chalk: "For the lovely and dear Marietta." But Monsieur
Hautmartin well knew that this was some of Colin's mischief, and that
some knavish trick lurked under the whole. He therefore opened the box
carefully for fear that a mouse or rat should be concealed within.
When he beheld the wondrous cup, which he had seen at Vence, he was
dreadfully shocked, for Monsieur Hautmartin was a skilful casuist, and
knew that the inventions and devices of the human heart are evil from
our youth upward. He saw at once that Colin designed this cup as a
means of bringing misfortune upon Marietta: perhaps to give out, when it
should be in her possession, that it was the present of some successful
lover in the town, or the like, so that all decent people would
thereafter keep aloof from Marietta. Therefore Monsieur Hautmartin
resolved, in order to prevent any evil reports, to profess himself
the giver. Moreover, he loved Marietta, and would gladly have seen her
observe more strictly toward himself the sayings of the gray-headed
priest Jerome, "Little children, love one another." In truth, Monsieur
Hautmartin was a little child of fifty years old, and Marietta did
not think the saying applied particularly to him. Mother Manon, on the
contrary, thought that the justice was a clever little child, he had
gold and a high reputation from one end of Napoule to the other. And
when the justice spoke of marriage, and Marietta ran away in affright,
Mother Manon remained sitting, and had no fear for the tall, staid
gentleman. It must also be confessed there were no faults in his person.
And although Colin might be the handsomest man in the village, yet the
justice far surpassed him in two things, namely, in the number of years,
and in a very, very big nose. Yes, this nose, which always went before
the justice like a herald to proclaim his approach, was a real elephant
among human noses.

With this proboscis, his good purpose, and the cup, the justice went the
following morning to the house between the olive trees and the African
acacias.

"For the beautiful Marietta," said he, "I hold nothing too costly.
Yesterday you admired the cup at Vence; to-day allow me, lovely
Marietta, to lay it and my devoted heart at your feet."

Manon and Marietta were transported beyond measure when they beheld the
cup. Manon's eyes glistened with delight, but Marietta turned and said:
"I can neither take your heart nor your cup."

Then Mother Marion was angry, and cried