. Our home in Aveyron : with studies of peasant life and customs in Aveyron and the Lot . ak tomy mother for me, that she may let me marry theyoung man I love. Tell her what you told MadameMartin, that the English girls marry for love, andthat marriages are happier because the women lovetheir husbands. Mother says riches are better thanlove, but oh, I do not think so. I am still veryyoung, and I think that love is best of all. Poor Zoe ! she is not married yet to either of hersuitors, and one can only hope, but not expect, thather parents will consider her wishes, and give her inmarriage to he
. Our home in Aveyron : with studies of peasant life and customs in Aveyron and the Lot . ak tomy mother for me, that she may let me marry theyoung man I love. Tell her what you told MadameMartin, that the English girls marry for love, andthat marriages are happier because the women lovetheir husbands. Mother says riches are better thanlove, but oh, I do not think so. I am still veryyoung, and I think that love is best of all. Poor Zoe ! she is not married yet to either of hersuitors, and one can only hope, but not expect, thather parents will consider her wishes, and give her inmarriage to her own true love, who is no neer-do-weel, but a steady, respectable workman; and asthe girl herself will have a little money, her parentsmight do worse than let their daughter marry him. But to-day Zoes laughter is merriest and herchatter most continuous among all the women whoare washing at the river. Let us stand upon thebridge and look down upon the row of kneelingwomen on the river-bank, who are making thelimpid stream milky with soap. Each woman has in front of her either a corru-. THE BLANCHISSEUSES. 129 gated piece of board fixed in a sloping position, or alarge flat stone. The latter is most commonly used,no doubt because it is to be had for nothing. o The blanchisseuses slap, dab, and beat the variousarticles of clothing in the most ferocious manner,and so freely do they splash the things about thatthey are themselves quite wet through. But thisis no matter on a hot day. Sometimes they kneelquite in the water, and are wet to the waist. Oftenhave we come upon one or two young women wash-ing clothes in some sequestered pool, themselves solightly clad as to form perfect painters studies : thewarm ivory forms in the purling stream, whichsparkles in the vivid shaft of sunlight piercing thegreen leaf-canopy overhead; the glow of poppies inthe long grass of the bank, where the snow-whitewet garments are lightly thrown, adapt themselveswell to the sunny Southern land. How they
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