dropped down from the skies for me. The idea of stealing haunted me. . . .

Gradually all these insane notions took hold of my distracted mind. I was presenting Juliette with palaces and castles; I overwhelmed her with diamonds and pearls; gold streamed and glittered all around her, and I raised her high above the earth, upon dizzy, royal heights. Then the sense of reality would suddenly return. I buried myself deeper in the bed. I sought realms of non-existence in whose depth I could disappear. I forced myself to sleep. And suddenly, out of breath, with sweat on my forehead and a haggard look in my eyes, I would snuggle up to Juliette, press her in my arms with all my strength, sobbing:

" You'll never leave me, will you, my Juliette ! Tell me, tell me that you'll never leave me. Because, you see. . . . I'll die. . . if you do I'll go crazy. I'll kill .myself ! Juliette, I swear to you that I'll kill myself!"

" Why, what has come over you ? Why do you tremble so? No, my dear, I'll never leave you. Are we not happy together? Besides, I love you so much! When you are nice as you are now ! "

" Yes, yes! I'll kill myself! I'll kill myself! "

" You are so funny, my dear ! Why do you tell me that?"

" Because."

I was going to tell her everything. . . . But I had not the courage. And I said:

" Because I love you ! Because I don't want you to leave me ! Because I don't want to."

Nevertheless I finally had to bring this matter to a head. Juliette had seen in the window of a jewelry store on the Rue de la Paix, a string of pearls of which she spoke without end. One day when we were in that neighborhood: