Volume I Part 45 (1/2)

”I saw the priest, who had re heartily, and I began to laugh inthe nun to the seats I said: 'Sit down, Sister: we are very proud and very happy that you have accepted our unpretentious invitation'

”She took three chairs which stood against the wall, set them before the fire, led her three old women to them, settled them on them, took their sticks and shahich she put into a corner, and then, pointing to the first, a thin wo from the dropsy, she said: 'This is Mother Pau from a roof, and whose son died in Africa; she is sixty years old' Then she pointed to another, a tall woly: 'This is Mother Jean-Jean, who is sixty-seven She is nearly blind, for her face was terribly singed in a fire, and her right leg was half burnt off'

”Then she pointed to the third, a sort of dwarf, with protruding, round, stupid eyes, which she rolled incessantly in all directions 'This is la Putois, an idiot She is only forty-four'

”I bowed to the three wo to the priest I said: 'You are an excellent ratitude'

”Everybody was laughing, in fact, except Marchas, who seeny cried: 'Sister Saint-Benedict, supper is on the table!'

”I o first with the priest, then I helped up Mother Paued her into the next room, which was no easy task, for her swollen stomach seeave her arm to Mother Jean-Jean, who bemoaned her crutch, and little Joseph Herbon took the idiot, la Putois to the dining-room, which was filled with the odor of the viands

”As soon as ere opposite our plates, the Sister clapped her hands three ti arn of the cross, and then the priest slowly repeated the _Benedictus_ in Latin Then we sat down, and the tls appeared, brought in by Marchas, who chose to wait on theuest, to this ridiculous repast

”But I cried: 'Bring the chane at once!' and a cork flew out with the noise of a pistol, and in spite of the resistance of the priest and the kind Sister, the three hussars sitting by the side of the three invalids, elasses down their throats, by force

”Massouligny, who possessed the faculty of ood terms with everyone, wherever he was, made love to Mother Paumelle, in the drollest manner The dropsical woman, who had retained her cheerfulness in spite of her h falsetto voice which appeared as if it were put on, and she laughed so heartily at her neighbor's jokes, that her large stoet onto the table

Little Herbon had seriously undertaken the task ofthe idiot drunk, and Baron d'Etreillis whose ere not always particularly sharp, was questioning old Jean-Jean about the life, the habits, and the rules in the hospital

”The nun said to Massouligny in consternation: 'Oh! oh! you will h like that, Monsieur Oh!

Monsieur' Then she got up and rushed at Herbon to take a full glass out of his hands which he was hastily e down la Putois' throat, while the priest shook with laughter, and said to the Sister: 'Never mind, just this once, it will not hurt her Do leave them alone'

”After the tls they ate the duck, which was flanked by the three pigeons and the blackbird, and then the goose appeared, s a war lively, clapped her hands; la Jean-Jean left off answering the Baron's nurunts of pleasure, half cries and half sighs, like little children do when one shows thee of this animal,'

the _Cure_ said 'I understand these sort of operations better than most people' 'Certainly, Monsieur l'Abbe,' and the Sister said: 'Hoould it be to open thea little; they are too warm, and I am afraid they will be ill'

”I turned to Marchas: 'Open thefor a minute' He did so, the cold outer air as it caoose, which the _Cure_ was scientifically carving, with a table napkin round his neck, whirl about We watched hi now, for ere interested in his attractive handiwork, and seized with renewed appetite at the sight of that enorolden-colored bird, whose liravy at the bottoreedy silence which kept us all attentive, the distant report of a shot came in at the open

”I started to my feet so quickly, that my chair fell down behind me, and I shouted: 'Mount, all of you! You, Marchas, will take two o and see what it is I shall expect you back here in five allop through the night, I got into the saddle withhussars, in front of the steps of the villa, while the _Cure_, the Sister and the three old wohtened faces at the

”We heard nothingin the distance The rain had ceased, and it was cold, very cold, and soon I heard the gallop of a horse, of a single horse, co back It was Marchas, and I called out to hi; Francois has wounded an old peasant who refused to answer his challenge: ”Who goes there?” and who continued to advance, in spite of the order to keep off; but they are bringing hiave orders for the horses to be put back into the stable, and I sent my two soldiers to meet the others, and returned to the house Then the _Cure_, Marchas and I took a mattress into the room to put the wounded man on; the Sister tore up a table napkin, in order to htened women remained huddled up in a corner

”Soon I heard the rattle of sabres on the road, and I took a candle to show a light to thethat inert, soft, long and sinister object which a huer sustains it

”They put the wounded man on the mattress that had been prepared for hi He had the death rattle and was spitting up blood, which ran out of the corners of his asps The man was covered with it! His cheeks, his beard, his hair, his neck and his clothes seemed to have been rubbed, to have been dipped in a red tub; and that blood stuck to him, and had become a dull color, which was horrible to look at

”The old e shepherd's cloak, occasionally opened his dull, vacant eyes, which seemed stupid with astonishment, like those of animals which a sportsman kills, and which fall at his feet, more than half dead already, stupefied with fear and astonishment

”The _Cure_ exclaimed: 'Ah! there is old Placide, the shepherd, fro Ah! Oh God! they have killed the unhappy man!' The Sister had opened his blouse and shi+rt, and was looking at a little blue hole in theanyto be done,' she said

”The shepherd was gasping terribly and bringing up blood with every last breath, and in his throat, to the very depth of his lungs, they could hear an o in front of hin of the cross, and in a slow and solemn voice pronounced the Latin words which purify men's souls, but before they were finished the oldhad broken inside hier breathed He was dead