I caught sight of her at the play and in answer to her beckoning I wentover during the interval and sat down beside her. It was long since I had lastseen her and if someone had not mentioned her name I hardly think I wouldhave recognized her. She addressed me brightly.
"Well, it's many years since we first met. How time flies！ We're none ofus getting any younger. Do you remember the first time I saw you？ Youasked me to luncheon."
Did I remember？
It was twenty years ago and I was living in Paris. I had a tiny apartmentin the Latin Quarter overlooking a cemetery and I was earning barely enoughmoney to keep body and soul together. She had read a book of mine andhad written to me about it. I answered, thanking her, and presently I receivedfrom her another letter saying that she was passing through Paris and wouldlike to have a chat with me; but her time was limited and the only freemoment she had was on the following Thursday; she was spending themorning at the Luxembourg and would I give her a little luncheon at Foyot'safterwards？ Foyot's is a restaurant at which the French senators eat and itwas so far beyond my means that I had never even thought of going there.But I was flattered and I was too young to have learned to say no to awoman. （Few men, I may add, learn this until they are too old to make it ofany consequence to a woman what they say.） I had eighty francs （goldfrancs） to last me the rest of the month and a modest luncheon should notcost more than fifteen. lf I cut out coffee for the next two weeks I couldmanage well enough.
I answered that I would meet her at Foyot's on Thursday at half pasttwelve. She was not so young as I expected and in appearance imposingrather than attractive.
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