be cultivated?" he asked. "It's pitiful
to see all that land lying waste and idle."

"Cultivate it!" cried Seguin. "Ah! I should like to see such a miracle!
The only crops that one will ever raise on it are stones and frogs."

They had by this time eaten their dessert, and before rising from table
Marianne was telling Valentine that she would much like to see and kiss
her children, who had not been allowed to lunch with their elders on
account of their supposed unruly ways, when a couple of visitors
arrived in turn, and everything else was forgotten. One was Santerre the
novelist, who of late had seldom called on the Seguins, and the other,
much to Mathieu's dislike, proved to be Beauchene's sister, Seraphine,
the Baroness de Lowicz. She looked at the young man in a bold,
provoking, significant manner, and then, like Santerre, cast a sly
glance of mocking contempt at Marianne and Valentine. She and the
novelist between them soon turned the conversation on to subjects that
appealed to their vicious tastes. And Santerre related that he had
lately seen Doctor Gaude perform several operations at the Marbeuf
Hospital. He had found there the usual set of society men who attend
first performances at the theatres, and indeed there were also some
women present.

And then he enlarged upon the subject, giving the crudest and most
precise particulars, much to the delight of Seguin, who every now and
again interpolated remarks of approval, while both Mathieu and Marianne
grew more and more ill at ease. The young woman sat looking with
amazement at Santerre as he calmly recapitulated horror after horror, to
the evident enjoyment of the others. She remembered having read his last
book, that love story which had seemed to her so supremely absurd, with
its theories of the annihilation of the human species. And she at
last glanced at Mathieu to tell him how weary she felt of all the
semi-society and semi-medical chatter around her, and how much she would
like to go off home, leaning on his arm, and walking slowly along the
sunlit quays. He, for his part, felt a pang at seeing so much insanity
rife amid those wealthy surroundings. He made his wife a sign that it
was indeed time to take leave.

"What! are you going already!" Valentine then exclaimed. "Well, I dare
not detain you if you feel tired." However, when Marianne begged her to
kiss the children for her, she added: "Why, yes, it's true you have not
seen them. Wait a moment, pray