Pierre and Jean

ean, with his mother's help, was furnishing and settling himse

e do you always come in with a face as cheerful as a f

act is I am terribly consc

eally is too bad. Ever since we had the good luck to come into this legacy, every one seems u

ng for some one

re? Fo

ever knew, and of w

ed to some girl with whom he had h

n, I su

a wo

ea

orse.

A

ce too, and by his son's strange tone about it, the old man made no furthe

s already her husband, surprised to see her sit down as if she were dropping int

o much with helping Jean. Give yourself a little rest. S

er head wit

was so great that Rola

u must take care of yourself." Then, addressing his son, "You surely m

ot noticed that there was an

Roland w

ou cannot even see that your mother is out of sorts? Why, look at her, just look at her. Really, a

or breath, and so white t

going to

-I shall get better di

to her and was look

said. And she repe

hing-I assure

negar; he now returned, and hand

to ease her. Have y

pulled away her hand so vehemently that she st

s, "let me see what I can d

t to him. Her skin was burning, the bl

ption." And as he wrote, stooping over the paper, a low sound of choked sighs, smothered, quick breathi

e distracted

s the mater with you? W

and dreadful grief. Her husband tried to take her h

no,

aled to

ter with her? I neve

id Pierre, "she is

if this anguish mitigated his resentment and diminished his mother's load

ift impulse that it was impossible to forestall or t

doctor were lef

d or tail of it?"

us disturbance, not alarming or surprising; such

he clew to her strange and new disorder. He would discern in her face a lucid interval of peace and with

he bleeding wound which he had opened in her woman's, her mother's heart, when he felt how wretched and desperate she was, he would go out alone, wander about the town, so torn by r

n he could not, suffering as he did himself. He went home to his meals, full of relenting resolutions; then, as soon as he saw her, as soon as he met her eye-formerly so

im up against her. It was as a poison flowing in his v

; Jean lived almost entirely in his new apartments, and only

less from this brutal conduct, and his love of peace prompted him to patience. His good fortune, too, had turned his head, and he scarcely paused to think of anything which had no direct interest for himself. He would come in full of fresh little anxieties, full of the cut of a morning-coat, of the

return after dining there, to drink tea in his rooms. Roland wanted to go by water, but the distance and the uncertainty of

ms embowered in trees, wears the aspect of an endless park. In the vehicle, as it jogged on at the slow trot of a pair of heavy horses, sat the four R

ms of pale gold; the fields looked as if they had drunk in the sunshine which poured down on them. Here and there the reapers were at work, and

gray wreck, half rotten and doomed, the last survivor of its ancient race; then it went into a pr

ame smiling to the threshold, and held out her hand

aded by apple trees-Parisians, who had come from Etretat; and from the h

halls were all full. Roland suddenly caught sigh

d he, "you cat

eed it is the place on all th

e we try to catch s

lock, so it was settled that they should all spe

they should have their feet in the water. They also wished to reserve an appetite for dinn

coast is lanets; they are netted bags on a circular wooden frame, at the end of a long pole. Alphonsine, still smiling, was happy to lend them. Then she helped the two ladies to make an impromptu cha

ucked up and firmly stitched so as to allow of her running and jumping fearlessly on the rocks, displayed her ankle and lower calf-the firm calf of a strong and agile little woman. Her dress was loose to give freedom to her move

as he was alone again, he considered that by waiting he would have time to reflect. She was now less rich than he, for she had but twelve thousand francs a year; but it was in real estate,

ng in front of him that

ide; I cannot do b

great triangle of silvery blue water could be seen in the distance, and a sail, scarcely visible, looked like an insect out there. The sky, pale with light, was so merged into one with the water that it was

grant with sea-coast odours-gorse, clover, and thyme, mingling with the salt smell of the rocks at low tide-excited him still more, mounting to his brain; and every moment he felt a little more determined, at every step, at every glance he cast at the alert figure; he made up his mind to delay no longe

f enormous boulders tumbled over and piled one above the other on a sort of grassy and undulating plain which extended as far as they could see to the southward, formed by an ancient landslip. On this long shelf of brushwo

ean had come up with her, and with a beating heart offered

himself on his little legs, gave his arm to Mm

drag his father down, for his brain reeled so that

d of clear water, springing from a crevice in the cliff. It fell into a hollow as large as a washing basin which it had worn in the stone; then, falling in a cascade, hardly

hirsty!" cried

ay between her fingers. Jean had an idea; he placed a stone on the path and on this

sprinkled all over her face, her hair, her eye-lashes, and her

one in which she migh

you be

words of flirtation t

gitated. "Let us go on be

to Mme. Roland; and further up, further off, Roland still letting himself slip, lowering himself on his hams and cli

nd Jean set off at a run and they were soon on the beach. They crossed it and reached the rocks, which stretched in a long and flat expanse covered with sea

is elbows, that he might get wet without caring; then saying: "F

in too, presently, made her way round the little pond,

anything?"

r face reflecte

see, you will not

d tenderly

s that I should like

will see how it will

t-if yo

h prawns-and nothing

go a little farther,

ly, and he suddenly felt himself overpowered by love and insurgent with passion, as if t

nted, like floating green and rose-coloured hair, were swaying under the quive

But the creature, waving its long whiskers, gently retired in front of the net. Jean drove it towards the sea-weed, making sure of his prey. When it found itself blockaded

ole full of weed. As he brought it to the surface again he saw in it

dropped them one by one into her creel, with a little seaweed to keep them alive. Then, having found a shallower pool of water, she stepped in with some hesitation, for the cold plunge of her feet took her breath away, and began t

touched her now and again, bent over her, pretended great di

kept saying.

weeds at the bottom made a mirror, Jean smiled at the face which looked up at him from the

xclaimed. "My dear fellow, you sh

am only doing o

self up and

u these ten minutes; h

its. I love you, and at l

wet half-way up to their knees and with dripping hands

a tone of amu

and now! Could you not wait till anoth

r hold my peace. I have loved you a long time. To

resigned herself to talk busine

ably." They scrambled up a rather high boulder, and when they had se

ly well what we are about and we can weigh the consequences of our actions. If you have mad

atter-of-fact statement of the

y,

ned it to your f

ow first whether yo

hich was still wet, and

you to be kind and true-hearted. But remember

it, or that she would not be as fond of you as she

. I am a litt

comedy of love chequered by prawn-fishing in the splashing water. And it was all over; he was pledged, married with twenty words. They had no more to say about it since they were agre

voice res

e and watch Beausire. The fellow i

ow sweep of his net. And the beautiful transparent, sandy-gray prawns skipped in his palm as he picked them out of the net with a dry jerk and put them into his creel. Mme. Rosemilly, surprised and delighted,

uddenly

es Mme. Rolan

aying together. She was afraid of him, and her son was afraid of her and of himself; afraid of his own cruelty which he could not control. But they sat down side by side on the stones. And both of them,

slowly and mechanically dropping them from one hand into the other. Then her unsettled gaze, wandering over the scene before her, discerned, among the weedy rocks, her son Jean fishing with Mme. Rosemilly. She looked at them, watching their movements, dimly understanding, with motherly instinct, that they were talking as they did not talk every day. She saw them leaning o

harsh laugh suddenly broke form his lips

t is

e with

ow a man lays himself out

sperated by the insinuatio

name do yo

! It is immensely fun

g: "O Pierre, how cruel you are! That woman is hon

ud, a hard, sa

are honesty itself-and all husbands are

ling into one of the rifts hidden by the sea-weed, of breaking a leg or an arm, she haste

pproach, Jea

So you have m

him by the arm, as if to s

ion, and greatly

are! What is

ammere

ing; I was frighte

take an interest in it. But as she scarcely heeded him, and as he was bursting wit

hat I ha

t-I don'

ue

t. I don

me. Rosemilly that I

g, her mind in such distress that she could

ell? She is charmin

g. You have d

you ap

I ap

ay so! I could fancy tha

ed, I am-v

y and

y and

had wiped her eyes, which were full of tears, she observed upon the beach a man lying flat at full length like

the edge of the waves, and there they talked for a lo

made their way to the shore. They roused Pierre, who pretended to be sl