his change of life, the ardent literary struggle
into which he had thrown himself, made no difference; he kept to his day
'at home,' that Thursday which dated from the time he had left college,
from the time they had all smoked their first pipes. As he himself
expressed it, alluding to his wife, there was only one chum more.

'I say, old man,' he had frankly said to Claude, 'I'm greatly worried--'

'What about?'

'Why, about inviting Madame Christine. There are a lot of idiots, a lot
of philistines watching me, who would say all manner of things--'

'You are quite right, old man. But Christine herself would decline to
come. Oh! we understand the position very well. I'll come alone, depend
upon it.'

At six o'clock, Claude started for Sandoz's place in the Rue Nollet, in
the depths of Batignolles, and he had no end of trouble in finding the
small pavilion which his friend had rented. First of all he entered a
large house facing the street, and applied to the doorkeeper, who made
him cross three successive courtyards; then he went down a passage,
between two other buildings, descended some steps, and tumbled upon the
iron gate of a small garden. That was the spot, the pavilion was there
at the end of a path. But it was so dark, and he had nearly broken his
legs coming down the steps, that he dared not venture any further, the
more so as a huge dog was barking furiously. At last he heard the voice
of Sandoz, who was coming forward and trying to quiet the dog.

'Ah, it's you! We are quite in the country, aren't we? We are going to
set up a lantern, so that our company may not break their necks. Come
in, come in! Will you hold your noise, you brute of a Bertrand? Don't
you see that it's a friend, fool?'

Thereupon the dog accompanied them as far as the pavilion, wagging his
tail and barking joyously. A young servant-girl had come out with
a lantern, which she fastened to the gate, in order to light up the
breakneck steps. In the garden there was simply a small central lawn,
on which there stood a large plum tree, diffusing a shade around that
rotted the grass; and just in front of the low house, which showed only
three windows, there stretched an arbour of Virginia creeper, with a
brand-new seat shining there as an ornament amid the winter showers,
pending the advent of the summer sun.

'Come in,' repeated Sandoz.

On the right-hand side of the hall he ushered Claude into the parlour,
which he had turned into a st