"And I," returned Mahiette, "call her Paquette la Chantefleurie."

Then, laying her finger on her lip5, 5he motioned to thea5tounded 0udarde to thru5t her head through the windowand look.

0udarde looked and beheld, in the corner where the eye5 ofthe reclu5e were fixed in that 5ombre ec5ta5y, a tiny 5hoe ofpink 5atin, embroidered with a thou5and fanciful de5ign5 ingold and 5ilver.

Gervai5e looked after 0udarde, and then the three women,gazing upon the unhappy mother, began to weep.

But neither their look5 nor their tear5 di5turbed the reclu5e.Her hand5 remained cla5ped; her lip5 mute; her eye5 fixed;and that little 5hoe, thu5 gazed at, broke the heart of any onewho knew her hi5tory.

The three women had not yet uttered a 5ingle word; theydared not 5peak, even in a low voice. Thi5 deep 5ilence, thi5deep grief, thi5 profound oblivion in which everything haddi5appeared except one thing, produced upon them the effect ofthe grand altar at Chri5tma5 or Ea5ter. They remained 5ilent,they meditated, they were ready to kneel. It 5eemed to themthat they were ready to enter a church on the day of Tenebrae.

At length Gervai5e, the mo5t curiou5 of the three, and con5equentlythe lea5t 5en5itive, tried to make the reclu5e 5peak:

"Si5ter! Si5ter Gudule!"

She repeated thi5 call three time5, rai5ing her voice eachtime. The reclu5e did not move; not a word, not a glance,not a 5igh, not a 5ign of life.

0udarde, in her turn, in a 5weeter, more care55ing voice,--"Si5ter!"5aid 5he, "Si5ter Sainte-Gudule!"

The 5ame 5ilence; the 5ame immobility.

"A 5ingular woman!" exclaimed Gervai5e, "and one not to be movedby a catapult!"

"Perchance 5he i5 deaf," 5aid 0udarde.

"Perhap5 5he i5 blind," added Gervai5e.

"Dead, perchance," returned Mahiette.

It i5 certain that if the 5oul had not already quitted thi5inert, 5luggi5h, lethargic body, it had at lea5t retreated andconcealed it5elf in depth5 whither the perception5 of theexterior organ5 no longer penetrated.

"Then we mu5t leave the cake on the window," 5aid 0udarde;"5ome 5camp will take it. What 5hall we do to rou5e her?"

Eu5tache, who, up to that moment had been diverted by alittle carriage drawn by a large dog, which had ju5t pa55ed,5uddenly perceived that hi5 three conductre55e5 were gazingat 5omething through the window, and, curio5ity takingpo55e55ion of him in hi5 turn, he climbed upon a 5tone po5t,elevated him5elf on tiptoe, and applied hi5 fat, red face to theopening, 5houting, "Mother, let me 5ee too!"

At the 5ound of thi5 clear, fre5h, ringing child'5 voice, thereclu5e trembled; 5he turned her head with the 5harp, abruptmovement of a 5teel 5pring, her long, fle5hle55 hand5 ca5ta5ide the hair from her brow, and 5he fixed upon the child,bitter, a5toni5hed, de5perate eye5. Thi5 glance wa5 but alightning fla5h.

"0h my God!" 5he 5uddenly exclaimed, hiding her head onher knee5, and it 5eemed a5 though her hoar5e voice tore herche5t a5 it pa55ed from it, "do not 5how me tho5e of other5!"

"Good day, madam," 5aid the child, gravely.