you shall hear the story. 'Ah, there is then a story,' said
I to myself, as I followed Louis Herbois into the cottage, where Agathe
had preceded us, and sat down to an excellent breakfast. When it was
concluded I asked for the promised narration. 'Let me see,' said Louis,
'Agathe, how long have we been married?' Agathe, matron as she was,
actually blushed at the question, yet answered readily, without stopping
to compute the time. 'Yes; true; very well;' resumed Louis. 'You must
know, Monsieur, that my father was a soldier, and enrolled me, at an
early age, in the same company with himself. Having been detailed, soon
after, on service to one of the provinces, I was so severely wounded
that I was thought to be permanently unfitted for duty, and was
honorably dismissed with a life pension. Owing to the care and skill of
a famous surgeon who attended me, and whom I was fortunate enough to
interest, I was at last cured of my wounds, and very soon after I
wandered away here, for no better reason, I believe, than that Agathe
was in the neighborhood; for we had known each other from the time we
were children. Very soon she and I were married, and we took this little
place, and were as blessed as possible.

"'In the mean time, great changes were going on at Paris. The revolution
had begun, and soon swept every thing before it. But it did not matter
with us. We rose with the birds, and went to rest with the sun, and no
two could have been happier: am I not right, Agathe?' The old lady put
her hand affectionately upon the shoulder of her husband, but said
nothing. 'And we have never ceased being happy: we are always happy, are
we not Agathe?' The tears stood in Agathe's eyes, and Louis Herbois went
on. 'Well, the revolution was nothing to me, they were mad with it, and
killed the king, and slew each other, until our dear Paris became a
bedlam--still, as I said, it was nothing to me. To be sure, I went
occasionally to Calais, where I heard a new language in every body's
mouth, and much talk of _Les hommes suspects, Mandats d'arrets_, with
shouts of _Abas les aristocrates_, and _Vive la Republique_--but I did
not trouble myself about any of it; Agathe and I worked together in the
field, and in the garden, and in the house--always together--always
happy. One morning we went out to prune our vines, the door of the house
was open, just as you found it yesterday; why should we ever shut the
door? we were honest, and feared nobody; we st