Whilst I was regarding this animated picture, I was struck with the
appearance of a beautiful girl, who passed through the crowd without
seeming to take any interest in their amusements. She was slender and
delicate in her form; she had not the bloom upon her cheek that is
usual among the peasantry of Normandy, and her blue eyes had a
singular and melancholy expression. She was accompanied by a
venerable-looking man, whom I presumed to be her father. There was a
whisper among the bystanders, and a wistful look after her as she
passed; the young men touched their hats, and some of the children
followed her at a little distance, watching her movements. She
approached the edge of the hill, where there is a little platform,
from whence the people of Honfleur look out for the approach of
vessels. Here she stood for some time waving her handkerchief, though
there was nothing to be seen but two or three fishing-boats, like mere
specks on the bosom of the distant ocean.
These circumstances excited my curiosity, and I made some inquiries
about her, which were answered with readiness and intelligence by a
priest of the neighbouring chapel. Our conversation drew together
several of the by-standers, each of whom had something to communicate,
and from them all I gathered the following particulars.
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