unhappy anywhere. When you come home fatigued you will find me
with a smile; when you stay at home you will tell me your thoughts, and
explain your work, and I will try to understand. I have no fear of
poverty, you know, and neither do I fear solitude. Wherever we are
together I shall be happy. All that I ask of you is to take my mother
with us, because you know I cannot leave her alone. In attending her, you
have learned to know her well enough to know that she is not disagreeable
or difficult to please. As for Florentin, he will remain in Paris and
work. His trip to America has made him wise, and his ambition will now be
easily satisfied; to earn a small salary is all that he asks. Without
doubt we shall be a burden, but not so heavy as one might think at first.
A woman, when she chooses, brings order and economy into a house, and I
promise you that I will be that woman. And then I will work. I am sure my
stationer will give me as many menus when I am in Auvergne as he does now
that I am in Paris. I could, also, without doubt, procure other work. It
would be a hundred francs a month, perhaps a hundred and fifty, perhaps
even two hundred. While waiting for your patients to come, we could live
on this money. In Auvergne living must be cheap."

She had taken his hands in hers, and she watched anxiously his face as
the firelight shone on it, to see the effect of her words. It was the
life of both of them that was to be decided, and the fulness of her heart
made her voice tremble. What would he reply? She saw that his face was
agitated, without being able to read more.

As she remained silent, he took her head in his hands, and looked in her
face for several moments.

"How you love me!" he said.

"Let me prove it in some way besides in words."

"It would be cowardly to let you share my misery."

"It would be loving me enough to feel sure that I would be happy."

"And I?"

"Is not the love in your heart greater than pride? Do you not feel that
since I have loved you my love has filled all my life, and that there is
nothing in the world, in the present or in the future, but it and you?
Because I see you for several hours from time to time in Paris, I am
happy; whatever difficulties await us, I should be much happier in
Auvergne, because we should be together always."

He remained silent for some time.

"Could you love me there?" he murmured.

Evidently it was more to himself than to her that he addressed this
qu