ed it above his
head to prevent its being snatched from him. Some time before the
assault, the matrons had taken care to put out the fire, fearing that
some one might fall in and be burned while they were struggling close
beside it. The facetious grave-digger, in concert with the drover,
possessed himself of the trophy without difficulty, therefore, and threw
it across the fire-dogs. It was done! No one was allowed to touch it
after that. He leaped into the room, and lighted a bit of straw which
surrounded the spit, to make a pretence of cooking the goose, which was
torn to pieces and its limbs strewn over the floor.

Thereupon, there was much laughter and burlesque discussion. Every one
showed the bruises he had received, and as it was often the hand of a
friend that had dealt the blow, there was no complaining or quarrelling.
The hemp-beater, who was half flattened out, rubbed his sides, saying
that he cared very little for that, but that he did protest against the
stratagem of his good friend the grave-digger, and that, if he had not
been half-dead, the hearth would not have been conquered so easily. The
matrons swept the floor, and order was restored. The table was covered
with jugs of new wine. When they had drank together and recovered their
breath, the bridegroom was led into the centre of the room, and, being
armed with a staff, was obliged to submit to a new test.

During the contest, the bride had been concealed with three of her
friends by her mother, her godmother, and aunts, who had seated the four
girls on a bench in the farthest corner of the room, and covered them
over with a great white sheet. They had selected three of Marie's
friends who were of the same height as she, and wore caps of exactly the
same height, so that, as the sheet covered their heads and descended to
their feet, it was impossible to distinguish them from each other.

The bridegroom was not allowed to touch them, except with the end of his
wand, and only to point out the one whom he judged to be his wife. They
gave him time to examine them, but only with his eyes, and the matrons,
who stood by his side, watched closely to see that there was no
cheating. If he made a mistake, he could not dance with his betrothed
during the evening, but only with her whom he had chosen by mistake.

Germain, finding himself in the presence of those phantoms enveloped in
the same winding-sheet, was terribly afraid of making a mistake; and, as
a matter