—­How can you bring the holy name of God into these abominable things?

—­Abominable! that is rubbish again.  Monsieur Fortin and I often asked ourselves what evil that could do to God, when neither of us did any to other people.  Monsieur Fortin used to say to me:  “Are we doing evil to our neighbours, Veronica?” “Not that I know of, Monsieur le Cure.”  “Are we causing a scandal?” “Ah, Jesus, no, Monsieur le Cure.”  “Are we setting a bad example?” “No, Monsieur le Cure, no.”  “Are we populating the land with orphans?” “Oh, as to that, no.”  “Well then, in what way can we be offending God?” That was very well said all the same, the more so as his health depended on it.

—­But, replied Marcel, wishing to change the conversation which was verging upon dangerous ground, have you not told me that you have been in the service of ecclesiastics for nearly five-and-twenty years.  That appears to me to be very extraordinary for, after all, you are hardly forty.

—­Thirty-nine, corrected Veronica, who was past forty-five.

—­Reason the more.

—­That is true, Monsieur le Cure, but I began early.  At fifteen I went to the Abbe Braqueminet’s.

—­I was acquainted with a Braqueminet, who was Bishop in partibus.  A very worthy prelate.

—­That he is, sir; he went to America.

—­Come! this is too much, Veronica; you want to make a fool of me.  At fifteen, do you say, that is too much!  At thirty you were with the Abbe Fortin.  I have no objection to that, since you passed as his relation, although with regard to this, our rules are precise, and we cannot take a housekeeper, till she is over a certain age.  Sometimes, it is true, they smuggle in a few years:  but fifteen years!

—­It is the exact truth, however, sir.  I was fifteen years old, and no more at the Abbe Braqueminet’s, and you will believe me, when I tell you that I was his niece.

-Monseigneur Braqueminet’s niece! you, Veronica?

-Yes, sir, his niece; the Holy Virgin who hears me, will tell you that I was his niece, and I will explain to you how.

LII.

THE POSSET.

  “This little maid, so fair, with teasing ways,
  Was made to be a lovely man’s support. 
  For many a foolish thing in former days
  He did to gain a face less fair than thine.”

  BERANGER (la Celibataire).

My father, as I have told you, was beadle at Saint Eprive’s, and my mother was servant to Monsieur le Cure.  These were two good situations, but they had a number of children, and not much time to attend to them.  Therefore when I was thirteen, they entrusted me to an old aunt who was willing to take charge of me.  She was servant to Monsieur Braqueminet, who was then at Mirecourt.  She placed me at first with a lady who made me look after her little children.  At the end of a year Monsieur l’Abbe had a change,