M. de Jonzac, who was playing billiards with the abbe, was also keeping one ear open to catch what was going on round him. He now protested against the way in which Pierrot expressed himself, even supposing that the reproach itself were just. "Well, yes," answered his son, "it's quite true that I'm not over-particular about what words I use, but that doesn't prevent what I said being true; and the others said it too, just now; I wasn't the only one." "Mademoiselle," said Giraud, who was standing near the large bay-window, looking out at the sky, "you said yesterday that you liked shooting stars--I have never seen so many as there are to-night." "Really?" replied Denyse, going to the window, and leaning her arms on the ledge, side by side with the tutor, "are there as many as all that? What's that to the left?" she asked, bending forward. "I can see something white on the terrace." "It is Mademoiselle Dubuisson, who is strolling about with her father and M. Spiegel." "Ah! supposing we went out to them--shall we?" Giraud led the way at once, only too happy to go out for a stroll on this beautiful starry night. When they were near the terrace, she stopped suddenly. "Perhaps we shall be _de trop_," she said; "they may be talking of private affairs. Let us go to the chestnut avenue, and they'll come to us if they want to." She descended the marble steps, and they were soon in the dark avenue, under the thick chestnut trees. The young man had followed her, his heart beating with excitement, almost beside himself with joy. They walked along for some little time without speaking, and then at last Bijou looked up, trying to catch a glimpse of the sky between the branches of the trees. "We shall not see much of the shooting stars here," she said. "Oh, yes," answered Giraud, who did not want to leave this shady walk, where he had Bijou all to himself, "we can see them all the same. Look, there's one, did you see it?" "Not distinctly, and not long enough to be able to wish anything." "To wish anything? but what?" "Oh! anything. Why! do you mean to say you did not know that when you see a shooting star you ought to wish something?" "No, I did not know. And does your wish get fulfilled?" "They say so." "Well, then, mademoiselle, have you a wish quite ready this time, so that you will not be taken unawares?" "Yes, certainly, I have one; but it can never be realised." "Ah! I dare not ask you what." "I should like to be quite different from what I am," she replied, very gently. "Yes, I should like to be a very pretty girl, in quite humble circumstances, so that I need not be obliged to go into society, and so that I could marry just whom I liked. I should like to be, in fact, happy according to my own idea of things, without troubling anything about social prejudices and conventionalities." "Why should you wish that?" he asked, in a voice that trembled slightly.