mistral. But after awhile he was greatly alarmed to
find that the water was growing much deeper — so
deep that the flood came up to his chest, and he said to
himself: "Without doubt we are drowning!33 Yes,
and not only this, but that very small being — he was
really no bigger than le tout petit Loup — became so
heavy that the saint groaned aloud; never, never
before had he borne such a burden; and with each
step he took the burden grew worse:
* "Bono Maire de Dieu! What has happened?33
groaned Ghristophe.
'Then just when he felt that he could not endure it,
that not one tiny drop of strength was left to him, he
found himself struggling up the far bank and finally
standing quite safe in a meadow: "May the Holy
Sailors be praised!3' gasped the saint as he lifted that
terrible weight from his shoulder.
'He did not know what he expected to see, but all
that he saw was the same little boy who had asked to
be carried across the ferry, and in his amazement
Saint Christophe exclaimed: "You should weigh
scarcely anything, enfantounet! How comes it that
I bore so fearful a load?33
* "You have borne all the sorrows of the world,33 the
child answered. Then suddenly there was no child
any more, and our Lord was standing before Saint
Christophe . . . .3
As Marie stopped speaking her eyes filled with tears,
for she loved this simple and beautiful legend. And she
looked at her son who was named for the saint, with
an uprush of pHde and great tenderness:
'My Christophe, come here to me;3 she murmured.
He went, and stood leaning against her arm, while
the other two children sat on in silence.
Then Jouse and Anfos came lumbering in — they
were both feeling hungry and wanting their suppers,
Jouse said: 'My poor stomach is as empty as a drum;
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