The Project Gutenberg EBook of For The Honor Of France, by Thomas A. Janvier

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Title: For The Honor Of France
1891

Author: Thomas A. Janvier

Release Date: December 10, 2007 [EBook #23805]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOR THE HONOR OF FRANCE ***

Produced by David Widger

FOR THE HONOR OF FRANCE.

By Thomas A. Janvier

Copyright, 1891, by Harper & Brothers

"Pardon! Madame does not know that this is a smoking-carriage?"

"But yes. Monsieur is very good. It is that my husband would smoke.
He is an old soldier. He smokes all the time. _Ciel!_ They are like
chimneys, these old soldiers. This man of mine regrets that he cannot
smoke when he is asleep!"

While Madame delivered this address she continued also to mount the
steps, and as she finished it she seated herself in the corner of the
carriage opposite to me. She was short and round and sixty years old,
and smiling like the sun on a fine day. Her dress was the charming dress
of Aries, but over her kerchief she wore a silk mantle that glittered
with an embroidery of jet beads. This mantle was precious to her. Her
first act upon seating herself was to take it off, fold it carefully in
a large handkerchief, and lay it safely in the netting above her head.
She replaced it with a red knitted shawl, partly as a shield against the
dust, and partly as a protection against the fresh wind that was blowing
briskly down the valley of the Rhone.

In a moment her husband followed her, bowing to me as he entered the
carriage. Seating himself beside her, and giving her plump hand a little
affectionate pat, he said: "It is all right, little one. Marie will
receive her jelly in good condition. I myself saw that the basket was
placed right side up in the carriage. The jelly will not spill." Then,
turning to me, he added: "My wife makes a wonderful jelly of apricots,
Monsieur. We are taking some of it to our married daughter, who lives in
Avignon."

He was a well set-up old boy, with a face most pleasantly frank,
close-cut gray hair, short gray whiskers, and a bristling white
mustache. Across his forehead, cutting through his right ey