coffins, among the
corpses and skeletons, I went towards her, sure that I should find her
immediately. I recognized her at once, without seeing her face, which
was covered by the winding-sheet, and on the marble cross, where shortly
before I had read: '_She loved, was loved, and died_,' I now saw:
'_Having gone out one day, in order to deceive her lover, she caught
cold in the rain and died._'"

* * * * *

"It appears that they found me at daybreak, lying on the grave
unconscious."

THE LAST STEP

Monsier de Saint-Juery would not have deceived his old mistress for
anything in the world: perhaps from an instinctive fear that he had
heard of adventures that turn out badly, make a noise, and bring about
hateful family quarrels, crises from which one emerges enervated and
exasperated with destiny, and, as it were, with the weight of a bullet
on one's feet, and also from his requirement for a calm, sheep-like
existence, whose monotony was never disturbed by any shock, and perhaps
from the remains of the love which had so entirely made him, during the
first years of their connection, the slave of the proud, dominating
beauty, and of the enthralling charm of that woman.

He kept out of the way of temptation almost timidly, and was faithful to
her, and as submissive as a spaniel. He paid her every attention, did
not appear to notice that the outlines of her figure, which had formerly
been so harmonious and supple, were getting too full and puffy, that her
face, which used to remind him of a blush rose, was getting wrinkled,
and that her eyes were getting dull. He admired her in spite of
everything, almost blindly, and clothed her with imaginary charms, with
an autumnal beauty, with the majestic and serene softness of an October
twilight, and with the last blossoms which unfold by the side of the
walks, strewn with dead leaves.

But although their connection had lasted for many years, though they
were as closely bound to each other as if they had been married, and
although Charlotte Guindal pestered him with entreaties, and upset him
with continual quarrels on the subject, and, in spite of the fact that
he believed her to be absolutely faithful to him, and worthy of his most
perfect confidence and love, yet Monsieur de Saint-Juery had never been
able to make up his mind to give her his name, and to put their false
position on a legal footing.

He really suffered from this, but rem