After many kisses Helene said to the Count: 'Listen, my dear, I have thought about it-you know that my rooms are situated in the Chateau quite by themselves. My waiting maid is away, no one could dream of our rendezvous, and we could pass some adorable nights together.
'I will send Marcelle to Paris at once under some pretext or other and every evening shall reunite us; so be on the look out, a sign will warn you during the day as to the hour at which it will be safe to slip into my room.
'I trust you to take the most minute precautions.'
It was then decided that M. de Vycabre should leave the little hut first and take a stroll through the park in order to give my aunt a chance to regain her chamber by the servant's staircase.
The Count disappeared and I remained squatted amongst my shrubbery until he was out of sight.
As Madame de Torcol did not at once make her appearance I once more glanced within.
This dainty retreat amidst the trees was furnished with a wash stand and a jug of water in a serviceable condition.
I saw Helene fill the hand basin, raise her petticoats and stand over it.
In the position I occupied, I could see her pretty little cleft open itself. It seemed to me to be of vivid carnation but the sides, the interior and even as far as the thick underwood which surrounded it, seemed to have been plunged into a kind of glutinous fluid.
Helene began an ample ablution and I was preparing to steal gently away when one of her movements stupefied me.
At the commencement of the operation, my aunt's hand carefully refreshed the fatigued parts, but all at once she stopped. Her finger placed itself on a slight eminence situated right in front of where she began to rub, at first lightly and slowly, then with a kind of fury. At last she seemed to experience the pleasurable sensations of the minute before.
I had seen enough-I understood and was not long in vanishing-a winding alley conducted me to the Chateau where, my brain on fire, my bosom palpitating and with a staggering gait, I re-entered my chamber with the firm intention of enjoying on my own accounts, the last act of the pantomime that I had witnessed.
That wherein no partner was required.
Like one demented, I flung my hat on the floor, then shut and doublelocked the door, threw myself on the bed, flung my clothes up to the waist and struggled to use my hand in the way that I had seen Helene use hers to gain satisfaction.
Several attempts proved ineffectual but at last, with Nature helping me, the sensitive point revealed itself and the remainder became easy, for my observation had been through.
A delicious sensation seized me, I continued furiously and speedily, and the ecstasy experienced became such that I actually lost consciousness. When I returned to myself I found that I was still in the same position, my hand was all wet with an unknown dew and it was not for a considerable time that I was able to completely recover my senses.
Breakfast time was at hand, I made a hasty toilette and went down stairs.
My aunt, stretched out in an easy chair, was chatting with my grandmother, beautiful and fresh and unflushed, as though she had just arisen from an excellent night's rest.
I had need to assure myself that I had not dreamt it all and that Helene had, like all virtuous folk seen the sun rise in her own private bedroom, rather than as I knew, elsewhere.
As for myself, I felt that I looked ugly, my eyes were discoloured, my cheeks were flushed and even grandmother noticed my agitation. I assured her that I felt perfectly well and my aunt kissed me and we began to talk about different subjects. When M. de Vycabre entered the room all my self-possession had returned to me.
In the most natural manner he related to us how he had made an excursion to a neighbouring village, and we sat down to the table.
Without appearing to do so, I did not let a single gesture from my aunt or the Count escape me, but I was disappointed because not a sign or a look disclosed their plan to me.
During dessert, my aunt said carelessly to my grandmother, 'I was so thoughtless on leaving Paris, that I shall be obliged to send my maid to fetch me a lot of things.'
'Oh, Mon Dieu, who will take her place here with you?'
'Don't trouble yourself about that, I can attend to myself perfectly well during so short an absence.'
The day passed without incident, M. de Vycabre mounted his horse and took a long ride, while we sat by the side of the lake and did some needlework.
Some neighbours called on us and grandmother kept them to dinner and in the evenings we had some music. M. de Vycabre devoted himself to whist with Madame de Pauvanne and was perfectly reserved towards us.
I hastened to find myself alone, face to face with my thoughts.
Immediately eleven o'clock struck I went to bed, quickly dismissing my maid, not doubting but that tomorrow night a serious rendezvous would take place between M. de Vycabre and my aunt, so I ran over the means at my disposal of spying on the impassioned scenes which I was sure would be the consequence.
Knowing every nook and corner of the house, I began at once to draw up a plan of campaign, of which the small suite of apartments occupied by my aunt, became the centre of operations.
We both lodged in the middle story of the Chateau, but at the opposite extremities of the same corridor. All the rooms on this story opened on the same corridor. M. de Vycabre was also lodged on this floor but in an angular wing.
My aunt's suite consisted of a bedroom, drawing-room and a little room in which was fixed a bed for her waiting maid.
I recalled to mind a certain dressing-room occupying only a third of the length of the room, which had formerly led to an alcove but had afterwards been closed up by a strong partition wall.
A bull's eye window let in at the top of the alcove had been merely stopped up by a pierglass representing a pastoral scene, (in truth a bad enough oil painting). I equally well remembered a kind of black cabinet and my plan was complete. I went to sleep full of resolution and hope for the coming day.
Marcelle set off the next morning as arranged.
M. de Vycabre and my aunt were more than ever reserved, however I was able to catch what I wanted to know-the hour of the rendezvous.
After breakfast the Count leaned nonchalantly against the mantelpiece and, while admiring a handsome clock, a superb ballshaped article, he let his finger rest for a moment on the figures XI and VI-I easily translated this mute language, half past eleven and when my aunt replied with a slight motion of her eyes, I was certain.
We went to sit in the garden and M. de Vycabre who contrary to his custom had remained at home, started to read to us. I then escaped on some pretext and went up to the second floor.
There I drew a table to the door, placed a stool upon it and, without pity for the artist's work, cut a hole in the pastoral scene and proved to myself that I could occupy a front box to see what was going to take place in my aunt's room. Finally, satisfied with my invention, I returned to the others. Time seemed to me to drag its moments out to a mortal length.
At last half-past ten struck, my grandmother retired and we followed her example.
M. de Vycabre wished us good night and went to his room; my aunt stopped with me for a few minutes longer and then conducted me to my chamber where she left me after kissing me tenderly.
I was not slow in undressing that night, you may be sure; and my maid remarked that I must be in need of sleep to make such haste.
This was not altogether the motive which made me hasten the departure of my maid, for scarcely was she out of my room when I again put on my stockings and slippers and a dark-coloured wrapper and waited.
At about a quarter past eleven I glided towards my scaffolding; scrambled up to the top and installed myself as comfortably as I could, then gazed as though I was at a theatre.
I saw very distinctly the white and fresh-looking bed resembling an altar prepared for the sacrifice; a lamp on the table flooded it with vivid light.
Helene was in her dressing room where I heard her making ablutions of various kinds; for I heard the sound of a certain instrument which I was sure she was putting up herself.
Her operations concluded, I saw her come into the room clad only in a dressing gown; she went to the bed and turned down the clothes, arranged the pillows and, moved the lamp so that it more nearly faced it.
