the jessamine, the honeysuckle
on the walls exhaled from moment to moment, in intermittent puffs, the
excess of their perfume; one would have thought that hands swung in
silence censers in the darkness, for some hidden festival, for some
enchantment magnificent and secret.

There are often and everywhere very mysterious enchantments like this,
emanating from nature itself, commanded by one knows not what sovereign
will with unfathomable designs, to deceive us all, on the road to
death--

"You do not reply, Gracieuse, you say nothing to me--"

He could see that she was intoxicated also, like him, and yet he divined
by her manner of remaining mute so long, that shadows were amassing over
his charming and beautiful dream.

"But," she asked at last, "your naturalization papers. You have received
them, have you not?"

"Yes, they arrived last week, you know very well, and it was you who
said that I should apply for them--"

"Then you are a Frenchman to-day.--Then, if you do not do your military
service you are a deserter."

"Yes.--A deserter, no; but refractory, I think it is called.--It isn't
better, since one cannot come back.--I was not thinking of that--"

How she was tortured now to have caused this thought, to have impelled
him herself to this act which made soar over his hardly seen joy a
threat so black! Oh, a deserter, he, her Ramuntcho! That is, banished
forever from the dear, Basque country!--And this departure for America
becomes suddenly frightfully grave, solemn, similar to a death, since he
could not possibly return!--Then, what was there to be done?--

Now they were anxious and mute, each one preferring to submit to the
will of the other, and waiting, with equal fright, for the decision
which should be taken, to go or to remain. From the depths of their two
young hearts ascended, little by little, a similar distress, poisoning
the happiness offered over there, in that America from which they
would never return.--And the little, nocturnal censers of jessamine, of
honeysuckle, of linden, continued to throw into the air exquisite puffs
to intoxicate them; the darkness that enveloped them seemed more and
more caressing and soft; in the silence of the village and of the
country, the tree-toads gave, from moment to moment, their little
flute-note, which seemed a very discreet love call, under the velvet of
the moss; and, through the black lace of the foliage, in the serenity of
a June sky which one thoug