“What! by themselves,—all alone?” cried Dame Billot.
“No, with Monsieur Bailly and Monsieur de Lafayette,” said Pitou.
“Ah!” cried the farmer’s wife, with admiration, “if he indeed is with Monsieur de Lafayette and Monsieur Bailly—”
“When does he think of returning?” inquired Catherine.
“Oh, as to that, Mademoiselle, I cannot tell.”
“And you, Pitou, how happens it, then, that you have returned?”
“Who,—I? Why, I brought back Sebastien Gilbert to the Abbé Fortier, and I have come here to bring you Monsieur Billot’s instructions.”
Pitou, while saying these words, rose, not without a certain degree of diplomatic dignity, which was understood, if not by the servants, at all events by their mistresses.
Dame Billot rose, and at once dismissed all the laborers and servants.
Catherine, who had remained seated, studied the thoughts of Pitou, even in the depths of his soul, before they issued from his lips.
“What can he have told him to say to me?” she asked herself.
Chapter XXX
Madame Billot Abdicates
THE two women summoned up all their attention to listen to the desires of this honored husband and father. Pitou was well aware that the task was a difficult one. He had seen both Dame Billot and Catherine filling their several stations at the farm; he knew the habit of command of the one and the firm independence of the other.
Catherine, who was so gentle a daughter, so laborious, so good, had acquired, by virtue of these very qualities, a very great ascendency over every person connected with the farm; and what is the spirit of domination, if it is not a firm will not to obey?
Pitou knew, in explaining his mission, how much pleasure he was about to cause to the one, and how much grief he would inflict upon the other.
Reducing Madame Billot to play a secondary part, appeared to him unnatural, absurd. It gave Catherine more importance with regard to Pitou, and under actual circumstances Catherine by no means needed this.
But at the farm he represented one of Homer’s heralds,—a mouth, a memory, but not an intellectual person; he expressed himself in the following terms:—
“Madame Billot, Monsieur Billot’s intention is that you should have the slightest possible annoyance.”
“And how so?” cried the good woman, much surprised.
“What is the meaning of the word ‘annoyance’?” said Catherine.
“It means to say,” replied Pitou, “that the management of a farm like yours is a species of government replete with cares and labor, that there are bargains to be made—”
“And what of that?” said the worthy woman.
“Payments—”
“Well?”
“Fields to plough—”
“Go on.”
“Harvests—”
“Who says the contrary?”
“No one, assuredly, Madame Billot; but in order to make bargains, it is necessary to travel about.”
“I have my horse.”
“In paying it is often necessary to dispute.”
“Oh, I have a good tongue.”
“To cultivate the fields.”
“Am I not accustomed to agriculture?”
“And to get in the harvest! Ah! that is quite another matter; meals have to be cooked for the laborers; the wagoners must be assisted.”
“For the welfare of my good man, to do all these would not frighten me!” cried the worthy woman.
“But, Madame Billot—in short—so much work-and—getting rather aged—”
“Ah!” cried Dame Billot, looking askance at Pitou.
“Come to my assistance, Mademoiselle Catherine,” said the poor lad, finding his energy diminishing by degrees as his position became more and more difficult.
“I do not know what I am to do to assist you,” replied Catherine.
“Well, then, this is the plain fact,” rejoined Pitou. “Monsieur Billot does not desire that Madame Billot should be subjected to so much trouble—”
“And who, then?” cried Madame Billot, interrupting him, trembling at the same time with admiration and respect.
“He has chosen some one who is stronger, and who is both himself and yourself. He has appointed Mademoiselle Catherine.”
“My daughter Catherine to govern the house!” exclaimed the wounded mother, with an accent of mistrust and inexpressible jealousy.
“Under your directions, my dear mother,” the young girl hastened to say, blushing deeply.
“By no means! by no means!” cried Pitou, who, from the moment he had summoned up courage enough to speak out, was determined to go through with it; “it is not so! I must execute my commission to the letter. Monsieur Billot delegates and authorizes Mademoiselle Catherine in his stead and place to attend to all the work and all the affairs of the house.”