and it is full needful that I practise my art of black smith here a
little, and put better screws and springs in the machine. But
listen! what kind of song is that without?"

"Those are the peasants greeting us with their singing," said the
queen, smiling. "Come, Mr. Miller, let us show ourselves to them."

She drew the king out upon the small staircase. Directly at the foot
of it stood the king's two brothers, the Counts de Provence and
Artois, as chief official and schoolmaster, and behind them the
duchesses and princesses, dukes and counts, arrayed as peasants. In
united chorus they greeted the mistress and the miller:

"Oil peut-on etre mieux, Qu'au seiu de sa famille?"

The queen smiled, and yet tears glittered in her eyes, tears of joy.

Those were happy hours which the royal pair spent that day in
Trianon--hours of such bright sunshine that Marie Antoinette quite
forgot the sad clouds of the morning, and gave herself undisturbed
to the enjoyment of this simple, country life. They sat down to a
country dinner--a slight, simple repast, brought together from the
resources of the hen-coop, the mill, and the milk-room. Then the
whole company went out to lie down in the luxuriant grass which grew
on the border of the little grove, and looked at the cows grazing
before them on the meadow, and with stately dignity pursuing the
serious occupation of chewing the cud. But as peasants have
something else to do than to live and enjoy, their mistress, Marie
Antoinette, soon left her resting-place to set her people a good
example in working. The spinning-wheel was brought and set upon a