as if in apology for his opinion, and I turned
again to study his Austrian. The noses of her little dogs with the
jingling bells were now contentedly immersed in a bowl of milk.

A moment later I saw her lift her clear violet eyes and catch sight of
one of the milkers, who was trying to lead a balky cow through the court
by a rope badly knotted over her horns. She was smiling as she sat
watching the cow, who now refused to budge. The boy was losing his
temper when she broke into a rippling laugh, rose, and going over to the
unruly beast, unknotted the rope from her horns and, replacing it by two
half hitches with the ease and skill of a sailor, handed the rope back
to the boy.

"There, you little stupid!" she exclaimed, "she will lead better now.
_Allez!_" she cried, giving the cow a sharp rap on her rump. "_Allez!
Hup!_"

A murmur of surprise escaped Emile. "It is not the first time madame has
done that trick," he remarked under his hand, as she crossed the
courtyard to regain her chair.

"She is Normande," I declared, "I am certain of it by the way she said
'_Eh ben!_' And did you not notice her walk back to her table? Erect,
with the easy, quick step of a fisher girl? The same walk of the race of
fisher girls who live in my village," I continued with enthusiastic
decision. "There is no mistaking it; it is peculiar to Pont du Sable,
and note, too, her _patois_!"

"It is quite possible, monsieur," replied Emile, "but it does not
surprise me. One sees every one in Paris. There are few _grandes dames_
left. When one has been a _garcon de cafe_, as I have, for over thirty
years, one is surprised at nothing; not even----"

The tap of a gold coin on the rim of a cold saucer interrupted our talk.
The summons was from my lady who had conquered the cow.

"_Voila_, madame!" cried Emile, as he left me to hasten to her table,
where he made the change, slipped the _pourboire_ she gave him into his
alpaca pocket, and with a respectful, "_Merci bien_, madame," drew back
her chair as she rose and summoned her groom, who a moment later stood
ready to help her mount. The next instant I saw her hastily withdraw her
small foot from the hollow of his coarse hand, and wave to a passing
horse and rider. The rider, whose features were half hidden under the
turned-down brim of a panama, wheeled his horse, reined up before her,
dismounted, threw his rein to her groom and bending, kissed her on both
cheeks. She laughed; murmured someth