They became accustomed to the naughty jokes of the old clerk.
So long as they remained in the dining-room, they were able to keep their terror under control.

The mind could not imagine the frightful change that came over them, as soon as they were shut up in their bedroom.

On the Thursday night, particularly, this transformation was so violently brutal, that it seemed as if accomplished in a supernatural world.

The drama in the bedroom, by its strangeness, by its savage passion, surpassed all belief, and remained deeply concealed within their aching beings.

Had they spoken of it, they would have been taken for mad.
"How happy those sweethearts are!" frequently remarked old Michaud.
"They hardly say a word, but that does not prevent them thinking.