e rooms good and warm
when she came.

But he was without impatience. That silent promise which he had
obtained, that Mme. Chantelouve would not leave him panting this night,
moderated him. Now that his uncertainty was at an end, he no longer
vibrated with the almost painful acuity which hitherto her malignant
delays had provoked. He soothed himself by poking the fire. His mind was
still full of her, but plethoric, content. When his thoughts stirred at
all it was, at the very most, to revolve the question, "How shall I go
about it, when the time comes, so as not to be ridiculous?" This
question, which had so harassed him the other night, left him troubled
but inert. He did not try to solve it, but decided to leave everything
to chance, since the best planned strategy was almost always abortive.

Then he revolted against himself, accused himself of stagnation, and
walked up and down to shake himself out of a torpor which might have
been attributed to the hot fire. Well, well, was it because he had had
to wait so long that his desires had left him, or at least quit
bothering him--no, they had not, why, he was yearning now for the moment
when he might crush that woman! He thought he had the explanation of his
lack of enthusiasm in the stage fright inseparable from any beginning.
"It will not be really exquisite tonight until after the newness wears
off and the grotesque with it. After I know her I shall be able to
consort with her again without feeling solicitous about her and
conscious of myself. I wish we were on that happy basis now."

The cat, sitting on the table, cocked up its ears, gazed at the door
with its black eyes, and fled. The bell rang and Durtal went to let her
in.

Her costume pleased him. He took off her furs. Her skirt was of a plum
colour so dark that it was almost black, the material thick and supple,
outlining her figure, squeezing her arms, making an hourglass of her
waist, accentuating the curve of her hips and the bulge of her corset.

"You are charming," he said, kissing her wrists, and he was pleased to
find that his lips had accelerated her pulse. She did not speak, could
hardly breathe. She was agitated and very pale.

He sat down facing her. She looked at him with her mysterious, half
sleepy eyes. He felt that he was falling in love all over again. He
forgot his reasonings and his fears, and took acute pleasure in
penetrating the mystery of these eyes and studying the vague smile of
this