ey knew that nothing of
that sort would occur--Pierre through the presentiment of his native
pessimism--Luce through the clairvoyance of love which understood the
practical impossibility of the marriage.... That is why they hasted to
enjoy it in their dream. And each concealed from the other the certainty
felt that it would not be anything else but a dream. Each one believed
that this secret was personal and watched, deeply touched, over the
other's illusion.

When they had exhausted the mournful delights of the impossible future
they were overcome with fatigue, as if they had lived through all of it.
Then they rested themselves, seated under the arbor with the dried-up
vines, while the sun melted the congealed sap; and, Pierre's head on
Luce's shoulder, they listened dreamily to the humming of the earth.
Behind the passing clouds the young sun of March played bo-peep, laughed
and disappeared. Clear sunrays, somber shadows ran across the plain as
in a soul run joys and sorrows.

"Luce," said Pierre abruptly, "don't you recollect?... It was long, long
ago.... Even then we were like this...."

"Yes," said Luce, "that's true. All of it, I remember all.... But where
were we?..."

They amused themselves by trying to recall under what shapes they had
known one another before. Already as human beings? Perhaps. But
certainly at that time Pierre was the girl and Luce the lover.... Birds
in the air? When she was a small child her mother told Luce that she had
been a little wild goose that had fallen down the chimney; ah! she had
thoroughly broken her wings!... But where particularly they enjoyed
finding themselves again was in the elementary fluid forms that
penetrate one another, twist about and untwist like the volutes of a
dream or else of smoke: white clouds that dissolve in the gulf of the
sky, little waves that play about, the rain on the soil, the dew on the
bush, seeds of dandelion that swim at the beck of the air.... But the
wind carries them away. Provided it does not begin to blow again and
that we shall not lose each other any more for all eternity!...

But he decided:

"As for me, I believe that we never did quit one another; we were
together just as we are now, lying against each other; only, we were
asleep and we dreamed dreams. From time to time we awake.... With
difficulty.... I feel your breath, your cheek against mine.... One makes
a great effort; we bring our mouths together.... One falls back
asleep..