The Argosy — page 397: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

rae sneer. Aunt hélicité. 375 The click of the garden-gate sounded, and the parrot screamed ‘¢ Bon jour” in yet louder tones. “ Ah ca!” The old lady shredded the few remaining leaves in double- quick time, rose up, and shook her apron. ‘I did not think it was so late. It must be Félicité, and I cannot even take off my apron.” She stood still, unwilling to turn her back on the expected guest, and still more unwilling to present herself before her orderly daughter in her present array; but she was not doomed to wait. Long before Félicité would have threaded the winding paths two soft arms were round Madame Trudin’s neck, and Genevieve’s sweet face was nestling against her plump old cheeks. ‘‘ Aha ! bonne maman, thou art taken by surprise, n’est-ce-pas ! Elodie said I was not to come over till my aunt had gone back to St. Roque; but I dreamed I saw thee crying last night, and I woke crying, too, and then I said I will go over and see the bonne maman, even if she does not want her troublesome little girl.” The benne maman plainly did want her. She held the fair young face between both her own hands, and kissed it on the forehead, the eyes, and on both cheeks, murmuring soft cooing words of love. “How long hast thou been with Elodie, my jewel ?” “Only for three days; and after another week the aunt promised that I should make a long stay with thee. She does not want me at St. Roque, she says; she has so much teaching now.” ‘Ma foi! I,thought -it was just holiday time, and you would both come to the grand-mére at once; but anyway, my child, thou art glad to be free of the hot, dusty city ?” “Yes and no, bonne maman; there are things I like, even in St. Roque.” The lovely face was turned aside, and the large deep eyes seemed to be searching for something far away. ‘Tiens! and is it not, then, true that thou art a spoiled child, when thou canst say so to thy grand-mére? ah bah!”—for Geneviéve was kissing her again—“‘ petite vaurienne, la grand-mére knows better than to believe all the nonsense that comes out of that baby-mouth—¢get along then, vite! We have a déjeuner superbe for the aunt; but it would be better if we had some mussels. I saw the men coming up with their baskets a quarter of an hour ago. By the time thou hast brought them thy aunt will have arrived. Va-t-en !” Geneviéve ran away; she was hardly out of sight, flying down the shingled road that led towards the fishermen’s cottages, when the grand- mére’s ear heard the sound of wheels approaching. This time she would not be caught. Ashrill cry of “ Marie” brought to her side a short, square woman, with a brown face, that must once have been pretty, surmounted by the high white cap of the Viroise peasantry, with its large muslin bow, just above the forehead-frill. By signs, more than by words, Madame showed that she wished to GONMGIOO SS (CO) mn _