down as beginning just before the drama of "Musotte" was issued,
in conjunction with Jacques Normand, in 1891. He had almost given
up the hope of interpreting his puzzles, and the struggle between
the falsity of the life which surrounded him and the nobler
visions which possessed him was wearing him out. Doubtless he
resorted to unwise methods for the dispelling of physical
lassitude or for surcease from troubling mental problems. To this
period belong such weird and horrible fancies as are contained in
the short stories known as "He" and "The Diary of a Madman." Here
and there, we know, were rising in him inklings of a finer and
less sordid attitude 'twixt man and woman throughout the world
and of a purer constitution of existing things which no exterior
force should blemish or destroy. But with these yearningly
prophetic gleams came a period of mental death. Then the physical
veil was torn aside and for Guy de Maupassant the riddle of
existence was answered. {signature}







MADEMOISELLE FIFI

The Major Graf[1] von Farlsberg, the Prussian commandant, was
reading his newspaper, lying back in a great armchair, with his
booted feet on the beautiful marble fireplace, where his spurs
had made two holes, which grew deeper every day, during the three
months that he had been in the chateau of Urville.