of the bed. He took both their hands with his
left, smiled on them, and kissed them tenderly.

"I am sure now that I shall never quarrel with either of you again; you
will deceive me no more. I now know you are capable of anything."

Gilberte, weeping, swore that Maurice had been misled by appearances,
that she had never betrayed him with Arcade, that she had never betrayed
him at all. And in a great gush of sincerity she persuaded herself that
this was so.

"You wrong yourself, Gilberte," replied the wounded man. "It did happen;
it had to. And it is well. Gilberte, you were basely false to me with my
best friend in this very room, and you were right. If you had not been
we should not be here, reunited, all three of us, and I should not be at
your side tasting the greatest happiness of my life. Oh, Gilberte, how
wrong of you to deny a perfect and accomplished fact!"

"If you wish, my friend," replied Gilberte, a little acidly, "I will not
deny it. But it will only be to please you."

Maurice made her sit down on the bed, and begged Arcade to be seated in
the arm-chair.

"My friend," said Arcade, "I was innocent. I became man. Straightway I
did evil. Then I became better."

"Do not let us exaggerate things," said Maurice. "Let's have a game of
bridge."

Scarcely, however, had the patient seen three aces in his hand and
called "no trumps," than his eyes began to swim, the cards slipped from
his fingers, head fell heavily back on the pillow, and he complained of
a violent headache. Almost immediately, Madame des Aubels went off to
pay some calls, for she made a point of appearing in Society, in order
that the calmness and confidence of her demeanour might give the lie to
the various rumours that were current concerning her. Arcade saw her to
the door, and, with a kiss, inhaled from her a delicate perfume which he
brought back with him into the room where Maurice lay dozing.

"I am perfectly content," murmured the latter, "that things should have
happened as they have."

"It was bound to be so," answered the Spirit. "All the other angels in
revolt would have done as I did with Gilberte. 'Women,' saith the
Apostle, 'should pray with their heads covered, because of the angels,'
and the Apostle speaks thus because he knows that the angels are
disturbed when they look upon them and see that they are beautiful. No
sooner do they touch the earth than they desire to embrace mortal women
and fulfil their desire. Their c