Cézarine took the tall youth by the arm, placed a wooden bench at the rear of the room, unfolded her shawl and draped it round her body, and removed one of her garters, which she knotted about the young peasant's brow; he allowed himself to be thus decorated, not daring to stir. The peasants, their eyes fixed on Cézarine, waited impatiently to see what she was going to do. After removing her hat and arranging her hair on top of her head, Cézarine ordered the tall youth to stand on one end of the bench and took her own place on the other end, saying: "Now we're going to begin. But firtht I think I ought to tell you a little about the thubject of the play. Lithen: Andromaque ith a queen whothe huthband hath been killed; Pyrrhuth here wanth to marry her, and the won't. That'th the whole of it--now you underthtand; don't you?" "Yes, yes," said the peasants; "anyway Jean-François'll explain the rest." "All right. I'll begin; and you, Pyrrhuth, do me the favor not to keep your eyeth on your big toe all the time, for Pyrrhuth ought not to look like a zany." The gawky youth, in order to obey the lovely lady, at whom he dared not glance, raised his eyes and thereafter did not take them from the ceiling. Cézarine assumed a noble pose and began: "And what more wouldtht thou I thould thay to him? Author of all my i11th, thinktht thou he knowth them not? My lord, thee to what low ethtate thou dotht reduth me. I have theen my father dead, and our abode on fire; I have theen the liveth of my whole family in peril, And my blood-thtained huthband dragged amid the dutht." "Poor soul! think of her seeing all that!" said the peasant women. "Is that all true, Jean-François?" "Yes, yes! of course it's true! Don't she tell you she saw it?" "My children," said Cézarine, "if you interrupt me, I than't be inthpired any more; a little thilence, if you pleathe." "I breathe again, I therve; I have done more, thometimeth I have ta'en comfort Becauthe my fate hath exiled me here and not elthwhere; Becauthe, happy in my mithery, the thon of tho many kingth, Thinthe he mutht therve, hath fallen beneath your thway; I have thought that hith prithon would become hith refuge; Of yore the conquered Priam wath by Achilleth thpared; I from hith thon e'en greater kindneth did antithipate. Forgive me, Hector dear----" "Friend Pyrrhuth, pray attend to bithneth. Are you looking for thpiderth on the theiling?" The tall youth looked toward the door, and Cézarine resumed: "Forgive me, Hector dear----" "Thilenth, my children," she said, pausing again; "I beg the perthon who ith thnoring tho loud to do me the favor to go." Cézarine was about to continue her declamation when there came another prolonged groan. All the villagers looked at one another, saying: "Who on earth is making such a noise as that?" "It ain't me." "Nor me." "Nor it ain't Père Mauflard neither."