Volume VI Part 16 (1/2)

What is it?”

He blushed not knohat to say, and she went on in an indignant tone: ”You see very well that you are lying, you low brute” And with an angry gesture and tears in her eyes, she escaped hiht her by the shoulders, and, in despair, ready to acknowledge anything in order to avoid a rupture, he said, in a despairing tone: ”I have not a son That's what it allinto his eyes to read the truth in them, said: ”You say?”

He had flushed to the roots of his hair ”I say that I have not a sou

Do you understand? Not twenty sous, not ten, not enough to pay for a glass of cassis in the cafe we o into You force me to confess what I ao out with you, and ere seated with refreshments in front of us to tell you quietly that I could not pay for the him in the face ”It is true, then?”

In a moment he had turned out all his pockets, those of his trousers, coat, and waistcoat, and mur her arms, in an outburst of passion, she threw the, , if I had only known How did it happen?”

She made him sit down, and sat down herself on his knees; then, with her ar him every ed him to tell her how thisstory He had been obliged to come to the assistance of his father, who found himself in difficulties He had not only handed over to his, but had even incurred heavy debts on his behalf He added: ”I shall be pinched to the last degree for at least six months, for I have exhausted all my resources So much the worse; there are crises in every life Money, after all, is not worth troubling about”

She whispered: ”I will lend you sonity: ”You are very kind, pet; but do not think of that, I beg of you You would hurthim in her arms, murmured: ”You will never kno much I love you”

It was one of their , she rely: ”How nice it is when one is in your position to find otten in your pocket--a coin that had worked its way between the stuff and the lining”

He replied, in a tone of conviction: ”Ah, yes, that it is”

She insisted on walking home, under the pretense that the moon was beautiful and went into ecstasies over it It was a cold, still night at the beginning of winter Pedestrians and horses went by quickly, spurred by a sharp frost Heels rang on the paveain the day after to-morrow?”

”Certainly”

”At the same time?”

”The saly

Then he walked ho hiet out of his difficulty But as he opened the door of his room, and fumbled in his waistcoat pocket for a ers As soon as he had a light he hastened to exaht heby what miracle it could have found its way there It could not, however, have fallen frouessed, and an angry indignation aithin hi into the lining, and being found in times of poverty It was she who had tendered him this alms

How shameful! He swore: ”Ah! I'll talk to her the day after to-morrow

She shall have a nice time over it”