t the
ramparts arm in arm, gravely, like men who are sober because they are
perfectly happy.

"Here they are," I said to Father Goulden.

We just had time to pour out the soup and put the big tureen, smoking
hot in the middle of the table. This was happily accomplished just as
Aunt Gredel and Catherine came in. You can judge of their surprise on
seeing the beautiful table. We had hardly kissed each other when aunt
exclaimed:

"It is the wedding-day then, Mr. Goulden."

"Yes, Madame Gredel," the good man answered smiling,--on days of
ceremony he always called her Madame instead of Mother Gredel, "yes,
the wedding of good friends. You know that Zebede has just returned,
and he will dine with us to-day with the old grave-digger."

"Ah!" said aunt, "that will give me great pleasure."

Catherine blushed deeply, and said to me in a low voice:

"Now everything is as it should be, that was what we wanted to make us
perfectly happy."

She looked tenderly at me as she held my hand. Just then some one
opened the door, and old Laurent from the "Ville de Metz," with two
high baskets in which dishes were ranged in beautiful order one above
the other, cried out, "Mr. Goulden, here is the dinner!"

"Very well!" said Mr. Goulden, "now arrange it on the table yourself."

And Laurent put on the radishes first, the fricasseed chicken and
beautiful fat goose at the right, and on the left the beef which we had
ourselves arranged with parsley in the plate. He put on also a nice
plate of sauerkraut with little sausages, near the soup. Such a dinner
had never been seen in our house before.

Just at that moment we heard Zebede and his father coming up the
stairs, and Father Goulden and I ran to meet them. Mr. Goulden
embraced Zebede and said:

"How happy I am to see you, I know you showed yourself a good comrade
for Joseph in the midst of the greatest danger."

Then he shook the old grave-digger's hand, saying, "I am proud of you
for having such a son."

Then Catherine, who had come behind us, said to Zebede:

"I could not please Joseph more than to embrace you, you would have
carried him to Hanau only your strength failed. I look upon you as a
brother."

Then Zebede, who was very pale, kissed her without saying a word, and
we all went into the room in silence, Catherine, Zebede, and I first,
Mr. Goulden and the old grave-digger came afterward. Aunt Gredel
arranged the dishes a little and then said:

"You are wel