第3章

Yvetteregainedallhergaiety:""Teardrop"？WhyheweepslikeaMagdalene。Hegoestoallthefirst-classfunerals。Iimaginemyselfdeadeverytimehelooksatme。"

"Thatsettlesthethird。SothelightningwillstrikeBaronSaval，here。"

"MonsieurtheColossusofRhodes，Junior？No。Heistoostrong。ItwouldseemtomeasifIwereinlovewiththetriumphalarchofL"Etoile。"

"ThenMam"zelle，itisbeyonddoubtthatyouareinlovewithme，forIamtheonlyoneofyouradorersofwhomwehavenotyetspoken。Ileftmyselfforthelastthroughmodestyandthroughdiscretion。Itremainsformetothankyou。"

Sherepliedwithhappygrace:"Inlovewithyou，Muscade？Ah！no。I

likeyou，butIdon"tloveyou。Wait——I——Idon"twanttodiscourageyou。Idon"tloveyou——yet。Youhaveachance——perhaps。Persevere，Muscade，bedevoted，ardent，submissive，fulloflittleattentionsandconsiderations，dociletomyslightestcaprices，readyforanythingtopleaseme，andweshallsee——later。"

"But，Mam"zelle，Iwouldratherfurnishallyoudemandafterwardthanbeforehand，ifitbethesametoyou。"

Sheaskedwithanartlessair:"Afterwhat，Muscade？"

"Afteryouhaveshownmethatyouloveme，byJove！"

"Well，actasifIlovedyou，andbelieveit，ifyouwish。"

"Butyou——"

"Bequiet，Muscade；enoughonthesubject。"

Thesunhadsunkbehindtheisland，butthewholeskystillflamedlikeafire，andthepeacefulwateroftheriverseemedchangedtoblood。Thereflectionsfromthehorizonreddenedhouses，objects，andpersons。ThescarletroseintheMarquise"shairhadtheappearanceofasplashofpurplefallenfromthecloudsuponherhead。

AsYvettelookedonfromherend，theMarquiserested，asifbycarelessness，herbarehanduponSaval"shand；buttheyounggirlmadeamotionandtheMarquisewithdrewherhandwithaquickgesture，pretendingtoreadjustsomethinginthefoldsofhercorsage。

Servigny，whowaslookingatthem，said:

"Ifyoulike，Mam"zelle，wewilltakeawalkontheislandafterdinner。"

"Oh，yes！Thatwillbedelightful。Wewillgoallalone，won"twe，Muscade？"

"Yes，allalone，Mam"zelle！"

Thevastsilenceofthehorizon，thesleepytranquillityoftheeveningcapturedheart，body，andvoice。Therearepeaceful，chosenhourswhenitbecomesalmostimpossibletotalk。

Theservantswaitedonthemnoiselessly。Thefirmamentalconflagrationfadedaway，andthesoftnightspreaditsshadowsovertheearth。

"Areyougoingtostaylonginthisplace？"askedSaval。

AndtheMarquiseanswered，dwellingoneachword:"Yes，aslongasI

amhappy。"

Asitwastoodarktosee，lampswerebrought。Theycastuponthetableastrange，palegleambeneaththegreatobscurityofspace；

andverysoonashowerofgnatsfelluponthetablecloth——thetinygnatswhichimmolatethemselvesbypassingovertheglasschimneys，and，withwingsandlegsscorched，powderthetablelinen，dishes，andcupswithakindofgrayandhoppingdust。

Theyswallowedtheminthewine，theyatetheminthesauces，theysawthemmovingonthebread，andhadtheirfacesandhandstickledbythecountlessswarmofthesetinyinsects。Theywerecontinuallycompelledtothrowawaythebeverages，tocovertheplates，andwhileeatingtoshieldthefoodwithinfiniteprecautions。

ItamusedYvette。Servignytookcaretoshelterwhatsheboretohermouth，toguardherglass，toholdhishandkerchiefstretchedoutoverherheadlikearoof。ButtheMarquise，disgusted，becamenervous，andtheendofthedinnercamequickly。Yvette，whohadnotforgottenServigny"sproposition，saidtohim:

"Nowwe"llgototheisland。"

Hermothercautionedherinalanguidtone:"Don"tbelate，aboveallthings。Wewillescortyoutotheferry。"

Andtheystartedincouples，theyounggirlandheradmirerwalkinginfront，ontheroadtotheshore。Theyheard，behindthem，theMarquiseandSavalspeakingveryrapidlyinlowtones。Allwasdark，withathick，inkydarkness。Buttheskyswarmedwithgrainsoffire，andseemedtosowthemintheriver，fortheblackwaterwasfleckedwithstars。

Thefrogswerecroakingmonotonouslyuponthebank，andnumerousnightingaleswereutteringtheirlow，sweetsonginthecalmandpeacefulair。

Yvettesuddenlysaid:"Gracious！Theyarenotwalkingbehindusanymore，wherearethey？"Andshecalledout:"Mamma！"Novoicereplied。Theyounggirlresumed:"Atanyrate，theycan"tbefaraway，forIheardthemjustnow。"

Servignymurmured:"Theymusthavegoneback。Yourmotherwascold，perhaps。"Andhedrewheralong。

Beforethemalightgleamed。ItwasthetavernofMartinet，restaurant-keeperandfisherman。Attheircallamancameoutofthehouse，andtheygotintoalargeboatwhichwasmooredamongtheweedsoftheshore。

Theferrymantookhisoars，andtheunwieldybarge，asitadvanced，disturbedthesleepingstarsuponthewaterandsetthemintoamaddance，whichgraduallycalmeddownaftertheyhadpassed。Theytouchedtheothershoreanddisembarkedbeneaththegreattrees。A

coolfreshnessofdampearthpermeatedtheairundertheloftyandclusteredbranches，wherethereseemedtobeasmanynightingalesastherewereleaves。Adistantpianobegantoplayapopularwaltz。

ServignytookYvette"sarmandverygentlyslippedhishandaroundherwaistandgaveheraslighthug。

"Whatareyouthinkingabout？"hesaid。

"I？Aboutnothingatall。Iamveryhappy！"

"Thenyoudon"tloveme？"

"Oh，yes，Muscade，Iloveyou，Iloveyouagreatdeal；onlyleavemealone。Itistoobeautifulheretolistentoyournonsense。"

Hedrewhertowardhim，althoughshetried，bylittlepushes，toextricateherself，andthroughhersoftflannelgownhefeltthewarmthofherflesh。Hestammered:

"Yvette！"

"Well，what？"

"Idoloveyou！"

"Butyouarenotinearnest，Muscade。"

"Oh，yesIam。Ihavelovedyouforalongtime。"

Shecontinuallykepttryingtoseparateherselffromhim，tryingtoreleasethearmcrushedbetweentheirbodies。Theywalkedwithdifficulty，trammeledbythisbondandbythesemovements，andwentzigzaggingalonglikedrunkenfolk。

Heknewnotwhattosaytoher，feelingthathecouldnottalktoayounggirlashewouldtoawoman。Hewasperplexed，thinkingwhatheoughttodo，wonderingifsheconsentedordidnotunderstand，andcurbinghisspirittofindjusttheright，tender，anddecisivewords。Hekeptsayingeverysecond:

"Yvette！Speak！Yvette！"

Then，suddenly，riskingall，hekissedheronthecheek。Shegavealittlestartaside，andsaidwithavexedair:

"Oh！youareabsurd。Areyougoingtoletmealone？"

Thetoneofhervoicedidnotatallrevealherthoughtsnorherwishes；and，notseeinghertooangry，heappliedhislipstothebeginningofherneck，justbeneaththegoldenhair，thatcharmingspotwhichhehadsooftencoveted。

Thenshemadegreateffortstofreeherself。Butheheldherstrongly，andplacinghisotherhandonhershoulder，hecompelledhertoturnherheadtowardhimandgaveherafond，passionatekiss，squarelyonthemouth。

Sheslippedfromhisarmsbyaquickundulationofthebody，and，freefromhisgrasp，shedisappearedintothedarknesswithagreatswishingofskirts，likethewhirofabirdasitfliesaway。

Hestoodmotionlessamoment，surprisedbyhersupplenessandherdisappearance，thenhearingnothing，hecalledgently:"Yvette！"

Shedidnotreply。Hebegantowalkforward，peeringthroughtheshadows，lookingintheunderbrushforthewhitespotherdressshouldmake。Allwasdark。Hecriedoutmoreloudly:

"Mam"zelleYvette！Mam"zelleYvette！"

Nothingstirred。Hestoppedandlistened。Thewholeislandwasstill；therewasscarcelyarustleofleavesoverhishead。Thefrogsalonecontinuedtheirdeepcroakingsontheshores。Thenhewanderedfromthickettothicket，goingwherethebanksweresteepandbushyandreturningtoplaceswheretheywereflatandbareasadeadman"sarm。HeproceededuntilhewasoppositeBougivalandreachedtheestablishmentofLaGrenouillere，gropingtheclumpsoftrees，callingoutcontinually:

"Mam"zelleYvette，whereareyou？Answer。Itisridiculous！Come，answer！Don"tkeepmehuntinglikethis。"

Adistantclockbegantostrike。Hecountedthehours:twelve。Hehadbeensearchingthroughtheislandfortwohours。Thenhethoughtthatperhapsshehadgonehome；andhewentbackveryanxiously，thistimebywayofthebridge。Aservantdozingonachairwaswaitinginthehall。

Servignyawakenedhimandasked:"IsitlongsinceMademoiselleYvettecamehome？IleftheratthefootoftheplacebecauseIhadacalltomake。"

Andthevaletreplied:"Oh！yes，Monsieur，Mademoisellecameinbeforeteno"clock。"

Heproceededtohisroomandwenttobed。Buthecouldnotclosehiseyes。Thatstolenkisshadstirredhimtothesoul。Hekeptwonderingwhatshethoughtandwhatsheknew。Howprettyandattractiveshewas！

Hisdesires，somewhatweariedbythelifeheled，byallhisprocessionofsweethearts，byallhisexplorationsinthekingdomoflove，awokebeforethissingularchild，sofresh，irritating，andinexplicable。Heheardoneo"clockstrike，thentwo。Hecouldnotsleepatall。Hewaswarm，hefelthisheartbeatandhistemplesthrob，andherosetoopenthewindow。Abreathoffreshaircamein，whichheinhaleddeeply。Thethickdarknesswassilent，black，motionless。Butsuddenlyheperceivedbeforehim，intheshadowsofthegarden，ashiningpoint；itseemedalittleredcoal。

"Well，acigar！"hesaidtohimself。"ItmustbeSaval，"andhecalledsoftly:"Leon！"

"Isityou，Jean？"

"Yes。Wait。I"llcomedown。"Hedressed，wentout，andrejoininghisfriendwhowassmokingastrideanironchair，inquired:"Whatareyoudoinghereatthishour？"

"Iamresting，"Savalreplied。Andhebegantolaugh。Servignypressedhishand:"Mycompliments，mydearfellow。Andasforme，I——

ammakingafoolofmyself。"

"Youmean——"

"Imeanthat——Yvetteandhermotherdonotresembleeachother。"

"Whathashappened？Tellme。"

Servignyrecountedhisattemptsandtheirfailure。Thenheresumed:

"Decidedly，thatlittlegirlworriesme。Fancymynotbeingabletosleep！Whataqueerthingagirlis！Sheappearstobeassimpleasanything，andyetyouknownothingabouther。Awomanwhohaslivedandloved，whoknowslife，canbequicklyunderstood。Butwhenitcomestoayoungvirgin，onthecontrary，noonecanguessanythingabouther。AtheartIbegintothinkthatsheismakingsportofme。"

Savaltiltedhischair。Hesaid，veryslowly:"Takecare，mydearfellow，shewillleadyoutomarriage。Rememberthoseotherillustriousexamples。ItwasjustbythissameprocessthatMademoiselledeMontijo，whowasatleastofgoodfamily，becameempress。Don"tplayNapoleon。"

Servignymurmured:"Asforthat，fearnothing。Iamneitherasimpletonnoranemperor。Amanmustbeeitheroneortheothertomakesuchamoveasthat。Buttellme，areyousleepy？"

"Notabit。"

"Willyoutakeawalkalongtheriver？"

"Gladly。"

TheyopenedtheirongateandbegantowalkalongtheriverbanktowardMarly。Itwasthequiethourwhichprecedesdawn，thehourofdeepsleep，ofcompleterest，ofprofoundpeacefulness。Eventhegentlesoundsofthenightwerehushed。Thenightingalessangnolonger；thefrogshadfinishedtheirhubbub；somekindofananimalonly，probablyabird，wasmakingsomewhereakindofsawingsound，feeble，monotonous，andregularasamachine。Servigny，whohadmomentsofpoetry，andofphilosophytoo，suddenlyremarked:"Nowthisgirlcompletelypuzzlesme。Inarithmetic，oneandonemaketwo。Inloveoneandoneoughttomakeonebuttheymaketwojustthesame。Haveyoueverfeltthat？Thatneedofabsorbingawomaninyourselfordisappearinginher？Iamnotspeakingoftheanimalembrace，butofthatmoralandmentaleagernesstobebutonewithabeing，toopentoherallone"sheartandsoul，andtofathomherthoughtstothedepths。"

"Andyetyoucanneverlaybareallthefluctuationsofherwishes，desires，andopinions。Youcanneverguess，evenslightly，alltheunknowncurrents，allthemysteryofasoulthatseemssonear，asoulhiddenbehindtwoeyesthatlookatyou，clearaswater，transparentasiftherewerenothingbeneathasoulwhichtalkstoyoubyabelovedmouth，whichseemsyourveryown，sogreatlydoyoudesireit；asoulwhichthrowsyoubywordsitsthoughts，onebyone，andwhich，nevertheless，remainsfurtherawayfromyouthanthosestarsarefromeachother，andmoreimpenetrable。Isn"titqueer，allthat？"

"Idon"t，asksomuch，"Savalrejoined。"Idon"tlookbehindtheeyes。Icarelittleforthecontents，butmuchforthevessel。"AndServignyreplied:"WhatasingularpersonYvetteis！Howwillshereceivemethismorning？"

AstheyreachedtheworksatMarlytheyperceivedthattheskywasbrightening。Thecocksbegantocrowinthepoultry-yards。Abirdtwitteredinaparkattheleft，ceaselesslyreiteratingatenderlittletheme。

"Itistimetogoback，"saidSaval。

Theyreturned，andasServignyenteredhisroom，hesawthehorizonallpinkthroughhisopenwindows。

Thenheshuttheblinds，drewthethick，heavycurtains，wentbacktobedandfellasleep。HedreamedofYvetteallthroughhisslumber。Anoddnoiseawokehim。Hesatonthesideofthebedandlistened，butheardnothingfurther。Thensuddenlytherewasacracklingagainsttheblinds，likefallinghail。Hejumpedfromthebed，rantothewindow，openedit，andsawYvettestandinginthepathandthrowinghandfulsofgravelathisface。Shewascladinpink，withawide-brimmedstrawhatornamentedwithamousquetaireplume，andwaslaughingmischievously。

"Well！Muscade，areyouasleep？Whatcouldyouhavebeendoingallnighttomakeyouwakesolate？Haveyoubeenseekingadventures，mypoorMuscade？"

Hewasdazzledbythebrightdaylightstrikinghimfullintheeyes，stilloverwhelmedwithfatigue，andsurprisedatthejestingtranquillityoftheyounggirl。

"I"llbedowninasecond，Mam"zelle，"heanswered。"Justtimetosplashmyfacewithwater，andIwilljoinyou。""Hurry，"shecried，"itisteno"clock，andbesidesIhaveagreatplantounfoldtoyou，aplotwearegoingtoconcoct。Youknowthatwebreakfastateleven。"

Hefoundherseatedonabench，withabookinherlap，somenovelorother。Shetookhisarminafamiliarandfriendlyway，withafrankandgaymanner，asifnothinghadhappenedthenightbefore，anddrewhimtowardtheendofthegarden。

"Thisismyplan，"shesaid。"Wewilldisobeymamma，andyoushalltakemepresentlytoLaGrenouillererestaurant。Iwanttoseeit。

Mammasaysthatdecentwomencannotgototheplace。Nowitisallthesametomewhetherpersonscangothereorcannot。You"lltakeme，won"tyou，Muscade？Andwewillhaveagreattime——withtheboatmen。"

Sheexhaledadeliciousfragrance，althoughhecouldnotexactlydefinejustwhatlightandvagueodorenvelopedher。Itwasnotoneofthoseheavyperfumesofhermother，butadiscreetbreathinwhichhefanciedhecoulddetectasuspicionofirispowder，andperhapsasuggestionofvervain。

Whenceemanatedthatindiscernibleperfume？Fromherdress，herhair，orherskin？Hepuzzledoverthis，andashewasspeakingveryclosetoher，hereceivedfullinthefaceherfreshbreath，whichseemedtohimjustasdelicioustoinhale。

Thenhethoughtthatthisevasiveperfumewhichhewastryingtorecognizewasperhapsonlyevokedbyhercharmingeyes，andwasmerelyasortofdeceptiveemanationofheryoungandalluringgrace。

"Thatisagreed，isn"tit，Muscade？Asitwillbeverywarmafterbreakfast，mammawillnotgoout。Shealwaysfeelstheheatverymuch。Wewillleaveherwithyourfriend，andyoushalltakeme。

Theywillthinkthatwehavegoneintotheforest。IfyouknewhowmuchitwillamusemetoseeLaGrenouillere！"

TheyreachedtheirongateoppositetheSeine。Afloodofsunshinefellupontheslumberous，shiningriver。Aslightheat-mistrosefromit，asortofhazeofevaporatedwater，whichspreadoverthesurfaceofthestreamafaintgleamingvapor。

Fromtimetotime，boatspassedby，aquickyawloraheavypassageboat，andshortorlongwhistlescouldbeheard，thoseofthetrainswhicheverySundaypouredthecitizensofParisintothesuburbs，andthoseofthesteamboatssignalingtheirapproachtopassthelocksatMarly。

Butatinybellsounded。Breakfastwasannounced，andtheywentbackintothehouse。Therepastwasasilentone。AheavyJulynoonoverwhelmedtheearth，andoppressedhumanity。Theheatseemedthick，andparalyzedbothmindandbody。Thesluggishwordswouldnotleavethelips，andallmotionseemedlaborious，asiftheairhadbecomearesistingmedium，difficulttotraverse。OnlyYvette，althoughsilent，seemedanimatedandnervouswithimpatience。Assoonastheyhadfinishedthelastcourseshesaid:

"Ifweweretogoforawalkintheforest，itwouldbedeliciouslycoolunderthetrees。"

TheMarquisemurmuredwithalistlessair:"Areyoumad？Doesanyonegooutinsuchweather？"

Andtheyounggirl，delighted，rejoined:"Oh，well！WewillleavetheBarontokeepyoucompany。MuscadeandIwillclimbthehillandsitonthegrassandread。"

AndturningtowardServignysheasked:"Thatisunderstood？"

"Atyourservice，Mam"zelle，"hereplied。

Yvetterantogetherhat。TheMarquiseshruggedhershoulderswithasigh。"Shecertainlyismad。"shesaid。

Thenwithanindolenceinheramorousandlazygestures，shegaveherprettywhitehandtotheBaron，whokisseditsoftly。YvetteandServignystarted。Theywentalongtheriver，crossedthebridgeandwentontotheisland，andthenseatedthemselvesonthebank，beneaththewillows，foritwastoosoontogotoLaGrenouillere。

Theyounggirlatoncedrewabookfromherpocketandsmilinglysaid:"Muscade，youaregoingtoreadtome。"Andshehandedhimthevolume。

Hemadeamotionasifoffright。"I，Mam"zelle？Idon"tknowhowtoread！"

Sherepliedwithgravity:"Come，noexcuses，noobjections；youareafinesuitor，you！Allfornothing，isthatit？Isthatyourmotto？"

Hetookthebook，openedit，andwasastonished。Itwasatreatiseonentomology。AhistoryofantsbyanEnglishauthor。Andasheremainedinert，believingthathewasmakingsportofher，shesaidwithimpatience:"Well，read！"

"Isitawager，orjustasimplefad？"heasked。

"No，mydear。Isawthatbookinashop。TheytoldmethatitwasthebestauthorityonantsandIthoughtthatitwouldbeinterestingtolearnaboutthelifeoftheselittleinsectswhileyouseethemrunningoverthegrass；soread，ifyouplease。"

Shestretchedherselfflatuponthegrass，herelbowsrestingupontheground，herheadbetweenherhands，hereyesfixedupontheground。Hebegantoreadasfollows:

"Theanthropoidapesareundoubtedlytheanimalswhichapproachnearesttomanbytheiranatomicalstructure，butifweconsiderthehabitsoftheants，theirorganizationintosocieties，theirvastcommunities，thehousesandroadsthattheyconstruct，theircustomofdomesticatinganimals，andsometimesevenofmakingslavesofthem，wearecompelledtoadmitthattheyhavetherighttoclaimaplaceneartomaninthescaleofintelligence。"

Hecontinuedinamonotonousvoice，stoppingfromtimetotimetoask:"Isn"tthatenough？"