sons of the soil-第13章

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Tonsard　women　and　by　Mouche　and　old　Fourchon；　or　supplied　by　Vermichel

and　Brunet；　that　renowned　official；　when　he　came　to　the　tavern　in

search　of　his　practitioner。　There　the　price　of　hay　and　of　wine　was

settled；　also　that　of　a　day's　work　and　of　piece…work。　Tonsard；　a

sovereign　judge　in　such　matters；　gave　his　advice　and　opinion　while

drinking　with　his　guests。　Soulanges；　according　to　a　saying　in　these

parts；　was　a　town　for　society　and　amusement　only；　while　Blangy　was　a

business　borough；　crushed；　however；　by　the　great　commercial　centre　of

Ville…aux…Fayes；　which　had　become　in　the　last　twenty…five　years　the

capital　of　this　flourishing　valley。　The　cattle　and　grain　market　was

held　at　Blangy；　in　the　public　square；　and　the　prices　there　obtained

served　as　a　tariff　for　the　whole　arrondissement。



By　staying　in　the　house　and　doing　no　out…door　work；　La　Tonsard

continued　fresh　and　fair　and　dimpled；　in　comparison　with　the　women　who

worked　in　the　fields　and　faded　as　rapidly　as　the　flowers；　becoming　old

and　haggard　before　they　were　thirty。　She　liked　to　be　well…dressed。　In

point　of　fact；　she　was　only　clean；　but　in　a　village　cleanliness　is　a

luxury。　The　daughters；　better　dressed　than　their　means　warranted；

followed　their　mother's　example。　Beneath　their　outer　garment；　which

was　relatively　handsome；　they　wore　linen　much　finer　than　that　of　the

richest　peasant　women。　On　fete…days　they　appeared　in　dresses　that　were

really　pretty；　obtained；　Heaven　knows　how！　For　one　thing；　the　men…

servants　at　Les　Aigues　sold　to　them；　at　prices　that　were　easily　paid；

the　cast…off　clothing　of　the　lady's…maids；　which；　after　sweeping　the

streets　of　Paris　and　being　made　over　to　fit　Marie　and　Catherine；

appeared　triumphantly　in　the　precincts　of　the　Grand…I…Vert。　These

girls；　bohemians　of　the　valley；　received　not　one　penny　in　money　from

their　parents；　who　gave　them　food　only；　and　the　wretched　pallets　on

which　they　slept　with　their　grandmother　in　the　barn；　where　their

brothers　also　slept；　curled　up　in　the　hay　like　animals。　Neither　father

nor　mother　paid　any　heed　to　this　propinquity。



The　iron　age　and　the　age　of　gold　are　more　alike　than　we　think　for。　In

the　one　nothing　aroused　vigilance；　in　the　other；　everything　rouses　it；

the　result　to　society　is；　perhaps；　very　much　the　same。　The　presence　of

old　Mother　Tonsard；　which　was　more　a　necessity　than　a　precaution；　was

simply　one　immorality　the　more。　And　thus　it　was　that　the　Abbe

Brossette；　after　studying　the　morals　of　his　parishioners；　made　this

pregnant　remark　to　his　bishop：



〃Monseigneur；　when　I　observe　the　stress　that　the　peasantry　lay　on

their　poverty；　I　realize　how　they　fear　to　lose　that　excuse　for　their

immorality。〃



Though　everybody　knew　that　the　family　had　no　principles　and　no

scruples；　nothing　was　ever　said　against　the　morals　of　the　Grand…I…

Vert。　At　the　beginning　of　this　book　it　is　necessary　to　explain；　once

for　all；　to　persons　accustomed　to　the　decencies　of　middle…class　life；

that　the　peasants　have　no　decency　in　their　domestic　habits　and

customs。　They　make　no　appeal　to　morality　when　their　daughters　are

seduced；　unless　the　seducer　is　rich　and　timid。　Children；　until　the

State　takes　possession　of　them；　are　used　either　as　capital　or　as

instruments　of　convenience。　Self…interest　has　become；　specially　since

1789；　the　sole　motive　of　the　masses；　they　never　ask　if　an　action　is

legal　or　immoral；　but　only　if　it　is　profitable。　Morality；　which　is　not

to　be　confounded　with　religion；　begins　only　at　a　certain　competence；

just　as　one　sees；　in　a　higher　sphere；　how　delicacy　blossoms　in　the

soul　when　fortune　decorates　the　furniture。　A　positively　moral　and

upright　man　is　rare　among　the　peasantry。　Do　you　ask　why？　Among　the

many　reasons　that　may　be　given　for　this　state　of　things；　the　principal

one　is　this：　Through　the　nature　of　their　social　functions；　the

peasants　live　a　purely　material　life　which　approximates　to　that　of

savages；　and　their　constant　union　with　nature　tends　to　foster　it。　When

toil　exhausts　the　body　it　takes　from　the　mind　its　purifying　action；

especially　among　the　ignorant。　The　Abbe　Brossette　was　right　in　saying

that　the　state　policy　of　the　peasant　is　his　poverty。



Meddling　in　everybody's　interests；　Tonsard　heard　everybody's

complaints；　and　often　instigated　frauds　to　benefit　the　needy。　His

wife；　a　kindly　appearing　woman；　had　a　good　word　for　evil…doers；　and

never　withheld　either　approval　or　personal　help　from　her　customers　in

anything　they　undertook　against　the　rich。　This　inn；　a　nest　of　vipers；

brisk　and　venomous；　seething　and　active；　was　a　hot…bed　for　the　hatred

of　the　peasants　and　the　workingmen　against　the　masters　and　the

wealthy。



The　prosperous　life　of　the　Tonsards　was；　therefore；　an　evil　example。

Others　asked　themselves　why　they　should　not　take　their　wood；　as　the

Tonsards　did；　from　the　forest；　why　not　pasture　their　cows　and　have

game　to　eat　and　to　sell　as　well　as　they；　why　not　harvest　without

sowing　the　grapes　and　the　grain。　Accordingly；　the　pilfering　thefts

which　thin　the　woods　and　tithe　the　ploughed　lands　and　meadows　and

vineyards　became　habitual　in　this　valley；　and　soon　existed　as　a　right

throughout　the　districts　of　Blangy；　Conches；　and　Cerneux；　all　adjacent

to　the　domain　of　Les　Aigues。　This　sore；　for　certain　reasons　which　will

be　given　in　due　time；　did　far　greater　injury　to　Les　Aigues　than　to　the

estates　of　Ronquerolles　or　Soulanges。　You　must　not；　however；　fancy

that　Tonsard；　his　wife　and　children；　and　his　old　mother　ever

deliberately　said　to　themselves；　〃We　will　live　by　theft；　and　commit　it

as　cleverly　as　we　can。〃　Such　habits　grow　slowly。　To　the　dried　sticks

they　added；　in　the　first　instance；　a　single　bit　of　good　wood；　then；

emboldened　by　habit　and　a　carefully　prepared　immunity　（necessary　to

plans　which　this　history　will　unfold）；　they　ended　at　last　in　cutting

〃their　wood；〃　and　stealing　almost　their　entire　livelihood。　Pasturage

for　the　cows　and　the　abuses　of　gleaning　were　established　as　customs

little　by　little。　When　the　Tonsards　and　the　do…nothings　of　the　valley

had　tasted　the　sweets　of　these　four　rights　（thus　captured　by　rural

paupers；　and　amounting　to　actual　robbery）　we　can　easily　imagine　they

would　never　give　them　up　unless　compelled　by　a　power　greater　than

their　own　audacity。



At　the　time　when　this　history　begins　Tonsard；　then　about　fifty　years

of　age；　tall　and　strong；　rather　stout　than　thin；　with　curly　black

hair；　skin　highly　colored　and　marbled　like　a　brick　with　purple

blotches；　yellow　whites　to　the　eyes；　large　ears　with　broad　flaps；　a

muscular　frame；　encased；　however；　in　flabby　flesh；　a　retreating

forehead；　and　a　hanging　lip；Tonsard；　such　as　you　see　him；　hid　his

real　character　under　an　external　stupidity；　lightened　at　times　by　a

show　of　experience；　which　seemed　all　the　more　intelligent　because　he

had　acquired　in　the　company　of　his　father…in…law　a　sort　of　bantering

talk；　much　affected　by　old　Fourchon　and　Vermichel。　His　nose；　flattened

at　the　end　as　if　the　finger　of　God　intended　to　mark　him；　gave　him　a

voice　which　came　from　his　palate；　like　that　of　all　persons　disfigured

by　a　disease　which　thickens　the　nasal　passages；　through　which　the　air

then　passes　with　difficulty。　His　upper　teeth　overlapped　each　other；

and　this　defect　（which　Lavater　calls　terrible）　was　all　the　more

apparent　because　they　were　as　white　as　those　of　a　dog。　But　for　a

certain　lawless　and　slothful　good　humor；　and　the　free…and…easy　ways　of

a　rustic　tippler；　the　man　would　have　alarmed　the　least　observing　of

spectators。



If　the　portraits　of　Tonsard；　his　inn；　and　his　father…in…law　take　a

prominent　place　in　this　history；　it　is　because　that　place　belongs　to

him　and　to　the　inn　and　to　the　family。　In　the　first　place；　their

existence；　so　minutely　described；　is　the　type　of　a　hundred　other

households　in　the　valley　of　Les　Aigues。　Secondly；　Tonsard；　without

being　other　than　the　instrument　of　deep　and　active　hatreds；　had　an

immense　influence　on　the　struggle　that　was　about　to　take　place；　being

t