“The dear object of girlish ambition was the same to both; but the simplicity of the little paysanne showed itself in the utter absence of any wish to conceal her anxiety upon the subject.  Though delighted with our compliments on her appearance, our presence by no means prevented her from springing upon a chair every other minute to obtain fuller view of the tout ensemble of her figure.  Again and again the modest kerchief was arranged and rearranged to show a hair’s breadth more or a hair’s breadth less of her brown but round and taper throat.  Repeatedly, before it could be finally adjusted to her satisfaction, was the delicate fabric of her coiffure moved with cautious care and dainty touch a leetle backwarder or a leetle forwarder over her sun-browned brow.

“Many were the pokings and pinchings of frock and apron, the smoothings down before and twitchings down behind of the not less anxious mother.  Often did she retreat to examine more correctly the general effect of the coup d’oeil, and as often return to rectify some injudicious pin or remodel some rebellious fold.  When all was at length completed, and the well-pleased parent had received from the servants, called in for the express purpose, the expected tribute of admiration, the little beauty took L’Imitation de la Vierge in her hand, and tripped across to a convent of Soeurs Grises on the other side of the way to receive their last instructions and admonitions respecting her behaviour when she should be presented to the bishop, while her mother screamed after her not to forget to pull up her frock when she kneeled down.

“All the time employed in this little revision of the toilet had not been left unimproved by my companion, who at the end of it produced and showed to the proud mother an admirable full-length sketch of her pretty darling.  The delighted astonishment of the poor woman, and her accent, as she exclaimed, ‘O, si c’etait pour moi!’ and then blushed to the temples at what she had said, were irresistible, and the good-natured artist was fain to make her a present of the drawing.”

My Breton book ("though I says it as shouldn’t”) is not a bad one, especially as regards the upper or northern part of the province.  That which concerns Lower Brittany is very imperfect, mainly, I take it, because I had already nearly filled my destined two volumes when I reached it.  I find there, however, the following notice of the sardine fishery, which has some interest at the present day.  Perhaps the majority of the thousands of English people who nowadays have “sardines” on their breakfast-table every morning are not aware that the contents of a very large number of the little tin boxes which are supposed to contain the delicacy are not sardines at all.  They are very excellent little fishes, but not sardines; for the enormously increased demand for them has outstripped the supply.  In the days when the following sentences were written sardines might certainly be had in London (as what might not?) at such shops as Fortnum and Mason’s, but they were costly, and by no means commonly met with.