Esperance kept her word to Doctor Potain, and spent
fifteen days stretched out in a cosy lounge chair.
The particular part of the beach had been chosen by
Maurice, for it was during this time of forced repose
that he intended to do his cousin’s portrait
for the next Salon. In a little hollow of the
hill, he settled the chair. A great tamarisk
with feathery foliage of bright green formed a background.
To the right was the sea, to the left a glowering
mass of dark rocks. Jean and Genevieve took turns
in reading aloud, and the picture was said to be progressing
famously. During the first two weeks Esperance
spent about five hours every day in the chair, but
from the sixteenth day she only devoted one hour for
posing, after lunch, and then she began to organize
excursions to explore the country round about.
One morning as the four young people were returning
from a bicycle ride, they saw ahead of them the little
brake on its return journey from Palais to the farm
which Mme. Darbois had used on a shopping expedition
with Marguerite. In the brake were two other persons—two
men. The excursionists were still too far from
the carriage to recognize the strangers. But
Esperance, who was watching, stopped suddenly.
Genevieve, who was behind her, almost rode into her,
and had to jump lightly from her wheel. Maurice
and Jean were some distance behind. She called
to them. They were much concerned to find Esperance,
with a pale face, clenching her hands on the handle-bar.
“What is it, cousin, what ails you?”
At first she did not speak at all, then her eyes lost
their far-away look and she gazed at Jean.
“I don’t know,” she said in a changed
voice, “I think I had some hallucination come
upon me.”
Then she pointed towards the distant brake which was
approaching Penhouet at a great pace.
“What did you see?” Maurice insisted.
“You have had a dizzy feeling come over you?
You must be careful.”
“Yes, perhaps so,” she went on, shaking
her head as if to rid it of some vague thoughts that
were disturbing her brain, “perhaps so.
But let us be quick, for one of the gentlemen was
Doctor Potain.”
“Were there two men,” asked Jean.
“Yes, two.”
And she started off again at a great pace.
Jean was dolefully perplexed.
When they arrived at the farm they were quite breathless
from their long ride. The philosopher was waiting
for them at the door.
“Esperance, my dear,” he said, “Doctor
Potain is here with the Duke de Morlay-La-Branche.
Your mother met them at the Palais, just as they had
landed from the boat and were looking for a carriage.”
“Very well, father, I must change my things
and I will be with you as quickly as possible.”
