re it was a man who was asking for shelter, and that she
could not let us in. But at length she satisfied herself, and unbarred
the heavy door, and admitted us. She was not an unkindly woman; but her
thoughts all travelled in one circle, and that was, that her master,
the miller, had told her on no account to let any man into the place
during his absence, and that she did not know if he would not think two
women as bad; and yet that as we were not men, no one could say she had
disobeyed him, for it was a shame to let a dog be out such a night as
this. Amante, with ready wit, told her to let no one know that we had
taken shelter there that night, and that then her master could not
blame her; and while she was thus enjoining secrecy as the wisest
course, with a view to far other people than the miller, she was
hastily helping me to take off my wet clothes, and spreading them, as
well as the brown mantle that had covered us both, before the great
stove which warmed the room with the effectual heat that the old
woman's failing vitality required. All this time the poor creature was
discussing with herself as to whether she had disobeyed orders, in a
kind of garrulous way that made me fear much for her capability of
retaining anything secret if she was questioned. By-and-by, she
wandered away to an unnecessary revelation of her master's whereabouts:
gone to help in the search for his landlord, the Sieur de Poissy, who
lived at the chateau just above, and who had not returned from his
chase the day before; so the intendant imagined he might have met with
some accident, and had summoned the neighbours to beat the forest and
the hill-side. She told us much besides, giving us to understand that
she would fain meet with a place as housekeeper where there were more
servants and less to do, as her life here was very lonely and dull,
especially since her master's son had gone away--gone to the wars. She
then took her supper, which was evidently apportioned out to her with a
sparing hand, as, even if the idea had come into her head, she had not
enough to offer us any. Fortunately, warmth was all that we required,
and that, thanks to Amante's cares, was returning to our chilled
bodies. After supper, the old woman grew drowsy; but she seemed
uncomfortable at the idea of going to sleep and leaving us still in the
house. Indeed, she gave us pretty broad hints as to the propriety of
our going once more out into the bleak and stormy night; bu