tree to tree. Jeanne suddenly felt a bright light; and
raising her head, which she had buried in her hands, she shut her eyes,
dazzled by the splendor of the dawn.

A mountain of crimson clouds, partly hidden by the avenue of poplars,
cast a red glow over the awakened earth, and, breaking through the
bright clouds, bathing the trees, the plain, the ocean, the whole
horizon, in a fiery light, the blazing orb appeared.

Jeanne felt mad with happiness. A delirious joy, an infinite tenderness
before the splendor of nature filled her heart. It was her sunrise! her
dawn! the beginning of her life! the rising of her hopes! She stretched
out her arms towards the radiant space, with a longing to embrace the
sun; she wanted to speak, to cry aloud something divine like this
day-break; but she remained dumb in a state of impotent ecstasy. Then,
laying her forehead on her hands, her eyes filled with tears, and she
cried for joy.

When she again raised her head the glorious colors of the dawning day
had already disappeared. She felt calmer and a little tired and chilled.
Leaving the window open, she threw herself on the bed, mused for a few
minutes longer, then fell into such a sound sleep that she did not hear
her father calling her at eight o'clock, and only awoke when he came
into her room.

He wanted to show her the improvements that had been made in the
chateau; in _her_ chateau.

The back of the house was separated from the village road, which
half-a-mile further on joined the high road from Havre to Fecamp, by a
large sort of court planted with apple-trees. A straight path went
across it leading from the steps of the house to the wooden fence, and
the low, thatched out-houses, built of flints from the beach, ran the
whole length of two sides of the court, which was separated from the
adjoining farms by two long ditches.

The roof of the chateau had been repaired, the woodwork restored, and
the walls mended; all the inside of the house had been painted and the
rooms had fresh hangings, and on the old decaying gray walls the snowy
shutters and the new plaster stood out like white stains. One of
Jeanne's windows was in the front of the house, which looked out over
the little wood and the wall of wind-torn elms, on to the sea.

Arm in arm Jeanne and the baron went all over the chateau without
missing a single corner, and then they walked slowly along the long
poplar avenues which enclosed the park, as it was called. The g