Volume Ii Part 16 (1/2)
”Do you think so? And a scornful mouth?”
”Oh, no! his smile is very agreeable.”
”What! did he smile while he was talking to us?”
”When I slipped and almost fell, I clung to him, and that made him smile.”
”It's strange; I remember nothing of all that.”
”Oh! the storm was so violent!--Well, I am sure, for my part, that it makes Madame Droguet furious to see we already know that gentleman, who has refused to have anything to do with anyone in the neighborhood!
Just for that reason, I am delighted that she saw him bringing us home.”
The conversation of the two friends was interrupted by sobs from Poucette, who tried in vain to check them. They rose at once to inquire the cause of their servant's grief.
VII
A SALE BY AUTHORITY OF LAW
Little Claudine, Poucette's cousin, had just arrived; her eyes were red, and she too was crying; evidently it was something that she had told Poucette which caused the young peasant to sob so bitterly.
”What is the matter, my child; what makes you so unhappy?” Madame Dalmont asked her servant.
But she, according to the custom of country people, continued to sob and made no reply.
”And you, my girl,” said Agathe to Claudine, ”you are crying too; is it something you have told your cousin that is making her cry?”
”Yes--yes--mamzelle.”
”What misfortune has come upon you? Come, speak.”
”Ye--Ye--yes, madame!”
”Come, Poucette, tell us about it; this child will never be able to, you see.”
The young peasant succeeded at last in forcing back her sobs.
”Madame, Claudine has just told me that they're very unhappy at home. My poor uncle--poor aunt! what is going to become of them! They're going to sell everything in their home to-day, furniture and everything! Mon Dieu! mon Dieu! and turn them out of their cottage, which won't belong to them any more! What is going to become of them! Here, Claudine, I've got three francs left out of my wages, and I'll give 'em to you. Oh! if I had more!”
”You can't have any more, when you give us all you earn!”
”Poor people! why this is frightful!” cried Honorine. ”Who on earth is so hard-hearted as to despoil those unfortunate creatures, who have hardly enough to provide their children with food and shelter?”
”Who? Alas! madame, it's Monsieur Jarnouillard; he has lent small sums to Uncle Guillot at different times. Well! it was a hard winter, and he had four children to take care of, and me too with the rest. It seems that Monsieur Jarnouillard made my uncle sign some bits of paper, so, if he wasn't paid just on the minute, he could take everything my poor uncle owned!”
”And as papa couldn't pay him, although he had given him some money on account,” added Claudine, ”a man all dressed in black came to-day and told mamma that all she could do was to leave the house with the children, but she didn't have any right to take anything away.”
”Oh! what a wretch that Monsieur Jarnouillard is!” cried Agathe, ”he does well not to show his face here, for we would put him out of doors, we wouldn't have him in the house. And these are the people that say unkind things about us, who would be so distressed to cause pain to anyone! Madame Droguet's society contains some most estimable people!”