but none were to be found except the night lights which had
been placed upon the tables upstairs, in the death chamber.

Mdme. Caravan, always prompt in her decisions, quickly dispatched
Marie-Louise to fetch two, and her return was awaited in total darkness.

The footsteps of the girl who had ascended the stairs were distinctly
heard. There followed now a silence for a few seconds, then the child
descended precipitately. She threw open the door affrighted, and in
a choked voice murmured: "Oh! papa, grandmamma is dressing herself!"

Caravan bounded to his feet with such precipitance that his chair rolled
over against the chair. He stammered out: "You say?... What is that you
say?"

But Marie-Louise, gasping with emotion, repeated:
"Grand ... grand ... grandmamma is putting on her clothes, she is coming
down stairs."

Caravan rushed boldly up the staircase, followed by his wife,
dumbfounded; but he came to a standstill before the door of the second
floor, overcome with terror, not daring to enter. What was he going to
see? Mdme. Caravan, more courageous, turned the handle of the door and
stepped forward into the room.

The room seemed to become darker, and in the middle of it, a tall
emaciated figure moved about. The old woman stood upright, and in
awakening from her lethargic sleep, before even full consciousness had
returned to her, in turning upon her side, and raising herself on her
elbow, she had extinguished three of the candles which burned near the
mortuary bed. Then, recovering her strength, she got out of bed and began
to seek for her things. The absence of her chest of drawers had at first
given her some trouble, but, after a little, she had succeeded in finding
her things at the bottom of the wooden trunk, and was now quietly
dressing. She emptied the plateful of holy water, replaced the box which
contained the latter behind the looking-glass and arranged the chairs in
their places, and was ready to go downstairs when there appeared before
her her son and daughter-in-law.

Caravan rushed forward, seized her by the hands, embraced her with
tears in his eyes, while his wife, who was behind him, repeated in a
hypocritical tone of voice: "Oh, what a blessing! Oh, what a blessing!"

But the old woman, without being at all moved, without even appearing to
understand, as rigid as a statue, and with glazed eyes, simply asked:
"Will the dinner soon be ready?"

He stammered out, not knowing what he said: "O,