"What is the matter?" I said to her. "Perhaps it is friend Huriel who has come back for a dance with you." "No, no!" she answered. "Thérence, who knows her brother's mules, says there is not one of his in the troop; besides, that's not his horse nor his dog. I am afraid of all muleteers except Huriel, and I wish we could get away from here." As she spoke, we saw some twenty muleteers coming out of the surrounding forest. They presently called off their beasts and stood round to see the dancing. I reassured Brulette; for in full day and in sight of so many people I knew there was nothing to fear. Only I told her not to go away far from me, and then I returned to the arbor, where I saw the muleteers were about to help themselves without ceremony. As they shouted out, "To drink! something to drink!" like folks in a tavern, I told them civilly that I did not sell my wine, but that if they asked for it politely I should be happy to give them the loving cup. "Then it is a wedding?" said the tallest of them, whom I recognized by his fair skin as the leader of those we had met so unluckily in the woods of La Roche. "Wedding or not," I replied, "it is I who give the feast, and with all my heart to those I please; but--" He did not leave me time to finish before he answered, "We have no rights here,--you are the master; thank you for your good intentions, but you don't know us, and you had better keep your wine for your friends." He said a few words to the others in their own dialect and led them to a place apart, where they sat down and ate their own suppers very quietly. The Head-Woodsman went to speak with them, and showed much regard for their leader, named Archignat, who was considered an upright man,--as far as a muleteer can be one. Among those present were several who could play the bagpipe,--not like Père Bastien, who hadn't his equal in the world, and could make the stones dance and the old oaks curtsey if he liked,--but much better than Carnat and his son. So the bagpipe changed hands until it reached those of the muleteer chief Archignat; while the Head-Woodsman, whose heart and body were still young, went to dance with his daughter, of whom he was just as proud--and with as good right, too--as Père Brulet was of his. But just as he was calling Brulette to come and be his vis-à-vis, a rascally fellow, coming from I don't know where, endeavored to take her hand. Though it was getting dusk, Brulette recognized him as the man who had threatened us in the woods of La Roche, and had even talked of killing her protectors and burying them under a tree that could tell no tales. Fear and horror made her refuse him quickly and press back against me, who, having exhausted all my provisions, was just going to dance with her. "The girl promised me this dance," I said to the muleteer, seeing he was determined to get her; "find some one else." "Very good," he said; "but after this set with you, my turn will come."