make a bet, that in a boat like that, he could row
six leagues an hour, without exerting himself.

"Lunch is ready," the waitress said, appearing at the entrance to the
boat-house, so they all hurried off, but two young men were already
lunching at the best place, which Madame Dufour had chosen in her mind
as her seat. No doubt they were the owners of the skiffs, for they were
dressed in boating costume. They were stretched out, almost lying on
chairs, and were sunburnt, and had on flannel trousers and thin cotton
jerseys, with short sleeves, which showed their bare arms, which were as
strong as blackmiths'. They were two strong fellows, who thought a great
deal of their vigor, and who showed in all their movements that
elasticity and grace of the limbs which can only be acquired by
exercise, and which is so different to the deformity with which the same
continual work stamps the mechanic.

They exchanged a rapid smile when they saw the mother, and then a look
on seeing the daughter.

"Let us give up our place," one of them said: "it will make us
acquainted with them."

The other got up immediately, and holding his black and red boating-cap
in his hand, he politely offered the ladies the only shady place in the
garden. With many excuses they accepted, and so that it might be more
rural, they sat on the grass, without either tables or chairs.

The two young men took their plates, knives, forks, etc., to a table a
little way off, and began to eat again, and their bare arms, which they
showed continually, rather embarrassed the girl. She even pretended to
turn her head aside, and not to see them, while Madame Dufour, who was
rather bolder, tempted by feminine curiosity, looked at them every
moment, and no doubt compared them with the secret unsightliness of her
husband. She had squatted herself on the ground, with her legs tucked
under her, after the manner of tailors, and she kept wriggling about
continually under the pretext that ants were crawling about her
somewhere. Monsieur Dufour, whom the presence of strangers of politeness
had put into rather a bad tempter, was trying to find a comfortable
position, which he did not, however, succeed in doing, and the young man
with the yellow hair was eating as silently as an ogre.

"It is lovely weather, Monsieur," the stout lady said to one of the
boating-men. She wished to be friendly, because they had given up their
place.

"It is, indeed, Madame," he replied; "do yo