the black spot of his coat.
The young man returned home slowly, his heart bursting with nameless
sadness. However, he said nothing about this meeting to Christine.

A week later she had gone to Faucheur's to buy a pound of vermicelli,
and was lingering on her way back, gossiping with a neighbour, with
her child on her arm, when a gentleman who alighted from the ferry-boat
approached and asked her:

'Does not Monsieur Claude Lantier live near here?'

She was taken aback, and simply answered:

'Yes, monsieur; if you'll kindly follow me--'

They walked on side by side for about a hundred yards. The stranger, who
seemed to know her, had glanced at her with a good-natured smile; but as
she hurried on, trying to hide her embarrassment by looking very grave,
he remained silent. She opened the door and showed the visitor into the
studio, exclaiming:

'Claude, here is somebody for you.'

Then a loud cry rang out; the two men were already in each other's arms.

'Oh, my good old Pierre! how kind of you to come! And Dubuche?'

'He was prevented at the last moment by some business, and he sent me a
telegram to go without him.'

'All right, I half expected it; but you are here. By the thunder of
heaven, I am glad!'

And, turning towards Christine, who was smiling, sharing their delight:

'It's true, I didn't tell you. But the other day I met Dubuche, who was
going up yonder, to the place where those monsters live--'

But he stopped short again, and then with a wild gesture shouted:

'I'm losing my wits, upon my word. You have never spoken to each other,
and I leave you there like that. My dear, you see this gentleman? He's
my old chum, Pierre Sandoz, whom I love like a brother. And you, my boy;
let me introduce my wife. And you have got to give each other a kiss.'

Christine began to laugh outright, and tendered her cheek heartily.
Sandoz had pleased her at once with his good-natured air, his sound
friendship, the fatherly sympathy with which he looked at her. Tears of
emotion came to her eyes as he kept both her hands in his, saying:

'It is very good of you to love Claude, and you must love each other
always, for love is, after all, the best thing in life.'

Then, bending to kiss the little one, whom she had on her arm, he added:
'So there's one already!'

While Christine, preparing lunch, turned the house up-side down, Claude
retained Sandoz in the studio. In a few words he told him the whole of
the story, wh