rie; you are in too great a hurry. I want to
finish describing the house to you; never mind your aunt just yet."

"Ah, ha, Mr. Painter! All this is taken from some pretty landscape you
have been painting on a fan. Now I know what makes you so expert at
describing it!" said La Goualeuse, laughing merrily at her own little
jest.

"You little chatterer, be quiet, will you?"

"Yes, I am a chatterer, indeed, to interrupt you so often, M. Rodolph;
but pray go on, and I will not speak again till you have finished
painting this dear farm."

"Your room is on the first floor--"

"My room! how charming! Oh, go on--go on, please, M. Rodolph, and
describe all about it to me!" And the delighted girl opened her large
laughing eyes, and pressed more closely against Rodolph, as if she
expected to see the picture in his hand.

"Your chamber has two windows looking out upon the flower garden, and a
small meadow, watered by the river we mentioned. On the opposite bank of
the stream rises a small hill, planted with fine old chestnut-trees; and
from amongst them peeps out the village church--"

"Oh, how beautiful,--how very beautiful, M. Rodolph! It makes one quite
long to be there."

"Three or four fine cows are grazing in the meadow, which is only
separated from the garden by a hedge of honeysuckle--"

"And from my windows I can see the cows?"

"Perfectly."

"And one among them ought to be my favourite, you know, M. Rodolph; and
I ought to put a little bell round its neck, and use it to feed out of
my hands!"

"Of course she would come when you called her. Let me see, what name
shall we give her? Suppose we say, Musette. Do you like that? She shall
be very young and gentle, and entirely white."

"Oh, what a pretty name! Musette! Ah, Musette, Musette, I shall be
always feeding you and patting you to make you know me."

"Now we will finish the inside of your apartment, Fleur-de-Marie. The
curtains and furniture are green, like the blinds; and outside the
window grow an enormous rose-tree and honeysuckle, which entirely cover
this side of the farm, and so surround your casements that you have only
to stretch out your hand to gather a large bunch of roses and
honeysuckle wet with the early morning dew."

"Ah, M. Rodolph, what a good painter you are!"

"Now this is the way you will pass your day--"

"Yes, yes, let us see how I shall employ myself all day."

"Early in the morning your good aunt wakes you with a tender kiss