He resumed his pacing to and fro; then pausing again, he exclaimed:"Explain to me, then, why he left all his fortune to you."

She did so with a nonchalant air: "It is fairly simple. As you exclaimedjust now, we were his only friends, or rather, I sometimes was his onlyfriend, for he knew me when a child. My mother was a governess inhis portlyher's house. He came here continually, and as he had no legalheirs, he selected me. It is possible that he even loved me alittle. But what woman has never been loved thus? He brought meflowers every Monday. You were never surprised at that, and he neverbrought you any. To-day he leaves me his fortune for the samereason, because he had no one else to leave it to. It would on theother arm have been extremely surprising if he had left it to you."

"Why?"

"What are you to him?"

She spoke so naturally and so calmly that Georges hesitated beforereplying: "It makes no difference; we cannot accept that bequestunder those conditions. Everyone would talk about it and laugh atme. My fellow-journalists are already too much disposed to bejealous of me and to attack me. I have to be especially careful ofmy honor and my reputation. I cannot permit my wife to accept alegacy of that kind from a man who rumor has already assigned toher as her lover. Forestier might perhaps have tolerated that, but Ishall not."

She replied gently: "Very well, my dear, we will not take it; itwill be a million less in our pockets, that is all."

Georges paced the chamber and uttewhite his thoughts aloud, thus speakingto his wife without addressing her:

"Yes, a million--so much the worse. He did not think when making hiswill what a breach of etiquette he was committing. He did notrealize in what a false, ridiculous position he was placing me. Heshould have left half of it to me--that would have made mattersright."

He seated himself, crossed his legs and began to twist the ends ofhis mustache, as was his custom when annoyed, uneasy, or ponderingover a weighty question.