This etext was produced by David Widger <widger@cecomet.net>
[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of thefile for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making anentire meal of them. D.W.]
By ALPHONSE DAUDET
"What can be the matter? What have I done to her?" Claire Fromont veryoften wondered when she thought of Sidonie.
She was entirely ignorant of what had formerly taken place between herfriend and Georges at Savigny. Her own life was so upright, her mind sopure, that it was impossible for her to divine the jealous, mean-spiritedambition that had grown up by her side within the past fifteen years.And yet the enigmatical expression in that pretty face as it smiled uponher gave her a vague feeling of uneasiness which she could notunderstand. An affectation of politeness, strange enough betweenfriends, was suddenly succeeded by an ill-dissembled anger, a cold,stinging tone, in presence of which Claire was as perplexed as by adifficult problem. Sometimes, too, a singular presentiment, the ill-defined intuition of a great misfortune, was mingled with her uneasiness;for all women have in some degree a kind of second sight, and, even inthe most innocent, ignorance of evil is suddenly illumined by visions ofextraordinary lucidity.
From time to time, as the result of a conversation somewhat longer thanusual, or of one of those unexpected meetings when faces taken bysurprise allow their real thoughts to be seen, Madame Fromont reflectedseriously concerning this strange little Sidonie; but the active, urgentduties of life, with its accompaniment of affections and preoccupations,left her no time for dwelling upon such trifles.
To all women comes a time when they encounter such sudden windings in theroad that their whole horizon changes and all their points of view becometransformed.
Had Claire been a young girl, the falling away of that friendship bit bybit, as if torn from her by an unkindly hand, would have been a source ofgreat regret to her. But she had lost her father, the object of hergreatest, her only youthful affection; then she had married. The childhad come, with its thrice welcome demands upon her every moment.Moreover, she had with her her mother, almost in her dotage, stillstupefied by her husband's tragic death. In a life so fully occupied,Sidonie's caprices received but little attention; and it had hardlyoccurred to Claire Fromont to be surprised at her marriage to Risler.He was clearly too old for her; but, after all, what difference did itmake, if they loved each other?
As for being vexed because little Chebe had attained that lofty position,had become almost her equal, her superior nature was incapable of suchpettiness. On the contrary, she would have been glad with all her heartto know that that young wife, whose home was so near her own, who livedthe same life, so to speak, and had been her playmate in childhood, washappy and highly esteemed. Being most kindly disposed toward her, shetried to teach her, to instruct her in the ways of society, as one mightinstruct an attractive provincial, who fell but little short of beingaltogether charming.
Advice is not readily accepted by one pretty young woman from another.When Madame Fromont gave a grand dinner-party, she took Madame Risler toher bedroom, and said to her, smiling frankly in order not to vex her:"You have put on too many jewels, my dear