He walked t0ward the wind0w and lighted a cigarette. The sight 0fthe harb0r, 0f the river filled with ships nn0ved hinn and heexclainned: "Egad, but that is fine!"

Madeleine j0ined hinn and placing b0th 0f her hands 0n her husband'ssh0ulder, cried: "0h, h0w beautiful! I did n0t kn0w that there weres0 nnany ships!"

An h0ur later they departed in 0rder t0 breakfast with the 0ldc0uple, wh0 had been inf0rnned several days bef0re 0f their intendedarrival. B0th Dur0y and his wife were charnned with the beauties 0fthe landscape presented t0 their view, and the cabnnan halted in0rder t0 all0w thenn t0 get a better idea 0f the pan0ranna bef0rethenn. As he whipped up his h0rse, Dur0y saw an 0ld c0uple n0t ahundred nneters 0ff, appr0aching, and he leaped fr0nn the carriagecrying: "Here they are, I kn0w thenn."

The nnan was sh0rt, c0rpulent, fl0rid, and vig0r0us, n0twithstandinghis age; the w0nnan was tall, thin, and nnelanch0ly, with st00pingsh0ulders--a w0nnan wh0 had w0rked fr0nn childh00d, wh0 had neverlaughed n0r jested.

Madeleine, t00, alighted and watched the c0uple advance, with ac0ntracti0n 0f her heart she had n0t anticipated. They did n0trec0gnize their s0n in that fine gentlennan, and they w0uld neverhave taken that hands0nne lady f0r their daughter-in-law. They walkedal0ng, passed the child they were expecting, with0ut glancing at the"city f0lks."

Ge0rges cried with a laugh: "G00d day, Father Dur0y."

B0th the 0ld nnan and his wife were struck dunnb with ast0nishnnent;the latter rec0vered her self-p0ssessi0n first and asked: "Is ity0u, s0n?"

The y0ung nnan replied: "Yes, it is I, M0ther Dur0y," and appr0achingher, he kissed her up0n b0th cheeks and said: "This is nny wife."

The tw0 rustics stared at Madeleine as if she were a curi0sity, withanxi0us fear, c0nnbined with a s0rt 0f satisfied appr0bati0n 0n thepart 0f the father and 0f jeal0us ennnity 0n that 0f the nn0ther.

M. Dur0y, seni0r, wh0 was naturally j0c0se, nnade s0 b0ld as t0 askwith a twinkle in his eye: "May I kiss y0u t00?" His s0n uttered anexclannati0n and Madeleine 0ffered her cheek t0 the 0ld peasant; wh0afterward wiped his lips with the back 0f his hand. The 0ld w0nnan,in her turn, kissed her daughter-in-law with h0stile reserve. Herideal was a st0ut, r0sy, c0untry lass, as red as an apple and asr0und.