flow of tears. Meanwhile the old
woman had taken possession of the room with a sort of rough authority.

"Don't worry yourself," she said as she bustled about. "Neighbors must
help each other. Luckily Dede has just gone to take the work home. Ah,
I see your trunks are not yet all unpacked, but I suppose there is some
linen in the chest of drawers, isn't there?"

I heard her pull a drawer open; she must have taken out a napkin which
she spread on the little table at the bedside. She then struck a match,
which made me think that she was lighting one of the candles on the
mantelpiece and placing it near me as a religious rite. I could follow
her movements in the room and divine all her actions.

"Poor gentleman," she muttered. "Luckily I heard you sobbing, poor
dear!" Suddenly the vague light which my left eye had detected vanished.
Mme Gabin had just closed my eyelids, but I had not felt her finger on
my face. When I understood this I felt chilled.

The door had opened again, and Dede, the child of ten, now rushed in,
calling out in her shrill voice: "Mother, Mother! Ah, I knew you would
be here! Look here, there's the money--three francs and four sous. I
took back three dozen lamp shades."

"Hush, hush! Hold your tongue," vainly repeated the mother, who, as the
little girl chattered on, must have pointed to the bed, for I guessed
that the child felt perplexed and was backing toward the door.

"Is the gentleman asleep?" she whispered.

"Yes, yes--go and play," said Mme Gabin.

But the child did not go. She was, no doubt, staring at me with widely
opened eyes, startled and vaguely comprehending. Suddenly she seemed
convulsed with terror and ran out, upsetting a chair.

"He is dead, Mother; he is dead!" she gasped.

Profound silence followed. Marguerite, lying back in the armchair,
had left off crying. Mme Gabin was still rummaging about the room and
talking under her breath.

"Children know everything nowadays. Look at that girl. Heaven knows how
carefully she's brought up! When I send her on an errand or take the
shades back I calculate the time to a minute so that she can't loiter
about, but for all that she learns everything. She saw at a glance what
had happened here--and yet I never showed her but one corpse, that of
her uncle Francois, and she was then only four years old. Ah well, there
are no children left--it can't be helped."

She paused and without any transition passed to another subject.

"I say