But a memory returned to him, that of other words which she had
spoken when promising to attend the two weddings. She had then in bitter
fashion expressed a wish that the good fortune of Chantebled might
continue. But they, the Froments, so fruitful and so prosperous, were now
stricken in their turn, and their good fortune had perhaps departed
forever! Mathieu shuddered; his faith in the future was shaken; he was
haunted by a fear of seeing prosperity and fruitfulness vanish, now that
there was that open breach.
XVII
A YEAR later the first child born to Ambroise and Andree, a boy, little
Leonce, was christened. The young people had been married very quietly
six weeks after the death of Rose. And that christening was to be the
first outing for Mathieu and Marianne, who had not yet fully recovered
from the terrible shock of their eldest daughter's death. Moreover, it
was arranged that after the ceremony there should simply be a lunch at
the parents' home, and that one and all should afterwards be free to
return to his or her avocations. It was impossible for the whole family
to come, and, indeed, apart from the grandfather and grandmother, only
the twins, Denis and Blaise, and the latter's wife Charlotte, were
expected, together with the godparents.
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