On the beach the emotion was extreme: they had first reassured themselves at the time when the canoe appeared at the end of the pier, it was hoped that it would arrive in time and interest was shared on Diane and those who were going to rescue her. But when they saw the boat following the meanders of the channel and, at the same time, the swimmer moving further and further away, they understood that everything was lost. They could still follow her for a few more moments with the help of the spyglasses, see a black spot that occasionally appeared at the top of a wave, then the spot disappeared, they only saw the sea. All the groups had come together and merged into one: in the face of the misfortune that had just occurred, there was no longer any coterie or social distance. The aristocratic
