Volume II Part 4 (2/2)

Randel was hungry, with the hunger of soer as drives wolves to attack er strides, so as not to take soin his tehtly in his hand, with a longing to strike the first passer-by who home to supper, with all his force

He looked at the sides of the road with the iround before his eyes; if he had found any, he would have gathered some dead wood, made a fire in the ditch, and have had a capital supper off the waretables, which he would first of all have held burning hot, in his cold hands But it was too late in the year, and he would have to gnaw a raw beetroot, as he had done the day before, which he picked up in a field

For the last two days he had spoken aloud as he quickened his steps, under the influence of his thoughts He had never thought, hitherto, as he had given all his mind, all his siue, and this desperate search for hich he could not get, refusals and rebuffs, nights spent in the open-air, lying on the grass, long fasting, the conteabond, and that question which he was continually asked: ”Why do you not re able to use his strong aror, the recollection of his relations who had remained at horees with rage, which had been accu every day, every hour, every minute, and which now escaped his lips in spite of hi sentences

As he sturusto let a snot two pencenot two penceand now it is raininga set of hogs!”

He was indignant at the injustice of fate, and cast the blareat, blind mother, is unjust, cruel and perfidious, and he repeated through his clenched teeth: ”A set of hogs,”

as he looked at the thin gray smoke which rose fro about that other injustice, which is human, and which is called robbery and violence, he felt inclined to go into one of those houses to murder the inhabitants, and to sit down to table, in their stead

He said to hi erand yet I only ask for worka set of hogs!” And the pain in his li in his heart rose to his head like terrible intoxication, and gave rise to this siht to live because I breathe, and because the air is the coht to leave me without bread!”

A fine, thick, icy cold rain was co down and he stopped andbefore I get ho home then; for he saw that he should more easily find work in his native tohere he was known,--and he did not h roads, where everybody suspected hi well he would turn day-laborer, be a mason's hodman, ditcher, break stones on the road If he only earned tenpence a day, that would at any rate find hi to eat

He tied the remains of his last pocket handkerchief round his neck, to prevent the cold water fro down his back and chest; but he soon found that it was penetrating the thin lanced round hionized look of a man who does not knohere to hide his body and to rest his head, and has no place of shelter in the whole world

Night came on, and wrapped the country in obscurity, and in the distance, in a rass; it was a cow, and so he got over the ditch by the roadside and went up to her, without exactly knohat he was doing When he got close to her, she raised her great head to hiet a little milk” He looked at the cow, and the cow looked at hi her a violent kick in the side, he said: ”Get up!”

The ani down below her; then the s, and he drank for a long ti her warm swollen teats which tasted of the cow stall, with both hands, and he drank as long as any an to fall more heavily, and he saw no place of shelter on the whole of that bare plain

He was cold, and he looked set a light which was shi+ning a the trees, in theof a house

The cow had lain down again, heavily, and he sat down by her side and stroked her head, grateful for the nourish, thick breath, which ca air, blew onto the workman's face, who said: ”You are not cold, inside there!” He put his hands onto her chest and under her legs to find soht pass the night against that large, warm stoainst the great udder which had quenched his thirst just previously, and then, as he orn-out with fatigue, he fell asleep immediately

He woke up, however, several ti as he put one or the other to the animal's flank Then he turned over to warm and dry that part of his body which had reht air, and he soon went soundly to sleep again

The crowing of a cock woke hi and the sky was bright The coas resting, with heron his hands, to kiss those wide nostrils of moist flesh, and said: ”Good-bye, my beautyuntil next timeyou are a nice animalGood-bye ” Then he put on his shoes and went off, and for two hours he walked straight on before hi the sarass It was broad daylight by that ti; men in blue blouses, woan to pass along the road, going to the neighboring villages to spend Sunday with friends or relations

A stout peasant ca sheep in front of hiot up and raising his cap, he said: ”You do not happen to have any work for a ry look at the vagabond, replied: ”I have no work for fellohom I meet on the road”

And the carpenter went back, and sat down by the side of the ditch again He waited there for a long ti for a kind compassionate face, before he renewed his request, and finally selected a old chain ”I have been looking for work,” he said, ”for the last two months and cannot find any, and I have not a half-penny in entleman replied: ”You should have read the notice which is stuck up at the beginning of the village: _Begging is prohibited within the boundaries of this parish_ Let et out of here pretty quickly, I shall have you arrested”

Randel, as getting angry, replied: ”Have me arrested if you like; I should prefer it, for at any rate I should not die of hunger” And he went back and sat down by the side of his ditch again, and in about a quarter of an hour two gendar slowly, side by side, well in sight, glittering in the sun with their shi+ning hats, their yellow accouterhten evildoers, and to put the after him, but he did not move, for he was seized with a sudden desire to defy thee later

They ca withtheoose_ steps; and then suddenly as they passed him, they appeared to have noticed hily, and the brigadier ca here?” ”I a,” the man replied, calmly ”Where do you come from?” ”If I had to tell you all the places I have been to, it would taketo?” ”To Ville-Avary”

”Where is that?” ”In La Manche” ”Is that where you belong to?” ”It is”

”Why did you leave it?” ”To try for work”

The brigadier turned to his gendarry voice of a man who is exasperated at last by the same trick: ”They all say that, these scamps I know all about it” And then he continued: ”Have you any papers?” ”Yes, I have some” ”Give them to me”

Randel took his papers out of his pockets; his certificates, those poor worn-out, dirty papers which were falling to pieces, and gave the and then having seen that they were all in order, he gave them back to Randel with the dissatisfied look of a man whom someone cleverer than himself has tricked

After a few moments' further reflection, he asked him: ”Have you any money on you?” ”No” ”None whatever?” ”None” ”Not even a sou?” ”Not even a sou!” ”How do you live then?” ”On what people give ?” And Randel answered resolutely: ”Yes, when I can”

Then the gendarabondage and begging, without any resources or trade, and so I coot up and said: ”Wherever you please” And placing himself between the two soldiers, even before he had received the order to do so, he added: ”Come, lock me up; that will at any rate put a roof over my head when it rains”