"Oh! yes, monsieur; you cannot see madame; her headache's very bad." XLVIII WOMAN CHANGES OFT Gustave returned to his office sadly out of temper. He was surprised that for a headache Fanny should refuse to see him; he said to himself that, if he were ill, the presence of his loved one could not fail to do him good and cure him at once. Then, in spite of himself, he recalled Fanny's conduct at her father's, her evident pleasure in conversing with Monsieur de la Beriniere, while she barely listened to what he, Gustave, said to her. All this distressed and worried him. He could not be jealous of the count, who was sixty years old, but he was displeased with Fanny; and while he sought excuses for her, saying to himself that a young woman was not debarred from being a little coquettish, from liking to cut a figure in society, he feared, nevertheless, that she was not capable of loving as he loved. We often hear of presentiments; but, in most cases, these presentiments are simply the assembling of our memories so as to form a new light, which enlightens our minds, destroys our illusions, undeceives our hearts. With the aid of this new light, we foresee the treachery that lies in wait for us, and we say: "I had a presentiment of it." Gustave returned to Fanny's that evening; it was natural enough that he should be anxious to know whether the headache had disappeared. The servant informed him that madame had gone out. "Gone out!" cried Gustave; "she is better, then?" "_Dame_! yes, monsieur; it's evident that madame has got rid of her sick headache." "Where has she gone?" "I don't know, monsieur." "And she left no message for me, if I came?" "Not a word." "Has she gone to her father's?" "I said that I didn't know." "Very well; I will come again. Ask her to wait for me, when she returns." The young man hurried to Monsieur Gerbault's. He found Adolphine alone. She read at once on his face that he was suffering, and asked him as she took his hand: "What has happened, my friend? Something is the matter." "Why---- Have you seen your sister to-day?" "No." "You have not?" "No, she hasn't been here. Why do you ask?" "Because I haven't seen her to-day, either. This morning, I called on her; I was told that she had a headache and was asleep. But this evening I called again, and she had gone out." "Well, she has probably gone to see some of her friends. She has retained some acquaintances from the time when her husband was living, and she goes to see them sometimes. I can see nothing disturbing in that." "But, after a whole day without seeing each other, to go out in the evening without saying where she's going--without leaving a word for me!" "Fanny is so thoughtless; she probably forgot." "Dear Adolphine! you try to excuse your sister, but I am sure that you blame her, at the bottom of your heart. Don't you remember how unkind she was to me last night?" "Why, I didn't notice----"