"How's that?" exclaimed Bijou, in surprise. "They are going away already—but what about the cotillion? Is it very late?"
On arriving at the hall-door steps, they met the La Balues coming towards their carriage.
"How's this?" asked Bijou. "You are going? But why?"
M. de la Balue mumbled out some unintelligible words, whilst his son and daughter, looking very sad, shook hands with Bijou.
"Well, what long faces they are making," remarked M. de Clagny, beginning to get anxious in his turn. "Ah! what's that? Whatever's the matter?"
In the hall there was a long pool of water. The servants were going backwards and forwards quickly, looking awestruck, and then Pierrot came in sight, his eyes swollen with crying, and his hands full of flowers. Madame de Rueille was following him, carrying flowers, too.
Bijou stopped short, thunderstruck; but M. de Clagny hurried up to Madame de Rueille.
"What has happened?" he asked.
"M. Giraud has drowned himself," answered Bertrade. "They have just brought him back here. It was the miller who found him near the dam—"
And then, seeing that Pierrot was gazing at her in consternation, shaking his flowers about at the end of his long arms in sheer desperation, she added, in a hard voice: