which, although often weather-beaten to a 

 lighter hue, were evidently intended to be 

 black. In the gallery near at hand was a row 

 of a dozen little girls, among them my friends 

 Lalouise and Yvonne, each with her black 

 eyes uninterruptedly fixed on the strangers 

 in the front pew. As I cast surreptitious 

 glances about the church from time to time, I 

 could not help noticing the similarity in type 

 between these sturdy Acadians and the peas- 

 antry of France with whose forms and faces 

 modern French art has made us so familiar. 



The service seemed to be very sincere and 

 impressive, and the ten little boys, the acolytes, 

 whose brown faces and hands, and whose 

 shocks of brown hair contrasted well with their 

 white vestments, each did his part well. The 

 sermon was on La signe de la croix, which the 

 good father showed was everywhere, for even 

 the birds in the air as they fly, and the fishes in 

 the sea as they swim, make the sign of the 

 cross. I believe I shall always remember these 

 words which rang out through the church at 

 the end of almost every sentence. I could not 

 help thinking as I watched the two priests 

 with their strong faces, their black robes and 



76 



