yes, but our tout petit Loup has the wisdom of an owl
and the sharpness of a needle. Te5 what a child!'
she laughed to her husband.
And le tout petit Loup who had come in unobserved,
must immediately start to show off his wisdom: cThe
English walked about naked/ he remarked, call they
did to keep warm was to paint their bodies, and the
paint that they generally used was called woad. But
our brave Duke of Normandy made them wear
clothes. What a good thing it was that we conquered
the English!3
Goundran said nothing when he heard the news.
He liked Jan well enough but he thought that the
Cure showed great favouritism where he was con-
cerned; all the same, being loath to criticize the
Church, he contented himself with shrugging his
shoulders.
Eusebe, however, not only shrugged his shoulders
until his head nearly disappeared between them,
but he swore so many inexcusable oaths whenever
Madame Roustan came within earshot that Jouse
felt himself bound to protest. After which Eusebe
would seize his old broom and sweep like a fiend
should she chance to be passing, and the dust would
come billowing out through the door of his shop,
which, of course, he took care to leave open.
cThat widow makes me want to vomit!5 he raged,
'always running off to the Cure to confession, and
she as puffed up with satisfaction and wind as a Pope
who has eaten too fine a dinner. "Madame la Com-
tesse de Berac!" says she, and then she says: "Madame
la Comtesse de Berac!" And then she belches in case
she should burst with arrogance over her sacree
Comtesse. Merde! She is surely enough to block one's
bile; the mere thought of her always congests my
liver.5 And he was not alone in his irritation, although
others expressed theirs with more refinement.