"But the water is already within a mile and a half, M. David," cried old Marguerite.
"And it continues to rise," added André.
"Be calm, madame," answered David. "I have, since my stay here, gone through the country enough to be certain that the overflow will never reach this house,—the level of the land is too high. You can set your mind at rest."
"But the farmhouses in the valley," cried Frederick.
"The overflow has had time to reach the house of Jean François, the farmer, a good, excellent man," cried Marie. "His wife, his children are lost."
"Where is this farmhouse, madame?" asked David.
"More than a mile from here in the flats. You can see it from the edge of the forest which overlooks the fields. Alas! you can see it if the overflow has not swept it away."
"Come, madame, come," said David, "we must run to find out where it is."
In an instant, Frederick, his mother, and David followed by the gardner and Marguerite arrived at the edge of the forest, a spot much higher than the valley.
What a spectacle!