suppose I missed fire!' An honorable man always keeps his engagements,
and in this case, I was undertaking sacred duties with regard to this
lady, and so, to feel sure, I made up my mind to go and spend a week in
Paris.

[Footnote 3: Civil marriage is obligatory in France, whether a religious
ceremony takes place or not.--TRANSLATOR.]

"At the end of that time, nothing, absolutely nothing occurred. I always
lost the game.... I waited for a fortnight, three weeks, continually
hoping. In the restaurants, I ate a number of highly seasoned dishes,
which upset my stomach, and ... and it was still the same thing ... or
rather, nothing. You will, therefore, understand, that, in such
circumstances, and having assured myself of the fact, the only thing
I could do was ... was ... to withdraw; and I did so."

Monsieur de Courville had to struggle very hard not to laugh, and he
shook hands with the Baron, saying:

"I am very sorry for you," and accompanied him half-way home.

When he got back, and was alone with his wife, he told her everything,
nearly choking with laughter; she, however, did not laugh, but listened
very attentively, and when her husband had finished, she said, very
seriously:

"The Baron is a fool, my dear; he was frightened, that is all. I will
write and ask Berthe to come back here as soon as possible."

And when Monsieur de Courville observed that their friend had made such