“Look out, they are par ... par ... partridges.”  And almost before he had finished, there was a loud whirr—­whirr, and a covey of large birds flew up in the air, with a tremendous noise.

Madame Vilers was startled, shut her eyes, fired off both barrels and staggered at the recoil of the gun; but when she had recovered her self-possession, she saw that the Baron was dancing about like a madman, and that Medor was bringing back the first of the two partridges which she had killed.

From that day, Monsieur de Coutelier was in love with her, and used to say, raising his eyes:  “What a woman!” And he used to go and see them every evening now, and talked about shooting.

One day, Monsieur de Courville, who was walking part of the way with him, asked him, suddenly: 

“Why don’t you marry her?”

The Baron was altogether taken by surprise, and said: 

“What?  I?  Marry her? ...  Well ... really....”

And he said no more for a while, but then, suddenly shaking hands with his companion, he said: 

“Good-bye, my friend,” and quickly disappeared in the darkness.

He did not go again for three days, but when he reappeared, he was pale from thinking the matter over, and graver than usual.  Taking Monsieur de Courville aside, he said: 

“That was a capital idea of yours; try and persuade her to accept me, for one might say that a woman like she is, was made for me, and you and I shall be able to have some sort of sport together, all the year round.”

As Monsieur de Courville felt certain that his friend would not meet with a refusal, he replied: 

“Propose to her immediately, my dear fellow, or would you rather that I did it for you?”

But the Baron grew suddenly nervous, and said, with some hesitation: 

“No, ... no....  I must go to Paris for ... for a few days.  As soon as I come back, I will give you a definite answer.”  No other explanation was forthcoming, and he started the next morning.

He made a long stay.  One, two, three weeks passed, but Monsieur de Coutelier did not return, and the Courvilles, who were surprised and uneasy, did not know what to say to their friend, whom they had informed of the Baron’s wishes.  Every other day they sent to his house for news of him, but none of his servants had a line.

But one evening, while Madame Vilers was singing, and accompanying herself on the piano, a servant came with a mysterious air, and told Monsieur de Courville that a gentleman wanted to see him.  It was the Baron, in a traveling suit, who looked much altered and older, and as soon as he saw his old friend, he seized both his hands, and said, in a somewhat tired voice:  “I have just returned, my dear friend, and I have come to you immediately; I am thoroughly knocked up.”

Then he hesitated in visible embarrassment, and presently said: 

“I wished to tell you ... immediately ... that ... that business ... you know what I mean ... must come to nothing.”