“The domino remained still without moving, forgetting the ring, sunk in thought.
“I picked up the ring and handed it to her.
“Through her mask I saw her eyes fixed on mine.
“‘You must help me to get in,’ she said to me; ‘You must, for pity’s sake.’
“‘But I am going out, madame,’ I said to her.
“‘Then give me six francs for this ring, and you will render me a service for which I shall bless you my life long.’
“I replaced the ring on her finger; I went to the box-office, I took two tickets. We reentered together.
“As we arrived within the corridor I felt that she was tottering. Then with her second hand she made a kind of ring around my arm.
“‘Are you in pain?’ I asked her.
“‘No, no, it is nothing,’ she replied, ‘a dizziness, that is all—’