se of peace pervaded this solitary spot, this
sage's retreat, where the only sound to be heard was the humming of the
bees, circling round the tall marshmallows.

"Ah, that rascal of an uncle!" said Pascal, smiling, "how I envy him!"

But he was surprised not to have already seen him standing at the edge
of the terrace. And as Charles had run off dragging Clotilde with him to
see the rabbits, as he said, the doctor continued the ascent alone, and
was astonished when he reached the top to see no one. The blinds were
closed, the hill door yawned wide open. Only the yellow dog was at the
threshold, his legs stiff, his hair bristling, howling with a low and
continuous moan. When he saw the visitor, whom he no doubt recognized,
approaching, he stopped howling for an instant and went and stood
further off, then he began again to whine softly.

Pascal, filled with apprehension, could not keep back the uneasy cry
that rose to his lips:

"Macquart! Macquart!"

No one answered; a deathlike silence reigned over the house, with its
door yawning wide open, like the mouth of a cavern. The dog continued to
howl.

Then Pascal grew impatient, and cried more loudly.

"Macquart! Macquart!"

There was not a stir; the bees hummed, the sky looked down serenely on
the peaceful scene. Then he hesitated no longer. Perhaps Macquart was
asleep. But the instant he pushed open the door of the kitchen on the
left of the hall, a horrible odor escaped from it, an odor of burned
flesh and bones. When he entered the room he could hardly breathe, so
filled was it by a thick vapor, a stagnant and nauseous cloud, which
choked and blinded him. The sunbeams that filtered through the cracks
made only a dim light. He hurried to the fireplace, thinking that
perhaps there had been a fire, but the fireplace was empty, and the
articles of furniture around appeared to be uninjured. Bewildered, and
feeling himself growing faint in the poisoned atmosphere, he ran to the
window and threw the shutters wide open. A flood of light entered.

Then the scene presented to the doctor's view filled him with amazement.
Everything was in its place; the glass and the empty bottle of spirits
were on the table; only the chair in which Uncle Macquart must have been
sitting bore traces of fire, the front legs were blackened and the straw
was partially consumed. What had become of Macquart? Where could he
have disappeared? In front of the chair, on the brick floor, which was