solely and simply through friendship, as it seemed, to eat the
grass out of her hand.

"Oh," she said, laughing, "so you still have an appetite! You cannot be
very sick, then; you must not try to work upon our feelings. Good night,
and sleep well."

And they left him to his slumbers after having each given him, as usual,
a hearty kiss on either side of his nose.

Night fell, and an idea occurred to them, in order not to remain
downstairs in the empty house--to close up everything and eat their
dinner upstairs. Clotilde quickly took up the dish of potatoes, the
salt-cellar, and a fine decanter of water; while Pascal took charge of
a basket of grapes, the first which they had yet gathered from an early
vine at the foot of the terrace. They closed the door, and laid the
cloth on a little table, putting the potatoes in the middle between the
salt-cellar and the decanter, and the basket of grapes on a chair beside
them. And it was a wonderful feast, which reminded them of the delicious
breakfast they had made on the morning on which Martine had obstinately
shut herself up in her room, and refused to answer them. They
experienced the same delight as then at being alone, at waiting upon
themselves, at eating from the same plate, sitting close beside each
other. This evening, which they had anticipated with so much dread, had
in store for them the most delightful hours of their existence. As soon
as they found themselves at home in the large friendly room, as far
removed from the town which they had just been scouring as if they had
been a hundred leagues away from it, all uneasiness and all sadness
vanished--even to the recollection of the wretched afternoon wasted in
useless wanderings. They were once more indifferent to all that was
not their affection; they no longer remembered that they had lost their
fortune; that they might have to hunt up a friend on the morrow in order
to be able to dine in the evening. Why torture themselves with fears
of coming want, when all they required to enjoy the greatest possible
happiness was to be together?

But Pascal felt a sudden terror.

"My God! and we dreaded this evening so greatly! Is it wise to be happy
in this way? Who knows what to-morrow may have in store for us?"

But she put her little hand over his mouth; she desired that he should
have one more evening of perfect happiness.

"No, no; to-morrow we shall love each other as we love each other
to-day. Love me with all yo