"And what followed, Doctor? Did they marry?"
"Yes; they were married," answered our host. "The will of Providence
is sometimes so plainly indicated by events that the most obtuse
cannot fail to perceive it. After the adventure with the wolves,
Solange's parents consented to her marriage with Laurent Grillet. The
marriage took place in the spring. The reward of fifty francs for the
wolf's head paid for the wedding dress."
The doctor was silent. Night was full upon us. The sky, of a
turquoise blue, reflected its first stars in the river. The mass
of forest, dense and inky, shut off the horizon. We saw Solange,
the wolf-girl, dress her two boys and start homeward with them, the
youngest asleep on her shoulder. She passed very near us, and looking
up, smiled at the doctor. The doctor said,--
"Good-night, Solange!"
[Illustration]