e, with their medley of embroidered fabrics and
bronzes and china, were already sleeping under a slowly creeping flood
of shadows, which drowned nooks and corners and blotted out the gleam
of ivory and the glint of gold. And there in the darkness, on the white
surface of a wide, outspread petticoat, which alone remained clearly
visible, he saw Nana lying stretched in the arms of Georges. Denial in
any shape or form was impossible. He gave a choking cry and stood gaping
at them.

Nana had bounded up, and now she pushed him into the bedroom in order to
give the lad time to escape.

"Come in," she murmured with reeling senses, "I'll explain."

She was exasperated at being thus surprised. Never before had she given
way like this in her own house, in her own drawing room, when the doors
were open. It was a long story: Georges and she had had a disagreement;
he had been mad with jealousy of Philippe, and he had sobbed so bitterly
on her bosom that she had yielded to him, not knowing how else to calm
him and really very full of pity for him at heart. And on this solitary
occasion, when she had been stupid enough to forget herself thus with a
little rascal who could not even now bring her bouquets of violets,
so short did his mother keep him--on this solitary occasion the count
turned up and came straight down on them. 'Gad, she had very bad luck!
That was what one got if one was a good-natured wench!

Meanwhile in the bedroom, into which she had pushed Muffat, the darkness
was complete. Whereupon after some groping she rang furiously and asked
for a lamp. It was Julien's fault too! If there had been a lamp in the
drawing room the whole affair would not have happened. It was the stupid
nightfall which had got the better of her heart.

"I beseech you to be reasonable, my pet," she said when Zoe had brought
in the lights.

The count, with his hands on his knees, was sitting gazing at the floor.
He was stupefied by what he had just seen. He did not cry out in anger.
He only trembled, as though overtaken by some horror which was freezing
him. This dumb misery touched the young woman, and she tried to comfort
him.

"Well, yes, I've done wrong. It's very bad what I did. You see I'm sorry
for my fault. It makes me grieve very much because it annoys you. Come
now, be nice, too, and forgive me."

She had crouched down at his feet and was striving to catch his eye with
a look of tender submission. She was fain to know whether he