his way to the farm house. A soft shadow, the warm
shadow of a spring night, was slowly descending on the earth.

When he reached the front door, he thought he saw through the window
which was lighted up, two persons in the house. He stopped, much
surprised, then he went in, and he saw Victor Lecoq seated at the table,
with a plate filled with potatoes before him, taking his supper in the
very same place where his son had sat.

And, all of a sudden, he turned round, as if he wanted to go away. The
night was very dark now. Celeste started up, and shouted at him:

"Come quick, daddy! Here's some good stew to finish off the assembly
with."

Thereupon he complied through inertia, and sat down watching in turn
the man, the woman and the child. Then, he began to eat quietly as on
ordinary days.

Victor Lecoq seemed quite at home, talked from time to time to Celeste,
took up the child in his lap, and kissed him. And Celeste again served
him with food, poured out drink for him, and appeared content while
speaking to him. Old Amable followed them with a fixed look without
hearing what they were saying.

When he had finished supper (and he had scarcely eaten anything, so much
did he feel his heart wrung) he rose up, and in place of ascending to his
loft as he did every night he opened the yard door, and went out into the
open air.

When he had gone, Celeste, a little uneasy, asked:

"What is he going to do?"

Victor replied in an indifferent tone:

"Don't bother yourself. He'll come back when he's tired."

Then, she saw after the house, washed the plates and wiped the table,
while the man quietly took off his clothes. Then he slipped into the dark
and hollow bed in which she had slept with Cesaire.

The yard door reopened, old Amable again presented himself. As soon as he
had come in, he looked round on every side with the air of an old dog on
the scent. He was in search of Victor Lecoq. As he did not see him, he
took the candle off the table, and approached the dark niche in which his
son had died. In the interior of it he perceived the man lying under the
bed clothes and already asleep. Then the deaf man noiselessly turned
round, put back the candle, and went out into the yard.

Celeste had finished her work. She put her son into his bed, arranged
everything, and waited her father-in-law's return before lying down
herself beside Victor.

She remained sitting on a chair, without moving her hands, and with her