least noise. The creaking of a door--the slightest bit
of light-makes her ill. The days drag--they drag--yes, they do. No one
speaks. Most of the time I dine alone. Shall I tell you?--no--yes, I
will. Marsa, yes, well! Marsa, she is good, very good--thinks only of the
poor-the poor, you know! But whatever Doctor Fargeas may say about it,
she is mad! You can't deceive me! She is insane!--still insane!"

"Insane?" said Andras, striving to control his emotion.

The General, who was now staggering violently, clung desperately to the
Prince. They had reached the boulevard, and Andras, hailing a cab, made
Vogotzine get in, and instructed the coachman to drive to the Bois.

"I assure you that she is insane," proceeded the General, throwing his
head back on the cushions. "Yes, insane. She does not eat anything; she
never rests. Upon my word, I don't know how she lives. Once--her
dogs--she took walks. Now, I go with them into the park--good
beasts--very gentle. Sometimes, all that she says, is: 'Listen! Isn't
that Duna or Bundas barking?' Ah! if I wasn't afraid of Froloffyes,
Froloff--how soon I should return to Russia! The life of Paris--the life
of Paris wearies me. You see, I come here today, I take up a newspaper,
and I see what? Froloff! Besides, the life of Paris--at
Maisons-Lafitte--between four walls, it is absurd! Now, acknowledge, old
man, isn't it absurd? Do you know what I should like to do? I should like
to send a petition to the Czar. What did I do, after all, I should like
to know? It wasn't anything so horrible. I stayed, against the Emperor's
orders, five days too long at Odessa--that was all--yes, you see, a
little French actress who was there, who sang operettas; oh, how she did
sing operettas! Offenbach, you know;" and the General tried to hum a bar
or two of the 'Dites lui', with ludicrous effect. "Charming! To leave
her, ah! I found that very hard. I remained five days: that wasn't much,
eh, Zilah? five days? But the devil! There was a Grand Duke--well--humph!
younger than I, of course--and--and--the Grand Duke was jealous. Oh!
there was at that time a conspiracy at Odessa! I was accused of spending
my time at the theatre, instead of watching the conspirators. They even
said I was in the conspiracy! Oh, Lord! Odessa! The gallows! Froloff!
Well, it was Stephanie Gavaud who was the cause of it. Don't tell that to
Marsa! Ah! that little Stephanie! 'J'ai vu le vieux Bacchus sur sa roche
fertile!' Tautin--no, T