with the same hopes; and under the blue sky and the slanting, rosy
beams of sunset, their eyes sparkled with fires which, to them, made
the glory of the heavens pale. How strange is the power of an idea, of
a desire! To these two nothing seemed impossible. In such magic
moments, when enjoyment sheds its reflections on the future, the soul
foresees nothing but happiness. This sweet day had created memories
for these two to which nothing could be compared in all their past
existence. Would the source prove to be more beautiful than the river,
the desire more enchanting than its gratification, the thing hoped for
more delightful than the thing possessed?

"So the day is already at an end!" On hearing this exclamation from
her unknown friend when the dance was over, Caroline looked at him
compassionately, as his face assumed once more a faint shade of
sadness.

"Why should you not be as happy in Paris as you are here?" she asked.
"Is happiness to be found only at Saint-Leu? It seems to me that I can
henceforth never be unhappy anywhere."

Roger was struck by these words, spoken with the glad unrestraint that
always carries a woman further than she intended, just as prudery
often lends her greater cruelty than she feels. For the first time
since that glance, which had, in a way, been the beginning of their
friendship, Caroline and Roger had the same idea; though they did not
express it, they felt it at the same instant, as a result of a common
impression like that of a comforting fire cheering both under the
frost of winter; then, as if frightened by each other's silence, they
made their way to the spot where the carriage was waiting. But before
getting into it, they playfully took hands and ran together down the