A little later the sound of carriage-wheels was heard along the road, and M. de Clagny, getting down from his coach, entered the wood. At the sight of Bijou, he uttered a cry of horror, and, rushing to her, took her in his arms in his anxiety and anguish. "Bijou, my love! my darling! dear little Bijou!" And then, like Bernes, he added: "listen to me, Bijou dear; answer me; please speak to me!" He kissed her soft hair, and drew her closer and closer to him, until at last she opened her eyes, and looked up at him with her pretty, innocent expression; and then, as though she were going to sleep again, she murmured, as she laid her head confidingly against him: "Ah, you are so nice to me; and I am so happy like this! I should like to stay here always!" XIV. "COME in!" called out Bijou. She was standing in front of the glass, brushing her hair leisurely. The more she brushed, the more her hair curled, and scented the atmosphere at the same time with a delicate perfume. "The Count de Clagny has come, mademoiselle, to ask how you are?" said the maid. "How I am?" "After the accident yesterday." "Ah, yes! I had forgotten it!" And, going to the window, she asked: "Is he driving?" "No, mademoiselle, he came on horseback; but he is in the drawing-room." "Oh, very well, I will go down!" As soon as the domestic had gone, Bijou slipped on another _peignoir_ quickly. She then put on some pink kid slippers without heels, which made her little feet look delightfully droll, and with her hair hanging loosely down over the frilled collar of her long, loose dress, she ran downstairs to M. de Clagny. On seeing her enter the room, the count rose quickly. His face looked drawn and tired, and there was a sad expression in his eyes. "How good of you to have put yourself about to come so early on my account!" said Bijou, holding out both her hands to him. He pressed them to his lips whilst she went on: "Why, it is scarcely eight o'clock! you must have started from La Noriniere awfully early!" "Don't let us trouble about me; but tell me how you are?" "Why, I am perfectly well, thank you! You saw yesterday that I followed the paper-chase just as though I had not had any fall beforehand; and then, in the evening at the theatre, I did not look ill, did I?" "No, not exactly ill; but at the theatre it seemed to me that you were a little excitable and nervous." And then he added sadly: "I did not see much of you though, either; you scarcely troubled about anyone but Hubert de Bernes, and you quite forsook your poor old friend." She got up and went to him. "Oh! how can you imagine--" she began, in a coaxing way, but he interrupted her. "I did not imagine, alas! I saw for myself; and I am not reproaching you, my dear little girl--young people of course prefer young people, it is quite natural!"