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50 THE CONFESSION OF A FOOL
tured by remorse, nervous, I suppressed with difficulty the
tears which I felt rising to ray eyes.
" But, aren’t you jealous? " I asked, merely for the sake
of saying something.
" Not at all," she answered, quite sincerely and without
a trace of malice. "Perhaps you’ll think it strange, but
it’s true. I love my husband ; he is very kind-hearted ;
and I appreciate the little one, for she’s a nice girl. And
there is really nothing wrong between them. Shame on
jealousy, which makes a woman look plain ; at my age one
has to be careful."
And, indeed, she looked so plain at that moment that it
wrung my heart. Acting thoughtlessly, on impulse, I
advised her, with fatherly solicitude, to put a shawl round
her shoulders, pretending that I was afraid of her catching-
cold. She let me arrange the fleecy fabric round her face,
framing it, and transforming her into a dainty beauty.
How pretty she was when she thanked me smilingly !
A look of perfect happiness had come into her face ; she
was grateful like a child begging for caresses.
" My poor husband ! How glad I am to see him a little
more cheerful ! He is full of trouble ! ... If you only
knew 1
"
"If I’m not indiscreet," I ventured, "then, for
Heaven’s sake, tell me what it is that makes you so un-
happy. I feel that there is a great sorrow in your life.
I have nothing to offer you but advice ; but, if I can in
any way serve you, I entreat you to make use of my
friendship."
My poor friends were in financial difficulties : the
phantom of ruin—that ghastly nightmare ! —was threaten-
ing them. Up to now the Baron’s inadequate income had
been supplemented by his wife’s dowry. But they had
recently discovered that the dowry existed on paper only,
it being invested in worthless shares. The Baron was on
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