l went out for a stroll in the
country.

It was a small village, through which the highroad passed. Ten or a dozen
houses on either side of the single street were inhabited by the butcher,
the grocer, the carpenter, the innkeeper, the shoemaker and the baker.

The church was at the end of the street and was surrounded by a small
churchyard, and four immense lime-trees, which stood just outside the
porch, shaded it completely. It was built of flint, in no particular
style, and had a slate-roofed steeple. When you got past it, you were
again in the open country, which was varied here and there by clumps of
trees which hid the homesteads.

Rivet had given his arm to his sister, out of politeness, although he was
in his working clothes, and was walking with her in a dignified manner.
His wife, who was overwhelmed by Raphaele's gold-striped dress, walked
between her and Fernande, and roly-poly Rosa was trotting behind with
Louise and Flora, the Seesaw, who was limping along, quite tired out.

The inhabitants came to their doors, the children left off playing, and a
window curtain would be raised, so as to show a muslin cap, while an old
woman with a crutch, who was almost blind, crossed herself as if it were
a religious procession, and they all gazed for a long time at those
handsome ladies from town, who had come so far to be present at the
confirmation of Joseph Rivet's little girl, and the carpenter rose very
much in the public estimation.

As they passed the church they heard some children singing. Little shrill
voices were singing a hymn, but Madame Tellier would not let them go in,
for fear of disturbing the little cherubs.

After the walk, during which Joseph Rivet enumerated the principal landed
proprietors, spoke about the yield of the land and the productiveness of
the cows and sheep, he took his tribe of women home and installed them in
his house, and as it was very small, they had to put them into the rooms,
two and two.

Just for once Rivet would sleep in the workshop on the shavings; his wife
was to share her bed with her sister-in-law, and Fernande and Raphaele
were to sleep together in the next room. Louise and Flora were put into
the kitchen, where they had a mattress on the floor, and Rosa had a
little dark cupboard to herself at the top of the stairs, close to the
loft, where the candidate for confirmation was to sleep.

When the little girl came in she was overwhelmed with kisses; all the
women w