Une Vie, A Piece of String and Other Stories

, entered Jeanne's roo

t the foot of

are has asked us for

ide her face un

her con

ned our answer

th emotion. At the end

ng, a

anything without cons

to this marriage, bu

e much richer than he

ess of a life, one sho

o relations left. If

hould come into our fa

our daughter, who would

eases us. Would

ushing up to the

illing,

g into her eyes and st

pected it,

in a condition of exh

hanically thinking of o

ling of weariness, alth

a

she was sitting with he

vicomte

o throb wildly. The yo

emotion. When he was cl

kissed her fingers, t

the young girl, he imp

nd grate

on of betrothal comm

orner of the parlor, or

overlooking the plain.

he, talking of the fut

at the dusty footpr

decided, they desire

therefore, decided th

ks, on the fifteenth

set out immediately o

ulted as to which cou

ica where they could b

s of

appointed for their ma

d, lost in a delicious

insignificant caresses,

hich their souls seemed

ertain longing for

no one to the wedding

oarded in a convent a

the baroness wished t

possessed by the idea

s, and a nuisance, re

rent apartments to peo

came from time to time

her f

man of few words, w

nly at mealtimes, and

remained

old lady, though she

ssion. She was never ma

er pretty nor boisterou

ietly and gently in a

As a young girl nobody

like a shadow, or a f

one is accustomed to s

oes not tro

g habit, looked upon

cant being. They tre

cealed a sort of cont

d seemed embarrassed at

t she probably would no

d since Jeanne's birth

n, very neat, frightfu

-in-law, who loved her

difference, with an unc

al bene

roness talked of far a

say, in order to fix a

n had tha

han that; and this "at

n a

was then twenty, had

y. Nothing in her lif

zure. They fished her

ir hands in horror,

s action, had contented

if they were talkin

"Coco," who had brok

and whom they had b

resently Lison, was co

ch she inspired in her

of all those who surrou

al instinct of children

her good-night, never

e the room all the nece

ere it was

the dining-room for br

m habit and hold up he

was

ak to her, they sent a

hey did not bother abou

roubling themselves so

Aunt Lison t

ison," these two words

mind. It was as if one

the suga

h little, quick, sile

up against anything; a

the faculty of not maki

a kind of wadding, sh

and de

middle of July, all up

quantity of presents w

unnoticed. On the f

she was th

was seething in her m

ed couple. She interes

ar eagerness, a feveris

n her room, where no

senting the baroness wi

on which she had embroi

t all right, Adelaide?

ned the objects, wou

uch trouble,

e end of the month, af

one of those clear, mi

ne, apparently awakenin

tle breath of the fiel

baroness and her husba

d Aunt Lison was sittin

leaning on the window

onlit

ne tree cast their sha

n the moonlight, as

der charm of the nig

ted up the trees and t

said: "Little father,

the grass in fro

ithout looking up: "

ued hi

n to walk slowly along

the end. The hour grew

baroness grew tired, an

a

call the

across the spacious ga

ndering

aid; "it is so delicio

m, will you

troubled eyes and repl

I will wai

hand to the baroness,

of th

too," he said, and w

her turn, and leaving

ol and the knitting ne

dow sill and gaze

walking back and fort

ed each other's finge

their bodies and form

exhaled fr

eived, framed in the wi

by the light of t

"there is Aunt Li

head, and said in an

nki

Lison is lo

dream, to walk slowly,

ng fast, and the damp

tt

said Jeanne. And the

drawing-room, Aunt Lis

over her work, and her

e were v

bed, aunt," said Je

ad, and her eyes were

e did not notice it; bu

's thin shoes were co

and asked

r dear littl

y's hands shook so viol

ing her face in her h

ulsi

ooked at her in amaz

n her knees, and takin

ce, said in

s the matter

her voice full of tea

ith sorro

you--are not your--y

d such things to me--t

ompassionate, could sti

er showing tender solic

ned away to con

rose, laying her ball

air, and fled to her r

rk sta

g people looked at o

. Jeanne

replied. "She must b

nin

hands and presently, ge

iss, and by the followi

nt Lison

the wedding found Jean

er emotions. She had n

ntful day. She was onl

ones and her blood had

ld of anything, she no

mbl

self-possession until s

ring the marr

arried! All that had

a waking dream. There

ound us; even our moti

rs of the day, which

bewildered, above all

yet been changed in her

y nearer, almost withi

was now a married wom

o conceal the future

e felt as though a door

nter into the fulfillme

he threshold of the chu

the bride to start in

le salute given by the

ntil they reach

d for the family, the f

mayor and the witness

istrict, they all walk

eau one could hear the

nking cider beneath th

d in their best, fi

d through the copse and

out at the sea. The ai

st; the wind was from

y from the blue sky. T

d crossing the plain, t

wooded valley that le

the air was still, an

eath the trees, where

re

sed gently round her w

her heart beat fast. So

nt to pass under them.

ed beneath it, like tw

," she said innocently

confi

h to her ear, and whis

be my

rned many things dur

nothing as yet but the

wife? Was she n

her temples and neck

esh by these masculine

tinctively turned away

er. But they had come t

ed at being so far fro

in

o home,"

rom her waist, and as

close that they could f

zed deep into one anoth

to blend. They sought

They sought to fathom

d they be to one anothe

to begin together? Wha

ere they preparing in

e? And it seemed to th

en eac

cing his two hands on

lips as she had never

did her very blood and

he pushed Julien wildly

ng backward

, let us go awa

took both her hands an

and the rest of the af

id not last long, contr

rassment seemed to para

d the four farmers inv

irth that is supposed

orgotten how to laugh

It was about nine o'cl

er the apple-trees of t

, and through the open

erns, hung from the bra

ustics and their part

une to the feeble accom

yers seated on a large

the peasants at times

e feeble strains to

emed to fall from the

of scatt

ounded by flaming torc

t busy rinsing glasses

whence flowed the red

e table were bread, sau

ul from time to time,

his wholesome and boi

n the dining-room lon

e large barrels, while

utter and a

ing time with his knife

is like the wed

s heard, but Abbé Pico

: "You mean of Cana."

nsieur le curé, I know

anache, I me

d went into the drawing

merrymakers. The

se. They were surprise

ulder. Her tears, noisy

eemed to come from her

and the young man, du

oman who had sunk into

g, her little one,

them, saying: "Oh, no

s wife to a chair, he m

s. Then, turning to Jea

mother and

could hardly have told

felt a shower of little

i

oke, yawned, stretche

: "Did you sleep

ow said "thou," and s

h, very well," he answe

then began to chat qu

the idea of economy, a

hed Jeanne. She listen

looked at him, but was

idly through her mind

. "Come, we must get u

to be late." When he

little details of her

y left the room he stop

se 'thou,' but before y

ll be quite natural wh

ng jo

ll luncheon was ready.

thing new had occurred

use, that