I came downstairs quickly, shut the door, took the key, and returned to the garden. Everything had been executed so quickly that no one had noticed the strange fact of my absence. The whole of the day and the evening seemed to me to be mortally long.

At last, about half-past ten, my grandmother retired to rest, and we all followed suit. Monsieur B. wished us good night, and went off to his room; my aunt remained with me for an instant and saw me safely into my bed chamber. I kissed her and said "good evening."

I undressed without delay, and dismissed the maid. Then I drew on my stockings again, put on a pair of velvet slippers and a dressing-gown of dark colour, and waited.

At about a quarter after eleven, I slid like a shadow into the corridor; reached the little door without interruption, opened it, and locked myself in, noiselessly and without difficulty, and then I mounted my ladder, settled myself down as comfortably as possible, and looked through my peep hole.

My success was complete, as I could see distinctly. The clean white bed seemed like an altar decked out for a sacrifice; a lamp placed on the night-table inundated the brilliant linen with an intense flood of light. Bertha was in the adjoining room, where I heard her performing her ablutions. They took some time, and were apparently of varied kinds, if I judge by the sound of a certain instrument that made a noise as if of clockwork being wound up.

She came back into the room at last, with nothing on but her dressing-gown, and going to the bed turned it down, arranged the pillows, and placed the lamp so as to throw a still greater light upon it. Then she took a delicate cambric chemise, trimmed with lace, and advancing towards the fulllength mirror of the wardrobe, looked in the glass for a minute or two, and by a graceful movement of her shoulders let slip the chemise she had on, which arrested in its downward course for a second by the swelling of her hips, soon fell twisted at her feet. She had already put off her gown, and now appeared completely naked before my startled eyes.