He offered to his guests not an excellent inn alone, but a magnificent view also, of which he made full use.

The evening being warm with a soft and soothing wind, Marie and Lizette set the table in a little garden, in which early flowers were blooming already, offering delicate colors of pink and rose and pale blue.

The table was spread with a white cloth, and silver and china were not lacking.

The eyes of Robert, who had a fastidious taste, glistened.
"Monsieur Jolivet may be our enemy or not," he said, "but I like him.

It is not often that one can dine at such an inn, with such a view of mountain, forest and magnificent river.