Nazaire Larouche kept directing attention to his wants with dark sayings:--"Was your pig very lean ?" he demanded; or perhaps:--"Fond of maple sugar, are you?
I never get enough of it ..." And then Azalma would help him to a second slice of pork or fetch the cake of maple sugar from the cupboard.

When she wearied of these strange table-manners and bade him help himself in the usual fashion, he smoothed her ruffled temper with good-humoured excuses, "Quite right.

Quite right.

I won't do it again; but you always loved a joke, Azalma.

When you have youngsters like me at dinner you must look for a little nonsense." Maria smiled to think how like he was to her father; both tall and broad, with grizzled hair, their faces tanned to the colour of leather, and, shining from their eyes, the quenchless spirit of youth which keeps alive in the countryman of Quebec his imperishable simple-heartedness.
They took the road almost as soon as the meal was over.