rapid life of Paris. She can never escape it, save by becoming a
nun, which is not at all probable with her manners and tastes. She
has only one possible career, a life of pleasure. She will come to
it sooner or later, if indeed she has not already begun to tread its
primrose path. She cannot escape her fate. From being a young girl
she will take the inevitable step, quite simply. And I would like to
be the pivot of this transformation."

"I am waiting. There are many lovers. You will see among them a
Frenchman, Monsieur de Belvigne; a Russian, called Prince Kravalow,
and an Italian, Chevalier Valreali, who have all announced their
candidacies and who are consequently maneuvering to the best of
their ability. In addition to these there are several freebooters of
less importance. The Marquise waits and watches. But I think that
she has views about me. She knows that I am very rich, and she makes
less of the others."

"Her drawing-room is, moreover, the most astounding that I know of,
in such, exhibitions. You even meet very decent men there, like
ourselves. As for the women, she has culled the best there is from
the basket of pickpockets. Nobody knows where she found them. It is
a set apart from Bohemia, apart from everything. She has had one
inspiration showing genius, and that is the knack of selecting
especially those adventuresses who have children, generally girls.
So that a fool might believe that in her house he was among
respectable women!" They had reached the avenue of the Champs-
Elysees. A gentle breeze softly stirred the leaves and touched the
faces of passers-by, like the breaths of a giant fan, waving
somewhere in the sky. Silent shadows wandered beneath the trees;
others, on benches, made a dark spot. And these shadows spoke very