Somefearedforbrideandbridegroomyet;andguessAtstrangemischance。”Inthenightcrieswereheard,”
Othershadseensomeshadowsonthewall,inwondrousways。
LivesPascalyet?NonedarestodressThespicybroth,[11]toleavebesidethenuptialdoor;
Andsoanotherhourgoeso’er。
Thenfloatsalovelystrainofmusicoverhead,Asweetrefrainoftheardbefore,’Tistheaoubado[12]offeredtothenewly-wed。
Sothedooropesatlast,andtheyoungpairwasseen,Sheblushedbeforethefolk,butfriendlyhandandmien,Thefragmentsofhergartergives,Andeverywomantworeceives;
Thenwinksandwordsofruthfromeyeandliparepassed,AndluckofproudPascalmakesenviousallatlast,Forthepoorlads,whoseheartsarehealedbutslightly,Oftheirfirstferventpain,WhentheyseeFranconnette,blossomingrose-lightbrightly,Alldewyfresh,sosweetandsightly,Theycryaloud,”We’llne’erbelieveaSorcereragain!”
FootnotestoFRANCONNETTE。
[1]BlaisedeMontluc,MarshalofFrance,wasoneofthebitterestpersecutorsoftheHugueuots。Towardstheendofthesixteenthcentury,AgenwasacentreofProtestantism。Thetownwastakenagainandagainbythecontendingreligiousfactions。
WhenMontlucretooktheplace,in1562,fromTruelle,theHuguenotcaptain,hefoundthattheinhabitantshadfled,andtherewasnoonetobutcherGascogneetLanguedoc,parPaulJoanne,p。95。MontlucmadeupforhisdisappointmentbylayingwastethecountrybetweenFumelandPenne,townstothenorthofAgen,andslayingalltheHuguenots——men,women,andchildren——onwhomhecouldlayhishands。HethenreturnedtohiscastleofEstillac,devotedhimselftoreligiousexercises,and”tookthesacrament,”saysJasmin,”whilehishandsweredrippingwithfraternalblood。”Montlucdiedin1577,andwasburiedinthegardenofEstillac,whereamonument,theruinsofwhichstillexist’,waserectedoverhisremains。
[2]JourdeDieu!
[3]Wehr-wolves,wizardwolves——loup-garou。SuperstitionsrespectingthemareknowninBrittanyandtheSouthofFrance。
[4]MissHarriettW。Preston,inherarticleonJasmin’sFranconnetteintheAtlanticMonthlyforFebruary,1876,says:”Thebuscou,orbusking,wasakindofbee,atwhichtheyoungpeopleassembled,bringingthethreadoftheirlatespinning,whichwasdividedintoskeinsofthepropersizebyabroadthinplateofsteelorwhalebonecalledabusc。Thesamething,underpreciselythesamename,figuredinthetoiletsofourgrandmothers,andhence,probably,theScotchuseoftheverbtobusk,orattire。”JamiesonScottishDictionarysays:”ThetermbuskisemployedinabeautifulproverbwhichisverycommonlyusedinScotland,’Abonnybrideissoonbusked。’”
[5]MissPrestonsaysthiswasacustomwhichprevailedincertainpartsofFrance。ItwascarriedbytheFrenchemigrantstoCanada,whereitflourishedinrecenttimes。TheSacramentalBreadwascrownedbyoneormorefrostedorotherwiseornamentedcakes,whichwerereservedforthefamilyoftheSeigneur,orothercommunicantsofdistinction。
[6]AtNotreDamedeBonEncontre,achurchinthesuburbsofAgen,celebratedforitslegends,itsmiracles,andthenumerouspilgrimageswhichareusuallymadetoitinthemonthofMay。
[7]TheAngelswalkedinprocession,andsangtheAngelosattheappropriatehours。
[8]TheancientparishchurchofRoquefort,whoseruinsonlynowremain。Seetextfortheeffectsofthestorm。
[9]DounzelisthewordusedbyJasmin。MissH。W。Prestonsaysofthispassage:”ThereissomethingessentiallyknightlyinPascal’scastofcharacter,anditissingularthat,atthesupremecrisisofhisfate,heassumes,asifunconsciously,theveryphraseologyofchivalry。’Somesquiredounzelshouldfollowmetodeath,’&c。,andwefinditaltogethernaturalandburninginthehigh-heartedsmith。TherearemanyplaceswhereJasminaddresseshishearersdirectlyas’Messieurs,’wherethecontextalsomakesitevidentthatthewordisemphatic,thatheisdistinctlyconsciousofaddressingthosewhoareabovehiminrank,andthatthepropertranslationis’gentles,’oreven’masters’;yetnopoeteverlivedwhowaslessofasycophant。”
[10]Lowsedasthesieveismadeofrawsilk,andisusedforsiftingflour。Ithasalsoasingularuseinnecromancy。
Whenonedesirestoknowthenameofthedoerofanact——atheftforinstance——thesieveismadetorevolve,butwoetohimwhosenameisspokenjustasthesievestops!
[11]Anancientpractice。LouTourrinnoubial,ahighly-spicedonionsoup,wascarriedbytheweddinggueststothebridegroomatalatehourofthenight。
[12]Theaoubado——asongofearlymorning,correspondingtotheserenadeoreveningsong。
End