The Project Gutenberg EBook of The French Twins, by Lucy Fitch Perkins

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Title: The French Twins

Author: Lucy Fitch Perkins

Posting Date: July 4, 2009 [EBook #4091]
Release Date: May, 2003
First Posted: November 21, 2001

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FRENCH TWINS ***

Produced by Lynn Hill. HTML version by Al Haines.

To all friends of the brave children of France

Map of the Voyage

THE FRENCH TWINS

by

Lucy Fitch Perkins

CONTENTS

I. THE CHURCH AND THE PEOPLE
II. ON THE WAY HOME
III. THE COMING OF THE GERMANS
IV. THE RETURN OF THE FRENCH
V. AT MADAME COUDERT'S
VI. THE BURNING OF THE CATHEDRAL
VII. HOME AGAIN
VIII. REFUGEES
IX. THE FOREIGN LEGION
X. FONTANELLE
XI. A SURPRISE
XII. MORNING IN THE MEADOW
XIII. CHILDREN OF THE LEGION

I. THE CHURCH AND THE PEOPLE

The sunlight of the clear September afternoon shone across the roofs of
the City of Rheims, and fell in a yellow flood upon the towers of the
most beautiful cathedral in the world, turning them into two shining
golden pillars against the deep blue of the eastern sky.

The streets below were already in shadow, but the sunshine still poured
through the great rose window above the western portal, lighting the
dim interior of the church with long shafts of brilliant reds, blues,
and greens, and falling at last in a shower of broken color upon the
steps of the high altar. Somewhere in the mysterious shadows an unseen
musician touched the keys of the great organ, and the voice of the
Cathedral throbbed through its echoing aisles in tremulous waves of
sound. Above the deep tones of the bass notes a delicate melody
floated, like a lark singing above the surf.

Though the great church seemed empty but for sound and color, there
lingered among its shadows a few persons who loved it well. There were
priests and a few worshipers. There was also Father Varennes, the
Verger, and far away in one of the small chapels opening from the apse
in the eastern end good Mother Meraut was down upon her knees, not
praying as you might suppose, but scrubbing the stone f