ughter.' 'Where are you
going to dine then?' 'With some gentlemen, hussars.'

"I felt inclined to say: 'Bring your servant with you, just to see
Marchas's face,' but I did not venture to, but continued: 'Do you know
anyone among your parishioners, male or female, whom I could invite as
well?' He hesitated, reflected, and then said: 'No, I do not know
anybody!'

"I persisted: 'Nobody! Come, Monsieur, think; It would be very nice to
have some ladies, I mean to say, some married couples! I know nothing
about your parishioners. The baker and his wife, the grocer, the ... the
... the ... watchmaker ... the ... shoemaker ... the ... the chemist
with Mrs. chemist.... We have a good spread, and plenty of wine, and we
should be enchanted to leave pleasant recollections of ourselves behind
us, with the people here.'

"The priest thought again for a long time, and then resolutely: 'No,
there is nobody.' I began to laugh. 'By Jove, Monsieur le Cure, it is
very vexing not to have an Epiphany queen, for we have the bean. Come,
think. Is there not a married Mayor, or a married Deputy-Mayor, or a
married Municipal Concilor or schoolmaster?' 'No, all the ladies have
gone away.' 'What, is there not in the whole place some good tradesman's
wife with her good tradesman, to whom we might give this pleasure, for
it would be a pleasure to them, a great pleasure under present
circumstances?'

"But suddenly the Cure began to laugh, and he laughed so violently that
he fairly shook. And exclaimed: 'Ha! ha! ha! I have got what you want,
yes. I have got what you want! Ha! ha! ha! We will laugh and enjoy
ourselves, my children, we will have some fun. How pleased the ladies
will be, I say, how delighted they will be. Ha! ha!... Where are you
staying?'

"I described the house, and he understood where it was. 'Very good,' he
said. 'It belongs to Monsieur Bertin Lavaille. I will be there in half
an hour, with four ladies!!!... Ha! ha! ha! four ladies!!!...'

"He went out with me, still laughing, and left me, repeating; 'That is
capital; in half an hour at Bertin-Lavaille's house.'

"I returned quickly, very much astonished and very much puzzled. 'Covers
for how many?' Marchas asked, as soon as he saw me. 'Eleven. There are
six of us hussars, besides the priest and four ladies.' He was
thunderstruck, and I triumphant, and he repeated: 'Four ladies! Did you
say, four ladies?' 'I said: four women.' 'Real women?' 'Real women.'
'Well accept my compl