Itwassomuchmoreregularandnaturallikethat，and\"her\"babyinvestedwithhisproperdignity。Shewentdownstairstogeta\"cupo’tea，\"thinking:’Apicturetheymake——thattheydo，blesshislittleheart;andhisprettylittlemother——nomorethanachild，allsaidanddone。’
Noelhadbeenstandingtheresomeminutesinthefailinglight，absorbedinthefaceofthesleepingbaby，when，raisinghereyes，shesawinamirrortherefectionofherfather’sdarkfigurebythedoor。Shecouldhearhimbreathingasiftheascentofthestairshadtiredhim;andmovingtotheheadofthecot，sherestedherhandonit，andturnedherfacetowardshim。Hecameupandstoodbesideher，lookingsilentlydownatthebaby。ShesawhimmakethesignoftheCrossaboveit，andthemovementofhislipsinprayer。Loveforherfather，andrebellionagainstthisintercessionforherperfectbabyfoughtsohardinthegirl’sheartthatshefeltsuffocated，andgladofthedark，sothathecouldnotseehereyes。
Thenhetookherhandandputittohislips，butstillwithoutaword;andforthelifeofhershecouldnotspeakeither。Insilence，hekissedherforehead;andtheremountedinNoelasuddenpassionoflongingtoshowhimherprideandloveforherbaby。Sheputherfingerdownandtouchedoneofhishands。Thetinysleepingfingersuncurledand，likesomelittleseaanemone，clutchedroundit。Sheheardherfatherdrawhisbreathin;sawhimturnawayquickly，silently，andgoout。Andshestayed，hardlybreathing，withthehandofherbabysqueezingherfinger。
II
1
WhenEdwardPierson，afraidofhisownemotion，leftthetwilitnursery，heslippedintohisownroom，andfellonhiskneesbesidehisbed，absorbedinthevisionhehadseen。ThatyoungfigureinMadonnablue，withthehaloofbrighthair;thesleepingbabeinthefinedusk;thesilence，theadorationinthatwhiteroom！Hesaw，too;avisionofthepast，whenNoelherselfhadbeenthesleepingbabewithinhermother’sarm，andhehadstoodbesidethem，wonderingandgivingpraise。Itpassedwithitsother—worldlinessandthefineholinesswhichbelongstobeauty，passedandleftthetormentingrealismoflife。Ah！tolivewithonlytheinnermeaning，spiritualandbeautifed，inararewondermentsuchashehadexperiencedjustnow！
Hisalarumclock，whilehekneltinhisnarrow，monkishlittleroom——
tickedtheeveninghourawayintodarkness。Andstillheknelt，dreadingtocomebackintoitall，tofacetheworld’seyes，andthesoundoftheworld’stongue，andthetouchoftherough，thegross，theunseemly。Howcouldheguardhischild？Howpreservethatvisioninherlife，inherspirit，abouttoentersuchcold，roughwaters？Butthegongsounded;hegotup，andwentdownstairs。
Butthisfirstfamilymoment，whichallhaddreaded，wasrelieved，asdreadedmomentssooftenare，bytheunexpectedappearanceoftheBelgianpainter。Hehadageneralinvitation，ofwhichheoftenavailedhimself;buthewassosilent，andhisthin，beardlessface，whichseemedalleyesandbrow，somournful，thatallthreefeltinthepresenceofasorrowdeepereventhantheirownfamilygrief。
DuringthemealhegazedsilentlyatNoel。Oncehesaid:\"Youwillletmepaintyounow，mademoiselle，Ihope？\"andhisfacebrightenedalittlewhenshenodded。Therewasnevermuchtalkwhenhecame，foranydepthofdiscussion，evenofart，broughtoutatoncetoowideadifference。AndPiersoncouldneveravoidavagueirritationwithonewhoclearlyhadspirituality，butofasortwhichhecouldnotunderstand。Afterdinnerheexcusedhimself，andwentofftohisstudy。Monsieurwouldbehappieralonewiththetwogirls！Gratian，too，gotup。ShehadrememberedNoel’swords:\"Imindhimlessthananybody。\"ItwasachanceforNollietobreaktheice。
2
\"Ihavenotseenyouforalongtime，mademoiselle，\"saidthepainter，whentheywerealone。
Noelwassittinginfrontoftheemptydrawing—roomhearth，withherarmsstretchedoutasiftherehadbeenafirethere。
\"I’vebeenaway。Howareyougoingtopaintme，monsieur？\"
\"Inthatdress，mademoiselle;Justasyouarenow，warmingyourselfatthefireoflife。\"
\"Butitisn’tthere。\"
\"Yes，firessoongoout。Mademoiselle，willyoucomeandseemywife？Sheisill。\"
\"Now？\"askedNoel，startled。
\"Yes，now。Sheisreallyill，andIhavenoonethere。ThatiswhatIcametoaskofyoursister;but——nowyouarehere，it’sevenbetter。Shelikesyou。\"
Noelgotup。\"Waitoneminute！\"shesaid，andranupstairs。Herbabywasasleep，andtheoldnursedozing。Puttingonacloakandcapofgreyrabbit’sfur，sherandownagaintothehallwherethepainterwaswaiting;andtheywentouttogether。
\"IdonotknowifIamtoblame，\"hesaid，\"mywifehasbeennorealwifetomesincesheknewIhadamistressandwasnorealhusbandtoher。\"
Noelstaredroundathisfacelightedbyaqueer，smile。
\"Yes，\"hewenton，\"fromthathascomehertragedy。ButsheshouldhaveknownbeforeImarriedher。Nothingwasconcealed。BonDieu！
sheshouldhaveknown！Whycannotawomanseethingsastheyare？
Mymistress，mademoiselle，isnotathingofflesh。Itismyart。
Ithasalwaysbeenfirstwithme，andalwayswill。Shehasneveracceptedthat，sheisincapableofacceptingit。Iamsorryforher。
Butwhatwouldyou？Iwasafooltomarryher。Cheremademoiselle，notroublesareanythingbesidethetroublewhichgoesondayandnight，mealaftermeal，year，afteryear，betweentwopeoplewhoshouldneverhavemarried，becauseonelovestoomuchandrequiresall，andtheotherlovesnotatall——no，notatall，now，itislongdead——andcangivebutlittle。\"
\"Can’tyouseparate？\"askedNoel，wondering。
\"Itishardtoseparatefromonewhocravesforyouasshecravesherdrugs——yes，shetakesdrugsnow，mademoiselle。Itisimpossibleforonewhohasanycompassioninhissoul。Besides，whatwouldshedo？
Welivefromhandtomouth，inastrangeland。Shehasnofriendshere，notone。HowcouldIleaveherwhilethiswarlasts？Aswellcouldtwopersonsonadesertislandseparate。Sheiskillingherself，too，withthesedrugs，andIcannotstopher。\"
\"Poormadame！\"murmuredNoel。\"Poormonsieur！\"
Thepainterdrewhishandacrosshiseyes。
\"Icannotchangemynature，\"hesaidinastifledvoice，\"norshehers。Sowegoon。Butlifewillstopsuddenlysomedayforoneofus。Afterall，itismuchworseforherthanforme。Enter，mademoiselle。DonottellherIamgoingtopaintyou;shelikesyou，becauseyourefusedtoletme。\"
Noelwentupthestairs，shuddering;shehadbeenthereoncebefore，andrememberedthatsicklyscentofdrugs。Onthethirdfloortheyenteredasmallsitting—roomwhosewallswerecoveredwithpaintingsanddrawings;fromonecorneratriangularstackofcanvasesjuttedout。Therewaslittlefurnituresaveanoldredsofa，andonthiswasseatedastoutishmaninthegarbofaBelgiansoldier，withhiselbowsonhiskneesandhisbeardedcheeksrestingonhisdoubledfists。Besidehimonthesofa，nursingadoll，wasalittlegirl，wholookedupatNoel。Shehadamoststrange，attractive，palelittleface，withpointedchinandlargeeyes，whichnevermovedfromthisapparitioningreyrabbits’skins。
\"Ah，Barra！Youhere！\"saidthepainter:
\"Mademoiselle，thisisMonsieurBarra，afriendofoursfromthefront;andthisisourlandlady’slittlegirl。Alittlerefugee，too，aren’tyou，Chica？\"
Thechildgavehimasuddenbrilliantsmileandresumedhergravescrutinyofthevisitor。Thesoldier，whohadrisenheavily，offeredNoeloneofhispodgyhands，withasadandheavygiggle。
\"Sitdown，mademoiselle，\"saidLavendie，placingachairforher:\"I
willbringmywifein，\"andhewentoutthroughsomedoubledoors。
Noelsatdown。Thesoldierhadresumedhisoldattitude，andthelittlegirlhernursingofthedoll，thoughherbigeyesstillwatchedthevisitor。Overcomebystrangeness，Noelmadenoattempttotalk。Andpresentlythroughthedoubledoorsthepainterandhiswifecamein。Shewasathinwomaninaredwrapper，withhollowcheeks，highcheek—bones，andhungryeyes;herdarkhairhungloose，andonehandplayedrestlesslywithafoldofhergown。ShetookNoel’shand;andherupliftedeyesseemedtodigintothegirl’sface，toletgosuddenly，andflutter。
\"Howdoyoudo？\"shesaidinEnglish。\"SoPierrebroughtyou，toseemeagain。Irememberyousowell。Youwouldnotlethimpaintyou。Ah！quec’estdrole！Youaresopretty，too。Hein，MonsieurBarra，isnotmademoisellepretty？\"
Thesoldiergavehisheavygiggle，andresumedhisscrutinyofthefloor。
\"Henriette，\"saidLavendie，\"sitdownbesideChica——youmustnotstand。Sitdown，mademoiselle，Ibeg。\"
\"I’msosorryyou’renotwell，\"saidNoel，andsatdownagain。
Thepainterstoodleaningagainstthewall，andhiswifelookedupathistall，thinfigure，witheyeswhichhadinthemanger，andasortofcunning。
\"Agreatpainter，myhusband，ishenot？\"shesaidtoNoel。\"Youwouldnotimaginewhatthatmancando。Andhowhepaints——alldaylong;andallnightinhishead。Andsoyouwouldnotlethimpaintyou，afterall？\"
Lavendiesaidimpatiently:\"Voyons，Henriette，causezd’autrechose。\"
Hiswifepluckednervouslyatafoldinherredgown，andgavehimthelookofadogthathasbeenrebuked。
\"Iamaprisonerhere，mademoiselle，Ineverleavethehouse。HereI
livedayafterday——myhusbandisalwayspainting。Whowouldgooutaloneunderthisgreyskyofyours，andthehatredsofthewarineveryface？Iprefertokeepmyroom。Myhusbandgoespainting;
everyfaceheseesinterestshim，exceptthatwhichheseeseveryday。ButIamaprisoner。MonsieurBarraisourfirstvisitorforalongtime。\"
Thesoldierraisedhisfacefromhisfists。\"Prisonnier，madame！
Whatwouldyousayifyouwereoutthere？\"Andhegavehisthickgiggle。\"Wearetheprisoners，weothers。Whatwouldyousaytoimprisonmentbyexplosiondayandnight;neveraminutefree。Bom！
Bom！Bom！Ah！lestranchees！It’snotsofreeasallthat，there。\"
\"Everyonehashisownprison，\"saidLavendiebitterly。
\"Mademoiselleeven，hasherprison——andlittleChica，andherdoll。
Everyonehashisprison，Barra。MonsieurBarraisalsoapainter，mademoiselle。\"
\"Moi！\"saidBarra，liftinghisheavyhairyhand。\"Ipaintpuddles，star—bombs，horses’ribs——Ipaintholesandholesandholes，wireandwireandwire，andwater——longwhiteuglywater。Ipaintsplinters，andmen’ssoulsnaked，andmen’sbodiesdead，andnightmare——
nightmare——alldayandallnight——Ipainttheminmyhead。\"Hesuddenlyceasedspeakingandrelapsedintocontemplationofthecarpet，withhisbeardedcheeksrestingonhisfists。\"Andtheirsoulsaswhiteassnow，lescamarades，\"headdedsuddenlyandloudly，\"millionsofBelgians，English，French，eventheBoches，withwhitesouls。Ipaintthosesouls！\"
AlittleshiverranthroughNoel，andshelookedappealinglyatLavendie。
\"Barra，\"hesaid，asifthesoldierwerenotthere，\"isagreatpainter，buttheFronthasturnedhisheadalittle。Whathesaysistrue，though。Thereisnohatredoutthere。Itisherethatweareprisonersofhatred，mademoiselle;avoidhatreds——theyarepoison！\"
Hiswifeputoutherhandandtouchedthechild’sshoulder。
\"Whyshouldwenothate？\"shesaid。\"WhokilledChica’sfather，andblewherhometo—rags？WhothrewheroutintothishorribleEngland—
—pardon，mademoiselle，butitishorrible。Ah！lesBoches！Ifmyhatredcoulddestroythemtherewouldnotbeoneleft。Evenmyhusbandwasnotsomadabouthispaintingwhenwelivedathome。Buthere——！\"Hereyesdartedathisfaceagain，andthensankasifrebuked。Noelsawthepainter’slipsmove。Thesickwoman’swholefigurewrithed。
\"Itismania，yourpainting！\"ShelookedatNoelwithasmile。
\"Willyouhavesometea，mademoiselle？MonsieurBarra，sometea？\"
Thesoldiersaidthickly:\"No，madame;inthetrencheswehaveteaenough。Itconsolesus。Butwhenwegetaway——giveuswine，lebonvin;lebonpetitvin！\"
\"Getsomewine，Pierre！\"
Noelsawfromthepainter’sfacethattherewasnowine，andperhapsnomoneytogetany;buthewentquicklyout。Sheroseandsaid:
\"Imustbegoing，madame。\"
MadameLavendieleanedforwardandclutchedherwrist。\"Waitalittle，mademoiselle。Weshallhavesomewine，andPierreshalltakeyoubackpresently。Youcannotgohomealone——youaretoopretty。
Isshenot，MonsieurBarra？\"
Thesoldierlookedup:\"Whatwouldyousay，\"hesaid，\"tobottlesofwineburstingintheair，burstingredandburstingwhite，alldaylong，allnightlong？Greatsteelbottles，largeasChica:bitsofbottles，carryingoffmen’sheads？Bsum，garra—a—a，andahousecomesdown，andlittlebitsofpeopleeversosmall，eversosmall，tinybitsintheairandallovertheground。Greatsoulsoutthere，madame。ButIwilltellyouasecret，\"andagainhegavehisheavygiggle，\"allalittle，littlemad;nothingtospeakof——justalittlebitmad;likeawatch，youknow，thatyoucanwindforever。Thatisthediscoveryofthiswar，mademoiselle，\"hesaid，addressingNoelforthefirsttime，\"youcannotgainagreatsoultillyouarealittlemad。\"Andloweringhispiggygreyeyesatonce，heresumedhisformerattitude。\"ItisthatmadnessIshallpaintsomeday，\"heannouncedtothecarpet;\"lurkinginonetinycornerofeachsoulofallthosemillions，asitcreeps，asitpeeps，eversosudden，eversolittlewhenweallthinkithasbeenputtobed，here——there，now——then，whenyouleastthink;inandoutlikeamousewithbrighteyes。Millionsofmenwithwhitesouls，allalittlemad。Agreatsubject，Ithink，\"headdedheavily。InvoluntarilyNoelputherhandtoherheart，whichwasbeatingfast。Shefeltquitesick。
\"HowlonghaveyoubeenattheFront，monsieur？\"
\"Twoyears，mademoiselle。Timetogohomeandpaint，isitnot？Butart——！\"heshruggedhisheavyroundshoulders，hiswholebear—likebody。\"Alittlemad，\"hemutteredoncemore。\"Iwilltellyouastory。OnceinwinterafterIhadrestedafortnight，Igobacktothetrenchesatnight，andIwantsomeearthtofillupaholeinthegroundwhereIwassleeping;whenonehassleptinabedonebecomesparticular。Well，Iscratchitfrommyparapet，andIcometosomethingfunny。Istrikemybriquet，andthereisaBoche’sfaceallfrozenandearthyanddeadandgreeny—whiteintheflamefrommybriquet。\"
\"Oh，no！\"
\"Oh！butyes，mademoiselle;trueasIsithere。Veryusefulintheparapet——deadBoche。Onceamanlikeme。ButinthemorningIcouldnotstandhim;wedughimoutandburiedhim，andfilledtheholeupwithotherthings。ButthereIstoodinthenight，andmyfaceasclosetohisasthis\"——andheheldhisthickhandafootbeforehisface。\"Wetalkedofourhomes;hehadasoul，thatman。Ilmedisaitdescboses，howhehadsuffered;andI，too，toldhimmysufferings。DearGod，weknowall;weshallneverknowmorethanweknowoutthere，weothers，forwearemad——nothingtospeakof，butjustalittle，littlemad。Whenyouseeus，mademoiselle，walkingthestreets，rememberthat。\"Andhedroppedhisfaceontohisfistsagain。
Asilencehadfallenintheroom—veryqueerandcomplete。Thelittlegirlnursedherdoll，thesoldiergazedatthefloor，thewoman’smouthmovedstealthily，andinNoelthethoughtrushedcontinuallytothevergeofaction:’Couldn’tIgetupandrundownstairs？’Butshesaton，hypnotisedbythatsilence，tillLavendiereappearedwithabottleandfourglasses。
\"Todrinkourhealth，andwishusluck，mademoiselle，\"hesaid。
Noelraisedtheglasshehadgivenher。\"Iwishyouallhappiness。\"
\"Andyou，mademoiselle，\"thetwomenmurmured。
Shedrankalittle，androse。
\"Andnow，mademoiselle，\"saidLavendie，\"ifyoumustgo，Iwillseeyouhome。\"
NoeltookMadameLavendie’shand;itwascold，andreturnednopressure;hereyeshadtheglazedlookthatsheremembered。Thesoldierhadputhisemptyglassdownonthefloor，andwasregardingitunconsciousofher。Noelturnedquicklytothedoor;thelastthingshesawwasthelittlegirlnursingherdoll。
InthestreetthepainterbeganatonceinhisrapidFrench:
’Ioughtnottohaveaskedyoutocome，mademoiselle;IdidnotknowourfriendBarrawasthere。Besides，mywifeisnotfittoreceivealady;vousvoyezqu’ilyadelamaniedanscettepauvretote。I
shouldnothaveaskedyou;butIwassomiserable。\"
\"Oh！\"murmuredNoel，\"Iknow。\"
\"Inourhomeoverthereshehadinterests。Inthisgreattownshecanonlynursehergriefagainstme。Ah！thiswar！Itseemstomeweareallinthestomachofagreatcoilingserpent。Weliethere，beingdigested。Inawayitisbetteroutthereinthetrenches;
theyarebeyondhate，theyhaveattainedaheightthatwehavenot。
ItiswonderfulhowtheystillcanbeforgoingontilltheyhavebeatentheBoche;thatiscuriousanditisverygreat。DidBarratellyouhow，whentheycomeback——allthesefighters——theyaregoingtorule，andmanagethefutureoftheworld？Butitwillnotbeso。
Theywillmixinwithlife，separate——bescattered，andtheywillberuledastheywerebefore。Thetongueandthepenwillrulethem:
thosewhohavenotseenthewarwillrulethem。\"
\"Oh！\"’criedNoel，\"surelytheywillbethebravestandstrongestinthefuture。\"
Thepaintersmiled。
\"Warmakesmensimple，\"hesaid，\"elemental;lifeinpeaceisneithersimplenorelemental，itissubtle，fullofchangingenvironments，towhichmanmustadapthimself;thecunning，theastute，theadaptable，willeverruleintimesofpeace。Itispathetic，thebeliefofthosebravesoldiersthatthe—futureistheirs。\"
\"Hesaid，astrangething，\"murmuredNoel;\"thattheywereallalittlemad。\"
\"Heisamanofqueergenius——Barra;youshouldseesomeofhisearlierpictures。Madisnotquitetheword，butsomethingisloosened，israttlingroundinthem，theyhavelostproportion，theyarebeingforcedinonedirection。Itellyou，mademoiselle，thiswarisonegreatforcing—house;everylivingplantisbeingmadetogrowtoofast，eachquality，eachpassion;hateandlove，intoleranceandlustandavarice，courageandenergy;yes，andself—sacrifice——
allarebeingforcedandforcedbeyondtheirstrength，beyondthenaturalflowofthesap，forcedtilltherehascomeagreatwildluxuriantcrop，andthen——Psum！Presto！Thechangecomes，andtheseplantswillwitherandrotandstink。ButwewhoseeLifeinformsofArtaretheonlyoneswhofeelthat;andwearesofew。Thenaturalshapeofthingsislost。Thereisamistofbloodbeforealleyes。Menareafraidofbeingfair。Seehowweallhatenotonlyourenemies，butthosewhodifferfromus。Lookatthestreetstoo——seehowmenandwomenrushtogether，howVenusreignsinthisforcing—house。IsitnotnaturalthatYouthabouttodieshouldyearnforpleasure，forlove，forunion，beforedeath？\"
Noelstaredupathim。’Now！’shethought:Iwill。’
\"Yes，\"shesaid，\"Iknowthat’strue，becauseIrushed，myself。I’dlikeyoutoknow。Wecouldn’tbemarried——therewasn’ttime。And——
hewaskilled。Buthissonisalive。That’swhyI’vebeenawaysolong。Iwanteveryonetoknow。\"Shespokeverycalmly，buthercheeksfeltburninghot。
Thepainterhadmadeanupwardmovementofhishands，asiftheyhadbeenjerkedbyanelectriccurrent，thenhesaidquitequietly:
\"Myprofoundrespect，mademoiselle，andmygreatsympathy。Andyourfather？\"
\"It’sawfulforhim。\"
Thepaintersaidgently:\"Ah！mademoiselle，Iamnotsosure。
Perhapshedoesnotsuffersogreatly。Perhapsnotevenyourtroublecanhurthimverymuch。Helivesinaworldapart。That，Ithink，ishistruetragedytobealive，andyetnotlivingenoughtofeelreality。DoyouknowAnatoleFrance’sdescriptionofanoldwoman:
’Ellevivait，maissipeu。’WouldthatnotbewellsaidoftheChurchinthesedays:’Ellevivait，maissipeu。’Iseehimalwayslikearatherbeautifuldarkspireinthenight—timewhenyoucannotseehowitisattachedtotheearth。Hedoesnotknow，heneverwillknow，Life。\"
Noellookedroundathim。\"WhatdoyoumeanbyLife，monsieur？I’malwaysreadingaboutLife，andpeopletalkofseeingLife！Whatisit——whereisit？IneverseeanythingthatyoucouldcallLife。\"
Thepaintersmiled。
\"To’seelife’！\"hesaid。\"Ah！thatisdifferent。Toenjoyyourself！Well，itismyexperiencethatwhenpeopleare’seeinglife’astheycallit，theyarenotenjoyingthemselves。Youknowwhenoneisverythirstyonedrinksanddrinks，butthethirstremainsallthesame。Thereareplaceswhereonecanseelifeasitiscalled，buttheonlypersonsyouwillseeenjoyingthemselvesatsuchplacesareafewhumdrumslikemyself，whogothereforatalkoveracupofcoffee。Perhapsatyourage，though，itisdifferent。\"
Noelclaspedherhands，andhereyesseemedtoshineinthegloom。
\"Iwantmusicanddancingandlight，andbeautifulthingsandfaces;
butInevergetthem。\"
\"No，theredoesnotexistinthistown，orinanyother，aplacewhichwillgiveyouthat。Fox—trotsandragtimeandpaintandpowderandglareandhalf—drunkenyoungmen，andwomenwithredlipsyoucangettheminplenty。Butrhythmandbeautyandcharmnever。InBrusselswhenIwasyoungerIsawmuch’life’astheycallit，butnotonelovelythingunspoiled;itwasallasashesinthemouth。
Ah！youmaysmile，butIknowwhatIamtalkingof。Happinessnevercomeswhenyouarelookingforit，mademoiselle;beautyisinNatureandinrealart，neverinthesefalsesillymakebelieves。ThereisaplacejustherewhereweBelgiansgo;wouldyouliketoseehowtruemywordsare？
\"Oh，yes！\"
\"Tres—bien！Letusgoin？\"
Theypassedintoarevolvingdoorwaywithlittleglasscompartmentswhichshotthemoutintoashiningcorridor。AttheendofthisthepainterlookedatNoelandseemedtohesitate，thenheturnedofffromtheroomtheywereabouttoenterintoaroomontheright。Itwaslarge，fullofgiltandplushandmarbletables，wherecoupleswereseated;youngmeninkhakiandoldermeninplainclothes，togetherorwithyoungwomen。AttheselastNoellooked，faceafterface，whiletheywerepassingdownalongwaytoanemptytable。Shesawthatsomewerepretty，andsomeonlytryingtobe，thatnearlyallwerepowderedandhadtheireyesdarkenedandtheirlipsreddened，tillshefeltherownfacetobedreadfullyungarnished:Upinagalleryasmallbandwasplayinganattractivejinglinghollowlittletune;andthebuzzoftalkandlaughterwasalmostdeafening。
\"Whatwillyouhave，mademoiselle？\"saidthepainter。\"Itisjustnineo’clock;wemustorderquickly。\"
\"MayIhaveoneofthosegreenthings？\"
\"Deuxcremesdementhe，\"saidLavendietothewaiter。
Noelwastooabsorbedtoseethequeer，bitterlittlesmilehoveringabouthisface。Shewasbusylookingatthefacesofwomenwhoseeyes，furtivelycoldandenquiring，werefixedonher;andatthefacesofmenwitheyesthatwerefurtivelywarmandwondering。
\"IwonderifDaddywaseverinaplacelikethis？\"shesaid，puttingtheglassofgreenstufftoherlips。\"Isitnice？Itsmellsofpeppermint。\"
\"Abeautifulcolour。Goodluck，mademoiselle！\"andhechinkedhisglasswithhers。
Noelsipped，helditaway，andsippedagain。
\"It’snice;butawfullysticky。MayIhaveacigarette？\"
\"Descigarettes，\"saidLavendietothewaiter，\"Etdeuxcafesnoirs。
Now，mademoiselle，\"hemurmuredwhentheywerebrought，\"ifweimaginethatwehavedrunkabottleofwineeach，weshallhaveexhaustedallthepreliminariesofwhatiscalledVice。Amusing，isn’tit？\"Heshruggedhisshoulders。
HisfacestruckNoelsuddenlyastarnishedandalmostsullen。
\"Don’tbeangry，monsieur，it’sallnewtome，yousee。\"
Thepaintersmiled，hisbright，skin—deepsmile。
\"Pardon！Iforgetmyself。Only，ithurtsmetoseebeautyinaplacelikethis。Itdoesnotgowellwiththattune，andthesevoices，andthesefaces。Enjoyyourself，mademoiselle;drinkitallin！Seethewaythesepeoplelookateachother;whatloveshinesintheireyes！Apity，too，wecannothearwhattheyaresaying。
Believeme，theirtalkismostsubtle，tres—spirituel。Theseyoungwomenare’doingtheirbit，’asyoucallit;bringingleplaisirtoallthesewhoareservingtheircountry。Eat，drink，love，fortomorrowwedie。Whocaresfortheworldsimpleortheworldbeautiful，indayslikethese？Thehouseofthespiritisempty。\"
Hewaslookingathersidelongasifhewouldenterherverysoul。
Noelgotup。\"I’mreadytogo，monsieur。\"
Heputhercloakonhershoulders，paidthebill，andtheywentout，threadingagainthroughthelittletables，throughthebuzzoftalkandlaughterandthefumesoftobacco，whileanotherhollowlittletunejingledawaybehindthem。
\"Throughthere，\"saidthepainter，pointingtoanotherdoor，\"theydance。Soitgoes。Londoninwar—time！Well，afterall，itisneververydifferent;nogreattownis。Didyouenjoyyoursightof’life，’mademoiselle？\"
\"Ithinkonemustdance，tobehappy。Isthatwhereyourfriendsgo？\"
\"Oh，no！Toaroommuchrougher，andplaydominoes，anddrinkcoffeeandbeer，andtalk。Theyhavenomoneytothrowaway。\"
\"Whydidn’tyoushowme？\"
\"Mademoiselle，inthatroomyoumightseesomeoneperhapswhomonedayyouwouldmeetagain;intheplacewevisitedyouweresafeenoughatleastIhopeso。\"
Noelshrugged。\"Isupposeitdoesn’tmatternow，whatIdo。\"
Andarushofemotioncaughtatherthroat——awavefromthepast——themoonlitnight，thedarkoldAbbey，thewoodsandtheriver。Twotearsrolleddownhercheeks。
\"Iwasthinkingof——something，\"shesaidinamuffledvoice。\"It’sallright。\"
\"Cheremademoiselle！\"Lavendiemurmured;andallthewayhomehewastimidanddistressed。Shakinghishandatthedoor，shemurmured:
\"I’msorryIwassuchafool;andthankyouawfully，monsieur。Goodnight。\"
\"Goodnight;andbetterdreams。Thereisagoodtimecoming——PeaceandHappinessoncemoreintheworld。ItwillnotalwaysbethisForcing—House。Goodnight，cheremademoiselle！\"
Noelwentuptothenursery，andstolein。Anight—lightwasburning，Nurseandbabywerefastasleep。Shetiptoedthroughintoherownroom。Oncethere，shefeltsuddenlysotiredthatshecouldhardlyundress;andyetcuriouslyrested，asifwiththatrushofemotion，Cyrilandthepasthadslippedfromherforever。