t, and said: "There, you are at home, now." And I certainly
acted as though I had been, though I felt rather embarrassed and
somewhat uneasy.

Suddenly a loud knocking at the door made us start, and a man's voice
called out: "Marroca, it is I." She started: "My husband! ... Here, hide
under the bed, quickly." I was distractedly looking for my overcoat, but
she gave me a push, and panted out: "Come along, come along."

I lay down flat on my stomach, and crept under the bed without a word,
while she went into the kitchen. I heard her open a cupboard, and then
shut it again, and she came back into the room, carrying some object
which I could not see, but which she quickly put down; and as her
husband was getting impatient, she said, calmly: "I cannot find the
matches." Then suddenly she added: "Oh! Here they are; I will come and
let you in."

The man came in, and I could see nothing of him but his feet, which were
enormous. If the rest of him was in proportion, he must have been a
giant.

I heard kisses, a little pat on her naked flesh, and a laugh, and he
said, in a strong Marseilles accent: "I forgot my purse, so I was
obliged to come back; you were sound asleep, I suppose." He went to the
cupboard, and was a long time in finding what he wanted; and as Marocca
had thrown herself onto a bed, as if she were tired out, he went up to
her, and no doubt tried to caress her, for she flung a volley of angry
_r's_ at him. His feet were so close to me that I felt a stupid,
inexplicable longing to catch hold of them, but I restrained myself, and
when he saw that he could not succeed in his wish, he got angry, and
said: "You are not at all nice, to-night. Good-bye." I heard another
kiss, then the big feet turned, and I saw the nails in the soles of his
shoes as he went into the next room, the front door was shut, and I was
saved!

I came slowly out of my retreat, feeling rather humiliated, and while
Marroca danced a jig round me, shouting with laughter, and clapping her
hands, I threw myself heavily into a chair. But I jumped up with a
bound, for I had sat down on something cold, and as I was no more
dressed than my accomplice was, the contact made me start, and I looked
round. I had sat down on a small axe, used for cutting wood, and as
sharp as a knife. How had it got there? ... I had certainly not seen it
when I went in; but Marroca seeing me jump up, nearly choked with
laughter, and coughed with both hands on her stomach.