‘He spoke very well, all the same,’ remarked La Rousse.  ’Those priests think of a lot of things that wouldn’t occur to anybody else.’

‘Hush!’ cried La Teuse, who was already making ready to extinguish the candles.

But Abbe Mouret still stammered on, trying to utter a few more sentences.  ’It is for this reason, my dear brother, my dear sister, that you must live in the Catholic Faith, which alone can ensure the peace of your hearth.  Your families have taught you to love God, to pray to Him every morning and evening, to look only for the gifts of His mercy—­’

He was unable to finish.  He turned round, took the chalice off the altar, and retired, with bowed head, into the vestry, preceded by Vincent, who almost let the cruets and napkin fall, in trying to see what Catherine might be doing at the end of the church.

‘Oh! the heartless creature!’ said Rosalie, who left her husband to go and take her baby in her arms.  The child laughed.  She kissed it, and rearranged its swaddling clothes, while threatening Catherine with her fist.  ‘If it had fallen,’ she cried out, ’I would have boxed your ears for you, nicely.’

Big Fortune now came slouching along.  The three girls stepped towards him, with compressed lips.

‘See how proud he is,’ murmured Babet to the others.  ’He is sure of inheriting old Bambousse’s money now.  I used to see him creeping along every night under the little wall with Rosalie.’

Then they giggled, and big Fortune, standing there in front of them, laughed even louder than they did.  He pinched La Rousse, and let Lisa jeer at him.  He was a sturdy young blood, and cared nothing for anybody.  The priest’s address had annoyed him.

‘Hallo! mother, come on!’ he called in his loud voice.  But mother Brichet was begging at the vestry door.  She stood there, tearful and wizen, before La Teuse, who was slipping some eggs into the pocket of her apron.  Fortune didn’t seem to feel the least sense of shame.  He just winked and remarked:  ’She is a knowing old card, my mother is.  But then the Cure likes to see people at mass.’

Meanwhile, Rosalie had grown calm again.  Before leaving the church, she asked Fortune if he had begged the priest to come and bless their room, according to the custom of the country.  So Fortune ran off to the vestry, striding heavily through the church, as if it were a field.  He soon reappeared, shouting that his reverence would come.  La Teuse, who was scandalised at the noise made by all these people, who seemed to think themselves in a public street, gently clapped her hands, and pushed them towards the door.

‘It is all over,’ said she; ‘go away and get to your work.’

She thought they had all gone, when her eye caught sight of Catherine, whom Vincent had joined.  They were bending anxiously over the ants’ nest.  Catherine was poking a long straw into the hole so roughly, that a swarm of frightened ants had rushed out upon the floor.  Vincent declared, however, that she must get her straw right to the bottom if she wished to find the queen.