"She has continued," stammered Picq; "she has continued. There it is--she has continued for a long time. I grow anxious. No doubt it is unreasonable of me, but----" Truth to tell, the veteran of the boards, who faced a crowded auditorium without a tremor, found himself nervous in the room of the dignified practitioner. "One must not expect miracles. I am not a magician. In such cases----" "Mais enfin, another opinion would ease my mind. If you would do me the great kindness to indicate a specialist, monsieur--the best? Such a one as you would recommend if it were--I do not know what it _could_ be, I; but such a one as you would recommend if you feared something grave? I should be thankful. I know nothing of these things. If you would be so very kind as to communicate with someone for me----" He with-drew, after five minutes, clumsily, relieved to be able to tell Nanette that, with luck, they might receive a visit from a specialist on the morrow. "And his charge--how much?" panted Nanette, who feared that such celerity might cost more still. * * * * * When the specialist had been, on the morrow--when Picq had closed the street door after him, and stumbled up the stairs, in his hurry to rejoin Nanette, and sat down on the bed, with his cheek resting against hers--they did not speak for some seconds. "Well, well," he brought forth at last, "after all, it is not so bad, what? It is a shock, of course--I own it is a shock; but really, when one comes to think it over----" She moaned--a child afraid. "Don't--_don't_! An operation!" "Yes, yes, it is a shock; we were hoping for an easy cure. But when all is said, we have learnt there _is_ a cure. If he had told us there was nothing to be done? There _is_ a cure! And you will feel nothing, mignonne--you will feel no pain at all. And afterwards, when you lie there at peace--so comfortable in the knowledge that all the misery is over--I shall come every day and bring you flowers. And every day I shall find you brighter and stronger. Upon my word, I would not mind making a bet that, in looking back at it, you remember it as a happy time." Big tears were on her frightened face. "And it is Jean's birthday," she wailed. "Yes, it is unfortunate. It cannot be helped. Well, we shall have our fête when you come home instead, and--listen, listen! We will drink his health at a restaurant--we will make up for the delay. To the devil with the cost! When you come home cured, we will have a swagger supper out, to celebrate the double event. Nanette--it is useless to expostulate--I register a vow that this time we will squander a couple of louis on a supper on the Boulevard. And you shall put on your pink silk dress!" "Petit bonhomme, wilt thou do me a favour?" she whimpered. "Now thou art going to say something foolish."