第4章

Come，takethelamp."

Hecarriedthelampandtheyenteredthestudy.Madeleineleaned，againstthemantelpiece，andhavinglightedacigarette，toldhimthenewsandgavehimherplanofthearticle.Helistenedattentively，makingnotesasshespoke，andwhenshehadfinishedheraisedobjections，tookupthequestionand，inhisturn，developedanotherplan.Hiswifeceasedsmoking，forherinterestwasarousedinfollowingGeorges’slineofthought.Fromtimetotimeshemurmured："Yes，yes;verygood——excellent——veryforcible——"Andwhenhehadfinishedspeaking，shesaid："Nowletuswrite."

Itwasalwaysdifficultforhimtomakeabeginningandshewouldleanoverhisshoulderandwhisperthephrasesinhisear，thenhewouldaddafewlines;whentheirarticlewascompleted，Georgesre—

readit.BothheandMadeleinepronounceditadmirableandkissedoneanotherwithpassionateadmiration.

Thearticleappearedwiththesignatureof"G.duRoydeCantel，"

andmadeagreatsensation.M.Waltercongratulatedtheauthor，whosoonbecamecelebratedinpoliticalcircles.Hiswife，too，surprisedhimbytheingenuousnessofhermind，theclevernessofherwit，andthenumberofheracquaintances.Atalmostanytimeuponreturninghomehefoundinhissalonasenator，adeputy，amagistrate，orageneral，whotreatedMadeleinewithgravefamiliarity.

DeputyLaroche—Mathieu，whodinedatRueFontaineeveryTuesday，wasoneofthelargeststockholdersofM.Walter’spaperandthelatter’scolleagueandassociateinmanybusinesstransactions.DuRoyhoped，lateron，thatsomeofthebenefitspromisedbyhimtoForestiermightfalltohisshare.TheywouldbegiventoMadeleine’snewhusband——thatwasall——nothingwaschanged;evenhisassociatessometimescalledhimForestier，anditmadeDuRoyfuriousatthedead.Hegrewtohatetheveryname;itwastohimalmostaninsult.Evenathometheobsessioncontinued;theentirehouseremindedhimofCharles.

OneeveningDuRoy，wholikedsweetmeats，asked：

"Whydoweneverhavesweets？"

Hiswiferepliedpleasantly："Ineverthinkofit，becauseCharlesdislikedthem."

Heinterruptedherwithanimpatientgesture："DoyouknowIamgettingtiredofCharles？ItisCharleshere，Charlesthere，Charleslikedthis，Charleslikedthat.SinceCharlesisdead，lethimrestinpeace."

Madeleineascribedherhusband’sburstofillhumortopuerilejealousy，butshewasflatteredanddidnotreply.Onretiring，hauntedbythesamethought，heasked：

"DidCharleswearacottonnightcaptokeepthedraftoutofhisears？"

Sherepliedpleasantly："No，alaceone！"

Georgesshruggedhisshouldersandsaidscornfully："Whatabird！"

FromthattimeGeorgesnevercalledCharlesanythingbut"poorCharles，"withanaccentofinfinitepity.OneeveningasDuRoywassmokingacigaretteathiswindow，towardtheendofJune，theheatawokeinhimadesireforfreshair.Heasked：

"MylittleMade，wouldyouliketogoasfarastheBois？"

"Yes，certainly."

TheytookanopencarriageanddrovetotheAvenueduBoisdeBoulogne.Itwasasultryevening;ahostofcabslinedthedrive，onebehindanother.WhenthecarriagecontainingGeorgesandMadeleinereachedtheturningwhichledtothefortifications，theykissedoneanotherandMadeleinestammeredinconfusion："WeareaschildishaswewereatRouen."

Theroadtheyfollowedwasnotsomuchfrequented，agentlebreezerustledtheleavesofthetrees，theskywasstuddedwithbrilliantstarsandGeorgesmurmured，ashepressedhiswifetohisbreast：

"Oh，mylittleMade."

Shesaidtohim："DoyourememberhowgloomytheforestatCanteleuwas？Itseemedtomethatitwasfullofhorriblebeastsandthatitwasinterminable，whilehereitischarming.Onecanfeelthecaressingbreezes，andIknowthatSevresisontheotherside."

Hereplied："Inourforeststherearenothingbutstags，foxes，roebucks，andboars，withhereandthereaforester’shouse."Hepausedforamomentandthenasked："DidyoucomehereintheeveningwithCharlesoccasionally？"

Shereplied："Frequently."

Hefeltadesiretoreturnhomeatonce.Forestier’simagehauntedhim，however;hecouldthinkofnothingelse.ThecarriagerolledontowardtheArcdeTriompheandjoinedthestreamofcarriagesreturninghome.AsGeorgesremainedsilent，hiswife，whodivinedhisthoughts，askedinhersoftvoice："Ofwhatareyouthinking？

Forhalfanhouryouhavenotutteredaword."

Herepliedwithasneer："Iamthinkingofallthosefoolswhokissoneanother，andIbelievetrulythatthereissomethingelsetobedoneinlife."

Shewhispered："Yes，butitisnicesometimes！Itisnicewhenonehasnothingbettertodo."

Georges’thoughtswerebusywiththedead;hesaidtohimselfangrily："Iamfoolishtoworry，totormentmyselfasIhavedone."

Afterremonstratingthuswithhimself，hefeltmorereconciledtothethoughtofForestier，andfeltlikeexclaiming："Goodevening，oldfellow！"

Madeleine，whowasboredbyhissilence，asked："ShallwegotoTortoni’sforicesbeforereturninghome？"

Heglancedatherfromhiscornerandthought："Sheispretty;somuchthebetter.Titfortat，mycomrade.Butiftheybeginagaintoannoymewithyou，itwillgetsomewhathotattheNorthPole！"

Thenhereplied："Certainly，mydarling，"andbeforeshehadtimetothinkhekissedher.ItseemedtoMadeleinethatherhusband’slipswereicy.Howeverhesmiledasusualandgaveherhishandtoassisthertoalightatthecafe.

CHAPTERXI.

MADAMEWALTERTAKESAHAND

Onenteringtheofficethefollowingday，DuRoysoughtBoisrenardandtoldhimtowarnhisassociatesnottocontinuethefarceofcallinghimForestier，ortherewouldbewar.WhenDuRoyreturnedanhourlater，noonecalledhimbythatname.Fromtheofficeheproceededtohishome，andhearingthesoundofladies’voicesinthedrawing—room，heaskedtheservant："Whoishere？"

"Mme.WalterandMme.deMarelle，"wasthereply.

Hisheartpulsatedviolentlyasheopenedthedoor.Clotildewasseatedbythefireplace;itseemedtoGeorgesthatsheturnedpaleonperceivinghim.

HavinggreetedMme.Walterandhertwodaughtersseatedlikesentinelsbesideher，heturnedtohisformermistress.Sheextendedherhand;hetookandpresseditasiftosay："Iloveyoustill！"

Shereturnedthepressure.

Hesaid："Haveyoubeenwellsincewelastmet？"

"Yes;haveyou，Bel—Ami？"AndturningtoMadeleinesheadded："WillyoupermitmetocallhimBel—Ami？"

"Certainly，mydear;Iwillpermitanythingyouwish."

Ashadeofironylurkedbeneaththosewords，utteredsopleasantly.

Mme.Waltermentionedafencing—matchtobegivenatJacquesRival’sapartments，theproceedstobedevotedtocharities，andinwhichmanysocietyladiesweregoingtoassist.Shesaid："Itwillbeveryentertaining;butIamindespair，forwehavenoonetoescortus，myhusbandhavinganengagement."

DuRoyofferedhisservicesatonce.Sheaccepted，saying："MydaughtersandIshallbeverygrateful."

Heglancedattheyoungerofthetwogirlsandthought："LittleSuzanneisnotatallbad，notatall."

Sheresembledadoll，beingverysmallanddainty，withawell—

proportionedform，apretty，delicateface，blue—grayeyes，afairskin，andcurly，flaxenhair.Hereldersister，Rose，wasplain——oneofthosegirlstowhomnoattentioniseverpaid.Hermotherrose，andturningtoGeorges，said："IshallcountonyounextThursdayattwoo’clock."

Hereplied："Countuponme，Madame."

WhenthedoorcloseduponMme.Walter，Mme.deMarelle，inherturn，rose.

"Aurevoir，Bel—Ami."

Thistimeshepressedhishandandhewasmovedbythatsilentavowal."Iwillgotoseeherto—morrow，"thoughthe.

Leftalonewithhiswife，shelaughed，andlookingintohiseyessaid："Mme.Walterhastakenafancytoyou！"

Herepliedincredulously："Nonsense！"

"ButIknowit.Shespokeofyoutomewithgreatenthusiasm.Shesaidshewouldliketofindtwohusbandslikeyouforherdaughters.

Fortunatelysheisnotsusceptibleherself."

Hedidnotunderstandherandrepeated："Susceptibleherself？"

Sherepliedinatoneofconviction："Oh，Mme.Walterisirreproachable.HerhusbandyouknowaswellasI.Butsheisdifferent.StillshehassufferedagreatdealinhavingmarriedaJew，thoughshehasbeentruetohim;sheisavirtuouswoman."

DuRoywassurprised："IthoughtheraJewess."

"SheaJewess！No，indeed！SheistheprimemoverinallthecharitablemovementsattheMadeleine.Shewasevenmarriedbyapriest.IamnotsurebutthatM.Walterwentthroughtheformofbaptism."

Georgesmurmured："And——she——likes——me——"

"Yes.IfyouwerenotmarriedIshouldadviseyoutoaskforthehandof——Suzanne——wouldyounotpreferhertoRose？"

Herepliedashetwistedhismustache："Eh！themotherisnotsobad！"

Madeleinereplied："Iamnotafraidofher.Atherageonedoesnotbegintomakeconquests——oneshouldcommencesooner."

Georgesthought："IfImighthavehadSuzanne，ah！"Thenheshruggedhisshoulders："Bah，itisabsurd;herfatherwouldnothaveconsented."

HedeterminedtotreatMme.Walterveryconsideratelyinordertoretainherregard.AllthateveninghewashauntedbyrecollectionsofhisloveforClotilde;herecalledtheirescapades，herkindness.

Herepeatedtohimself："Sheisindeednice.Yes，Ishallcalluponherto—morrow."

WhenhehadlunchedthefollowingmorningherepairedtoRueVerneuil.Thesamemaidopenedthedoor，andwiththefamiliarityofanoldservantsheasked："IsMonsieurwell？"

Hereplied："Yes，mychild，"andenteredthedrawing—roominwhichsomeonewaspractisingscales.ItwasLaurine.Heexpectedshewouldfalluponhisneck.She，however，roseceremoniously，bowedcoldly，andlefttheroomwithdignity;hermannerwassomuchlikethatofanoutragedwomanthathewasamazed.Hermotherentered.Hekissedherhand.

"HowmuchIhavethoughtofyou，"saidhe.

"AndIofyou，"shereplied.

Theyseatedthemselvesandsmiledastheygazedintooneanother’seyes.

"MydearlittleClo，Iloveyou."

"AndIloveyou."

"Still——still——youdidnotmissme."

"Yesandno.Iwasgrieved，butwhenIheardyourreason，Isaidtomyself：’Bah，hewillreturntomesomeday.’"

"Idarednotcome.IdidnotknowhowIshouldbereceived.Idarednot，butIlongedtocome.Now，tellmewhatailsLaurine;shescarcelybademegoodmorningandlefttheroomwithanangryair."

"Idonotknow，butonecannotmentionyoutohersinceyourmarriage;Ireallybelievesheisjealous."

"Nonsense."

"Yes，mydear，shenolongercallsyouBel—Ami，butM.Forestierinstead."

DuRoycolored，thendrawingnearertheyoungwoman，hesaid："Kissme."

Sheobeyedhim.

"Wherecanwemeetagain？"heasked.

"AtRuedeConstantinople."

"Ah，aretheapartmentsnotrented？"

"No，Ikeptthem."

"Youdid？"

"Yes，Ithoughtyouwouldreturn."

Hisheartboundedjoyfully.Shelovedhimthenwithalastinglove！

Hewhispered："Iadoreyou."Thenheasked："Isyourhusbandwell？"

"Yes，verywell.Hehasjustbeenhomeforamonth;hewentawaythedaybeforeyesterday."

DuRoycouldnotsuppressasmile："Howopportunelythatalwayshappens！"

Sherepliednaively："Yes，ithappensopportunely，butheisnotinthewaywhenheishere;ishe？"

"Thatistrue;heisacharmingman！"

"Howdoyoulikeyournewlife？"

"Tolerably;mywifeisacomrade，anassociate，nothingmore;asformyheart——"

"Iunderstand;butsheisgood."

"Yes，shedoesnottroubleme."

HedrewnearClotildeandmurmured："Whenshallwemeetagain？"

"To—morrow，ifyouwill."

"Yes，to—morrowattwoo’clock."

Herosetotakehisleavesomewhatembarrassed.

"YouknowIintendtotakebacktheroomsonRuedeConstantinoplemyself.Iwishto;itisnotnecessaryforyoutopayforthem."

Shekissedhishands，saying："Youmaydoasyoulike.Iamsatisfiedtohavekeptthemuntilwemetagain."AndDuRoytookhisleaveverywellsatisfied.

WhenThursdaycame，heaskedMadeleine："Aregoingtothefencing—

matchatRival’s？"

"No，Idonotcareaboutit.Iwillgotothechamberofdeputies."

GeorgescalledforMme.Walterinanopencarriage，fortheweatherwasdelightful.Hewassurprisedtofindherlookingsohandsomeandsoyoung.Neverhadsheappearedsofresh.Herdaughter，Suzanne，wasdressedinpink;hersisterlookedlikehergoverness.AtRival’sdoorwasalonglineofcarriages.DuRoyofferedhisarmtoMme.Walterandtheyentered.

TheentertainmentwasforthebenefitoftheorphansoftheSixthWardunderthepatronageofallthewilesofthesenatorsanddeputieswhowereconnectedwith"LaVieFrancaise."

JacquesRivalreceivedthearrivalsattheentrancetohisapartments，thenhepointedtoasmallstaircasewhichledtothecellarinwhichwerehisshooting—galleryandfencing—room，saying：

"Downstairs，ladies，downstairs.Thematchwilltakeplaceinthesubterraneanapartments."

PressingDuRoy’shand，hesaid："Goodevening，Bel—Ami."

DuRoywassurprised："Whotoldyouaboutthatname？"

Rivalreplied："Mme.Walter，whothinksitverypretty."

Mme.Walterblushed.

"Yes，IconfessthatifIknewyoubetter，IshoulddoaslittleLaurine，andIshouldcallyouBel—Ami，too.Itsuitsyouadmirably."

DuRoylaughed."Ibegyoutodoso，Madame."

Shecastdownhereyes."No，wearenotwellenoughacquainted."

Hemurmured："Permitmetohopethatweshallbecomeso."

"Well，weshallsee，"saidshe.

Theydescendedthestairsandenteredalargeroom，whichwaslightedbyVenetianlanternsanddecoratedwithfestoonsofgauze.

Nearlyallthebencheswerefilledwithladies，whowerechattingasiftheywereatatheater.Mme.Walterandherdaughtersreachedtheirseatsinthefrontrow.

DuRoy，havingobtainedtheirplacesforthem，whispered："Ishallbeobligedtoleaveyou;mencannotoccupytheseats."

Mme.Walterrepliedhesitatingly："Ishouldliketokeepyou，justthesame.Youcouldtellmethenamesoftheparticipants.See，ifyoustandattheendoftheseat，youwillnotannoyanyone."Sheraisedherlarge，softeyestohisandinsisted："Come，staywithus——Bel—Ami——weneedyou！"

Hereplied："Iobeywithpleasure，Madame！"

SuddenlyJacquesRival’svoiceannounced："Wewillbegin，ladies."

Thenfollowedthefencing—match.DuRoyretainedhisplacebesidetheladiesandgavethemallthenecessaryinformation.Whentheentertainmentwasoverandallexpenseswerepaid，twohundredandtwentyfrancsremainedfortheorphansoftheSixthWard.

DuRoy，escortingtheWalters，awaitedhiscarriage.WhenseatedfacetofacewithMme.Walter，hemethertroubledbutcaressingglance.

"Egad，Ibelievesheisaffected，"thoughthe;andhesmiledasherecognizedthefactthathewasreallysuccessfulwiththefemalesex，forMme.deMarelle，sincetherenewaloftheirrelations，seemedtolovehimmadly.

Withalighthearthereturnedhome.Madeleinewasawaitinghiminthedrawing—room.

"Ihavesomenews，"saidshe."TheaffairwithMoroccoisbecomingcomplicated.Francemaysendanexpeditionoutthereinseveralmonths.InanycasetheministrywillbeoverthrownandLarochewillprofitbytheoccasion."

DuRoy，inordertodrawouthiswife，pretendednottobelieveit.

"FrancewouldnotbesillyenoughtocommenceanyfollywithTunis！"

Sheshruggedhershouldersimpatiently."Itellyoushewill！Youdonotunderstandthatitisaquestionofmoney——youareassimpleasForestier."

Herobjectwastowoundandirritatehim，butheonlysmiledandreplied："What！assimpleasthatstupidfellow？"

Sheceasedandmurmured："Oh，Georges！"

Headded："Poordevil！"inatoneofprofoundpity.

Madeleineturnedherbackuponhimscornfully;afteramomentofsilence，shecontinued："WeshallhavesomecompanyTuesday.Mme.

Laroche—MathieuiscomingheretodinewithViscountessdePercemur.

WillyouinviteRivalandNorbertdeVarenne？IshallgotoMmes.

WalteranddeMarelleto—morrow.Perhaps，too，wemayhaveMme.

Rissolin."

DuRoyreplied："Verywell，IwillseetoRivalandNorbert."

Thefollowingdayhethoughthewouldanticipatehiswife’svisittoMme.Walterandattempttofindoutifshereallywasinlovewithhim.HearrivedatBoulevardMalesherbesattwoo’clock.Hewasusheredintothesalonandwaited.FinallyMme.Walterappearedandofferedhimherhandcordially."Whatgoodwindblowsyouhere？"

"Nogoodwind，butadesiretoseeyou.Somepowerhasimpelledmehither，Idonotknowwhy;IhavenothingtosayexceptthatIhavecome;hereIam！Pardonthemorningcallandthecandorofmyexplanation."

Heutteredthosewordswithasmileuponhislipsandaseriousaccentinhisvoice.

Inherastonishment，shestammeredwithablush："Butindeed——Idonotunderstand——yousurpriseme."

Headded："Itisadeclarationmadeinjestinordernottostartleyou."

Theywereseatedneareachother.Shetookthematterasajest."Isitadeclaration——seriously？"

"Yes，foralongtimeIhavewishedtomakeit，butIdarednot;

theysayyouaresoaustere，sorigid."

Shehadrecoveredherself—possessionandreplied：

"Whydidyouchooseto—day？"

"Idonotknow."Thenheloweredhisvoice："OrratherbecauseI

havethoughtonlyofyousinceyesterday."

Suddenlyturningpale，shegasped："Come，enoughofthischildishness！Letustalkofsomethingelse."

Buthefelluponhiskneesbeforeher.Shetriedtorise;hepreventedherbytwininghisarmsaboutherwaist，andrepeatedinapassionatevoice："Yes，itistruethatIhavelovedyoumadlyforsometime.Donotanswerme.Iammad——Iloveyou.Oh，ifyouknewhowIloveyou！"

Shecouldutternosound;inheragitationsherepulsedhimwithbothhands，forshecouldfeelhisbreathuponhercheek.Herosesuddenlyandattemptedtoembraceher，butgainingherlibertyforamoment，sheescapedhimandranfromchairtochair.He，consideringsuchpursuitbeneathhisdignity，sankintoachair，buriedhisfaceinhishands，andfeignedtosobconvulsively.Thenherose，cried：

"Adieu，adieu！"andfled.

Inthehallhetookhiscanecalmlyandleftthehousesaying：

"Cristi！Ibelieveshelovesme！"

HewentatoncetothetelegraphofficetosendamessagetoClotilde，appointingarendezvousforthenextday.

Onenteringthehouseathisusualtime，hesaidtohiswife："Well，iseveryonecomingtodinner？"

Shereplied："Yes，allbutMme.Walter，whoisuncertainastowhethershecancome.Sheactedverystrangely.Nevermind，perhapsshecanmanageitanyway."

Hereplied："Shewillcome."

Hewasnot，however，certainandwasrendereduneasyuntilthedayofthedinner.ThatmorningMadeleinereceivedamessagefromMme.

Waltertothiseffect："IhavesucceededinarrangingmattersandI

shallbewithyou，butmyhusbandcannotaccompanyme."

DuRoythought："Ididrightnottoreturnthere.Shehascalmeddown."Stillheawaitedherarrivalanxiously.

Sheappearedverycomposed，somewhatreserved，andhaughty.Hewasveryhumble，verycareful，andsubmissive.Mmes.Laroche—MathieuandRissolinwereaccompaniedbytheirhusbands.Mme.deMarellelookedbewitchinginanoddcombinationofyellowandblack.

AtDuRoy’srightsatMme.Walter，andhespoketoheronlyofseriousmatterswithexaggeratedrespect.FromtimetotimeheglancedatClotilde.

"Sheisreallyveryprettyandfreshlooking，"thoughthe.ButMme.

Walterattractedhimbythedifficultyoftheconquest.Shetookherleaveearly.

"Iwillescortyou，"saidhe.

Shedeclinedhisoffer.Heinsisted："Whydoyounotwantme？Youwoundmedeeply.DonotletmefeelthatIamnotforgiven.YouseethatIamcalm."

Shereplied："Youcannotleaveyourgueststhus."

Hesmiled："Bah！Ishallbeabsenttwentyminutes.Noonewillevennoticeit;ifyourefuseme，youwillbreakmyheart."

"Verywell，"shewhispered，"Iwillaccept."

Whentheywereseatedinthecarriage，heseizedherhand，andkissingitpassionatelysaid："Iloveyou，Iloveyou.Letmetellittoyou.Iwillnottouchyou.IonlywishtorepeatthatIloveyou."

Shestammered："Afterwhatyoupromisedme——itistoobad——toobad."

Heseemedtomakeagreateffort，thenhecontinuedinasubduedvoice："See，howIcancontrolmyself——andyet——letmeonlytellyouthis——Iloveyou——yes，letmegohomewithyouandkneelbeforeyoufiveminutestoutterthosethreewordsandgazeuponyourbelovedface."

Shesufferedhimtotakeherhandandrepliedinbrokenaccents：

"No，Icannot——Idonotwishto.Thinkofwhatmyservants，mydaughters，wouldsay——no——no——itisimpossible."

Hecontinued："Icannotlivewithoutseeingyou;whetheritbeatyourhouseorelsewhere，ImustseeyouforonlyamomenteachdaythatImaytouchyourhand，breathetheairstirredbyyourgown，contemplatetheoutlinesofyourform，andseeyourbeautifuleyes."

Shelistenedtremblinglytothemusicallanguageoflove，andmadeanswer："No，itisimpossible.Besilent！"

Hespokeverylow;hewhisperedinherear，comprehendingthatitwasnecessarytowinthatsimplewomangradually，topersuadehertoappointameetingwhereshewilledatfirst，andlateronwherehewilled.

"Listen：Imustseeyou！Iwillwaitatyourdoorlikeabeggar.Ifyoudonotcomedown，Iwillcometoyou，butIshallseeyouto—

morrow."

Sherepeated："No，donotcome.Ishallnotreceiveyou.Thinkofmydaughters！"

"ThentellmewhereIcanmeetyou——inthestreet——itmattersnotwhere——atanyhouryouwish——providedthatIcanseeyou.Iwillgreetyou;Iwillsay，Iloveyou;andthengoaway."

Shehesitated，almostdistracted.Asthecoupestoppedatthedoor，shewhisperedhastily："IwillbeatLaTriniteto—morrow，athalfpastthree."

Afteralighting，shesaidtohercoachman："TakeM.duRoyhome."

Whenhereturned，hiswifeasked："Wherehaveyoubeen？"

Herepliedinalowvoice："Ihavebeentosendanimportanttelegram."

Mme.deMarelleapproachedhim："Youmusttakemehome，Bel—Ami;youknowthatIonlydinesofarfromhomeonthatcondition."TurningtoMadeleine，sheasked："Youarenotjealous？"

Mme.duRoyrepliedslowly："No，notatall."

Theguestsdeparted.Clotilde，envelopedinlaces，whisperedtoMadeleineatthedoor："Yourdinnerwasperfect.InashortwhileyouwillhavethebestpoliticalsaloninParis."

WhenshewasalonewithGeorges，shesaid："Oh，mydarlingBel—Ami，Iloveyoumoredearlyeveryday."

Thecabrolledon，andGeorges’thoughtswerewithMme.Walter.

CHAPTERXII.

AMEETINGANDTHERESULT

TheJulysunshoneuponthePlacedelaTrinite，whichwasalmostdeserted.DuRoydrewouthiswatch.Itwasonlythreeo’clock：hewashalfanhourtooearly.Helaughedashethoughtoftheplaceofmeeting.HeenteredthesacrededificeofLaTrinite;thecoolnesswithinwasrefreshing.Hereandthereanoldwomankneeledatprayer，herfaceinherhands.DuRoylookedathiswatchagain.Itwasnotyetaquarterpastthree.Hetookaseat，regrettingthathecouldnotsmoke.Attheendofthechurchnearthechoir;hecouldhearthemeasuredtreadofacorpulentmanwhomhehadnoticedwhenheentered.Suddenlytherustleofagownmadehimstart.Itwasshe.Hearoseandadvancedquickly.Shedidnotofferhimherhandandwhispered："Ihaveonlyafewminutes.Youmustkneelnearmethatnoonewillnoticeus."

SheproceededtoasideaisleaftersalutingtheHostontheHighAltar，tookafootstool，andkneeleddown.Georgestookonebesideitandwhentheywereintheattitudeofprayer，hesaid："Thankyou，thankyou.Iadoreyou.IshouldliketotellyouconstantlyhowIbegantoloveyou，howIwasconqueredthefirsttimeIsawyou.Willyoupermitmesomedaytounburdenmyheart，toexplainalltoyou？"

Sherepliedbetweenherfingers："Iammadtoletyouspeaktomethus——madtohavecomehither——madtodoasIhavedone，toletyoubelievethatthis——thisadventurecanhaveanyresults.Forgetit，andneverspeaktomeofitagain."Shepaused.

Hereplied："Iexpectnothing——Ihopenothing——Iloveyou——whateveryoumaydo，Iwillrepeatitsooften，withsomuchforceandardorthatyouwillfinallyunderstandme，andreply：’Iloveyoutoo.’"

Hefeltherframetrembleassheinvoluntarilyrepeated："Iloveyoutoo."

Hewasovercomebyastonishment.

"Oh，myGod！"shecontinuedincoherently，"ShouldIsaythattoyou？

Ifeelguilty，despicable——I——whohavetwodaughters——butIcannot——

cannot——Ineverthought——itwasstrongerthanI——listen——listen——I

haveneverloved——anyother——butyou——Iswearit——Ihavelovedyouayearinsecret——Ihavesufferedandstruggled——Icannolonger;I

loveyou."Sheweptandherbowedformwasshakenbytheviolenceofheremotion.

Georgesmurmured："GivemeyourhandthatImaytouch，maypressit."

Sheslowlytookherhandfromherface，heseizeditsaying："I

shouldliketodrinkyourtears！"

Placingthehandhehelduponhisheartheasked："Doyoufeelitbeat？"

InafewmomentsthemanGeorgeshadnoticedbeforepassedbythem.

WhenMme.Walterheardhimnearher，shesnatchedherfingersfromGeorges’sclaspandcoveredherfacewiththem.Afterthemanhaddisappeared，DuRoyasked，hopingforanotherplaceofmeetingthanLaTrinite："WhereshallIseeyouto—morrow？"

Shedidnotreply;sheseemedtransformedintoastatueofprayer.

Hecontinued："ShallImeetyouto—morrowatParkMonceau？"

Sheturnedalividfacetowardhimandsaidunsteadily："Leaveme——

leavemenow——go——goaway——foronlyfiveminutes——Isuffertoomuchnearyou.Iwanttopray——go.Letmeprayalone——fiveminutes——letmeaskGod——topardonme——tosaveme——leaveme——fiveminutes."

Shelookedsopitifulthatherosewithoutawordandaskedwithsomehesitation："ShallIreturnpresently？"

Shenoddedherheadintheaffirmativeandhelefther.Shetriedtopray;sheclosedhereyesinordernottoseeGeorges.Shecouldnotpray;shecouldonlythinkofhim.Shewouldratherhavediedthanhavefallenthus;shehadneverbeenweak.Shemurmuredseveralwordsofsupplication;sheknewthatallwasover，thatthestrugglewasinvain.Shedidnothoweverwishtoyield，butshefeltherweakness.Someoneapproachedwitharapidstep;sheturnedherhead.Itwasapriest.Sherose，rantowardhim，andclaspingherhands，shecried："Saveme，saveme！"

Hestoppedinsurprise.

"Whatdoyouwant，Madame？"

"Iwantyoutosaveme.Havepityonme.Ifyoudonothelpme，Iamlost！"

Hegazedather，wonderingifsheweremad.

"WhatcanIdoforyou？"Thepriestwasayoungmansomewhatinclinedtocorpulence.

"Receivemyconfession，"saidshe，"andcounselme，sustainme，tellmewhattodo."

Hereplied："IconfesseverySaturdayfromthreetosix."

Seizinghisarmsherepeated："No，now，atonce——atonce！Itisnecessary！Heishere！Inthischurch！Heiswaitingforme."

Thepriestasked："Whoiswaitingforyou？"

"Aman——whowillbemyruinifyoudonotsaveme.Icannolongerescapehim——Iamtooweak——tooweak，"

Shefelluponherkneessobbing："Oh，father，havepityuponme.

Saveme，forGod’ssake，saveme！"Sheseizedhisgownthathemightnotescapeher，whileheuneasilyglancedaroundonallsidestoseeifanyonenoticedthewomanathisfeet.Finally，seeingthathecouldnotfreehimselffromher，hesaid："Rise;Ihavethekeytotheconfessionalwithme."

*******

DuRoyhavingwalkedaroundthechoir，wassaunteringdownthenave，whenhemetthestout，boldmanwanderingabout，andhewondered：

"Whatcanhebedoinghere？"

ThemanslackenedhispaceandlookedatGeorgeswiththeevidentdesiretospeaktohim.Whenhewasnearhim，hebowedandsaidpolitely：

"Ibegyourpardon，sir，fordisturbingyou;butcanyoutellmewhenthischurchwasbuilt？"

DuRoyreplied："Idonotknow;Ithinkitistwentyortwenty—fiveyears.ItisthefirsttimeIhavebeenhere.Ihaveneverseenitbefore."Feelinginterestedinthestranger，thejournalistcontinued："Itseemstomethatyouareexaminingintoitverycarefully."

Themanreplied："Iamnotvisitingthechurch;Ihaveanappointment."Hepausedandinafewmomentsadded："Itisverywarmoutside."

DuRoylookedathimandsuddenlythoughtthatheresembledForestier."Areyoufromtheprovinces？"heasked.

"Yes，IamfromRennes.Anddidyou，sir，enterthischurchfromcuriosity？"

"No，Iamwaitingforalady."Andwithasmileuponhislips，hewalkedaway.

HedidnotfindMme.Walterintheplaceinwhichhehadlefther，andwassurprised.Shehadgone.Hewasfurious.Thenhethoughtshemightbelookingforhim，andhewalkedaroundthechurch.Notfindingher，hereturnedandseatedhimselfonthechairshehadoccupied，hopingthatshewouldrejoinhimthere.Soonheheardthesoundofavoice.Hesawnoone;whencecameit？Herosetoexamineintoit，andsawinachapelnearby，thedoorsoftheconfessionals.Hedrewnearerinordertoseethewomanwhosevoiceheheard.HerecognizedMme.Walter;shewasconfessing.Atfirsthefeltadesiretoseizeherbythearmanddragheraway;thenheseatedhimselfnearbyandbidedhistime.Hewaitedquiteawhile.

AtlengthMme.Walterrose，turned，sawhimandcametowardhim.Herfacewascoldandsevere.

"Sir，"saidshe，"Ibeseechyounottoaccompanyme，nottofollowmeandnottocometomyhousealone.Youwillnotbeadmitted.

Adieu！"Andshewalkedawayinadignifiedmanner.

Hepermittedhertogo，becauseitwasagainsthisprinciplestoforcematters.Asthepriestinhisturnissuedfromtheconfessional，headvancedtowardhimandsaid："Ifyoudidnotwearagown，Iwouldgiveyouasoundthrashing."Thenheturneduponhisheelandleftthechurchwhistling.Inthedoorwayhemetthestoutgentleman.WhenDuRoypassedhim，theybowed.

Thejournalistthenrepairedtotheofficeof"LaVieFrancaise."Asheenteredhesawbytheclerks’busyairthatsomethingofimportancewasgoingon，andhehastenedtothemanager’sroom.ThelatterexclaimedjoyfullyasDuRoyentered："Whatluck！hereisBel—Ami."

Hestoppedinconfusionandapologized："Ibegyourpardon，Iamverymuchbotheredbycircumstances.AndthenIhearmywifeanddaughtercallyouBel—Amifrommorninguntilnight，andIhaveacquiredthehabitmyself.Areyoudispleased？"

Georgeslaughed."Notatall."

M.Waltercontinued："Verywell，thenIwillcallyouBel—Amiaseveryoneelsedoes.Greatchangeshavetakenplace.Theministryhasbeenoverthrown.Marrotistoformanewcabinet.HehaschosenGeneralBoutind’Acreasministerofwar，andourfriendLaroche—

Mathieuasministerofforeignaffairs.Weshallbeverybusy.I

mustwritealeadingarticle，asimpledeclarationofprinciples;

thenImusthavesomethinginterestingontheMoroccoquestion——youmustattendtothat."

DuRoyreflectedamomentandthenreplied："Ihaveit.IwillgiveyouanarticleonthepoliticalsituationofourAfricancolony，"

andheproceededtoprepareM.Walteranoutlineofhiswork，whichwasnothingbutamodificationofhisfirstarticleon"SouvenirsofaSoldierinAfrica."

Themanagerhavingreadthearticlesaid："Itisperfect;youareatreasure.Manythanks."

DuRoyreturnedhometodinnerdelightedwithhisday，notwithstandinghisfailureatLaTrinite.Hiswifewasawaitinghimanxiously.Sheexclaimedonseeinghim：

"YouknowthatLarocheisministerofforeignaffairs."

"Yes，Ihavejustwrittenanarticleonthatsubject."

"How？"

"Doyourememberthefirstarticlewewroteon’SouvenirsofaSoldierinAfrica’？Well，Irevisedandcorrecteditfortheoccasion."

Shesmiled."Ah，yes，thatwilldoverywell."

Atthatmomenttheservantenteredwithadispatchcontainingthesewordswithoutanysignature：

"Iwasbesidemyself.Pardonmeandcometo—morrowatfouro’clocktoParkMonceau."

Heunderstoodthemessage，andwithajoyfulheart，slippedthetelegramintohispocket.Duringdinnerherepeatedthewordstohimself;asheinterpretedthem，theymeant，"Iyield——Iamyourswhereandwhenyouwill."Helaughed.

Madeleineasked："Whatisit？"

"Nothingmuch.IwasthinkingofacomicaloldpriestImetashortwhilesince."

*******

DuRoyarrivedattheappointedhourthefollowingday.Thebencheswerealloccupiedbypeopletryingtoescapefromtheheatandbynurseswiththeircharges.

HefoundMme.Walterinalittleantiqueruin;sheseemedunhappyandanxious.Whenhehadgreetedher，shesaid："Howmanypeoplethereareinthegarden！"

Hetookadvantageoftheoccasion："Yes，thatistrue;shallwegosomewhereelse？"

"Where？"

"Itmattersnotwhere;foradrive，forinstance.Youcanlowertheshadeonyoursideandyouwillbewellconcealed."

"Yes，Ishouldlikethatbetter;Ishalldieoffearhere."

"Verywell，meetmeinfiveminutesatthegatewhichopensontheboulevard.Iwillfetchacab."

Whentheywereseatedinthecab，sheasked："Wheredidyoutellthecoachmantodriveto？"

Georgesreplied："Donotworry;heknows."

HehadgiventhemanhisaddressontheRuedeConstantinople.

Mme.WaltersaidtoDuRoy："YoucannotimaginehowIsufferonyouraccount——howIamtormented，tortured.YesterdayIwasharsh，butI

wantedtoescapeyouatanyprice.Iwasafraidtoremainalonewithyou.Haveyouforgivenme？"

Hepressedherhand."Yes，yes，whyshouldInotforgiveyou，lovingyouasIdo？"

Shelookedathimwithabeseechingair："Listen：Youmustpromisetorespectme，otherwiseIcouldneverseeyouagain."

Atfirsthedidnotreply;asmilelurkedbeneathhismustache;thenhemurmured："Iamyourslave."

Shetoldhimhowshehaddiscoveredthatshelovedhim，onlearningthathewastomarryMadeleineForestier.Suddenlysheceasedspeaking.Thecarriagestopped.DuRoyopenedthedoor.

"Wherearewe？"sheasked.

Hereplied："Alightandenterthehouse.Weshallbeundisturbedthere."

"Wherearewe？"sherepeated.

"Atmyrooms;theyaremybachelorapartmentswhichIhaverentedforafewdaysthatwemighthaveacornerinwhichtomeet."

Sheclungtothecab，startledatthethoughtofatete—a—tete，andstammered："No，no，Idonotwantto."

Hesaidfirmly："Isweartorespectyou.Come，youseethatpeoplearelookingatus，thatacrowdisgatheringaroundus.Makehaste！"

Andherepeated，"Isweartorespectyou."

Shewasterror—strickenandrushedintothehouse.Shewasabouttoascendthestairs.Heseizedherarm："Itishere，onthegroundfloor."

Whenhehadclosedthedoor，heshoweredkissesuponherneck，hereyes，herlips;inspiteofherself，shesubmittedtohiscaressesandevenreturnedthem，hidingherfaceandmurmuringinbrokenaccents："IswearthatIhaveneverhadalover";whilehethought：

"Thatisamatterofindifferencetome."

CHAPTERXIII.

MADAMEDEMARELLE

Autumnhadcome.TheDuRoyshadspenttheentiresummerinParis，leadingavigorouscampaignin"LaVieFrancaise，"infavorofthenewcabinet.AlthoughitwasonlytheearlypartofOctober，thechamberwasabouttoresumeitssessions，foraffairsinMoroccowerebecomingmenacing.ThecelebratedspeechmadebyCountdeLambertSarrazinhadfurnishedDuRoywithmaterialfortenarticlesontheAlgeriancolony."LaVieFrancaise"hadgainedconsiderableprestigebyitsconnectionwiththepower;itwasthefirsttogivepoliticalnews，andeverynewspaperinParisandtheprovincessoughtinformationfromit.Itwasquoted，feared，andbegantoberespected：itwasnolongertheorganofagroupofpoliticalintriguers，buttheavowedmouthpieceofthecabinet.Laroche—

MathieuwasthesoulofthejournalandDuRoyhisspeaking—trumpet.

M.Walterretireddiscreetlyintothebackground.Madeleine’ssalonbecameaninfluentialcenterinwhichseveralmembersofthecabinetmeteveryweek.Thepresidentofthecouncilhadevendinedtheretwice;theministerofforeignaffairswasquiteathomeattheDuRoys;hecameatanyhour，bringingdispatchesorinformation，whichhedictatedeithertothehusbandorwifeasiftheywerehissecretaries.Aftertheministerhaddeparted，whenDuRoywasalonewithMadeleine，heutteredthreatsandinsinuationsagainstthe"parvenu，"ashecalledhim.Hiswifesimplyshruggedhershouldersscornfully，repeating："Becomeaministerandyoucandothesame;

untilthen，besilent."

Hisreplywas："NooneknowsofwhatIamcapable;perhapstheywillfindoutsomeday."

Sheansweredphilosophically："Hewholiveswillsee."

ThemorningofthereopeningoftheChamber，DuRoylunchedwithLaroche—Mathieuinordertoreceiveinstructionsfromhim，beforethesession，forapoliticalarticlethefollowingdayin"LaVieFrancaise，"whichwastobeasortofofficialdeclarationoftheplansofthecabinet.AfterlisteningtoLaroche—Mathieu’seloquenceforsometimewithjealousyinhisheart，DuRoysaunteredslowlytowardtheofficetocommencehiswork，forhehadnothingtodountilfouro’clock，atwhichhourhewastomeetMme.deMarelleatRuedeConstantinople.Theymetthereregularlytwiceaweek，MondaysandWednesdays.

Onenteringtheoffice，hewashandedasealeddispatch;itwasfromMme.Walter，andreadthus：

"ItisabsolutelynecessarythatIshouldseeyouto—day.Itisimportant.Expectmeattwoo’clockatRuedeConstantinople.I

canrenderyouagreatservice;yourfrienduntildeath，"

"VIRGINIE."

Heexclaimed："Heavens！whatabore！"andlefttheofficeatonce，toomuchannoyedtowork.

ForsixweekshehadineffectuallytriedtobreakwithMme.Walter.

Atthreesuccessivemeetingsshehadbeenapreytoremorse，andhadoverwhelmedherloverwithreproaches.Angeredbythosescenesandalreadywearyofthedramaticwoman，hehadsimplyavoidedher，hopingthattheaffairwouldendinthatway.

Butshepersecutedhimwithheraffection，summonedhimatalltimesbytelegramstomeetheratstreetcorners，inshops，orpublicgardens.Shewasverydifferentfromwhathehadfanciedshewouldbe，tryingtoattracthimbyactionsridiculousinoneofherage.

Itdisgustedhimtohearhercallhim："Myrat——mydog——mytreasure—

—myjewel——myblue—bird"——andtoseeherassumeakindofchildishmodestywhenheapproached.Itseemedtohimthatbeingthemotherofafamily，awomanoftheworld，sheshouldhavebeenmoresedate，andhaveyieldedWithtearsifshechose，butwiththetearsofaDidoandnotofaJuliette.Heneverheardhercallhim"Littleone"

or"Baby，"withoutwishingtoreply"Oldwoman，"totakehishatwithanoathandleavetheroom.

AtfirsttheyhadoftenmetatRuedeConstantinople，butDuRoy，whofearedanencounterwithMme.deMarelle，inventedathousandandonepretextsinordertoavoidthatrendezvous.Hewasthereforeobligedtoeitherlunchordineatherhousedaily，whenshewouldclasphishandundercoverofthetableorofferhimherlipsbehindthedoors.Aboveall，GeorgesenjoyedbeingthrownsomuchincontactwithSuzanne;shemadesportofeverythingandeverybodywithcuttingappropriateness.Atlength，however，hebegantofeelanunconquerablerepugnancetothelovelavisheduponhimbythemother;hecouldnolongerseeher，hearher，northinkofherwithoutanger.Heceasedcallinguponher，replyingtoherletters，andyieldingtoherappeals.Shefinallydivinedthathenolongerlovedher，andthediscoverycausedherunutterableanguish;butshewatchedhim，followedhiminacabwithdrawnblindstotheoffice，tohishouse，inthehopeofseeinghimpassby.Hewouldhavelikedtostrangleher，buthecontrolledhimselfonaccountofhispositionon"LaVieFrancaise"andheendeavoredbymeansofcoldness，andevenattimesharshwords，tomakehercomprehendthatallwasatanendbetweenthem.

Then，too，shepersistedindevisingrusesforsummoninghimtoRuedeConstantinople，andhewasinconstantfearthatthetwowomenwouldsomedaymeetfacetofaceatthedoor.

Ontheotherhand，hisaffectionforMme.deMarellehadincreasedduringthesummer.TheywerebothBohemiansbynature;theytookexcursionstogethertoArgenteuil，Bougival，Maisons，andPoissy，andwhenhewasforcedtoreturnanddineatMme.Walter’s，hedetestedhismaturemistressmorethoroughly，asherecalledtheyouthfulonehehadjustleft.Hewascongratulatinghimselfuponhavingfreedhimselfalmostentirelyfromtheformer’sclutches，whenhereceivedthetelegramabovementioned.

Here—readitashewalkedalong.Hethought："Whatdoesthatoldowlwantwithme？Iamcertainshehasnothingtotellmeexceptthatsheadoresme.However，Iwillsee，perhapsthereissometruthinit.Clotildeiscomingatfour，Imustgetridoftheotheroneatthreeorsoonafter，providedtheydonotmeet.Whatjadeswomenare！"

Asheutteredthosewordshewasremindedofhiswife，whowastheonlyonewhodidnottormenthim;shelivedbyhissideandseemedtolovehimverymuchatthepropertime，forsheneverpermittedanythingtointerferewithherordinaryoccupationsoflife.Hestrolledtowardtheappointedplaceofmeeting，mentallycursingMme.Walter.

"Ah，Iwillreceiveherinsuchamannerthatshewillnottellmeanything.Firstofall，IwillgivehertounderstandthatIshallnevercrossherthresholdagain."

Heenteredtoawaither.Shesoonarrivedand，seeinghim，exclaimed："Ah，youreceivedmydispatch！Howfortunate！"

"Yes，IreceiveditattheofficejustasIwassettingoutfortheChamber.Whatdoyouwant？"heaskedungraciously.

Shehadraisedherveilinordertokisshim，andapproachedhimtimidlyandhumblywiththeairofabeatendog.

"Howunkindyouaretome;howharshlyyouspeak！WhathaveIdonetoyou？YoudonotknowwhatIhavesufferedforyou！"

Hemuttered："Areyougoingtobeginthatagain？"

Shestoodnearhimawaitingasmile，awordofencouragement，tocastherselfintohisarms，andwhispered："Youneednothavewonmetotreatmethus;youmighthaveleftmevirtuousandhappy.Doyourememberwhatyousaidtomeinthechurchandhowyouforcedmetoenterthishouse？Andnowthisisthewayyouspeaktome，receiveme！MyGod，myGod，howyoumaltreatme！"

Hestampedhisfootandsaidviolently："Enough，besilent！Icanneverseeyouamomentwithouthearingthatrefrain.Youwerematurewhenyougaveyourselftome.Iammuchobligedtoyou;Iaminfinitelygrateful，butIneednotbetiedtoyourapron—stringsuntilIdie！YouhaveahusbandandIawife.Neitherofusisfree;

itwasallacaprice，andnowitisatanend！"

Shesaid："Howbrutalyouare，howcoarseandvillainous！No，Iwasnolongerayounggirl，butIhadneverloved，neverwaveredinmydignity."

Heinterruptedher："Iknowit，youhavetoldmethattwentytimes;

butyouhavehadtwochildren."

Shedrewbackasifshehadbeenstruck："Oh，Georges！"Andpressingherhandstoherheart，sheburstintotears.

Whenshebegantoweep，hetookhishat："Ah，youarecryingagain！

Goodevening！Isitforthisthatyousentforme？"

Shetookastepforwardinordertobartheway，anddrawingahandkerchieffromherpocketshewipedhereyes.Hervoicegrewsteadier："No，Icameto——togiveyou——politicalnews——togiveyouthemeansofearningfiftythousandfrancs——orevenmoreifyouwishto."

Suddenlysoftenedheasked："How？"

"BychancelasteveningIheardaconversationbetweenmyhusbandandLaroche.Walteradvisedtheministernottoletyouintothesecretforyouwouldexposeit."

DuRoyplacedhishatuponachairandlistenedattentively.

"TheyaregoingtotakepossessionofMorocco！"

"Why，IlunchedwithLarochethismorning，andhetoldmethecabinet’splans！"

"No，mydear，theyhavedeceivedyou，becausetheyfearedtheirsecretwouldbemadeknown."

"Sitdown，"saidGeorges.

Hesankintoanarmchair，whileshedrewupastoolandtookherseatathisfeet.Shecontinued：

"AsIthinkofyoucontinually，Ipayattentiontowhatistalkedofaroundme，"andsheproceededtotellhimwhatshehadheardrelativetotheexpeditiontoTangierswhichhadbeendecideduponthedaythatLarocheassumedhisoffice;shetoldhimhowtheyhadlittlebylittleboughtup，throughagentswhoarousednosuspicions，theMoroccanloan，whichhadfallentosixty—fourorsixty—fivefrancs;howwhentheexpeditionwasenteredupontheFrenchgovernmentwouldguaranteethedebt，andtheirfriendswouldmakefiftyorsixtymillions.

Hecried："Areyousureofthat？"

Shereplied："Yes，Iamsure."

Hecontinued："Thatisindeedfine！AsforthatrascalofaLaroche，lethimbeware！Iwillgethisministerialcarcassbetweenmyfingersyet！"

Then，afteramoment’sreflection，hemuttered："Onemightprofitbythat！"

"Youtoocanbuysomestock，"saidshe;"itisonlyseventy—twofrancs."

Hereplied："ButIhavenoreadymoney."

Sheraisedhereyestohis——eyesfullofsupplication.

"Ihavethoughtofthat，mydarling，andifyoulovemealittle，youwillletmelendittoyou."

Herepliedabruptly，almostharshly："No，indeed."

Shewhisperedimploringly："Listen，thereissomethingyoucandowithoutborrowingmoney.Iintendedbuyingtenthousandfrancs’

worthofthestock;instead，Iwilltaketwentythousandandyoucanhavehalf.Therewillbenothingtopayatonce.Ifitsucceeds，wewillmakeseventythousandfrancs;ifnot，youwillowemetenthousandwhichyoucanrepayatyourpleasure."

Hesaidagain："No，Idonotlikethosecombinations."

Shetriedtopersuadehimbytellinghimthatsheadvancednothing——

thatthepaymentsweremadebyWalter’sbank.Shepointedouttohimthathehadledthepoliticalcampaignin"LaVieFrancaise，"andthathewouldbeverysimplenottoprofitbytheresultshehadhelpedtobringabout.Ashestillhesitated，sheadded："ItisinrealityWalterwhowilladvancethemoney，andyouhavedoneenoughforhimtooffsetthatsum."

"Verywell，"saidhe，"Iwilldoit.IfweloseIwillpayyoubacktenthousandfrancs."

Shewassodelightedthatsherose，tookhisheadbetweenherhands，andkissedhim.Atfirsthedidnotrepulseher，butwhenshegrewmorelavishwithhercaresses，hesaid：

"Come，thatwilldo."

Shegazedathimsadly."Oh，Georges，Icannolongerevenembraceyou."

"No，notto—day.Ihaveaheadache."

Shereseatedherselfwithdocilityathisfeetandasked：

"Willyoudinewithusto—morrow？Itwouldgivemesuchpleasure，"

Hehesitatedatfirst，butdarednotrefuse.

"Yes，certainly."

"Thankyou，dearest."Sherubbedhercheekagainsttheyoungman’svest;asshedidso，oneofherlongblackhairscaughtonabutton;

shetwistedittightlyaround，thenshetwistedanotheraroundanotherbuttonandsoon.Whenherose，hewouldtearthemoutofherhead，andwouldcarryawaywithhimunwittinglyalockofherhair.Itwouldbeaninvisiblebondbetweenthem.Involuntarilyhewouldthink，woulddreamofher;hewouldloveheralittlemorethenextday.

Suddenlyhesaid："Imustleaveyou，forIamexpectedattheChamberforthecloseofthesession.Icannotbeabsentto—day."

Shesighed："Already！"Thenaddingresignedly："Go，mydarling，butyouwillcometodinnertomorrow";sheroseabruptly.Foramomentshefeltasharp，stingingpain，asifneedleshadbeenstuckintoherhead，butshewasgladtohavesufferedforhim.

"Adieu，"saidshe.

Hetookherinhisarmsandkissedhereyescoldly;thensheofferedhimherlipswhichhebrushedlightlyashesaid："Come，come，letushurry;itisafterthreeo’clock."

Shepassedoutbeforehimsaying："To—morrowatseven";herepeatedherwordsandtheyseparated.

DuRoyreturnedatfouro’clocktoawaithismistress.Shewassomewhatlatebecauseherhusbandhadcomehomeforaweek.Sheasked：

"Canyoucometodinnerto—morrow？Hewillbedelightedtoseeyou."

"No;IdineattheWalters.Wehaveagreatmanypoliticalandfinancialmatterstotalkover."

Shetookoffherhat.Hepointedtoabagonthemantelpiece："I

boughtyousomesweetmeats."

Sheclappedherhands."Whatadarlingyouare！"Shetookthem，tastedone，andsaid："Theyaredelicious.Ishallnotleaveone.

Come，sitdowninthearmchair，Iwillsitatyourfeetandeatmybonbons."

HesmiledashesawhertaketheseatashortwhilesinceoccupiedbyMme.Walter.Shetoo，calledhim"darling，littleone，dearest，"

andthewordsseemedtohimsweetandcaressingfromherlips，whilefromMme.Walter’stheyirritatedandnauseatedhim.

Suddenlyherememberedtheseventythousandfrancshewasgoingtomake，andbluntlyinterruptingMme.deMarelle’schatter，hesaid：

"Listen，mydarling;Iamgoingtointrustyouwithamessagetoyourhusband.Tellhimfrommetobuyto—morrowtenthousandfrancs’

worthofMoroccanstockwhichisatseventy—two，andIpredictthatbeforethreemonthsarepassedhewillhavemadeeightythousandfrancs.Tellhimtomaintainabsolutesilence.TellhimthattheexpeditiontoTangiers，isdecidedupon，andthattheFrenchgovernmentwillguaranteetheMoroccandebt.ItisastatesecretI

amconfidingtoyou，remember！"

Shelistenedtohimgravelyandmurmured：

"Thankyou.Iwilltellmyhusbandthisevening.Youmayrelyuponhim;hewillnotspeakofit;hecanbedependedupon;thereisnodanger."

Shehadeatenallofherbonbonsandbegantotoywiththebuttonsonhisvest.Suddenlyshedrewalonghairoutofthebuttonholeandbegantolaugh.

"See！HereisoneofMadeleine’shairs;youareafaithfulhusband！"

Thengrowingserious，sheexaminedthescarcelyperceptiblethreadmorecloselyandsaid："ItisnotMadeleine’s，itisdark."

Hesmiled."Itprobablybelongstothehousemaid."

Butsheglancedatthevestwiththecareofapolice—inspectorandfoundasecondhairtwistedaroundasecondbutton;thenshesawathird;andturningpaleandtremblingsomewhat，sheexclaimed："Oh，somewomanhaslefthairsaroundallyourbuttons."

Insurprise，hestammered："Whyyou——youaremad."

Shecontinuedtounwindthehairsandcastthemuponthefloor.Withherwoman’sinstinctshehaddivinedtheirmeaningandgaspedinheranger，readytocry：

"Shelovesyouandshewishedyoutocarryawaywithyousomethingofhers.Oh，youareatraitor."Sheutteredashrill，nervouscry：

"Oh，itisanoldwoman’shair——hereisawhiteone——youhavetakenafancytoanoldwomannow.Thenyoudonotneedme——keeptheotherone."Sherose.

Heattemptedtodetainherandstammered："No——Clo——youareabsurd——

Idonotknowwhoseitis——listen——stay——see——stay——"

Butsherepeated："Keepyouroldwoman——keepher——haveachainmadeofherhair——ofhergrayhair——thereisenoughforthat——"

Hastilyshedonnedherhatandveil，andwhenheattemptedtotouchhershestruckhimintheface，andmadeherescapewhilehewasstunnedbytheblow.Whenhefoundthathewasalone，hecursedMme.

Walter，bathedhisface，andwentoutvowingvengeance.Thattimehewouldnotpardon.No，indeed.