d,
some part of which she was obliged to leave exposed, in spite of herself,
to defend the others; but at last she managed to release herself,
blushing and angry. 'You are very unmannerly, monsieur,' she said, 'and I
am sorry I listened to you.'

"I took her hand in some confusion and stammered out: 'I beg your pardon.
I beg your pardon, mademoiselle. I have offended you; I have acted like a
brute! Do not be angry with me for what I have done. If you knew--'
I vainly sought for some excuse, and in a few moments she said: 'There is
nothing for me to know, monsieur.' But I had found something to say, and
I cried: 'Mademoiselle, I love you!'

"She was really surprised and raised her eyes to look at me, and I went
on: 'Yes, mademoiselle, and pray listen to me. I do not know Morin, and I
do not care anything about him. It does not matter to me the least if he
is committed for trial and locked up meanwhile. I saw you here last year,
and I was so taken with you that the thought of you has never left me
since, and it does not matter to me whether you believe me or not. I
thought you adorable, and the remembrance of you took such a hold on me
that I longed to see you again, and so I made use of that fool Morin as a
pretext, and here I am. Circumstances have made me exceed the due limits
of respect, and I can only beg you to pardon me.'

"She looked at me to see if I was in earnest and was ready to smile
again. Then she murmured: 'You humbug!' But I raised my hand and said in
a sincere voice (and I really believe that I was sincere): 'I swear to
you that I am speaking the truth,' and she replied quite simply: 'Don't
talk nonsense!'

"We were alone, quite alone, as Rivet and her uncle had disappeared down
a sidewalk, and I made her a real declaration of love, while I squeezed
and kissed her hands, and she listened to it as to something new and
agreeable, without exactly knowing how much of it she was to believe,
while in the end I felt agitated, and at last really myself believed what
I said. I was pale, anxious and trembling, and I gently put my arm round
her waist and spoke to her softly, whispering into the little curls over
her ears. She seemed in a trance, so absorbed in thought was she.

"Then her hand touched mine, and she pressed it, and I gently squeezed
her waist with a trembling, and gradually firmer, grasp. She did not move
now, and I touched her cheek with my lips, and suddenly without seeking
them my lips met he