"He is a madcap!"
"Oh! yes, so young, and so wicked, Francois!"
"Tortillard is much younger; and he would be quite as bad, if he had the strength."
"Oh! yes, he is very bad. The other day he struck me because I would not play with him."
"He struck you? good--the next time he comes--"
"No, no, Francois, it was only in fun."
"You are sure?"
"Yes, very sure."
"Very well--or--but I do not know where he gets so much money from; when he came here with La Chouette, he showed us some gold pieces of twenty francs."
"How impudent he looked when he told us, "You could have just the same, if you were not little duffers.""
"Duffers?"
"Yes, that means stupid fools."
"Oh, yes! true."
"Forty francs--in gold--how many fine things I would buy with that!
And you, Amandine?"
"Oh! I likewise."
"And what would you buy?"
"Let me see," said the child, in a meditative manner; "in the first place I would get a warm coat for brother Martial, so that he should not be cold in his boat."
"But for yourself--for yourself?"
"I would like an infant Saviour, in wax, with his lamb and cross, like the image-man had on Sunday, you know, at the door of the church of Asnieres."
"I hope no one will tell mother Calabash that they saw us at church."
"True, she has so often forbidden us to enter one. It is a pity, for a church is very nice inside, is it not, Francois?"
"Yes, what fine candlesticks!"
"And the picture of the Holy Virgin! how good she looks!"
"And the lamps; and the fine cloth on the table at the end, where the priest said ma.s.s, with his two friends dressed like himself, who gave him water and wine."
"Say, Francois, do you recollect last year, the Fete-Dieu, when we saw from here all the little communicants, in their white veils, pa.s.s over the bridge?"
"What handsome flowers they had!"
"How they sung, and held the ribbons of their banners!"
"And how the silver fringes of the banners glistened in the sun! That must have cost a deal of money!"
"Goodness--how handsome it was, Francois!"
"I believe you, and the communicants with their badges of white satin on the arm, and wax candles with velvet and gold handles."
"The little boys had banners also, had they not, Francois?"
"Oh! was I not whipped that day because I asked mother why we did not walk in the procession, like other children!"
"Then it was that she told us never to enter a church, unless it was to steal the money-box for the poor, "or from the pockets of people listening to ma.s.s," added Calabash, laughing and showing her old, yellow teeth."
"Bad creature, she is!"
"Oh, before I would steal in a church, they should kill me! Don"t you say so, Francois?"
"There, or elsewhere--what is the difference when one has decided?"
"I do not know, but I should have more fear; I never could."
"On account of the priests?"
"No, perhaps on account of the picture of the Holy Virgin, who looks so good and kind."
"What of that?--the picture can"t eat you, little fool!"
"True; but I could not; it is not my fault."
"Speaking of priests, Amandine, do you remember the day when Nicholas struck me so hard, because he saw me bow to the cure who was pa.s.sing on the sh.o.r.e? I had seen him saluted--I did the same; I did not think there was any harm."
"Yes; but that time Martial said just the same as Nicholas--that we had no need to make a salute to a priest."
At this moment Francois and Amandine heard some one walk in the corridor.
Martial reached his chamber without any further trouble, after his conversation with the widow, believing Nicholas locked up until the next morning. Seeing a ray of light issuing from the door of the children"s room, he went in. They both ran to him and embraced him tenderly.
"Not yet gone to bed, little chatterers?"
"No, brother; we waited for you to come and say good-night," said Amandine.
"And, besides, some one was talking very loud downstairs, as if it was a quarrel," added Francois.
"Yes," said Martial, "I had a dispute with Nicholas, but it is nothing. I am glad to find you up; I have some good news to tell you."
"Us, brother?"