trim. And have you brushed up that old suit which I
gave you? And the shoes, are they cleaned?5
'I have done all/ said Anfos.
J6usŁ thought that he seemed more half-witted
than usual; his lip sagged and his brown eyes looked
rather frightened.
'Are you not well?3 Jouse asked him kindly, for
he often felt pitiful of his apprentice. Le pauvre
bougre —he was now nearly thirty years old, yet
remained as a child in all things save his work.
'So glorious ... so terrible . . .' muttered Anfos.
6What is terrible?5
But Anfos made no reply.
'It is better not to worry him,3 Jouse decided as
he quickly and deftly trimmed the thin beard. Then:
'Voila, it is finished, and you look like a duke! Now
go and show yourself off to Marie.5
In the bedroom upstairs the bed had been made,
and on it Marie neatly laid out Christophe's clothes;
he should dress himself in her room for Communion —
that was something she would like to remember.
Having seen that nothing was missing from the outfit,
she closed the door gently and going downstairs
proceeded to finish the rest of the housework. Ghris-
tophe helped her in a clumsy, inadequate way, a
thing that she had never known him do before, and it
suddenly struck her that his offers of help arose from
a great desire to be near her.
'It is natural,9 she mused, che is nervous, no doubt/
and she let him go blundering on with his tasks. 'After
all, he is only a child/ smiled Marie.
Meanwhile Jouse was putting away his tools, for no
work would be done that day in his workshop, while
Anfos had been sent to sweep up the yard so that
when they returned even that should be tidy.
Then quite suddenly Marie glanced over her
shoulder: 'Where is Loup?' she enquired, 'Was he
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