imagination；　she　heard　them　spoken　more　than　once　by　the　young　men　and
  the　young　women　of　Havre　as　they　walked　to　Ingouville；　and；　knowing
  that　Madame　Mignon　and　her　daughter　lived　at　the　Chalet；　talked　of
  them　as　they　passed　the　house。　Friends　of　the　Vilquins　expressed
  surprise　that　the　mother　and　daughter　were　willing　to　live　on　among
  the　scenes　of　their　former　splendor。　From　her　open　window　behind　the
  closed　blinds　Modeste　sometimes　heard　such　insolence　as　this：
  〃I　am　sure　I　can't　think　how　they　can　live　there；〃　some　one　would　say
  as　he　paced　the　villa　lawn；perhaps　to　assist　Vilquin　in　getting　rid
  of　his　tenant。
  〃What　do　you　suppose　they　live　on？　they　haven't　any　means　of　earning
  money。〃
  〃I　am　told　the　old　woman　has　gone　blind。〃
  〃Is　Mademoiselle　Mignon　still　pretty？　Dear　me；　how　dashing　she　used　to
  be！　Well；　she　hasn't　any　horses　now。〃
  Most　young　girls　on　hearing　these　spiteful　and　silly　speeches；　born　of
  an　envy　that　now　rushed；　peevish　and　drivelling；　to　avenge　the　past；
  would　have　felt　the　blood　mount　to　their　foreheads；　others　would　have
  wept；　some　would　have　undergone　spasms　of　anger；　but　Modeste　smiled；
  as　we　smile　at　the　theatre　while　watching　the　actors。　Her　pride　could
  not　descend　so　low　as　the　level　of　such　speeches。
  The　other　event　was　more　serious　than　these　mercenary　meannesses。
  Bettina　Caroline　died　in　the　arms　of　her　younger　sister；　who　had
  nursed　her　with　the　devotion　of　girlhood；　and　the　curiosity　of　an
  untainted　imagination。　In　the　silence　of　long　nights　the　sisters
  exchanged　many　a　confidence。　With　what　dramatic　interest　was　poor
  Bettina　invested　in　the　eyes　of　the　innocent　Modeste？　Bettina　knew
  love　through　sorrow　only；　and　she　was　dying　of　it。　Among　young　girls
  every　man；　scoundrel　though　he　be；　is　still　a　lover。　Passion　is　the
  one　thing　absolutely　real　in　the　things　of　life；　and　it　insists　on　its
  supremacy。　Charles　d'Estourny；　gambler；　criminal；　and　debauchee；
  remained　in　the　memory　of　the　sisters；　the　elegant　Parisian　of　the
  fetes　of　Havre；　the　admired　of　the　womenkind。　Bettina　believed　she　had
  carried　him　off　from　the　coquettish　Madame　Vilquin；　and　to　Modeste　he
  was　her　sister's　happy　lover。　Such　adoration　in　young　girls　is
  stronger　than　all　social　condemnations。　To　Bettina's　thinking；　justice
  had　been　deceived；　if　not；　how　could　it　have　sentenced　a　man　who　had
  loved　her　for　six　months？loved　her　to　distraction　in　the　hidden
  retreat　to　which　he　had　taken　her；that　he　might；　we　may　add；　be　at
  liberty　to　go　his　own　way。　Thus　the　dying　girl　inoculated　her　sister
  with　love。　Together　they　talked　of　the　great　drama　which　imagination
  enhances；　and　Bettina　carried　with　her　to　the　grave　her　sister's
  ignorance；　leaving　her；　if　not　informed；　at　least　thirsting　for
  information。
  Nevertheless；　remorse　had　set　its　fangs　too　sharply　in　Bettina's　heart
  not　to　force　her　to　warn　her　sister。　In　the　midst　of　her　own
  confessions　she　had　preached　duty　and　implicit　obedience　to　Modeste。
  On　the　evening　of　her　death　she　implored　her　to　remember　the　tears
  that　soaked　her　pillow；　and　not　to　imitate　a　conduct　which　even
  suffering　could　not　expiate。　Bettina　accused　herself　of　bringing　a
  curse　upon　the　family；　and　died　in　despair　at　being　unable　to　obtain
  her　father's　pardon。　Notwithstanding　the　consolations　which　the
  ministers　of　religion；　touched　by　her　repentance；　freely　gave　her；　she
  cried　in　heartrending　tones　with　her　latest　breath：　〃Oh　father！
  father！〃　〃Never　give　your　heart　without　your　hand；〃　she　said　to
  Modeste　an　hour　before　she　died；　〃and　above　all；　accept　no　attentions
  from　any　man　without　telling　everything　to　papa　and　mamma。〃
  These　words；　so　earnest　in　their　practical　meaning；　uttered　in　the
  hour　of　death；　had　more　effect　upon　Modeste　than　if　Bettina　had
  exacted　a　solemn　oath。　The　dying　girl；　farseeing　as　prophet；　drew　from
  beneath　her　pillow　a　ring　which　she　had　sent　by　her　faithful　maid；
  Francoise　Cochet；　to　be　engraved　in　Havre　with　these　words；　〃Think　of
  Bettina；　1827；〃　and　placed　it　on　her　sister's　finger；　begging　her　to
  keep　it　there　until　she　married。　Thus　there　had　been　between　these　two
  young　girls　a　strange　commingling　of　bitter　remorse　and　the　artless
  visions　of　a　fleeting　spring…time　too　early　blighted　by　the　keen　north
  wind　of　desertion；　yet　all　their　tears；　regrets　and　memories　were
  always　subordinate　to　their　horror　of　evil。
  Nevertheless；　this　drama　of　a　poor　seduced　sister　returning　to　die
  under　a　roof　of　elegant　poverty；　the　failure　of　her　father；　the
  baseness　of　her　betrothed；　the　blindness　of　her　mother　caused　by
  grief；　had　touched　the　surface　only　of　Modeste's　life；　by　which　alone
  the　Dumays　and　the　Latournelles　judged　her；　for　no　devotion　of　friends
  can　take　the　place　of　a　mother's　eye。　The　monotonous　life　in　the
  dainty　little　Chalet；　surrounded　by　the　choice　flowers　which　Dumay
  cultivated；　the　family　customs；　as　regular　as　clock…work；　the
  provincial　decorum；　the　games　at　whist　while　the　mother　knitted　and
  the　daughter　sewed；　the　silence；　broken　only　by　the　roar　of　the　sea　in
  the　equinoctial　storms；all　this　monastic　tranquillity　did　in　fact
  hide　an　inner　and　tumultuous　life；　the　life　of　ideas；　the　life　of　the
  spiritual　being。　We　sometimes　wonder　how　it　is　possible　for　young
  girls　to　do　wrong；　but　such　as　do　so　have　no　blind　mother　to　send　her
  plummet　line　of　intuition　to　the　depths　of　the　subterranean　fancies　of
  a　virgin　heart。　The　Dumays　slept　when　Modeste　opened　her　window；　as　it
  were　to　watch　for　the　passing　of　a　man；the　man　of　her　dreams；　the
  expected　knight　who　was　to　mount　her　behind　him　and　ride　away　under
  the　fire　of　Dumay's　pistols。
  During　the　depression　caused　by　her　sister's　death　Modeste　flung
  herself　into　the　practice　of　reading；　until　her　mind　became　sodden　in
  it。　Born　to　the　use　of　two　languages；　she　could　speak　and　read　German
  quite　as　well　as　French；　she　had　also；　together　with　her　sister；
  learned　English　from　Madame　Dumay。　Being　very　little　overlooked　in　the
  matter　of　reading　by　the　people　about　her；　who　had　no　literary
  knowledge；　Modeste　fed　her　soul　on　the　modern　masterpieces　of　three
  literatures；　English；　French；　and　German。　Lord　Byron；　Goethe；
  Schiller；　Walter　Scott；　Hugo；　Lamartine；　Crabbe；　Moore；　the　great
  works　of　the　17th　and　18th　centuries；　history；　drama；　and　fiction；
  from　Astraea　to　Manon　Lescaut；　from　Montaigne's　Essays　to　Diderot；
  from　the　Fabliaux　to　the　Nouvelle　Heloise；in　short；　the　thought　of
  three　lands　crowded　with　confused　images　that　girlish　head；　august　in
  its　cold　guilelessness；　its　native　chastity；　but　from　which　there
  sprang　full…armed；　brilliant；　sincere；　and　strong；　an　overwhelming
  admiration　for　genius。　To　Modeste　a　new　book　was　an　event；　a
  masterpiece　that　would　have　horrified　Madame　Latournelle　made　her
  happy；equally　unhappy　if　the　great　work　did　not　play　havoc　with　her
  heart。　A　lyric　instinct　bubbled　in　that　girlish　soul；　so　full　of　the
  beautiful　illusions　of　its　youth。　But　of　this　radiant　existence　not　a
  gleam　reached　the　surface　of　daily　life；　it　escaped　the　ken　of　Dumay
  and　his　wife　and　the　Latournelles；　the　ears　of　the　blind　mother　alone
  caught　the　crackling　of　its　flame。
  The　profound　disdain　which　Modeste　now　conceived　for　ordinary　men　gave
  to　her　face　a　look　of　pride；　an　inexpressible　untamed　shyness；　which
  tempered　her　Teutonic　simplicity；　and　accorded　well　with　a　peculiarity
  of　her　head。　The　hair　growing　in　a　point　above　the　forehead　seemed　the
  continuation　of　a　slight　line　which　thought　had　already　furrowed
  between　the　eyebrows；　and　made　the　expression　of　untameability　perhaps
  a　shade　too　strong。　The　voice　of　this　charming　child；　whom　her　father；
  delighting　in　her　wit；　was　wont　to　call　his　〃little　proverb　of
  Solomon；〃　had　acquired　a　precious　flexibility　of　organ　through　the
  practice　of　three　languages。　This　advantage　was　still　further　enhanced
  by　a　natural　bell…like　tone　both　sweet　and　fresh；　which　touched　the
  heart　as　delightfully　as　it　did　the　ear。　If　the　mother　could　no　longer
  see　the　signs　of　a　noble　destiny　upon　her　daughter's　brow；　she　could
  study　the　transitions　of　her　soul's　development　in　the　accents　of　that
  voice　attuned　to　love。
  CHAPTER　VI
  A　MAIDEN'S　FIRST　ROMANCE
  To　this　period　of　Modeste's　eager　rage　for　reading　succeeded　the
  exercise　of　a　strange　faculty　given　to　vigorous　imaginations；the
  power；　namely；　of　making　herself　an　actor　in　a　dream…existence；　of
  representing　to　her　own　mind　the　things　desired；　with　so　vivid　a
  conception　that　they　seemed　actually　to　attain　reality；　in　short；　to
  enjoy　by　thought；to　live　out　her　years　within　her　mind；　to　marry；　to
  grow　old；　to　attend　her　own　funeral　like　Charles　V。；　to　play　within
  herself　the　comedy　of　life　and；　if　need　be；　that　of　death。　Modeste　was
  indeed　playing；　but　all　alone；　the　comedy　of　Love。　She　fancied　herself
  adored　to　the　summit　of　her　wishes　in　many　an　imagined　phase　of　social
  life。　Sometimes　as　the　heroine　of　a　dark　r