She glanced miserably at him from under her curling eyelashes. "When Mirabelle Marie went into the parlor, Father Duvair said politely, so politely, 'I wish to buy a little rum, madame; can you sell me some?' My aunt looked at me, and I said, 'Yes, monsieur le curé,' for I knew if we set the priest against us we should have trouble,—and then we have not been quite right, I know that."
"Where did you get the rum?" asked Agapit, kindly.
"From a schooner,—two weeks ago,—there were four casks. It is necessary, you know, to make bombance. Some men will not vote without."
"And you have been bribing."
"Not bribing," she said, and she dropped her head; "just coaxing."
"Where did you get the money to buy it?"
For some reason or other she evaded a direct answer to this question, and after much deliberation murmured, in the lowest of voices, that Claudine had had some money.
"Bidiane, she is a poor woman."
"She loves her country," said the girl, flashing out suddenly at him, "and she is not ashamed of it. However, Claude bought the rum and found the bottles, and we always say, 'Take it home,—do not drink it here.' We know that the priests are against drinking, so we had to make haste, for Claudine said they would get after us. Therefore, just now, I at once gave in. Father Duvair said, 'I would like to buy all you have; how much is it worth?' I said fifty dollars, and he pulled the money out of his pocket and Mirabelle Marie took it, and then he borrowed a nail and a hammer and went down in the cellar, and Claudine whispered loudly as he went through the kitchen, 'I wonder whether he will find the cask under the coal?' and he heard her, for she said it on purpose, and he turned and gave her a quick look as he passed."