r, and so they ended by leaving her continually in bed,
and only taking her out to wash her, to change her linen, and to turn
her mattress.

"An old servant remained with her, to give her something to drink, or a
little cold meat, from time to time. What passed in that despairing
mind? No one ever knew, for she did not speak at all now. Was she
thinking of the dead? Was she dreaming sadly, without any precise
recollection of anything that had happened? Or was her memory as
stagnant as water without any current? But however this may have been,
for fifteen years she remained thus inert and secluded.

"The war broke out, and in the beginning of December the Germans came
to Cormeil. I can remember it as if it were but yesterday. It was
freezing hard enough to split the stones, and I myself was lying back
in an armchair, being unable to move on account of the gout, when I
heard their heavy and regular tread, and could see them pass from my
window.

"They defiled past interminably, with that peculiar motion of a puppet
on wires, which belongs to them. Then the officers billeted their men
on the inhabitants, and I had seventeen of them. My neighbor, the crazy
woman, had a dozen, one of whom was the Commandant, a regular violent,
surly swashbuckler.

"During the first few days, everything went on as usual. The officers
next door had been told that the lady was ill, and they did not trouble
themselves about that in the least, but soon that woman whom they never
saw irritated them. They asked what her illness was, and were told that
she had been in bed for fifteen years, in consequence of terrible
grief. No doubt they did not believe it, and thought that the poor mad
creature would not leave her bed out of pride, so that she might not
come near the Prussians, or speak to them or even see them.

"The Commandant insisted upon her receiving him. He was shown into the
room and said to her roughly: 'I must beg you to get up, Madame, and to
come downstairs so that we may all see you.' But she merely turned her
vague eyes on him, without replying, and so he continued: 'I do not
intend to tolerate any insolence, and if you do not get up of your own
accord, I can easily find means to make you walk without any
assistance.'

"But she did not give any signs of having heard him, and remained quite
motionless. Then he got furious, taking that calm silence for a mark of
supreme contempt; so he added: 'If you do not come downstairs
to-mo