Suddenly the flame of the lamp went down.  Mdme. Caravan immediately turned up the wick, a prolonged gurgling noise ensued, and the light went out.  It had been forgotten during the day to buy oil.  To send for it now to the grocers’ would keep back the dinner, and everybody began to look for candles, but none were to be found except the night lights which had been placed upon the tables upstairs, in the death chamber.

Mdme. Caravan, always prompt in her decisions, quickly dispatched Marie-Louise to fetch two, and her return was awaited in total darkness.

The footsteps of the girl who had ascended the stairs were distinctly heard.  There followed now a silence for a few seconds, then the child descended precipitately.  She threw open the door affrighted, and in a choked voice murmured:  “Oh! papa, grandmamma is dressing herself!”

Caravan bounded to his feet with such precipitance that his chair rolled over against the chair.  He stammered out:  “You say?...  What is that you say?”

But Marie-Louise, gasping with emotion, repeated:  “Grand ... grand ... grandmamma is putting on her clothes, she is coming down stairs.”

Caravan rushed boldly up the staircase, followed by his wife, dumbfounded; but he came to a standstill before the door of the second floor, overcome with terror, not daring to enter.  What was he going to see?  Mdme. Caravan, more courageous, turned the handle of the door and stepped forward into the room.

The room seemed to become darker, and in the middle of it, a tall emaciated figure moved about.  The old woman stood upright, and in awakening from her lethargic sleep, before even full consciousness had returned to her, in turning upon her side, and raising herself on her elbow, she had extinguished three of the candles which burned near the mortuary bed.  Then, recovering her strength, she got out of bed and began to seek for her things.  The absence of her chest of drawers had at first given her some trouble, but, after a little, she had succeeded in finding her things at the bottom of the wooden trunk, and was now quietly dressing.  She emptied the plateful of holy water, replaced the box which contained the latter behind the looking-glass and arranged the chairs in their places, and was ready to go downstairs when there appeared before her her son and daughter-in-law.

Caravan rushed forward, seized her by the hands, embraced her with tears in his eyes, while his wife, who was behind him, repeated in a hypocritical tone of voice:  “Oh, what a blessing!  Oh, what a blessing!”

But the old woman, without being at all moved, without even appearing to understand, as rigid as a statue, and with glazed eyes, simply asked:  “Will the dinner soon be ready?”

He stammered out, not knowing what he said:  “O, yes, mother, we have been waiting for you.”

And with an alacrity, unusual in him, he took her arm, while Mdme. Caravan, the younger, seized the candle and lighted them downstairs, walking backwards in front of them, step by step, just as she had done the previous night, in front of her husband, who was carrying the marble.