“Oh, mamma!” she cried, “let us buy the whole basketful.  It will be for the feast of welcome, you see; it will be our present to the royal couple we are awaiting.  People won’t say that Our Majesties neglect to do things properly when they are expecting other Majesties.  And I will cook them when we get back, and you’ll see how well I shall succeed.”

At this the others began to poke fun at her, but her parents ended by doing as she asked, big child as she was, who in the fulness of her happiness hardly knew what amusement to seek.  However, as by way of pastime she obstinately sought to count the crawfish, quite an affair ensued:  some of them pinched her, and she dropped them with a little shriek; and, amid it all, the basket fell over and then the crawfish hurriedly crawled away.  The boys and girls darted in pursuit of them, there was quite a hunt, in which even the serious members of the family at last took part.  And what with the laughter and eagerness of one and all, the big as well as the little, the whole happy brood, the sight was so droll and gay that the folks of Janville again drew near and good-naturedly took their share of the amusement.

All at once, however, arose a distant rumble of wheels and an engine whistled.

“Ah, good Heavens! here they are!” cried Rose, quite scared; “quick, quick, or the reception will be missed.”

A scramble ensued, the owner of the crawfish was paid, and there was just time to shut the basket and carry it to the wagon.  The whole family was already running off, invading the little station, and ranging itself in good order along the arrival platform.

“No, no, not like that,” Rose repeated.  “You don’t observe the right order of precedence.  The queen mother must be with the king her husband, and then the princes according to their height.  Frederic must place himself on my right.  And it’s for me, you know, to make the speech of welcome.”

The train stopped.  When Ambroise and Andree alighted they were at first much surprised to find that everybody 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.”