returned to his flirting. The girl's nerves grew taut, fear took hold of her, and she rose a second time and insisted on leaving the house.

In truth, her agitated imagination had given body to the sound of the wind striking the curtains. She sprang to the door, and Armand followed her; and when the young man was certain there was no one there, he drew her to him once more. She cried out in protest and tried to slip free of him; but he, roused by her resistance, embraced her and pressed her violently to his breast, kicked the door shut with his foot, and then rained kisses upon her, soothing her, promising her everything, and expressing with ardor his desire to marry her.

At that very moment, before she could push him off, the door opened and Albert came in.

He had hardly taken a single step when he froze where he stood, his mouth agape like a simpleton, and began staring at her like a madman, certain in the depths of his soul that the unknown friend who had sent him the letter had been faithful and had told the truth.

Silence reigned for a while; stupefaction crushed the girl's soul and tied her tongue, so that at first she could not utter a word. But then she came to herself, gathered her strength, and cried, almost weeping:

"Albert... do not accuse me... this man..."

And before she could finish, Armand seized the opportunity to destroy his rival, and shouted:

"She is my mistress!"

Rose went wild and said, trembling:

"He is lying... lying..."

And before she could speak, before she could defend herself, she recoiled, her eyes starting from her head, as she saw Albert cast upon her a look of terrible contempt, turn, and rush out of the room.

Then her reason fled, the blood rushed to her head, she let out a torn cry and followed him outside; he pushed her away violently and departed without a backward glance...

She pressed after him, and pursued him as far as the street, screaming and calling to him; but he ran like a man fleeing from certain danger, and kept running while she pursued him, until he came upon one of the public motor-cars and boarded it. Rose waited until another came along and sprang into it, resolved to go to where Albert lived.

When she arrived and asked for him, she was told that he had gone out and had not come back. She hurried quickly down to the street and remained standing near the house, staring at the passers-by, sighing, waiting.

Hours passed, and fatigue exhausted her strength; the landlady took pity on her and invited her to spend the night with her. She complied, and remained awake, watching the street through the chinks of the window, until the darkness shrank away, dawn appeared, the sun rose, and movement and life flared up. Then a boy arrived, carrying from Albert to the landlady a sum of money and a letter, in which he asked her to tell Rose frankly that everything between them was over; that he had secured a post in one of the companies; that he had asked the company's management to appoint him to one of its branches outside Paris; that it had agreed; and that he would leave the capital that very day.

The news fell upon Rose like a thunderbolt and stunned her, and in a lightning-flash turned her into a creature stripped of all energy and strength.

Her hopes collapsed; she was certain of her evil star; her belief deepened that life had not been created for her, and that some evil power was hunting her. She forced herself to keep up appearances, thanked the landlady, and went

out with wandering eyes, robbed of strength, her will in disarray, and turned her face toward the river Seine.

And before the sovereignty of reason could return and weaken her resolve, she advanced with rapid steps, unnoticed by the passers-by, and in the fever of despair and madness threw herself into the river; and it embraced her and hid her within its folds, and let fall over her the curtain of grace and rest and oblivion!

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