Falaise has certainly
much to be proud of."
Madame Chalumeau flopped her omelet again, slid it to a platter and set
a carafe of cider on the table.
"_La!_ Now eat, Colibris, and tell me more. How is Louis? And
Henriette?"
"All well, all well," returned her brother-in-law, who was apparently
full of the quality, the name of which is so often abused by English
people, _joie-de-vivre_. "Henriette has new upper teeth, and looks ten
years younger. Louis is as usual very silent, but otherwise is well. I
am curious to see Victor. It was a misfortune, my being away when he was
here last. He must have been greatly disappointed. He has always been
very fond of me, you will remember. Even as boys, we had much in
common."
Madame Chalumeau's eyes twinkled as she nodded. Colibris' harmless
vanity always amused her.
"Yes, yes, I know. He inquired very particularly for you. A great man,
Victor."
"Yes, yes. I remember once when we were boys a man came who felt the
skull and read the character. He said to Victor, 'You have great talent,
my little one,' and to me he said, 'You are going to be a very great
man, Colibris.' But I did not care to develop my talents. I was always
very modest and domestic.
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