would the next morning accept a proposal which she could never have
expected and which would be a capital bargain for him, as he thus bound a
woman to his interests who would certainly bring him more than if she had
the best dowry in the district.

Neither could there be any scruples about an unequal match between them,
for in the country every one is very nearly equal; the farmer works with
his laborers, who frequently become masters in their turn, and the female
servants constantly become the mistresses of the establishments without
its making any change in their life or habits.

Rose did not go to bed that night. She threw herself, dressed as she was,
on her bed, and she had not even the strength to cry left in her, she was
so thoroughly dumfounded. She remained quite inert, scarcely knowing that
she had a body, and without being at all able to collect her thoughts,
though, at moments, she remembered something of what had happened, and
then she was frightened at the idea of what might happen. Her terror
increased, and every time the great kitchen clock struck the hour she
broke out in a perspiration from grief. She became bewildered, and had
the nightmare; her candle went out, and then she began to imagine that
some one bad cast a spell over her, as country people so often imagine,
and she felt a mad inclination to run away, to escape and to flee before
her misfortune, like a ship scudding before the wind. An owl hooted; she
shivered, sat up, passed her hands over her face, her hair, and all over
her body, and then she went downstairs, as if she were walking in her
sleep. When she got into the yard she stooped down, so as not to be seen
by any prowling scamp, for the moon, which was setting, shed a bright
light over the fields. Instead of opening the gate she scrambled over the
fence, and as soon as she was outside she started off. She went on
straight before her, with a quick, springy trot, and from time to time
she unconsciously uttered a piercing cry. Her long shadow accompanied
her, and now and then some night bird flew over her head, while the dogs
in the farmyards barked as they heard her pass; one even jumped over the
ditch, and followed her and tried to bite her, but she turned round and
gave such a terrible yell that the frightened animal ran back and cowered
in silence in its kennel.

The stars grew dim, and the birds began to twitter; day was breaking. The
girl was worn out and panting; and when the sun