As for Raymond, her mother's husband, he had hardly caught sight of her entering before he would answer her with distaste and excuse himself to go out.

As for her mother, she would receive her with the smile of bliss and joy upon her lips; and Rose would be troubled, and complaint would stick in her throat, and she could not bring herself to spoil her mother's happiness; so she would go away disappointed, her feeling deepening that everyone had cast her off and abandoned her and given themselves over to their pleasures, savoring them in a kind of mad self-love, heedless and unconcerned.

In those hours, after she had bolted the door of her room upon herself, she would weep as much as her pent-up griefs desired, and pace the room in feverish anguish, and open her window, and look out upon the street, and gaze down at the young men and girls frolicking, giddy and gay; then she would bite her lips, twist her face away, and go back and shut the window, and take refuge in the depths of her prison like a wild sparrow shut up in a narrow, dark cage — the strength of its wings withered, its spirit invaded by despair, the taste of freedom lost, the blue of the sky and the reaches of the vast, beautiful open air forgotten, or willfully forgotten.

•

Her days passed in this fashion, until the fates took pity on her and awakened in her heart the emotion of love.

She sensed, coming from Albert,

a junior clerk among her colleagues at the bank, a certain agitation mingled with perplexity and sorrow.

Albert resembled his fellows in nothing. He respected her, showed her every courtesy, was quick to defend her, and sprang to serve her whenever she needed help. He was a young man of handsome countenance, black-eyed, clear of gaze, broad of brow, upright of character; so she inclined toward him, felt at ease in his friendship, and woke one day to find his love filling her heart and pouring over her life that light of which she had so long dreamed, and that warmth without which the flower of her youth could not live and grow and bear its fruit.

Love wrought in the soul of the homeless, cast-off girl a wondrous transformation that astonished and startled her, and brought her near to the great happiness of which she had despaired.

She began to live for Albert, to think for his sake, to save money for his sake, to adorn herself for his sake.

She began to go out to the public gardens in his company, and to frequent the theaters and places of amusement with him; and he was happy in her, proud of her love, never thinking of violating the sanctity of that love; never for a single moment did it cross his mind to deceive the innocent girl who trusted his honor and believed in his integrity.

He promised to marry her the following year, once he had won the annual raise and could carry the burdens of marriage, and could rescue his wife from the duty of daily work and guarantee her a life in her own home, safe and secure.

Rose nearly went mad with joy and rapture; love shook her as spring shakes the verdant tree. Her body filled out, her cheeks grew rosy, her spirit was illumined, and hope shed over her a sudden magic that made of her a woman captivating in appearance, perfect in womanliness, her

soul and body straining toward strength and happiness and life.

But her excess in expressing her happiness, her inability to keep her love hidden, and her secret desire to double her delight by proclaiming her great joy — all these signs drew attention to her, betrayed the secret of her heart, and inflamed the passion of jealousy in the soul of her immediate superior, whom she had spurned. He set about persecuting her and tyrannizing over her, pouring out

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