Volume VI Part 4 (1/2)
Faces grew red, and voices rose, as frouests' ears: ”Corton or Chateau-Laroze”
Duroy had found the Corton to his liking, and let his glass be filled every time A delicious liveliness stole over him, a warm cheerfulness, that h his lihout He felt hiht, body and soul
A longing to speak assailed hi himself into notice, to be appreciated like these htest words were relished
But the conversation, which had been going on unchecked, linking ideas one to another, ju from one topic to another at a chance word, a ain on the great question put by Monsieur Morel in the Chaeria
Monsieur Walter, between two courses, made a few jests, for his as skeptical and broad Forestier recited his next day's leader Jacques Rival insisted on a rants to all officers after thirty years of colonial service
”By this plan,” he said, ”you will create an energetic class of colonists, ill have already learned to love and understand the country, and will be acquainted with its language, and with all those grave local questions against which new-comers invariably run their heads”
Norbert de Varenne interrupted hi except agriculture They will speak Arabic, but they will be ignorant how beet-root is planted out and wheat sown They will be good at fencing, but very shaky as regards manures On the contrary, this new land should be thrown entirely open to everyone Intelligent o under It is the social law”
A brief silence followed, and the listeners se Duroy opened hisas much surprised at the sound of his own voice as if he had never heard hiood land The really fertile estates cost as ht up as investments by rich Parisians
The real colonists, the poor felloho leave home for lack of bread, are forced into the desert, where nothing will grow for want of water”
Everyone looked at hi
Monsieur Walter asked: ”Do you know Algeria, sir?”
George replied: ”Yes, sir; I was there nearly two years and a half, and I was quartered in all three provinces”
Suddenly unated hi a detail of manners and customs of which he had been informed by an officer It ith respect to the Mzab, that strange little Arab republic sprung up in the ion
Duroy had twice visited the Mzab, and he narrated soular country, where drops of water are valued as gold; where every inhabitant is bound to discharge all public duties; and where co civilized nations
He spoke with a certain raciness excited by the wine and the desire to please, and told regimental yarns, incidents of Arab life andphrases to depict these bare and yellow lands, eternally laid waste by the devouring fire of the sun
All the women had their eyes turned upon him, and Madame Walter said, in her deliberate tones: ”You couldseries of articles out of your recollections”
Then Walter looked at the young fellow over the glasses of his spectacles, as was his custom when he wanted to see anyone's face distinctly He looked at the dishes underneath them
Forestier seized the opportunity ”My dear sir, I had already spoken to you about Monsieur George Duroy, asking you to letpolitical topics Since Maraent and confidential information, and the paper suffers from it”
Daddy Walter became serious, and pushed his spectacles upon his forehead, in order to look Duroy well in the face Then he said: ”It is true that Monsieur Duroy has evidently an original turn of thought If he will come and have a chat with us to-morrow at three o'clock, ill settle the ht round towards George, he added: ”But write us a little fancy series of articles on Algeria at once Relate your experiences, and mix up the colonization question with theenuine facts, and I areatly please our readers But be quick I must have the first article to- discussed in the Chamber, in order to catch the public”
Madarace which characterized everything she did, and which lent an air of favor to her words: ”And you have a char title, 'Recollections of a Chasseur d'Afrique' Is it not so, Monsieur Norbert?”
The old poet, who had worn renown late in life, feared and hated new-comers He replied dryly: ”Yes, excellent, provided that the keynote be followed, for that is the great difficulty; the exact note, what in music is called the pitch”
Madalance, the glance of a connoisseur, which seeet on”
Madame de Marelle had turned towards him several tih the drop of water was about to fall