The next morning Madelon came down-stairs as usual and prepared breakfast.

When it was ready the family sat up to the table and ate silently and swiftly.

No one addressed a word to Madelon.

After breakfast David and his son Abner put on their leather jackets and their fur caps, and set forth for the woods with their axes, but Eugene lounged gracefully over to the hearth and sat down on the settle, and began reading his Shakespeare book.

Eugene was the only one of the Hautvilles who ever read books.