hen she began to scream terribly, as
if the sight of that little object had suddenly aroused her
recollection, which was beginning to grow indistinct. She is pitiably
thin now, with hollow cheeks and brilliant eyes, and she walks up and
down ceaselessly, like a wild beast does in its cage; I have had bars
put to the windows, and have had the seats fixed to the floor, so as to
prevent her from looking to see whether he is coming.

"Oh! her poor parents! What a life they must lead!"

We had got to the top of the hill, and the doctor turned round and said
to me:

"Look at Riom from here."

The gloomy town looked like some ancient city. Behind it, a green,
wooded plain studded with towns and villages, and bathed in a soft blue
haze, extended, until it was lost in the distance. Far away, on my
right, there was a range of lofty mountains with round summits, or else
cut off flat, as if with a sword, and the doctor began to enumerate the
villages, towns and hills, and to give me the history of all of them.
But I did not listen to him; I was thinking of nothing but the mad
woman, and I only saw her. She seemed to be hovering over that vast
extent of country like a mournful ghost, and I asked him abruptly:

"What has become of the husband?"

My friend seemed rather surprised, but after a few moments' hesitation,
he replied:

"He is living at Royat, on an allowance that they make, and is quite
happy; he leads a very fast life."

As we were slowly going back, both of us silent and rather low-spirited,
an English dog cart, drawn by a thoroughbred horse, came up behind us,
and passed us rapidly. The doctor took me by the arm.

"There he is," he said.

I saw nothing except a gray felt hat, cocked over one ear, above a pair
of broad shoulders, driving off in a cloud of dust.

ABANDONED

"I really think you must be mad, my dear, to go for a country walk in
such weather as this. You have had some very strange ideas for the last
two months. You take me to the sea side in spite of myself, when you
have never once had such a whim during all the forty-four years that we
have been married. You chose Fecamp, which is a very dull town, without
consulting me in the matter, and now you are seized with such a rage for
walking, you who hardly ever stir out on foot, that you want to go into
the country on the hottest day in the year. Ask d'Apreval to go with
you, as he is ready to gratify all your fancies. As for me, I am goin