of hate, of triumph and of vengeance in
her face. One knew that one blow would do it; that his head would be
severed by that heavy knife she held as surely as a Maitre d'Armes would
cut a dead sheep in two."

"It was only a piece of acting, Rene. You might as well say that a
tragedienne would be capable of carrying out a tragedy in her own
family."

"Perhaps so, Clement, but then you see it would never occur to me to
marry a tragedienne. I should imagine that she would ask for the salt in
the same tone that she would demand poison. I grant it was acting, but
there was a terrific truth about it that showed that she was at least
able to picture the position and feel it. I tried to sketch her, but I
gave it up as hopeless. It was beyond me altogether. I observed that all
the others failed, too, except Cuthbert here. He dashed it off in his
note-book, and if he ever paints it, I would not have it hung up in my
bedroom for a thousand francs, for I should never dare to go to sleep
with it looking at me. But, indeed, of late, Minette has changed a good
deal; the little fool is carried away by all this talk up at Belleville,
and takes it quite seriously. You remember she has refused our last
three invitations, and she said quite superbly when I asked her the last
time, 'This is no time for feasting and enjoyment, M. Rene, when Paris
is besieged and thousands are starving.'"

"Then I don't know where they are," Pierre said. "Belleville was never
so well off as it is to-day; every man gets a franc and a half a day for
wearing a kepi and going for a few hours once a week on duty on the
wall. His wife gets something, and they have so much for each child.
They have no work to do, and I am told that, although six francs a day
are offered by the Government for laborers, they cannot get enough men.
The fellows enjoy smoking, lounging, talking, and doing nothing too much
to be tempted by any offer. There may be starvation before we have done;
but at any rate there is none at present, for every man, woman, and
child draws their ration of meat, not a large one, but enough to get on
with; beside bread is not very dear, and there is no lack of vegetables,
brought in every day from beyond the forts."

"I said as much to Minette, Pierre, but she only muttered that
working-men would not always exist on charity, and the time would come
when there would be plenty for all. We shall have trouble with them
before we have done I expect, what do