air of
reserve, which was the consequence of the emotion of the girls in the
morning, and Rivet was the only one who was in a good cue, and he was
drinking to excess. Madame Tellier was looking at the clock every
moment, for, in order not to lose two days following, they ought to take
the 3:55 train, which would bring them to Fecamp by dark.

The carpenter tried very hard to distract her attention, so as to keep
his guests until the next day, but he did not succeed, for she never
joked when there was business to be done, and as soon as they had had
their coffee she ordered her girls to make haste and get ready, and
then, turning to her brother, she said:

"You must have the horse put in immediately," and she herself went to
finish her last preparations.

When she came down again, her sister-in-law was waiting to speak to her
about the child, and a long conversation took place, in which, however,
nothing was settled. The carpenter's wife finished, and pretended to be
very much moved, and Madame Tellier, who was holding the girl on her
knees, would not pledge herself to anything definite, but merely gave
vague promises ... she would not forget her, there was plenty of time,
and then, they should meet again.

But the conveyance did not come to the door, and the women did not come
downstairs. Upstairs, they even heard loud laughter, falls, little
screams, and much clapping of hands, and so, while the carpenter's wife
went to the stable to see whether the cart was ready, Madame went
upstairs.

Rivet, who was very drunk, and half undressed, was vainly trying to
violate Rosa, who was half choking with laughter. The two pumps were
holding him by the arms and trying to calm him, as they were shocked at
such a scene after that morning's ceremony; but Raphaele and Fernande
were urging him on, writhing and holding their sides with laughter, and
they uttered shrill cries at every useless attempt that the drunken
fellow made.

The man was furious, his face was red, he was all unbuttoned, and he was
trying to shake off the two women who were clinging to him, while he was
pulling Rosa's petticoat with all his might.

But _Madame_, who was very indignant, went up to her brother, seized him
by the shoulders, and threw him out of the room with such violence that
he fell against a wall in the passage, and a minute afterwards they
heard him pumping water onto his head in the yard, and when he came back
with the cart, he was alread