The Real Charlotte. 301 



took up the poker, and with it drove and battered the 

 photograph into the heart of the fire, and then, flinging 

 down the poker with a crash that made Louisa jump as she 

 crossed the hall, she sat down at the dinner-table and made 

 her first effort at self-control. 



" His old friend ! " she said, gasping and choking over 

 the words ; " the cur, the double-dyed cur ! Lying and 

 cringing to me, and borrowing my money, and — and — " 

 even to herself she could not now admit that he had gulled 

 her into believing that he would eventually marry her — 

 " and sneaking after her behind my back all the time ! And 

 now he sends me her love — her love ! Oh, my God 

 Almighty — " she tried to laugh, but instead of laughter 

 came tears, as she saw herself helpless, and broken, and 

 aimless for the rest of her life — " I won't break down — I 

 won't break down — " she said, grinding her teeth together 

 with the effort to repress her sobs. She staggered blindly 

 to the sideboard, and, unlocking it, took out a bottle of 

 brandy. She put the bottle to her mouth and took a long 

 gulp from it, while the tears ran down her face. 



CHAPTER XL. 



Sometimes there comes in Paris towards the beginning of 

 April a week or two of such weather as is rarely seen in 

 England before the end of May. The horse-chestnut buds 

 break in vivid green against the sober blue of the sky, there 

 is a warmth about the pavements that suggests the coming 

 blaze of summer, the gutter rivulets and the fountains 

 sparkle with an equal gaiety, and people begin to have their 

 coffee out of doors again. The spring, that on the day 

 Francie was married at Bray was still mainly indicated by 

 east wind and fresh mackerel, was burgeoning in the woods 

 at Versailles with a hundred delicate surprises of blossom 

 and leaf and thick white storm of buds, and tourists were 

 being forced, like asparagus, by the fine weather, and began 

 to appear in occasional twos and threes on the wide square 

 in front of the palace. A remnant of the winter quiet still 

 hung over everything, and a score or two of human beings, 

 dispersed through the endless rooms and gardens, only 



