ing Lise by the hand, I began to run with her; Capi jumped around us,
barking. We were all dressed up in our best, and looking forward to a
good dinner. Some people turned round to watch us as we passed. I don't
know what I looked like, but Lise in her blue dress and white shoes was
the prettiest little girl that one could see. Time passed quickly.

We were having dinner out of doors when, just as we had finished, one of
us remarked how dark it was getting. Clouds were gathering quickly in
the sky.

"Children, we must go home," said M. Acquin, "there's going to be a
storm."

"Go, already!" came the chorus.

"If the wind rises, all the glasses will be upset."

We all knew the value of those glass frames and what they mean to a
florist. It would be terrible for us if the wind broke ours.

"I'll hurry ahead with Benny and Alexix," the father said. "Remi can
come on with Etiennette and Lise."

They rushed off. Etiennette and I followed more slowly with Lise. No one
laughed now. The sky grew darker. The storm was coming quickly. Clouds
of dust swirled around us; we had to turn our backs and cover our eyes
with our hands, for the dust blinded us. There was a streak of lightning
across the sky, then came a heavy clap of thunder.

Etiennette and I had taken Lise by the hands; we were trying to drag her
along faster, but she could scarcely keep up with us. Would the father,
Benny and Alexix get home before the storm broke? If they were only in
time to close the glass cases so that the wind could not get under them
and upset them! The thunder increased; the clouds were so heavy that it
seemed almost night. Then suddenly there was a downpour of hail, the
stones struck us in the face, and we had to race to take shelter under a
big gateway.

In a minute the road was covered with white, like in winter. The
hailstones were as large as pigeon eggs; as they fell they made a
deafening sound, and every now and again we could hear the crash of
broken glass. With the hailstones, as they slid from the roofs to the
street, fell all sorts of things, pieces of slate, chimney pots, tiles,
etc.

"Oh, the glass frames!" cried Etiennette.

I had the same thought.

"Even if they get there before the hail, they will never have time to
cover the glasses with straw. Everything will be ruined."

"They say that hail only falls in places," I said, trying to hope still.

"Oh, this is too near home for us to escape. If it falls on the garde