"Excepting us two," suggested Cyril, nudging her softly.
"Excepting us two," agreed Marie.
This time it was Suzanne's turn to wonder.
From the direction of the station came the toot-toot-toot of an approaching train. There was a screech of brakes, a silence, then the bang-bang-bang of compartment doors slammed by the station-master, the tr-i-i-illl of his silver whistle, an answering toot-toot, a grinding of chains, a choo-choo-ing, and then a rumble that first increased, then gradually diminished, till it sank off into a hum, far-off, over there toward Paris.
At twelve o'clock sharp, Madame the Colonel returned to the house, Josephine following majestically behind, the full basket upon her arm.
At twelve o'clock sharp, Monsieur the Colonel, on his Anglo-Arab white with froth, returned to the house.
They met at the gate and went up the steps together. Madame the Colonel had found consolation in the absorbing strategy of market-bargaining. Monsieur the Colonel had blown off much of his irritation in hard work (i.e., the work of his little infantrymen) and felt much better.
Marie, strangely enough, was nowhere to be
