The first time, however, that she ever entered a church, when
she was little more than nine years old, was an experience in
her life, and this was the occasion of it. It was in a French
provincial town, where M. Linders had stopped for a day on
business--only for one day, but that Madelon was to spend for
the most part alone; for her father, occupied with his
affairs, was obliged to go out very early, and leave her to
her own devices; and very dull she found them, after the first
hour or two. She was a child of many resources, it is true,
but these will come to an end when a little girl of nine years
old, with books and dolls all packed up, has to amuse herself
for ever so many hours in a dull country hotel, an hotel, too,
which was quite strange to her, and where she could not,
therefore, fall back upon the society and conversation of a
friendly landlady. Madelon wandered upstairs and downstairs,
looked out of all the windows she could get at, and at last
stood leaning against the hall-door, which opened on to the
front courtyard. It was very quiet and very dull, nothing
moving anywhere; no one crossed the square, sunny space, paved
with little stones, and adorned with the usual round-topped
trees, in green boxes.
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