Legends and Lyrics, Pt 1 | Page 5

some shawls,

and put off any shred of black we might have about us (as the people
would have been quite annoyed if we had appeared on such an occasion
with any black), and we started. When we reached the farmer's, which
is a stone's throw above our house, we were received with great
enthusiasm; the only drawback being, that no one spoke French, and
we did not yet speak Piedmontese. We were placed on a bench against
the wall, and the people went on dancing. The room was a large
whitewashed kitchen (I suppose), with several large pictures in black
frames, and very smoky. I distinguished the Martyrdom of Saint
Sebastian, and the others appeared equally lively and appropriate
subjects. Whether they were Old Masters or not, and if so, by whom, I
could not ascertain. The band were seated opposite us. Five men, with
wind instruments, part of the band of the National Guard, to which the
farmer's sons belong. They played really admirably, and I began to be
afraid that some idea of our dignity would prevent me getting a partner;
so, by Madame B.'s advice, I went up to the bride, and offered to dance
with her. Such a handsome young woman! Like one of Uwins's pictures.
Very dark, with a quantity of black hair, and on an immense scale. The
children were already dancing, as well as the maids. After we came to
an end of our dance, which was what they called a Polka-Mazourka, I
saw the bride trying to screw up the courage of her fiance to ask me to
dance, which after a little hesitation he did. And admirably he danced,
as indeed they all did--in excellent time, and with a little more spirit
than one sees in a ball-room. In fact, they were very like one's ordinary
partners, except that they wore earrings and were in their shirtsleeves,
and truth compels me to state that they decidedly smelt of
garlic.
Some of them had been smoking, but threw away their cigars when we
came in. The only thing that did not look cheerful was, that the room
was only lighted by two or three oil-lamps, and that there seemed to be
no preparation for refreshments. Madame B., seeing this, whispered to
her maid, who disengaged herself from her partner, and ran off to the
house; she and the kitchenmaid
presently returning with a large tray
covered with all kinds of cakes (of which we are great consumers and
always have a stock), and a large hamper full of bottles of wine, with
coffee and sugar. This seemed all very acceptable. The fiancee was
requested to distribute the eatables, and a bucket of water being
produced to wash the glasses in, the wine disappeared very quickly--as

fast as they could open the bottles. But, elated, I suppose, by this, the
floor was sprinkled with water, and the musicians played a

Monferrino, which is a Piedmontese dance. Madame B. danced with
the farmer's son, and Emily with another distinguished member of the
company. It was very fatiguing--something like a Scotch reel. My
partner was a little man, like Perrot, and very proud of his dancing. He
cut in the air and twisted about, until I was out of breath, though my
attempts to imitate him were feeble in the extreme. At last, after seven
or eight dances, I was obliged to sit down. We stayed till nine, and I
was so dead beat with the heat that I could hardly crawl about the house,
and in an agony with the cramp, it is so long since I have danced."
A MARRIAGE
The wedding of the farmer's daughter has taken place. We had hoped it
would have been in the little chapel of our house, but it seems some
special permission was necessary, and they applied for it too late. They
all said, "This is the Constitution. There would have been no difficulty
before!" the lower classes making the poor Constitution the scapegoat
for everything they don't like. So as it was impossible for us to climb
up to the church where the wedding was to be, we contented ourselves
with seeing the
procession pass. It was not a very large one, for, it
requiring some activity to go up, all the old people remained at home. It
is not etiquette for the bride's mother to go, and no unmarried woman
can go to a wedding--I suppose for fear of its making her

discontented with her own position. The procession stopped at our door,
for the bride to receive our congratulations. She was dressed in a shot
silk, with a yellow handkerchief, and rows of a large gold chain. In the
afternoon they sent to request us to go there. On our arrival we found
them dancing out of doors, and