787-8; whereas
if Madelaine had been married thirteen years she would have been married
when Alix was but ten years old.

This bit of careless guessing helps to indicate the genuineness of Alix's
history. For when, by the light of Francoise's own statements, we correct
this error--totally uncorrected by any earlier hand--the correction agrees
entirely with the story of Alix as told in the separate manuscript. There
Alix is married in March, 1789, and Madelaine about a year before. In
midsummer, 1795, Madelaine had been married between seven and eight years
and her infant was, likely enough, her fourth child.--TRANSLATOR.

[20] The memoirist omits to say that this person was Neville
Declouet.--TRANSLATOR.

XV.

THE DISCOVERY OF THE HAT.

"Oh!" cried Celeste, "but what will Tonton say when she sees you?"

"Do not let her know a thing about it, girls," said Madame du Clozel, "or,
rather than yield the scepter of beauty and elegance for but one evening,
she will stay in the white chapel. What! at sixteen you don't know what
the white chapel is? It is our bed."

Before the ball, came Sunday. Madame du Clozel had told us that the
population of the little city--all Catholics--was very pious, that the
little church could hardly contain the crowd of worshipers; and Celeste
had said that there was a grand display of dress there. We thought of
having new dresses made, but the dressmaker declared it impossible; and so
we were obliged to wear our camayeus a second time, adding only a lace
scarf and a hat. A hat! But how could one get in that little town in the
wilderness, amid a maze of lakes and bayous, hundreds of miles from New
Orleans, so rare and novel a thing as a hat? Ah, they call necessity the
mother of invention, but I declare, from experience, that vanity has
performed more miracles of invention, and made greater discoveries than
Galileo or Columbus.

The women of St. Martinville, Tonton at their head, had revolted against
fate and declared they would have hats if they had to get them at the
moon. Behold, now, by what a simple accident the hat was discovered.
Tonton de Blanc had one of the prettiest complexions in the world, all
lily and rose, and what care she took of it! She never went into the yard
or the garden without a sunbonnet and a thick veil. Yet for all that her
jealous critics said she was good and sensible, and would forget
everything, even her toilet, to succor any one in trouble. One day To