82 GOLDEN DAYS 



thing about stretching his stiff legs, and 

 thus he hurried off. 



Jean Pierre at times is Kke a spoiled 

 child. I knew just where he'd gone, 

 to lay those twelve small sticklebacks 

 upon the miller's doorstep. The begin- 

 ning of that ancient feud is wrapt in 

 mystery. There is a rumour concerning a 

 brace of partridges which were left one 

 night for safety's sake within the ruined 

 chapel of St. Sezny and vanished before 

 morning. Another tells of a gory fight 

 above the corpse of a great illicitly cap- 

 tured salmon. The latter story Jean 

 Pierre stoutly denies, explaining that the 

 miller in the darkness slipped and fell 

 into the river. I think the real reason of 

 Jean Pierre's dislike is that the miller is 

 close-fisted. In fact, he is known among 

 his tenants as Grippe-sou, and Jean 

 Pierre hates a miser as he hates the devil. 

 My old friend has his faults. Indeed, at 

 seasons I have known him very very 

 drunk, but never once mean or un- 

 generous. He cannot understand the 

 hoarder's point of view. " To save for 

 our old age would be but to collect nuts 



