Volume III Part 26 (1/2)
”Most certainly I do, my friend”
A COUNTRY EXCURSION
For fiveto lunch at sohborhood of Paris, on Mada forward very iot up very early thatMonsieur Dufour had borrowed the milkman's tilted cart, and drove himself It was a very tidy, theeled conveyance, with a hood, and in it the wife, resplendent in a wonderful, sherry-colored, silk dress, sat by the side of her husband
The old grandirl were acco at the botto was to be seen except his head
When they got to the bridge of Neuilly, Monsieur Dufour said: ”Here we are in the country at last!” and at that signal, his wife had grown sentiot to the cross roads at Courbevoie, they were seized with adht, was the spire of Argenteuil church, and above it rose the hills of Sannois, and the eainst the clearsky, and in the distance they could see the terrace of Saint-Germain; and opposite to them, at the end of a low chain of hills, the new fort of Cor way off, beyond the plains and villages, one could see the so to shi+ne in their faces, the dust got into their eyes, and on either side of the road there stretched an interly country which sht that it had been ravaged by the pestilence, which had even attacked the buildings, for skeletons of dilapidated and deserted houses, or ses, which were left in an unfinished state, as the contractors had not been paid, reared their four roofless walls on each side
Here and there tall factory chietation on that putrid land, where the spring breezes wafted an odor of petroleuled with another sreeable At last, however, they crossed the Seine a second tie The river sparkled in the sun, and they had a feeling of quiet satisfaction and enjoynated by the black sht soil A man whom they met, told them that the name of the place was _Bezons_, and so Monsieur Dufour pulled up, and read the attractive announce-house: _Restaurant Poulin, stews and fried fish, private roos_
”Well! Madame Dufour, will this suit you? Will you make up your mind at last?”
She read the announcement in her turn, and then looked at the house for a time
It was a white, country inn, built by the road side, and through the open door she could see the bright zinc of the counter, at which tork At last she made up her mind, and said:
”Yes, this will do; and, besides, there is a view”
So they drove into a large yard with trees in it, behind the inn, which was only separated froot out The husband sprang out first, and then held out his arh, Madame Dufour, in order to reach him, had to show the lower part of her limbs, whose former slenderness had disappeared in fat, the Monsieur Dufour, as already getting excited by the country air, pinched her calf, and then taking her in his arround, as if she had been some enormous bundle She shook the dust out of the silk dress, and then looked round, to see in what sort of a place she was
She was a stout wohtful to look at She could hardly breathe, as her stays were laced too tightly, and their pressure forced the heaving mass of her superabundant bosoirl put her hand onto her father's shoulder, and juot down by stepping on the wheel, and he helped Monsieur Dufour to get his grandmother out Then they unharnessed the horse, which they tied up to a tree, and the carriage fell back, with both shafts in the air The men took off their coats, and washed their hands in a pail of water, and then went and joined their ladies who had already taken possession of the swings
Made up, but she could not succeed in getting a start She was a pretty girl of about eighteen; one of those women who suddenly excite your desire when you ue feeling of uneasiness, and of excited senses She was tall, had a se eyes, and very black hair Her dress clearly ure, which was accentuated by the her Her arms were stretched over her head to hold the rope, so that her bosoust of wind had blown off, was hanging behind her, and as the swing gradually rose higher and higher, she showed her delicate limbs up to the knees each time, and the wind from the petticoats, which was more heady than the fumes of wine, blew into the faces of the twoin the other swing, Mada in aup his shi+rt sleeves as if he intended to work very hard, he, with much difficulty set his wife in s out straight, so as not to touch the ground She enjoyed feeling giddy at the ure shook like a jelly on a dish, but as she went higher and higher, she grew too giddy and got frightened Every ti scream which made all the little urchins couely saw a row of hed
When a servant girl came out, they ordered lunch
”Some fried fish, a stewed rabbit, salad, and dessert,” Mada two quarts of beer and a bottle of claret,” her husband said
”We will have lunch on the grass,” the girl added
The grand after one that belonged to the house, and had been bestowing the most affectionate words on it, for the last ten minutes The animal, which was no doubt secretly flattered by her attentions, kept close to the good woman, but just out of reach of her hand, and quietly walked round the trees, against which she rubbed herself, with her tail up, and purring with pleasure
”Hulloh!” the youngabout, suddenly exclaimed, ”here are tell boats!” They all went to look at them, and sao beautiful skiffs in a wooden boat-house, which were as beautifully finished as if they had been objects of luxury They were irls, in their narrow shi+ning length, and excited the wish to float in the the bower-covered banks of the river, where the trees dipped their branches into the water, where the rushes are continually rustling in the breeze, and where the swift king-fishers dart about like flashes of blue lightning