And resting his head against the carvings of his stall, which he could do without hurting himself, his hood being comfortably padded, the Canon gave his thoughts to the dif ference there would be between the present week and the pre ceding week, and again between the present week and the week that was to come. For Heloise would not stay more than a week with him. And a week's soon over, he added thought fully, as he left the Cathedral, stopping to admire the out lines of the street, as was his custom to do. Spreading, he said, into great bulk as the houses ascend in overhanging, jut ting storeys, an architecture following the whims of the builders, telling a varied tale that I never weary Of reading. And his thoughts going back to Roman times, he meditated that if the Moderns had lost skill in literature they had acquired an architecture that was all their own. Virgil would understand the beauty Of my street, though the peaked gables would seem strange to him at first; and he could not help thinking that Virgil would like a certain corner house with windows overlooking the street and windows overlooking the Seine, however little it might remind him Of a Roman Villa. He began to count his steps. A dozen more and it will come into View, he said, and was disappointed to find that he had miscalculated the distance by three steps. But never had his house presented so charming an appearance as it did at this moment, standing amid strong lights and shadows. What a pretty house, he muttered; prettier than I thought for; and he remained for some moments forgetful of Helo'ise, lost in admiration Of the cut-stone facade and the appearance Of the balcony high up under the impending roof, where Madelon dried her linen. She has not a great deal of washing this week, he said; and I hope the sheets she will put upon Hélo'ise's bed will be aired. But whatever her faults are, and they are many, she does not forget these things. They ought to be back by this from Argenteuil; and he hastened up the ?ight Of steps that led to his house and kept it free from the Seine, which in winter ?owed into the street if the thaw was sudden. At the top of the steps was the front door, and on pushing it open the Canon found himself in a passage, and facing him was the staircase leading to the first storey. Nodoubt Madelon is showing her round the house, and he ran up the stairs. No, she is not here, he said, looking round the room known as the Canon's company-room. They must be in the parlour. And he ran down to the room in which he had his meals and which served him also as a Sitting-room in the winter, fuel not being plentiful enough to have fires in more than two rooms. No, they are not here; she must have taken Helo'ise into my study. And as he expected, he found Madelon and Heloise waiting for him in his study, having no more than half-an-hour ago returned from Argenteuil.
