When Valmond Came to Pontiac, Complete

is meditative pose, were all his own; his humour that of the people. He was too quick in repartee and drollery for a bourgeois, too "near to the bone" in point for an aristoc

n, but the flashes of grotesqueness rather pl

rtesy so dear to Monsieur the Cure, Monsieur Garon, the Little Chemist, and even Medallion the auctioneer, who had taken into his bluff, odd na

lmond came over the hill, going towards the Louis Quinze. His step was light, his head laid slightly to one side, as if in pleased and inquiring reverie, and there was a lifting of one corner of the mouth, suggesting an amuse

ed him with a courtly affability. He shook hands with, and nodded good-humouredly at, Medallion and the Little Chemist, bowed to the avocat, and touched off his greeting to Monsieur De la Riviere with deliberation, not offering his hand-

ust now that the spirit of France has ever be

and turned, bowing, towards Monsieur Garon. The avocat's pale face flushed, his long, thin fingers twined roun

st to conceive the feeling of the coming century, and by its own struggles and suffe

s mobile face steady and almost set-all the life of him seemed to have burnt into h

devoted to the study of the Napoleonic times and of the Great Revolutio

ent. Again there was a silence, and out of the

res this spirit of France

aning in De la Riviere's voice, for he had caught t

at De la Riviere, and said slowly, dramati

r her inspiration. It is as ready for action now as when the old order was dragged from Versai

e, but threw back his head wi

the young Seigneur, tryin

!" came the

ubject, though he talked this melodramatically: a thing not uncommon among the h

for-?" He paused, as if to give himself

n," was the

y cherish an idea when a man is behind it, when a man lives it, embo

He said that to Barras, to Remusat, to Josephine, to Lucien, to-to

orted itself through the village during the past week. The avocat had found a man after his own heart. He knew that Valmond understood whereof he spoke. It was as if an artist saw a young genius use a brush on canva

ith all my heart," the avocat said. "

without the auctioneer having pressed Valmond's hand warmly, for he was quick of emotion, an

poleonic scholar, who had devoured every book on his hero which had come in his way since boyhood. Student as he was, he had met a man whose knowledge of the Napoleonic life was vastly more intricate, searching and vital than his own. He, Monsieur Garon, spoke as from a book or out of a librar

ise Malboir; so that they were troubled, as was she, each after his own manner and temperament. Their reasoning, their feelings were

ing with pleasure because of Valmond's remarks upon the C

k. As it neared the house, the Cure took off his baretta, and smiled expectantly, a little red spot burning on both cheeks. These deepened as the carriage stopped, and a lady, a little lady like a golden flower, with sunny eyes and face-how

d with hands outstretched, saying: "Ah, my dear, dear Cure, how gla

d nothing to do. The Cure, beaming, touched by her warmth, and by her tiny caressing fingers, stooped and kissed them both like an old courtier. He had come of a good family in France long ago, very long ago,-and even in this French-Canadian village; where he ha

as if she had but seen him yesterday, and said: "Monsieur De la Riviere-what, still burie

again, and said, plac

y dear old friend, even though soiled and un

always unspotted of the dusty

rception behind that rosy and golden face, and the demure eyes whose lids languished now and then-to the unknowing with an air of coquetry, to the knowing-did any know her?-as one would shade one's eyes to see a landscape cle

yself, Monsieur Valmond?

s, as they watched Valmond; for they did not know that he had knowledge of English; he had not spok

almond's face, but it was gone on

-there is as much earth and sky about Pont

count, Monsi

remember, though she recalled perfectly. It was

not yield to the temptation to pause before her name; "bu

r it broke in grimly upon the ge

ing were only as good

coat, and dropping to the incongruous enamelled knee-boots with their r

same-who

en as towards an impertinence; but as she caught Valmond's eye, something in it, so really boylike, earnest, and free from insolence, met hers, that, with a little way she

y know

malice of the exclamation, she imi

see her meaning, but he

unhesitatingly in English, for it had been his

en he saw her, he stopped short in delighted surprise. Gathering up her skirts, s

ocat, my Solon! are the coffee, and the his

a daughter's fortunate marriage, or the birth of a child to childless people; and there together they exchanged pinches of snuff over the event, and made compliments from the same mould, nor desired difference of pattern. To the pretty lady's words, Monsieur Garon blushed, and his thin hand fluttered to his lips.

had ever said that his dear avocat would have been a

his duty and love his people. So he had declared over an

th tears. This admiration of

eretic, a heretic, my dear friends! How should I stand in your hearts if I were only of your faith

turing spirit, if she cared for them as they seemed to care for her-for she felt she had an

hed a malicious look at the young Seigneur, as though to say: "You had your chance,

ation of his creed which prompted

r from the Kingdo

ed to add to his former remarks, as i

tell you that there is here another and a better pilot in that sea. It is Mon

id, turning to Valmond, with a look

went on. "He fills in the vague spaces, clears up myster

gentleman and-something else; but, unlike him, she saw also a light in the face and eyes that might be genius, poetry, adventure. For the incongruities, what did they matter to her? She wished to probe life, to live it, to race the whole gamut of inquiry, experiences, folli

, with soft raillery, to Valmond. He bowed, expressed his pleasure a little oracularly, and was about to say something

ne day? My husband will be here soon. When you see our f

nd you are to wait for nothing, or I shall come to fetch you. Voila! I am

men, left behind in the little garden, stood watching, as if they expected to