Three neighbours surrounded her when the dominie administered the Extreme Unction.  Afterwards she said that she wished to speak to Fabu.

He arrived in his Sunday clothes, very ill at ease among the funereal surroundings.

“Forgive me,” she said, making an effort to extend her arm, “I believed it was you who killed him!”

What did such accusations mean?  Suspect a man like him of murder!  And Fabu became excited and was about to make trouble.

“Don’t you see she is not in her right mind?”

From time to time Felicite spoke to shadows.  The women left her and Mother Simon sat down to breakfast.

A little later, she took Loulou and holding him up to Felicite: 

“Say good-bye to him, now!” she commanded.

Although he was not a corpse, he was eaten up by worms; one of his wings was broken and the wadding was coming out of his body.  But Felicite was blind now, and she took him and laid him against her cheek.  Then Mother Simon removed him in order to set him on the altar.

CHAPTER V

The grass exhaled an odour of summer; flies buzzed in the air, the sun shone on the river and warmed the slated roof.  Old Mother Simon had returned to Felicite and was peacefully falling asleep.

The ringing of bells woke her; the people were coming out of church.  Felicite’s delirium subsided.  By thinking of the procession, she was able to see it as if she had taken part in it.  All the school-children, the singers and the firemen walked on the sidewalks, while in the middle of the street came first the custodian of the church with his halberd, then the beadle with a large cross, the teacher in charge of the boys and a sister escorting the little girls; three of the smallest ones, with curly heads, threw rose leaves into the air; the deacon with outstretched arms conducted the music; and two incense-bearers turned with each step they took toward the Holy Sacrament, which was carried by M. le Cure, attired in his handsome chasuble and walking under a canopy of red velvet supported by four men.  A crowd of people followed, jammed between the walls of the houses hung with white sheets; at last the procession arrived at the foot of the hill.

A cold sweat broke out on Felicite’s forehead.  Mother Simon wiped it away with a cloth, saying inwardly that some day she would have to go through the same thing herself.

The murmur of the crowd grew louder, was very distinct for a moment and then died away.  A volley of musketry shook the window-panes.  It was the postilions saluting the Sacrament.  Felicite rolled her eyes, and said as loudly as she could: 

“Is he all right?” meaning the parrot.

Her death agony began.  A rattle that grew more and more rapid shook her body.  Froth appeared at the corners of her mouth, and her whole frame trembled.  In a little while could be heard the music of the bass horns, the clear voices of the children and the men’s deeper notes.  At intervals all was still, and their shoes sounded like a herd of cattle passing over the grass.