"Oh! no!" said he; "I do not think so. They were shutting the doors; they had whistled. We only just had time to reach our carriage. And, besides, the coupé was reserved, nobody could get in there, I fancy——"
But the blue eyes of his wife opened wider, and grew so large, that he was afraid to be positive.
"After all," he continued, "I don't know. Yes. Perhaps someone did get into the coupé. There was a regular crush——"
As he continued talking, his voice became distinct again, and a new story began to take shape.
"The crowd, you know, was enormous," he said, "on account of the fêtes at Havre. We were obliged to resist an assault on our own compartment by second and even third-class passengers. Apart from this, the station was badly lighted, one could see next to nothing. People were pushing about in a clamorous multitude, just as the train was starting. Yes, indeed, it is quite possible that someone, not knowing where to find a seat, or, may be, taking advantage of the confusion, actually did force his way into the coupé, at the last second."
And, turning to his wife, he remarked:
"Eh! my dear, that is what must have happened?"
Séverine, looking broken down, with her handkerchief pressed to her swollen eyes, answered:
"That is what happened, certainly."