all enjoy them through the night, and shall give them fresh water
in the morning, and the next day after will be Sunday and I shall see
Catherine and thank her with a kiss."

I went back into the room, where Aunt Gredel was talking to Father
Goulden about the markets and the price of grain, etc., both in the
best of humor. Aunt put her basket on the ground and said:

"Well, Joseph, your permit has not come yet?"

"No! not yet, and it is terrible!"

"Yes," she replied, "the ministers are all alike, one is no better than
another; they take the worst and laziest to fill that place."

Then she went on: "Make yourself easy, I have a plan which will change
all that." She laughed, and as Father Goulden and I listened to hear
her plan, she continued:

"Just now while I was at the town-hall, Sergeant Harmantier announced
that we were to have a grand mass for the repose of the souls of Louis
XVI., Pichegru, Moreau, and--another one."

"Yes," interrupted Father Goulden, "for George Cadoudal,--I read it
last evening in the gazette."

"That is it, of Cadoudal," said Aunt Gredel. "You see, Joseph, hearing
that, I thought at once, 'now we will have the permit.' We are going
to have processions and atonements, and we will all go together,
Joseph, Catherine, and I. We shall be the first, and everybody will
say, 'They are good royalists, they are well disposed.' The priest
will hear of it. Now the priests have long arms, as in the time of the
generals and colonels,--we will go and see him, he will receive us
favorably, and will even make a petition for us. And I tell you this
will succeed, we shall not fail this time."

She spoke quite low as she explained all this, and seemed well
satisfied with her ingenuity. I felt happy too, and thought, "That is
what we must do, Aunt Gredel is right." But on looking at Father
Goulden, I saw he was very grave, and that he had turned away and was
looking at a watch through his glass, and knitting his big white
eyebrows. So, knowing he was not pleased, I said:

"I think myself, that would succeed, but before we do anything I would
like to have Father Goulden's opinion."

Then he turned round and said:

"Every one is free, Joseph, to follow his own conscience. To make an
expiation for the death of Louis XVI. is all very well; honest people
of all parties will have nothing to say, if they are royalists, of
course; but if you kneel from self-interest, you had better stay at
home