thought: "I am sixty-two years of age, she is fifty-eight;
I may ask her that now without giving offense."

He started out.

The Saudres's house was situated on the other side of the street, almost
directly opposite his own. He went up to it, knocked, and a little
servant came to open the door.

"You there at this hour, ill, Savel! Has some accident happened to you?"

M. Savel responded:

"No, my girl; but go and tell your mistress that I want to speak to her
at once."

"The fact is, Madame is preparing her stock of pear-jams for the winter,
and she is standing in front of the fire. She is not dressed, as you may
well understand."

"Yes, but go and tell her that I wish to see her on an important matter."

The little servant went away, and Savel began to walk, with long, nervous
strides, up and down the drawing-room. He did not feel himself the least
embarrassed, however. Oh! he was merely going to ask her something, as he
would have asked her about some cooking receipt, and that was: "Do you
know that I am sixty-two years of age!"

The door opened; and Madame appeared. She was now a gross woman, fat and
round, with full cheeks, and a sonorous laugh. She walked with her arms
away from her body, and her sleeves tucked up to the shoulders, her bare
arms all smeared with sugar juice. She asked, anxiously:

"What is the matter with you, my friend; you are not ill, are you?"

"No, my dear friend; but I wish to ask you one thing, which to me is of
the first importance, something which is torturing my heart, and I want
you to promise that you will answer me candidly."

She laughed, "I am always candid. Say on."

"Well, then. I have loved you from the first day I ever saw you. Can you
have any doubt of this?"

She responded, laughing, with something of her former tone of voice.

"Great goose! what ails you? I knew it well from the very first day!"

Savel began to tremble. He stammered out: "You knew it? Then--"

He stopped.

She asked:

"Then?... What?"

He answered:

"Then ... what would you think?... what ... what.... What would you
have answered?"

She broke forth into a peal of laughter, which made the sugar juice run
off the tips of her fingers on to the carpet.

"I? But you did not ask me anything. It was not for me to make a
declaration."

He then advanced a step towards her.

"Tell me ... tell me.... You remember the day when Saudres went to sleep
on the grass after lunch ... when we had