"But all the time Marie herself was just going from bad to worse. She had come to the Cafe a light-hearted, sweet-tempered girl; now, when she wasn't engaged in her play-acting--for that's all it was, I could see plainly enough--she would go about her work silent and miserable-looking, or if she spoke at all it would be to say something bitter. Then one morning after a holiday she had asked for, and which I had given her without any questions, she came to business more like her old self than I had seen her since the afternoon Master Tom Sleight had appeared upon the scene. All that day she went about smiling to herself; and young Flammard, presuming a bit too far maybe upon past favours, found himself sharply snubbed: it was a bit rough on him, the whole thing. "'It's come to a head,' says I to myself; 'he has explained everything, and has managed to satisfy her. He's a cleverer chap than I took him for.' "He didn't turn up at the Cafe that day, however, at all, and she never said a word until closing time, when she asked me to walk part of the way home with her. "'Well,' I says, so soon as we had reached a quieter street, 'is the comedy over?' "'No,' says she, 'so far as I'm concerned it's commenced. To tell you the truth, it's been a bit too serious up to now to please me. I'm only just beginning to enjoy myself,' and she laughed, quite her old light- hearted laugh. "'You seem to be a bit more cheerful,' I says. "'I'm feeling it,' says she; 'he's not as bad as I thought. We went to Versailles yesterday.' "'Pretty place, Versailles,' says I; 'paths a bit complicated if you don't know your way among 'em.' "'They do wind,' says she. "'And there he told you that he loved you, and explained everything?' "'You're quite right,' says she, 'that's just what happened. And then he kissed me for the first and last time, and now he's on his way to America.' "'On his way to America?' says I, stopping still in the middle of the street. "'To find his wife,' she says. 'He's pretty well ashamed of himself for not having tried to do it before. I gave him one or two hints how to set about it--he's not over smart--and I've got an idea he will discover her.' She dropped her joking manner, and gave my arm a little squeeze. She'd have flirted with her own grandfather--that's my opinion of her.