behind doors, to pursue me when I went into the
garden to pick flowers for his mother's dressing-table.
Ah, bon Dieu, what a man! Half crazy he was be-
cause I would not accept his advances. No, but never
had I conceived of such passion as his. . . .'
'Why must you tell us these things?' Jan muttered.
She glanced sideways: 'Be patient, they are part
of my confession — when you are a priest you will
hear many others. No, never had I conceived of such
passion. His wife suspected, but what could I do?
I could not reveal his perfidy to her. Alas, the poor
thing, I would find her in tears and many a time I
would long to comfort. Mais oui, he was handsome,
I will not deny it, but so brutal, a beast, he would
look like a beast. Do you think that perhaps all men
are beasts when women deny them?'
They did not answer.
^Eliana paused, then went on more quickly: The
end came when he followed me into her bedroom.
I had gone there to put away her clothes, and quite
suddenly I turned round and saw him — he could walk
very quietly when he wished. I wanted to scream but
I felt too frightened. Ah, mes amis, he pushed me
down on the bed, his wife's bed, but I fought like a
tiger, I bit him! Then a fearful thing happened: his
wife came in and found us ... like that. Eh bien,
I was dismissed: they refused to believe my explana-
tion. But I feared to tell my grandfather the truth
because he is old and half blind, yet so violent. He
would surely have wanted to kill that man. Ah, well,.
now you know and I am relieved that you should;
I have always hated the deception.'
Jan was white to the lips; white and trembling he
sat not daring to look at JEliana, not daring to trust
himself to speak. Then he suddenly turned his face
away, fearful lest Christophe should read its expression.
But Christophe had stooped and was moving his
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