when green almonds swell on their boughs, in the
month when the sea is perhaps at its bluest, in the
month when the mingled scents of the maquis on the
hills most strangely disturb the senses. In this month
of our Lady, ^Eliana arrived, more akin to the pagan
things of the earth than she was to the gentle-faced
Christian Virgin.
§2
Many people were curious about ^liana's arrival,
but this only very mildly. In peace-time they would
probably have been all agog, but by now their minds
were growing war-weary. She had come to look after
Eusebe, they supposed, and they pitied her for having
so thankless a task; then they read the latest news
from the front, discussed it, and promptly forgot
about her. However, perhaps it was only natural
that Jan and Christophe should prove the exceptions;
they were frankly interested in this girl whose existence
had become a kind of legend.
'Let us call and pay our respects,' suggested Jan;
and since Christophe agreed, they called upon her.
They found her alone, Eusebe having taken himself
off for his usual drink at la Tarasque, and after
surveying them critically she invited them into the
seldom-used parlour.
'Here all is filth as you observe,5 she remarked,
cbut sit down, that is if you can find two whole chairs!
My grandfather grows incredibly helpless; I must get
a woman to clean up this mess.3 And somehow it
did not strike them as odd that she herself had not
done the cleaning.
They were awkward and shy, finding little to say,
for neither of them was accustomed to women;
moreover ^Eliana seemed a creature apart — they
had never, until now, seen anyone like her. But
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