French Beans a la Maitre D'Hotel

Pick and string the beans; cut them u and shred each bean into three or four strips; wash them in plenty of water; drain them in a colander, and throw them into a stewpan containing boiling water and a handful of salt, and boil them briskly until they become tender; they must be drained in a colander; next, put a spoonful of white sauce into a stewpan, with two ounces of fresh butter, a tablespoonful of chopped parboiled parsley, a very little nutmeg, mignionette-pepper, salt, and the juice of half a lemon; stir these well together over the fire, and when perfectly mixed, throw in the beans, and toss the whole together over the fire until quite hot, then dish them up with a border of croutons round them, and serve.