The Arrow of Gold: A Story Between Two Notes

impossible to say but at the time I had a sort of impression that my inner destruction (it was nothing less) had affected my appearance, that my doom was as it were wri

myself. As, with all his force of character, he was very responsive to the moods of those he liked I have no doubt he spoke the truth. But I know nothing about it. The observer, more or less alert, whom

c, whose grim joviality had subsided in the last twenty-four hours of our homeward run, abandoned me to myself as though indeed I had been a doomed man. He only stuck his head f

e Léonore's café. But this time when I got on the quay Dominic was nowhere to be seen. What w

aning with mature grace on her elbow, was listening to him absorbed. Then I passed on and-what would you have!-I ended by making my way into the street

ne many times before. Generally the impression was that of entering an untenanted house, but this time before I could reach the foot of the stairs Therese glided out of the passage leading into the studio. After the usual exclamations she assured me that everything was ready for me upstairs, had been for days, and offered to get me something to eat at once. I accepted and said I would be down i

wine to drink?" I asked, noting the

d her always with polite seriousness, was not a favourite with her. The "charming, brave Monsieur" was now fighting for the King and religion against the impious Liberals. He went away the very mo

er once about some of his things which he wanted her to send to Paris to his mother's address; but she was going to do nothing of the kind. She

was as obstinate as a mule and assured me with the utmost confidence that many people would be ready to defend a p

will end by comi

e of her wickednesses in Paris. Did I know? No? How could she tell whether I did know or not? Well! I had hardly left

ing. The "poor sinner" was all in black as if she were going to church (except for her expression, which was enough to shock any honest person), and after ordering her with frightful menaces not to let anybody know sh

ot seen each other. The polite captain had looked so stern while packing up his kit that Therese dared not speak to him at all. And he was

and short with blunt fingers, as usual. The pressure of Ca

ister Rita was upstairs watching him drive away with her evil eyes, but I made a sign of the cross after the fiacre, and then I went upstairs and banged at your door, my dear kind young Monsieur, and shouted to Rita that she had no right to lock herself in any of my locataires' roo

there was no chance of that. Therese would have seen to it. I picked up one after another all the various objects on the dressing-table. On laying my hands on the brushes I had a profound emotion, and with misty eyes I examined them meticulously with the new hope of finding one of Rita's tawny hairs entangled amongst the bristles by a miraculous chance. But Therese would have done away with that chance, too. There was nothing to be seen, though I held them

ty chair before which the spilled wine had soaked a large portion of the table-cloth. She hadn't moved at all. Sh

irs, my dear young Monsieur, you mustn't sa

" I said, "that she

of her existence. Perhaps she had taken something? Anything. Some small object. I thought suddenly of a Rhenish-stone match-box. Perhaps

or her-except perhaps one, but she is so evilly disposed towards him that she wouldn't even see him, if in the goodness of his forgiving he

where he hangs out you had better let him have word to be careful. I believe he, too, is mixed up in the Car

ly and put on a loo

ver seen anything like that. That wicked girl who serves her rushed in with a tiny glass bottle and put it to her nose; but I had a mind to run out and fetch the priest from the church where I go to early mass. Such a nice, stout, severe man. But that false, cheating creature (I am sure she is robbing our Rita from morning to night), she talked to our Rita very low and quieted her down. I am sure I don't know what she said. She must be leag

I preserved an inscrutable expression, for I wanted to hear all she had to tell me of Ri

gone to Paris?" I

while she was drinking the chocolate which I made for her, I tried to get her to sign a paper giving over the house to me, but she only closed her eyes and b

d for another day you would have had this house and everything else besides;

nadequate, as I wasn't able to find words strong enough to express my real mind. But it didn't

Monsieur? What! All for me

ruth about herself, mincing no words, when she used to stand smilingly bashful as if I were overwhelming her with compliments. I expected her t

it does not require any pape

to believe that-at si

uld prove. There a

egan to clear the table, pre

st! She knew I used to carry it about with me constantly while ashore. She might have taken it! Apparently she meant that there should be no bond left even of that kind; and yet it was a long time before I gave up visiting and revisiting all the corners of all possible receptacles for something that she might have left behind on purpose. It was like the mania of those disordered minds who spend their days hunting for a treasure. I hoped for a forgotten hairpin, for some tiny piece of ribbon. Sometimes at night I reflected that such hopes were altogether insensate; but I remember once getting up at two in the morning to search for a little cardboard box in the bathroom, into which, I remembered, I had not looked before. Of course it was empty; and, anyway, Rita could not possibly have known of its existence. I

under the black handkerchief of which the ends were sometimes tied under her chin. But, really, I could not have given her any intelligible excuse for that outrage. Moreover, she was very busy from the very top to the very bottom of the house, which she persisted in running alone because she couldn't make up her mind to part with a few franc

the studio. He made no difficulties to accept, brought his wooden pipe with him, and was very entertaining in a pleasant voice. One couldn't tell whether he was an uncommon person or simply a ruffian, but in any case with his white beard he looked quite venerable. Naturally he couldn't give me much of his company as he had to look closely after his girls and their admirers; not that the girls were unduly frivolous, but of course being very young they had no experience. They were friendly creatures with pleasant, merry voices and he was very much devoted to them. He was a muscular man with a

stuff had to be preserved as in the first sketch. Do?a Rita described amusingly how she had to stand in the middle of her room while Rose walked around her with a tape measure noting the figures down on a small piece of paper which was then sent to the maker, who presently returned it with an angry letter stating that those proportions were altogether impossible in any woman. Apparently Rose had muddled them all up; and it was a long time before the figure was finished and sent to the Pavilion in a long basket to take on itself the robes and the hieratic pose of the Empress. Later, it wore with the same patience the marvellous hat of the "Girl in the Hat." But Do?a Rita couldn't understand how the poor thing ever found its way to Marseilles minus its turnip head. Probably it came dow