at sunset; the moth venturing forth at the first sign of dew;
and Sidonie--a wild-rose tree.

Mark you, this was in Grande Pointe. I have seen the wild flower taken
from its cool haunt in the forest, and planted in the glare of a city
garden. Alas! the plight of it, poor outshone, wilting, odorless
thing! And then I have seen it again in the forest; and pleasanter
than to fill the lap with roses and tulips of the conservatory's
blood-royal it was to find it there, once more the simple queen of
that green solitude.

So Sidonie. Acadian maidens are shy as herons. They always see you
first. They see you first, silently rise, and are gone--from the
galerie. They are more shy than violets. You would think they lived
whole days with those dark, black-fringed eyes cast down; but--they
see you first. The work about the house is well done where they are;
there are apt to be flowers outside round about; while they themselves
are as Paul desired to see the women in bishop Timothy's church,
"adorned in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety."

Flowers sprang plentifully where Sidonie dwelt. Her best homespun gown
was her own weaving; the old dog lying on the galerie always thumped
the floor with his tail and sank his obsequious head as that robe
passed; the fawn--that Claude had brought--would come trotting and
press its head against it; all the small living things of the dooryard
would follow it about; and if she stood by the calf-pen the calves
would push each other for the nearest place, lay their cheeks upon the
fence's top, and roll their eyes--as many a youth of Grande Pointe
would have done if he might. Chat-oue,--I fear I have omitted to
mention that the father of Crebiche, like the father of Claude, had
lost his wife before he was of age,--Chat-oue looked often over that
fence.

When matters take that shape a girl _must_ quit school. And yet
Sidonie, when after a short vacation the school resumed its sessions,
resumed with it. Toutou, who had to admit now that his sister was even
more grand for her age than he, was always available for protection.
There was no wonder that Sidonie wished to continue; Bonaventure
explained why:

"So in_ter_esting is that McGuffey's Third Reader!"

Those at home hesitated, and presently it was the first of October.
Now it was too late to withdraw; the examination was to take place.
The school's opponents had expressed little impatience at the State
Superintendent's weary del