s are fugitive. I endure a chronic delirium.
This by day," he extended one hand with a despairing gesture, "but by
night----"

"Oh, I implore you," Helen interrupted, "spare me the description of
your nights! The subject is a hardly modest one. And then, at various
times, I have already heard so very much about them, those nights!"

Calmly she resumed her walk. The amazing vanity of the young man's
speech appeased her, in a measure, since it fed her contempt. Let him
sink himself beyond all hope of recovery, that was best. Let him go
down, down, in exposition of fatuous self-conceit. When he was low
enough, then she would kick him! Meanwhile her eyes, ever greedy of
incident and colour, registered the scene immediately submitted to
them. In the centre of the piazza, women--saffron and poppy-coloured
handkerchiefs tied round their dark heads--washed, with a fine
impartiality, soiled linen and vegetables in an iron trough, grated for
a third of its length, before a fountain of debased and flamboyant
design. Their voices were alternately shrill and gutteral. It was
perhaps as well not to understand too clearly all which they said. On
the left came a break in the high, painted house-fronts, off which in
places the plaster scaled, and from the windows of which protruded
miscellaneous samples of wearing apparel and bedding soliciting
much-needed purification by means of air and light. In the said break
was a low wall where coarse plants rooted, and atop of which lay some
half-dozen ragged youths, outstretched upon their stomachs, playing
cards. The least decrepit of the beggars, armed with Helen's largesse
of copper coin, had joined them from beneath the portico. Gambling,
seasoned by shouts, imprecations, blows, grew fast and furious. In the
steep roadway on the right a dray, loaded with barrels, creaked and
jolted upward. The wheels of it were solid discs of wood. The great,
mild-eyed, cream-coloured oxen strained, with slowly swinging heads,
under the heavy yoke. Scarlet, woolen bands and tassels adorned their
broad foreheads and wide-sweeping, black-tipped horns, and here and
there a scarlet drop their flanks, where the goad had pricked them too
shrewdly. And upon it all the unrelenting southern sun looked down, and
Helen de Vallorbes' unrelenting eyes looked forth. One of those quick
realisations of the inexhaustible excitement of living came to her. She
looked at the elegant young man walking beside her, apprised, meas