like premature mourning for the
dying man. The window alone remained still visible, showing, within the
lighter square formed by it, the motionless outline of the young wife.

Forestier remarked, with irritation, "Well, are they going to bring in
the lamp to-night? This is what they call looking after an invalid."

The shadow outlined against the window panes disappeared, and the sound
of an electric bell rang through the house. A servant shortly entered
and placed a lamp on the mantelpiece. Madame Forestier said to her
husband, "Will you go to bed, or would you rather come down to dinner?"

He murmured: "I will come down."

Waiting for this meal kept them all three sitting still for nearly an
hour, only uttering from time to time some needless commonplace remark,
as if there had been some danger, some mysterious danger in letting
silence endure too long, in letting the air congeal in this room where
death was prowling.

At length dinner was announced. The meal seemed interminable to Duroy.
They did not speak, but ate noiselessly, and then crumbled their bread
with their fingers. The man servant who waited upon them went to and fro
without the sound of his footsteps being heard, for as the creak of a
boot-sole irritated Charles, he wore list slippers. The harsh tick of a
wooden clock alone disturbed the calm with its mechanical and regular
sound.

As soon as dinner was over Duroy, on the plea of fatigue, retired to his
room, and leaning on the window-sill watched the full moon, in the midst
of the sky like an immense lamp, casting its cold gleam upon the white
walls of the villas, and scattering over the sea a soft and moving
dappled light. He strove to find some reason to justify a swift
departure, inventing plans, telegrams he was to receive, a recall from
Monsieur Walter.

But his resolves to fly appeared more difficult to realize on awakening
the next morning. Madame Forestier would not be taken in by his devices,
and he would lose by his cowardice all the benefit of his self-devotion.
He said to himself: "Bah! it is awkward; well so much the worse, there
must be unpleasant situations in life, and, besides, it will perhaps be
soon over."

It was a bright day, one of those bright Southern days that make the
heart feel light, and Duroy walked down to the sea, thinking that it
would be soon enough to see Forestier some time in course of the
afternoon. When he returned to lunch, the servant remarked, "Master ha