who is that?"

There were quick steps outside. Somebody had come in, and might be heard
shaking himself in the hall; then Monsieur Joseph walked lightly into
the room, bringing a rush of outside air, a smell of wet leaves, and
that atmosphere of life which in his saddest moments never left him.

Madame Urbain received him a little coldly; she was cold to every one in
these days; but in truth his conscience told him that he might have
visited her more since Urbain went away. But then--how keep the secret
from Angelot's mother? No, impossible; and so he made his vintage an
excuse for avoiding La Mariniere. To-night, however, he had a mission to
fulfil.

It was horribly difficult. He sat down between her and the Cure, looked
from one to the other, drank the coffee she offered him, and blushed
like a girl as he said, "No news from Urbain, I suppose?"

Anne's brows rose in a scornful arch; her lips pouted.

"News! How should there be any?" she said, as if Urbain had gone to
Paris to amuse himself. "And your vintage, Joseph?"

"I finished it to-day. It was difficult--the weather was not very
good--and--I have had distractions," said Monsieur Joseph, and waved
away the subject. "My dear Anne," he went on, rushing headlong into
another, "I have had a visitor to-day, who charged me to explain to you
a certain matter--which vexes him profoundly, by the bye,--Herve de
Sainfoy, who for family reasons--"

"Oh, mon Dieu!" Anne cried, and burst out laughing. "You really mean
that Herve de Sainfoy has sent you as his ambassador--see our injustice,
Monsieur le Cure, yours and mine--to announce to me that he is going to
give a ball while my son is in prison, in danger of his life, or
already dead, for all I know! Really, that is magnificent! What
politeness, what feeling for Urbain, n'est-ce pas? He did not wish me to
hear such interesting news through the gossip of the village--do you
hear, Monsieur le Cure? You brought it too soon. And my invitation?" she
held out her hand. "Did he give you a card for me, or will Madame la
Comtesse take the trouble to send it herself?"

"Ah, bah!" cried Joseph, springing from his chair and pirouetting before
the fire; "but you are a little too severe on poor Herve, my dear
sister! I assure you, I showed him what I thought. But I perceived that
his vexation is real--real and sincere. The circumstances--he explained
them all in the most amiable manner--"

Anne interrupted him, laughing again.