Chateau and Country Life in France eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 281 pages of information about Chateau and Country Life in France.

Chateau and Country Life in France eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 281 pages of information about Chateau and Country Life in France.

It was a pretty, simple service.  When the cure and his two choir children in their short, white surplices and red petticoats came up the aisle, the choir sang the fine old hymn “Adeste Fideles,” the congregation all joining in.  We sang, too, the English words ("Oh, come, all ye Faithful"); we didn’t know the Latin ones, but hoped nobody would notice.  There were one or two prayers and a pretty, short address, talking of the wonderful Christmas night so many years ago, when the bright star guided the shepherds through the cold winter night to the stable where the heavenly babe was born.  The children listened most attentively, and as all the boys in the village begin life as shepherds and cow-boys, they were wildly interested.  Then there was a benediction, and at the end all the children in procession passed before the Enfant Jesus and kissed his foot.  It was pretty to see the little ones standing up on tip-toe to get to the little foot, and the mothers holding up their babes.  While this was going on, the choir sang the Noel Breton of Holmes, “Deux anges sont venus ce soir m’apporter de bien belles choses.”  There was some little delay in getting the children into procession again to go down to the school-house.  They had been supernaturally good, but were so impatient to see the Tree that it was difficult to hold them.  Henrietta and Pauline hurried on to light the Tree.  I waited for the Abbe.  He was much pleased with the attendance, and spoke so nicely to all the people.

We found the children all assembled in the small room at the school-house, and as soon as we could get through the crowd we let them come in.  The Tree was quite beautiful, all white candles—­quantities—­shiny ornaments and small toys, dolls, trumpets, drums, and the yellow and red bags of “dragees” hanging on the branches.  It went straight up to the ceiling, and quite on top was a big gold star, the manufacture of which had been a source of great tribulation at the chateau.  We forgot to get one in Paris, and sent in hot haste on Wednesday to La Ferte for pasteboard and gold paper; but, alas! none of us could draw, and we had no model.  I made one or two attempts, with anything but a satisfactory result:  all the points were of different lengths and there was nothing but points (more like an octopus than anything else).  However, Pauline finally produced a very good one (it really looked like a star), and of course the covering it with gold paper was easy.  The creche made a great effect, standing at the bottom of the Tree with a tall candle on each side.  All the big toys and clothes were put on a table behind, where we all sat.  Then the door was opened; there was a rush at first, but the school-mistress kept strict order.  The little ones came first, their eyes round and fixed on the beautiful Tree; then the bigger children, and immediately behind them the “oldest inhabitants”—­such a collection of old, bent, wrinkled, crippled creatures—­then as many as could get in.  There wasn’t a sound at first, except some very small babies crowing and choking—­then a sort of hum of pleasure.

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Chateau and Country Life in France from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.