryone！Afterto—morrow，signyourarticles’D.deCantel，’andyour’Echoes’simply’Duroy.’Thatisdoneonthepresseverydayandnoonewillbesurprisedtoseeyoutakeanomdeplume.Whatisyourfather’sname？"

"Alexandre."

Shemurmured"Alexandre！"twoorthreetimesinsuccession;thenshewroteuponablanksheet：

"M.andMme.AlexandreduRoydeCantelannouncethemarriageoftheirson，M.GeorgesduRoydeCantelwithMme.Forestier."

Sheexaminedherwriting，and，charmedwiththeeffect，exclaimed：

"Withalittlemethodonecansucceedinanything."

WhenGeorgesreachedthestreetresolvedtocallhimself，henceforth，"DuRoy，"oreven"DuRoydeCantel，"itseemedtohimthathewasofmoreimportance.Heswaggeredmoreboldly，heldhisheadmoreerectandwalkedashethoughtgentlemenshould.Hefeltadesiretoinformthepassers—by，"MynameisDuRoydeCantel."

ScarcelyhadheenteredhisapartmentswhenthethoughtofMme.deMarellerenderedhimuneasy，andhewrotetoherimmediately，appointingameetingforthefollowingday.

"Itwillbehard，"thoughthe."Therewillbeaquarrelsurely."

ThenextmorninghereceivedatelegramfromMadame，informinghimthatshewouldbewithhimatoneo’clock.Heawaitedherimpatiently，determinedtoconfessatonceandafterwardtoarguewithher，totellherthathecouldnotremainabachelorindefinitely，andthat，asM.deMarellepersistedinliving，hehadbeencompelledtochoosesomeoneelseasalegalcompanion.Whenthebellrang，hisheartgaveabound.

Mme.deMarelleenteredandcastherselfintohisarms，saying：

"Goodafternoon，Bel—Ami."Perceivingthathisembracewascolderthanusual，sheglancedupathimandasked："Whatailsyou？"

"Takeaseat，"saidhe."Wemusttalkseriously."

Sheseatedherselfwithoutremovingherhat，andwaited.Hecastdownhiseyes;hewaspreparingtocommence.

Finallyhesaidslowly："Mydearfriend，youseethatIamverymuchperplexed，verysad，andverymuchembarrassedbywhatIhavetoconfesstoyou.Iloveyou;Iloveyouwithallmyheart，andthefearofgivingyoupaingrievesmemorethanwhatIhavetotellyou."

Sheturnedpale，trembled，andasked："Whatisit？Tellmequickly."

Hesaidsadlybutresolutely："Iamgoingtobemarried."

Shesighedlikeoneabouttoloseconsciousness;thenshegasped，butdidnotspeak.

Hecontinued："YoucannotimaginehowmuchIsufferedbeforetakingthatresolution.ButIhaveneitherpositionnormoney.IamaloneinParis，Imusthavenearmesomeonewhocancounsel，comfort，andsupportme.WhatIneedisanassociate，anally，andIhavefoundone！"Hepaused，hopingthatshewouldreply，expectinganoutburstoffuriousrage，reproaches，andinsults.Shepressedherhandtoherheartandbreathedwithdifficulty.Hetookthehandrestingonthearmofthechair，butshedrewitawayandmurmuredasifstupefied："Oh，myGod！"

Hefelluponhiskneesbeforeher，without，however，venturingtotouchher，moremovedbyhersilencethanhewouldhavebeenbyheranger.

"Clo，mylittleClo，youunderstandmyposition.Oh，ifIcouldhavemarriedyou，whathappinessitwouldhaveaffordedme！Butyouweremarried！WhatcouldIdo？Justthinkofit！ImustmakemywayintheworldandIcanneverdosoaslongasIhavenodomesticties.

Ifyouknew.TherearedayswhenIshouldliketokillyourhusband."Hespokeinalow，seductivevoice.HesawtwotearsgatherinMme.deMarelle’seyesandtrickleslowlydownhercheeks.

Hewhispered："Donotweep，Clo，donotweep，Ibeseechyou.Youbreakmyheart."

Shemadeanefforttoappeardignifiedandhaughty，andasked，thoughsomewhatunsteadily："Whoisit？"

Foramomenthehesitatedbeforehereplied："MadeleineForestier！"

Mme.deMarellestarted;hertearscontinuedtoflow.Sherose.

Duroysawthatshewasgoingtoleavehimwithoutawordofreproachorpardon，andhefelthumbled，humiliated.Heseizedhergownandimplored：

"Donotleavemethus."

Shelookedathimwiththatdespairing，tearfulglancesocharmingandsotouching，whichexpressesallthemiserypent—upinawoman’sheart，andstammered："Ihavenothing——tosay;Icandonothing.

You——youareright;youhavemadeagoodchoice."

Anddisengagingherselfshelefttheroom.

Withasighofreliefatescapingsoeasily，herepairedtoMme.

Forestier’s，whoaskedhim："HaveyoutoldMme.deMarelle？"

Herepliedcalmly："Yes."

"Diditaffecther？"

"Notatall.Onthecontrary，shethoughtitanexcellentplan."

Thenewswassoonnoisedabroad.Someweresurprised，otherspretendedtohaveforeseenit，andothersagainsmiled，inferringthattheywerenotatallastonished.Theyoungman，whosignedhisarticles，"D.deCantel，"his"Echoes，""Duroy，"andhispoliticalsketches，"DuRoy，"spentthebestpartofhistimewithhisbetrothed，whohaddecidedthatthedatefixedfortheweddingshouldbekeptsecret，thattheceremonyshouldbecelebratedinthepresenceofwitnessesonly，thattheyshouldleavethesameeveningforRouen，andthatthedayfollowingtheyshouldvisitthejournalist’sagedparentsandspendseveraldayswiththem.DuroyhadtriedtopersuadeMadeleinetoabandonthatproject，butnotsucceedinginhiseffortshewasfinallycompelledtosubmit.

ThetenthofMayarrived.Thinkingareligiousceremonyunnecessary，astheyhadissuednoinvitations，thecoupleweremarriedatamagistrate’sandtookthesixo’clocktrainforNormandy.

Asthetrainglidedalong，Duroyseatedinfrontofhiswife，tookherhand，kissedit，andsaid："WhenwereturnwewilldineatChatousometimes."

Shemurmured："Weshallhaveagreatmanythingstodo！"inatonewhichseemedtosay："Wemustsacrificepleasuretoduty."

Heretainedherhandwonderinganxiouslyhowhecouldmanagetocaressher.Hepressedherhandslightly，butshedidnotrespondtothepressure.

Hesaid："Itseemsstrangethatyoushouldbemywife."

Sheappearedsurprised："Why？"

"Idonotknow.Itseemsdroll.IwanttoembraceyouandIamsurprisedthatIhavetheright."

Shecalmlyofferedhimhercheekwhichhekissedashewouldhavekissedhissister’s.Hecontinued：

"ThefirsttimeIsawyou（youremember，atthatdinnertowhichI

wasinvitedatForestier’s），Ithought：’Sacristi，ifIcouldonlyfindawifelikethat！’AndnowIhaveone."

Sheglancedathimwithsmilingeyes.

Hesaidtohimself："Iamtoocold.Iamstupid.Ishouldmakemoreadvances."Andheasked："HowdidyoumakeForestier’sacquaintance？"

Sherepliedwithprovokingarchness："ArewegoingtoRouentotalkofhim？"

Hecolored."Iamafool.Youintimidateme."

Shewasdelighted."I？Impossible."

Heseatedhimselfbesideher.Sheexclaimed："Ah！astag！"ThetrainwaspassingthroughtheforestofSaint—Germainandshehadseenafrighteneddeerclearanalleyatabound.Asshegazedoutoftheopenwindow，Duroybendingoverher，pressedakissuponherneck.

Forseveralmomentssheremainedmotionless，thenraisingherhead，shesaid："Youtickleme，stop！"

Buthedidnotobeyher.

Sherepeated："Stop，Isay！"

Heseizedherheadwithhisrighthand，turnedittowardhimandpressedhislipstohers.Shestruggled，pushedhimawayandrepeated："Stop！"

Hedidnotheedher.Withaneffort，shefreedherselfandrising，said："Georges，havedone.Wearenotchildren，weshallsoonreachRouen."

"Verywell，"saidhe，gaily，"Iwillwait."

Reseatingherselfnearhimshetalkedofwhattheywoulddoontheirreturn;theywouldkeeptheapartmentsinwhichshehadlivedwithherfirsthusband，andDuroywouldreceiveForestier’spositionon"LaVieFrancaise."Inthemeantime，forgettingherinjunctionsandhispromise，heslippedhisarmaroundherwaist，pressedhertohimandmurmured："Iloveyoudearly，mylittleMade."

Thegentlenessofhistonemovedtheyoungwoman，andleaningtowardhimsheofferedhimherlips;asshedidso，awhistleannouncedtheproximityofthestation.Pushingbacksomestraylocksuponhertemples，sheexclaimed：

"Wearefoolish."

Hekissedherhandsfeverishlyandreplied：

"Iadoreyou，mylittleMade."

OnreachingRouentheyrepairedtoahotelwheretheyspentthenight.Thefollowingmorning，whentheyhaddrunktheteaplaceduponthetableintheirroom，Duroyclaspedhiswifeinhisarmsandsaid："MylittleMade，IfeelthatIloveyouvery，verymuch."

Shesmiledtrustfullyandmurmuredasshereturnedhiskisses："I

loveyoutoo——alittle."

ThevisittohisparentsworriedGeorges，althoughhehadpreparedhiswife.Hebeganagain："Youknowtheyarepeasants，real，notsham，comic—operapeasants."

Shesmiled."Iknowit，youhavetoldmeoftenenough."

"Weshallbeveryuncomfortable.Thereisonlyastrawbedinmyroom;theydonotknowwhathairmattressesareatCanteleu."

Sheseemeddelighted."Somuchthebetter.Itwouldbecharmingtosleepbadly——when——nearyou——andtobeawakenedbythecrowingofthecocks."

Hewalkedtowardthewindowandlightedacigarette.Thesightoftheharbor，oftheriverfilledwithshipsmovedhimandheexclaimed："Egad，butthatisfine！"

Madeleinejoinedhimandplacingbothofherhandsonherhusband’sshoulder，cried："Oh，howbeautiful！Ididnotknowthatthereweresomanyships！"

Anhourlatertheydepartedinordertobreakfastwiththeoldcouple，whohadbeeninformedseveraldaysbeforeoftheirintendedarrival.BothDuroyandhiswifewerecharmedwiththebeautiesofthelandscapepresentedtotheirview，andthecabmanhaltedinordertoallowthemtogetabetterideaofthepanoramabeforethem.Ashewhippeduphishorse，Duroysawanoldcouplenotahundredmetersoff，approaching，andheleapedfromthecarriagecrying："Heretheyare，Iknowthem."

Themanwasshort，corpulent，florid，andvigorous，notwithstandinghisage;thewomanwastall，thin，andmelancholy，withstoopingshoulders——awomanwhohadworkedfromchildhood，whohadneverlaughednorjested.

Madeleine，too，alightedandwatchedthecoupleadvance，withacontractionofherheartshehadnotanticipated.Theydidnotrecognizetheirsoninthatfinegentleman，andtheywouldneverhavetakenthathandsomeladyfortheirdaughter—in—law.Theywalkedalong，passedthechildtheywereexpecting，withoutglancingatthe"cityfolks."

Georgescriedwithalaugh："Goodday，FatherDuroy."

Boththeoldmanandhiswifewerestruckdumbwithastonishment;

thelatterrecoveredherself—possessionfirstandasked："Isityou，son？"

Theyoungmanreplied："Yes，itisI，MotherDuroy，"andapproachingher，hekissedheruponbothcheeksandsaid："Thisismywife."

ThetworusticsstaredatMadeleineasifshewereacuriosity，withanxiousfear，combinedwithasortofsatisfiedapprobationonthepartofthefatherandofjealousenmityonthatofthemother.

M.Duroy，senior，whowasnaturallyjocose，madesoboldastoaskwithatwinkleinhiseye："MayIkissyoutoo？"HissonutteredanexclamationandMadeleineofferedhercheektotheoldpeasant;whoafterwardwipedhislipswiththebackofhishand.Theoldwoman，inherturn，kissedherdaughter—in—lawwithhostilereserve.Heridealwasastout，rosy，countrylass，asredasanappleandasround.

Thecarriageprecededthemwiththeluggage.Theoldmantookhisson’sarmandaskedhim："Howareyougettingon？"

"Verywell."

"Thatisright.Tellme，hasyourwifeanymeans？"

Georgesreplied："Fortythousandfrancs."

Hisfatherwhistledsoftlyandmuttered："Whew！"Thenheadded："Sheisahandsomewoman."Headmiredhisson’swife，andinhisdayhadconsideredhimselfaconnoisseur.

Madeleineandthemotherwalkedsidebysideinsilence;thetwomenjoinedthem.Theysoonreachedthevillage，attheentrancetowhichstoodM.Duroy’stavern.Apineboardfastenedoverthedoorindicatedthatthirstypeoplemightenter.Thetablewaslaid.A

neighbor，whohadcometoassist，madealowcourtesyonseeingsobeautifulaladyappear;thenrecognizingGeorges，shecried："OhLord，isityou？"

Herepliedmerrily："Yes，itisI，MotherBrulin，"andhekissedherashehadkissedhisfatherandmother.Thenheturnedtohiswife：

"Comeintoourroom，"saidhe，"youcanlayasideyourhat."

Theypassedthroughadoortotherightandenteredaroompavedwithbrick，withwhitewashedwallsandabedwithcottonhangings.

Acrucifixaboveaholy—waterbasinandtwocoloredprints，representingPaulandVirginiabeneathabluepalm—tree，andNapoleonI.onayellowhorse，weretheonlyornamentsinthatneat，butbareroom.

Whentheywerealone，GeorgesembracedMadeleine.

"Goodmorning，Made！Iamgladtoseetheoldpeopleoncemore.WhenoneisinParisonedoesnotthinkofthisplace，butwhenonereturns，oneenjoysitjustthesame."

Atthatmomenthisfathercried，knockingonthepartitionwithhisfist："Come，thesoupisready."

Theyre—enteredthelargepublic—roomandtooktheirseatsatthetable.Themealwasalongone，servedinatrulyrusticfashion.

FatherDuroy，enlivenedbytheciderandseveralglassesofwine，relatedmanyanecdotes，whileGeorges，towhomtheywereallfamiliar，laughedatthem.

MotherDuroydidnotspeak，butsatattheboard，grimandaustere，glancingatherdaughter—in—lawwithhatredinherheart.

Madeleinedidnotspeaknordidsheeat;shewasdepressed.

Wherefore？Shehadwishedtocome;sheknewthatshewascomingtoasimplehome;shehadformednopoeticalideasofthosepeasants，butshehadperhapsexpectedtofindthemsomewhatmorepolished，refined.Sherecalledherownmother，ofwhomsheneverspoketoanyone——agovernesswhohadbeenbetrayedandwhohaddiedofgriefandshamewhenMadeleinewastwelveyearsold.Astrangerhadhadthelittlegirleducated.Herfatherwithoutdoubt.Whowashe？Shedidnotknowpositively，butshehadvaguesuspicions.

Themealwasnotyetoverwhencustomersentered，shookhandswithM.Duroy，exclaimedonseeinghisson，andseatingthemselvesatthewoodentablesbegantodrink，smoke，andplaydominoes.Thesmokefromtheclaypipesandpennycigarsfilledtheroom.

Madeleinechokedandasked："Canwegoout？Icannotremainhereanylonger，"

OldDuroygrumbledatbeingdisturbed.Madeleineroseandplacedherchairatthedoorinordertowaituntilherfather—in—lawandhiswifehadfinishedtheircoffeeandwine.

Georgessoonjoinedher.

"WouldyouliketostrolldowntotheSeine？"

Joyfullyshecried："Yes."

Theydescendedthehillside，hiredaboatatCroisset，andspenttheremainderoftheafternoonbeneaththewillowsinthesoft，warm，springair，androckedgentlybytheripplingwavesoftheriver.

Theyreturnedatnightfall.Theeveningrepastbycandle—lightwasmorepainfultoMadeleinethanthatofthemorning.NeitherFatherDuroynorhiswifespoke.Whenthemealwasover，Madeleinedrewherhusbandoutsideinordernottohavetoremaininthatroom，theatmosphereofwhichwasheavywithsmokeandthefumesofliquor.

Whentheywerealone，hesaid："Youarealreadyweary."

Sheattemptedtoprotest;heinterruptedher：

"Ihaveseenit.Ifyouwishwewillleavetomorrow."

Shewhispered："Ishouldliketogo."

Theywalkedalongandenteredanarrowpathamonghightrees，hedgedinoneithersidebyimpenetrablebrushwood.

Sheasked："Wherearewe？"

Hereplied："Intheforest——oneofthelargestinFrance."

Madeleine，onraisingherhead，couldseethestarsbetweenthebranchesandheartherustlingoftheleaves.Shefeltstrangelynervous.Why，shecouldnottell.Sheseemedtobelost，surroundedbyperils，abandoned，alone，beneaththatvastvaultedsky.

Shemurmured："Iamafraid;Ishouldliketoreturn."

"Verywell，wewill."

Ontheirreturntheyfoundtheoldpeopleinbed.ThenextmorningMadeleineroseearlyandwasreadytoleaveatdaybreak.WhenGeorgestoldhisparentsthattheyweregoingtoreturnhome，theyguessedwhosewishitwas.

Hisfatheraskedsimply："ShallIseeyousoonagain？"

"Yes——inthesummer—time."

"Verywell."

Hismothergrumbled："Ihopeyouwillnotregretwhatyouhavedone."

Georgesgavethemtwohundredfrancstoappeasethem，andthecabarrivingatteno’clock，thecouplekissedtheoldpeasantsandsetout.

Astheyweredescendingthesideofthehill，Duroylaughed."Yousee，"saidhe，"Iwarnedyou.Ishould，however，nothavepresentedyoutoM.andMme.duRoydeCantel，senior."

Shelaughedtooandreplied："Iamcharmednow！TheyarenicepeoplewhomIambeginningtolikeverymuch.IshallsendthemconfectionsfromParis."Thenshemurmured："DuRoydeCantel.Wewillsaythatwespentaweekatyourparents’estate，"anddrawingnearhim，shekissedhimsaying：

"Goodmorning，Georges."

Hereplied："Goodmorning，Madeleine，"asheslippedhisarmaroundherwaist.

CHAPTERX.

JEALOUSY

TheDuRoyshadbeeninParistwodaysandthejournalisthadresumedwork;hehadgivenuphisownespecialprovincetoassumethatofForestier，andtodevotehimselfentirelytopolitics.Onthisparticulareveningheturnedhisstepstowardhomewithalightheart.Ashepassedaflorist’sonRueNotreDamedeLoretteheboughtabouquetofhalf—openrosesforMadeleine.Havingforgottenhiskey，onarrivingathisdoor，herangandtheservantansweredhissummons.

Georgesasked："IsMadameathome？""Yes，sir."

Inthedining—roomhepausedinastonishmenttoseecoverslaidforthree：thedoorofthesalonbeingajar，hesawMadeleinearranginginavaseonthemantelpieceabunchofrosessimilartohis.

Heenteredtheroomandasked："Haveyouinvitedanyonetodinner？"

Sherepliedwithoutturningherheadandcontinuingthearrangementofherflowers："Yesandno：itismyoldfriend，CountdeVaudrec，whoisinthehabitofdininghereeveryMondayandwhowillcomenowashealwayshas，"

Georgesmurmured："Verywell."

Hestoppedbehindher，thebouquetinhishand，thedesirestrongwithinhimtoconcealit——tothrowitaway.However，hesaid：

"Here，Ihavebroughtyousomeroses！"

Sheturnedtohimwithasmileandsaid："Ah，howthoughtfulofyou！"andshekissedhimwithsuchevidentaffectionthathefeltconsoled.

Shetooktheflowers，inhaledtheirperfume，andputtheminanemptyvase.Thenshesaidasshenotedtheeffect："NowIamsatisfied;mymantelpiecelookspretty，"addingwithanairofconviction：

"Vaudrecischarming;youwillbecomeintimatewithhimatonce，"

AringannouncedtheCount.Heenteredasifhewereathome.AftergallantlykissingMme.DuRoy’shand，heturnedtoherhusbandandcordiallyofferedhishand，saying："Howareyou，mydearDuRoy？"

Hehadnolongerthathaughtyair，butwasveryaffable.Onewouldhavethoughtinthecourseoffiveminutes，thatthetwomenhadknownoneanotherfortenyears.Madeleine，whosefacewasradiant，said："Iwillleaveyoutogether.Ihaveworktosuperintendinthekitchen."ThedinnerwasexcellentandtheCountremainedverylate.

Whenhewasgone，Madeleinesaidtoherhusband："Ishenotnice？Heimproves，too，onacquaintance.Heisagood，true，faithfulfriend.

Ah，withouthim——"

ShedidnotcompletehersentenceandGeorgesreplied："Yes，heisverypleasant，Ithinkweshallunderstandeachotherwell."

"Youdonotknow，"shesaid，"thatwehaveworktodoto—nightbeforeretiring.Ididnothavetimetotellyoubeforedinner，forVaudreccame.Laroche—MathieubroughtmeimportantnewsofMorocco.

Wemustmakeafinearticleofthat.Letussettoworkatonce.