er matter.

"She was a friend of my mother's, a charming woman in every way. When
such women are chaste, it is generally from sheer stupidity, and when
they are in love they are furiously so. And then--_we_ are accused of
corrupting _them_! Yes, yes, of course! With them it is always the
rabbit that begins and never the sportsman. I know all about it; they
don't seem to put their fingers near us, but they do it all the same,
and do what they like with us, without it being noticed, and then they
actually accuse us of having ruined them, dishonored them, humiliated
them, and all the rest of it.

"The woman in question certainly had a great desire to be humiliated by
me. She may have been about thirty-five, while I was scarcely
two-and-twenty. I no more thought of dishonoring her than I did of
turning Trappist. Well, one day when I was calling on her, and while I
was looking at her dress with considerable astonishment, for she had on
a morning wrapper which was open as wide as a church-door when the bells
are ringing for service, she took my hand and squeezed it--squeezed it,
you know, like they will do at such moments--and said, with a deep sigh,
one of those sighs, you know, which come from right down the bottom of
the chest: 'Oh! don't look at me like that, child!' I got as red as a
tomato, and felt more nervous than usual, naturally. I was very much
inclined to bolt, but she held my hand tightly, and putting it onto her
well-developed bust, she said: 'Just feel how my heart beats!' Of course
it was beating, and I began to understand what was the matter, but I
did not know what to do. I have changed considerably since then.

"As I remained standing there, with one hand on the soft covering of her
heart, while I held my hat in the other, and continuing to look at her
with a confused, silly smile--a timid, frightened smile--she suddenly
drew back, and said in an irritated voice:

"'Young man, what are you doing? You are indecent and badly brought up.'

"You may be sure I took my hand away quickly, stopped smiling, and
stammering out some excuse, I got up and took my leave as if I had lost
my head.

"But I was caught, and dreamt of her. I thought her charming, adorable;
I fancied that I loved her, that I had always loved her, and I
determined to see her again.

"When I saw her again she gave me a little smile like an actress might
behind the scenes. Oh, how that little smile upset me! And she shook
hands with a lon