Yvette

. Up to this time she had lived, had grown up, in the heedless and serene confidence of happy youth. Why should she have dreamed, reflected, pu

the people who lived around her. But she really knew no more than a little girl raised in a convent; her audacities of speech came from h

or rather suspected very well what sort of mystery this word concealed;-too many jokes had been whispered before her, for her innocen

l were rich or seemed to be so; they all spoke familiarly of the princes of the royal line. Two so

er, did. She lived tranquilly, too joyous in her life to worry herself about what might

g at first, but which grew into a tormenting apprehension. She had fled home, had escaped like a wounded animal, wounded in fact most deeply by those words

s the only one ignorant of it, no doubt. But what could she do? She was frightened, startled, as a person is w

e an abnormal and dramatic situation, founded on the recollections of all the poetical romances she had read. She recalled all the moving catastrophes, or sad a

be, by chance, the natural daughter of a prince? Had her poor mother, betrayed and deserted, made Marquise by some king, perhaps King Victor Emmanuel, been obliged to take flight before the anger

r fancy. She was moved to pity over her own case, happy at the bottom of her heart, and sad also, taking a sort

e Sand's. It should be endued with devotion, self-abnegation, greatness of soul, tenderness; and fine words. Her pliant nature almost rejoiced

t out a simple and subtile trick to obtain what she wanted: it was,

let a word escape her lips, a cry which would throw light into

which she had replied, the young girl, in whom there suddenly awaked all the astuteness, keenness, and sharpness of a woman, understanding that she must not insist, that the mystery was of another nature, that it would be painful to her to learn it, and that she

vercoming her, she closed her eyes. She dozed for a few minutes, with that deep sleep of people who are tired out and

of day, when the cold of the morning, chil

new manner; she began to entertain suspicions against all, against everything that she had believed, against her mother. She imagined all sorts of things during these two days. She considered all the possibilities, taking the most extreme res

e," and she pondered for more than an hour how she should arrange them

girl gave her hand with reserve, without embarrassm

Mam'zelle, fairly, thanks, and you?" He was watching h

, and they began to stroll about the lawn, appearing an

e gravel of the pathway, appearing hardly to hear

: "Are you truly m

course, M

ly, trul

friend, Mam'zelle

riend not to lie to

ce, if ne

ell me the absolu

Mam'

way down in your heart,

the d

u are already pr

low is a Russian, who speaks Russian, who was born in Russia, who has perhaps had a pa

the eyes: "You m

turer, Ma

ier Valreali is no bet

ieur de B

ial society, honorable up to a certain point, but o

d y

njured it by dissipation, who had some worth perhaps and who has scattered it by doing nothing. There is left to me a certain knowledge of life, a complete

you could see, if you would. With these defects and qualities I place myself a

ed, weighing his words and hi

ink of the Coun

u will permit me not to give

none of

ve a bad opinion of them all. Come, thi

ore; and with that brutal audacity which he used as a

t calmly asked: "Well, w

ness, or if you prefer, of good practical sense, who knows very well how to arrange her pastime,

all?" s

t's

arnestness: "I shall make you

w, while walking, of very intimate and very sweet things. As she advanced she drew shapes in the sand, letters perhaps, wit

ather a feeling than a doubt, passed through her mind as a

he air. Great solid clouds rested upon the horizon, mute and heavy, but charged with

today with your friend Servigny? It is a good

e her a qu

am not going

insisted. "Oh, go and take a stroll

l stay in the house to-day, and you know very w

emaining alone with Saval. She blushed and was annoyed, disturbed on her ow

thinking of it. I don't

ich she worked five or six times a year, on dull days, seated herself on a low chair

ting rid of her daughter. She finally realized that she would not succeed, and not knowing what ruse to employ, she said to Servigny: "Yo

and bowed: "I am at y

The heavy sky was filled with slow and heavy clouds. There was not a breath of air stirring. The evening meal was si

of lightning, which illumined with a dazzling and wan light the four faces shrouded in darkness. Then a far-off sound, heavy and feeble, like the rumbling of a carriage upon

g to bed," she said, "t

e Marquise, gave her hand to t

gleamed with a green hue, and Servigny kept his eyes fixed on this pale light in the foliage, in which at

has gone to b

Marquise, if you will permit me." He kissed the

sped in his arms. Then, although he tried to prevent her, she kneele

iding like a shadow, and she listened, consumed by an unhappy and confused su

ld actually hear its throbbing. A window closed on the floor above her. Servigny,

cape she knew so well, with a startling and sinister gleam, and she saw the great ri

ed eternal, hung over the world. She could no longer breathe, her breast oppressed by something unknown and horrible. Another flash of lightning illumined space, lighting up the horizon for an instant, then anot

ing. Then a noise came from afar, a confused sound, like that of the wind in the branches: it was the deluge descending in sheets on earth and river and trees. I

sistible desire to learn what was going on, a desire which maddened and tortured her, glided downstairs, softly opened t

adows, side by side. Then distracted, without reflection, without knowing what she was doing, she screamed

arated, disturbed. And one of the shadows disappeared, while the other

Yvette rushed back to the house, ran upstairs, dripping wet, an

with clasped hands, in her distress imploring some superhuman protection, the mysteriou

eveled hair, looking so strange that she did not recognize herself. She remained there so long that the storm abated without her perceiving it. The rain ceased,

at she was doing, and went to bed. She stared with fixed eyes at

asure at finding herself enveloped in a drama similar to all those of her reading. The violence of her first grief, the cruel shock of surprise, had already worn off a little, in the confused remembrance of analogous sit

e devotion and the struggle. She reflected on the means which must be employed. A single one seemed good, which was quite in keeping with her rom

out the house. The chambermaid came with the cho

n bed until those gentlemen leave, that I could not sleep last night, an

at the wet dress, which had f

lle has been

r a walk in the rai

g on her arm, with fastidious precautions, these garments, soaked as the clothes of

irst words of the chambermaid, for a suspicion had posses

he matter?

I-I-" Then overpowered by a sudden an

gain asked: "What in the wo

repared phrases, the young girl hid

mma! Oh

thing, with that subtile instinct whence she derived her strength. As Yvette could not speak, choked

u tell me what

r the words: "Oh! last n

ry pale; said: "

d, still sobbing: "O

, shrugged her shoulders and turned to go. "I really believ

ook her hands from her face, w

ery far off, into the country, and we must live like the country people; and no one mu

ople. Then a sense of shame, a mother's modesty, mingled with a vague sentiment of fear and the exasperation of a

derstand yo

e rep

t-if you knew-we will both go away. I wi

are some things which you do not yet understand. Well, don't forget-d

ing the role of savior which she

that account, people do not respect us. I know more. Well, it must not be, any longer, do you hear? I do not wish it. We will go away: you will

ll do me the favor to rise and come

e again, you understand me. I want him to leave, or

ey do on the stage, playing, finally, the drama which she had dream

repeated: "You are crazy-" no

o, mamma, that man shall leave the house, o

l you go? What

ters little-I want you

aroused in the Marquise a

s anybody else, do you understand? I lead a certain sort of life, it is

looked at her, and s

arried away with ex

out if you loitered, just as you loiter, now because I am-because I lead this life. Listen. When a person is only a nursemaid, a poor girl, with fifty francs saved up, she must know how to manage, if she does not want to starve

l must live or suffer-she has no choice!" Then returning to her former idea: "Much they deny themselves, your 'honest women.' They are worse, because no

ho are whipped. The Marquise was silent and looked at her daughter, and, seeing her overwhelmed with despair, felt, herself, the pa

rl, if you knew, how you were hurting m

rief could not long endure,

would you have? Nothing can be changed n

een too harsh and too unexpected to perm

and come down to breakfast, so

y, "No," without being able to speak. The

not leave my room till they have gone. I never want to see one of those

er eyes, and wearied wit

lect, be r

r a moment

see you this afternoon." And having kissed her daughter

hen she began to think. The chambermaid knocked about eleven o'clock, and asked through the door: "Madam

not hungry, I only as

she had been ill. Toward three o'clo

is th

h replied: "It is I, darling,

d then went back to bed. The Marquise approached, and, sp

better? Won't y

ks, nothi

t saying anything, then, finally, as her daughter stayed

u intend

red: "Yes, p

is is my resolution. The past is the past, let us speak no more of it. But the future sh

ing a little. It was too much. This big goose of a girl ought to have known

going t

I am r

bringing her stockings, her corset,

ke a walk be

, ma

ong the water, speaking o