The young widow uttered a half-suppressed cry of astonishment and joy, and ran forward with hands outstretched.  She had not hoped, she said, to have this pleasure, knowing that Madame Baron never saw any one, but she was delighted to make her acquaintance.  She was so fond of George (she said “George” in a familiar, sisterly sort of way) that, she had been most anxious to know his young wife and to make friends with her, too.

By the end of a month the two new friends were inseparable.  They saw each other every day, sometimes twice a day, and dined together every evening, sometimes at one house, sometimes at the other.  George no longer deserted his home, no longer talked of pressing business.  He adored his own fireside, he said.

When, after a time, a flat in the house where Madame Rosset lived became vacant Madame Baron hastened to take it, in order to be near her friend and spend even more time with her than hitherto.

And for two whole years their friendship was without a cloud, a friendship of heart and mind—­absolute, tender, devoted.  Bertha could hardly speak without bringing in Julie’s name.  To her Madame Rosset represented perfection.

She was utterly happy, calm and contented.

But Madame Rosset fell ill.  Bertha hardly left her side.  She spent her nights with her, distracted with grief; even her husband seemed inconsolable.

One morning the doctor, after leaving the invalid’s bedside, took George and his wife aside, and told them that he considered Julie’s condition very grave.

As soon as he had gone the grief-stricken husband and wife sat down opposite each other and gave way to tears.  That night they both sat up with the patient.  Bertha tenderly kissed her friend from time to time, while George stood at the foot of the bed, his eyes gazing steadfastly on the invalid’s face.

The next day she was worse.

But toward evening she declared she felt better, and insisted that her friends should go back to their own apartment to dinner.

They were sitting sadly in the dining-room, scarcely even attempting to eat, when the maid gave George a note.  He opened it, turned pale as death, and, rising from the table, said to his wife in a constrained voice: 

“Wait for me.  I must leave you a moment.  I shall be back in ten minutes.  Don’t go away on any account.”

And he hurried to his room to get his hat.

Bertha waited for him, a prey to fresh anxiety.  But, docile in everything, she would not go back to her friend till he returned.

At length, as he did not reappear, it occurred to her to visit his room and see if he had taken his gloves.  This would show whether or not he had had a call to make.

She saw them at the first glance.  Beside them lay a crumpled paper, evidently thrown down in haste.

She recognized it at once as the note George had received.