Fromont and Risler -- Volume 3

mont Jeune and Risler Aine, was awakened with a start in his little house at Montroug

not

p in bed; "day after to- morrow will be the last

e of Fromont was absolutely empty. What was to be done? Sigismond had tried several times to speak to Fromont Jeune, but he seemed to shun the burdensome responsibility of business, and when he w

. It was rumored in the factory, where his liaison with Madame Risler was no longer a secret to anybody, that Sidonie deceived him, made him very unhappy; and, indeed, his mistress's whims worried h

ad led by slow degrees to general demoralization. Some business was still done, because an established house wil

ude of painful thoughts which whirled madly through his brain, the cashier lighted his candl

ack. I have no fu

ble. Any sort of humiliati

will go to-morrow," s

torture, unable to clos

asleep at that moment on the floor above. She was positively driving him mad. She was false to him, he was sure of it,-she was false to him with the Toulousan tenor, that Cazabon, alias Cazaboni, whom Madame Dobson had brought to the house. Fo

rges had exclaimed angrily,

t; she had not even

in the adjoining room-a whole lifetime of happiness within reach of his hand, which he had spurned for that vile creature! Now she had admitte

rishly up and down the room, his footsteps echoing in the silence of the sleeping house like living insomnia. The other was

erything and destroy himself with her. Really that deluded husband was too idiotic! Why did he not watch her

cruel and unfruitful reflections as these t

tes! th

for a moment from thoughts of Sidonie, recurred to his business, to the realities of life-how many times had he said to himself, "That day will be the end of everything!" But, as with all those who live in th

s's wrinkled, solemn face rose before him with its sharply cut features, whose absence of expression softened th

dred thousand francs, nor di

moment with appalling distinctness. An empty cash-box, closed doors, notes protested, ruin, are the phantoms he saw whichever way he turned. And when, on top of all the rest, came the thou

s, it is I. What

from the club, for she still believed that he passed his evenings there. That night she had heard him wa

ful friend. How could he have deserted her? For a long, long time he wept upon her shoulder, unable to speak. And it was fortunate that he did not speak, for he would have told her al

the pain of u

g, have you not? You h

he confessed that he must have a hundred thousand francs for the

ation. Indeed, in the bottom of her heart she blessed this misfortune which brought him nearer to her and became a bond between their two lives,

go to Savigny tomorrow and ask

occurred to him. She was so proud and old Gardinois so hard! Surely that was

e-how good you

she led him to the

y side, their heads leaning over the child, Georges was afr