She felt the need of being given up to herself for a few days, to herself alone, to consult and question herself at her leisure, in the complete solitude of the country-in a word, to belong to herself again.
Was not Bettina all sprightly and joyous when, on the 14th of June, they took the train for Longueval?
As soon as she was alone in a coupe with her sister: "Ah!" she cried, "how happy I am! Let us breathe a little, quite alone, you and me, for a few days.

The Nortons and Turners do not come till the 25th, do they ?" "No, not till the 25th." "We will pass our lives riding or driving in the woods, in the fields.
Ten days of liberty! And during those ten days no more lovers, no more lovers! And all those lovers, with what are they in love, with me or my money?
That is the mystery, the unfathomable mystery." The engine whistled; the train put itself slowly into motion.

A wild idea entered Bettina's head.

She leaned out of the window and cried, accompanying her words with a little wave of the hand: "Good-by, my lovers, good-by." Then she threw herself suddenly into a corner of the coupe with a hearty burst of laughter.
"Oh, Susie, Susie!" "What is the matter ?" "A man with a red flag in his hand; he saw me, and he looked so astonished." "You are so irrational!" "Yes, it is true, to have called out of the window like that, but not to be happy at thinking that we are going to live alone, 'en garcons'." "Alone! alone! Not exactly that.

To begin with, we shall have two people to dinner to-night." "Ah! that is true.