he gave them such a practical account of
his daily life that it awakened afresh in the hearts of these shopkeepers
who were deprived of the meadows and who longed for country walks, to
that foolish love of nature which they all feel so strongly the whole
year round behind the counter in their shop.

The girl raised her eyes and looked at the oarsman with emotion and
Monsieur Dufour spoke for the first time.

"It is indeed a happy life," he said. And then he added: "A little more
rabbit, my dear?"

"No, thank you," she replied, and turning to the young men again, and
pointing to their arms, asked: "Do you never feel cold like that?"

They both began to laugh, and they astonished the family with an account
of the enormous fatigue they could endure, of their bathing while in a
state of tremendous perspiration, of their rowing in the fog at night;
and they struck their chests violently to show how hollow they sounded.

"Ah! You look very strong," said the husband, who did not talk any more
of the time when he used to beat the English. The girl was looking at
them sideways now, and the young fellow with the yellow hair, who had
swallowed some wine the wrong way, was coughing violently and
bespattering Madame Dufour's cherry-colored silk dress. She got angry and
sent for some water to wash the spots.

Meanwhile it had grown unbearably hot, the sparkling river looked like a
blaze of fire and the fumes of the wine were getting into their heads.
Monsieur Dufour, who had a violent hiccough, had unbuttoned his waistcoat
and the top button of his trousers, while his wife, who felt choking, was
gradually unfastening her dress. The apprentice was shaking his yellow
wig in a happy frame of mind, and kept helping himself to wine, and the
old grandmother, feeling the effects of the wine, was very stiff and
dignified. As for the girl, one noticed only a peculiar brightness in her
eyes, while the brown cheeks became more rosy.

The coffee finished, they suggested singing, and each of them sang or
repeated a couplet, which the others applauded frantically. Then they got
up with some difficulty, and while the two women, who were rather dizzy,
were trying to get a breath of air, the two men, who were altogether
drunk, were attempting gymnastics. Heavy, limp and with scarlet faces
they hung or, awkwardly to the iron rings, without being able to raise
themselves.

Meanwhile the two boating men had got their boats into the water, and