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Bowed to the earth by this fresh, this overwhelming misfortune, Herminie complained not, but she became more pale: she was sometimes found plunged in silent but profound grief, looking towards heaven as if seeking there the little precious being the Almighty had taken from her; as if she was anxious to follow, to be at rest, united with her baby boy again.
Through the open door Mathieu had caught sight of Mademoiselle Herminie, the daughter of the house, ensconced in one of the red velvet armchairs near the window, and dreamily perusing a novel there, while her mother, standing up, extolled her goods in her most dignified way to the old gentleman, who gravely contemplated the procession of nurses and seemed unable to make up his mind.
And amid all this the house had another inmate, Mademoiselle Broquette, Herminie as she was called, a long, pale, bloodless girl of fifteen, who mooned about languidly among that swarm of sturdy young women. Boutan, who knew the house well, went in, followed by Mathieu.
Village fêtes The first of May The religious festivals The Fête Dieu Appearance of the streets The altars erected in them Procession from the church Country fairs The book-stalls at them Pictures of the Roman Catholic Church Before the Vendange Proprietors' hopes and fears Shooting in the vineyards The first day of the Vendange Appearance of the country Influx of visitors at this season The consequences Herminie Her sad history Le Morvan Recommended to the English traveller Lord Brougham and Cannes Contrast between it and Le Morvan.
M. de Lourtier briefly presented his visitor and asked his wife: "Suzanne, is this express message from you?" "To Mlle. Herminie, Boulevard Haussmann? Yes," she said, "I sent it. As you know, our parlour-maid's leaving and I'm looking out for a new one." Renine interrupted her: "Excuse me, madame. Just one question: where did you get the woman's address?" She flushed.
Herminie determined to be a painter, and in some way earned the money to go to Düsseldorf, where she studied four years under Sohn, all the time supporting herself. Her pictures were genre subjects introducing children, which found a ready sale. She returned to America, determined to earn money to go to Italy.
Evening arrived, and the waggons carried off their ripe and luscious loads, leaving the young men and girls racing up and down the pathways, and amongst the vines, endeavouring to smear each other's faces with the purple fruit. Behind these laughing groups came Herminie, the expression of her dark blue eye floating in space, and, like the flight of the swallow, resting on nothing.
Herminie became a mother; her sisters and friends were earnest and devoted in their attentions, and anticipated her every thought; but broken-hearted, she bent her head like some beautiful lily, which has at the parent root some corroding worm.
The sudden loss of that fair, dignified lady, who had possessed such a decorative presence and so ably represented the high morality and respectability of the establishment, had at first seemed a severe one. But it so happened that Herminie, a tall, slim, languid creature that she was, gorged with novel-reading, also proved in her way a distinguished figurehead for the office.
"Several ladies," Renine continued, "wrote the letters which are usual in such cases, to offer a home to the so-called Herminie. But I received an express letter which struck me as interesting." "From whom?" "Read it, M. de Lourtier." M. de Lourtier-Vaneau snatched the sheet from Renine's hands and cast a glance at the signature.
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