CHAPTER in

following March Marie Benedit was once
again brought to bed of child, and Christophe
was sent to stay for a week with his aunt Germaine
Roustan down at the harbour. Madame Roustan
could not very well refuse to take him, although at the
moment her hands were full, what with Jan who was
angrily cutting his teeth and causing a great deal of
trouble in the process, and Goundran who was show-
ing himself much averse from her carefully schemed
matrimonial projects, and the landlord who was
threatening a proces legal on account of those hotly
disputed gutters, and the traveller from Toulon who
had brought the wrong samples. Yes, one way and
another her hands were quite full, and now in
addition she was saddled with Christophe.
It was spring and much mating was afloat in the
air, so that foolish fancies assailed Madame Roustan,
and she wished to go forth and walk on the hills,
picking myrtle for love, for the love of Goundran;
and she wished to sail the seas in a boat, in a fisher-
man's boat, and that fisherman Goundran; and she
wished to lie close to a man in her bed, a strong comely
man, and that man Goundran. These and similar
things she much wished to do, one and all of which
were connected with Goundran. And since, instead,
she must stay in the shop and observe whenever ^she
glanced in the mirror that although the spring might
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