verybody had come to meet them, drawn up
in a row with solemn mien. When Rose, however began to deliver a pompous
little speech, treating her brother's betrothed like some foreign
princess, whom she had orders to welcome in the name of the king, her
father, the young couple began to laugh, and even prolonged the joke by
responding in the same style. The railway men looked on and listened,
gaping. It was a fine farce, and the Froments were delighted at showing
themselves so playful on that warm May morning.

But Marianne suddenly raised an exclamation of surprise: "What! has
not Madame Seguin come with you? She gave me so many promises that she
would."

In the rear of Ambroise and Andree Celeste the maid had alone alighted
from the train. And she undertook to explain things: "Madame charged
me," said she, "to say that she was really most grieved. Yesterday she
still hoped that she would be able to keep her promise. Only in the
evening she received a visit from Monsieur de Navarede, who is presiding
to-day, Sunday, at a meeting of his Society, and of course Madame could
not do otherwise than attend it. So she requested me to accompany the
young people, and everything is satisfactory, for here they are, you
see."

As a matter of fact nobody regretted the absence of Valentine, who
always moped when she came into the country. And Mathieu expressed the
general opinion in a few words of polite regret: "Well, you must tell
her how much we shall miss her. And now let us be off."

Celeste, however, intervened once more. "Excuse me, monsieur, but I
cannot remain with you. No. Madame particularly told me to go back to
her at once, as she will need me to dress her. And, besides, she is
always bored when she is alone. There is a train for Paris at a quarter
past ten, is there not? I will go back by it. Then I will be here at
eight o'clock this evening to take Mademoiselle home. We settled all
that in looking through a time-table. Till this evening, monsieur."

"Till this evening, then, it's understood."

Thereupon, leaving the maid in the deserted little station, all the
others returned to the village square, where the wagon and the bicycles
were waiting.

"Now we are all assembled," exclaimed Rose, "and the real fete is about
to begin. Let me organize the procession for our triumphal return to the
castle of our ancestors."

"I am very much afraid that your procession will be soaked," said
Marianne. "Just look at the rain a