Short Stories

Stories

Previous Stories (58) | Next Stories (60)

another bottle of beer."

He leaned back in his chair and once more grew silent, watching the
thronged street and the twinkling lights. In the little square one of the
musicians with a very clear sweet voice was singing a plaintive song, and
above the hum of the crowd, the melody, haunting in its wistfulness,
floated to Chayne's ears, and troubled him with many memories.

Michel leaned forward upon the table and answered not merely with
sympathy but with the air of one speaking out of full knowledge, and
speaking moreover in a voice of warning.

"True, monsieur. The happiest memories can be very bitter--if one has no
one to share them. All is in that, monsieur. If," and he repeated his
phrase--"If one has no one to share them." Then the technical side of
Chayne's proposal took hold of him.

"The Col Dolent? You will have to start early from the Chalet de Lognan,
monsieur. You will sleep there, of course, to-morrow. You will have to
start at midnight--perhaps even before. There is very little snow this
year. The great bergschrund will be very difficult. In any season it is
always difficult to cross that bergschrund on to the steep ice-slope
beyond. It is so badly bridged with snow.

Previous Stories (58) | Next Stories (60)

Stories Index