“Not as often as I should like.  But, you know, when one lives in the same district, one has opportunities of meeting—­at the beech harvest, in the woods, at the church door.  And when you meet, you talk but little, making the most of your time.  Still, you must not suppose, as I think you did, that we have rendezvous in the evening.  Reine respects herself too much to go about at night with a young man as escort, and besides, she has other fish to fry.  She has a great deal to do at the farm, since her father has become an invalid.”

“Well, do you think she loves you?” said Julien, with a movement of nervous irritation.

“I can not tell,” replied Claudet shrugging his shoulders, “she has confidence in me, and shows me some marks of friendship, but I never have ventured to ask her whether she feels anything more than friendship for me.  Look here, now.  I have good reasons for keeping back; she is rich and I am poor.  You can understand that I would not, for any consideration, allow her to think that I am courting her for her money—­”

“Still, you desire to marry her, and you hope that she will not say no—­you acknowledge that!” cried Julien, vociferously.

Claudet, struck with the violence and bitterness of tone of his companion, came up to him.

“How angrily you say that, Monsieur de Buxieres!” exclaimed he in his turn; “upon my word, one might suppose the affair is very displeasing to you.  Will you let me tell you frankly an idea that has already entered my head several times these last two or three days, and which has come again now, while I have been listening to you?  It is that perhaps you, yourself, are also in love with Reine?”

“I!” protested Julien.  He felt humiliated at Claudet’s perspicacity; but he had too much pride and selfrespect to let his preferred rival know of his unfortunate passion.  He waited a moment to swallow something in his throat that seemed to be choking him, and then, trying in vain to steady his voice, he added: 

“You know that I have an aversion for women; and for that matter, I think they return it with interest.  But, at all events, I am not foolish enough to expose myself to their rebuffs.  Rest assured, I shall not follow at your heels!”

Claudet shook his head incredulously.

“You doubt it,” continued de Buxieres; “well, I will prove it to you.  You can not declare your wishes because Reine is rich and you are poor?  I will take charge of the whole matter.”

“I—­I do not understand you,” faltered Claudet, bewildered at the strange turn the conversation was taking.

“You will understand-soon,” asserted Julien, with a gesture of both decision and resignation.