He had been home in the meanwhile twice on leave, and there had been nothing changed. He had won many honours, and she supposed the other woman had been proud of him. For herself she had seen him very little and always pleasantly. She was glad now that it had been only pleasantly.
But it was the day of that first August, the day of his first going, that one day, that one hour, she kept living again and again through. It kept being present with her, curiously.
He had arrived--he had telegraphed--about four of the afternoon, she did not know from where. He would have to leave again before five o'clock. She knew, of course, with whom he had been. She thought, waiting for him, what an irony that it should be like this, after all the bitterness, he was coming back to her, and to the old house of his people, in the street of many gardens.
She thought it would be awkward for them both. What could they say to one another?
She wondered if it had been terrible to him to leave the other woman. Probably the other woman was beautiful. All those women were beautiful. She thought, perhaps that other woman loved him and cared what happened to him.
Her two little boys were playing in the room.
The great closed rooms, to which she had brought them back hurriedly from the seaside, fascinated them.
The bigger little one, in his sailor suit with the huge collar was saying, "That's the old witch's cave, Toto, in the snow mountain."
The smaller one, with the curls and the Russian blouse, said, "Oh, Zizi!"
"Yes; and, Toto, that big lump is the giant, sleeping."
The little boys hung back and stared at him; they never had known him really well.
Their mother stood up and went to meet him, across the wide room. "You've had a horrid journey," she said.
"I've been fifty hours in the train," he answered. "Hallo, small boys, there!"
"Toto," said Zizi, "he's going to be a soldier!"
The bigger boy came over to his father. "I know a chap," he said, "it's the son of a friend of mademoiselle's, whose father is dead and cannot be a soldier."
His wife said, "Old Denis has got your things together. All the other men-servants are gone. He has put you something to eat on the dining-room table."
He said, "Will you come with me, do you mind? I've things to say to you, and there is so little time."