ay through the mass, striding towards the siblings. Walking with his head held high and his shoulders tense, he exuded an aura of magnificence.

"How do you feel now, Edith?" he asked, standing next to her.

"I will not cheer loudly for someone''s death," Edith replied solemnly, "but the overthrow of a tyrant burst ecstasy to my heart.

"You have matured a lot," Andre marveled.

Gun salute thundered out in the air, heralding the dawn of a new era.

People hugged and kissed each other, their faces beaming with genuine smiles. The surging crowd pushed Edith until she almost lost her footing.

"Can I hold your hand, Citizen Andre?" Edith had to shout to be heard over the noise.

Andre extended one of his hand, yet Edith grabbed both of his.

Stretching her arms, she twirled him around and around, her bright red skirt fluttering as if it had come to life. Andre watched the girl''s mouth curve from a slight grin to an irresistible burst of laughter.

"Ah, I''m sorry, I''m too easily influenced by the atmosphere!" Edith laughed so hard that she could barely stand up straight.

"You also too easily infect others," Andre saw the carefree expression on the girl''s face, simmering with laughter as well. "Now I''ve become a heartless one too."

------------------

On hearing that Roland had resigned as Minister of the Interior, Edith hurried to visit Madame Roland.

"It was I who made my husband resign," Madame Roland told her. "The death of the king contained too many unsettling factors. The re