through life. I fancied her wedded to some
good man who made her happy, while I remained the friend of the
wife, after having been the confidant of the maiden. I took good
care of my fortune, which is considerable, because I thought of
her children, and wished to hoard up treasures for them. Poor,
poor Laurence!"

M. Lecoq fidgeted in his chair, rubbed his face with his
handkerchief, and seemed ill at ease. He was really much more
touched than he wished to appear.

"One day," pursued the old man, "my friend Courtois spoke to me of
her marriage with Tremorel; then I measured the depth of my love.
I felt terrible agonies which it is impossible to describe; it was
like a long-smothered fire which suddenly breaks forth and devours
everything. To be old, and to love a child! I thought I was
going crazy; I tried to reason, to upbraid myself, but it was of
no avail. What can reason or irony do against passion? I kept
silent and suffered. To crown all, Laurence selected me as her
confidant--what torture! She came to me to talk of Hector; she
admired in him all that seemed to her superior to other men, so
that none could be compared with him. She was enchanted with his
bold horseback riding, and thought everything he said sublime."

"Did you know what a wretch Tremorel was?"

"Alas, I did not yet know it. What was this man who lived at
Valfeuillu to me? But from the day that I learned that he was
going to deprive me of my most precious treasure, I began to
study him. I should have been somewhat consoled if I had found
him worthy of her; so I dogged him, as you, Monsieur Lecoq, cling
to the criminal whom you are pursuing. I went often to Paris to
learn what I could of his past life; I became a detective, and
went about questioning everybody who had known him, and the more
I heard of him the more I despised him. It was thus that I found
out his interviews with Jenny and his relations with Bertha."

"Why didn't you divulge them?"

"Honor commanded silence. Had I a right to dishonor my friend and
ruin his happiness and life, because of this ridiculous, hopeless
love? I kept my own counsel after speaking to Courtois about Jenny,
at which he only laughed. When I hinted something against Hector
to Laurence, she almost ceased coming to see me."

"Ah! I shouldn't have had either your patience or your generosity."

"Because you are not as old as I, Monsieur Lecoq. Oh, I cruelly
hated this Tremorel! I said to myself, when I saw