They had repeatedly presented to him complicated and scientific constructions upon which he had only ventured with a trembling hand.

He was afraid of seeing the whole crumble beneath his touch; the trembling castles of jelly, the pyramids of truffles, the fortresses of cream, the bastions of pastry, the rocks of ice.

Otherwise the Abbe Constantin dined with an excellent appetite, and did not recoil before two or three glasses of champagne.

He was no foe to good cheer; perfection is not of this world; and if gormandizing were, as they say, a cardinal sin, how many good priests would be damned! Coffee was served on the terrace in front of the house; in the distance was heard the harsh voice of the old village clock striking nine.

Woods and fields were slumbering; the avenues in the park showed only as long, undulating, and undecided lines.