to the sixteenth century the noble spectacle of a perfect conjugal love without a flaw.  When the marchesa became a widow at the age of thirty-four, beautiful, intellectually brilliant, universally adored, she refused to marry sovereigns and buried herself in a convent, seeing and knowing thenceforth only nuns.  Such was the perfect love that suddenly developed itself in the heart of the Breton workman.  Pierrette and he had often protected each other; with what bliss had he given her the money for her journey; he had almost killed himself by running after the diligence when she left him.  Pierrette had known nothing of all that; but for him the recollection had warmed and comforted the cold, hard life he had led for the last three years.  For Pierrette’s sake he had struggled to improve himself; he had learned his trade for Pierrette; he had come to Paris for Pierrette, intending to make his fortune for her.  After spending a fortnight in the city, he had not been able to hold out against the desire to see her, and he had walked from Saturday night to Monday morning.  He intended to return to Paris; but the moving sight of his little friend nailed him to Provins.  A wonderful magnetism (still denied in spite of many proofs) acted upon him without his knowledge.  Tears rolled from his eyes when they rose in hers.  If to her he was Brittany and her happy childhood, to him she was life itself.

At sixteen years of age Brigaut did not yet know how to draw or to model a cornice; he was ignorant of much, but he had earned, by piece-work done in the leisure of his apprenticeship, some four or five francs a day.  On this he could live in Provins and be near Pierrette; he would choose the best cabinet-maker in the town, and learn the rest of his trade in working for him, and thus keep watch over his darling.

Brigaut’s mind was made up as he sat there thinking.  He went back to Paris and fetched his certificate, tools, and baggage, and three days later he was a journeyman in the establishment of Monsieur Frappier, the best cabinet-maker in Provins.  Active, steady workmen, not given to junketing and taverns, are so rare that masters hold to young men like Brigaut when they find them.  To end Brigaut’s history on this point, we will say here that by the end of the month he was made foreman, and was fed and lodged by Frappier, who taught him arithmetic and line drawing.  The house and shop were in the Grand’Rue, not a hundred feet from the little square where Pierrette lived.

Brigaut buried his love in his heart and committed no imprudence.  He made Madame Frappier tell him all she knew about the Rogrons.  Among other things, she related to him the way in which their father had laid hands on the property of old Auffray, Pierrette’s grandfather.  Brigaut obtained other information as to the character of the brother and sister.  He met Pierrette sometimes in the market with her cousin, and shuddered to see the heavy basket she was carrying