Part 12 (2/2)
”My poor Sans-Souci! there are some people that live on the fat of the land without ever turning their hand; and others, with the best will in the world to work, can't find any way to earn their living.”
”Bah! you always look at the dark side. Didn't your journey turn out well? You came into this region for some purpose.”
”Oh! I found more than I expected.”
”And you are not satisfied?”
”I have no reason to be. I just saw my brother, and he received me like a beggar.”
”Your brother is a wild Indian, whom I would beat with the flat of my sword if I still had one.”
”My dress, my face, and my long moustaches--he didn't like any of them.”
”That's a great pity! Didn't he see that token of your valor?”
”No, it was out of sight, and I am very glad of it; my brother isn't capable of appreciating what I have here, and I propose to make him blush for his treatment of me some day.”
”So your brother is a rich man?”
”Yes, yes.”
”A swell?”
”Yes.”
”So you have a family, have you?”
”To be sure.”
”Ah! that's something I haven't got. I never knew father or mother. I am a natural child; and it doesn't prevent me from going my way with my head up, because my ancestors' brats don't look at me; and besides that, in the days of our first parents, there wasn't any notaries, and that doesn't prevent the descendants of Cain from being very well thought of in the world. In fact our sergeant, who could talk very well when he wasn't tight, told me that love children made their way better than other children; and on that subject quoted a long list of names that I won't undertake to repeat, because I've forgotten them.--But let's return to your business. You never mentioned your family or your adventures to me; we knew each other in the regiment, and we made several campaigns together; we both had the jaundice in Spain, and frozen feet in Russia; and I say that such things are very good at cementing friends.h.i.+p; you won the cross and I didn't--that's the only difference between us; but you well earned it; you saved the colonel's life. But, the excellent man! that didn't prevent his being killed the next day; it was unlucky that you couldn't always be on hand.--Well, after a great many things had happened, they disbanded us! That's a pity, for perhaps we might have become marshals of France. In order to comfort each other, we stayed together, except that you came alone to this village, while I went to a place nearby to look after a little brunette, whom I courted long ago and who swore a bullet-proof fidelity to me!”
”Well, did you find your brunette?”
”Pardieu, yes! Oh! I tell you that there's some a.n.a.logy between our destinies: while your brother was receiving you so cordially, my sweetheart came to me with three children she had had during my absence, and another half way along. You can imagine that there was nothing to say to that. My first impulse was to give her a good thras.h.i.+ng, but I reflected that the poor child might well have thought me dead and that calmed me down. I kissed my faithless one, and while her children were splas.h.i.+ng in the mud with the ducks, and her husband cutting wood, we made peace; in fact, we did better than that, for I mean to have something to do with the fourth, which she began while waiting for me; so we parted good friends and I came off!”
”Poor Sans-Souci! Women are no better than men, but men are simply less skilful at concealing their falseness! I have learned to know the world, I tell you, and I ought to have guessed what sort of welcome my brother would have given me. But one always hopes, and that is where one makes a mistake.”
”Come, tell me your adventures; we are in the open air, no one can hear us, and no one will disturb us; and while I listen to you, I will rest and smoke a cigar.”
”Well! all right; I will tell you what has happened to me since I was fifteen years old, for that was the time that I began my cruising.”
Jacques unb.u.t.toned his coat, leaned back against the tree and made ready to relate his adventures to his comrade; while he, having taken a flint and steel from his pocket and lighted a cigar, gravely placed it in his mouth, in order to listen to his companion's narrative with twofold enjoyment.
IX
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