tryingtoconjureup，nodoubt，thatlong—agoimageofhisyoungbrideinherdress"thecolourofapigeon’sfeathers，"withherblueeyesandyellowhair，thelittlefrownbetweenherbrows，thefirmlyshutredlips，openingtospeakthewords，"Forbetter，forworse，forricher，forpoorer，insicknessandinhealth。"
"Atthattime，sir，"hewentonsuddenly，"Iwasabitofadandy。I
wore，Iremember，abluefrock—coat，withwhitetrousers，andagreytophat。EvennowIshouldalwaysprefertobewelldressed……
"Wehadanexcellentlunch，anddrankVeuveClicquot，awinethatyoucannotgetinthesedays！Daltoncamewithustotherailwaystation。Ican’tbearpartings;andyet，theymustcome。
"Thateveningwewalkedoutinthecoolundertheaspen—trees。WhatshouldIrememberinallmylifeifnotthatnight——theyoungbullockssnufflinginthegateways——thecampionflowersalllightedupalongthehedges——themoonwithahalo—bats，too，inandoutamongthestems，andtheshadowsofthecottagesasblackandsoftasthatseadownthere。Foralongtimewestoodontheriver—bankbeneathalime—tree。Thescentofthelimeflowers！Amancanonlyendureabouthalfhisjoy;abouthalfhissorrow。Lucyandherhusband，"hewenton，presently，"hisnamewasFrankTor——amanlikeanoldViking，whoatenothingbutmilk，bread，andfruit——wereverygoodtous！ItwaslikeParadiseinthatinn——thoughthecommissariat，Iamboundtosay，waslimited。Thesweetbriargrewroundourbedroomwindows;whenthebreezeblewtheleavesacrosstheopening——itwaslikeabathofperfume。Eiliegrewasbrownasagipsywhilewewerethere。Idon’tthinkanymancouldhavelovedhermorethanIdid。
Butthereweretimeswhenmyheartstoodstill;itdidn’tseemasifsheunderstoodhowmuchIlovedher。Oneday，Iremember，shecoaxedmetotakehercamping。Wedrifteddown—streamalltheafternoon，andintheeveningpulledintothereedsunderthewillow—boughsandlitafireforhertocookby——though，asamatteroffact，ourprovisionswerecookedalready——butyouknowhowitis;alltheromancewasinhavingarealfire。’Wewon’tpretend，’shekeptsaying。Whilewewereeatingoursupperaharecametoourclearing—
—abigfellow——howsurprisedhelooked！’Thetallhare，’Eiliecalledhim。Afterthatwesatbytheashesandwatchedtheshadows，tillatlastsheroamedawayfromme。Thetimewentveryslowly;I
gotuptolookforher。Itwaspastsundown。Icalledandcalled。
ItwasalongtimebeforeIfoundher——andshewaslikeawildthing，hotandflushed，herprettyfrocktorn，herhandsandfacescratched，herhairdown，likesomebeautifulcreatureofthewoods。Ifoneloves，alittlethingwillscareone。Ididn’tthinkshehadnoticedmyfright;butwhenwegotbacktotheboatshethrewherarmsroundmyneck，andsaid，’Iwon’teverleaveyouagain！’
"OnceinthenightIwoke——awater—henwascrying，andinthemoonlightakingfisherflewacross。Thewonderontheriver——thewonderofthemoonandtrees，thesoftbrightmist，thestillness！Itwaslikeanotherworld，peaceful，enchanted，farholierthanours。
Itseemedlikeavisionofthethoughtsthatcometoone——howseldom！
andgoifonetriestograspthem。Magic——poetry—sacred！"Hewassilentaminute，thenwentoninawistfulvoice:"Ilookedather，sleepinglikeachild，withherhairloose，andherlipsapart，andI
thought:’Goddosotome，ifeverIbringherpain！’HowwasItounderstandher？themysteryandinnocenceofhersoul！Theriverhashadallmylightandallmydarkness，thehappiestdays，andthehourswhenI’vedespaired;andIliketothinkofit，for，youknow，intimebittermemoriesfade，onlythegoodremain……Yetthegoodhavetheirownpain，adifferentkindofaching，forweshallnevergetthemback。Sir，"hesaid，turningtomewithafaintsmile，"it’snousecryingoverspiltmilk……IntheneighbourhoodofLucy’sinn，theRoseandMaybush——Canyouimagineaprettiername？I
havebeenallovertheworld，andnowherefoundnamessoprettyasintheEnglishcountry。There，too，everybladeofgrass;andflower，hasakindofprideaboutit;knowsitwillbecaredfor;andalltheroads，trees，andcottages，seemtobecertainthattheywillliveforever……ButIwasgoingtotellyou:Halfamilefromtheinnwasaquietoldhousewhichweusedtocallthe’Convent’——thoughI
believeitwasafarm。Wespentmanyafternoonsthere，trespassingintheorchard——Eiliewasfondoftrespassing;iftherewerealongwayroundacrosssomebodyelse’sproperty，shewouldalwaystakeit。
Wespentourlastafternooninthatorchard，lyinginthelonggrass。
IwasreadingChildeHaroldforthefirsttime——awonderful，amemorablepoem！Iwasatthatpassage——thebull—fight——youremember:
"’Thricesoundstheclarion;lo！thesignalfalls，Thedinexpands，andexpectationmute’——
whensuddenlyEiliesaid:’SupposeIweretoleaveofflovingyou？’
Itwasasifsomeonehadstruckmeintheface。Ijumpedup，andtriedtotakeherinmyarms，butsheslippedaway;thensheturned，andbeganlaughingsoftly。Ilaughedtoo。Idon’tknowwhy……
VI
"WewentbacktoLondonthenextday;welivedquiteclosetotheschool，andaboutfivedaysaweekDaltoncametodinewithus。Hewouldhavecomeeveryday，ifhehadnotbeenthesortofmanwhorefusestoconsulthisownpleasure。Wehadmorepupilsthanever。
InmyleisureItaughtmywifetofence。Ihaveneverseenanyonesolitheandquick;orsobeautifulasshelookedinherfencingdress，withembroideredshoes。
"Iwascompletelyhappy。Whenamanhasobtainedhisdesirehebecomescarelessandself—satisfied;Iwaswatchful，however，forI
knewthatIwasnaturallyaselfishman。Istudiedtoarrangemytimeandsavemymoney，togiveherasmuchpleasureasIcould。
Whatshelovedbestintheworldjustthenwasriding。Iboughtahorseforher，andintheeveningsofthespringandsummerwerodetogether;butwhenitwastoodarktogooutlate，shewouldridealone，greatdistances，sometimesspendthewholedayinthesaddle，andcomebacksotiredshecouldhardlywalkupstairs——Ican’tsaythatIlikedthat。Itmademenervous，shewassoheadlong——butI
didn’tthinkitrighttointerferewithher。Ihadagooddealofanxietyaboutmoney，forthoughIworkedhardandmademorethanever，thereneverseemedenough。Iwasanxioustosave——Ihoped，ofcourse——butwehadnochild，andthiswasatroubletome。Shegrewmorebeautifulthanever，andIthinkwashappy。Hasiteverstruckyouthateachoneofuslivesontheedgeofavolcano？Thereis，I
imagine，noonewhohasnotsomeaffectionorinterestsostrongthathecountstherestfornothing，besideit。Nodoubtamanmaylivehislifethroughwithoutdiscoveringthat。Butsomeofus——！Iamnotcomplaining;whatis——is。"Hepulledthecaploweroverhiseyes，andclutchedhishandsfirmlyonthetopofhisstick。Hewaslikeamanwhorusheshishorseatsomehopelessfence，unwillingtogivehimselftime，forfearofcraningatthelastmoment。"Inthespringof’78，anewpupilcametome，ayoungmanoftwenty—onewhowasdestinedforthearmy。Itookafancytohim，anddidmybesttoturnhimintoagoodswordsman;buttherewasakindofperverserecklessnessinhim;forafewminutesonewouldmakeagreatimpression，thenhewouldgrowutterlycareless。’Francis，’Iwouldsay，’ifIwereyouIshouldbeashamed。’’Mr。Brune，’hewouldanswer，’whyshouldIbeashamed？Ididn’tmakemyself。’Godknows，Iwishtodohimjustice，hehadaheart——onedayhedroveupinacab，andbroughtinhispoordog，whohadbeenrunover，andwasdying:Forhalfanhourheshuthimselfupwithitsbody，wecouldhearhimsobbinglikeachild;hecameoutwithhiseyesallred，andcried:’Iknowwheretofindthebrutewhodroveoverhim，’andoffherushed。HehadbeautifulItalianeyes;aslightfigure，notverytall;darkhair，alittledarkmoustache;andhislipswerealwaysatrifleparted——itwasthat，andhiswalk，andthewayhedroopedhiseyelids，whichgavehimapeculiar，soft，proudlook。Iusedtotellhimthathe’dnevermakeasoldier！’Oh！’he’danswer，’that’llbeallrightwhenthetimecomes！Hebelievedinakindofluckthatwastodoeverythingforhim，whenthetimecame。OnedayhecameinasIwasgivingEilieherlesson。Thiswasthefirsttimetheysaweachother。Afterthathecamemoreoften，andsometimesstayedtodinnerwithus。Iwon’tdeny，sir，thatIwasgladtowelcomehim;I
thoughtitgoodforEilie。Cantherebeanythingmoreodious，"heburstout，"thansuchaself—complacentblindness？Therearepeoplewhosay，’Poorman，hehadsuchfaith！’Faith，sir！Conceit！Iwasafool——inthisworldonepaysforfolly……
"Thesummercame;andoneSaturdayinearlyJune，Eilie，I，andFrancis——Iwon’ttellyouhisothername——wentriding。Thenighthadbeenwet;therewasnodust，andpresentlythesuncameout——agloriousday！Werodealongway。Aboutseveno’clockwestartedback—slowly，foritwasstillhot，andtherewasallthecoolofnightbeforeus。Itwasnineo’clockwhenwecametoRichmondPark。
Agrandplace，RichmondPark;andinthathalf—lightwonderful，thedeermovingsosoftly，youmighthavethoughttheywerespirits。Weweresilenttoo——greattreeshavethateffectonme……
"Whocansaywhenchangescome？Likeashiftofthewind，theoldpasses，thenewisonyou。Iamtellingyounowofachangelikethat。Withoutasignofwarning，Eilieputherhorseintoagallop。
’Whatareyoudoing？’Ishouted。Shelookedbackwithasmile，thenhedashedpastmetoo。Ahornetmighthavestungthemboth:theygallopedoverfallentrees，underlowhangingbranches，uphillanddown。Ihadtowatchthatmadness！Myhorsewasnotsofast。I
rodelikeademon;butfellfarbehind。Iamnotamanwhotakesthingsquietly。WhenIcameupwiththematlast，Icouldnotspeakforrage。Theywereridingsidebyside，thereinsonthehorses’
necks，lookingineachother’sfaces。’Youshouldtakecare，’I
said。’Care！’shecried;’lifeisnotalltakingcare！’Myangerleftme。Idroppedbehind，asgroomsridebehindtheirmistresses……
Jealousy！Notortureissoceaselessorsoblack……Inthoseminutesahundredthingscameupinme——ahundredmemories，true，untrue，whatdoIknow？Mysoulwaspoisoned。Itriedtoreasonwithmyself。Itwasabsurdtothinksuchthings！Itwasunmanly……
Evenifitweretrue，oneshouldtrytobeagentleman！ButIfoundmyselflaughing;yes，sir，laughingatthatword。"Hespokefaster，asifpouringhisheartoutnottoalivelistener，buttothenight。
"Icouldnotsleepthatnight。Tolienearherwiththosethoughtsinmybrainwasimpossible！Imadeanexcuse，andsatupwithsomepapers。Thehardestthinginlifeistoseeathingcomingandbeabletodonothingtopreventit。WhatcouldIdo？Haveyounoticedhowpeoplemaybecomeutterstrangerswithoutaword？Itonlyneedsathought……Theverynextdayshesaid:’IwanttogotoLucy’s。’
’Alone？’’Yes。’Ihadmadeupmymindbythenthatshemustdojustasshewished。PerhapsIactedwrongly;Idonotknowwhatoneoughttodoinsuchacase;butbeforeshewentIsaidtoher:’Eilie，whatisit？’’Idon’tknow，’sheanswered;andIkissedher——thatwasall……Amonthpassed;Iwrotetohernearlyeveryday，andIhadshortlettersfromher，tellingmeverylittleofherself。Daltonwasatorturetome，forIcouldnottellhim;hehadaconvictionthatshewasgoingtobecomeamother。’Ah，Brune！’hesaid，’mypoorwifewasjustlikethat。’Life，sir，isasomewhatironicalaffair……！He——Ifindithardtospeakhisname——cametotheschooltwoorthreetimesaweek。IusedtothinkIsawachange，apurposegrowingupthroughhisrecklessness;thereseemedaviolenceinhimasifhechafedagainstmyblade。IhadakindofjoyinfeelingI
hadthemastery，andcouldtosstheironoutofhishandanyminutelikeastraw。Iwasashamed，andyetIgloriedinit。Jealousyisalowthing，sir——alow，basething！Whenheaskedmewheremywifewas，Itoldhim;Iwastooproudtohideit。Soonafterthathecamenomoretotheschool。
"Onemorning，whenIcouldbearitnolonger，Iwrote，andsaidIwascomingdown。Iwouldnotforcemyselfonher，butIaskedhertomeetmeintheorchardoftheoldhousewecalledtheConvent。I
askedhertobethereatfouro’clock。Ithasalwaysbeenmy，beliefthatamanmustneitherbeganythingofawoman，norforceanythingfromher。Womenaregenerous——theywillgiveyouwhattheycan。I
sealedmyletter，andposteditmyself。AllthewaydownIkeptonsayingtomyself，’Shemustcome——surelyshewillcome！’
VII
"Iwasinhighspirits，butthenextmomenttrembledlikeamanwithague。Ireachedtheorchardbeforemytime。Shewasnotthere。Youknowwhatitisliketowait？Istoodstillandlistened;IwenttothepointwhenceIcouldseefarthest;Isaidtomyself，’Awatchedpotneverboils;ifIdon’tlookforhershewillcome。’Iwalkedupanddownwithmyeyesontheground。Thesicknessofit！AhundredtimesItookoutmywatch……Perhapsitwasfast，perhapsherswasslow——Ican’ttellyouathousandthpartofmyhopesandfears。
Therewasaspringofwater，inonecorner。Isatbesideit，andthoughtofthelasttimeIhadbeenthere——andsomethingseemedtoburstinme。Itwasfiveo’clockbeforeIlostallhope;therecomesatimewhenyou’regladthathopeisdead，itmeansrest。’That’sover，’yousay，’nowIcanact。’ButwhatwasItodo？Ilaydownwithmyfacetotheground;whenone’sintrouble，it’stheonlythingthathelps——somethingtopressagainstandclingtothatcan’tgiveway。Ilaytherefortwohours，knowingallthetimethatI
shouldplaythecoward。Atseveno’clockIlefttheorchardandwenttowardstheinn;Ihadbrokenmyword，butIfelthappy……Ishouldseeher——and，sir，nothing——nothingseemedtomatterbesidethat。
Torwasinthegardensnippingathisroses。Hecameup，andIcouldseethathecouldn’tlookmeintheface。’Where’smywife？’Isaid。
Heanswered，’Let’sgetLucy。’Iranindoors。Lucymetmewithtwoletters;thefirst——myown——unopened;andthesecond，this:
"’Ihaveleftyou。Youweregoodtome，butnow——itisnouse。
EILIE。’"
"Shetoldmethataboyhadbroughtaletterformywifethedaybefore，fromayounggentlemaninaboat。WhenLucydelivereditsheasked，’Whoishe，MissEilie？WhatwillMr。Brunesay？’Mywifelookedatherangrily，butgavehernoanswer——andallthatdaysheneverspoke。Intheeveningshewasgone，leavingthisnoteonthebed……Lucycriedasifherheartwouldbreak。Itookherbytheshouldersandputherfromtheroom;Icouldn’tbearthenoise。I
satdownandtriedtothink。WhileIwassittingthereTorcameinwithaletter。Itwaswrittenonthenotepaperofaninntwelvemilesuptheriver:thesewerethewords。
"’Eilieismine。Iamreadytomeetyouwhereyoulike。’"
Hewentonwithapainfulevennessofspeech。"WhenIreadthosewords，Ihadonlyonethought——toreachthem;Irandowntotheriver，andchoseoutthelightestboat。JustasIwasstarting，Torcamerunning。’Youdroppedthisletter，sir，’besaid。’Twopairofarmsarebetterthanone。’Hecameintotheboat。ItookthescullsandIpulledoutintothestream。Ipulledlikeamadman;andthatgreatman，withhisbarearmscrossed，waslikeahuge，tawnybullsittingthereoppositeme。Presentlyhetookmyplace，andItooktherudderlines。Icouldseehischest，coveredwithhair，heavingupanddown，itgavemeasortofcomfort——itmeantthatweweregettingnearer。Thenitgrewdark，therewasnomoon，Icouldbarelyseethebank;there’ssomethinginthedarkwhichdrivesoneintooneself。Peopletellyoutherecomesamomentwhenyournatureisdecided——’saved’or’lost’astheycallit——forgoodorevil。Thatisnottrue，yourselfisalwayswithyou，andcannotbealtered;
but，sir，Ibelievethatinatimeofagonyonefindsoutwhatarethethingsonecando，andwhatarethoseonecannot。Yougettoknowyourself，that’sall。Andsoitwaswithme。Everythoughtandmemoryandpassionwassoclearandstrong！Iwantedtokillhim。I
wantedtokillmyself。Buther——no！Wearetaughtthatwepossessourwives，bodyandsoul，wearebroughtupinthatfaith，wearecommandedtobelieveit——butwhenIwasfacetofacewithit，thosewordshadnomeaning;thatbelief，thosecommands，theywerewithoutmeaningtome，theywere——vile。Ohyes，Iwantedtofindcomfortinthem，Iwantedtoholdontothem——butIcouldn’t。Youmayforceabody;howcanyouforceasoul？No，no——cowardly！ButIwantedto——
Iwantedtokillhimandforcehertocomebacktome！Andthen，suddenly，IfeltasifIwerepressingrightonthemostsecretnerveofmyheart。Iseemedtoseeherface，whiteandquivering，asifI’dstampedmyheelonit。Theysaythisworldisruledbyforce;itmaybetrue——IknowIhaveaweakspotinme……Icouldn’tbearit。
AtlastIJumpedtomyfeetandshoutedout，’Turntheboatround！’
TorlookedupatmeasifIhadgonemad。AndIhadgonemad。I
seizedtheboat—hookandthreatenedhim;Icalledhimfearfulnames。
’Sir，’hesaid，’Idon’ttakesuchnamesfromanyone！’’You’lltakethemfromme，’Ishouted;’turntheboatround，youidiot，youhound，youfish！……’Ihaveaterribletemper，aperfectcursetome。Heseemedamazed，evenfrightened;hesatdownagainsuddenlyandpulledtheboatround。Ifellontheseat，andhidmyface。Ibelievethemooncameup;theremusthavebeenamisttoo，forIwascoldasdeath。Inthislife，sir，wecannothideourfaces——butbydegreesthepainofwoundsgrowsless。Somewillhaveitthatsuchblowsaremortal;itisnotso。Timeismerciful。
"IntheearlymorningIwentbacktoLondon。Ihadfeveronme——andwasdelirious。IdaresayIshouldhavekilledmyselfifIhadnotbeensousedtoweapons——theyandIweretoooldfriends，Isuppose——
Ican’texplain。ItwasalongwhilebeforeIwasupandabout。
Daltonnursedmethroughit;hisgreatheavymoustachehadgrownquitewhite。Wenevermentionedher;whatwasthegood？Therewerethingstosettleofcourse，thelawyer——thiswasunspeakablydistastefultome。Itoldhimitwastobeasshewished，butthefellowwouldcometome，withhis——there，Idon’twanttobeunkind。
Iwishedhimtosayitwasmyfault，buthesaid——Irememberhissmilenow——hesaid，thatwasimpossible，wouldbeseenthrough，talkedofcollusion——Idon’tunderstandthesethings，andwhat’smore，Ican’tbearthem，theyare——dirty。
"Twoyearslater，whenIhadcomebacktoLondon，aftertheRusso—
Turkishwar，Ireceivedaletterfromher。Ihaveithere。"Hetookanold，yellowsheetofpaperoutofaleathernpocketbook，spreaditinhisfingers，andsatstaringatit。Forsomeminuteshedidnotspeak。
"Intheautumnofthatsameyearshediedinchildbirth。Hehaddesertedher。Fortunatelyforhim，hewaskilledontheIndianfrontier，thatveryyear。Ifshehadlivedshewouldhavebeenthirty—twonextJune;notagreatage……IknowIamwhattheycallacrank;doctorswilltellyouthatyoucan’tbecuredofabadillness，andbethesamemanagain。Ifyouarebent，toforceyourselfstraightmustleaveyouweakinanotherplace。Imustandwillthinkwellofwomen——everythingdone，andeverythingsaidagainstthemisastoneonherdeadbody。Couldyousit，andlistentoit？"Asthoughdrivenbyhisownquestion，herose，andpacedupanddown。Hecamebacktotheseatatlast。
"That，sir，isthereasonofmybehaviourthisafternoon，andagainthisevening。Youhavebeensokind，Iwanted！——wantedtotellyou。
Shehadalittledaughter——Lucyhashernow。MyfriendDaltonisdead;therewouldhavebeennodifficultyaboutmoney，but，Iamsorrytosay，thathewasswindled——disgracefully。Itfelltometoadministerhisaffairs——heneverknewit，buthediedpenniless;hehadtrustedsomewretchedfellows——hadanideatheywouldmakehisfortune。AsIverysoonfound，theyhadruinedhim。ItwasimpossibletoletLucy——suchadearwoman——bearthatburden。Ihavetriedtomakeprovision;but，yousee，"hetookholdofmysleeve，"I，too，havenotbeenfortunate;infact，it’sdifficulttosaveagreatdealoutofL190ayear;butthecapitalisperfectlysafe——
andIgetL47，10s。aquarter，paidonthenail。Ihaveoftenbeentemptedtoreinvestatagreaterrateofinterest，butI’veneverdared。Anyway，therearenodebts——I’vebeenobligedtomakearulenottobuywhatIcouldn’tpayforonthespot……NowIamreallyplaguingyou——butIwantedtotellyou——incase—anythingshouldhappentome。"Heseemedtotakeasuddenscare，stiffened，twistedhismoustache，andmuttering，"Yourgreatkindness！Shallneverforget！"turnedhurriedlyaway。
Hevanished;hisfootsteps，andthetapofhisstickgrewfainterandfainter。Theydiedout。Hewasgone。SuddenlyIgotupandhastenedafterhim。Isoonstopped——whatwastheretosay？
VIII
ThefollowingdayIwasobligedtogotoNice，anddidnotreturntillmidnight。TheportertoldmethatJulesleFerrierhadbeentoseeme。Thenextmorning，whileIwasstillinbed，thedoorwasopened，andJulesappeared。Hisfacewasverypale;andthemomenthestoodstilldropsofperspirationbegancoursingdownhischeeks。
"Georges！"hesaid，"heisdead。There，there！Howstupidyoulook！
Mymanispacking。Ihavehalfanhourbeforethetrain;myevidenceshallcomefromItaly。Ihavedonemypart，therestisforyou。
Whydidyouhavethatdinner？TheDonQuixote！Theidiot！Thepoorman！Don’tmove！Haveyouacigar？Listen！Whenyoufollowedhim，Ifollowedtheothertwo。Myinfernalcuriosity！Canyouconceiveagreaterfolly？Howfasttheywalked，thosetwo！feelingtheircheeks，asifhehadstruckthemboth，youknow;itwasfunny。Theysoonsawme，fortheireyeswereallroundabouttheirheads;theyhadthemarkofagloveontheircheeks。"Thecolourbegantocomeback，intoJules’sface;hegesticulatedwithhiscigarandbecamemoreandmoredramatic。"Theywaitedforme。’Tiens！’saidone，’thisgentlemanwaswithhim。Myfriend’snameisM。LeBaronde———。
Themanwhostruckhimwasanodd—lookingperson;kindlyinformmewhetheritispossibleformyfriendtomeethim？’Eh！"commentedJules，"hewasoffensive！Wasitformetogiveourdignityaway？
’Perfectly，monsieur！’Ianswered。’Inthatcase，’hesaid，’pleasegivemehisnameandaddress……Icouldnotrememberhisname，andasfortheaddress，Ineverknewit……！Ireflected。’That，’Isaid，’Iamunabletodo，forspecialreasons。’’Aha！’hesaid，’reasonsthatwillpreventourfightinghim，Isuppose？’Onthecontrary，’I
said。’Iwillconveyyourrequesttohim;ImaymentionthatIhaveheardheisthebestswordsmanandpistol—shotinEurope。Good—
night！’Iwishedtogivethemsomethingtodreamof，youunderstand……Patience，mydear！Patience！Iwas，comingtoyou，butIthoughtIwouldletthemsleeponit——therewasplentyoftime！
ButyesterdaymorningIcameintothePlace，andtherehewasonthebench，withabigdog。Ideclaretoyouheblushedlikeayounggirl。’Sir，’hesaid，’Iwashopingtomeetyou;lasteveningImadeagreatdisturbance。Itookanunpardonableliberty’——andheputinmyhandanenvelope。Myfriend，whatdoyousupposeitcontained——apairofgloves！SenorDonPunctilioso，hein？Hewasthedevil，thisfriendofyours;hefascinatedmewithhisgentleeyesandhiswhitemoustachettes，hishumility，hisflames——poorman……！ItoldhimI
hadbeenaskedtotakehimachallenge。’Ifanythingcomesofit，’I
said，’makeuseofme！’’Isthatso？’hesaid。’Iammostgratefulforyourkindoffer。Letmesee——itissolongsinceIfoughtaduel。Thesoonerit’soverthebetter。Couldyouarrangeto—morrowmorning？Weapons？Yes;letthemchoose。’Yousee，myfriend，therewasnohangingbackhere;nousvoilaentrain。"
Julestookouthiswatch。"Ihavesixteenminutes。Itisluckyforyouthatyouwereawayyesterday，oryouwouldbeinmyshoesnow。I
fixedtheplace，righthandoftheroadtoRoquebrune，justbytherailwaycutting，andthetime——five—thirtyofthemorning。ItwasarrangedthatIshouldcallforhim。Disgustinghour;IhavenotbeenupsoearlysinceIfoughtJacquesTirbautin’85。Atfiveo’clockIfoundhimreadyanddrinkingteawithruminit——singularman！hemademehavesometoo，brrr！Hewasshaved，anddressedinthatoldfrock—coat。Hisgreatdogjumpedintothecarriage，buthebadehergetout，tookherpawsonhisshoulders，andwhisperedinherearsomeItalianwords;acharm，hein！andbackshewent，thetailbetweenthelegs。Wedroveslowly，soasnottoshakehisarm。
HewasmoregaythanI。Allthewayhetalkedtomeofyou:howkindyouwere！howgoodyouhadbeentohim！’Youdonotspeakofyourself！’Isaid。’Haveyounofriends，nothingtosay？Sometimesanaccidentwillhappen！’’Oh！’heanswered，’thereisnodanger;
butifbyanychance——well，thereisaletterinmypocket。’’Andifyoushouldkillhim？’Isaid。’ButIshallnot，’heansweredslyly:
’doyouthinkIamgoingtofireathim？No，no;heistooyoung。’
’But，’Isaid，’I——’Iamnotgoingtostandthat！’’Yes，’hereplied，’Iowehimashot;butthereisnodanger——nottheleastdanger。’Wehadarrived;alreadytheywerethere。Ahbah！Youknowthepreliminaries，thepoliteness——thisduelling，youknow，itisabsurd，afterall。Weplacedthemattwentypaces。Itisnotabadplace。Therearepine—treesround，androcks;atthathouritwascoolandgreyasachurch。Ihandedhimthepistol。HowcanI
describehimtoyou，standingthere，smoothingthebarrelwithhisfingers！’Whatabeautifulthingagoodpistol！’hesaid。’Onlyafooloramadmanthrowsawayhislife，’Isaid。’Certainly，’hereplied，’certainly;butthereisnodanger，’andheregardedme，raisinghismoustachette。
"Theretheystoodthen，backtoback，withthemouthsoftheirpistolstothesky。’Un！’Icried，’deux！tirez！’Theyturned，I
sawthesmokeofhisshotgostraightuplikeaprayer;hispistoldropped。Irantohim。Helookedsurprised，putouthishand，andfellintomyarms。Hewasdead。Thosefoolscamerunningup。’Whatisit？’criedone。Imadehimabow。’Asyousee，’Isaid;’youhavemadeaprettyshot。Myfriendfiredintheair。Messieurs，youhadbetterbreakfastinItaly。’Wecarriedhimtothecarriage，andcoveredhimwitharug;theothersdroveforthefrontier。Ibroughthimtohisroom。Hereishisletter。"Julesstopped;tearswererunningdownhisface。"Heisdead;Ihaveclosedhiseyes。Lookhere，youknow，weareallofuscads——itistherule;butthis——
this，perhaps，wastheexception。"Andwithoutanotherwordherushedaway……
Outsidetheoldfellow’slodgingadismountedcocherwasstandingdisconsolateinthesun。"HowwasItoknowtheyweregoingtofightaduel？"heburstoutonseeingme。"Hehadwhitehair——Icallyoutowitnesshehadwhitehair。Thisisbadforme:theywillravishmylicence。Aha！youwillsee——thisisbadforme！"Igavehimtheslipandfoundmywayupstairs。Theoldfellowwasalone，lyingonthebed，hisfeetcoveredwitharugasifhemightfeelcold;hiseyeswereclosed，butinthissleepofdeath，hestillhadthatairoffaintsurprise。Atfulllength，watchingthebedintently，Fredalay，asshelaynightlywhenhewasreallyasleep。Theshutterswerehalfopen;theroomstillsmeltslightlyofrum。Istoodforalongtimelookingattheface:thelittlewhitefansofmoustachebrushedupwardsevenindeath，thehollowsinhischeeks，thequietofhisfigure;hewaslikesomeoldknight……Thedogbrokethespell。
Shesatup，andrestingherpawsonthebed，lickedhisface。Iwentdownstairs——Icouldn’tbeartohearherhowl。Thiswashislettertome，writteninapointedhandwriting:
"MYDEARSIR，——Shouldyoureadthis，Ishallbegone。Iamashamedtotroubleyou——amanshouldsurelymanagesoasnottogivetrouble;