Love Eternal

  CHAPTER VIII

  THE PASTEUR TAKES THE FIELD

  In due course Godfrey received an epistle of frigid congratulation fromhis father upon his accession to wealth which, he remarked, would be ofassistance to him in his future clerical career. The rest of the letterwas full of complaints against the indignities that had been heapedupon him by Miss Ogilvy's executors and trustees, and also againstGodfrey himself for not having furnished him with more informationconcerning the circumstances surrounding his inheritance. Lastly, Mr.Knight enclosed a paper which he requested Godfrey to sign and return,authorizing him to deal with the income of the legacy.

  This Godfrey did obediently, only a week or two later to receive aformal notification from the lawyers, sent to him direct this time ashis address had been filled in on the Authority, informing him that hehad no power to sign such documents, he being in fact under age, andsuggesting that he should refrain from doing so in the future. Enclosedwere copies of their first letter to him, and of the other documentswhich Mr. Knight had not thought it worth while to forward because, ashe said, they were heavy and foreign postage was so expensive.

  Further the trustees announced that they proposed to allow him L50 ayear out of the income for his personal needs, which would be paidhalf-yearly, and enclosed a draft for L25, which was more money thanever Godfrey had possessed before. This draft he was desired toacknowledge, and generally to keep himself in touch with the trustees,and to consult them before taking any step of importance, also as tohis future career.

  All this, with the sense of independence which it gave him, wasagreeable enough to Godfrey, as it would have been to any youth. Heacknowledged the draft under the guidance of the Pasteur, saying thathe would write again when he had anything to communicate, but that asyet he had not made up his mind as to his future, and proposed to staywhere he was, continuing his studies, if his father would allow him todo so. Next he took an opportunity to go to Lucerne with the Pasteur,who wished to inspect the Villa Ogilvy and consult the notary as to aninventory of its contents and arrangements for its upkeep.

  Godfrey, who was received by the servants with many bows, and requeststhat they might be allowed to continue in their employment, wanderedthrough the big rooms which looked so desolate now, and stared until hewas tired at examples of beautiful French furniture, of which heunderstood nothing. Then, oppressed by memories of his kind friend intowhose death chamber he had blundered, and, as it seemed to him, by asense of her presence which he imagined was warning him of something,he left the house, telling the Pasteur, who was peering about himthrough his blue spectacles in an innocent and interested way, that hewould meet him at the five o'clock diligence. Indeed, he had businessof his own to do, which seemed to him more important than all thisstock-taking and legal discussion. Having plenty of money in his pocketGodfrey wished to spend some of it in presents.

  First, he bought a large meerschaum pipe with a flexible stem as a giftto the Pasteur, whom he had heard admire this very pipe in the shopwindow and express regrets that it was too expensive for his means.Having paid down thirty francs like a man for this treasure, heproceeded to a jeweller's near by. There he acquired a necklace ofamethysts set with great taste in local silver work, for Madame towear, and a charming silver watch of the best Swiss make for Juliette.When he found that these objects involved an expenditure of fourteensovereigns, he was a little staggered, but again smiled and paid up.There was also a lovely little ring of gold with two turquoise heartsthat he bought for L2 to send to Isobel _when_ she wrote to him. But,as Isobel had posted her letter in Mr. Knight's drawer, that ring neverreached her finger for many a day.

  These gifts safely in his pocket, he began to stroll towards therailway station, whence the diligence started, slowly, as he had plentyof time. As he went he saw, in a shop window, a beautiful stick ofolive wood, with an ebony crook. It was marked ten francs, and hecoveted it greatly, but reflected with a sigh that having spent so muchon others he could afford nothing for himself, for Godfrey was anunselfish soul. Instead he bought a collar of Swiss lace for Mrs.Parsons. Immediately after he left the lace shop he became aware thathe was being shadowed. He heard no footfall, and he saw no one, but he_knew_ that this was so; he could feel it down his back, and in a coldwind which blew across his hands, as it had done always at the VillaOgilvy seances.

  The road that he was following led across some public gardens beneathan avenue of trees, which, of course, at this time of the year, wereleafless. This avenue was lighted here and there, and beneath one ofthe gas lamps Godfrey wheeled round to see Madame Riennes advancing onhim out of the gloom. Her stout form padded forward noiselessly, exceptfor the occasional crackle of a dead and frosted leaf beneath her foot.She wore a thick cloak of some sort with a black hood that framed herlarge, white face, making her look like a monk of the Inquisition asdepicted in various old prints. Beneath the blackness of this hood andabove the rigid line of the set mouth, stared two prominent and glowingeyes, in which the gaslight was reflected. They reminded Godfrey ofthose of a stalking cat in a dark room. Indeed, from the moment that hecaught sight of them he felt like the mouse cowering in a corner, orlike a bird in a tree fascinated by the snake that writhes towards italong the bough.

  "Ah, _mon petit_," said Madame, in her thick, creamy voice, that seemedto emerge from her lower regions, "so I have found you. I was walkingthrough the town and a notion came to me that you were here, a--whatyou call it?--instinct like that which make the dog find its master.Only I master and you dog, eh?"

  Godfrey tried to pull himself together, feeling that it would not bewise to show fear of this woman, and greeted her as politely as hecould, taking off his hat with a flourish in the foreign fashion.

  "Put that hat back on your head, _mon petit_, or you will catch coldand be ill, you who are much too precious to be ill. Listen, now: Ihave something to say to you. You have great luck, have you not? Ah!sweet Sister Helen, she go to join the spirits, quite quick, as I tellher a little while ago she will do, and she leaves you much money,though to me, her old friend, her sister in the speerit, she give notone sou, although she know I want it. Well, I think there some mistake,and I wish to talk to Sister Helen about this money business. I thinkshe leave me something, somehow, if I can find out where. And you, dear_petit_, can help me. Next Sunday you will come to my rooms of which Igive you address," and she thrust a card into his hand, "and we willtalk with Sister Helen, or at least with Eleanor, your little friend."

  Godfrey shook his head vigorously, but she took no notice.

  "What have you been buying," she went on, "with Sister Helen's money?Presents, I think. Yes, yes, I see them in your pocket," and she fixedher eyes upon the unhappy Godfrey's pocket, at least that is where hefelt them.

  "Oh! very pretty presents. Necklace for the fine Madame, of whom I cantell you some stories. Watch for pretty Mees, with the red, poutinglips, so nice to kiss. Pipe for good old Pasteur, to smoke while hethink of heaven, where one time he sit all day and do nothing for ever;lace for someone else, I know not who, and I think a charming ring forone who will not wear it just yet; a big girl with a pale face and eyesthat flash, but can grow soft. One who would know how to love, eh! Yes,not a doll, but one who would know how to love like a woman should. AmI right?"

  The confused Godfrey babbled something about a shop, and was silent.

  "Well, never mind the shop, my leetle friend. You come to my shop nextSunday, eh?"

  "No," said Godfrey, "I have had enough of spirits."

  "Yes, perhaps, though the speerits have been your good friends, takingSister Helen, who has left something behind her. But those dearspeerits, they have not had enough of you; they very faithful souls,especially that pretty Eleanor. I tell you, Mr. Godfrey, you will cometo see me next Sunday, and if you not come, I'll fetch you."

  "Fetch me! How?"

  "Look at my eyes, that's how. I put you to sleep many times now, and Ihave power to make you come where I want and do what I wish. You do notbelieve me, eh? Wel
l, now I show you. Come, _mon petit_, and give yourdear godmamma a kiss," and she smiled at him like an ogress.

  Now the last thing in the whole world that Godfrey wished to do was toembrace Madame Riennes, whom he loathed so that every fibre of his bodyshrank from her. Yet, oh horror! a wild impulse to kiss her tookpossession of him. In vain he struggled; he tried to step backwards,and instead went forwards, he tried to turn his head away, but thoseglowing eyes held and drew him as a magnet draws a needle. And as theneedle rolls across the table ever more quickly towards the magnet, sodid the unwilling Godfrey gravitate towards Madame Riennes. And now,oh! now her stout arm was about his neck, and now--he was impressing afervent embrace upon her dome-like brow.

  "There! What did I tell you, you nice, kind, little Godfrey," shegurgled with a hollow laugh. "Your dear godmamma thanks you, and youmust run to catch that diligence. _Au revoir_ till Sunday afternoon. Donot trouble about the hour, you will know exactly when to start. Nowgo."

  She made a movement of her big, white hand, with the result thatGodfrey felt like a spring which had been suddenly released. Nextinstant, still pursued by that gurgling laughter, he was running hardtowards the diligence.

  Fortunately the Pasteur was so full of talk about the house and hisbusiness with the notary, that there was no need for Godfrey to speakin the coach, or indeed at dinner. Then after the meal was finished heproduced his presents, and with blushes and stammers offered them tothe various members of the family. What rapture there was! Madame wasdelighted with her necklace, which she said and truly, was in the bestof taste. Juliette kissed the watch, and looked as though she wouldlike to kiss the donor, as indeed was her case. The Pasteur examinedthe fine pipe through his blue spectacles, saying that never had heexpected to own one so beautiful, then at once filled it and began tosmoke. After this they all scolded him for his extravagance.

  "You did not buy anything for yourself," said Juliette, reproachfully."Oh! yes, I see you did," and she pretended to perceive for the firsttime the little red case containing the ring, which inadvertently hehad pulled out of his pocket with the other articles, although in truthshe had observed it from the beginning. "Let us learn what it is," shewent on, possessing herself of and opening the case. "Oh! a ring, whata pretty ring, with two hearts. For whom is the ring, Monsieur Godfrey?Someone in England?"

  Then Godfrey, overcome, told a lie.

  "No, for myself," he said.

  Juliette looked at him and exclaimed:

  "Then you should have told the jeweller to make it big enough. Try andyou will see."

  He turned red as a boiled lobster. Mademoiselle stood opposite to him,shaking her pretty head, and murmuring: "_Quel mensonge! Quel betemensonge!_" while Madame broke into a low and melodious laughter, andas she laughed, looked first at the ring and then at Juliette's shapelyhand.

  "Make not a mock of our young friend," said the Pasteur, suddenlylifting his glance, or rather his spectacles from a long contemplationof that noble pipe and becoming aware of what was passing. "We all haveour presents, which are magnificent. What then is our affair with thering? Pardon them, and put it in your pocket, Godfrey, and come, let usgo to the observatory, for the night is fine, and by now the stove willbe warm."

  So they went, and soon were engaged in contemplation of the stars, anoccupation which absorbed Godfrey so much that for a while he forgotall his troubles.

  When the door had shut behind them Madame looked at Juliette, who withher new watch held to her ear, observed her out of the corners of hereyes.

  "I find him charming," said Madame presently.

  "Yes, Mamma," replied Juliette, "so bright and even the tick ismusical."

  "Stupid!" exclaimed Madame. "When I was your age--well."

  "Pardon!" said Juliette, opening her eyes innocently.

  "Child, I meant our young English friend. I repeat that I find himcharming."

  "Of course, Mamma--after that necklace."

  "And you--after that watch?"

  "Oh! well enough, though too grave perhaps, and fond of what is faroff--I mean stars," she added hurriedly.

  "Stars! Pish! It is but because there is nothing nearer. At hisage--stars!--well of a sort, perhaps."

  She paused while Juliette still looked provokingly innocent. So hermother took a long step forward, for in truth she grew impatient withall this obtuseness in which, for reasons of her own, she did notbelieve.

  "If I were a girl of your age," mused Madame as though to herself, "Ido not think that ring would go to England."

  "How, Mamma, would you steal it?"

  "No, but I would make sure that it was given to me."

  Now Juliette could no longer feign not to understand. She said nothing,but turned as red as Godfrey had done a little while before and stoodwaiting.

  "I find him charming," repeated Madame, "though he is so young, whichis a fault that will mend," and she fixed her eyes upon her daughter'sface with a look of interrogation.

  Then Juliette gave a little sigh and answered:

  "Good. If you will make me say it, so do I also, at least, sometimes Ithink so, when he is not dull," and turning she fled from the room.

  Madame smiled as the door closed behind her.

  "That goes well, and should go better," she said to herself. "Only, forwhom is the ring? There must be some girl in England, although of herhe says nothing. _Peste!_ There are so many girls. Still, she is faraway, and this one is near. But it could be wished that she were moreexperienced, for then, since she likes him well enough, all would besure. What does a man count in such a case--especially when he is soyoung? Pish! nothing at all," and Madame snapped her fingers at theempty air. "It is the woman who holds the cards, if only she knows howto play them."

  Now all these things happened on a Wednesday. When Godfrey went to bedthat night uncomfortable memories of Madame Riennes, and of the chasteembrace which she had forced him to impress upon her expansiveforehead, haunted him for a while, also fears for the future. However,Sunday was still a long way off, so he went to sleep and dreamed thathe was buying presents at every shop in Lucerne and giving them all toMadame Riennes.

  On Thursday he was quite happy. On Friday he began to suffer fromuneasiness, which on Saturday became very pronounced. It seemed to himthat already waves of influence were creeping towards him like thefringes of some miasmic mist. Doubtless it was imagination, but hecould feel their first frail tentacles wrapping themselves around hiswill, and drawing him towards Lucerne. As the day went on the tentaclesgrew stronger, till by evening there might have been a very octopusbehind them. If this were so that night, he wondered what would happenon the following day, when the octopus began to pull. On one point hewas determined. He would not go; never would he allow Madame Riennes toput him to sleep again, and what was much worse to make him kiss her.At any rate that spirit, Eleanor, was beautiful and attractive--butMadame Riennes! Rather than forgather with her again in thisaffectionate manner, much as he dreaded it--or her--he would havecompounded with the ghost called Eleanor.

  Now, although like most young people, Godfrey was indolent and evasiveof difficulties, fearful of facing troubles also, he had a bedrock ofcharacter. There were points beyond which he would not go, even for thesake of peace. But here a trouble came in; he was well aware thatalthough he would not go--to Madame Riennes to wit--there was somethingstronger than himself which would make him go. It was the old storyover again set out by St. Paul once and for ever, that of the two lawswhich make a shuttlecock of man so that he must do what he wills not.Having once given way to Madame Riennes, who was to him a kind of sinincarnate, he had become her servant, and if she wished to put him tosleep, or to do anything else with him, well, however much he hated it,he must obey.

  The thought terrified him. What could he do? He had tried prayers,never before had he prayed so hard in all his life; but they did notseem to be of the slightest use. No guardian angel, not even Eleanor,appeared to protect him from Madame Riennes, and meanwhile, the fog wascreeping on, and t
he octopus tentacles were gripping tighter. In hisemergency there rose the countenance of Miss Ogilvy's dying counsel,welcome and unexpected as light of the moon to a lost traveller on acloud-clothed night. What had she told him to do? To resist MadameRiennes. He had tried that with lamentable results. To invoke the helpof religion. He had tried that with strictly negative results; thePowers above did not seem inclined to intervene in this private affair.To appeal to the Pasteur. That he had not tried but, unpromising as theventure seemed to be, by Jove! he would. In his imminent peril therewas nothing to which he would have appealed, even Mumbo-Jumbo itself ifit gave him the slightest hope of protection from Madame Riennes.

  Accordingly, when they went to the observatory that night, instead ofapplying his eye to the telescope in the accustomed fashion, Godfreyrushed at the business like a bull at a gate. At first the Pasteur wasentirely confused, especially as Godfrey spoke in English, which thepreceptor must translate into French in his own mind. By degrees,however, he became extraordinarily interested, so much so that he letthe new pipe go out, and what was very rare with him, except in themost moving passages of his own sermons, pushed the blue spectaclesfrom his high nose upwards, till they caught upon the patch of grizzledhair which remained upon his bald head.

  "Ah!" he said, answering in French, which by now Godfrey understoodfairly well, "this is truly exciting; at last I come in touch with thething. Know, Godfrey, that you furnish me with a great occasion. Longhave I studied this, what you call it--demonology. Of it I know much,though not from actual touch therewith."

  Then he began to talk of gnosticism, and witchcraft, and _Incubi_, and_Succubi_, and the developments of modern spiritualism, till Godfreywas quite bewildered. At length he paused, relit the new pipe, and said:

  "These matters we will study afterwards; they are, I assure you, mostentertaining. Meanwhile, we have to deal with your Madame Riennes. Allright, oh! quite all right. I will be her match. She will not make _me_kiss her, no, not at all, not at all! Be tranquil, young friend, ifto-morrow you feel the impulse to go, go you shall, but I will go withyou. Then we will see. Now to bed and sleep well. For me, I must study;I have many books on this subject, and there are points whereon I wouldrefresh myself. Be not afraid. I know much of Madame Riennes and I willleave her flat as that," and with surprising alacrity he jumped on alarge black beetle which, unhappily for itself, just then ran acrossthe observatory floor to enjoy the warmth of the stove. "Wait," headded, as Godfrey was leaving. "First kneel down, I have memory of theancient prayer, or if I forget bits, I can fill in the holes."

  Godfrey obeyed in a rather abject fashion, whereon the old Pasteur,waving the pipe above his head, from which emerged lines of blue smokesuch as might have been accessory to an incantation, repeated over himsomething in Latin, that, owing to the foreign accent, he could not inthe least understand. It ended, however, with the sign of the crossmade with the bowl of the pipe, which the Pasteur forgot still remainedin his hand.

  Fortified by the accession of this new ally, Godfrey slept fairly well,till within a little while of dawn, when he was awakened by a sound ofrapping. At first he thought that these raps, which seemed very loudand distinct, were made by someone knocking on the door, perhaps totell him there was a fire, and faintly murmured "_Entrez_." Then to hishorror he became aware that they proceeded, not from the door, but fromthe back of his wooden bedstead, immediately above him, and at the sametime recollected that he had heard similar noises while sitting at thelittle table in the Villa Ogilvy, which the mystics gathered theredeclared were produced by spirits.

  His hair rose upon his head, a cold perspiration trickled down him; heshook in every limb. He thought of lighting a candle, but reflectedthat it was on the chest of drawers at the other side of the room, alsothat he did not know where he had put the matches. He thought of flyingto the Pasteur, but remembered that to do so, first he must get out ofbed, and perhaps expose his bare legs to the assault of ghostly hands,and next that, to reach the chamber of Monsieur and Madame Boiset, hemust pass through the sanctuary of the room occupied by Juliette. So hecompromised by retiring under the clothes, much as a tortoise draws itshead into its shell.

  This expedient proved quite useless, for there beneath the blankets theraps sounded louder than ever. Moreover, of a sudden the bed seemed tobe filled with a cold and unnatural air, which blew all about him,especially upon his hands, though he tried to protect these by placingthem under his back. Now Godfrey knew something of the inadequate andclumsy methods affected by alleged communicating spirits, and halfautomatically began to repeat the alphabet. When he got to the letterI, there was a loud rap. He began again, and at A came another rap.Once more he tried, for something seemed to make him do so, and wasstopped at M.

  "I am," he murmured, and recommenced until the word "here" was speltout, after which came three rapid raps to signify a full stop.

  "Who is here?" he asked in his own mind, at the same time determiningthat he would leave it at that. It was of no use at all, for the otherparty evidently intended to go on.

  There was a perfect rain of raps, on the bed, off the bed, on thefloor, even on the jug by the washstand; indeed, he thought that thisand other articles were being moved about the room. To stop thismultiform assault once more he took refuge in the alphabet, with theresult that the raps unmistakably spelt the word "Eleanor."

  "Great Heavens!" he thought to himself, "that dreadful spirit girlhere, in my bedroom! How can she? It is most improper, but I don'tsuppose she cares a sou for that."

  In his despair and alarm he tucked the clothes tightly round him, andthrusting out his head, said in trembling accents:

  "Please go away. You know I never asked you to come, and really itisn't right," remarks which he thought, though, like all the rest, thismay have been fancy, were followed by a sound of ghostly laughter. Whatwas more, the bedclothes suddenly slipped off him, or--oh horror!perhaps they were pulled off. At any rate, they went, and when next hesaw them they were lying in a heap by the side of the bed.

  Then it would seem that he fainted, overcome by these terrors, real orimaginary. At any rate, when he opened his eyes again it was to see thedaylight creeping into the room (never before had he appreciated sothoroughly the beauties of the dawn) and to find himself lying halffrozen on the bed with the pillow, which he was claspingaffectionately, for his sole covering.

  At breakfast that morning he looked so peculiar and dilapidated, thatMadame and Juliette made tender inquiries as to his health, to which hereplied that his bedclothes had come off in the night and the cold hadgiven him a chill "in the middle." They were very sympathetic, anddosed him with hot _cafe-au-lait_, but the Pasteur, studying himthrough the blue spectacles, said, "Ah, is it so?" in a kind oftriumphant tone which Madame designated as "_bete_." Indeed, to thoseunacquainted with what was passing in M. Boiset's mind, it must haveseemed particularly stupid.

  When breakfast was over he possessed himself of Godfrey, and led him tothe observatory, where the stove was already lit, though this was notusual in the daytime, especially on Sundays.

  "Now, my boy, tell me all about it," he said, and Godfrey told him,feebly suggesting that it might have been a nightmare.

  "Nightmare! Nonsense. The witch Riennes has sent her demon to tormentyou, that is all. I thought she would. It is quite according to rule, amost clear and excellent case. Indeed, I _am_ a lucky student."

  "I don't believe in witches," said Godfrey, "I always heard they wererubbish."

  "Ah! I don't know. Here in the mountains these Swiss people believe inthem, and tell strange stories, some of which I have heard as theirPasteur, especially when I held office among the High Alps. Also theBible speaks of them often, does it not, and what was, is, and shallbe, as Solomon says. Oh! why hesitate? Without doubt this woman is awitch who poses as an innocent modern spiritualist. But she shall notsend her pretty female devil after you again, for I will make that roomimpossible to her."

  "Please do," said Godfrey. "And as for Madame Riennes,
it is certainlystrange that she should have known about the things I had in my pocketthe other day, although of course, she may have followed me into theshops."

  "Yes, yes, she followed you into the shops, she or her demon, thoughperhaps you would not see her there. What did you tell me? That in thevilla you thought that the dead Mademoiselle was warning you againstsomething? Well, perhaps she was, for she was a good woman, though weakand foolish to trust to spiritualism, and now, without doubt, she seesall, and would protect you of whom she is fond."

  "Then I wish she had done it a little better," said Godfrey. "Oh!listen, there's a rap!"

  A rap there was certainly, on the hot iron of the stove, a resonant,ringing rap. The Pasteur advanced and made an examination, and while hewas doing so there came another. What is more, in a most inexplicablefashion his blue spectacles flew from his nose. Very solemnly he foundand replaced them and then, with the utmost dignity, addressing himselfto the stove, he cursed and exorcised that article of domesticfurniture in his best mediaeval Latin. Apparently the effort wassuccessful, for there were no more manifestations.

  "Listen, my boy. You do not part from me this day. Presently we go tochurch, and you sit under me where I can keep my eye on you. If youmake one movement towards the door, I descend from the desk or thepulpit, and take you back there with me."

  "I don't want to move," said Godfrey.

  "No, but there are others who may want to move you. Then after churchwe dine, and after dinner we take a nice walk through the woods arm inarm. Yes, perhaps we go as far as Lucerne and pay a little visit there,since this afternoon I have arranged that there is no service."

  So Godfrey went to church and sat under the cold, blue glare of thePasteur's spectacles, listening to a really eloquent sermon, for hispreaching was excellent. He took his text from the story of Saul andthe witch of Endor, and after dwelling on it and its moral, opened upthe whole problem of the hidden influences which may, and probably do,affect the human soul. He gave a short but learned account of thehistory of demonology throughout the ages, which evidently he had athis fingers' ends. He distinguished between good and evil spirits, andwhile not denying the lawfulness of such research, pointed out theperil that the seeker ran, since in his quest for the good he mightfind the evil. Finally, he demonstrated that there was a sure refugefrom all such demoniacal attacks, which those who suffered from themhad but to seek.

  Madame dozed during this sermon. Juliette wondered what had sent herfather down that road, and the little congregation, those of them whounderstood, thought it a pleasant change from his usual discourse upontheir sins, since they at least had never practised demonology. But toGodfrey, to whom, indeed, it was addressed, it brought much comfort,for in the Pasteur and his pure and beautiful doctrine, he saw a rockon which he might stand secure, defying Madame Riennes and Eleanor, andall the hosts of hell behind them.

  Then came dinner. It was towards the middle of this meal that Godfreybegan to feel very ill at ease. He fidgeted, he looked towards thedoor, he half rose and sat down again.

  "Do you perchance wish to go out?" asked the Pasteur, who was keepinghim under constant observation.

  "What of it if he does?" interrupted Madame. "Did not Monsieur Godfreyinform us that he was unwell? Go then, Monsieur Godfrey."

  "No, not so," said the Pasteur. "Remain seated. In one minute I will beready to accompany you."

  "_Mon Dieu!_ what for?" exclaimed Madame. "Never did I hear of such athing," while even Juliette looked amazed.

  Meanwhile Godfrey had risen and was making for the door, with a fixedand sickly smile upon his face. The Pasteur swallowed down his _vinordinaire_ and rushed after him.

  "He is ill," said Juliette, with sympathy, "all day he has lookedstrange."

  "Perhaps," said Madame. "That sermon of your father's was enough toturn anybody's stomach, with his talk about devils and witches. But whycannot he leave him alone? A doctor in such a case perhaps, but aclergyman----! _Mon Dieu!_ there they go, the two of them walkingtowards the woods. What a strange idea! And your father has MonsieurGodfrey by the arm, although assuredly he is not faint for he pullsahead as though in a great hurry. They must be mad, both of them. Ihave half a mind----"

  "No, no, Mother," said Juliette. "Leave them alone. Doubtless in timethey will return. Perhaps it has something to do with the stars."

  "Silly girl! Stars at midday!"

  "Well, Mamma, you know they are always there even if one cannot seethem."

  "Nonsense, child. They only come at night. The question is--where arethose two going?"

  Juliette shook her head and gave it up, and so perforce did her mother.