I saw that she was looking at me secretly, and she surrounded me pell-mell with the news she had picked up.

"D'you know, the curate has gone as a private, no more nor less, like all the clergy.

And Monsieur the Marquis, who's a year past the age already, has written to the Minister of War to put himself at his disposition, and the Minister has sent a courier to thank him." She finished wrapping up and tying some toilet items and also some provisions, as if for a journey.

"All your bits of things are there.

You'll be absolutely short of nothing, you see." Then she sat down and sighed.