of the Confirmation._

PART II

Madame had a brother, who was a carpenter in their native place,
Virville, in the department of Eure. When _Madame_ had still kept the
inn at Yvetot, she had stood god-mother to that brother's daughter, who
had received the name of Constance, Constance Rivet; she herself being a
Rivet on her father's side. The carpenter, who knew that his sister was
in a good position, did not lose sight of her, although they did not
meet often, for they were both kept at home by their occupations, and
lived a long way from each other. But as the girl was twelve years old,
and going to be confirmed, he seized that opportunity for writing to
his sister, and asking her to come and be present at the ceremony. Their
old parents were dead, and as she could not well refuse, she accepted
the invitation. Her brother, whose name was Joseph, hoped that by dint
of showing his sister attentions, she might be induced to make her will
in the girl's favor, as she had no children of her own.

His sister's occupation did not trouble his scruples in the least, and,
besides, nobody knew anything about it at Virville. When they spoke of
her, they only said: "Madame Tellier is living at Fecamp," which might
mean that she was living on her own private income. It was quite twenty
leagues from Fecamp to Virville, and for a peasant, twenty leagues on
land are more than is crossing the ocean to an educated person. The
people at Virville had never been further than Rouen, and nothing
attracted the people from Fecamp to a village of five hundred houses, in
the middle of a plain, and situated in another department, and, at any
rate, nothing was known about her business.

But the Confirmation was coming on, and _Madame_ was in great
embarrassment. She had no under mistress, and did not at all care to
leave her house, even for a day, for all the rivalries between the girls
upstairs and those downstairs, would infallibly break out; no doubt
Frederic would get drunk, and when he was in that state he would knock
anybody down for a mere word. At last, however, she made up her mind to
take them all with her, with the exception of the man, to whom she gave
a holiday, until the next day but one.

When she asked her brother, he made no objection, but undertook to put
them all up for a night, and so on Saturday morning, the eight o'clock
express carried off _Madame_ and her companions in a second-class
carriage. As far as Beuzeille, they