of
extras, and I was sure there would be enough. She told us people had
been on the way since nine in the morning--women and children arriving
cold and wet and draggled, but determined to see everything. She showed
me one woman from Chezy, the next village (some distance off, as our
part of the country is very scantily populated; it is all great farms
and forests; one can go miles without seeing a trace of habitation). She
had arrived quite early with two children, a boy and a girl of seven and
eight, and a small baby in her arms; and when Madame Isidore
remonstrated, saying the fete was for her school only, not for the
entire country-side, the woman answered that Madame always smiled and
spoke so nicely to her when she passed on horseback that she was sure
she would want her to come. The French peasants love to be spoken to,
always answer civilly, and are interested in the horses, or the donkey,
or the children--anything that passes.

[Illustration: They were all streaming up the slippery hillside.]

We couldn't loiter, as the bell was tolling, the children already at the
church, and some one rushed down to say that "M. le Cure attendait ces
dames pour commencer son office." There was quite a crowd on the little
"place," everybody waiting for us to come in. We let the children troop
in first, sitting on benches on one side. In front of the altar there
were rows of chairs for the "quality." The Sisters and their girls sat
close up to the harmonium, and on a table near, covered with a pretty
white linen cloth trimmed with fine old lace (part of the church
property), was the Enfant Jesus in his cradle. This was to be a great
surprise to me. When it was decided that the Sisters should come to the
fete with some of the bigger girls, and bring the Enfant Jesus, they
thought there must be a new dress for the "babe," so every child
subscribed a sou, and the dress was made by the couturiere of La Ferte.
It _was_ a surprise, for the Enfant Jesus was attired in a pink satin
garment with the high puffed fashionable sleeves we were all wearing!
However, I concealed my feelings, the good Sisters were so naively
pleased. I could only hope the children would think the sleeves were
wings.

As soon as the party from the chateau was seated, every one crowded in,
and there were not seats enough, nor room enough in the little church;
so the big doors remained open (it was fairly warm with the lights and
the people), and there were near