and a whole hive of honeycomb, and various little
comforts besides, pretending that they were thankful to us for
receiving their superabundance, instead of obliging them to throw it
away. This hospitable, unaffected kindness continued unabated the
whole time of our stay, and the kind beings always contrived to make
out that they were the obliged persons, and we so polite and
condescending for deigning to receive such trifles. M. and Mme de
Terelcourt lived with M. le Marquis de Flotte and his wife; and her
brother, the Count de Belgravin, occupied a house a quarter of a mile
distant, which, although by no means a comfortable residence, he
rented purposely to be near his sister. These amiable people spent a
part of every day together, for they did not associate much with the
inhabitants of C----; and I look back with much pleasure to our social
evenings, when light-hearted merriment constantly prevailed; and I
often thought how few of the many who talk so gravely of patience and
resignation to the will of God, could or would understand that
cheerfulness is, in fact, but a different way of shewing that
resignation.

Our maid, Batilde, knew nothing about the _cuisine_ beyond a good
_roux_ and a bad omelet; and except making a bed, appeared ignorant of
all housework--even washing, dusting, or sweeping thoroughly. She,
however, did everything we did not do for ourselves, and ironed the
linen after a fashion. Tonette washed for us in the little river
aforesaid, where she used an incredible quantity of soap, thumping our
things with a piece of flat wood upon a great stone, most
conveniently, as she observed, placed there for the purpose 'by the
saints in heaven;' which method, if it hastened its wearing out, made
our linen at least sweet and clean while it lasted. My husband shot
and cultivated the garden in the respective seasons appropriate to
these occupations, whilst I bought a cookery-book called 'Les
Experiences de Mademoiselle Marguerite;' and pretending to be learning
myself, taught Batilde to prepare our food a little better, without
hurting her self-conceit, of which she possessed more than the average
of her countrywomen. Our time, therefore, was fully occupied. Our
health improved and our spirits rose with the excitement; we had
agreeable society in the excellent people named above, meeting _sans
facon_, taking breakfast or luncheon with each other, instead of
dinners, in winter, and in summer often spending the