was neither beginning nor end to his brooding. Why
had she left her situation like that? Something warned
him that she had lied about it. It was horrible to love
and yet to mistrust, the more so when in spite of mis-
trust love persisted.
cShe lied — I am certain she lied/ he would think,
growing fiercely and retrospectively jealous as he
visualized scene after scene from her past. Then his
thoughts would leap forward to the present and
Beauvais.
At this time he much longed for someone to talk to,
someone to whom he could tell his troubles. But
youth finds it hard to confide in age and Christophe
felt suddenly shy of his parents, dreading his mother's
anxious face and his father's eyes with their unspoken
question. He would go and see Jan, but having found
him would become almost equally shy with his cousin.
Moreover, Jan had grown very aloof and seemed
disinclined to discuss JEliana. Then again each would
secretly be feeling abashed because of the thing which
both had learned yet which neither could find the
courage to mention, so that presently Christophe
would get up and leave with the words he had
intended to say still unspoken.
Half reluctant, half eager and wholly obsessed he
would hurry along to the Cafe de la Tarasque. ^Eliana
would be in her usual place with Beauvais at a table
not far from the entrance. Then Christophe would
loiter beside the door in order to spy on them as they
sat there. Very shameful indeed he would find what
he did, yet in spite of its shamefulness must continue,
for his eyes would seem irresistibly drawn towards
those two, now always together. Every gesture, every
expression he would Swatch with the fearful intentness
of one who observes "the instruments prepared for his
torture. Sometimes he would walk quickly into the
room, conscious that he was attracting attention; then
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