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13 - Chateau and Country Life in France by Mary King Waddington · Chateau and Country Life in France

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  Speaker 1: Section thirteen of Chateau and country Life in France. This
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  Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox dot org. Chateau and country Life in France by
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  Speaker 1: Mary King Waddington, Chapter six, Christmas in the Baudois, Part
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  Speaker 1: two Thursday morning. We went early ten o'clock to Saint
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  Speaker 1: Quentin and spent over two hours decorating the tree, ticketing
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  Speaker 1: and arranging all the little garments. Every child in the
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  Speaker 1: neighborhood was hanging around the schoolhouse when we arrived, the
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  Speaker 1: entrance being strictly forbidden until after the service when the
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  Speaker 1: tree would be lighted. Expressed great surprise at seeing the
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  Speaker 1: children at the school on a holiday, and there were
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  Speaker 1: broad grins as they answered. Madame Waddington, noussa di de veneer.
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  Speaker 1: It had snowed all night, and the clouds were low
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  Speaker 1: and gray and looked as if they were still full
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  Speaker 1: of snow. The going was extremely difficult, not that the
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  Speaker 1: snow was very deep, but there was enough to make
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  Speaker 1: the roads very slippery. We had the horses ferrees aglasse,
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  Speaker 1: and even the donkeys had nails on his shoes. The
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  Speaker 1: country looked beautiful, the poor little village quite picturesque, snow
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  Speaker 1: on all the dark roofs, and the church standing out
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  Speaker 1: splendidly from its carpet of snow, the tall pines not
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  Speaker 1: quite covered, and always the curtain of forest shutting in
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  Speaker 1: the valley. We left the maids to breakfast with the
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  Speaker 1: keeper and promised to be back at three o'clock punctually.
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  Speaker 1: Our coachman Hubert generally object strongly to taking out his
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  Speaker 1: horses in bad weather on rough country roads and making
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  Speaker 1: three or four trips backward and forward, But to day
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  Speaker 1: he was quite serene. He comes from that part of
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  Speaker 1: the neighborhood and is related to half the village. Our
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  Speaker 1: progress was slow, as we stopped a good deal. It
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  Speaker 1: was a pretty sight as we got near Saint Quentin.
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  Speaker 1: The church brightly lighted, stood out well on the top
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  Speaker 1: of the hill against the background of tall trees, the
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  Speaker 1: branches just tipped with snow. The bell was ringing, the
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  Speaker 1: big doors wide open, sending out a glow of warmth
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  Speaker 1: and color, and the carpet of white on trodden country
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  Speaker 1: snow was quite intact, except the little pathway made by
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  Speaker 1: the feet of the men who had brought up the harmonium.
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  Speaker 1: The red carpet and bright chrysanthemums made a fine effect
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  Speaker 1: of color, and the little niche, it could hardly be
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  Speaker 1: called a chapel of the Virgin, was quite charming, all
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  Speaker 1: dressed with greens and white flowers, our tall Italian candles,
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  Speaker 1: making a grand show. The La Fete contingent had arrived
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  Speaker 1: in much difficulty in getting the omnibus up to the church,
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  Speaker 1: as it was heavy with the harmonium on top. However,
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  Speaker 1: everybody got out and walked up the hill and all
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  Speaker 1: were off well. The Abbe was roping with his two
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  Speaker 1: choir children in the minute sacristy, and the two good
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  Speaker 1: sisters were standing at the gate with all their little
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  Speaker 1: flock about ten girls. I should think there were people
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  Speaker 1: in every direction of all sizes and ages, someone carrying
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  Speaker 1: a baby in their arms and pushing one or two
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  Speaker 1: others in a cart. Some wretched old people so bent
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  Speaker 1: and wrinkled one couldn't imagine how they could crawl from
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  Speaker 1: one room to another. A miserable old man bent double, really.
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  Speaker 2: Leaning on the child and walking with two canes was
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  Speaker 2: pointed out to me as pair Colin who makes the
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  Speaker 2: margotines bundles of little dry sticks used for making the
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  Speaker 2: fires for the chateau. However, they were all streaming up
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  Speaker 2: the swooppery hillside, quite unmindful of cold or fatigue. We
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  Speaker 2: walked up too, and I went first to the schoolhouse
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  Speaker 2: to see if our provisions had come. Food was also
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  Speaker 2: a vexed questioned, as tea and buns, which would seem
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  Speaker 2: natural to us, were unknown in these parts. After many
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  Speaker 2: consultations with the women about us washerwomen, keepers, wives, et cetera,
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  Speaker 2: we decided upon hot wine and briochis. The mayor undertook
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  Speaker 2: to supply the wine and the glasses, and we ordered
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  Speaker 2: the briochies from the Hotel du Savage at La Fertet.
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  Speaker 2: The son of the house is a very good potissie.
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  Speaker 2: It is a funny, old fashioned little hotel, not very clean,
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  Speaker 2: but has an excellent cuisine. Also a wonderful signboard a
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  Speaker 2: bright red naked savage with feathers in his hair and
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  Speaker 2: a club in his hand, rather like the primitive pictures
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  Speaker 2: of North American Indians in our school books. Everything was
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  Speaker 2: there and the children just forming the procession to walk
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  Speaker 2: to the church. Some of the farmers wives were also
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  Speaker 2: waiting for us at the schoolhouse, so I had only
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  Speaker 2: a moment to go into the big classroom to see
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  Speaker 2: if the tree looked all right. It was quite ready,
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  Speaker 2: and we agreed that the two big boys with a
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  Speaker 2: keepers should begin to light it as soon as the
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  Speaker 2: service was over. Madame Isidore, the schoolmistress, was rather unhappy
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  Speaker 2: about quantity of people. There were many more than thirty children,
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  Speaker 2: but Henrietta and Pauline had made up a bundle of extras,
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  Speaker 2: and I was sure there would be enough. She told
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  Speaker 2: us people had been on the way since nine in
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  Speaker 2: the morning, women and children, arriving cold and wet and draggled,
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  Speaker 2: but determined to see everything. She showed me one woman
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  Speaker 2: from Chaise, the next village some distance off. As our
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  Speaker 2: part of the country is very scantily populated. It is
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  Speaker 2: all great farms and forests. One can go miles without
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  Speaker 2: seeing a trace of habitation. She had arrived quite early
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  Speaker 2: with two children, a boy and a girl of seven
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  Speaker 2: and eight, and a small baby in her arms. And
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  Speaker 2: when Madame Isidore remonstrated, sang the fate was for her
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  Speaker 2: school only, not for the entire country side. The woman
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  Speaker 2: answered that Madame always smiled and spoke so nicely to
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  Speaker 2: her when she passed on horseback, that she was sure
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  Speaker 2: she would want her to come. The French peasants loved
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  Speaker 2: to be spoken to, always answered civilly, and are interested
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  Speaker 2: in the horses, or the daki, or the children, anything
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  Speaker 2: that passes. We couldn't loiter as the bell was tolling.
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  Speaker 2: The children already at the church, and some one rushed
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  Speaker 2: down to say that Monsieur le co l tende ces
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  Speaker 2: dames port Commenser soon office. There was quite a crowd
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  Speaker 2: on a little place, everybody waiting for us to come in.
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  Speaker 2: We let the children troop in first, sitting on benches
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  Speaker 2: on one side in front of the altar, there were
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  Speaker 2: rows of chairs for the quality. These sisters and their
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  Speaker 2: girls sat close up to the harmonium, and on a
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  Speaker 2: table near covered with a pretty white linen cloth trimmed
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  Speaker 2: with fine old lace. Part of the church property was
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  Speaker 2: the Enfant Jesus in his cradle. This was to be
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  Speaker 2: a great surprise to me when it was decided that
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  Speaker 2: the sisters should come to the Fate with some of
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  Speaker 2: the bigger girls and bring the Enfant Jesus. They thought
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  Speaker 2: there must be a new dress for the babe, so
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  Speaker 2: every child subscribed a sous, and the dress was made
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  Speaker 2: by the couturier of La Ferte. It was a surprise
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  Speaker 2: for the enfant esous was attired in a pink satin
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  Speaker 2: garment with the high fluffed, fashionable sleeves we were all wearing. However,
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  Speaker 2: I concealed my feelings. The good sisters were so naively pleased.
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  Speaker 2: I could only hope the children would thinkles sleeves were wings.
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  Speaker 2: As soon as the party from the chateau was seated,
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  Speaker 2: everyone crowded in and there was not seats enough nor
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  Speaker 2: room enough in the little church, so the big doors
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  Speaker 2: remained open. Was fairly warm with the lights and the people,
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  Speaker 2: and there were nearly as many people outside as in.
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  Speaker 2: The three keepers guard, Date Bornee and ar two looked
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  Speaker 2: very imposing. They are all big men, and their belts
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  Speaker 2: and gun barrels bright and shining. They stood at the
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  Speaker 2: doors to keep order. The mare too was there in
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  Speaker 2: a black coat and white cravat, but he came up
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  Speaker 2: to the top of the church and sat in the
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  Speaker 2: same row with me. He didn't have on his tri
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  Speaker 2: colored scarf, so I suppose he doesn't possess one. It
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  Speaker 2: was a pretty simple surface. When the curee and his
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  Speaker 2: two choir children and their short white surplices and red
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  Speaker 2: petticoats came up the aisle, the choir sang the fine
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  Speaker 2: old hymn Adeste fideles. The congregation all joining in, we
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  Speaker 2: sang too, the English words, oh come, all ye faithful.
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  Speaker 2: We didn't know the Latin ones, but hoped no.
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  Speaker 1: One would notice. There are one or two prayers in
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  Speaker 1: a pretty short address, talking of the wonderful Christmas night
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  Speaker 1: so many years ago, when the bright star guided the
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  Speaker 1: shepherds through the cold winter night to the stable where
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  Speaker 1: the heavenly Babe was born. The children listened most attentively,
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  Speaker 1: and as all the boys in the village begin life
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  Speaker 1: as shepherds and cowboys, they were wildly interested. Then there
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  Speaker 1: was a benediction, and at the end all the children
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  Speaker 1: in procession passed before the afon Jeseus and kissed his foot.
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  Speaker 1: It was pretty to see the little one standing up
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  Speaker 1: on tiptoe to get to the little foot, and the
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  Speaker 1: mothers holding up their babes. While this was going on,
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  Speaker 1: the choirs sang Noel Breton of Holmes Douanges Saint Venie
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  Speaker 1: s Soois, Missa Porter de bon bails chose. There was
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  Speaker 1: some delay in getting the children into procession again to
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  Speaker 1: go down to the schoolhouse. They had been supernaturally good,
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  Speaker 1: but were so impatient to see the tree that it
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  Speaker 1: was difficult to hold them. Henrietta and Pauline hurried on
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  Speaker 1: to light the tree. I waited for the abbe. It
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  Speaker 1: was very pleased with the attendants and spoke so nicely
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  Speaker 1: to all the people. We found the children all assembled
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  Speaker 1: in the small room at the schoolhouse, and as soon
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  Speaker 1: as we could get through the crowd, we let them
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  Speaker 1: come in. The tree was quite beautiful, all white candles, quantities,
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  Speaker 1: shining ornaments and small toys, dolls, trumpets, drums, and the
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  Speaker 1: yellow and red bags of dragees hanging on the branches,
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  Speaker 1: but went straight up to the ceiling, and quite on
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  Speaker 1: top was a big gold star, the manufacture of which
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  Speaker 1: had been a source of great tribulation at the chateau.
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  Speaker 1: We forgot to get one in Paris and sent in
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  Speaker 1: hot haste on Wednesday to Lafarte for pasteboard and gold paper.
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  Speaker 1: But alas none of us could draw and we had
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  Speaker 1: no model, I made one or two attempts with anything
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  Speaker 1: but a satisfactory result. All the points were of different lengths,
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  Speaker 1: and there was nothing but points, more like an octopus
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  Speaker 1: than anything else. However, Pauline finally produced a very good one.
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  Speaker 1: It really looked like a star, and of course the
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  Speaker 1: covering of it with gold paper was easy. The crechet
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  Speaker 1: made a great effect. Standing at the bottom of the
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  Speaker 1: tree with a tall candle on each side, All the
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  Speaker 1: big toys and clothes were put on a table behind
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  Speaker 1: where we all sat. Then the door was open. There
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  Speaker 1: was a rush at first, but the schoolmistress kept strict order.
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  Speaker 1: The little ones came first, their eyes round and fixed
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  Speaker 1: on the beautiful tree, then the bigger children, and immediately
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  Speaker 1: behind them the oldest inhabitants, such a collection of old, bent, wrinkled,
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  Speaker 1: crippled creatures. Then as many as we could get in.
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  Speaker 1: There wasn't a sound at first, except some very small
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  Speaker 1: babies crowing and choking, then a sort of hum of pleasure.
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  Speaker 1: We had two or three recitations and parts from the
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  Speaker 1: older scholars, some songs, and at the end the compliment
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  Speaker 1: the usual thing. Madame Meichier biem Patrice said, by a
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  Speaker 1: small thing about five years old, speaking very fast and low,
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  Speaker 1: trying to look at me, but turning her head always
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  Speaker 1: toward the tree, and being shaken back into her place
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  Speaker 1: by Madame Isidore. Then we began the distribution the clothes first,
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  Speaker 1: so as not to despoil the tree too soon. The
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  Speaker 1: children naturally didn't take the slightest interest in warm petticoats
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  Speaker 1: or tricots, but their mothers did. We had the little
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  Speaker 1: ones first, Francis giving to the girls, and Alice to
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  Speaker 1: the boys. Henrietta called the names, Pauline gave the toys
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  Speaker 1: to Urtu, and Madame Isidore called out each child. The
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  Speaker 1: faces of the children when they saw doll's trumpets, et
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  Speaker 1: cetera being taken off the tree and handed to each
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  Speaker 1: of them was a thing to remember. The little girls
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  Speaker 1: with their dolls were too sweet, hugging them tight in
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  Speaker 1: their little fat arms. One or two of the boys
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  Speaker 1: began to blow softly on the trumpets and beat the drums,
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  Speaker 1: and were instantly hushed up by the parents. But we
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  Speaker 1: said that they might make as much noise as they
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  Speaker 1: pleased for a few moments, and a fine vakremet raw.
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  Speaker 1: It was the heavy boots of the boys contributing well
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  Speaker 1: as they moved about after their trains, marbles, et cetera. However,
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  Speaker 1: the candles were burning low. They only just lasted an hour,
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  Speaker 1: and we thought it was time for cakes and wine.
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  Speaker 1: We asked the children if they were pleased, also if
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  Speaker 1: each child had garment, toy and dragee and to hold
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  Speaker 1: them up. There was a great scamper to the mothers
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  Speaker 1: to get the clothes, and then all the arms went
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  Speaker 1: up with their precious load. These school children passed first
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  Speaker 1: into the outer room, where the keepers, wives and our
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  Speaker 1: maids were presiding over two great powls of hot wine,
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  Speaker 1: with a great deal of water, naturally, and a large
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  Speaker 1: tray filled with briochius. When each child had had a
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  Speaker 1: drink and a cake, they went out to make room
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  Speaker 1: for the outsiders and old people. Henrietta and Pauline distributed
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  Speaker 1: the extras. I think there were about twenty in all,
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  Speaker 1: counting the babies in arms. Also, of course the girls
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  Speaker 1: from La Ferte, who had come over with the sisters
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  Speaker 1: to sing. I talked to some of the old people.
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  Speaker 1: There was one poor old woman looked hundred, still gazing
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  Speaker 1: spell bound at the tree with the candles dying out.
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  Speaker 1: And most of the ornaments taken off.
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  Speaker 3: As I came up to her, she said, Jesi pie viel,
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  Speaker 3: margie law rais jamais crux noirs t cal chous de
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  Speaker 3: se beau ilme samble que le sieeres ouvert, poor old thing.
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  Speaker 3: I'm so glad I wasn't sensible and decided to give
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  Speaker 3: them something pretty to look at and think about. There
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  Speaker 3: was wining cakes for all, and then came the closing ceremony.
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  Speaker 3: We the quality adjourned to the sitting room of the
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  Speaker 3: school mistress, where there were red arm chairs and a piano,
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  Speaker 3: who produced a bottle of better wine. And then we
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  Speaker 3: trincade touched glasses with the mare, who thanked us in
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  Speaker 3: the name of the Commune for the beautiful fate we
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  Speaker 3: had made for them. I answered briefly that I was
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  Speaker 3: quite happy to see them so happy, and then we
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  Speaker 3: all made a rush for wraps and carriages. The abbe
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  Speaker 3: came back to the chateau to dine, but he couldn't
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  Speaker 3: get away until he had seen his sisters and Harmonium
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  Speaker 3: packed safely into the big omnibus and started for La Ferte.
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  Speaker 3: It looked so pretty all the way home. It was
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  Speaker 3: quite dark, and the various groups were struggling down the
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  Speaker 3: hill and along the road, their lanterns making a bright
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  Speaker 3: spot on the snow, the little childish voices talking, laughing,
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  Speaker 3: and little bands running backward and forward, some disappearing at
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  Speaker 3: a turn of the road, the lantern getting dimmer and
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  Speaker 3: finally vanishing behind the trees. We went very slowly as
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  Speaker 3: the roads were dreadfully slippery, and had a running escort
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  Speaker 3: all the way to the mill of Bourneville, with an
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  Speaker 3: accompaniment of drums and trumpets. The melancholy plains of the
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  Speaker 3: Vauvois were transformed tonight. In every direction. We saw little
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  Speaker 3: twinkling stars as the various bands separated and struck off
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  Speaker 3: across the fields to some lonely farm or mill. It
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  Speaker 3: is a lonely, desolate country, all great stretches of fields
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  Speaker 3: and plains, with a far away blue line of forests.
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  Speaker 3: We often drive for miles without meeting a vehicle of
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  Speaker 3: any kind. There are such distances between the little hamlets
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  Speaker 3: and isolated farms that one is almost uncomfortable in the
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  Speaker 3: absolute solitude in winter. No one is working in the fields,
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  Speaker 3: and one never hears a sound. A dog's bark is welcome.
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  Speaker 3: It means life and movement somewhere. It is quite the
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  Speaker 3: country of the haute coutour, which Chemiles wrote about in
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  Speaker 3: his famous novel La fern lu Chokart. The farms are
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  Speaker 3: often most picturesque, have been abbeys and monasteries. The massive
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  Speaker 3: round towers, great gateways and arched windows still remain, occasionally
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  Speaker 3: two parts of a solid wall. There is a fine
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  Speaker 3: old ruin the common deer A, near Montigny, one of
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  Speaker 3: our poor little villages. It belonged to the Knight's templar
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  Speaker 3: and is most interesting. The chapel walls are still intact,
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  Speaker 3: and the beautiful roof and high narrow windows. It is
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  Speaker 3: now a lass a poulaere chicken house, and turkeys and
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  Speaker 3: chickens are perched on the rafters and great beams that
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  Speaker 3: still support the roof. The dwelling house, too, is most interesting,
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  Speaker 3: with its thick gray walls, high narrow windows, and steep
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  Speaker 3: winding staircase. I was always told there were don Jones
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  Speaker 3: in these cellars, but I never had the courage to
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  Speaker 3: go down the dark, damp, slippery staircase. We were quite
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  Speaker 3: glad to get back.
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  Speaker 1: To our big drawing room with the fire and the
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  Speaker 1: tea table. For of course, the drawback to our entertainment
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  Speaker 1: was the stuffiness, not to say bad smell of the
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  Speaker 1: little room when all the children and grown people got in,
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  Speaker 1: most of them with damp clothes and shoes. The odor
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  Speaker 1: was something awful. Of course, no window could be opened
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  Speaker 1: on account of the candles, and the atmosphere was terrible
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  Speaker 1: at the end, when it was complicated with wine and cakes,
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  Speaker 1: and all the little one's faces mired with chocolate and
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  Speaker 1: drug as. I really don't know how we stood it.
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  Speaker 1: We had a very cheerful dinner. We complimented the Abbe
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  Speaker 1: upon his sermon, which was really very pretty and poetical.
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  Speaker 1: He said, the children's faces quite inspired him, and beyond
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  Speaker 1: over their heads through the open door, he got a
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  Speaker 1: glimpse of the tall pines with their frosted heads, and
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  Speaker 1: could almost fancy saw the beautiful star. We were all
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  Speaker 1: very pleased with our first Christmas. In the Baugois and
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  Speaker 1: Section thirteen, end of chapter six