ming from so far away.
And if my feathers were not very fine in themselves, they were all from
over seas. One thing in my outfit, however, tickled them out of all
politeness; and that was the bemired condition of my canvas shoes. I
suppose they were sure the mud at any rate was a home product. The
little girl (who was the genius of the party) displayed her own sabots
in competition; and I wish you could have seen how gracefully and
merrily she did it.

The young woman's milk-can, a great amphora of hammered brass, stood
some way off upon the sward. I was glad of an opportunity to divert
public attention from myself, and return some of the compliments I had
received. So I admired it cordially both for form and colour, telling
them, and very truly, that it was as beautiful as gold. They were not
surprised. The things were plainly the boast of the countryside. And the
children expatiated on the costliness of these amphorae, which sell
sometimes as high as thirty francs apiece; told me how they were carried
on donkeys, one on either side of the saddle, a brave caparison in
themselves; and how they were to be seen all over the district, and at
the larger farms in great number and of great size.

PONT-SUR-SAMBRE

WE ARE PEDLARS

The _Cigarette_ returned with good news. There were beds to be had some
ten minutes' walk from where we were, at a place called Pont. We stowed
the canoes in a granary, and asked among the children for a guide. The
circle at once widened round us, and our offers of reward were received
in dispiriting silence. We were plainly a pair of Bluebeards to the
children; they might speak to us in public places, and where they had
the advantage of numbers; but it was another thing to venture off alone
with two uncouth and legendary characters, who had dropped from the
clouds upon their hamlet this quiet afternoon, sashed and be-knived, and
with a flavour of great voyages. The owner of the granary came to our
assistance, singled out one little fellow and threatened him with
corporalities; or I suspect we should have had to find the way for
ourselves. As it was, he was more frightened at the granary man than the
strangers, having perhaps had some experience of the former. But I fancy
his little heart must have been going at a fine rate; for he kept
trotting at a respectful distance in front, and looking back at us with
scared eyes. Not otherwise may the children of the young world have
guided Jove or