ed at
them compassionately. A whole legend of devotion was attached to them. He
had married her in spite of her infirmity, touched by her affection for
him, it was said.

Not far from there, two young men were chatting, seated on a bench and
looking out into the horizon.

"No, it is not true; I tell you that I am well acquainted with Jean
Sumner."

"But then, why did he marry her? For she was a cripple when she married,
was she not?"

"Just so. He married her--he married her--just as every one
marries, parbleu! because he was an idiot!"

"But why?"

"But why--but why, my friend? There is no why. People do stupid
things just because they do stupid things. And, besides, you know very
well that painters make a specialty of foolish marriages. They almost
always marry models, former sweethearts, in fact, women of doubtful
reputation, frequently. Why do they do this? Who can say? One would
suppose that constant association with the general run of models would
disgust them forever with that class of women. Not at all. After having
posed them they marry them. Read that little book, so true, so cruel and
so beautiful, by Alphonse Daudet: 'Artists' Wives.'

"In the case of the couple you see over there the accident occurred in a
special and terrible manner. The little woman played a frightful comedy,
or, rather, tragedy. She risked all to win all. Was she sincere? Did she
love Jean? Shall we ever know? Who is able to determine precisely how
much is put on and how much is real in the actions of a woman? They are
always sincere in an eternal mobility of impressions. They are furious,
criminal, devoted, admirable and base in obedience to intangible
emotions. They tell lies incessantly without intention, without knowing
or understanding why, and in spite of it all are absolutely frank in
their feelings and sentiments, which they display by violent, unexpected,
incomprehensible, foolish resolutions which overthrow our arguments, our
customary poise and all our selfish plans. The unforeseenness and
suddenness of their determinations will always render them undecipherable
enigmas as far as we are concerned. We continually ask ourselves:

"'Are they sincere? Are they pretending?'

"But, my friend, they are sincere and insincere at one and the same time,
because it is their nature to be extremists in both and to be neither one
nor the other.

"See the methods that even the best of them employ to get what they
desire. They ar