Page:The Bohemians of the Latin Quarter.djvu/293

also often happened that his sadness left him at the commencement of his dreams.

But on this particular evening he had used up all his tobacco; the pistol was completely hidden, and yet Jacques was still bitterly sad. That evening, on the contrary, Mademoiselle Francine was extremely light-hearted when she came home, and, like Jacques’s sadness, her light-heartedness was without cause, it was one of those joys that come from heaven, and that God scatters amongst good hearts. So Mademoiselle Francine was in a good temper, and sang to herself as she came upstairs. But as she was going to open her door a puff of wind, coming through the open staircase window, suddenly blew out her candle.

“Oh! what a nuisance,” exclaimed the girl, “six flights of stairs to go down and up again.”

But, noticing the light coming from under Jacques’s door, the instinct of idleness grafted on a feeling of curiosity advised her to go and ask the artist for a light. “It is a service daily rendered amongst neighbors,” thought she, “and there is nothing compromising about it.”

She tapped twice, therefore, at the door, and Jacques opened it, somewhat surprised at this late visit. But scarcely had she taken a step into the room than the smoke that filled it suddenly chocked her, and, before she was able to speak a word, she sank fainting into a chair, dropping her candle and her room door key on the ground. It was midnight, and every one in the house was asleep. Jacques thought it better not to call for help; he was afraid, in the first place, of compromising his neighbor. He contented himself, therefore, with opening the window to let in a little fresh air, and, after having sprinkled a few drops of water on the girl’s face, saw her open her eyes and by degrees come to herself, When, at the end of five min-