贝壳电子书 > 英文原著电子书 > sons of the soil >

第9章

sons of the soil-第9章

小说: sons of the soil 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




excitements:



〃Don't you see him; there; along the rocks?〃



Blondet; placed by direction of the old fellow in such a way that the

sun was in his eyes; thrashed the water with much satisfaction to

himself。



〃Go on; go on!〃 cried Pere Fourchon; 〃on the rock side; the burrow is

there; to your left!〃



Carried away by excitement and by his long waiting; Blondet slipped

from the stones into the water。



〃Ha! brave you are; my good gentleman! Twenty good Gods! I see him

between your legs! you'll have him! Ah! there! he's gonehe's

gone!〃 cried the old man; in despair。



Then; in the fury of the chase; the old fellow plunged into the

deepest part of the stream in front of Blondet。



〃It's your fault we've lost him!〃 he cried; as Blondet gave him a hand

to pull him out; dripping like a triton; and a vanquished triton。 〃The

rascal; I see him; under those rocks! He has let go his fish;〃

continued Fourchon; pointing to something that floated on the surface。

〃We'll have that at any rate; it's a tench; a real tench。〃



Just then a groom in livery on horseback and leading another horse by

the bridle galloped up the road toward Conches。



〃See! there's the chateau people sending after you;〃 said the old man。

〃If you want to cross back again I'll give you a hand。 I don't mind

about getting wet; it saves washing!〃



〃How about rheumatism?〃



〃Rheumatism! don't you see the sun has browned our legs; Mouche and

me; like tobacco…pipes。 Here; lean on me; my good gentlemanyou're

from Paris; you don't know; though you DO know so much; how to walk on

our rocks。 If you stay here long enough; you'll learn a deal that's

written in the book o' nature;you who write; so they tell me; in the

newspapers。〃



Blondet had reached the bank before Charles; the groom; perceived him。



〃Ah; monsieur!〃 he cried; 〃you don't know how anxious Madame has been

since she heard you had gone through the gate of Conches; she was

afraid you were drowned。 They have rung the great bell three times;

and Monsieur le cure is hunting for you in the park。〃



〃What time is it; Charles?〃



〃A quarter to twelve。〃



〃Help me to mount。〃



〃Ha!〃 exclaimed the groom; noticing the water that dripped from

Blondet's boots and trousers; 〃has monsieur been taken in by Pere

Fourchon's otter?〃



The words enlightened the journalist。



〃Don't say a word about it; Charles;〃 he cried; 〃and I'll make it all

right with you。〃



〃Oh; as for that!〃 answered the man; 〃Monsieur le comte himself has

been taken in by that otter。 Whenever a visitor comes to Les Aigues;

Pere Fourchon sets himself on the watch; and if the gentleman goes to

see the sources of the Avonne he sells him the otter; he plays the

trick so well that Monsieur le comte has been here three times and

paid him for six days' work; just to stare at the water!〃



〃Heavens!〃 thought Blondet。 〃And I imagined I had seen the greatest

comedians of the present day!Potier; the younger Baptiste; Michot;

and Monrose。 What are they compared to that old beggar?〃



〃He is very knowing at the business; Pere Fourchon is;〃 continued

Charles; 〃and he has another string to his bow; besides。 He calls

himself a rope…maker; and has a walk under the park wall by the gate

of Blangy。 If you merely touch his rope he'll entangle you so cleverly

that you will want to turn the wheel and make a bit of it yourself;

and for that you would have to pay a fee for apprenticeship。 Madame

herself was taken in; and gave him twenty francs。 Ah! he is the king

of tricks; that old fellow!〃



The groom's gossip set Blondet thinking of the extreme craftiness and

wiliness of the French peasant; of which he had heard a great deal

from his father; a judge at Alencon。 Then the satirical meaning hidden

beneath Pere Fourchon's apparent guilelessness came back to him; and

he owned himself 〃gulled〃 by the Burgundian beggar。



〃You would never believe; monsieur;〃 said Charles; as they reached the

portico at Les Aigues; 〃how much one is forced to distrust everybody

and everything in the country;especially here; where the general is

not much liked〃



〃Why not?〃



〃That's more than I know;〃 said Charles; with the stupid air servants

assume to shield themselves when they wish not to answer their

superiors; which nevertheless gave Blondet a good deal to think of。



〃Here you are; truant!〃 cried the general; coming out on the terrace

when he heard the horses。 〃Here he is; don't be uneasy!〃 he called

back to his wife; whose little footfalls were heard behind him。 〃Now

the Abbe Brossette is missing。 Go and find him; Charles;〃 he said to

the groom。







CHAPTER III



THE TAVERN



The gate of Blangy; built by Bouret; was formed of two wide pilasters

of projecting rough…hewn stone; each surmounted by a dog sitting on

his haunches and holding an escutcheon between his fore paws。 The

proximity of a small house where the steward lived dispensed with the

necessity for a lodge。 Between the two pilasters; a sumptuous iron

gate; like those made in Buffon's time for the Jardin des Plantes;

opened on a short paved way which led to the country road (formerly

kept in order by Les Aigues and the Soulanges family) which unites

Conches; Cerneux; Blangy; and Soulanges to Ville…aux…Fayes; like a

wreath; for the whole road is lined with flowering hedges and little

houses covered with roses and honey…suckle and other climbing plants。



There; along a pretty wall which extends as far as a terrace from

which the land of Les Aigues falls rapidly to the valley till it meets

that of Soulanges; are the rotten posts; the old wheel; and the forked

stakes which constituted the manufactory of the village rope…maker。



Soon after midday; while Blondet was seating himself at table opposite

the Abbe Brossette and receiving the tender expostulations of the

countess; Pere Fourchon and Mouche arrived at this establishment。 From

that vantage…ground Pere Fourchon; under pretence of rope…making;

could watch Les Aigues and see every one who went in and out。 Nothing

escaped him; the opening of the blinds; tete…a…tete loiterings; or the

least little incidents of country life; were spied upon by the old

fellow; who had set up this business within the last three years;a

trifling circumstance which neither the masters; nor the servants; nor

the keepers of Les Aigues had as yet remarked upon。



〃Go round to the house by the gate of the Avonne while I put away the

tackle;〃 said Pere Fourchon to his attendant; 〃and when you have

blabbed about the thing; they'll no doubt send after me to the Grand…

I…Vert; where I am going for a drop of drink;for it makes one

thirsty enough to wade in the water that way。 If you do just as I tell

you; you'll hook a good breakfast out of them; try to meet the

countess; and give a slap at me; and that will put it into her head to

come and preach morality or something! There's lots of good wine to

get out of it。〃



After these last instructions; which the sly look in Mouche's face

rendered quite superfluous; the old peasant; hugging the otter under

his arm; disappeared along the country road。



Half…way between the gate and the village there stood; at the time

when Emile Blondet stayed at Les Aigues; one of those houses which are

never seen but in parts of France where stone is scarce。 Bits of

bricks picked up anywhere; cobblestones set like diamonds in the clay

mud; formed very solid walls; though worn in places; the roof was

supported by stout branches and covered with rushes and straw; while

the clumsy shutters and the broken doorin short; everything about

the cottage was the product of lucky finds; or of gifts obtained by

begging。



The peasant has an instinct for his habitation like that of an animal

for its nest or its burrow; and this instinct was very marked in all

the arrangements of this cottage。 In the first place; the door and the

window looked to the nor

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的