s too dear," he said. The
shop-keeper's eloquence redoubled. "Oh! Monsieur Varin, too dear? It is
worth two thousand francs, if it is worth a son." But the man of letters
replied sadly, still looking at the figure with the enameled eyes: "I do
not say it is not; but it is too dear for me." And thereupon, she,
seized by a kind of mad audacity, came forward and said: "What shall you
charge me for the figure?" The shop-keeper, in surprise, replied:
"Fifteen hundred francs, Madame." "I will take it."

The writer, who had not even noticed her till that moment, turned round
suddenly; he looked at her from head to foot, with half-closed eyes,
observantly, and then he took in the details, as a connoisseur. She was
charming, suddenly animated by that flame which had hitherto been
dormant in her. And then, a woman who gives fifteen hundred francs for a
knick-knack is not to be met with every day.

But she was overcome by a feeling of delightful delicacy, and turning to
him, she said in a trembling voice: "Excuse me, Monsieur; no doubt I
have been rather hasty, as perhaps you had not finally made up your
mind." He, however, only bowed, and said: "Indeed, I had, Madame." And
she, filled with emotion, continued: "Well, Monsieur, if either to-day,
or at any other time, you change your mind, you can have this Japanese
figure. I only bought it because you seemed to like it."

He was visibly flattered, and smiled. "I should much like to find out
how you know who I am?" he said. Then she told him how she admired him,
and became quite eloquent as she quoted his works, and while they were
talking he rested his arms on a table, and fixed his bright eyes upon
her, trying to make out who and what she really was. But the shop-keeper,
who was pleased to have that living puff of his goods, called out, from
the other end of the shop: "Just look at this, Monsieur Varin; is it not
beautiful?"

And then everyone looked round, and she almost trembled with pleasure at
being seen talking so intimately with such a well-known man.

At last, however, intoxicated, as it were, by her feelings, she grew
bold, like a general does, who is going to give the order for an
assault. "Monsieur," she said, "will you do me a great, a very great
pleasure? Allow me to offer you this funny Japanese figure, as a
keepsake from a woman who admires you passionately, and whom you have
seen for ten minutes."

Of course he refused, and she persisted, but still he resisted