gave a little mischievous laugh and said:

'Why, my pretty maiden hardly looks happier than she did before, in
spite of meeting her lover whenever she pleases.'

'He has grown tired of me,' answered Tephany in a trembling voice, 'and
he makes excuses to stay away. Ah! granny dear, it is not enough to be
able to see him, I must be able to amuse him and to keep him with me. He
is so clever, you know. Help _me_ to be clever too.'

'Is that what you want?' cried the old woman. 'Well, take this feather
and stick it in your hair, and you will be as wise as Solomon himself.'

Blushing with pleasure Tephany went home and stuck the feather into the
blue ribbon which girls always wear in that part of the country. In a
moment she heard Denis whistling gaily, and as her aunt was safely
counting her cabbages, she hurried out to meet him. The young man was
struck dumb by her talk. There was nothing that she did not seem to
know, and as for songs she not only could sing those from every part of
Britanny, but could compose them herself. Was this _really_ the quiet
girl who had been so anxious to learn all he could teach her, or was it
somebody else? Perhaps she had gone suddenly mad, and there was an evil
spirit inside her. But in any case, night after night he came back, only
to find her growing wiser and wiser. Soon the neighbours whispered their
surprise among themselves, for Tephany had not been able to resist the
pleasure of putting the feather in her hair for some of the people who
despised her for her poor clothes, and many were the jokes she made
about them. Of course they heard of her jests, and shook their heads
saying:

'She is an ill-natured little cat, and the man that marries her will
find that it is she who will hold the reins and drive the horse.'

It was not long before Denis began to agree with them, and as he always
liked to be master wherever he went, he became afraid of Tephany's sharp
tongue, and instead of laughing as before when she made fun of other
people he grew red and uncomfortable, thinking that his turn would come
next.

* * * * *

So matters went on till one evening Denis told Tephany that he really
could not stay a moment, as he had promised to go to a dance that was to
be held in the next village.

Tephany's face fell; she had worked hard all day, and had been counting
on a quiet hour with Denis. She did her best to persuade him to remain
with her, but he would