下载辰思小说免费APP
tacheditscolumnsoftrunksanditsdarkgreencanopyveryclearlyagainsttherocksofthegreyhillside。Hekepthiseyesfixedonitsteadily，andsuckedatanorangeashewalked。Thattemperamentalgood-
humouredcoolnessinthefaceofdangerwhichhadmadehimanofficerlikedbyhismenandappreciatedbyhissuperiorswasgraduallyassertingitself。Itwaslikegoingintobattle。Arrivingattheedgeofthewoodhesatdownonaboulder，holdingtheotherorangeinhishand，andreproachedhimselfforcomingsoridiculouslyearlyontheground。Beforeverylong，however，heheardtheswishingofbushes，footstepsonthehardground，andthesoundsofadisjointed，loudconversation。Avoicesomewherebehindhimsaidboastfully，"He\'sgameformybag。"
Hethoughttohimself，"Heretheyare。What\'sthisaboutgame?Aretheytalkingofme?"Andbecom-
ingawareoftheotherorangeinhishand，hethoughtfurther，"Theseareverygoodoranges。Leonie\'sowntree。Imayjustaswelleatthisorangenowinsteadofflingingitaway。"
Emergingfromawildernessofrocksandbushes，GeneralFeraudandhissecondsdiscoveredGeneralD\'Hubertengagedinpeelingtheorange。Theystoodstill，waitingtillhelookedup。Thenthesecondsraisedtheirhats，whileGeneralFeraud，puttinghishandsbehindhisback，walkedasidealittleway。
"Iamcompelledtoaskoneofyou，messieurs，toactforme。Ihavebroughtnofriends。Willyou?"
Theone-eyedcuirassiersaidjudicially，"Thatcannotberefused。"
Theotherveteranremarked，"It\'sawkwardallthesame。"
"Owingtothestateofthepeople\'smindsinthispartofthecountrytherewasnooneIcouldtrustsafelywiththeobjectofyourpresencehere，"explainedGeneralD\'Hubert，urbanely。
Theysaluted，lookedround，andremarkedbothtogether:
"Poorground。"
"It\'sunfit。"
"Whybotheraboutground，measurements，andsoon?Letussimplifymatters。Loadthetwopairsofpistols。IwilltakethoseofGeneralFeraud，andlethimtakemine。Or，betterstill，letustakeamixedpair。Oneofeachpair。Thenletusgointothewoodandshootatsight，whileyouremainoutside。Wedidnotcomehereforceremonies，butforwar——wartothedeath。Anygroundisgoodenoughforthat。IfIfall，youmustleavemewhereIlieandclearout。Itwouldn\'tbehealthyforyoutobefoundhangingabouthereafterthat。"
ItappearedafterashortparleythatGeneralFeraudwaswillingtoaccepttheseconditions。Whilethesecondswereloadingthepistols，hecouldbeheardwhistling，andwasseentorubhishandswithperfectcontentment。Heflungoffhiscoatbriskly，andGeneralD\'Huberttookoffhisownandfoldeditcare-
fullyonastone。
"Supposeyoutakeyourprincipaltotheothersideofthewoodandlethimenterexactlyintenminutesfromnow，"suggestedGeneralD\'Hubert，calmly，butfeelingasifheweregivingdirectionsforhisownexecu-
tion。This，however，washislastmomentofweakness。
"Wait。Letuscomparewatchesfirst。"
Hepulledouthisown。TheofficerwiththechippednosewentovertoborrowthewatchofGeneralFeraud。
Theybenttheirheadsoverthemforatime。
"That\'sit。Atfourminutestosixbyyours。Seventobymine。"
ItwasthecuirassierwhoremainedbythesideofGeneralD\'Hubert，keepinghisoneeyefixedimmovablyonthewhitefaceofthewatchheheldinthepalmofhishand。Heopenedhismouth，waitingforthebeatofthelastsecondlongbeforehesnappedouttheword，"Avancez。"
GeneralD\'Hubertmovedon，passingfromtheglaringsunshineoftheProvencalmorningintothecoolandaromaticshadeofthepines。Thegroundwasclearbetweenthereddishtrunks，whosemultitude，leaningatslightlydifferentangles，confusedhiseyeatfirst。Itwaslikegoingintobattle。Thecommandingqualityofconfidenceinhimselfwokeupinhisbreast。Hewasalltohisaffair。Theproblemwashowtokilltheadversary。Nothingshortofthatwouldfreehimfromthisimbecilenightmare。"It\'snousewoundingthatbrute，"thoughtGeneralD\'Hubert。Hewasknownasaresourcefulofficer。HiscomradesyearsagousedalsotocallhimTheStrategist。Anditwasafactthathecouldthinkinthepresenceoftheenemy。
WhereasFeraudhadbeenalwaysamerefighter——butadeadshot，unluckily。
"Imustdrawhisfireatthegreatestpossiblerange，"
saidGeneralD\'Huberttohimself。
Atthatmomenthesawsomethingwhitemovingfaroffbetweenthetrees——theshirtofhisadversary。Hesteppedoutatoncebetweenthetrunks，exposinghim-
selffreely；then，quickaslightning，leapedback。Ithadbeenariskymovebutitsucceededinitsobject。
Almostsimultaneouslywiththepopofashotasmallpieceofbarkchippedoffbythebulletstunghisearpainfully。
GeneralFeraud，withoneshotexpended，wasgettingcautious。Peepingroundthetree，GeneralD\'Hubertcouldnotseehimatall。Thisignoranceofthefoe\'swhereaboutscarriedwithitasenseofinsecurity。
GeneralD\'Hubertfelthimselfabominablyexposedonhisflankandrear。Againsomethingwhiteflutteredinhissight。Ha!Theenemywasstillonhisfront，then。Hehadfearedaturningmovement。ButapparentlyGeneralFeraudwasnotthinkingofit。
GeneralD\'Hubertsawhimpasswithoutspecialhastefromonetreetoanotherinthestraightlineofapproach。
WithgreatfirmnessofmindGeneralD\'Hubertstayedhishand。Toofaryet。Heknewhewasnomarksman。
Hismustbeawaitinggame——tokill。
Wishingtotakeadvantageofthegreaterthicknessofthetrunk，hesankdowntotheground。Extendedatfulllength，headontohisenemy，hehadhispersoncompletelyprotected。Exposinghimselfwouldnotdonow，becausetheotherwastoonearbythistime。
AconvictionthatFeraudwouldpresentlydosomethingrashwaslikebalmtoGeneralD\'Hubert\'ssoul。Buttokeephischinraisedoffthegroundwasirksome，andnotmuchuseeither。Hepeepedround，exposingafractionofhisheadwithdread，butreallywithlittlerisk。Hisenemy，asamatteroffact，didnotexpecttoseeanythingofhimsofardownasthat。
GeneralD\'HubertcaughtafleetingviewofGeneralFeraudshiftingtreesagainwithdeliberatecau-
tion。"Hedespisesmyshooting，"hethought，dis-
playingthatinsightintothemindofhisantagonistwhichisofsuchgreathelpinwinningbattles。Hewasconfirmedinhistacticsofimmobility。"IfIcouldonlywatchmyrearaswellasmyfront!"hethoughtanx-
iously，longingfortheimpossible。
Itrequiredsomeforceofcharactertolayhispistolsdown；but，onasuddenimpulse，GeneralD\'Hubertdidthisverygently——oneoneachsideofhim。Inthearmyhehadbeenlookeduponasabitofadandybecauseheusedtoshaveandputonacleanshirtonthedaysofbattle。Asamatteroffact，hehadalwaysbeenverycarefulofhispersonalappearance。Inamanofnearlyforty，inlovewithayoungandcharminggirl，thispraiseworthyself-respectmayruntosuchlittleweak-
nessesas，forinstance，beingprovidedwithanelegantlittleleatherfolding-casecontainingasmallivorycomb，andfittedwithapieceoflooking-glassontheoutside。GeneralD\'Hubert，hishandsbeingfree，feltinhisbreeches\'pocketsforthatimplementofinnocentvanityexcusableinthepossessoroflong，silkymoustaches。Hedrewitout，andthenwiththeut-
mostcoolnessandpromptitudeturnedhimselfoveronhisback。Inthisnewattitude，hisheadalittleraised，holdingthelittlelooking-glassjustclearofhistree，hesquintedintoitwithhislefteye，whiletherightkeptadirectwatchontherearofhisposition。ThuswasprovedNapoleon\'ssaying，that"foraFrenchsoldier，thewordimpossibledoesnotexist。"Hehadtherighttreenearlyfillingthefieldofhislittlemirror。
"Ifhemovesfrombehindit，"hereflectedwithsatisfaction，"Iamboundtoseehislegs。Butinanycasehecan\'tcomeuponmeunawares。"
AndsureenoughhesawthebootsofGeneralFeraudflashinandout，eclipsingforaninstanteverythingelsereflectedinthelittlemirror。Heshifteditspositionaccordingly。ButhavingtoformhisjudgmentofthechangefromthatindirectviewhedidnotrealizethatnowhisfeetandaportionofhislegswereinplainsightofGeneralFeraud。
GeneralFeraudhadbeengettinggraduallyimpressedbytheamazingclevernesswithwhichhisenemywaskeepingcover。Hehadspottedtherighttreewithbloodthirstyprecision。Hewasabsolutelycertainofit。
Andyethehadnotbeenabletoglimpseasmuchasthetipofanear。Ashehadbeenlookingforitattheheightofaboutfivefeetteninchesfromthegrounditwasnogreatwonder——butitseemedverywonderfultoGeneralFeraud。
Thefirstviewofthesefeetandlegsdeterminedarushofbloodtohishead。Heliterallystaggeredbehindhistree，andhadtosteadyhimselfagainstitwithhishand。Theotherwaslyingontheground，then!Ontheground!Perfectlystill，too!Exposed!Whatcoulditmean?……ThenotionthathehadknockedoverhisadversaryatthefirstshotenteredthenGeneralFeraud\'shead。Oncethereitgrewwitheverysecondofattentivegazing，overshadowingeveryothersupposition——irresistible，triumphant，ferocious。
"WhatanassIwastothinkIcouldhavemissedhim，"hemutteredtohimself。"Hewasexposedenplein——thefool!——forquiteacoupleofseconds。"
GeneralFeraudgazedatthemotionlesslimbs，thelastvestigesofsurprisefadingbeforeanunboundedadmirationofhisowndeadlyskillwiththepistol。
"Turneduphistoes!Bythegodofwar，thatwasashot!"heexultedmentally。"Gotitthroughthehead，nodoubt，justwhereIaimed，staggeredbehindthattree，rolledoveronhisback，anddied。"
Andhestared!Hestared，forgettingtomove，almostawed，almostsorry。Butfornothingintheworldwouldhehavehaditundone。Suchashot!——
suchashot!Rolledoveronhisbackanddied!
Foritwasthishelplessposition，lyingontheback，thatshouteditsdirectevidenceatGeneralFeraud!
Itneveroccurredtohimthatitmighthavebeendeliberatelyassumedbyalivingman。Itwasin-
conceivable。Itwasbeyondtherangeofsanesup-
position。Therewasnopossibilitytoguessthereasonforit。Anditmustbesaid，too，thatGeneralD\'Hu-
bert\'sturned-upfeetlookedthoroughlydead。GeneralFeraudexpandedhislungsforastentorianshouttohisseconds，but，fromwhathefelttobeanexcessivescrupulousness，refrainedforawhile。
"Iwilljustgoandseefirstwhetherhebreathesyet，"hemumbledtohimself，leavingcarelesslytheshelterofhistree。Thismovewasimmediatelyper-
ceivedbytheresourcefulGeneralD\'Hubert。Heconcludedittobeanothershift，butwhenhelostthebootsoutofthefieldofthemirrorhebecameuneasy。
GeneralFeraudhadonlysteppedalittleoutoftheline，buthisadversarycouldnotpossiblyhavesupposedhimwalkingupwithperfectunconcern。GeneralD\'Hubert，beginningtowonderatwhathadbecomeoftheother，wastakenunawaressocompletelythatthefirstwarningofdangerconsistedinthelong，early-morningshadowofhisenemyfallingaslantonhisoutstretchedlegs。
Hehadnotevenheardafootfallonthesoftgroundbetweenthetrees!
Itwastoomuchevenforhiscoolness。Hejumpedupthoughtlessly，leavingthepistolsontheground。Theirresistibleinstinctofanaverageman(unlesstotallyparalyzedbydiscomfiture)wouldhavebeentostoopforhisweapons，exposinghimselftotheriskofbeingshotdowninthatposition。Instinct，ofcourse，isirre-
flective。Itisitsverydefinition。Butitmaybeaninquiryworthpursuingwhetherinreflectivemankindthemechanicalpromptingsofinstinctarenotaffectedbythecustomarymodeofthought。Inhisyoungdays，ArmandD\'Hubert，thereflective，promisingofficer，hademittedtheopinionthatinwarfareoneshould"nevercastbackonthelinesofamistake。"Thisidea，de-
fendedanddevelopedinmanydiscussions，hadsettledintooneofthestocknotionsofhisbrain，hadbecomeapartofhismentalindividuality。Whetherithadgonesoinconceivablydeepastoaffectthedictatesofhisinstinct，orsimplybecause，ashehimselfdeclaredafter-
wards，hewas"tooscaredtoremembertheconfoundedpistols，"thefactisthatGeneralD\'Hubertneverat-
temptedtostoopforthem。Insteadofgoingbackonhismistake，heseizedtheroughtrunkwithbothhands，andswunghimselfbehinditwithsuchimpetuositythat，goingrightroundintheveryflashandreportofthepistol-shot，hereappearedontheothersideofthetreefacetofacewithGeneralFeraud。Thislast，com-
pletelyunstrungbysuchashowofagilityonthepartofadeadman，wastremblingyet。Averyfaintmistofsmokehungbeforehisfacewhichhadanextraordinaryaspect，asifthelowerjawhadcomeunhinged。
"Notmissed!"hecroaked，hoarsely，fromthedepthsofadrythroat。
ThissinistersoundloosenedthespellthathadfallenonGeneralD\'Hubert\'ssenses。"Yes，missed——aboutportant，"heheardhimselfsaying，almostbeforehehadrecoveredthefullcommandofhisfaculties。There-
vulsionoffeelingwasaccompaniedbyagustofhomi-
cidalfury，resuminginitsviolencetheaccumulatedresentmentofalifetime。ForyearsGeneralD\'Huberthadbeenexasperatedandhumiliatedbyanatrociousabsurdityimposeduponhimbythisman\'ssavagecaprice。Besides，GeneralD\'Huberthadbeeninthislastinstancetoounwillingtoconfrontdeathforthereactionofhisanguishnottotaketheshapeofadesiretokill。"AndIhavemytwoshotstofireyet，"headded，pitilessly。
GeneralFeraudsnapped-tohisteeth，andhisfaceassumedanirate，undauntedexpression。"Goon!"hesaid，grimly。
ThesewouldhavebeenhislastwordsifGeneralD\'Huberthadbeenholdingthepistolsinhishands。
Butthepistolswerelyingonthegroundatthefootofapine。GeneralD\'Huberthadthesecondofleisurenecessarytorememberthathehaddreadeddeathnotasaman，butasalover；notasadanger，butasarival；notasafoetolife，butasanobstacletomarriage。Andbehold!therewastherivaldefeated!——
utterlydefeated，crushed，donefor!
Hepickeduptheweaponsmechanically，and，insteadoffiringthemintoGeneralFeraud\'sbreast，hegaveexpressiontothethoughtsuppermostinhismind，"Youwillfightnomoreduelsnow。"
Histoneofleisurely，ineffablesatisfactionwastoomuchforGeneralFeraud\'sstoicism。"Don\'tdawdle，then，damnyouforacold-bloodedstaff-coxcomb!"heroaredout，suddenly，outofanimpassivefacehelderectonarigidlystillbody。
GeneralD\'Hubertuncockedthepistolscarefully。
Thisproceedingwasobservedwithmixedfeelingsbytheothergeneral。"Youmissedmetwice，"thevictorsaid，coolly，shiftingbothpistolstoonehand；"thelasttimewithinafootorso。Byeveryruleofsinglecom-
batyourlifebelongstome。ThatdoesnotmeanthatI
wanttotakeitnow。"
"Ihavenouseforyourforbearance，"mutteredGeneralFeraud，gloomily。
"Allowmetopointoutthatthisisnoconcernofmine，"saidGeneralD\'Hubert，whoseeverywordwasdictatedbyaconsummatedelicacyoffeeling。Inangerhecouldhavekilledthatman，butincoldbloodherecoiledfromhumiliatingbyashowofgenerositythisunreasonablebeing——afellow-soldieroftheGrandeArmee，acompanioninthewondersandterrorsofthegreatmilitaryepic。"Youdon\'tsetupthepretensionofdictatingtomewhatIamtodowithwhat\'smyown。"
GeneralFeraudlookedstartled，andtheothercon-
tinued，"You\'veforcedmeonapointofhonourtokeepmylifeatyourdisposal，asitwere，forfifteenyears。
Verywell。Nowthatthematterisdecidedtomyad-
vantage，IamgoingtodowhatIlikewithyourlifeonthesameprinciple。Youshallkeepitatmydis-
posalaslongasIchoose。Neithermorenorless。YouareonyourhonourtillIsaytheword。"
"Iam!But，sacrebleu!ThisisanabsurdpositionforaGeneraloftheEmpiretobeplacedin!"criedGeneralFeraud，inaccentsofprofoundanddismayedconviction。"Itamountstosittingalltherestofmylifewithaloadedpistolinadrawerwaitingforyourword。It\'s——it\'sidiotic；Ishallbeanobjectof——of——
derision。"
"Absurd?——idiotic?Doyouthinkso?"queriedGeneralD\'Hubertwithslygravity。"Perhaps。ButI
don\'tseehowthatcanbehelped。However，Iamnotlikelytotalkatlargeofthisadventure。Nobodyneedeverknowanythingaboutit。Justasnoonetothisday，Ibelieve，knowstheoriginofourquarrel……
Notawordmore，"headded，hastily。"Ican\'treallydiscussthisquestionwithamanwho，asfarasIamconcerned，doesnotexist。"
Whenthetwoduellistscameoutintotheopen，Gen-
eralFeraudwalkingalittlebehind，andratherwiththeairofwalkinginatrance，thetwosecondshurriedtowardsthem，eachfromhisstationattheedgeofthewood。GeneralD\'Hubertaddressedthem，speakingloudanddistinctly，"Messieurs，Imakeitapointofdeclaringtoyousolemnly，inthepresenceofGeneralFeraud，thatourdifferenceisatlastsettledforgood。
Youmayinformalltheworldofthatfact。"
"Areconciliation，afterall!"theyexclaimedto-
gether。
"Reconciliation?Notthatexactly。Itissome-
thingmuchmorebinding。Isitnotso，General?"
GeneralFeraudonlyloweredhisheadinsignofassent。Thetwoveteranslookedateachother。Laterintheday，whentheyfoundthemselvesaloneoutoftheirmoodyfriend\'searshot，thecuirassierremarkedsuddenly，"Generallyspeaking，Icanseewithmyoneeyeasfarasmostpeople；butthisbeatsme。Hewon\'tsayanything。"
"InthisaffairofhonourIunderstandtherehasbeenfromfirsttolastalwayssomethingthatnooneinthearmycouldquitemakeout，"declaredthechasseurwiththeimperfectnose。"Inmysteryitbegan，inmysteryitwenton，inmysteryitistoend，apparently。"
GeneralD\'Hubertwalkedhomewithlong，hastystrides，bynomeansupliftedbyasenseoftriumph。
Hehadconquered，yetitdidnotseemtohimthathehadgainedverymuchbyhisconquest。Thenightbeforehehadgrudgedtheriskofhislifewhichappearedtohimmagnificent，worthyofpreservationasanopportunitytowinagirl\'slove。Hehadknownmomentswhen，byamarvellousillusion，thisloveseemedtobealreadyhis，andhisthreatenedlifeastillmoremagnificentopportunityofdevotion。Nowthathislifewassafeithadsuddenlylostitsspecialmag-
nificence。Ithadacquiredinsteadaspeciallyalarmingaspectasasnarefortheexposureofunworthiness。Astothemarvellousillusionofconqueredlovethathadvisitedhimforamomentintheagitatedwatchesofthenight，whichmighthavebeenhislastonearth，hecom-
prehendednowitstruenature。Ithadbeenmerelyaparoxysmofdeliriousconceit。Thustothisman，soberedbythevictoriousissueofaduel，lifeappearedrobbedofitscharm，simplybecauseitwasnolongermenaced。
Approachingthehousefromtheback，throughtheorchardandthekitchengarden，hecouldnotnoticetheagitationwhichreignedinfront。Henevermetasinglesoul。Onlywhilewalkingsoftlyalongthecorridor，hebecameawarethatthehousewasawakeandmorenoisythanusual。Namesofservantswerebeingcalledoutdownbelowinaconfusednoiseofcomingandgoing。
Withsomeconcernhenoticedthatthedoorofhisownroomstoodajar，thoughtheshuttershadnotbeenopenedyet。Hehadhopedthathisearlyexcursionwouldhavepassedunperceived。Heexpectedtofindsomeservantjustgonein；butthesunshinefilteringthroughtheusualcracksenabledhimtoseelyingonthelowdivansomethingbulky，whichhadtheappear-
anceoftwowomenclaspedineachother\'sarms。Tear-
fulanddesolatemurmursissuedmysteriouslyfromthatappearance。GeneralD\'Hubertpulledopenthenear-
estpairofshuttersviolently。Oneofthewomenthenjumpedup。Itwashissister。Shestoodforamomentwithherhairhangingdownandherarmsraisedstraightupaboveherhead，andthenflungherselfwithastifledcryintohisarms。Hereturnedherembrace，tryingatthesametimetodisengagehimselffromit。Theotherwomanhadnotrisen。Sheseemed，onthecontrary，toclingclosertothedivan，hidingherfaceinthecushions。
Herhairwasalsoloose；itwasadmirablyfair。Gen-
eralD\'Hubertrecognizeditwithstaggeringemotion。
MademoiselledeValmassigue!Adele!Indistress!
Hebecamegreatlyalarmed，andgotridofhissis-
ter\'shugdefinitely。MadameLeoniethenextendedhershapelybarearmoutofherpeignoir，pointingdramaticallyatthedivan。"Thispoor，terrifiedchildhasrushedherefromhome，onfoot，twomiles——runningalltheway。"
"Whatonearthhashappened?"askedGeneralD\'Hubertinalow，agitatedvoice。
ButMadameLeoniewasspeakingloudly。"Sherangthegreatbellatthegateandrousedallthehouse-
hold——wewereallasleepyet。Youmayimaginewhataterribleshock……Adele，mydearchild，situp。"
GeneralD\'Hubert\'sexpressionwasnotthatofamanwho"imagines"withfacility。Hedid，however，fishoutofthechaosofsurmisesthenotionthathisprospectivemother-in-lawhaddiedsuddenly，butonlytodismissitatonce。HecouldnotconceivethenatureoftheeventorthecatastrophewhichwouldinduceMademoiselledeValmassigue，livinginahousefullofservants，tobringthenewsoverthefieldsherself，twomiles，runningalltheway。
"Butwhyareyouinthisroom?"hewhispered，fullofawe。
"Ofcourse，Iranuptosee，andthischild……I
didnotnoticeit……shefollowedme。It\'sthatabsurdChevalier，"wentonMadameLeonie，lookingtowardsthedivan……"Herhairisallcomedown。
Youmayimagineshedidnotstoptocallhermaidtodressitbeforeshestarted……Adele，mydear，situp……Heblurteditallouttoherathalf-pastfiveinthemorning。Shewokeupearlyandopenedhershutterstobreathethefreshair，andsawhimsittingcol-
lapsedonagardenbenchattheendofthegreatalley。
Atthathour——youmayimagine!Andtheeveningbeforehehaddeclaredhimselfindisposed。Shehurriedonsomeclothesandflewdowntohim。Onewouldbeanxiousforless。Helovesher，butnotveryintelli-
gently。Hehadbeenupallnight，fullydressed，thepooroldman，perfectlyexhausted。Hewasn\'tinastatetoinventaplausiblestory……Whatacon-
fidantyouchosethere!Myhusbandwasfurious。Hesaid，\'Wecan\'tinterferenow。\'Sowesatdowntowait。
Itwasawful。Andthispoorchildrunningwithherhairlooseoverherepublicly!Shehasbeenseenbysomepeopleinthefields。Shehasrousedthewholehousehold，too。It\'sawkwardforher。Luckilyyouaretobemarriednextweek……Adele，situp。Hehascomehomeonhisownlegs……Weexpectedtoseeyoucomingonastretcher，perhaps——whatdoIknow?Goandseeifthecarriageisready。Imusttakethischildhomeatonce。Itisn\'tproperforhertostayhereaminutelonger。"
GeneralD\'Hubertdidnotmove。Itwasasthoughhehadheardnothing。MadameLeoniechangedhermind。"Iwillgoandseemyself，"shecried。"Iwantalsomycloak——Adele——"shebegan，butdidnotadd"situp。"Shewentoutsaying，inaveryloudandcheerfultone:"Ileavethedooropen。"
GeneralD\'Hubertmadeamovementtowardsthedivan，butthenAdelesatup，andthatcheckedhimdead。Hethought，"Ihaven\'twashedthismorning。I
mustlooklikeanoldtramp。There\'searthonthebackofmycoatandpine-needlesinmyhair。"Itoccurredtohimthatthesituationrequiredagooddealofcircum-
spectiononhispart。
"Iamgreatlyconcerned，mademoiselle，"hebegan，vaguely，andabandonedthatline。Shewassittinguponthedivanwithhercheeksunusuallypinkandherhair，brilliantlyfair，fallingalloverhershoulders——
whichwasaverynovelsighttothegeneral。Hewalkedawayuptheroom，andlookingoutofthewindowforsafetysaid，"IfearyoumustthinkIbehavedlikeamadman，"inaccentsofsinceredespair。Thenhespunround，andnoticedthatshehadfollowedhimwithhereyes。Theywerenotcastdownonmeetinghisglance。Andtheexpressionofherfacewasnoveltohimalso。Itwas，onemighthavesaid，reversed。
Thoseeyeslookedathimwithgravethoughtful-
ness，whiletheexquisitelinesofhermouthseemedtosuggestarestrainedsmile。Thischangemadehertranscendentalbeautymuchlessmysterious，muchmoreaccessibletoaman\'scomprehension。Anamazingeaseofmindcametothegeneral——andevensomeeaseofmanner。Hewalkeddowntheroomwithasmuchpleasurableexcitementashewouldhavefoundinwalk-
inguptoabatteryvomitingdeath，fire，andsmoke；
thenstoodlookingdownwithsmilingeyesatthegirlwhosemarriagewithhim(nextweek)hadbeensocarefullyarrangedbythewise，thegood，theadmirableLeonie。
"Ah!mademoiselle，"hesaid，inatoneofcourtlyregret，"ifonlyIcouldbecertainthatyoudidnotcomeherethismorning，twomiles，runningalltheway，merelyfromaffectionforyourmother!"
Hewaitedforananswerimperturbablebutinwardlyelated。Itcameinademuremurmur，eyelasheslow-
eredwithfascinatingeffect。"Youmustnotbeme-
chantaswellasmad。"
AndthenGeneralD\'Hubertmadeanaggressivemovementtowardsthedivanwhichnothingcouldcheck。Thatpieceoffurniturewasnotexactlyinthelineoftheopendoor。ButMadameLeonie，comingbackwrappedupinalightcloakandcarryingalaceshawlonherarmforAdeletohideherincriminatinghairunder，hadaswiftimpressionofherbrothergettingupfromhisknees。
"Comealong，mydearchild，"shecriedfromthedoorway。
Thegeneral，nowhimselfagaininthefullestsense，showedthereadinessofaresourcefulcavalryofficerandtheperemptorinessofaleaderofmen。"Youdon\'texpecthertowalktothecarriage，"hesaid，indignantly。
"Sheisn\'tfit。Ishallcarryherdownstairs。"
Thishedidslowly，followedbyhisawedandre-
spectfulsister；butherushedbacklikeawhirlwindtowashoffallthesignsofthenightofanguishandthemorningofwar，andtoputonthefestivegarmentsofaconquerorbeforehurryingovertotheotherhouse。
Haditnotbeenforthat，GeneralD\'Hubertfeltcapableofmountingahorseandpursuinghislateadversaryinordersimplytoembracehimfromexcessofhappiness。
"Ioweitalltothisstupidbrute，"hethought。"Hehasmadeplaininamorningwhatmighthavetakenmeyearstofindout——forIamatimidfool。Noself-confi-
dencewhatever。Perfectcoward。AndtheChevalier!
Delightfuloldman!"GeneralD\'Hubertlongedtoembracehimalso。
TheChevalierwasinbed。Forseveraldayshewasveryunwell。ThemenoftheEmpireandthepost-revolutionyoungladiesweretoomuchforhim。
Hegotupthedaybeforethewedding，and，beingcuri-
ousbynature，tookhisnieceasideforaquiettalk。Headvisedhertofindoutfromherhusbandthetruestoryoftheaffairofhonour，whoseclaim，soimperativeandsopersistent，hadledhertowithinanaceoftragedy。
"Itisrightthathiswifeshouldbetold。Andnextmonthorsowillbeyourtimetolearnfromhimany-
thingyouwanttoknow，mydearchild。"
Lateron，whenthemarriedcouplecameonavisittothemotherofthebride，MadamelaGeneraleD\'Hubertcommunicatedtoherbelovedoldunclethetruestoryshehadobtainedwithoutanydifficultyfromherhus-
band。
TheChevalierlistenedwithdeepattentiontotheend，tookapinchofsnuff，flickedthegrainsoftobaccofromthefrilledfrontofhisshirt，andasked，calmly，"Andthat\'sallitwas?"
"Yes，uncle，"repliedMadamelaGenerale，openingherprettyeyesverywide。"Isn\'titfunny?C\'estinsense——tothinkwhatmenarecapableof!"
"H\'m!"commentedtheoldemigre。"Itdependswhatsortofmen。ThatBonaparte\'ssoldiersweresavages。Itisinsense。Asawife，mydear，youmustbelieveimplicitlywhatyourhusbandsays。"
ButtoLeonie\'shusbandtheChevalierconfidedhistrueopinion。"Ifthat\'sthetalethefellowmadeupforhiswife，andduringthehoneymoon，too，youmaydependonitthatnoonewilleverknownowthesecretofthisaffair。"
Considerablylaterstill，GeneralD\'Hubertjudgedthetimecome，andtheopportunitypropitioustowritealettertoGeneralFeraud。Thisletterbeganbydis-
claimingallanimosity。"I\'venever，"wrotetheGeneralBaronD\'Hubert，"wishedforyourdeathdur-
ingallthetimeofourdeplorablequarrel。Allowme，"
hecontinued，"togiveyoubackinallformyourfor-
feitedlife。Itisproperthatwetwo，whohavebeenpartnersinsomuchmilitaryglory，shouldbefriendlytoeachotherpublicly。"
Thesamelettercontainedalsoanitemofdomesticinformation。ItwasinreferencetothislastthatGeneralFeraudansweredfromalittlevillageonthebanksoftheGaronne，inthefollowingwords:
"Ifoneofyourboy\'snameshadbeenNapoleon——orJoseph——orevenJoachim，Icouldcongratulateyouontheeventwithabetterheart。AsyouhavethoughtpropertogivehimthenamesofCharlesHenriArmand，IamconfirmedinmyconvictionthatyouneverlovedtheEmperor。ThethoughtofthatsublimeherochainedtoarockinthemiddleofasavageoceanmakeslifeofsolittlevaluethatIwouldreceivewithpositivejoyyourinstructionstoblowmybrainsout。FromsuicideIconsidermyselfinhonourdebarred。ButI
keepaloadedpistolinmydrawer。"
MadamelaGeneraleD\'Hubertliftedupherhandsindespairafterperusingthatanswer。
"Yousee?Hewon\'tbereconciled，"saidherhus-
band。"Hemustnever，byanychance，beallowedtoguesswherethemoneycomesfrom。Itwouldn\'tdo。
Hecouldn\'tbearit。"
"Youareabravehomme，Armand，"saidMadamelaGenerale，appreciatively。
"Mydear，Ihadtherighttoblowhisbrainsout；
butasIdidn\'t，wecan\'tlethimstarve。Hehaslosthispensionandheisutterlyincapableofdoingany-
thingintheworldforhimself。Wemusttakecareofhim，secretly，totheendofhisdays。Don\'tIowehimthemostecstaticmomentofmylife?……Ha!ha!
ha!Overthefields，twomiles，runningalltheway!
Icouldn\'tbelievemyears!……Butforhisstupidferocity，itwouldhavetakenmeyearstofindyouout。
It\'sextraordinaryhowinonewayoranotherthismanhasmanagedtofastenhimselfonmydeeperfeelings。"
APATHETICTALE
ILCONDE
"VediNapoliepoimori。"
THEfirsttimewegotintoconversationwasintheNationalMuseuminNaples，intheroomsonthegroundfloorcontainingthefamouscollectionofbronzesfromHerculaneumandPompeii:thatmarvellouslegacyofantiqueartwhosedelicateperfectionhasbeenpre-
servedforusbythecatastrophicfuryofavolcano。
Headdressedmefirst，overthecelebratedRestingHermeswhichwehadbeenlookingatsidebyside。Hesaidtherightthingsaboutthatwhollyadmirablepiece。
Nothingprofound。Histastewasnaturalratherthancultivated。Hehadobviouslyseenmanyfinethingsinhislifeandappreciatedthem:buthehadnojargonofadilettanteortheconnoisseur。Ahatefultribe。Hespokelikeafairlyintelligentmanoftheworld，aper-
fectlyunaffectedgentleman。
Wehadknowneachotherbysightforsomefewdayspast。Stayinginthesamehotel——good，butnotextravagantlyuptodate——Ihadnoticedhiminthevestibulegoinginandout。Ijudgedhewasanoldandvaluedclient。Thebowofthehotel-keeperwascordialinitsdeference，andheacknowledgeditwithfamiliarcourtesy。FortheservantshewasIlConde。
Therewassomesquabbleoveraman\'sparasol——yellowsilkwithwhiteliningsortofthing——thewaitershaddis-
coveredabandonedoutsidethedining-roomdoor。Ourgold-laceddoor-keeperrecognizeditandIheardhimdirectingoneoftheliftboystorunafterIlCondewithit。PerhapshewastheonlyCountstayinginthehotel，orperhapshehadthedistinctionofbeingtheCountparexcellence，conferreduponhimbecauseofhistriedfidelitytothehouse。
HavingconversedattheMuseo——(andbythebyhehadexpressedhisdislikeofthebustsandstatuesofRomanemperorsinthegalleryofmarbles:theirfacesweretoovigorous，toopronouncedforhim)——havingconversedalreadyinthemorningIdidnotthinkIwasintrudingwhenintheevening，findingthedining-roomveryfull，Iproposedtosharehislittletable。Judgingbythequieturbanityofhisconsenthedidnotthinksoeither。Hissmilewasveryattractive。
Hedinedinaneveningwaistcoatanda"smoking"
(hecalleditso)withablacktie。Allthisofverygoodcut，notnew——justasthesethingsshouldbe。Hewas，morningorevening，verycorrectinhisdress。Ihavenodoubtthathiswholeexistencehadbeencorrect，wellorderedandconventional，undisturbedbystartlingevents。Hiswhitehairbrushedupwardsoffaloftyforeheadgavehimtheairofanidealist，ofanimaginativeman。Hiswhitemoustache，heavybutcarefullytrimmedandarranged，wasnotunpleasantlytintedagoldenyellowinthemiddle。Thefaintscentofsomeverygoodperfume，andofgoodcigars(thatlastanodourquiteremarkabletocomeuponinItaly)
reachedmeacrossthetable。Itwasinhiseyesthathisageshowedmost。Theywerealittlewearywithcreasedeyelids。Hemusthavebeensixtyoracoupleofyearsmore。Andhewascommunicative。Iwouldnotgosofarastocallitgarrulous——butdistinctlycommunicative。
Hehadtriedvariousclimates，ofAbbazia，oftheRiviera，ofotherplaces，too，hetoldme，buttheonlyonewhichsuitedhimwastheclimateoftheGulfofNaples。TheancientRomans，who，hepointedouttome，weremenexpertintheartofliving，knewverywellwhattheyweredoingwhentheybuilttheirvillasontheseshores，inBaiae，inVico，inCapri。Theycamedowntothisseasideinsearchofhealth，bringingwiththemtheirtrainsofmimesandflute-playerstoamusetheirleisure。HethoughtitextremelyprobablethattheRomansofthehigherclasseswerespeciallypredisposedtopainfulrheumaticaffections。
ThiswastheonlypersonalopinionIheardhimexpress。Itwasbasedonnospecialerudition。HeknewnomoreoftheRomansthananaverageinformedmanoftheworldisexpectedtoknow。Hearguedfrompersonalexperience。HehadsufferedhimselffromapainfulanddangerousrheumaticaffectiontillhefoundreliefinthisparticularspotofSouthernEurope。
Thiswasthreeyearsago，andeversincehehadtakenuphisquartersontheshoresofthegulf，eitherinoneofthehotelsinSorrentoorhiringasmallvillainCapri。Hehadapiano，afewbooks:pickeduptransientacquaintancesofaday，week，ormonthinthestreamoftravellersfromallEurope。Onecanimaginehimgoingoutforhiswalksinthestreetsandlanes，becomingknowntobeggars，shopkeepers，children，countrypeople；talkingamiablyoverthewallstothecontadini——andcomingbacktohisroomsorhisvillatositbeforethepiano，withhiswhitehairbrushedupandhisthickorderlymoustache，"tomakealittlemusicformyself。"
And，ofcourse，forachangetherewasNaplesnearby——life，movement，animation，opera。Alittleamuse-
ment，ashesaid，isnecessaryforhealth。Mimesandflute-players，infact。Onlyunlikethemagnatesofan-
cientRome，hehadnoaffairsofthecitytocallhimawayfromthesemoderatedelights。Hehadnoaffairsatall。Probablyhehadneverhadanygraveaffairstoattendtoinhislife。Itwasakindlyexistence，withitsjoysandsorrowsregulatedbythecourseofNature——
marriages，births，deaths——ruledbytheprescribedusagesofgoodsocietyandprotectedbytheState。
Hewasawidower；butinthemonthsofJulyandAugustheventuredtocrosstheAlpsforsixweeksonavisittohismarrieddaughter。Hetoldmehername。
Itwasthatofaveryaristocraticfamily。Shehadacastle——inBohemia，Ithink。ThisisasnearasIevercametoascertaininghisnationality。Hisownname，strangelyenough，henevermentioned。PerhapshethoughtIhadseenitonthepublishedlist。Truthtosay，Ineverlooked。Atanyrate，hewasagoodEu-
ropean——hespokefourlanguagestomycertainknowl-
edge——andamanoffortune。Notofgreatfortuneevidentlyandappropriately。Iimaginethattobeex-
tremelyrichwouldhaveappearedtohimimproper，outre——tooblatantaltogether。Andobviously，too，thefortunewasnotofhismaking。Themakingofafor-
tunecannotbeachievedwithoutsomeroughness。
Itisamatteroftemperament。Hisnaturewastookindlyforstrife。Inthecourseofconversationhementionedhisestatequitebytheway，inreferencetothatpainfulandalarmingrheumaticaffection。Oneyear，stayingincautiouslybeyondtheAlpsaslateasthemiddleofSeptember，hehadbeenlaidupforthreemonthsinthatlonelycountryhousewithnoonebuthisvaletandthecaretakingcoupletoattendtohim。
Because，asheexpressedit，he"keptnoestablishmentthere。"Hehadonlygoneforacoupleofdaystocon-
