r children lived in her
father's long white house' by the river. When Benoit failed to come in
the spring, they showed their pity for her by abusing him; and when
she pleaded for him they said things which had an edge. They ended by
offering to marry her to Farette, the old miller, to whom they owed
money for flour. They brought Farette to the house at last, and she was
patient while he ogled her, and smoked his strong tabac, and tried to
sing. She was kind to him, and said nothing until, one day, urged by her
brother Solime, he mumbled the childish chanson Benoit sang the day he
left, as he passed their house going up the river:

"High in a nest of the tam'rac tree,
Swing under, so free, and swing over;
Swing under the sun and swing over the world,
My snow-bird, my gay little lover
My gay little lover, don, don!... don, don!

"When the winter is done I will come back home,
To the nest swinging under and over,
Swinging under and over and waiting for me,
Your rover, my snow-bird, your rover--
Your lover and rover, don, don!... don, don!"

It was all very well in the mouth of the sprightly, sentimental Benoit;
it was hateful foolishness in Farette. Annette now came to her feet
suddenly, her pale face showing defiance, and her big brown eyes
flicking anger. She walked up to the miller and said: "You are old and
ugly and a fool. But I do not hate you; I hate Solime, my brother, for
bringing you here. There is the bill for the flour? Well, I will pay it
myself--and you can go as soon as you like."

Then she put on her coat and capote and mittens, and went to the door.
"Where are you going, Ma'm'selle?" cried Solime, in high rage.

"I am going to M'sieu' Medallion," she said.

Hard profane words followed her, but she ran, and never stopped till she
came to Medallion's house. He was not there. She found him at the
Little Chemist's. That night a pony and cart took away from the house of
Annette's father the chest of drawers, the bed, the bedding, the pieces
of linen, and the pile of yarn which had been made ready so long against
Benoit's coming. Medallion had said he could sell them at once, and he
gave her the money that night; but this was after he had had a talk with
the Cure, to whom Annette had told all. Medallion said he had been
able to sell the things at once; but he did not tell her that they were
stored in a loft of the Little Chemis