下载辰思小说免费APP
Hestrolledtotheboulevardandstoppedatajeweler’stolookatachronometerhehadwantedforsometimeandwhichwouldcosteighteenhundredfrancs.Hethoughtwithjoy："IfImakemyseventythousandfrancs，Icanpayforit"——andhebegantodreamofallthethingshewoulddowhenhegotthemoney.Firstofallhewouldbecomeadeputy;thenhewouldbuythechronometer;thenhewouldspeculateon’Change，andthen，andthen——hedidnotentertheoffice，preferringtoconferwithMadeleinebeforeseeingWalteragainandwritinghisarticle;heturnedtowardhome.HereachedRueDrouotwhenhepaused;hehadforgottentoinquireforCountdeVaudrec，wholivedonChausseed’Antin.Heretracedhisstepswithalightheart，thinkingofathousandthings——ofthefortunehewouldmake，——ofthatrascalofaLaroche，andofoldWalter.
HewasnotatalluneasyastoClotilde’sanger，knowingthatshewouldsoonforgivehim.
WhenheaskedthejanitorofthehouseinwhichCountdeVaudreclived："HowisM.deVaudrec？Ihaveheardthathehasbeenailingoflate，"themanreplied;"TheCountisveryill，sir;theythinkhewillnotlivethroughthenight;thegouthasreachedhisheart."
DuRoywassostartledhedidnotknowwhattodo！Vaudrecdying！Hestammered："Thanks——Iwillcallagain"——unconsciousofwhathewassaying.Hejumpedintoacabanddrovehome.Hiswifehadreturned.
Heenteredherroomoutofbreath："Didyouknow？Vaudrecisdying！"
Shewasreadingaletterandturningtohimasked："Whatdidyousay？"
"IsaidthatVaudrecisdyingofanattackofgout."
Thenheadded："Whatshallyoudo？"
Sherose;herfacewaslivid;sheburstintotearsandburiedherfaceinherhands.Sheremainedstanding，shakenbysobs，tornbyanguish.Suddenlysheconqueredhergriefandwipinghereyes，said：
"Iamgoingtohim——donotworryaboutme——IdonotknowwhattimeI
shallreturn——donotexpectme."
Hereplied："Verywell.Go."
Theyshookhandsandsheleftinsuchhastethatsheforgothergloves.Georges，afterdiningalone，begantowritehisarticle.Hewroteitaccordingtotheminister’sinstructions，hintingtothereadersthattheexpeditiontoMoroccowouldnottakeplace.Hetookit，whencompleted，totheoffice，conversedseveralmomentswithM.
Walter，andsetoutagain，smoking，withalightheart，heknewnotwhy.
Hiswifehadnotreturned.Heretiredandfellasleep.TowardmidnightMadeleinecamehome.Georgessatupinbedandasked：
"Well？"
Hehadneverseenhersopaleandagitated.Shewhispered："Heisdead！"
"Ah——and——hetoldyounothing？"
"Nothing.HewasunconsciouswhenIarrived."
QuestionswhichhedarednotaskarosetoGeorges’lips.
"Liedownandrest，"saidhe.
Shedisrobedhastilyandslippedintobed.
Hecontinued："Hadheanyrelativesathisdeath—bed？"
"Onlyanephew."
"Ah！Didheoftenseethatnephew？"
"Theyhadnotmetfortenyears."
"Hadheotherrelatives？"
"No，Ibelievenot."
"Willthatnephewbehisheir？"
"Idonotknow."
"WasVaudrecveryrich？"
"Yes，very."
"Doyouknowwhathewasworth？"
"No，notexactly——oneortwomillionsperhaps."
Hesaidnomore.Sheextinguishedthelight.Hecouldnotsleep.HelookeduponMme.Walter’spromisedseventythousandfrancsasveryinsignificant.SuddenlyhethoughtheheardMadeleinecrying.Inordertoinsurehimselfheasked："Areyouasleep？"
"No."Hervoicewastearfulandunsteady.
Hecontinued："Iforgottotellyouthatyourministerhasdeceivedus."
"How？"
HegaveheradetailedaccountofthecombinationpreparedbyLarocheandWalter.Whenheconcludedsheasked："Howdidyouknowthat？"
Hereplied："PardonmeifIdonottellyou！YouhaveyourmeansofobtaininginformationintowhichIdonotinquire;IhaveminewhichIdesiretokeep.Icanvouchatanyrateforthetruthofmystatements."
Shemuttered："Itmaybepossible.Isuspectedthattheyweredoingsomethingwithoutourknowledge."
AsshespokeGeorgesdrewnearher;shepaidnoheedtohisproximity，however，andturningtowardthewall，heclosedhiseyesandfellasleep.
CHAPTERXIV.
THEWILL
Thechurchwasdrapedinblack，andoverthedooralargeescutcheonsurmountedbyacoronetannouncedtothepassers—bythatanoblemanwasbeingburied.Theceremonywasjustover;thosepresentwentoutslowly，passingbythecoffin，andbyCountdeVaudrec’snephew，whoshookhandsandreturnedsalutations.
WhenGeorgesduRoyandhiswifeleftthechurch，theywalkedalongsidebysideontheirwayhome.Theydidnotspeak;theywerebothpreoccupied.AtlengthGeorgessaid，asiftalkingtohimself：
"Trulyitisveryastonishing！"
Madeleineasked："What，myfriend？"
"ThatVaudrecleftusnothing."
Sheblushedandsaid："Whyshouldheleaveusanything？Hadheanyreasonfordoingso？"Thenafterseveralmomentsofsilence，shecontinued："Perhapsthereisawillatalawyer’s;weshouldnotknowofit."
Hereplied："Thatispossible，forhewasourbestfriend.Hedinedwithustwiceaweek;hecameatanytime;hewasathomewithus.
Helovedyouasafather;hehadnofamily，nochildren，nobrothersnorsisters，onlyanephew.Yes，thereshouldbeawill.Iwouldnotcareformuch——aremembrancetoprovethathethoughtofus——thatherecognizedtheaffectionwefeltforhim.Weshouldcertainlyhaveamarkoffriendship."
Shesaidwithapensiveandindifferentair："Itispossiblethatthereisawill."
Whentheyenteredthehouse，thefootmanhandedMadeleinealetter.
Sheopeneditandofferedittoherhusband.
"OFFICEOFM.LAMANEUR，Notary.
17RuedesVosges，"
"Madame：Kindlycallatmyofficeataquarterpasttwoo’clockTuesday，Wednesday，orThursday，onbusinesswhichconcernsyou."
"Yoursrespectfully，"
"LAMANEUR."
Georges，inhisturn，colored.
"Thatisasitshouldbe.Itisstrange，however，thatheshouldwritetoyouandnottome，forIamtheheadofthefamilylegally."
"Shallwegoatonce？"sheasked.
"Yes，Ishouldliketo."
AfterluncheontheysetoutforM.Lamaneur’soffice.
Thenotarywasashort，roundman——roundallover.Hisheadlookedlikeaballfastenedtoanotherball，whichwassupportedbylegssoshortthattheytooalmostresembledballs.
Hebowed，asDuRoyandhiswifewereshownintohisoffice，pointedtoseats，andsaid，turningtoMadeleine："Madame，IsentforyouinordertoinformyouofCountdeVaudrec’swill，whichwillbeofinteresttoyou."
Georgescouldnothelpmuttering："Isuspectedthat."
Thenotarycontinued："Ishallreadyouthedocumentwhichisverybrief."
"’I，theundersigned，PaulEmileCyprienGontran，CountdeVaudrec，soundbothinbodyandmind，hereexpressmylastwishes.Asdeathmighttakemeawayatanymoment，Iwishtotaketheprecautionofdrawingupmywill，tobedepositedwithM.Lamaneur.’"
"’Havingnodirectheirs，Ibequeathallmyfortune，comprisingstocksandbondsforsixhundredthousandfrancsandlandedpropertyforfivehundredthousand，toMme.ClaireMadeleineduRoyunconditionally.Ibeghertoacceptthatgiftfromadeadfriendasaproofofdevoted，profound，andrespectfulaffection.’"
Thenotarysaid："Thatisall.ThatdocumentbearsthedateofAugustlast，andtooktheplaceofoneofthesamenaturemadetwoyearsagointhenameofMme.ClaireMadeleineForestier.Ihavethefirstwill，whichwouldprove，incaseofcontestationonthepartofthefamily，thatCountdeVaudrechadnotchangedhismind."
Madeleinecastdownhereyes;hercheekswerepale.Georgesnervouslytwistedhismustache.
Thenotarycontinuedafteramoment’spause："ItisofcourseunderstoodthatMadamecannotacceptthatlegacywithoutyourconsent."
DuRoyroseandsaidshortly："Iasktimeforreflection."
Thenotarysmiled，bowed，andrepliedpleasantly："Icomprehendthescrupleswhichcauseyoutohesitate.ImayaddthatM.deVaudrec’snephew，whowasinformedthismorningofhisuncle’slastwishes，expresseshimselfasreadytorespectthemifhebegivenonehundredthousandfrancs.Inmyopinionthewillcannotbebroken，butalawsuitwouldcauseasensationwhichyouwouldprobablyliketoavoid.Theworldoftenjudgesuncharitably.CanyouletmehaveyourreplybeforeSaturday？"
Georgesbowed，andtogetherwithhiswifelefttheoffice.Whentheyarrivedhome，DuRoyclosedthedoorandthrowinghishatonthebed，asked："WhatweretherelationsbetweenyouandVaudrec？"
Madeleine，whowastakingoffherveil，turnedaroundwithashudder："Betweenus？"
"Yes，betweenyouandhim！Onedoesnotleaveone’sentirefortunetoawomanunless——"
Shetrembled，andcouldscarcelytakeoutthepinswhichfastenedthetransparenttissue.Thenshestammeredinanagitatedmanner：
"Youaremad——youare——youare——youdidnotthink——hewouldleaveyouanything！"
Georgesreplied，emphazingeachword："Yes，hecouldhaveleftmesomething;me，yourhusband，hisfriend;butnotyou，mywifeandhisfriend.Thedistinctionismaterialintheeyesoftheworld."
Madeleinegazedathimfixedly："Itseemstomethattheworldwouldhaveconsideredalegacyfromhimtoyouverystrange."
"Why？"
"Because，"——shehesitated，thencontinued："Becauseyouaremyhusband;becauseyouwerenotwellacquainted;becauseIhavebeenhisfriendsolong;becausehisfirstwill，madeduringForestier’slifetime，wasalreadyinmyfavor."
Georgesbegantopacetoandfro.Hefinallysaid："Youcannotacceptthat."
Sheansweredindifferently："Verywell;itisnotnecessarythentowaituntilSaturday;youcaninformM.Lamaneuratonce."
Hepausedbeforeher，andtheygazedintooneanother’seyesasifbythatmuteandardentinterrogationtheyweretryingtoexamineeachother’sconsciences.Inalowvoicehemurmured："Come，confessyourrelations."
Sheshruggedhershoulders."Youareabsurd.Vaudrecwasveryfondofme，very，buttherewasnothingmore，never."
Hestampedhisfoot."Youlie！Itisnotpossible."
Sherepliedcalmly："Itisso，nevertheless."
Heresumedhispacingtoandfro;thenpausingagain，hesaid：
"Explaintome，then，whyheleftallhisfortunetoyou."
Shedidsowithanonchalantair："Itisverysimple.Asyousaidjustnow，wewerehisonlyfriends，orrather，Iwashisonlyfriend，forheknewmewhenachild.Mymotherwasagovernessinhisfather’shouse.Hecameherecontinually，andashehadnolegalheirs，heselectedme.Itispossiblethatheevenlovedmealittle.Butwhatwomanhasneverbeenlovedthus？HebroughtmeflowerseveryMonday.Youwereneversurprisedatthat，andheneverbroughtyouany.To—dayheleavesmehisfortuneforthesamereason，becausehehadnooneelsetoleaveitto.Itwouldontheotherhandhavebeenextremelysurprisingifhehadleftittoyou."
"Why？"
"Whatareyoutohim？"
ShespokesonaturallyandsocalmlythatGeorgeshesitatedbeforereplying："Itmakesnodifference;wecannotacceptthatbequestunderthoseconditions.Everyonewouldtalkaboutitandlaughatme.Myfellow—journalistsarealreadytoomuchdisposedtobejealousofmeandtoattackme.Ihavetobeespeciallycarefulofmyhonorandmyreputation.Icannotpermitmywifetoacceptalegacyofthatkindfromamanwhomrumorhasalreadyassignedtoherasherlover.Forestiermightperhapshavetoleratedthat，butI
shallnot."
Sherepliedgently："Verywell，mydear，wewillnottakeit;itwillbeamillionlessinourpockets，thatisall."
Georgespacedtheroomandutteredhisthoughtsaloud，thusspeakingtohiswifewithoutaddressingher：
"Yes，amillion——somuchtheworse.Hedidnotthinkwhenmakinghiswillwhatabreachofetiquettehewascommitting.Hedidnotrealizeinwhatafalse，ridiculouspositionhewasplacingme.Heshouldhavelefthalfofittome——thatwouldhavemademattersright."
Heseatedhimself，crossedhislegsandbegantotwisttheendsofhismustache，aswashiscustomwhenannoyed，uneasy，orponderingoveraweightyquestion.
Madeleinetookupapieceofembroideryuponwhichsheworkedoccasionally，andsaid："Ihavenothingtosay.Youmustdecide."
Itwassometimebeforehereplied;thenhesaidhesitatingly："TheworldwouldneverunderstandhowitwasthatVaudrecconstitutedyouhissoleheiressandthatIallowedit.Toacceptthatlegacywouldbetoavowguiltyrelationsonyourpartandaninfamouslackofself—respectonmine.Doyouknowhowtheacceptanceofitmightbeinterpreted？Weshouldhavetofindsomeadroitmeansofpalliatingit.Weshouldhavetogivepeopletosuppose，forinstance，thathedividedhisfortunebetweenus，givinghalftoyouandhalftome."
Shesaid："Idonotseehowthatcanbedone，sincethereisaformalwill."
Hereplied："Oh，thatisverysimple.Wehavenochildren;youcanthereforedeedmepartoftheinheritance.Inthatwaywecansilencemalignanttongues."
Sheansweredsomewhatimpatiently："Idonotseehowwecansilencemalignanttonguessincethewillisthere，signedbyVaudrec."
Hesaidangrily："Doyouneedtoexhibitit，oraffixittothedoor？Youareabsurd！WewillsaythatthefortunewasleftusjointlybyCountdeVaudrec.Thatisall.Youcannot，moreover，acceptthelegacywithoutmyauthority;Iwillonlyconsentontheconditionofapartitionwhichwillpreventmefrombecomingalaughing—stockfortheworld."
Sheglancedsharplyathim："Asyouwill.Iamready."
Heseemedtohesitateagain，rose，pacedthefloor，andavoidinghiswife’spiercinggaze，hesaid："No——decidedlyno——perhapsitwouldbebettertorenounceitaltogether——itwouldbemorecorrect——morehonorable.Fromthenatureofthebequestevencharitably—disposedpeoplewouldsuspectillicitrelations."
HepausedbeforeMadeleine."Ifyoulike，mydarling，IwillreturntoM.Lamaneur’salone，toconsulthimandtoexplainthemattertohim.IwilltellhimofmyscruplesandIwilladdthatwehaveagreedtodivideitinordertoavoidanyscandal.FromthemomentthatIacceptaportionoftheinheritanceitwillbeevidentthatthereisnothingwrong.Icansay：’MywifeacceptsitbecauseI，herhusband，accept’——I，whoamthebestjudgeofwhatshecandowithoutcompromisingherself."
Madeleinesimplymurmured："Asyouwish."
Hecontinued："Yes，itwillbeasclearasdayifthatisdone.Weinheritafortunefromafriendwhowishedtomakenodistinctionbetweenus，therebyshowingthathislikingforyouwaspurelyPlatonic.Youmaybesurethatifhehadgivenitathought，thatiswhathewouldhavedone.Hedidnotreflect——hedidnotforeseetheconsequences.Asyousaidjustnow，heofferedyouflowerseveryweek，heleftyouhiswealth."
Sheinterruptedhimwithashadeofannoyance：
"Iunderstand.Nomoreexplanationsarenecessary.Gotothenotaryatonce."
Hestammeredinconfusion："Youareright;Iwillgo."Hetookhishat，and，ashewasleavingtheroom，heasked："ShallItrytocompromisewiththenephewforfiftythousandfrancs？"
Sherepliedhaughtily："No.Givehimthehundredthousandfrancshedemands，andtakethemfrommyshareifyouwish."
Abashed，hemurmured："No，wewillshareit.Afterdeductingfiftythousandfrancseachwewillstillhaveamillionnet."Thenheadded："Untillater，mylittleMade."
Heproceededtothenotary’stoexplainthearrangementdecidedupon，whichheclaimedoriginatedwithhiswife.Thefollowingdaytheysignedadeedforfivehundredthousandfrancs，whichMadeleineduRoygaveuptoherhusband.
Onleavingtheoffice，asitwaspleasant，Georgesproposedthattheytakeastrollalongtheboulevards.Hewasverytender，verycarefulofher，andlaughedjoyouslywhilesheremainedpensiveandgrave.
Itwasacold，autumnday.Thepedestriansseemedinhasteandwalkedalongrapidly.
DuRoyledhiswifetotheshopintothewindowsofwhichhehadsooftengazedatthecovetedchronometer.
"ShallIbuyyousometrinket？"heasked.
Sherepliedindifferently："Asyoulike."
Theyenteredtheshop："Whatwouldyouprefer，anecklace，abracelet，orearrings？"
Thesightofthebrilliantgemsmadehereyessparkleinspiteofherself，assheglancedatthecasesfilledwithcostlybaubles.
Suddenlysheexclaimed："Thereisalovelybracelet."
Itwasachain，veryuniqueinshape，everylinkofwhichwassetwithadifferentstone.
Georgesasked："Howmuchisthatbracelet？"
Thejewelerreplied："Threethousandfrancs，sir."
"Ifyouwillletmehaveitfortwothousandfivehundred，Iwilltakeit."
Themanhesitated，thenreplied："No，sir，itisimpossible."
DuRoysaid："Seehere——throwinthischronometeratfifteenhundredfrancs;thatmakesfourthousand，andIwillpaycash.Ifyoudonotagree，Iwillgosomewhereelse."
Thejewelerfinallyyielded."Verywell，sir."
Thejournalist，afterleavinghisaddress，said："YoucanhavemyinitialsG.R.C.interlacedbelowabaron’scrown，engravedonthechronometer."
Madeleine，insurprise，smiled，andwhentheylefttheshop，shetookhisarmquiteaffectionately.Shethoughthimveryshrewdandclever.Hewasright;nowthathehadafortunehemusthaveatitle.
TheypassedtheVaudevilleontheirwayarid，entering，securedabox.ThentheyrepairedtoMme，deMarelle’satGeorges’suggestion，toinvitehertospendtheeveningwiththem.GeorgesratherdreadedthefirstmeetingwithClotilde，butshedidnotseemtobearhimanymalice，oreventoremembertheirdisagreement.Thedinner，whichtheytookatarestaurant，wasexcellent，andtheeveningaltogetherenjoyable.
GeorgesandMadeleinereturnedhomelate.Thegaswasextinguished，andinordertolightthewaythejournalistfromtimetotimestruckamatch.Onreachingthelandingonthefirstfloortheysawtheirreflectionsinthemirror.DuRoyraisedhishandwiththelightedmatchinit，inordertodistinguishtheirimagesmoreclearly，andsaid，withatriumphantsmile：
"Themillionairesarepassingby."
CHAPTERXV.
SUZANNE
Moroccohadbeenconquered;France，themistressofTangiers，hadguaranteedthedebtoftheannexedcountry.Itwasrumoredthattwoministers，Laroche—Mathieubeingoneofthem，hadmadetwentymillions.
AsforWalter，inafewdayshehadbecomeoneofthemastersoftheworld——afinanciermoreomnipotentthanaking.HewasnolongertheJew，Walter，thedirectorofabank，theproprietorofayellownewspaper;hewasM.WalterthewealthyIsraelite，andhewishedtoproveit.
KnowingthestraitenedcircumstancesofthePrincedeCarlsbourgwhoownedoneofthefairestmansionsonRueduFaubourgSaint—Honore，heproposedtobuyit.Heofferedthreemillionfrancsforit.Theprince，temptedbythesum，acceptedhisoffer;thenextday，Waltertookpossessionofhisnewdwelling.Thenanotherideaoccurredtohim——anideaofconqueringallParis——anideaalaBonaparte.
AtthattimeeveryonewasravingoverapaintingbytheHungarian，KarlMarcovitch，exhibitedbyJacquesLenobleandrepresenting"ChristWalkingontheWater."Artcriticsenthusiasticallydeclaredittobethemostmagnificentpaintingoftheage.Walterboughtit，therebycausingentireParistotalkofhim，toenvyhim，tocensureorapprovehisaction.Heissuedanannouncementinthepapersthateveryonewasinvitedtocomeonacertaineveningtoseeit.
DuRoywasjealousofM.Walter’ssuccess.Hehadthoughthimselfwealthywiththefivehundredthousandfrancsextortedfromhiswife，andnowhefeltpoorashecomparedhispaltryfortunewiththeshowerofmillionsaroundhim.Hisenviousrageincreaseddaily.
Hecherishedillwilltowardeveryone——towardtheWalters，eventowardhiswife，andabovealltowardthemanwhohaddeceivedhim，madeuseofhim，andwhodinedtwiceaweekathishouse.Georgesactedashissecretary，agent，mouthpiece，andwhenhewroteathisdictation，hefeltamaddesiretostranglehim.LarochereignedsupremeintheDuRoyhousehold，havingtakentheplaceofCountdeVaudrec;hespoketotheservantsasifheweretheirmaster.
Georgessubmittedtoitall，likeadogwhichwishestobiteanddaresnot.ButhewasoftenharshandbrutaltoMadeleine，whomerelyshruggedhershouldersandtreatedhimasonewouldafretfulchild.Shewassurprised，too，athisconstantillhumor，andsaid：
"Idonotunderstandyou.Youarealwayscomplaining.Yourpositionisexcellent."
Hisonlyreplywastoturnhisbackuponher.HedeclaredthathewouldnotattendM.Walter’sfete——thathewouldnotcrossthemiserableJew’sthreshold.FortwomonthsMme.Walterhadwrittentohimdaily，beseechinghimtocometoseeher，toappointameetingwherehewould，inorderthatshemightgivehimtheseventythousandfrancsshehadmadeforhim.Hedidnotreplyandthrewherlettersintothefire.Notthathewouldhaverefusedtoaccepthisshareoftheprofits，butheenjoyedtreatingherscornfully，tramplingherunderfoot;shewastoowealthy;hewouldbeinflexible.
Thedayoftheexhibitionofthepicture，asMadeleinechidedhimfornotgoing，hereplied："Leavemeinpeace.Ishallremainathome."
Aftertheyhaddined，hesaidsuddenly，"IsupposeIshallhavetogothroughwithit.Getreadyquickly."
"Ishallbereadyinfifteenminutes，"shesaid.
AstheyenteredthecourtyardoftheHoteldeCarlsbourgitwasoneblazeoflight.Amagnificentcarpetwasspreaduponthestepsleadingtotheentrance，anduponeachonestoodamaninlivery，asrigidasmarble.
DuRoy’sheartwastornwithjealousy.Heandhiswifeascendedthestepsandgavetheirwrapstothefootmenwhoapproachedthem.
Attheentrancetothedrawing—room，twochildren，oneinpink，theotherinblue，handedbouquetstotheladies.
Theroomswerealreadywellfilled.Themajorityoftheladieswereinstreetcostumes，aproofthattheycamethitherastheywouldgotoanyexhibition.Thefewwhointendedtoremaintotheballwhichwastofollowworeeveningdress.
Mme.Walter，surroundedbyfriends，stoodinthesecondsalonandreceivedthevisitors.Manydidnotknowher，andwalkedthroughtheroomsasifinamuseum——withoutpayinganyheedtothehostandhostess.
WhenVirginieperceivedDuRoy，shegrewlividandmadeamovementtowardhim;thenshepausedandwaitedforhimtoadvance.Hebowedceremoniously，whileMadeleinegreetedhereffusively.GeorgeslefthiswifenearMme.Walterandmingledwiththeguests.Fivedrawing—
roomsopenedoneintotheother;theywerecarpetedwithrich，orientalrugs，andupontheirwallshungpaintingsbytheoldmasters.Ashemadehiswaythroughthethrong，someoneseizedhisarm，andafresh，youthfulvoicewhisperedinhisear："Ah，hereyouareatlast，naughtyBel—Ami！Whydoweneverseeyouanymore？"
ItwasSuzanneWalter，withherazureeyesandwealthofgoldenhair.Hewasdelightedtoseeher，andapologizedastheyshookhands.
"IhavebeensobusyfortwomonthsthatIhavebeennowhere."
Sherepliedgravely："Thatistoobad.Youhavegrievedusdeeply，formammaandIadoreyou.Asformyself，Icannotdowithoutyou.
Ifyouarenothere，Iamboredtodeath.YouseeItellyousofrankly，thatyouwillnotremainawaylikethatanymore.Givemeyourarm;Iwillshowyou’ChristWalkingontheWater’myself;itisattheveryend，behindtheconservatory.Papaputitbacktheresothateveryonewouldbeobligedtogothroughtherooms.Itisastonishinghowproudpapaisofthishouse."
Astheywalkedthroughtherooms，allturnedtolookatthathandsomemanandthatbewitchinggirl.Awell—knownpaintersaid：
"Thereisafinecouple."Georgesthought："Ifmypositionhadbeenmade，Iwouldhavemarriedher.WhydidIneverthinkofit？HowcouldIhavetakentheotherone？Whatfolly！Onealwaysactstoohastily——oneneverreflectssufficiently."Andlonging，bitterlongingpossessedhim，corruptingallhispleasure，renderinglifeodious.
Suzannesaid："Youmustcomeoften，Bel—Ami;wecandoanythingwelikenowpapaisrich."
Hereplied："Oh，youwillsoonmarry——someprince，perhaps，andweshallnevermeetanymore."
Shecriedfrankly："Oh，oh，Ishallnot！IshallchoosesomeoneI
loveverydearly.Iamrichenoughfortwo."
Hesmiledironicallyandsaid："Igiveyousixmonths.BythattimeyouwillbeMadamelaMarquise，MadamelaDuchesse，orMadamelaPrincesse，andyouwilllookdownuponme，Mademoiselle."
Shepretendedtobeangry，pattedhisarmwithherfan，andvowedthatshewouldmarryaccordingtothedictatesofherheart.
Hereplied："Weshallsee;youaretoowealthy."
"You，too，haveinheritedsomemoney."
"Barelytwentythousandlivresayear.Itisamerepittancenowadays."
"Butyourwifehasthesame."
"Yes，wehaveamilliontogether;fortythousandayear.Wecannotevenkeepacarriageonthat."
Theyhad，inthemeantime，reachedthelastdrawing—room，andbeforethemlaytheconservatorywithitsrareshrubsandplants.Totheirleft，underadomeofpalms，wasamarblebasin，ontheedgesofwhichfourlargeswansofdelftwareemittedthewaterfromtheirbeaks.
Thejournaliststoppedandsaidtohimself："Thisisluxury;thisisthekindofhouseinwhichtolive.WhycanInothaveone？"
Hiscompaniondidnotspeak.Helookedatherandthoughtoncemore：
"IfIonlyhadtakenher！"
SuddenlySuzanneseemedtoawakenfromherreverie."Come，"saidshe，draggingGeorgesthroughagroupwhichbarredtheirway，andturninghimtotheright.Beforehim，surroundedbyverdureonallsides，wasthepicture.Onehadtolookcloselyatitinordertounderstandit.Itwasagrandwork——theworkofamaster——oneofthosetriumphsofartwhichfurnishesoneforyearswithfoodforthought.
DuRoygazedatitforsometime，andthenturnedaway，tomakeroomforothers.Suzanne’stinyhandstillresteduponhisarm.Sheasked：
"Wouldyoulikeaglassofchampagne？Wewillgotothebuffet;weshallfindpapathere."
Slowlytheytraversedthecrowdedrooms.SuddenlyGeorgesheardavoicesay："ThatisLarocheandMme.duRoy."
Heturnedandsawhiswifepassingupontheminister’sarm.Theyweretalkinginlowtonesandsmilingintoeachother’seyes.Hefanciedhesawsomepeoplewhisper，astheygazedatthem，andhefeltadesiretofalluponthosetwobeingsandsmitethemtotheearth.Hiswifewasmakingalaughing—stockofhim.Whowasshe？A
shrewdlittleparvenue，thatwasall.Hecouldnevermakehiswaywithawifewhocompromisedhim.Shewouldbeastumbling—blockinhispath.Ah，ifhehadforeseen，ifhehadknown.Hewouldhaveplayedforhigherstakes.WhatabrilliantmatchhemighthavemadewithlittleSuzanne！Howcouldhehavebeensoblind？
Theyreachedthedining—roomwithitsmarblecolumnsandwallshungwitholdGobelinstapestry.Walterspiedhiseditor，andhastenedtoshakehands.Hewasbesidehimselfwithjoy."Haveyouseeneverything？Say，Suzanne，haveyoushownhimeverything？Whatalotofpeople，eh？HaveyouseenPrincedeGuerche？hejustdrankaglassofpunch."ThenhepounceduponSenatorRissolinandhiswife.
AgentlemangreetedSuzanne——atall，slendermanwithfairwhiskersandaworldlyair.GeorgesheardhercallhimMarquisdeCazolles，andhewassuddenlyinspiredwithjealousy.Howlonghadsheknownhim？Sinceshehadbecomewealthynodoubt.Hesawinhimapossiblesuitor.Someoneseizedhisarm.ItwasNorbertdeVarenne.Theoldpoetsaid："Thisiswhattheycallamusingthemselves.Afterawhiletheywilldance，thentheywillretire，andtheyounggirlswillbesatisfied.Takesomechampagne;itisexcellent."
Georgesscarcelyheardhiswords.HewaslookingforSuzanne，whohadgoneoffwiththeMarquisdeCazolles;heleftNorbertdeVarenneabruptlyandwentinpursuitoftheyounggirl.Thethirstycrowdstoppedhim;whenhehadmadehiswaythroughit，hefoundhimselffacetofacewithM.andMme.deMarelle.Hehadoftenmetthewife，buthehadnotmetthehusbandforsometime;thelattergraspedbothofhishandsandthankedhimforthemessagehehadsenthimbyClotilderelativetothestocks.
DuRoyreplied："InexchangeforthatserviceIshalltakeyourwife，orratherofferhermyarm.Husbandandwifeshouldalwaysbeseparated."
M.deMarellebowed."Verywell.IfIloseyouwecanmeethereagaininanhour."
Thetwoyoungpeopledisappearedinthecrowd，followedbythehusband.Mme.deMarellesaid："Therearetwogirlswhowillhavetwentyorthirtymillionseach，andSuzanneisprettyinthebargain."
Hemadenoreply;hisownthoughtcomingfromthelipsofanotherirritatedhim.HetookClotildetoseethepainting.AstheycrossedtheconservatoryhesawhiswifeseatednearLaroche—Mathieu，bothofthemalmosthiddenbehindagroupofplants.Theyseemedtosay：
"Wearehavingameetinginpublic，forwedonotcarefortheworld’sopinion."
Mme.deMarelleadmiredKarlMarcovitch’spainting，andtheyturnedtorepairtotheotherrooms.TheywereseparatedfromM.deMarelle.Heasked："IsLaurinestillvexedwithme？"
"Yes.Sherefusestoseeyouandgoesawaywhenyouarementioned."
Hedidnotreply.Thechild’ssuddenenmitygrievedandannoyedhim.
Suzannemetthematadoorandcried："Oh，hereyouare！Now，Bel—
Ami，youaregoingtobeleftalone，forIshalltakeClotildetoseemyroom."Andthetwowomenglidedthroughthethrong.Atthatmomentavoiceathissidemurmured："Georges！"
ItwasMme.Walter.Shecontinuedinalowvoice："Howcruelyouare！Howneedlesslyyouinflictsufferinguponme.IbadeSuzannetakethatwomanawaythatImighthaveawordwithyou.Listen：I
mustspeaktoyouthisevening——or——or——youdonotknowwhatIshalldo.Gointotheconservatory.Youwillfindadoortotheleftthroughwhichyoucanreachthegarden.Followthewalkdirectlyinfrontofyou.Attheendofityouwillseeanarbor.Expectmeintenminutes.Ifyoudonotmeetme，IswearIwillcauseascandalhereatonce！"
Herepliedhaughtily："Verywell，Ishallbeattheplaceyounamedintenminutes."
ButJacquesRivaldetainedhim.Whenhereachedthealley，hesawMme.Walterinfrontofhim;shecried："Ah，hereyouare！Doyouwishtokillme？"
Herepliedcalmly："Ibeseechyou，noneofthat，orIshallleaveyouatonce."
Throwingherarmsaroundhisneck，sheexclaimed："WhathaveIdonetoyouthatyoushouldtreatmeso？"
Hetriedtopushheraway："Youtwistedyourhairaroundmycoatbuttonsthelasttimewemet，anditcausedtroublebetweenmywifeandmyself."
Sheshookherhead："Ah，yourwifewouldnotcare.Itwasoneofyourmistresseswhomadeascene."
"Ihavenone."
"Indeed！Whydoyounevercometoseeme？Whydoyourefusetodinewithmeevenonceaweek？Ihavenootherthoughtsthanofyou.I
sufferterribly.Youcannotunderstandthatyourimage，alwayspresent，closesmythroat，stiflesme，andleavesmescarcelystrengthenoughtomovemylimbsinordertowalk.SoIremainalldayinmychairthinkingofyou."
Helookedatherinastonishment.Thesewerethewordsofadesperatewoman，capableofanything.He，however，cherishedavagueprojectandreplied："Mydear，loveisnoteternal.Onelovesandoneceasestolove.Whenitlastsitbecomesadrawback.Iwantnoneofit！However，ifyouwillbereasonable，andwillreceiveandtreatmeasafriend，Iwillcometoseeyouasformerly.Canyoudothat？"
Shemurmured："Icandoanythinginordertoseeyou."
"Thenitisagreedthatwearetobefriends，nothingmore."
Shegasped："Itisagreed";offeringhimherlipsshecriedinherdespair："Onemorekiss——onelastkiss！"
Hegentlydrewback."No，wemustadheretoourrules."
Sheturnedherheadandwipedawaytwotears，thendrawingfromherbosomapackageofnotestiedwithpinkribbon，sheheldittowardDuRoy："HereisyourshareoftheprofitsinthatMoroccanaffair.
Iwassogladtomakeitforyou.Here，takeit."
Herefused："No，Icannotacceptthatmoney."
Shebecameexcited："Oh，youwillnotrefuseitnow！Itisyours，yoursalone.Ifyoudonottakeit，Iwillthrowitinthesewer.
Youwillnotrefuseit，Georges！"
Hetookthepackageandslippeditintohispocket"Wemustreturntothehouse;youwilltakecold."
"Somuchthebetter;ifIcouldbutdie！"
Sheseizedhishand，kisseditpassionately，andfledtowardthehouse.Hereturnedmoreleisurely，andenteredtheconservatorywithheaderectandsmilinglips.HiswifeandLarochewerenolongerthere.Thecrowdhadgrownthinner.Suzanne，leaningonhersister’sarm，advancedtowardhim.Inafewmoments，Rose，whomtheyteasedaboutacertainCount，turneduponherheelandleftthem.
DuRoy，findinghimselfalonewithSuzanne，saidinacaressingvoice："Listen，mydearlittleone;doyoureallyconsidermeafriend？"
"Why，yes，Bel—Ami."
"Youhavefaithinme？"
"Perfectfaith."
"DoyourememberwhatIsaidtoyouawhilesince？"
"Aboutwhat？"
"Aboutyour，marriage，orratherthemanyouwouldmarry."
"Yes."
"Well，willyoupromisemeonething？"
"Yes;whatisit？"
"Toconsultmewhenyoureceiveaproposalandtoacceptnoonewithoutaskingmyadvice."
"Yes，Iwillgladly."
"Anditistobeasecretbetweenus——notawordtoyourfatherormother."
"Notaword."
Rivalapproachedthemsaying："Mademoiselle，yourfatherwantsyouintheballroom."
Shesaid："Come，Bel—Ami，"butherefused，forhehaddecidedtoleaveatonce，wishingtobealonewithhisthoughts.Hewentinsearchofhiswife，andfoundherdrinkingchocolateatthebuffetwithtwostrangemen.Sheintroducedherhusbandwithoutnamingthem.
Inashortwhile，heasked："Shallwego？"
"Wheneveryoulike."
Shetookhisarmandtheypassedthroughthealmostdesertedrooms.
Madeleineasked："WhereisMme.Walter;Ishouldliketobidhergood—bye."
"Itisunnecessary.Shewouldtrytokeepusintheballroom，andI
havehadenough."
"Youareright."
Onthewayhometheydidnotspeak.Butwhentheyhadenteredtheirroom，Madeleine，withouteventakingoffherveil，saidtohimwithasmile："Ihaveasurpriseforyou."
Hegrowledill—naturedly："Whatisit？"
"Guess."
"Icannotmaketheeffort."
"Thedayafterto—morrowisthefirstofJanuary."
"Yes."
"ItistheseasonforNewYear’sgifts."
"Yes."
"Hereisyours，whichLarochehandedmejustnow."Shegavehimasmallblackboxwhichresembledajewel—casket.
HeopeneditindifferentlyandsawthecrossoftheLegionofHonor.
Heturnedatriflepale，thensmiled，andsaid："Ishouldhavepreferredtenmillions.Thatdidnotcosthimmuch."
Shehadexpectedatransportofdelightandwasirritatedbyhisindifference.
"Youareincomprehensible.Nothingseemstosatisfyyou."
Herepliedcalmly："Thatmanisonlypayinghisdebts;heowesmeagreatdealmore."
Shewasastonishedathistone，andsaid："Itisverynice，however，atyourage."
Hereplied："Ishouldhavemuchmore."
Hetookthecasket，placeditonthemantelpiece，andlookedforsomeminutesatthebrilliantstarwithinit，thenhecloseditwithashrugofhisshouldersandbegantopreparetoretire.
"L’Officiel"ofJanuary1announcedthatM.ProsperGeorgesduRoyhadbeendecoratedwiththeLegionofHonorforexceptionalservices.Thenamewaswrittenintwowords，andthataffordedGeorgesmorepleasurethanthedecorationitself.
Anhourafterhavingreadthatnotice，hereceivedanotefromMme.
Walter，invitinghimtocomeandbringhiswifetodinewiththemthatevening，tocelebratehisdistinction.
Atfirsthehesitated，thenthrowingtheletterinthefire，hesaidtoMadeleine："WeshalldineattheWalters’thisevening."
Inhersurprisesheexclaimed："Why，Ithoughtyouwouldneversetyourfootintheirhouseagain."
Hissolereplywas："Ihavechangedmymind."
WhentheyarrivedatRueduFaubourgSaint—Honore，theyfoundMme.
Walteraloneinthedaintyboudoirinwhichshereceivedherintimatefriends.Shewasdressedinblackandherhairwaspowdered.Atadistancesheappearedlikeanoldlady，inproximity，likeayouthfulone.
"Areyouinmourning？"asked，Madeleine.
Sherepliedsadly："Yesandno.Ihavelostnoneofmyrelatives，butIhavearrivedatanagewhenoneshouldwearsombercolors.I
wearitto—daytoinaugurateit;hithertoIhavewornitinmyheart."
Thedinnerwassomewhattedious.Suzannealonetalkedincessantly.
Roseseemedpreoccupied.Thejournalistwasoverwhelmedwithcongratulations，afterthemeal，whenallrepairedtothedrawing—
rooms.Mme.Walterdetainedhimastheywereabouttoenterthesalon，saying："Iwillneverspeakofanythingtoyouagain，onlycometoseeme，Georges.Itisimpossibleformetolivewithoutyou.Iseeyou，Ifeelyou，inmyheartalldayandallnight.ItisasifIhaddrunkapoisonwhichpreyeduponme.Icannotbearit.I
wouldratherbeasanoldwomantoyou.Ipowderedmyhairforthatreasonto—night;butcomehere——comefromtimetotimeasafriend."
Herepliedcalmly："Verywell.Itisunnecessarytospeakofitagain.YouseeIcameto—dayonreceiptofyourletter."
Walter，whohadprecededthem，withhistwodaughtersandMadeleine，awaitedDuRoynearthepictureof"ChristWalkingontheWater."
"Onlythink，"saidhe，"Ifoundmywifeyesterdaykneelingbeforethatpaintingasifinachapel.Shewaspraying！"
Mme.Walterrepliedinafirmvoice，inavoiceinwhichvibratedasecretexaltation："ThatChristwillsavemysoul.HegivesmefreshcourageandstrengtheverytimethatIlookatHim."Andpausingbeforethepicture，shemurmured："HowbeautifulHeis！Howfrightenedthosemenare，andhowtheyloveHim！LookatHishead，Hiseyes，howsimpleandsupernaturalHeisatthesametime！"
Suzannecried："Why，Helookslikeyou，Bel—Ami！IamsureHelookslikeyou.Theresemblanceisstriking."
Shemadehimstandbesidethepaintingandeveryonerecognizedthelikeness.DuRoywasembarrassed.Walterthoughtitverysingular;
Madeleine，withasmile，remarkedthatJesuslookedmoremanly.Mme.
Walterstoodbymotionless，staringfixedlyatherlover’sface，hercheeksaswhiteasherhair.
CHAPTERXVI.
DIVORCE
Duringtheremainderofthewinter，theDuRoysoftenvisitedtheWalters.Georges，too，frequentlydinedtherealone，Madeleinepleadingfatigueandpreferringtoremainathome.HehadchosenFridayashisday，andMme.Walterneverinvitedanyoneelseonthatevening;itbelongedtoBel—Ami.Ofteninadarkcornerorbehindatreeintheconservatory，Mme.Walterembracedtheyoungmanandwhisperedinhisear："Iloveyou，Iloveyou！Iloveyoudesperately！"
Buthealwaysrepulsedhercoldly，saying："Ifyoupersistinthat，Iwillnotcomeagain."
TowardtheendofMarchpeopletalkedofthemarriageofthetwosisters：Rosewastomarry，DameRumorsaid，CountdeLatour—IvelinandSuzanne，theMarquisdeCazolles.ThesubjectofSuzanne’spossiblemarriagehadnotbeenbroachedagainbetweenherandGeorgesuntilonemorning，thelatterhavingbeenbroughthomebyM.
Waltertolunch，hewhisperedtoSuzanne："Come，letusgivethefishsomebread."
Theyproceededtotheconservatoryinwhichwasthemarblebasincontainingthefish.AsGeorgesandSuzanneleanedoveritsedge，theysawtheirreflectionsinthewaterandsmiledatthem.
Suddenly，hesaidinalowvoice："Itisnotrightofyoutokeepsecretsfromme，Suzanne."
Sheasked：
"Whatsecrets，Bel—Ami？"
"Doyourememberwhatyoupromisedmeherethenightofthefete？"
"No."
"Toconsultmeeverytimeyoureceivedaproposal."
"Well？"
"Well，youhavereceivedone！"
"Fromwhom？"
"Youknowverywell."
"No，IswearIdonot."
"Yes，youdo.ItisfromthatfopofaMarquisdeCazolles."
"Heisnotafop."
"Thatmaybe，butheisstupid.Heisnomatchforyouwhoaresopretty，sofresh，sobright！"
Sheaskedwithasmile："Whathaveyouagainsthim？"
"I？Nothing！"
"Yes，youhave.Heisnotallthatyousayheis."
"Heisafool，andanintriguer."
Sheglancedathim："Whatailsyou？"
Hespokeasiftearingasecretfromthedepthsofhisheart："Iam—
—Iamjealousofhim."
Shewasastonished.
"You？"
"Yes，I."
"Why？"
"BecauseIloveyouandyouknowit"
Thenshesaidseverely："Youaremad，Bel—Ami！"
Hereplied："IknowthatIam！ShouldIconfessit——I，amarriedman，toyou，ayounggirl？Iamworsethanmad——Iamculpable，wretched——Ihavenopossiblehope，andthatthoughtalmostdestroysmyreason.WhenIhearthatyouaregoingtobemarried，Ifeelmurderinmyheart.Youmustforgiveme，Suzanne."
Hepaused.Theyounggirlmurmuredhalfsadly，halfgaily："Itisapitythatyouaremarried;butwhatcanyoudo？Itcannotbehelped."
Heturnedtowardherabruptlyandsaid："IfIwerefreewouldyoumarryme？"
Shereplied："Yes，Bel—Ami，IwouldmarryyoubecauseIloveyoubetterthananyoftheothers."
Heroseandstammering："Thanks——thanks——donot，Iimploreyou，sayyestoanyone.Waitawhile.Promiseme."
Somewhatconfused，andwithoutcomprehendingwhatheasked，shewhispered："Ipromise."
DuRoythrewalargepieceofbreadintothewaterandfled，withoutsayingadieu，asifhewerebesidehimself.Suzanne，insurprise，returnedtothesalon.
WhenDuRoyarrivedhome，heaskedMadeleine，whowaswritingletters："ShallyoudineattheWalters’Friday？Iamgoing."
Shehesitated："No，Iamnotwell.Iprefertoremainhere."
"Asyoulike.Noonewillforceyou."Thenhetookuphishatandwentout.
Forsometimehehadwatchedandfollowedher，knowingallheractions.Thetimehehadawaitedhadcomeatlength.
OnFridayhedressedearly，inorder，ashesaid，tomakeseveralcallsbeforegoingtoM.Walter’s.Ataboutsixo’clock，afterhavingkissedhiswife，hewentinsearchofacab.Hesaidtothecabman："YoucanstopatNo.17RueFontaine，andremainthereuntilIorderyoutogoon.ThenyoucantakemetotherestaurantDuCoq—
Faisan，RueLafayette."
Thecabrolledslowlyon;DuRoyloweredtheshades.Wheninfrontofhishouse，hekeptwatchofit.Afterwaitingtenminutes，hesawMadeleinecomeoutandgotowardtheboulevards.Whenshewasoutofearshot，heputhisheadoutofthewindowandcried："Goon！"
ThecabproceededonitswayandstoppedattheCoq—Faisan.Georgesenteredthedining—roomandateslowly，lookingathiswatchfromtimetotime.Atseven—thirtyheleftanddrovetoRueLaRochefoucauld.Hemountedtothethirdstoryofahouseinthatstreet，andaskedthemaidwhoopenedthedoor："IsM.GuibertdeLormeathome？"
"Yes，sir."
Hewasshownintothedrawing—room，andafterwaitingsometime，atallmanwithamilitarybearingandgrayhairentered.Hewasthepolicecommissioner.
DuRoybowed，thensaid："AsIsuspected，mywifeiswithherloverinfurnishedapartmentstheyhaverentedonRuedesMartyrs."
Themagistratebowed："Iamatyourservice，sir."
"Verywell，Ihaveacabbelow."AndwiththreeotherofficerstheyproceededtothehouseinwhichDuRoyexpectedtosurprisehiswife.Oneofficerremainedatthedoortowatchtheexit;onthesecondfloortheyhalted;DuRoyrangthebellandtheywaited.IntwoorthreeminutesGeorgesrangagainseveraltimesinsuccession.
Theyheardalightstepapproach，andawoman’svoice，evidentlydisguised，asked：
"Whoisthere？"
Thepoliceofficerreplied："Openinthenameofthelaw."
Thevoicerepeated："Whoareyou？"
"Iamthepolicecommissioner.Open，orIwillforcethedoor."
Thevoicecontinued："Whatdoyouwant？"
DuRoyinterrupted："ItisI;itisuselesstotrytoescapeus."
Thefootstepsrecededandthenreturned.Georgessaid："Ifyoudonotopen，wewillforcethedoor."
Receivingnoreplyheshookthedoorsoviolentlythattheoldlockgaveway，andtheyoungmanalmostfelloverMadeleine，whowasstandingintheantechamberinherpetticoat，herhairloosened，herfeetbare，andacandleinherhand.
Heexclaimed："Itisshe.Wehavecaughtthem，"andherushedintotheroom.ThecommissionerturnedtoMadeleine，whohadfollowedthemthroughtherooms，inoneofwhichweretheremnantsofasupper，andlookingintohereyessaid：
"YouareMme.ClaireMadeleineduRoy，lawfulwifeofM.ProsperGeorgesduRoy，herepresent？"
Shereplied："Yes，sir."
"Whatareyoudoinghere？"
Shemadenoreply.Theofficerrepeatedhisquestion;stillshedidnotreply.Hewaitedseveralmomentsandthensaid："Ifyoudonotconfess，Madame，Ishallbeforcedtoinquireintothematter."
Theycouldseeaman’sformconcealedbeneaththecoversofthebed.
DuRoyadvancedsoftlyanduncoveredthelividfaceofM.Laroche—
Mathieu.
Theofficeragainasked："Whoareyou？"
Asthemandidnotreply，hecontinued："IamthepolicecommissionerandIcalluponyoutotellmeyourname.Ifyoudonotanswer，Ishallbeforcedtoarrestyou.Inanycase，rise.Iwillinterrogateyouwhenyouaredressed."
InthemeantimeMadeleinehadregainedhercomposure，andseeingthatallwaslost，shewasdeterminedtoputabravefaceuponthematter.Hereyessparkledwiththeaudacityofbravado，andtakingapieceofpapershelightedthetencandlesinthecandelabraasifforareception.Thatdone，sheleanedagainstthemantelpiece，tookacigaretteoutofacase，andbegantosmoke，seemingnottoseeherhusband.
Inthemeantimethemaninthebedhaddressedhimselfandadvanced.
Theofficerturnedtohim："Now，sir，willyoutellmewhoyouare？"
Hemadenoreply.
"IseeIshallhavetoarrestyou."
Thenthemancried："Donottouchme.Iaminviolable."
DuRoyrushedtowardhimexclaiming："IcanhaveyouarrestedifI
wantto！"Thenheadded："Thisman’snameisLaroche—Mathieu，ministerofforeignaffairs."
Theofficerretreatedandstammered："Sir，willyoutellmewhoyouare？"
"Foroncethatmiserablefellowhasnotlied.IamindeedLaroche—
Mathieu，minister，"andpointingtoGeorges’breast，headded，"andthatscoundrelwearsuponhiscoatthecrossofhonorwhichIgavehim."
DuRoyturnedpale.Witharapidgesturehetorethedecorationfromhisbuttonholeandthrowingitinthefireexclaimed："Thatiswhatadecorationisworthwhichisgivenbyascoundrelofyourorder."
Thecommissionersteppedbetweenthem，astheystoodfacetoface，saying："Gentlemen，youforgetyourselvesandyourdignity."
Madeleinesmokedoncalmly，asmilehoveringaboutherlips.Theofficercontinued："Sir，IhavesurprisedyoualonewithMme.duRoyundersuspiciouscircumstances;whathaveyoutosay？"
"Nothing;doyourduty."
ThecommissionerturnedtoMadeleine："Doyouconfess，Madame，thatthisgentlemanisyourlover？"
Sherepliedboldly："Idonotdenyit.Thatissufficient."
Themagistratemadeseveralnotes;whenhehadfinishedwriting，theminister，whostoodready，coatuponarm，hatinhand，asked："Doyouneedmeanylonger，sir？CanIgo？"
DuRoyaddressedhimwithaninsolentsmile："Whyshouldyougo，wehavefinished;wewillleaveyoualonetogether."Then，takingtheofficer’sarm，hesaid："Letusgo，sir;wehavenothingmoretodointhisplace."
AnhourlaterGeorgesduRoyenteredtheofficeof"LaVieFrancaise."M.Walterwasthere;heraisedhisheadandasked：
"What，areyouhere？Whyareyounotdiningatmyhouse？Wherehaveyoucomefrom？"
Georgesrepliedwithemphasis："Ihavejustfoundoutsomethingabouttheministerofforeignaffairs."
"What？"
"Ifoundhimalonewithmywifeinhiredapartments.Thecommissionerofpolicewasmywitness.Theministerisruined."
"Areyounotjesting？"
"No，Iamnot.Ishallevenwriteanarticleonit."
"Whatisyourobject？"
"Tooverthrowthatwretch，thatpublicmalefactor."
Georgesplacedhishatuponachairandadded："WoetothosewhomI
findinmypath.Ineverpardon."
Themanagerstammered："Butyourwife？"
"Ishallapplyforadivorceatonce."
"Adivorce？"
"Yes，Iammasterofthesituation.Ishallbefree.Ihaveastatedincome.IshalloffermyselfasacandidateinOctoberinmynativedistrict，whereIamknown.IcouldnotwinanyrespectwereItobehamperedwithawifewhosehonorwassullied.Shetookmeforasimpleton，butsinceIhaveknownhergame，Ihavewatchedher，andnowIshallgeton，forIshallbefree."
Georgesrose.
"Iwillwritetheitem;itmustbehandledprudently."
Theoldmanhesitated，thensaid："Doso：itservesthoserightwhoarecaughtinsuchscrapes."
CHAPTERXVII.
THEFINALPLOT
Threemonthshadelapsed.GeorgesduRoy’sdivorcehadbeenobtained.HiswifehadresumedthenameofForestier.
AstheWaltersweregoingtoTrouvilleonthefifteenthofJuly，theydecidedtospendadayinthecountrybeforestarting.
ThedaychosenwasThursday，andtheysetoutatnineo’clockinthemorninginalargesix—seatedcarriagedrawnbyfourhorses.TheyweregoingtolunchatSaint—Germain.Bel—Amihadrequestedthathemightbetheonlyyoungmanintheparty，forhecouldnotbearthepresenceoftheMarquisdeCazolles.Atthelastmoment，however，itwasdecidedthatCountdeLatour—Ivelinshouldgo，forheandRosehadbeenbetrothedamonth.Thedaywasdelightful.Georges，whowasverypale，gazedatSuzanneastheysatinthecarriageandtheireyesmet.
Mme.Walterwascontentedandhappy.Theluncheonwasalongandmerryone.BeforeleavingforParis，DuRoyproposedawalkontheterrace.Theystoppedonthewaytoadmiretheview;astheypassedon，GeorgesandSuzannelingeredbehind.Theformerwhisperedsoftly："Suzanne，Iloveyoumadly."
Shewhisperedinreturn："Iloveyoutoo，Bel—Ami."
Hecontinued："IfIcannothaveyouformywife，Ishallleavethecountry."
Shereplied："Askpapa.Perhapshewillconsent."
Heansweredimpatiently："No，Irepeatthatitisuseless;thedoorofthehousewouldbeclosedagainstme.Iwouldlosemypositiononthejournal，andwewouldnotevenmeet.Thosearetheconsequencesaformalproposalwouldproduce.TheyhavepromisedyoutotheMarquisdeCazolles;theyhopeyouwillfinallysay’yes’andtheyarewaiting."
"Whatcanwedo？"
"Haveyouthecouragetobraveyourfatherandmotherformysake？"
"Yes."
"Truly？"
"Yes."
"Well！Thereisonlyoneway.Itmustcomefromyouandnotfromme.
Youareanindulgedchild;theyletyousayanythingandarenotsurprisedatanyaudacityonyourpart.Listen，then！Thiseveningonreturninghome，gotoyourmotherfirst，andtellherthatyouwanttomarryme.Shewillbeverymuchagitatedandveryangry."
Suzanneinterruptedhim："Oh，mammawouldbeglad."
Herepliedquickly："No，no，youdonotknowher.Shewillbemorevexedthanyourfather.Butyoumustinsist，youmustnotyield;youmustrepeatthatyouwillmarrymeandmealone.Willyoudoso？"
"Iwill."
"Andonleavingyourmother，repeatthesamethingtoyourfatherverydecidedly."
"Well，andthen——"
"Andthenmatterswillreachaclimax！Ifyouaredeterminedtobemywife，mydear，dear，littleSuzanne，Iwillelopewithyou."
Sheclappedherhands，asallthecharmingadventuresintheromancesshehadreadoccurredtoher，andcried：
"Oh，whatbliss！Whenwillyouelopewithme？"
Hewhisperedverylow："To—night！"
"Whereshallwego？"
"Thatismysecret.Thinkwellofwhatyouaredoing.Rememberthatafterthatflightyoumustbecomemywife.Itistheonlymeans，butitisdangerous——verydangerous——foryou."
"Ihavedecided.WhereshallImeetyou？"
"MeetmeaboutmidnightinthePlacedelaConcorde."
"Iwillbethere."
Heclaspedherhand."Oh，howIloveyou！Howbraveandgoodyouare！ThenyoudonotwanttomarryMarquisdeCazolles？"
"Oh，no！"
Mme.Walter，turningherhead，calledout："Come，littleone;whatareyouandBel—Amidoing？"
TheyrejoinedtheothersandreturnedbywayofChatou.Whenthecarriagearrivedatthedoorofthemansion，Mme.WalterpressedGeorgestodinewiththem，butherefused，andreturnedhometolookoverhispapersanddestroyanycompromisingletters.Thenherepairedinacabwithfeverishhastetotheplaceofmeeting.Hewaitedtheresometime，andthinkinghisladylovehadplayedhimfalse，hewasabouttodriveoff，whenagentlevoicewhisperedatthedoorofhiscab："Areyouthere，Bel—Ami？"
"Isityou，Suzanne？"
"Yes."
"Ah，getin."Sheenteredthecabandhebadethecabmandriveon.
Heasked："Well，howdiditallpassoff？"
Shemurmuredfaintly：
"Oh，itwasterrible，withmammaespecially."
"Yourmamma？Whatdidshesay？Tellme！"
"Oh，itwasfrightful！IenteredherroomandmadethelittlespeechIhadprepared.Sheturnedpaleandcried：’Never！’Iwept，I
protestedthatIwouldmarryonlyyou;shewaslikeamadwoman;shevowedIshouldbesenttoaconvent.Ineversawherlikethat，never.Papa，hearingheragitatedwords，entered.Hewasnotasangryasshewas，buthesaidyouwerenotasuitablematchforme.
Astheyhadvexedme，Italkedlouderthanthey，andpapawithadramaticairbademeleavetheroom.Thatdecidedmetoflywithyou.AndhereIam;whereshallwego？"
Hereplied，encirclingherwaistwithhisarm："Itistoolatetotakethetrain;thiscabwilltakeustoSevreswherewecanspendthenight，andto—morrowwewillleaveforLaRoche—Guyon.ItisaprettyvillageonthebanksoftheSeinebetweenMantesandBonnieres."
Thecabrolledon.Georgestooktheyounggirl’shandandkisseditrespectfully.Hedidnotknowwhattosaytoher，beingunaccustomedtoPlatonicaffection.Suddenlyheperceivedthatshewasweeping.
Heaskedinaffright：
"Whatailsyou，mydearlittleone？"
Sherepliedtearfully："IwasthinkingthatpoormammacouldnotsleepifshehadfoundoutthatIwasgone！"
*******
Hermotherindeedwasnotasleep.
WhenSuzannelefttheroom，Mine.Walterturnedtoherhusbandandaskedindespair："Whatdoesthatmean？"
"Itmeansthatthatintriguerhasinfluencedher.ItishewhohasmadeherrefuseCazolles.Youhaveflatteredandcajoledhim，too.
ItwasBel—Amihere，Bel—Amithere，frommorninguntilnight.Nowyouarepaidforit！"
"I？"
"Yes，you.YouareasmuchinfatuatedwithhimasMadeleine，Suzanne，andtherestofthem.DoyouthinkthatIdidnotseethatyoucouldnotexistfortwodayswithouthim？"
Sherosetragically："Iwillnotallowyoutospeaktomethus.YouforgetthatIwasnotbroughtuplikeyou，inashop."
Withanoath，helefttheroom，bangingthedoorbehindhim.
Whenhewasgone，shethoughtoverallthathadtakenplace.SuzannewasinlovewithBel—Ami，andBel—AmiwantedtomarrySuzanne！No，itwasnottrue！Shewasmistaken;hewouldnotbecapableofsuchanaction;heknewnothingofSuzanne’sescapade.TheywouldtakeSuzanneawayforsixmonthsandthatwouldendit.
Sherose，saying："Icannotrestinthisuncertainty.Ishalllosemyreason.IwillarouseSuzanneandquestionher."
Sheproceededtoherdaughter’sroom.Sheentered;itwasempty;thebedhadnotbeensleptin.Ahorriblesuspicionpossessedherandsheflewtoherhusband.Hewasinbed，reading.
Shegasped："HaveyouseenSuzanne？"
"No——why？"
"Sheis——gone！sheisnotinherroom."
Withoneboundhewasoutofbed;herushedtohisdaughter’sroom;
notfindingherthere，hesankintoachair.Hiswifehadfollowedhim.
"Well？"sheasked.
Hehadnotthestrengthtoreply：hewasnolongerangry;hegroaned："Hehasher——wearelost."
"Lost，how？"
"Why，hemustmarryhernow！"
Shecriedwildly："Marryher，never！Areyoumad？"
Herepliedsadly："Itwilldonogoodtoyell！Hehasdisgracedher.
Thebestthingtobedoneistogivehertohim，andatonce，too;
thennoonewillknowofthisescapade."
Sherepeatedingreatagitation："Never;heshallneverhaveSuzanne."
Overcome，Waltermurmured："Buthehasher.Andhewillkeepheraslongaswedonotyield;therefore，toavoidascandalwemustdosoatonce."
Buthiswifereplied："No，no，Iwillneverconsent."
Impatientlyhereturned："Itisamatterofnecessity.Ah，thescoundrel——howhehasdeceivedus！Butheisshrewdatanyrate.Shemighthavedonebetterasfarasposition，butnotintelligenceandfuture，isconcerned.Heisapromisingyoungman.Hewillbeadeputyoraministersomeday."
Mme.Walter，however，repeatedwildly："IwillneverlethimmarrySuzanne！Doyouhear——never！"
Inhisturnhebecameincensed，andlikeapracticalmandefendedBel—Ami."Besilent！Itellyouhemustmarryher！Andwhoknows？
Perhapsweshallnotregretit！Withmenofhisstamponeneverknowswhatmaycomeabout.YousawhowhedownedLaroche—Mathieuinthreearticles，andthatwithadignitywhichwasverydifficulttomaintaininhispositionashusband.So，weshallsee."
Mme.Walterfeltadesiretocryaloudandtearherhair.Butsheonlyrepeatedangrily："Heshallnothaveher！"
Walterrose，tookuphislamp，andsaid："Youaresilly，likeallwomen！Youonlyactonimpulse.Youdonotknowhowtoaccommodateyourselftocircumstances.Youarestupid！Itellyouheshallmarryher;itisessential."Andhelefttheroom.
Mme.Walterremainedalonewithhersuffering，herdespair.Ifonlyapriestwereathand！Shewouldcastherselfathisfeetandconfessallhererrorsandheragony——hewouldpreventthemarriage！
Wherecouldshefindapriest？Whereshouldsheturn？Beforehereyesfloated，likeavision，thecalmfaceof"ChristWalkingontheWater，"asshehadseenitinthepainting.Heseemedtosaytoher：
"ComeuntoMe.KneelatMyfeet.Iwillcomfortandinstructyouastowhattodo."
Shetookthelampandsoughttheconservatory;sheopenedthedoorleadingintotheroomwhichheldtheenormouscanvas，andfelluponherkneesbeforeit.Atfirstsheprayedfervently，butassheraisedhereyesandsawtheresemblancetoBel—Ami，shemurmured：
"Jesus——Jesus——"whileherthoughtswerewithherdaughterandherlover.Sheutteredawildcry，asshepicturedthemtogether——alone—
—andfellintoaswoon.WhendaybroketheyfoundMme.Walterstilllyingunconsciousbeforethepainting.Shewassoill，afterthat，thatherlifewasalmostdespairedof.
M.Walterexplainedhisdaughter’sabsencetotheservantsbysayingtothemthatshehadbeensenttoaconventforashorttime.ThenherepliedtoalongletterfromDuRoy，givinghisconsenttohismarriagewithhisdaughter.Bel—AmihadpostedthatepistlewhenheleftParis，havingprepareditthenightofhisdeparture.Inithesaidinrespectfultermsthathehadlovedtheyounggirlalongtime;thattherehadneverbeenanyunderstandingbetweenthem，butthatasshecametohimtosay："Iwillbeyourwife，"hefeltauthorizedinkeepingher，inhidingher，infact，untilhehadobtainedareplyfromherparents，whosewishesweretohimofmorevaluethanthoseofhisbetrothed.
GeorgesandSuzannespentaweekatLaRoche—Guyon.Neverhadtheyounggirlenjoyedherselfsothoroughly.Asshepassedforhissister，theylivedinachasteandfreeintimacy，akindoflivingcompanionship.Hethoughtitwisertotreatherwithrespect，andwhenhesaidtoher："WewillreturntoParisto—morrow;yourfatherhasbestowedyourhanduponme"shewhisperednaively："Already？
Thisisjustaspleasantasbeingyourwife."
CHAPTERXVIII.
ATTAINMENT
ItwasdarkintheapartmentsintheRuedeConstantinople，whenGeorgesduRoyandClotildedeMarelle，havingmetatthedoor，enteredthem.Withoutgivinghimtimetoraisetheshades，thelattersaid：
"SoyouaregoingtomarrySuzanneWalter？"
Herepliedintheaffirmative，addinggently："Didyounotknowit？"
Sheansweredangrily："SoyouaregoingtomarrySuzanneWalter？Forthreemonthsyouhavedeceivedme.Everyoneknewofitbutme.Myhusbandtoldme.Sinceyouleftyourwifeyouhavebeenpreparingforthatstroke，andyoumadeuseofmeintheinterim.Whatarascalyouare！"
Heasked："Howdoyoumakethatout？Ihadawifewhodeceivedme;I
surprisedher，obtainedadivorce，andamnowgoingtomarryanother.Whatismoresimplethanthat？"
Shemurmured："Whatavillain！"
Hesaidwithdignity："Ibegofyoutobemorecarefulastowhatyousay."
Sherebelledatsuchwordsfromhim："What！Wouldyoulikemetohandleyouwithgloves？YouhaveconductedyourselflikearascaleversinceIhaveknownyou，andnowyoudonotwantmetospeakofit.Youdeceiveeveryone;yougatherpleasureandmoneyeverywhere，andyouwantmetotreatyouasanhonestman."
Herose;hislipstwitched："BesilentorIwillmakeyouleavetheserooms."
Shecried："Leavehere——youwillmakeme——you？YouforgetthatitisIwhohavepaidfortheseapartmentsfromtheveryfirst，andyouthreatentoputmeoutofthem.Besilent，good—for—nothing！DoyouthinkIdonotknowhowyoustoleaportionofVaudrec’sbequestfromMadeleine？DoyouthinkIdonotknowaboutSuzanne？"
Heseizedherbyhershouldersandshookher."Donotspeakofthat;
Iforbidyou."
"Iknowyouhaveruinedher！"
Hewouldhavetakenanythingelse，butthatlieexasperatedhim.Herepeated："Besilent——takecare"——andheshookherashewouldhaveshakentheboughofatree.Stillshecontinued;"Youwereherruin，Iknowit."Herusheduponherandstruckherasifshehadbeenaman.Suddenlysheceasedspeaking，andgroanedbeneathhisblows.
Finallyhedesisted，pacedtheroomseveraltimesinordertoregainhisself—possession，enteredthebedroom，filledthebasinwithcoldwaterandbathedhishead.ThenhewashedhishandsandreturnedtoseewhatClotildewasdoing.Shehadnotmoved.Shelayuponthefloorweepingsoftly.Heaskedharshly：
"Willyousoonhavedonecrying？"
Shedidnotreply.Hestoodinthecenteroftheroom，somewhatembarrassed，somewhatashamed，ashesawtheformlyingbeforehim.
Suddenlyheseizedhishat."Goodevening.Youcanleavethekeywiththejanitorwhenyouareready.Iwillnotawaityourpleasure."
Helefttheroom，closedthedoor，soughttheporter，andsaidtohim："Madameisresting.Shewillgooutsoon.YoucantelltheproprietorthatIhavegivennoticeforthefirstofOctober."
Hismarriagewasfixedforthetwentieth;itwastotakeplaceattheMadeleine.Therehadbeenagreatdealofgossipabouttheentireaffair，andmanydifferentreportswerecirculated.Mme.
Walterhadagedgreatly;herhairwasgrayandshesoughtsolaceinreligion.
IntheearlypartofSeptember"LaVieFrancaise"announcedthatBaronduRoydeCantelhadbecomeitschiefeditor，M.Walterreservingthetitleofmanager.Tothatannouncementweresubjoinedthenamesofthestaffofartandtheatricalcritics，politicalreporters，andsoforth.Journalistsnolongersneeredinspeakingof"LaVieFrancaise;"itssuccesshadbeenrapidandcomplete.Themarriageofitschiefeditorwaswhatwascalleda"Parisianevent，"
GeorgesduRoyandtheWaltershavingoccasionedmuchcommentforsometime.
Theceremonytookplaceonaclear，autumnday.Atteno’clockthecuriousbegantoassemble;ateleveno’clock，detachmentsofofficerscametodispersethecrowd.Soonafter，thefirstguestsarrived;theywerefollowedbyothers，womeninrichcostumes，men，graveanddignified.Thechurchslowlybegantofill.NorbertdeVarenneespiedJacquesRival，andjoinedhim.
"Well，"saidhe，"sharpersalwayssucceed."
Hiscompanion，whowasnotenvious，replied："Somuchthebetterforhim.Hisfortuneismade."
Rivalasked："Doyouknowwhathasbecomeofhiswife？"
Thepoetsmiled."Yesandno——shelivesaveryretiredlife，Ihavebeentold，intheMontmartrequarter.But——thereisabut——forsometimeIhavereadpoliticalarticlesin’LaPlume，’whichresemblethoseofForestierandDuRoy.TheyaresupposedtobewrittenbyaJeanLeDol，ayoung，intelligent，handsomeman——somethinglikeourfriendGeorges——whohasbecomeacquaintedwithMme.Forestier.FromthatIhaveconcludedthatshelikesbeginnersandthattheylikeher.Sheis，moreover，rich;VaudrecandLaroche—Mathieuwerenotattentivetoherfornothing."
Rivalasked："Tellme，isittruethatMme.WalterandDuRoydonotspeak？"
"Yes.Shedidnotwishtogivehimherdaughter’shand.Buthethreatenedtheoldmanwithshockingrevelations.WalterrememberedLaroche—Mathieu’sfateandyieldedatonce;buthiswife，obstinatelikeallwomen，vowedthatshewouldneveraddressawordtoherson—in—law.Itiscomicaltoseethemtogether！Shelookslikethestatueofvengeance，andheisveryuncomfortable，althoughhetriestoappearathisease."
Suddenlythebeadlestruckthefloorthreetimeswithhisstaff.Allthepeopleturnedtoseewhatwascoming，andtheyoungbrideappearedinthedoorwayleaninguponherfather’sarm.Shelookedlikeabeautifuldoll，crownedwithawreathoforangeblossoms.Sheadvancedwithbowedhead.Theladiessmiledandmurmuredasshepassedthem.Themenwhispered：
"Exquisite，adorable！"
M.Walterwalkedbyhersidewithexaggerateddignity.Behindthemcamefourmaidsofhonordressedinpinkandformingacharmingcourtforsodaintyaqueen.
Mme.WalterfollowedonthearmofCountdeLatour—Ivelin’sagedfather.Shedidnotwalk;shedraggedherselfalong，readytofaintateverystep.Shehadagedandgrownthinner.
NextcameGeorgesduRoywithanoldlady，astranger.Heheldhisheadproudlyerectandworeuponhiscoat，likeadropofblood，theredribbonoftheLegionofHonor.
Hewasfollowedbytherelatives：Rose，whohadbeenmarriedsixweeks，withasenator;CountdeLatour—IvelinwithViscountessdePercemur.FollowingthemwasamotleyprocessionofassociatesandfriendsofDuRoy，countrycousinsofMme.Walter’s，andguestsinvitedbyherhusband.
Thetonesoftheorganfilledthechurch;thelargedoorsattheentrancewereclosed，andGeorgeskneeledbesidehisbrideinthechoir.ThenewbishopofTangiers，crossinhand，miteronhead，enteredfromthesacristy，tounitetheminthenameoftheAlmighty.Heaskedtheusualquestions，ringswereexchanged，wordspronouncedwhichboundthemforever，andthenhedeliveredanaddresstothenewlymarriedcouple.
Thesoundofstifledsobscausedseveraltoturntheirheads.Mme.
Walterwasweeping，herfaceburiedinherhands.Shehadbeenobligedtoyield;butsincethedayonwhichshehadtoldDuRoy：
"YouarethevilestmanIknow;neverspeaktomeagain，forIwillnotansweryou，"shehadsufferedintolerableanguish.ShehatedSuzannebitterly;herhatredwascausedbyunnaturaljealousy.Thebishopwasmarryingadaughtertohermother’slover，beforeherandtwothousandpersons，andshecouldsaynothing;shecouldnotstophim.Shecouldnotcry："Heismine，thatmanismylover.Thatunionyouareblessingisinfamous."
Severalladies，touchedbyherapparentgrief，murmured："Howaffectedthatpoormotheris！"
Thebishopsaid："Youareamongthefavoredonesoftheearth.You，sir，whoareraisedaboveothersbyyourtalent——youwhowrite，instruct，counsel，guidethepeople，haveagrandmissiontofulfill——afineexampletoset."
DuRoylistenedtohimproudly.AprelateoftheRomanChurchspokethustohim.Anumberofillustriouspeoplehadcomethitheronhisaccount.Itseemedtohimthataninvisiblepowerwasimpellinghimon.Hewouldbecomeoneofthemastersofthecountry——he，thesonofthepoorpeasantsofCanteleu.HehadgivenhisparentsfivethousandfrancsofCountdeVaudrec’sfortuneandheintendedsendingthemfiftythousandmore;thentheycouldbuyasmallestateandlivehappily.
Thebishophadfinishedhisharangue，apriestascendedthealtar，andtheorganpealedforth.Suddenlythevibratingtonesmeltedintodelicate，melodiousones，likethesongsofbirds;thenagaintheyswelledintodeep，fulltonesandhumanvoiceschantedovertheirbowedheads.VauriandLandeckoftheOperaweresinging.
Bel—Ami，kneelingbesideSuzanne，bowedhishead.Atthatmomenthefeltalmostpious，forhewasfilledwithgratitudefortheblessingsshowereduponhim.Withoutknowingjustwhomhewasaddressing，heofferedupthanksforhissuccess.Whentheceremonywasover，herose，and，givinghisarmtohiswife，theypassedintothesacristy.Astreamofpeopleentered.Georgesfanciedhimselfakingwhomthepeoplewerecomingtogreet.Heshookhands，utteredwordswhichsignifiednothing，andrepliedtocongratulationswiththewords："Youareverykind."
SuddenlyhesawMme.deMarelle，andtherecollectionofallthekisseshehadgivenherandwhichshehadreturned，ofalltheircaresses，ofthesoundofhervoice，possessedhimwiththemaddesiretoregainher.Shewassopretty，withherbrighteyesandroguishair！Sheadvancedsomewhattimidlyandofferedhimherhand.
Hetook，retained，andpresseditasiftosay："Ishallloveyoualways，Iamyours."
Theireyesmet，smiling，bright，fulloflove.Shemurmuredinhersofttones："Untilwemeetagain，sir！"andhegailyrepeatedherwords.
Othersapproached，andshepassedon.Finallythethrongdispersed.
GeorgesplacedSuzanne’shanduponhisarmtopassthroughthechurchwithher.Itwasfilledwithpeople，forallhadresumedtheirseatsinordertoseethemleavethesacrededificetogether.
Hewalkedalongslowly，withafirmstep，hisheaderect.Hesawnoone.Heonlythoughtofhimself.
Whentheyreachedthethresholdhesawacrowdgatheredoutside，cometogazeathim，GeorgesduRoy.ThepeopleofParisenviedhim.
Raisinghiseyes，hesawbeyondthePlacedelaConcorde，thechamberofdeputies，anditseemedtohimthatitwasonlyastone’sthrowfromtheporticooftheMadeleinetothatofthePalaisBourbon.
Leisurelytheydescendedthestepsbetweentworowsofspectators，butGeorgesdidnotseethem;histhoughtshadreturnedtothepast，andbeforehiseyes，dazzledbythebrightsunlight，floatedtheimageofMme.deMarelle，rearrangingthecurlylocksuponhertemplesbeforethemirrorintheirapartments.
