Belle-Rose — page 375: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

864 THE RUE DE L’ARBRE-SEG. ‘ thing. Genevieve had one hand upon Gaston’s head and with the other was pressing a crucifix to her lips. At sight of Belle-Rose, she raised herself. She made a sign to Suzanne to approach, and took her hand which she joined to that of Belle-Rose between hers. Her eyes shone with a supernatural splendor, and as she saw tears in the eyes of Belle-Rose, she said to him, with the smile of a martyr: ‘‘Do not weep; it is the end of the expiation.”’ She leaned toward Suzanne and passed her arm around the young woman’s neck. “T am going to die,’’ she said to her. ‘‘Gaston will no longer have a mother; be that to him.” All her soul appeared in her eyes. She drew forward the sobbing child and placed him between Suzanne and Belle-Rose. And then having embraced all three turn by turn, she fell back, dead. Those who loved her remained all night praying around the funeral bed. Never had so great a grief torn the heart of Belle-Rose. Genevieve’s body was exposed in the chapel for three days. When the funeral ceremony was over, Belle-Rose took with him Suzanne, Claudine, and the two children, and brought them back to the lodge which they occupied in the park before his departure, and during the whole day they were sad and silent. Déroute and Grippard themselves, who formerly did not have enough tongue to say all that was passing in their heads, remained mute. ‘Toward evening, just as Suzanne was going to quit the apartment, Belle- Rose took her in his arms and kissed her on the forehead. He was grave and meditative. 2 ‘‘Go,’’ he said to her, ‘‘and seek some repose. T'o-morrow, at daybreak, I will take you back to the hotel in the Rue de Rohan, you and Claudine. Your place is for the future at Paris. ‘And yours, Jacques?’’ replied Suzanne. ‘‘Mine is in the army so long as I have strength left to hold asword. Ishall go to rejoin Monsieur de Luxem- bourg and Monsieur de Naucrais, and with me I will take Gaston.’’ 2 t¢What!a child so young?”’ exclaimed the mother. The child raised his blonde face and turned to Belle- Rose his great, black eyes, in which shone a ray of joy. *T am a soldier’s son,’’ said he, in a limpid and sonorous voice. | The day was dying, and already huge shadows floated over the country. Suzanne and Claudine retired with the two children. At the moment when his wife and sister ‘comicbooks.co