'I do not believe that He did it/ said Christophe.

Now Goundran, as an earnest parent-in-God, should
by rights have rebuked this doubting of the Scriptures,
but something in Christophe3 s bewildered eyes made
him sorry for the boy, and so he was silent.

He thought: 'He is only as yet very small... I am
certain our Lord will not feel offended.* Then he
thumped a whiting very hard on the boards in a crude
but well-meant endeavour to stun it.

No, assuredly the fishing was not a success, and
Goundran regretted having brought his godson.

The next day Christophe could not eat his bouilla-
baisse, although Marie had prepared it with unusual
care because he and his father so particularly liked it.
'Are you not well, paure pichounet?' she enquired of
her elder son anxiously. clt is strange to see you refuse
your dinner — I think I had better give you a purge,
for doubtless you felt a little bit sea-sick when Goun-
dran insisted on taking you fishing/
Christophe said nothing, and that night he drank
his purge, preferring to swallow the noxious potion
rather than to tell the real cause of his trouble, for he
felt very doubtful of his mother's understanding. And
after a while the trouble passed away, so that he
could once more enjoy bouillabaisse, since at seven
years old but few troubles are lasting. But he never
went fishing with Goundran again, nor did Goundran
attempt to urge him to do so.
§3 . ,
Mathilde who, if rumour had been correct, must
long ago have gone to her grave, was actually in her
ninetieth year when she asked abruptly one day to see
Ghristophe. '
86