"And you can't tell me by what means?"

"No, only love me as I love you, and all will succeed."

"And have you made this plan all by yourself?"

"Yes."

"And you will carry it out all by yourself?"

"I alone shall have the trouble of it," said Marguerite, with a smile

which I shall never forget, "but we shall both partake its benefits."

I could not help flushing at the word benefits; I thought of Manon

Lescaut squandering with Desgrieux the money of M. de B.

I replied in a hard voice, rising from my seat: "You must permit me, my dear Marguerite, to share only the benefits of

those enterprises which I have conceived and carried out myself."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I have a strong suspicion that M. de G. is to be your

associate in this pretty plan, of which I can accept neither the cost

nor the benefits."

"What a child you are! I thought you loved me. I was mistaken; all

right."

She rose, opened the piano and began to play the "Invitation a la Valse",

as far as the famous passage in the major which always stopped her. Was

it through force of habit, or was it to remind me of the day when we

first met? All I know is that the melody brought back that recollection,

and, coming up to her, I took her head between my hands and kissed her.

"You forgive me?" I said.

"You see I do," she answered; "but observe that we are only at our

second day, and already I have had to forgive you something. Is this how

you keep your promise of blind obedience?"

"What can I do, Marguerite? I love you too much and I am jealous of the

least of your thoughts. What you proposed to me just now made me frantic

with delight, but the mystery in its carrying out hurts me dreadfully."

"Come, let us reason it out," she said, taking both my hands and looking

at me with a charming smile which it was impossible to resist, "You love

me, do you not? and you would gladly spend two or three months alone

with me in the country? I too should be glad of this solitude a deux,

and not only glad of it, but my health requires it. I can not leave

Paris for such a length of time without putting my affairs in order, and

the affairs of a woman like me are always in great confusion; well, I

have found a way to reconcile everything, my money affairs and my love

for you; yes, for you, don't laugh; I am silly enough to love you! And

here you are taking lordly airs and talking big words. Child, thrice

child, only remember that I love you, and don't let anything disturb

you. Now, is it agreed?"




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