ards evening Angelot visited La Joubardiere. He went to the
farm a good deal at this time, for it was pleasant to see faces that did
not frown upon him, but smiled a constant welcome, and there was always
the excuse of talking to Joubard about the vintage. And again, this
evening, the Maitresse brought out a bottle of her best wine, and the
two old people talked of their son at the war; and all the time they
were very well aware that something was wrong with Monsieur Angelot,
whom they had known and loved from his cradle. The good wife's eyes
twinkled a little as she watched him, and if nothing had happened later
to distract her thoughts, she would have told her husband that the boy
was in love. Joubard put down the young master's strange looks to
anxiety, not unfounded, about his uncle Joseph and the Chouan gentlemen.
Since Simon's spying and questioning, Joubard had taken a more serious
view of these matters.

"Monsieur Angelot has been at Les Chouettes to-day?" he said. "No? Ah,
perhaps it is as well. There were two gentlemen shooting with Monsieur
Joseph--I think they were Monsieur des Barres and Monsieur Cesar
d'Ombre. A little dangerous, such company. Monsieur Joseph perhaps
thinks a young man is better out of it."

Angelot did not answer, and turned the conversation back to the vintage.

"Yes, I believe it will be magnificent," said the farmer. "If Martin
were only here to help me! But it is hard for me, alone, to do my duty
by the vines. Hired labour is such a different thing. I believe in the
old rhyme:--

'L'ombre du bon maitre
Fait la vigne croitre!'

Monsieur your father explained to me the meaning of it, that there must
be no trees in or near the vineyard, no shadow but that of the master.
He found that in a book, he said. Surely, I thought, a man must have
plenty of time on his hands, to write a book to prove what every child
knows. Now I take its meaning to be deeper than that. There is a shadow
the vine needs and can't do without. You may talk as you please about
sun and air and showers; 'tis the master's eye and hand and shadow that
gives growth and health to the vines."

"Don't forget the good God," said Maitresse Joubard. "All the shadows of
the best masters won't do much without Him."

"Did I say so?" Her husband turned upon her. "It is His will, I suppose,
that things are so. We must take His creation as we find it. All I say
is, He gives me too much to do, when He sets me on a farm with