were
bowing and talking gossip quite unconnected with the ceremony, while the
bright expression on every face showed the reaction after a long hour's
sitting still and listening to melancholy music. Plans were made,
meetings arranged; the hurrying stream of life, stopped for a brief
while, impatiently resumed its course, and poor Loisillon was left far
behind in the past to which he belonged.

'At the Francais to-night, don't forget; it's the last Tuesday,'
simpered Madame Ancelin, while Paul said to Lavaux, 'Are you going to
see it through?'

'No; I'm taking Madame Eviza home.'

'Then come to Keyser's at six. We shall want freshening after the
speeches.'

The mourning coaches were drawing up one after the other, while the
private carriages set off at a trot. People were leaning out of all the
windows in the square, and over towards the Boulevard Saint-Germain
men standing on the stationary tramcars showed tier after tier of heads
rising in dark relief against the blue sky. Freydet, dazzled by the sun,
tilted his hat over his eyes and looked at the crowd, which reached as
far as he could see. He felt proud, transferring to the Academie the
posthumous glory which certainly could not be ascribed to the author
of the 'Journey in Val d'Andorre,' though at the same time he was
distressed at noticing that his dear 'future colleagues' obviously kept
him at a distance, became meditative when he drew near, or turned away,
making little groups to keep out the intruder. And these were the very
men who only two days ago at Voisin's had said to him, 'When are
you going to join us?' But the heaviest blow was the desertion of
Astier-Rehu.

'What a calamity, sir!' said Freydet, coming up to him and putting on
a doleful expression for the purpose of saying something sympathetic.
Astier-Rehu, standing by the hearse, made no answer, but went on turning
over the leaves of the oration he would shortly have to deliver. 'What a
calamity!' repeated Freydet.

'My dear Freydet, you are indecent,' said his master, roughly, in a loud
voice. And with one harsh snap of the jaw he betook himself again to his
reading.

Indecent! What did he mean? The poor man looked himself over, but could
find no explanation of the reproach. What was the matter? What had he
done?

For some minutes he was quite dazed. Vaguely he saw the hearse start
under its shaking pyramid of flowers, with green coats at the four
corners, more green coats behind, then al