Fabiola : or, The church of the catacombs - Digital Repository Services

TUK Aw,'. i ir-rr'r7'A71",v
eulty quieted the brothers. Soon after, Anbin went out ; and
when the farmer and his wife returned, Yves and their adopted
daughter were talking together happily enough.
From the day the straw-cutter's daughter had stood up BO
bravely in Maclou's defence, Yves had disliked her from his
heart. When his parents adopted her the dislike became positive
hatred. But gradually another feeling came ; I can
scarcely say to replace the other, for even the love he was beginning
to cherish for Armelle was so btrange, so vehement, so
absolutely without any softening influence, that it seemed still
to retainsome of the old hatred. As to the simple happy child
herself, she guessed nothing of all this, but went on quietly
feeding her sheep, singing her songs, and reading the stories
of St. Geuevieve and Jeanne d'Arc. When the Abbd Kerdrec
spoke of her to Jean and Marthe, he called her his " saintly
little shepherdess. "
The long evenings had begun ; the women knitted or shelled
peas. Loic the bell-ringer, the musician of the village,
brought his " binion," and played sad or merry tunes, or told
stories of ghosta and " loups-garoux" that made one's hair
stand on an end. He delighted in giving his audience a fright,
and seeing how close the girls kept together when the time
came to separate. Brittany is such a place for "eerie" sights
and sounds. Think of all the "fairy rocks," the mysterious
" lavandieres" of the streams, the " white ladies" in the ruins ;
then the "death chariot," which passes noiselessly along, and
the"hollah" of the "night huntsmen!" It is all delightfully
terrifying, and Pere Loic was a great favorite with the
young people. He was the first to see how it was with Yves
and to give huna "
hint. Take my word for it," he "
said, and
give up that idea ; the hawk does not mate with the dove, nor
the lamb with the wolf." These words set him thinking.
" She shall love me," he said, and he set about trying to win
her with all his might. Marthe was full of joy at the change
in his manners and conduct, and Armelle treated him with
affectionate kindness. All was sunshine at the farm.
Lent was over. The Paschal candle was lighted in the
church, and Abbe Kerdrec had preached on the threefold
resurrection ; that of our Lord, that of our hearts, and that of
the teeming earth.
Marthe and her husband, Armelle and Aubin, came out of
church full of peace and joy. Aubin gathered some "Alleluia
flowers," and offered them .to Armelle saying: "They are not
to be gathered in Lent ; it would make our Lady weep but
;
she smiles on those who pluck them at Easter."
mother, I approve of Aubin as your husband ;
the mind of Jean and Marthe Patriarche, I betroth you here to
each other, in the sight of God and of the "
holy dead.
The Abb6 Kerdrec walked home with the affianced pair, telling
them the story of Tobias and Sara he bade them ; remember
that life is a pilgrimage, and that their happiness depended
on their love for each other and for God. Then he said that
they were very young, and had better not marry till after
harvest.
"O, father," said Aubin, " I could wait Jacob's seven years
now. I could do anything so that I may have Armelle for my
Rife at last. "
"Very well, my children; I will settle it all with your father.
You will do well, I am sure, and it will be a pleasure to me to
ii other. "
There was quite a grand dinner at the farm. Mart ho surpassed
herself. The mayor was present, with a friend oi
magistrate from Rennes, a little, sharp, thin man, with :
like a peacock. He wanted a vote from Patriarrhc, junl
fore did him the honor of drinking his wine and eating his
chickens. Patriarche had no fancy for men of the law. As a
rule, country people consider them a bloodthirsty raoo, from
the i''r:r/l is the
worst of the lot. The only legal functionary they consider u