THE MAYFLIES 115 



did not bark, but only wagged their tails. 

 The peasants would have stopped making 

 crepes and pressing cider to don their 

 pardon clothes had not the Virgin put 

 them at their ease, explaining that this 

 was her holiday, and not an official visit. 



She loved it every bit, but most of all 

 she loved the chubby Breton babies. You 

 see, her Son had now gro^^ii up ; His 

 Mother's arms, maybe, were hungry, 

 though the whole world knows how the 

 Blessed Virgin delights in little children ! 

 Indeed, she had such times that day 

 in " huggleing " the babies, in playing 

 marelle with the children, or in listening 

 to the old folks' troubles sitting amongst 

 them beside their courtyard wells. Such 

 hours were spent, you see, on these affairs, 

 that a waiting Bishop in the lane became 

 quite agitated, fearing lest the Holy 

 Virgin was running things too fine — not 

 giving herself sufficient time to see her 

 sainted Mother's famous church in every 

 detail. However (to cut a long story short) 

 she saw it all, and then returned radiant to 

 the high courts of heaven. 



So it came about that Brittany became 



