Unknown to Mme. Willemsens, all eyes grew pitiful at the
sight of her, she was so good, so thoughtful, so dignified with those
with whom she came in contact.
And as for her.--When the autumn days came on, days so sunny and
bright in Touraine, bringing with them grapes and ripe fruits and
healthful influences which must surely prolong life in spite of the
ravages of mysterious disease--she saw no one but her children, taking
the utmost that the hour could give her, as if each hour had been her
last.
Louis had worked at night, unknown to his mother, and made immense
progress between June and September. In algebra he had come as far as
equations with two unknown quantities; he had studied descriptive
geometry, and drew admirably well; in fact, he was prepared to pass
the entrance examination of the Ecole polytechnique.
Sometimes of an evening he went down to the bridge of Tours. There was
a lieutenant there on half-pay, an Imperial naval officer, whose manly
face, medal, and gait had made an impression on the boy's imagination,
and the officer on his side had taken a liking to the lad, whose eyes
sparkled with energy. Louis, hungering for tales of adventure, and
eager for information, used to follow in the lieutenant's wake for the
chance of a chat with him.
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