‘I’d leave the potatoes as they are,’ said old Porrette.

Claude and Christine looked at each other with one of those sudden cravings for solitude and forgetfulness common to lovers.  Ah! how sweet it would be to love one another there in the depths of that nook, so far away from everybody else!  But they smiled.  Was such a thing to be thought of?  They had barely time to catch the train that was to take them back to Paris.  And the old peasant, who was Madame Faucheur’s father, accompanied them along the river bank, and as they were stepping into the ferry-boat, shouted to them, after quite an inward struggle: 

’You know, I’ll make it two hundred and fifty francs—­send me some people.’

On reaching Paris, Claude accompanied Christine to Madame Vanzade’s door.  They had grown very sad.  They exchanged a long handshake, silent and despairing, not daring to kiss each other there.

A life of torment then began.  In the course of a fortnight she was only able to call on three occasions; and she arrived panting, having but a few minutes at her disposal, for it so happened that the old lady had just then become very exacting.  Claude questioned her, feeling uneasy at seeing her look so pale and out of sorts, with her eyes bright with fever.  Never had that pious house, that vault, without air or light, where she died of boredom, caused her so much suffering.  Her fits of giddiness had come upon her again; the want of exercise made the blood throb in her temples.  She owned to him that she had fainted one evening in her room, as if she had been suddenly strangled by a leaden hand.  Still she did not say a word against her employer; on the contrary, she softened on speaking of her:  the poor creature, so old and so infirm, and so kind-hearted, who called her daughter!  She felt as if she were committing a wicked act each time that she forsook her to hurry to her lover’s.

Two more weeks went by, and the falsehoods with which Christine had to buy, as it were, each hour of liberty became intolerable to her.  She loved, she would have liked to proclaim it aloud, and her feelings revolted at having to hide her love like a crime, at having to lie basely, like a servant afraid of being sent away.

At last, one evening in the studio, at the moment when she was leaving, she threw herself with a distracted gesture into Claude’s arms, sobbing with suffering and passion.  ’Ah!  I cannot, I cannot —­keep me with you; prevent me from going back.’

He had caught hold of her, and was almost smothering her with kisses.

’You really love me, then!  Oh, my darling!  But I am so very poor, and you would lose everything.  Can I allow you to forego everything like this?’

She sobbed more violently still; her halting words were choked by her tears.

’The money, eh? which she might leave me?  Do you think I calculate?  I have never thought of it, I swear it to you!  Ah! let her keep everything and let me be free!  I have no ties, no relatives; can’t I be allowed to do as I like?’