FOUR YEARS LATER
"But my dear Captain, why did you refuse the Legion of Honor? It's inconceivable."
"Because, my dear girl, I considered that I didn't deserve it. That's all."
"Now that's too bad."
Mlle. Françoise de la Boulays rose from the settle where she had just invited Captain Didier d'Haumont, who was gradually recovering health and strength, to be seated. Certainly there were times when she failed to understand her dear invalid. Didier d'Haumont had been wounded and mentioned in the orders of the day several times; he wore with joy and pride the cross, but firmly refused the Legion of Honor, remarking:
"I will accept it at some future time when I've deserved it."
"Shall I tell you what I think? Well, you're getting proud," said Françoise in a delightful tone of annoyance.
"Possibly it's something like that," returned the Captain smiling; and then he became serious and was silent.
His sudden silences in the midst of the most cheerful conversation constituted one of the riddles which Mlle. de la Boulays was unable to solve. True, there were moments when the Captain not only baffled her completely by his silences, but occasionally by expressing opinions which were incomprehensible and directly at variance with those held by most level-headed persons. He sometimes uttered a word, and at the same time gave a peculiar smile, which seemed to indicate that he was not entirely in agreement on these matters with the rest of the world.
Nevertheless Françoise was convinced that she had never in the course of her life met a finer intelligence than his, nor a more sympathetic mind, nor a braver heart.