"Yes, Madame Gredel," the good man answered smiling,--on days of ceremony he always called her Madame instead of Mother Gredel, "yes, the wedding of good friends. You know that Zebede has just returned, and he will dine with us to-day with the old grave-digger." "Ah!" said aunt, "that will give me great pleasure." Catherine blushed deeply, and said to me in a low voice: "Now everything is as it should be, that was what we wanted to make us perfectly happy." She looked tenderly at me as she held my hand. Just then some one opened the door, and old Laurent from the "Ville de Metz," with two high baskets in which dishes were ranged in beautiful order one above the other, cried out, "Mr. Goulden, here is the dinner!" "Very well!" said Mr. Goulden, "now arrange it on the table yourself." And Laurent put on the radishes first, the fricasseed chicken and beautiful fat goose at the right, and on the left the beef which we had ourselves arranged with parsley in the plate. He put on also a nice plate of sauerkraut with little sausages, near the soup. Such a dinner had never been seen in our house before. Just at that moment we heard Zebede and his father coming up the stairs, and Father Goulden and I ran to meet them. Mr. Goulden embraced Zebede and said: "How happy I am to see you, I know you showed yourself a good comrade for Joseph in the midst of the greatest danger." Then he shook the old grave-digger's hand, saying, "I am proud of you for having such a son." Then Catherine, who had come behind us, said to Zebede: "I could not please Joseph more than to embrace you, you would have carried him to Hanau only your strength failed. I look upon you as a brother." Then Zebede, who was very pale, kissed her without saying a word, and we all went into the room in silence, Catherine, Zebede, and I first, Mr. Goulden and the old grave-digger came afterward. Aunt Gredel arranged the dishes a little and then said: "You are welcome, you are welcome! you who met in sorrow, have rejoined each other in joy. May God send his grace on us all." Zebede kissed Aunt Gredel and said, "Always fresh and in good health, it is a pleasure to see you." "Come, Father Zebede, sit at the head of the table, and you there, Zebede, that I may have you on my right and my left, Joseph will sit farther down, opposite Catherine, and Madame Gredel at the other end to watch over all." Each one was satisfied with his place, and Zebede smiled and looked at me as if he would say: "If we had had the quarter of such a dinner as this at Hanau, we should never have fallen by the roadside." Joy and a good appetite shone on every face. Father Goulden dipped the great silver ladle into the soup as we all looked on, and served first the old grave-digger, who said nothing and seemed touched by this honor, then his son, and then Catherine, Aunt Gredel, himself, and me. And the dinner was begun quietly.