And so you believe that he is dead!
Ah! to think of all those children who die, when so many women would be
happy to save one, to have one for themselves. Well, if you haven't been
able to tell me anything positive, you have at least done your best.
Thank you."
During the ensuing months Mathieu often found himself alone with
Constance, but she never reverted to the subject. She seemed to set her
energy on forgetting all about it, though he divined that it still
haunted her. Meantime things went from bad to worse in the Beauchene
household. The husband gradually went back to his former life of
debauchery, in spite of all the efforts of Constance to keep him near
her. She, for her part, clung to her fixed idea, and before long she
consulted Boutan. There was a terrible scene that day between husband and
wife in the doctor's presence. Constance raked up the story of Norine and
cast it in Beauchene's teeth, while he upbraided her in a variety of
ways. However, Boutan's advice, though followed for a time, proved
unavailing, and she at last lost confidence in him. Then she spent months
and months in consulting one and another. She placed herself in the hands
of Madame Bourdieu, she even went to see La Rouche, she applied to all
sorts of charlatans, exasperated to fury at finding that there was no
real succor for her.
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