r of the house was
open, but there was no bell nor apparently any means of communicating
with any one. Hubert cracked his whip noisily several times without
any result--and we were just wondering what we should do (perhaps put
our cards under a stone on the steps) when a man appeared, said Mme.
B. was at home, but she was in the stable looking after a sick cow--he
would go and tell her we were there. In a few minutes she appeared
attired in a short, rusty-black skirt, sabots on her feet, and a black
woollen shawl over her head and shoulders. She seemed quite pleased to
see us--was not at all put out at being caught in such very simple
attire--begged us to come in and ushered us through a long, narrow
hall and several cold, comfortless rooms, the shutters not open and no
fire anywhere, into her bedroom. All the furniture--chairs, tables and
bed--was covered with linen. She explained that it was her "lessive"
(general wash) she had just made, that all the linen was _dry_, but
she had not had time to put it away. She called a maid and they
cleared off two chairs--she sat on the bed.

It was frightfully cold--we were thankful we had kept our wraps on.
She said she supposed we would like a fire after our long, cold drive,
and rang for a man to bring some wood. He (in his shirt sleeves)
appeared with two or three logs of wood and was preparing to make a
fire with them all, but she stopped him, said one log was enough, the
ladies were not going to stay long--so, naturally, we had no fire and
clouds of smoke. She was very talkative, never stopped--told us all
about her servants, her husband's political campaigns and how W. would
never have been named to the Conseil General if M.B. hadn't done all
his work for him. She asked a great many questions, answering them all
herself; then said, "I don't offer you any tea, as I know you always
go back to have your tea at home, and I am quite sure you don't want
any wine."

There was such an evident reluctance to give us anything that I didn't
like to insist, and said we must really be going as we had a long
drive before us, though I should have liked something hot; tea, of
course, she knew nothing about, but even a glass of ordinary hot wine,
which they make very well in France, would have been acceptable.
Henrietta was furious; she was shivering with cold, her eyes smarting
with the smoke, and not at all interested in M.B.'s political career,
or Madame's servants, and said she would h