The Last Step Page #2

"The Last Step" is a poignant short story by Guy de Maupassant that explores themes of love, loss, and the complexities of human emotion. The tale follows a man reflecting on the haunting memories of a past relationship, as he grapples with the bittersweet nature of love and the inevitability of change. Maupassant’s masterful storytelling delves into the depth of the protagonist's feelings, capturing the essence of nostalgia and the struggle to reconcile with what was lost. Through vivid imagery and psychological insight, the narrative reveals the profound impact of love and the lingering shadows it casts on one's life.

• Short story

								

her.... And now, in view of death, which she feels approaching so
rapidly, for she is under no delusion, the unhappy woman wishes to die
at peace with heaven, with the consolation of having regulated her
equivocal position, and of having become your wife."

Monsieur de Saint-Juéry sat upright, with a bewildered look, while he
moved his hands nervously; in his grief he was incapable of manifesting
any will of his own, or of opposing this unexpected attack.

"Oh! anything that Charlotte wishes, doctor; anything, and I will myself
go and tell her so, on my knees!"

       *       *       *       *      *

The wedding took place discreetly, with something funereal about it, in
the darkened room, where the words which were spoken had a strange
sound, almost of anguish. Charlotte, who was lying in bed, with her eyes
dilated through happiness, had put both trembling hands into those of
Monsieur de Saint-Juéry, and she seemed to expire with the word: "Yes"
on her lips. The doctor looked at the moving scene, grave and impassive,
with his chin buried in his white cravat, and his two arms resting on
the mantel-piece, while his eyes twinkled behind his glasses....

The next week, Madame de Saint-Juéry began to get better, and that
wonderful recovery about which Monsieur de Saint-Juéry tells everybody
with effusive gratitude, who will listen to him, has so increased Doctor
Rabatel's reputation, that at the next election he will be made a member
of the Academy of Medicine.
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