t
animate a dead body. Two dead bodies can not make a living one; a body
without a soul is only a cadaver--and she has no soul."

Gerfaut sat motionless for some time with his face buried in his hands;
suddenly he raised his head and burst into harsh laughter.

"Enough of this soaring in the clouds!" he exclaimed; "let us come down
to earth again. It is permissible to think in verse, but one must act
in prose, and that is what I shall do tomorrow. This woman's caprices,
which she takes for efforts of virtue, have made of me a cruel and
inexorable man; I have begged in vain for peace; if she wishes war, very
well, so be it, she shall have war."

CHAPTER XVI. GERFAUT WINS A POINT

For several days, Gerfaut followed, with unrelenting perseverance, the
plan which he had mapped out in that eventful night. The most exacting
woman could but appear satisfied with the politeness he displayed toward
Madame de Bergenheim, but nothing in his conduct showed the slightest
desire for an explanation. He was so careful of every look, gesture,
and word of his, that it would have been impossible to discover the
slightest difference in his actions toward Mademoiselle de Corandeuil,
and the manner in which he treated Clemence. His choicest attentions and
most particular efforts at amiability were bestowed upon Aline. He used
as much caution as cunning, in his little game, for he knew that in
spite of her inclination to be jealous, Madame de Bergenheim would never
believe in a sudden desertion, and that she would surely discover the
object of his ruse, if he made the mistake of exaggerating it in the
least.

While renouncing the idea of a direct attack, he did not work with any
less care to fortify his position. He redoubled his activity in
widening the breach between the old aunt and the husband, following
the principles of military art, that one should become master of the
exterior works of a stronghold before seriously attacking its ramparts.

It was, in a way, by reflection that Octave's passion reached Clemence.
Every few moments she learned some detail of this indirect attack, to
which it was impossible for her to raise any objections.

"Monsieur de Gerfaut has promised to spend a fortnight longer with us,"
said her aunt to her, in a jeering tone.

"Really, Gerfaut is very obliging," said her husband, in his turn; "he
thinks it very strange that we have not had a genealogical tree made
to put in the drawing-room. He pret