nd wrists, and nothing else; neither earrings
nor bracelets, only her bare wrists and throat, soft in their satiny
whiteness as they came out from the delicate material, light as the
opening of a flower. An invisible comb, put in place hastily, scarcely
held the curls of her golden hair, which was carelessly dressed. She
was artless and proud, of a most touching simplicity, and, indeed,
"beautiful as a star."

"Ah!" she said, "the bell! That is to show that Monseigneur has left his
palace."

The bell continued to sound loud and clear in the great purity of the
atmosphere. The Huberts installed themselves at the wide-opened window
of the first story, the mother and daughter being in front, with
their elbows resting on the bar of support, and the husband and father
standing behind them. These were their accustomed places; they could not
possibly have found better, as they would be the very first to see
the procession as it came from the farther end of the church, without
missing even a single candle of the marching-past.

"Where is my basket?" asked Angelique.

Hubert was obliged to take and pass to her the basket of rose-leaves,
which she held between her arms, pressed against her breast.

"Oh, that bell!" she at last murmured; "it seems as if it would lull us
to sleep!"

And still the waiting continued in the little vibrating house, sonorous
with the musical movement; the street and the great square waited,
subdued by this great trembling, whist the hangings on every side blew
about more quietly in the air of the coming evening. The perfume of
roses was very sweet.

Another half-hour passed. Then at the same moment the two halves of the
portal of Saint Agnes were opened, and they perceived the very depths
of the church, dark in reality, but dotted with little bright spots from
the tapers. First the bearer of the Cross appeared, a sub-deacon in
a tunic, accompanied by the acolytes, each one of whom held a lighted
candle in his hand. Behind them hurried along the Master of the
Ceremonies, the good Abbe Cornille, who after having assured himself
that everything was in perfect order in the street, stopped under the
porch, and assisted a moment at the passing out, in order to be sure
that the places assigned to each section had been rightly taken.
The various societies of laymen opened the march: the charitable
associations, schools, by rank of seniority, and numerous public
organisations. There were a great many ch