A Meeting Page #3

"A Meeting" by Guy de Maupassant is a poignant short story that explores themes of love, longing, and the complexities of human relationships. The narrative revolves around a chance encounter between two strangers, a man and a woman, who share a brief yet intense connection. Set against the backdrop of a bustling Paris, the story captures the fleeting nature of momentary sparks and the bittersweet reality of life, highlighting Maupassant's keen insight into the intricacies of emotions and the impact of chance meetings on individual lives. Through vivid imagery and sharp dialogues, the tale reflects on the themes of fate and the human desire for meaningful connection.

• Short story

								


“I shall go wherever you go.”

“Not at all; just listen to me, and I am sure that you will leave me in peace. In a few moments, when we get to the station, you will see the Princesse de Raynes and Comtesse Henriot waiting for me with their husbands. I wished them to see as, and to know that we had spent the night together in the railway carriage. Don't be alarmed; they will tell it everywhere as a most surprising fact.

“I told you just now that I had most carefully followed your advice and saved appearances. Anything else does not matter, does it? Well, in order to do so, I wished to be seen with you. You told me carefully to avoid any scandal, and I am avoiding it, for, I am afraid—I am afraid—”

She waited till the train had quite stopped, and as her friends ran up to open the carriage door, she said:

“I am afraid”—hesitating—“that there is another reason—je suis enceinte.”

The princess stretched out her arms to embrace her,—and the baroness said, painting to the baron, who was dumb with astonishment, and was trying to get at the truth:

“You do not recognize Raymond? He has certainly changed a good deal, and he agreed to come with me so that I might not travel alone. We take little trips like this occasionally, like good friends who cannot live together. We are going to separate here; he has had enough of me already.”

She put out her hand, which he took mechanically, and then she jumped out on to the platform among her friends, who were waiting for her.

The baron hastily shut the carriage door, for he was too much disturbed to say a word or come to any determination. He heard his wife's voice and their merry laughter as they went away.

He never saw her again, nor did he ever discover whether she had told him a lie or was speaking the truth.
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