fuse burnt quickly, then came the explosion. Le tout
petit Loup whisked round like a flash, wheezing and
coughing and choking with temper: *Tour new
clothes,5 he spluttered, 'your this and your that. Your
fine stockings and shirt and your grand English collar.
Everything for you and nothing for me. You paint
Goundran's house, but I may not paint; you bathe,
but I may not go near the water; you play dominoes,
and I may not win. And why do I not win? Because
you cheat. And now also, it seems, I may not go to
Communion. Everything you take, even Jesus you
take, you are greedy and mean, even Jesus you
take . . . .'
'Hush, oh, hush! You say terrible things!3 gasped
Marie.
But le tout petit Loup waved her off with his hand:
Terhaps you ail think me an imbecile?5 he challenged.
And now had he been the Pope himself he really
could not have spoken more calmly. 'I have studied
the laws of my Church/ he informed them, 'and our
Holy Father Pius X — who they say will surely be-
come a great saint — has drawn up . . .' he hesi-
tated a moment, 'has drawn up ... Well, that really
is of no importance, whatever he has done is called:
Quam Singulari.' Oh, the imp of Satan, he had got
it all pat! 'Yes, Quam Singular!,' he repeated grandly.
'And the Quam Singulari says that I, Loup, may go
and make my First Communion this morning. I
have long attended the Cure's classes and have there-
fore received the needful instruction. If he says that
I have not, the Cure lies — and this he may do be-
cause I suck sweets which Christophe gives me'to
help my asthma. And if Christophe can have a fine
suit so can I; I shall therefore go in his suit to Com-
munion/ He stopped speaking, and pale but im-
mensely triumphant, he hitched up the sagging legs
of the breeches.
219