omte de Fourville, a sort of
fire-eater who was said to be worrying his wife to death, and who lived
in the Chateau de la Vrillette, which was built on a lake, passing his
time in hunting and shooting. A few parvenus had bought property in the
neighborhood, but the vicomte did not know them.

He rose to go, and his last look was for Jeanne as though he would have
made his adieu to her specially friendly and tender.

The baroness thought him charming and very _comme il faut_, and the
baron remarked that he was a very well-educated man. He was asked to
dinner the following week, and after that he visited the chateau
regularly.

Generally he came about four o'clock, joined the baroness in "her
avenue," and insisted on her leaning on his arm to take "her exercise."
When Jeanne was at home she supported her mother on the other side and
all three walked slowly up and down the long path. He did not talk to
the young girl but often his dark, velvety eyes met Jeanne's, which were
like blue agate.

Sometimes they walked down to Yport with the baron, and one evening, as
they were standing on the beach, old Lastique came up to them, and,
without taking his pipe from his mouth, for it would have been stranger
to see him without his pipe than without his nose, said:

"With this wind, M'sieu l'baron, you'd be able to go to Etretat and back
to-morrow quite easily."

Jeanne clasped her hands together; "Oh, papa! If only you would!"

The baron turned to M. de Lamare.

"Will you go, vicomte? We could have lunch over there." And the
excursion was planned for the following day.

The next morning Jeanne was up at daybreak. She waited for her father,
who took longer to dress, and then they walked over the dewy plain and
through the wood filled with the sweet song of the birds, down to Yport,
where they found the vicomte and old Lastique sitting on the capstan of
their little vessel.

Two sailors helped to start the boat, by putting their shoulders to the
sides and pushing with all their might. It was hard to move over the
level part of the beach, and Lastique slipped rollers of greased wood
under the keel, then went back to his place and drawled out his long
"Heave oh!" which was the signal for them all to push together, and when
they came to the slant of the beach, the boat set off all at once,
sliding over the round pebbles, and making a grating noise like the
tearing of linen. It stopped short at the edge of the waves and they