Half a
dozen gaily-attired young ladies, internes or pupils of the Convent,
sallied out. They had exchanged their conventual dress for their
usual outside attire, and got leave to go out into the world on some
errand, real or pretended, for one hour and no more.
They tripped lightly down the broad steps, and were instantly joined
by the young men who had been waiting for them. After a hasty,
merry hand-shaking, the whole party proceeded in great glee towards
the Market Place, where the shops of the mercers and confectioners
offered the attractions they sought. They went on purchasing
bonbons and ribbons from one shop to another until they reached the
Cathedral, when a common impulse seized them to see who was there.
They flew up the steps and disappeared in the church.
In the midst of their devotions, as they knelt upon the floor, the
sharp eyes of the young ladies were caught by gesticulations of the
well-gloved hand of the Chevalier des Meloises, as he saluted them
across the aisle.
The hurried recitation of an Ave or two had quite satisfied the
devotion of the Chevalier, and he looked round the church with an
air of condescension, criticizing the music and peering into the
faces of such of the ladies as looked up, and many did so, to return
his scrutiny.
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