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250 THE CONFESSION OF A FOOL
She was like the female spider which devours her mate
immediately after the hymeneal embrace.
While I suffered thus, Marie led a mysterious life. She
always remained in bed till the one o’clock dinner. After
dinner she went to town, frequently without any definite
purpose, and did not return until supper, sometimes even
later. When I was asked where she had gone, I replied
—
"To town! "
And the inquirer smiled furtively.
I never suspected her. I never thought of playing the
spy. After supper she remained in the drawing-room,
talking to strangers.
At night she often treated the servants to liqueurs ; I
heard their whispering voices, but I never stooped so low
as to listen at her door. . . .
What was it that held me back ? I don’t know. Only
an instinct, I suppose, which teaches us that those actions
are unmanly and dishonourable. Moreover, it had become
a sort of religion with me to leave her an absolutely free
hand.
Three months passed. Then the fact suddenly struck
me that our expenditure was enormous. Now that our
expenses were regulated, it was easy to check them.
We paid twelve francs a day at our hotel, that is three
hundred and sixty francs a month, and I had given Marie
a thousand francs a month. She had therefore spent six
hundred francs a month in incidental expenses.
I asked her to account for her extravagance.
"The money has been spent on incidental items! " she
exclaimed furiously.
"What! with an ordinary expenditure of three
hundred and sixty francs, you spent six hundred francs
incidentally? Do you take me for a fool?
"
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