Grace
Copyright 2002, All rights reserved
One morning on his way to the office, Duperrier met a funeral in the rue Gabrielle, just a few steps from home. Ever since he'd gotten his halo, he would (fiercely suppressing his courteous nature) just acknowledge people by lifting a finger to the brim of his hat, but when the deceased passed by, on due consideration, he decided he mustn't shirk his duty to remove his hat. All along the street, shopkeepers stood gaping in their doorways, rubbing their eyes at the sight of his halo, and gathering to talk about just what this was. As she went out to do her shopping, Mme. Duperrier was accosted by the group, and got extremely flustered, launching into denials whose vehemence seemed very odd. When her husband came home at noon, he found her in a state of agitation that made him anxious for her sanity.
"Get that halo out of my sight!" she cried. "Take it off this instant! I can't stand the sight of it anymore!"
Duperrier protested that it was not within his power to get rid of it,
to which his enraged wife replied, "If you had even the slightest
respect or sympathy for me, you'd surely find a way to remove it, but
all you think about is yourself."
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