'Oh! old Bambousse is quite right,' murmured Lisa, a short dark girl,
with gleaming eyes; 'when one has vines, one looks after them. Since his
reverence so particularly desired to marry Rosalie, he can very well do
it all alone.'

The other girl, Babet, who was humpbacked, tittered. 'There's mother
Brichet,' she said; 'she is always here. She prays for the whole family.
Listen, do you hear how she's buzzing? All that will mean something in
her pocket. She knows very well what she is about, I can tell you.'

'She is playing the organ for them,' retorted La Rousse.

At this all three burst into a laugh. La Teuse, in the distance,
threatened them with her broom. At the altar, Abbe Mouret was taking the
sacrament. As he went from the Epistle side towards Vincent, so that the
water of ablution might be poured upon his thumb and fore-finger, Lisa
said more softly: 'It's nearly over. He will begin to talk to them
directly.'

'Yes,' said La Rousse, 'and so big Fortune will still be able to go to
his work, and Rosalie won't lose her day's pay at the vintage. It is
very convenient to be married so early in the morning. He looks very
sheepish, that big Fortune.'

'Of course,' murmured Babet. 'It tires him, keeping so long on his
knees. You may be sure that he has never knelt so long since his first
communion.'

But the girls' attention was suddenly distracted by the baby which
Catherine was dangling in her arms. It wanted to get hold of the
bell-rope, and was quite blue with rage, frantically stretching out its
little hands and almost choking itself with crying.

'Ah! so the youngster is there,' said La Rousse.

The baby now burst into still louder wailing, and struggled like a
little Imp.

'Turn it over on its stomach, and let it suck,' said Babet to Catherine.

Catherine lifted up her head, and began to laugh, with the shamelessness
of a little minx. 'It's not at all amusing,' she said, giving the baby a
shake. 'Be quiet, will you, little pig! My sister plumped it down on my
knees.'

'Naturally,' said Babet, mischievously. 'You could scarcely have
expected her to give the brat to Monsieur le Cure to nurse.'

At this sally, La Rousse almost fell over in a fit of laughter. She
leaned against the wall, holding her sides with her hands. Lisa threw
herself against her, and attempted to soothe her by pinching her back
and shoulders; while Babet laughed with a hunchback's laugh, which
grated on the ear like the sound