There he sat, however, very busy and supremely happy in the smith's kitchen, with a pipe in his mouth and a bottle of wine before him.

The old smith sat opposite to him, while the two young men stood among a lot of others round the little table, and Annot bustled in and out of the room, now going close enough up to her lover to enable him to pinch her elbow unseen by her father, and then leaning against the dresser, and listening to his military eloquence.
"And so, my friend," said Chapeau, "Jean and Peter are not to go to Saumur ?" "Not a foot, Chapeau," said the old man, "not a foot, Chapeau; let ye fight, we will make swords for you: is not that fair, neighbour ?" "I have nothing to say against it, M.Stein, not a word; only such fellows as they, they would surely get promoted." "Oh, ay; you will all be sergeants, no doubt.

I have nothing to say against that; only none of mine shall go waging wars in distant lands." "Distant lands, say you! is not Saumur in Anjou?
and is not Anjou within three miles of you, here where you are sitting ?" "May be so, M.Chapeau; but still, with your leave, I say Saumur is distant.

Can you get there in one day from here ?" "Why no, not in one day." "Nor in two ?" "Why, no again; though they might do it in two.

They'll start from here Monday morning with light, and they'll reach Saumur on Wednesday in time to look about them, and learn what they have to do the next morning." "That's three day's going, and three coming, and heaven only knows how many days there; and you don't call that distant! Who's to feed them all I'd like to know ?" "Feed them!" said Chapeau.