Moreover Mere Melanie was piously inclined and
made many novenas — this at least was a fact. She
also gave largely of her profits to the Church, which
was strange in view of the little violinist. Anyhow,
she seemed well content with her God, with herself,
with her business, and with most of her clients.
Jouse never stayed overlong at la Tarasque, for
Marie could now seldom leave the babies, and Jouse
could not very well leave his wife-—there was so
much to be done for le tout petit Loup whose tempera-
ture still went up in the evenings. Anfos never went
to the Cafe at all, being far too timid, since he was
half-witted; while Mireio might not go because of a
feud which she had with the patronne's chienne de
chasse — a base-born, red-pelted amazon with a lust
for war and a devilish temper.
Nor can it be denied that the mayor of Saint Loup,
the Cure, and indeed not a few of the townsfolk, had
cast disapproving glances at the Cafe de la Tarasque,
for the noise would continue throughout the night
and well into the early hours of the morning. Why,
on one particularly shameful occasion, it had not
subsided by six o'clock when the Cure was ringing
the bell for Mass and the faithful were on their way to
Communion.
And yet . . . when the moon was abnormally
large and the water beneath her seemed cut out of
silver, while the purposeful masts of the anchored
ships thrust up through her beams with relentless
vigour; when the port and starboard lights shifted
and glowed like the eyes of so many fabulous dragons;
when the midnight heat grew articulate by reason
of a deeply significant silence holding in it those
reeking odours of wine, and those thoughts of the
Godless god that was Bacchus; when the girls could
not sleep on their virginal beds, and the youths could
not sleep for their thoughts of virgins, and the men
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