Book #1: Suzy's Dream (Chapter 5 - Part 2)

 Chapter 5 continued...

Distracted and quite by chance, she raised her eyes to him, and suddenly an exclamation rose to her lips as she recognized Georges de Flers. She quickly stopped an indiscreet smile that would have spoken what she felt inside. An impulsive blush brightened her cheeks.

His expression was one of pleasure mingled with surprise. Because she was alone, he seemed to ask himself if he was not mistaken in thinking he recognized her, but his hesitation lasted only a second. The luminous brown eyes that met his were indeed those of Suzy, whose brilliance he had so often admired at Le Castel.

He gave a deep bow as he passed. She, always serious and dominated by the sense of her youthful dignity, replied with a little nod of the head and a somewhat proud grace. She had felt Georges's astonishment at not seeing her accompanied, and a painful feeling darkened for her the naïve pleasure she felt at this meeting.

Above all, she was flattered by the enthusiasm he had shown in greeting her. Soon the painful feeling faded away, and the pleasure alone remained, brightening for her the melancholy of that gray October day. For a moment, she forgot the worries which had saddened her heart for some weeks. She forgot the lessons she was about to inquire about, perhaps in vain.

She crossed the Parc Monceau without noticing that the trees were bare, and that the leaves littering the ground, when crushed beneath her feet, emitted the sharp noise of something breaking. One leaf detached from a twig and brushed against Suzy’s arm. With a childish impulse, she stopped as she passed and buried the leaf in her little notebook. She recalled the superstition that when a yellowing leaf takes flight, it brings good luck.

A need to be happy and faith in the future, filled Suzy's soul. As if a breath of hope had passed over her, it seemed certain to her now that the bad days would not last, that they could not last. She was going to give many lessons. Her father would find an advantageous position. Mrs. Douvry would have no more worries, and then—

Suzy did not specify what would happen then, but certainly it would be something pleasant. Especially for herself, which, at this moment, deposited in her mind the vague and smiling images of a future where she perhaps would no longer be alone.

So absorbed was she in the sweetness of her reverie that she was suddenly surprised to find herself arriving at her destination in front of the house on the Avenue du Bois. Firmly brought back to the reality of the present hour, she was seized with an irrational apprehension over the thought of the interview she was about to have.

She had no idea how things would go with these kinds of visits. She had an instinctive fear that unpleasant things would be said to her. Which things? She could not foresee it, but she remembered stories she had read from long ago when she was a little girl, in which they spoke of how unfortunate teachers were received with disdain. Suzy, being very proud, was accustomed to warm welcomes wherever she went. She shivered at the idea that a bad reception might await her here.

Le rêve de Suzy is in the public domain. All original additions, including translations, illustrations and chapter summaries, are copyright © 2025 by Marriah K. Nissen and may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. All rights reserved.