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By Root 1257 0

the beauty of the sink and the magnitude of the fire-place, which was large enough to roast a sheep. When she had gone up-stairs again, her bedroom especially enraptured her—it had been hung with pale rose-coloured cretonne, style of Louis XVI., by an upholsterer from Orleans. Well, one ought to sleep well in there, it was quite a school-girls’ nest! There were also four or five other bed-rooms for guests, and some magnificent attics, which would be very useful for the trunks. Zoé, looking very sulky, just glanced coldly into each room, and kept a long way behind madame. She watched her disappear at the top of the steep ladder which led to the roof. Thank you for nothing! she didn’t want to break her legs. But the sound of a voice reached her from afar off, as though coming down a chimney.

“Zoé! Zoé! where are you? come up here! Oh, you’ve no idea—it’s like fairy-land!”

Zoé ascended the ladder, grumbling the while. She saw madame on the roof, leaning against the brick balustrade, and looking down upon the valley which extended into the distance. The horizon was immense, but it was half hidden by a grey mist, whilst a high wind drove away the fine drops of rain. Nana was obliged to hold her bonnet with both hands to prevent it blowing off, and her skirts flapped about like the snapping of a flag.

“Ah! no indeed!” said Zoé, bringing her head in at once. “Madame will be blown away. What awful weather! ”

Madame did not hear. With her head bent forward, she was examining the grounds beneath her. There were seven or eight acres, all walled in. Then the view of the kitchen garden quite fascinated her. She hurried inside again, and rushed past the maid on the stairs, exclaiming:

“It’s full of cabbages! Oh! cabbages as big as that! And lettuce, and sorrel, and onions, and everything! Come quick!”

The rain was falling faster. She opened her white silk parasol, and ran along the paths.

“Madame will be ill!” cried Zoé, who quietly remained standing beneath the verandah.

But madame wished to see everything. Each fresh discovery brought more exclamations. “Zoé, here’s some spinach! Come and see! Oh! artichokes!—they do look funny. They flower then, do they? I say! whatever’s this? I don’t know it at all. Come and see, Zoé; perhaps you know?”

But the maid did not stir. Madame must really be mad. It was now pouring in torrents. The little white silk parasol already looked quite black, and did not cover madame, whose skirt was sopping. But this did not worry her. In spite of the rain she inspected both the kitchen and fruit gardens, stopping at each tree, and leaning over each bed of vegetables. Then she ran and gave a look down the well, raised a frame to see what was underneath, and became quite absorbed in the contemplation of an enormous pumpkin. Her business was to go along every path, to take immediate possession of all these things, of which she used to dream when she dragged her work-girl’s shoes along the streets of Paris. The rain fell faster still, but she did not notice it, and only regretted that the night was coming on apace. She could no longer see plainly, so she felt with her hands whenever she had a doubt. All of a sudden, in the twilight, she discovered some strawberries. Then her childhood seemed to return to her.

“Strawberries! strawberries! There are some, I feel them! Zoé, a plate! Come and gather some strawberries.”

And Nana, who had stooped down in the mud, let go of her parasol, and received the full force of the shower. With her hands all wet, she gathered the strawberries among the leaves. Zoé, however, did not bring the plate. As the young woman got up, she had a fright. She thought she had noticed something move.

“An animal!” she cried; but astonishment rooted her to the centre of the path. It was a man, and she had recognised him.

“Why! it’s baby! Whatever are you doing there, baby?”

“I’ve come, of course!” replied George.

She remained lost in surprise. “Did you then hear from the gardener of my arrival? Oh! the child! He is soaked!”

“Ah! I must tell you. It began to rain after I started, and