gleamed like a star.  They stood in silent, wondering admiration, and then little by little exclamations burst from their lips.  They had been trying hard to joke about it all with a touch of envy at heart, but this decidedly and immeasurably impressed them.  What a genius that Irma was!  A sight like this gave you a rattling notion of the woman!  The trees stretched away and away, and there were endlessly recurrent patches of ivy along the wall with glimpses of lofty roofs and screens of poplars interspersed with dense masses of elms and aspens.  Was there no end to it then?  The ladies would have liked to catch sight of the mansion house, for they were weary of circling on and on, weary of seeing nothing but leafy recesses through every opening they came to.  They took the rails of the gate in their hands and pressed their faces against the ironwork.  And thus excluded and isolated, a feeling of respect began to overcome them as they thought of the castle lost to view in surrounding immensity.  Soon, being quite unused to walking, they grew tired.  And the wall did not leave off; at every turn of the small deserted path the same range of gray stones stretched ahead of them.  Some of them began to despair of ever getting to the end of it and began talking of returning.  But the more their long walk fatigued them, the more respectful they became, for at each successive step they were increasingly impressed by the tranquil, lordly dignity of the domain.

“It’s getting silly, this is!” said Caroline Hequet, grinding her teeth.

Nana silenced her with a shrug.  For some moments past she had been rather pale and extremely serious and had not spoken a single word.  Suddenly the path gave a final turn; the wall ended, and as they came out on the village square the mansion house stood before them on the farther side of its grand outer court.  All stopped to admire the proud sweep of the wide steps, the twenty frontage windows, the arrangement of the three wings, which were built of brick framed by courses of stone.  Henri IV had erewhile inhabited this historic mansion, and his room, with its great bed hung with Genoa velvet, was still preserved there.  Breathless with admiration, Nana gave a little childish sigh.

“Great God!” she whispered very quietly to herself.

But the party were deeply moved when Gaga suddenly announced that Irma herself was standing yonder in front of the church.  She recognized her perfectly.  She was as upright as of old, the hoary campaigner, and that despite her age, and she still had those eyes which flashed when she moved in that proud way of hers!  Vespers were just over, and for a second or two Madame stood in the church porch.  She was dressed in a dark brown silk and looked very simple and very tall, her venerable face reminding one of some old marquise who had survived the horrors of the Great Revolution.  In her right hand a huge Book of Hours shone in the sunlight, and very slowly she crossed the square, followed some fifteen paces off by a footman in livery.  The church was emptying, and all the inhabitants of Chamont bowed before her with extreme respect.  An old man even kissed her hand, and a woman wanted to fall on her knees.  Truly this was a potent queen, full of years and honors.  She mounted her flight of steps and vanished from view.