Summary

In chapter seven, entitled Halt, the narrator returns to Le Caselet on a Sunday morning. Contrary to his expectations the grounds are quiet and deserted. The narrator reasons that his family is away attending mass. As he roams around his old home he questions whether or not he is dreaming. He then finds his Uncle Mathieu off by himself admiring some of their apricot trees. As the narrator catches up with Mathieu, he learns that Dromiols visited the Megremuts while he was away. He learns from his Aunt Philomene that Uncle Rat was there too. When the rest of the Megremuts return from mass, he finds that their manner is quiet and reserved in a way that he has not witnessed before. The narrator fears that he has become a stranger to his family, and he also senses that they are playing an...