had the same
sound for adoring as for lying? Why was a false, deceptive look the same
as a sincere one? And he watched them, waiting to catch a gesture, a
word, an intonation. Then suddenly he thought: "I will surprise them
this evening," and he said:

"My dear, as I have dismissed Julie, I will see about getting another
girl this very day. I will go at once to procure one by to-morrow
morning, so I may not be in until late."

"Very well," she replied; "go. I shall not stir from here. Limousin will
keep me company. We will wait for you." Then, turning to the maid, she
said: "You had better put George to bed, and then you can clear away and
go up to your room."

Parent had got up; he was unsteady on his legs, dazed and bewildered,
and saying, "I shall see you again later on," he went out, holding on
to the wall, for the floor seemed to roll like a ship. George had been
carried out by his nurse, while Henriette and Limousin went into the
drawing-room.

As soon as the door was shut, he said: "You must be mad, surely, to
torment your husband as you do?"

She immediately turned on him: "Ah! Do you know that I think the habit
you have got into lately, of looking upon Parent as a martyr, is very
unpleasant?"

Limousin threw himself into an easy-chair and crossed his legs. "I am
not setting him up as a martyr in the least, but I think that, situated
as we are, it is ridiculous to defy this man as you do, from morning
till night."

She took a cigarette from the mantelpiece, lighted it, and replied:
"But I do not defy him; quite the contrary. Only he irritates me by his
stupidity, and I treat him as he deserves."

Limousin continued impatiently: "What you are doing is very foolish! I
am only asking you to treat your husband gently, because we both of us
require him to trust us. I think that you ought to see that."

They were close together: he, tall, dark, with long whiskers and the
rather vulgar manners of a good-looking man who is very well satisfied
with himself; she, small, fair, and pink, a little Parisian, born in
the back room of a shop, half cocotte and half bourgeoise, brought up
to entice customers to the store by her glances, and married, in
consequence, to a simple, unsophisticated man, who saw her outside the
door every morning when he went out and every evening when he came home.

"But do you not understand; you great booby," she said, "that I hate
him just because he married me, because he bought me,