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第73章

sons of the soil-第73章

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The chair…backs were in the form of lyres; painted white and highly

varnished; the seats were of green morocco with gilt nails。 A massive

mahogany table was covered with green oilcloth; with large squares of

a deeper shade of green; and a plain border of the lighter。 The floor;

laid in Hungarian point; was carefully waxed by Urbain and showed the

care which ex…waiting…women know how to exact out of their servants。



〃Bah! it cost too much;〃 thought Rigou for the hundredth time。 〃I can

eat as good a dinner in my room as here; and I have the income of the

money this useless splendor would have wasted。 Where is Madame

Soudry?〃 he asked; as the mayor returned armed with a venerable

bottle。



〃Asleep。〃



〃And you no longer disturb her slumbers?〃 said Rigou。



The ex…gendarme winked with a knowing air; and pointed to the ham

which Jeannette; the pretty maid; was just bringing in。



〃That will pick you up; a pretty bit like that;〃 he said。 〃It was

cured in the house; we cut into it only yesterday。〃



〃Where did you find her?〃 said the ex…Benedictine in Soudry's ear。



〃She is like the ham;〃 replied the ex…gendarme; winking again; 〃I have

had her only a week。〃



Jeannette; still in her night…cap; with a short petticoat and her bare

feet in slippers; had slipped on a bodice made with straps over the

arms in true peasant fashion; over which she had crossed a neckerchief

which did not entirely hide her fresh and youthful attractions; which

were at least as appetizing as the ham she carried。 Short and plump;

with bare arms mottled red; ending in large; dimpled hands with short

but well…made fingers; she was a picture of health。 The face was that

of a true Burgundian;ruddy; but white about the temples; throat; and

ears; the hair was chestnut; the corners of the eyes turned up towards

the top of the ears; the nostrils were wide; the mouth sensual; and a

little down lay along the cheeks; all this; together with a jaunty

expression; tempered however by a deceitfully modest attitude; made

her the model of a roguish servant…girl。



〃On my honor; Jeannette is as good as the ham;〃 said Rigou。 〃If I

hadn't an Annette I should want a Jeannette。〃



〃One is as good as the other;〃 said the ex…gendarme; 〃for your Annette

is fair and delicate。 How is Madame Rigou;is she asleep?〃 added

Soudry; roughly; to let Rigou see he understood his joke。



〃She wakes with the cock; but she goes to roost with the hens;〃

replied Rigou。 〃As for me; I sit up and read the 'Constitutionnel。' My

wife lets me sleep at night and in the morning too; she wouldn't come

into my room for all the world。〃



〃It's just the other way here;〃 replied Jeanette。 〃Madame sits up with

the company playing cards; sometimes there are sixteen of them in the

salon; Monsieur goes to bed at eight o'clock; and we get up at

daylight〃



〃You think that's different;〃 said Rigou; 〃but it comes to the same

thing in the end。 Well; my dear; you come to me and I'll send Annette

here; and that will be the same thing and different too。〃



〃Old scamp; you'll make her ashamed;〃 said Soudry。



〃Ha! gendarme; you want your field to yourself! Well; we all get our

happiness where we can find it。〃



Jeanette; by her master's order; disappeared to lay out his clothes。



〃You must have promised to marry her when your wife dies;〃 said Rigou。



〃At your age and mine;〃 replied Soudry; 〃there's no other way。〃



〃With girls of any ambition it would be one way to become a widower;〃

added Rigou; 〃especially if Madame Soudry found fault with Jeannette

for her way of scrubbing the staircase。〃



The remark made the two husbands pensive。 When Jeannette returned and

announced that all was ready; Soudry said to her; 〃Come and help me!〃

a precaution which made the ex…monk smile。



〃There's a difference; indeed!〃 said he。 〃As for me; I'd leave you

alone with Annette; my good friend。〃



A quarter of an hour later Soudry; in his best clothes; got into the

wicker carriage; and the two friends drove round the lake of Soulanges

to Ville…aux…Fayes。



〃Look at it!〃 said Rigou; as they reached an eminence from which the

chateau of Soulanges could be seen in profile。



The old revolutionary put into the tone of his words all the hatred

which the rural middle classes feel to the great chateaux and the

great estates。



〃Yes; but I hope it will never be destroyed as long as I live;〃 said

Soudry。 〃The Comte de Soulanges was my general; he did me kindness; he

got my pension; and he allows Lupin to manage the estate。 After Lupin

some of us will have it; and as long as the Soulanges family exists

they and their property will be respected。 Such folks are large…

minded; they let every one make his profit; and they find it pays。〃



〃Yes; but the Comte de Soulanges has three children; who; at his

death; may not agree;〃 replied Rigou。 〃The husband of his daughter and

his sons may go to law; and end by selling the lead and iron mines to

manufacturers; from whom we shall manage to get them back。〃



The chateau just then showed up in profile; as if to defy the ex…monk。



〃Ah! look at it; in those days they built well;〃 cried Soudry。 〃But

just now Monsieur le Comte is economizing; so as to make Soulanges the

entailed estate of his peerage。〃



〃My dear friend;〃 said Rigou; 〃entailed estates won't exist much

longer。〃



When the topic of public matters was exhausted; the worthy pair began

to discuss the merits of their pretty maids in terms too Burgundian to

be printed here。 That inexhaustible subject carried them so far that

before they knew it they saw the capital of the arrondissement over

which Gaubertin reigned; and which we hope excites enough curiosity in

the reader's mind to justify a short digression。



The name of Ville…aux…Fayes; singular as it is; is explained as the

corruption of the words (in low Latin) 〃Villa in Fago;〃the manor of

the woods。 This name indicates that a forest once covered the delta

formed by the Avonne before it joins its confluent the Yonne。 Some

Frank doubtless built a fortress on the hill which slopes gently to

the long plain。 The savage conqueror separated his vantage…ground from

the delta by a wide and deep moat and made the position a formidable

one; essentially seignorial; convenient for enforcing tolls across the

bridges and for protecting his rights of profit on all grains ground

in the mills。



That is the history of the beginning of Ville…aux…Fayes。 Wherever

feudal or ecclesiastical dominion established there we find gathered

together interests; inhabitants; and; later; towns when the localities

were in a position to maintain them and to found and develop great

industries。 The method of floating timber discovered by Jean Rouvet in

1549; which required certain convenient stations to intercept it; was

the making of Ville…aux…Fayes; which; up to that time; had been;

compared to Soulanges; a mere village。 Ville…aux…Fayes became a

storage place for timber; which covered the shores of the two rivers

for a distance of over thirty miles。 The work of taking out of the

water; computing the lost logs; and making the rafts which the Yonne

carried down to the Seine; brought together a large concourse of

workmen。 Such a population increased consumption and encouraged trade。

Thus Ville…aux…Fayes; which had but six hundred inhabitants at the end

of the seventeenth century; had two thousand in 1790; and Gaubertin

had now raised the number to four thousand; by the following means。



When the legislative assembly decreed the new laying out of territory;

Ville…aux…Fayes; which was situated where; geographically; a sub…

prefecture was needed; was chosen instead of Soulanges as chief town

or capital of the arrondissement。 The increased population of Paris;

by increasing the demand for and the value of wood as fuel;

necessarily increased the commerce of Ville…aux…Fayes。 Gaubertin had

founded his fortune; after lo

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