Volume II Part 5 (1/2)
And they set off towards the village, whose red tiles could be seen through the leafless trees a quarter of a league off Service was just going to begin when they went through the village The square was full of people, who ies to see the cri followed by a crowd of excited children, pass Male and feendar to throw stones at him, to tear his skin with their nails, to trample him under their feet They asked each other whether he had committed murder or robbery The butcher, as an ex-Spahl, declared that he was a deserter The tobacconist thought that he recognized hi passed a bad half franc piece off on hier declared that he was thefor, for six months
In the hall of the municipal council, into which his custodians took hiisterial bench, with the schoolistrate exclaiain, my fine fellow I told you I should have you locked up Well, brigadier, what is he charged with?”
”He is a vagabond without house or home, Monsieur le Maire, without any resources or , but he is provided with good testimonials, and his papers are all in order”
”Show me his papers,” the mayor said He took them, read them, reread, returned them, and then said: ”Search hi, and the Mayor seemed perplexed, and asked the work?” ”I was looking for work” ”Work? On the highroad?” ”How do you expect me to find any, if I hid in the woods?”
They looked at each other, with the hatred of tild beasts which belong to different, hostile species, and theto have you set at liberty but do not be brought up before ain” To which the carpenter replied: ”I would rather you lockedabout the country” But the istrate replied severely: ”Be silent” And then he said to the two gendarmes: ”You will conduct this e, and let hi to eat,” the worknant: ”It only re!” But Randel went on firain, you will force me to commit a crime, and then, so much the worse for you other fat fellows”
The Mayor had risen, and he repeated: ”Take hiry”
The two gendared him out He allowed theain, and found hihroad once more; and when the e, the brigadier said: ”Now off with you, and do not let ain, for if I do you will know it”
Randel went off without replying, or knohere he was going He walked on for a quarter of an hour or twentyBut suddenly, as he was passing a small house, where the as half open, the smell of the soup and boiled er, fierce, devouring, ainst the walls of the house, like a wild beast
He said aloud, in a gruive orously with his stick, and as nobody came he knocked louder and called out: ”He! he!
you people in there, open the door!” And then, as nothing moved, he went up to the , and pushed it open with his hand, and the close warm air of the kitchen, full of the se escaped into the cold, outer air, and with a bound the carpenter was in the house Two covers were laid on the table, and no doubt the proprietors of the house, on going to church, had left their dinner on the fire, their nice, Sunday boiled beef and vegetable soup, while there was a loaf of new bread on the chimney-piece, between two bottles which seemed full
Randel seized the bread first of all, and broke it with as an to eat it voraciously, sing great mouthfuls quickly But almost immediately the s taken off the lid of the saucepan, he plunged a fork into it and brought out a large piece of beef tied with a string Then he took e, carrots and onions until his plate was full, and having put it onto the table, he sat down before it, cut the meat into four pieces, and dined as if he had been at home When he had eaten nearly all the etables, he felt thirsty, and took one of the bottles off the mantel-piece
Scarcely had he poured the liquor into his glass, than he saas brandy Soand would instill soht, after being so cold; and he drank sorown unaccustolassful, which he drank at two gulps And then, alht-hearted froreat happiness were flowing through his syste his bread into the soup His skin had beco, and especially his forehead, where the veins were throbbing But suddenly the church bells began to ring; Mass was over, and instinct rather than fear, the instinct of prudence which guides all beings, and et up He put the remains of the loaf into one pocket, and the brandy bottle into the other, and he furtively went to theand looked out into the road It was still deserted, so he ju the highroad, he ran across the fields towards a hich he saw a little way off
He felt alert, strong, light-hearted, glad of what he had done, and so ni over the enclosures of the fields at a single bound and as soon as he was under the trees, he took the bottle out of his pocket again and began to drink once an to get confused, his eyes grew di the old popular song
_Oh! how nice, how nice it is, To pick the sweet, wild strawberries_
He was noalking on thick, damp, cool moss and that soft carpet under his feet made him feel absurdly inclined to turn head over heels, like he used to do as a child, so he took a run, turned a soain And between each tiain:
_Oh! how nice, how nice it is, To pick the sweet, wild strawberries_
Suddenly he found hie of a deep road and in the road he saw a tall girl, a servant as returning to the village with two pails of ht as those of a dog who scents a quail, but she saw hi like that?” He did not reply, however, but juh it was at least six feet down, and when she saw hi in front of her, she exclaihtened me!”
But he did not hear her for he was drunk, he was mad, excited by another requireer, more feverish than alcohol; by the irresistible fury of thefor two , ardent and inflamed by all the appetites which nature has iirl started back frohtened at his face, his eyes, his half open mouth, his outstretched hands, but he seized her by the shoulders, and without a word, threw her down in the road
She let her two pails fall and they rolled over noisily, all thethat it would be of no use to call for help in that lonely spot and seeing that he was not going to make an attempt on her life, she yielded without ry neither, for he was a strong young fellow, but really not too rough
When she got up, the thought of her overturned pails suddenly filled her with fury and taking off one of her wooden clogs, she threw it, in her turn, at the man to break his head, if he did not pay her for herthe reason for this sudden violent attack, sohtened at what he had done, ran off as fast as he could while she threw stones at hi ti, until he felt s were so weak that they could scarcely carry him; all his ideas were confused, he lost the recollection of everything, and could no longer think about anything; and so he sat down at the foot of a tree, and in five minutes was fast asleep He was soon awakened, however, by a rough shake and on opening his eyes he sao cocked hats of polished leather bending over hi hiain,” said the brigadier, jeeringly But Randel got up without replying The two men shook him, quite ready to ill treat him if he made a movement, for he was their prey now, he had becoht by those hunters of criain