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N a picturcsque cottage of a retired straggling village i the province of La Vendde, dwelt an aged woman and her grand- daughter, Margot. Margot was amiable, cheerful, industrious, kind ; she possessed, in short, every feminine gift save one. ‘That one was beauty ! She was so ugly that the ncighbours. had given her the name of Ja vilaine féte. But Margot was a good girl, and did not murmur at her daprivation. On the contrary, she was thank- ful for her perfect health and strength. She thought little of her appearance, or, indeed, of hersell at all, being always so much occupied with her duty. She was the best savonneuse in the village. She washed the linen of the neighbouring chateau, and her own and her grandmother’s caps and kerchiefs were conspicuous for their whiteness and dainty get-up. In spite of her uglhness, cvery- one loved Margot. It is true that she was called /Za o//arne #te, but nicknames among rustics are not necessarily tokens of ill-nature or dislike. Margot bore the designation with perfect cquanimity, for she had another, pleasanter one. She was also called @ 77e cood Jargot.

[1. Marcor was cighteen years of age when the peace of her village was disturbed by the arim toesin of war. It was the stirring time of the great Revolution. Every day tragie stories of blood and flame reached the cars of the villagers, but they never dreamed that the disturbances would picrce even to their sheltered retreat. One memorable day, how- cver, they were startled by a summons from their sezonewr and the curé calling them to the aid of the Royalists. Thenceforward no sounds of joy were heard i that once happy spot, unless it were the savage shouts of occasional triumph. The church bell; no longer a message of peace, called now to blood and battle. The sports and labours of the ficld were abandoned for fiercer pur- suits. The cloud of anxiety darkened every face. ach day brought new cvents @ some fresh encounter, some impending danger, some hard-carned victory. Many a gallant youth of the village lay unburied on a distant battle- ficld ;s others, after cvery actiong returned home to die. As the Venddan women were forbidden to follow the army, most of them remained and performed all the duties of

cuard-mounting and patrolling hke ex- perienced soldiers. Some, however, of

the more adventurous, disguised as men,

agirded on swords and mingled m the ranks, Teaving ther nfants and aged

parents to the care of those who, like our gentle-natured heroine, stayed at home. The church had been turned into a hospital, wherein, under the direction of the cwré and of a surgcon, tender-hearted and tender- handed women ministered to the wounded victims of the war. One of the most loving and skilful of this noble army of nurses was Margot.