he room seemed to be filled with an atmosphere of warmth and
comfort, and the comte gayly took up his wife in his strong arms like a
child, and gave her two hearty kisses on her cheeks.

Jeanne could not help smiling at this good-natured giant to whom his
moustaches gave the appearance of an ogre. "What wrong impressions of
people one forms every day," she thought; and, almost involuntarily, she
glanced at Julien. He was standing in the doorway his eyes fixed on the
comte and his face very pale. His expression frightened her and, going
up to him, she asked:

"What is the matter? are you ill?"

"There's nothing the matter with me," he answered, churlishly. "Leave me
alone. I only feel cold."

Dinner was announced and the comte begged permission for his dogs to
come into the dining-room. They came and sat one on each side of their
master, who every minute threw them some scrap of food. The animals
stretched out their heads, and wagged their tails, quivering with
pleasure as he drew their long silky ears through his fingers.

After dinner, when Jeanne and Julien began to say good-bye, the comte
insisted on their staying to see some fishing by torchlight. They and
the comtesse stood on the steps leading down to the lake, while the
comte got into his boat with a servant carrying a lighted torch and a
net. The torch cast strange trembling reflections over the water, its
dancing glimmers even lighting up the firs beyond the reeds; and
suddenly, as the boat turned round, an enormous fantastic shadow was
thrown on the background of the illumined wood. It was the shadow of a
man, but the head rose above the trees and was lost against the dark
sky, while the feet seemed to be down in the lake. This huge creature
raised its arms as if it would grasp the stars; the movement was a rapid
one, and the spectators on the steps heard a little splash.

The boat tacked a little, and the gigantic shadow seemed to run along
the wood, which was lighted up as the torch moved with the boat; then it
was lost in the darkness, then reappeared on the chateau wall, smaller,
but more distinct; and the loud voice of the comte was heard exclaiming:

"Gilberte, I have caught eight!"

The oars splashed, and the enormous shadow remained standing in the same
place on the wall, but gradually it became thinner and shorter; the head
seemed to sink lower and the body to get narrower, and when M. de
Fourville came up the steps, followed by the servant ca