Shrimps, rice, and watered wine for a sunset dinner. At its end the
three Chapdelaines, each with her small cup of black coffee, left the
table and its remnants to the other two members of the household, and
passed out as usual to the bower benches and the goldfish pool.
Humming-birds were there, drinking frenziedly from honeysuckle cups to
the health of all things beautiful and ecstatic. Mlle. Yvonne stood at
a bench's end to watch one of them dart from bloom to bloom. "Ah,
Corinne," she sighed, "if we could all be juz' humming-bird'!"
"_Chérie_," cried her sister, "you are spilling yo' coffee!"
Whether for the coffee, for the fact that we can't all be
humming-birds, or for some thought not yet spoken, Mlle. Corinne's eyes
were all but spilling their tears. As the trio sat down. Aline said
in gentlest accusation to the younger aunt:
"You are trembling. Why is that?"
The younger sister looked appealingly to the elder. "_Chère_," Mlle.
Corinne said to the girl, "we are anxiouz to confezz you something. We
woul'n' never be anxiouz to confezz that, only we're af-raid already
you've foun' us out!"
"Yes. I came this evening by Ovide's shop to return a book----"
"An' he tell you he's meet us----?"
"On the steps of the _archevêché_."
"Ah, _chèrie_," Yvonne tearfully broke in, "can you ever pardon that to
us?"
Aline smiled: "Oh, yes; in the course of time, I suppose. That was not
like a drinking-saloon."
"Ah-h! not in the leas'! We di'n' touch there a drop--nobodie di'n'
offer us!"
The niece addressed the other aunt: "Go on. Tell me why you were
there."
"Aline, we'll confess us! We wend there biccause--we are orphan'! Of
co'se, we know that biffo', sinze long time, many, many year'; but only
sinze a few day'----"
"Joy-ride day," Aline put in, a bit tensely.
"Ah, no! _Chérie_, you muz' not supose----"
"Never mind; 'last few days'--go on."
"Well, sinze those laz' few day' we bigin to feel like we juz' got to
take step' ab-oud that!"
"So you took those steps of the _archevêché_."
"_Chère_, we'll tell you! Yvonne and me, avter all those many 'appy
year' with you, we think we want--ah, _chérie_, you'll pardon that?--we
want ad the laz' to live independent! So we go ad the archbishop. And
he say, 'How _I'm_ going to make you that? You think to be independent
by biccoming Sizter' of Charitie--of Mercy--of St. Joseph?'
"'Ah, no,' we say, 'we have not the geniuz to be those; not even to be
Li'l'-Sizter'-of-the-Poor. All we want--and we coul'n' make ourselv'
the courage to ask you that, only we've save' you so large egspenses
not asking you that already sinze twenty-thirty year' aggo--we want you
to put us in orphan asylum.' We was af-raid at firz' he's goin' to be
mad; but he smile very kine and say: 'Yes, yes; you want, like the good
Lord say, to biccome like li'l' children, eh?'
"'Ah, yes!' we tell him, 'tha'z what we be glad to do. They got
nothing in the worl' we can do, Yvonne and me, so easy like that! And
same time we be no egspense, like those li'l' _orpheline_'; we can wash
dish', make bed', men' apron'; and in that way we be independent!'
Well, he scratch his head; yet same time he smile', while he say, 'Go,
li'l' children, to yo' home. I'll see if Mère Veronique can figs that,
and if yes, I'll san' for you.' And, _chérie_, juz' the way he said
that, we are _sure_ he's goin' to san'."
With her tears running freely Aline softly laughed. She rose, took a
hand of each aunt, laid the two together, bent low, and kissed them,
saying: "He will not, for he shall not. Nothing shall ever part us but
heaven."