ep you in her service. But she wants
you in future to come to mass with us." He tried to smile, and added,
"We will drive you there and back." It was the first time that he had
ever spoken directly to me. His voice was rather husky, as though he
felt some awkwardness in saying these things to me. I don't know what
made me think that he was lying, and that Madame Alphonse had not said
anything of the kind. Besides, he looked so much like the Mother
Superior that I could not help defying him. I told him that I didn't
care about driving, and that I should go to mass at Sainte Montagne as
before. He sucked in his lower lip and began biting it. Then Madame
Deslois stepped forward threateningly, and told me that I was insolent.
She kept on repeating this word as though she could not find any
others. She shouted it more and more loudly, and lost all control of
herself. The white of her eyes was becoming quite red, and she raised
her hand to strike me. I stepped back quickly behind my chair. Madame
Deslois bumped into the chair and knocked it over, and caught at the
table so as not to fall down. Her harsh voice terrified me. I wanted
to leave the linen-room, but M. Alphonse had placed himself in front of
the door, and I came back into the room and faced Madame Deslois across
the table. She began to speak again in a strangled sort of voice. She
used words which I didn't understand, but there was something about
what she said and the way in which she said it which I hated. At last
she stopped speaking, and shouted at the top of her voice, "Don't
forget that I am his mother."

M. Alphonse came towards me. He took hold of my arm and said, "Come,
now, listen to me." I shook myself loose, pushed him away and ran out
of the house. The last words that Madame Deslois had said hammered on
my brain as though they really were a hammer with one end of it
pointed. "I am his mother, do you hear?--his mother." Oh, mother
Marie-Aimee, how beautiful you were when compared to this other mother,
and how I loved you! How your many-coloured eyes beamed and lit up
your black dress, and how pure your face was under your white cap! I
could see you as clearly as though you were really in front of me.

I was quite astonished to find myself in front of the house on the
hill, and when I got there I saw that snow was falling in a regular
hurricane. I went into the house for shelter, and went straight into
the room which look