“Ah! Quebec—oui, I live there once, many years ago. I was taken when I was ver young by Madame de la Corne de la Colombière pour une bonne; vous comprenez?”
“Oh! bonne, yes, we use that word too. It means a nursemaid, eh! Were there children in the family?”
Delle Josephine dropped her ribbon and threw up her hands.
“Mon Dieu! les enfants! Mais oui, Monsieur, they were nine children! There was Maamselle Louise and Maamselle Angelique with the tempaire of the diable himself oui Monsieur, and François and Réné and l'petite Catherine, and the rest I forget Monsieur. And dey live in a fine château, with horse and carridge and everything as it would be if they were in their own France. Monsieur has been in France?”
Only in Paris, I told her; a spasmodic run across the Channel—Paris in eight hours. Two days there then return—
“That does not give one much idea of France.”
“Nou, non, Monsieur. But there is no countree like France dey say dat familee—and that is true, eh, Monsieur?”
“I am afraid I cannot agree with you, Delle Josephine,” said I. “To me there is no country like England, but that may be because I am an Englishman. Tell me how long did you live in Quebec with this family?”
“I was there ten year Monsieur. Then one day, I had a great accidence—oh! a ver sad ting, ver sad!” The Frenchwoman laid down the ribbon and went on. “A ver sad ting happen to me and the bébé Catherine. We were out l'ptite and me, for a valk, and we come to a part of the town ver slant, ver hilly. L'ptite Catherine was in her carridge and I let go, and she go all down, Monsieur, and I too over the hill—the cleef, you call it—but the bébé was killed and I Monsieur, I was alive, but like this!” showing her shoulder. “And what did they do?”
“At the château? Ah, figure-toi, monsieur, the agony of dat pauvre dame! I was sent away, she would not see me, and I left Quêbec at once. I was no more bonne, monsieur; Delle Josephine was enough dat. I could make de hats and de bonnets for de ladees, so I come away out to Bonneroi, and I haf made de hats and de bonnets for the ladees of Bonneroi for twenty year.”