With haggard faces the two women huddled together and watched the boat’s manoeuvres. The music from La Grenouillère pounding in the distance provided a grim counterpoint to the movements of the solemn fishermen. The river, now containing a corpse in its depths, continued to swirl in the moonlight. The search was prolonged and Madeleine, waiting in horrible suspense, shivered. Finally, after a good half-hour, one of the men announced: ‘I’ve got him!’

Very gradually he pulled in the boathook. A large mass appeared at the surface of the water. The other boatman left his oars and between the two, each heaving with all his strength, they managed to haul the inert body and bring it tumbling into the boat. They soon reached the bank and found an open, flat space in the moonlight. As they landed, the women approached.

As soon as she saw him Madeleine recoiled in horror. In the light of the moon’s rays he looked green already and his mouth, his eyes, his nose and his clothes were full of the river’s slime. The stiff fingers of his clenched fist looked hideous. Black, liquid silt covered his entire body. The face looked swollen and from his hair now plastered down with ooze a stream of filthy water ran. The two men examined him.

‘You know him?’ asked one.

The other, the Croissy ferryman, hesitated.

‘Seems to me I know the face …,’ he said, ‘but it’s difficult to tell seeing him like this …’

Then suddenly: ‘Oh! I know! It’s Monsieur Paul!’

‘Who’s Monsieur Paul?’ his friend asked.

The first went on: ‘You know! Monsieur Paul Baron. Son of that senator. The kid who was so hooked on that girl, you remember?’

The other added philosophically: ‘No more girls for him now, eh? Poor sod. And with all that money too!’

Madeleine, having collapsed on the ground, was sobbing. Pauline approached the body and said, ‘I suppose he really is dead … there’s no chance he might … ?’

The men shrugged their shoulders.

‘After that length of time no question.’

Then one of them asked: ‘Was he staying at Le Grillon?’

‘Yes,’ said the other. ‘We’d better take him back there. Handsome tip, mate.’ Re-embarking they set off, moving slowly against the rapid current. Long after they had disappeared from the two women’s sight the regular sound of their oars could still be heard.

Pauline took poor, weeping Madeleine in her arms, kissed and rocked her for a long time and then said: ‘Now look. As long as you know it’s not your fault. You can’t stop men doing stupid things. It was his decision so it’s just too bad, that’s all.’

Then lifting her to her feet, she added, ‘Come on darling! Come and sleep at the house. You can’t go back to Le Grillon tonight.’ She kissed her again. ‘Come on, you’ll feel better with us,’ she said.