vicious tastes. And Santerre related that he had lately seen Doctor Gaude
perform several operations at the Marbeuf Hospital. He had found there
the usual set of society men who attend first performances at the
theatres, and indeed there were also some women present.

And then he enlarged upon the subject, giving the crudest and most
precise particulars, much to the delight of Seguin, who every now and
again interpolated remarks of approval, while both Mathieu and Marianne
grew more and more ill at ease. The young woman sat looking with
amazement at Santerre as he calmly recapitulated horror after horror, to
the evident enjoyment of the others. She remembered having read his last
book, that love story which had seemed to her so supremely absurd, with
its theories of the annihilation of the human species. And she at last
glanced at Mathieu to tell him how weary she felt of all the semi-society
and semi-medical chatter around her, and how much she would like to go
off home, leaning on his arm, and walking slowly along the sunlit quays.
He, for his part, felt a pang at seeing so much insanity rife amid those
wealthy surroundings. He made his wife a sign that it was indeed time to
take leave.

"What! are you going already!" Valentine then exclaimed. "Well, I dare
not detain you if you feel tired." However, when Marianne begged her to
kiss the children for her, she added: "Why, yes, it's true you have not
seen them. Wait a moment, pray; I want you to kiss them yourself."

But when Celeste appeared in answer to the bell, she announced that
Monsieur Gaston and Mademoiselle Lucie had gone out with their governess.
And this made Seguin explode once more. All his rancor against his wife
revived. The house was going to rack and ruin. She spent her days lying
on a sofa. Since when had the governess taken leave to go out with the