Nêne/Part 1/Chapter 20

HORTLY before Easter, old man Corbier died. One evening, as he was going to bed, he felt ill. Right away he lost consciousness, and the next morning at cock crow he passed away.

Madeleine took the children to the neighbours at Chestnut Hill and Gideon made the rounds, carrying the news to family, friends and neighbours, all the Dissenters.

The praying women began to come as early as eight o'clock. The first of them came from the nearby hamlets. Then came those from the outlying farmsteads and at last those from Le Coudray who stayed for the wake. The next day there were many of them: from Saint-Ambroise, from Château-Blanc, from all the villages round about wherever there was a family of Dissenters.

As they came into the house they went down on their knees silently, in a circle around the one who recited the prayers. When one of the group rose to go away, another immediately took her place.

The funeral took place on the third day, at Saint-Ambroise, in the Dissenters' burial ground. Prayers—prayers—prayers! Prayers on the way between the flowering hedges; prayers in the gloomy chapel; long prayers at the burial grounds while the coffin was set on the flat stone over the grave of the last priest; prayers again when the coffin was lowered into the grave and the handfuls of earth thrown on it.

Neither Catholics nor Protestants had come, but all the Dissenters' families had sent someone. The poor soul going away alone, without viaticum, should at least have all the prayers of those near him to speed him on his way.

After the burial, Madeleine passed by Chestnut Hill to fetch the children. When she reached the Moulinettes, she found the family gathered there: two brothers-in-law of Michael, his uncle, several cousins and also his parents-in-law with Georgette, his sister-in-law, who had come too, brazenly.

All these people were discussing family affairs; when Madeleine entered, they fell silent, and the looks of some were hostile. So she left her mourning hood and went out into the garden with a troubled heart because, all at once, she had felt herself a stranger. She went to the barn and, passing to the lean-to of the hands, she began to arrange things so that Gideon could come to sleep in the master's room that evening.

As she came back, she saw that Georgette had seated herself on a bench by the doorway, with Jo on her lap. She was playing with him, teasing him, tossing him up and then cradling him in her arms.

Madeleine came up to them, smitten with jealousy. The little tot held out his arms to her, calling: "Nêne! Nêne!" But Georgette said pointedly:

"I'm your Nêne, darling. Kiss your Nêne! You must not call that girl 'Nêne!'"

In a flash Madeleine was upon her, bristling with anger; without a word she tore away the other woman's hands and, holding the baby close to her bosom, she went into the house.