Chapter 12 third chapter

The seasons are gradually becoming more pleasant.As soon as the course was over, I took Marceline to Molinieres, because the doctor said that the danger period was over, and that if she wanted to recover she had better go to a place with fresh air.I myself need a break too.I kept vigil almost every day, and I was always in fear, especially during the embolism attack of Marceline, I felt a kind of flesh-and-blood pity for her, and I felt her heart beating wildly. As a result, I was exhausted and seemed to be seriously ill. one game. I would have liked to take Marceline to the mountains; but she expressed her desire to return to Normandy, saying that the climate was best for her, and reminding me that I should go and see those two farms, which I took lightly. up.She tried her best to persuade me that since I took the responsibility, I must do well.As soon as we got there, she urged me to inspect the grounds... I can't tell if there was a great deal of self-sacrifice in her enthusiastic insistence; Taking care of her by her side gave me a feeling of not being free enough... Marceline's condition did improve, and her cheeks began to turn rosy.I was so relieved to see her smile less sad; I could go out with confidence.

And just like that, I went back to the farm.At that time, the first crop of forage grass was being cut.Pollen and fragrance floated in the air, like alcohol, which made me drunk all at once.It seems like I haven't breathed in since last year, or only inhaled dust; it's so refreshing to inhale the sweet air now.I sat on the slope as if drunk, looked down at Molinier, saw its blue roof, the mirror water of the pond; some of the surrounding fields were harvested, and some were still green; It is the woods, where Charles and I rode horses last fall.The song had been in my ears for a while, and now it was coming closer; it was sung by a hay-tender with a fork and a rake on his shoulder.I recognized almost all of them; it was a bummer that they reminded me that I was the host there, not a wandering tourist.I went up to them, smiled at them, talked to them, asked each one carefully.That morning, Bogari reported to me the growth of the crops; and before that, he also wrote regularly to keep me informed of various details that happened on the farm.It seemed to be doing well, much better than he had estimated to me.However, there are a few important things that I still need to decide; for the past few days, I have managed everything with all my heart, and although I am not in the mood, I can always pretend to be busy to pass my boring days.

As soon as Marceline recovered, several friends came to visit.The closeness and quietness of this circle of people won the favor of Maceline, and it made it easier for me to go out.I still like the farm people and find it rewarding to be in their company, not so much by asking them all the time; the joy I feel around them is indescribable: it's as if I feel it through them.The mere sight of these paupers gave me a lasting novelty, yet I knew what our friends were talking about before they even opened their mouths. If at first they responded to my inquiries with more condescension than I did, after a while they got to know me a little better.I always try to get in touch with them as much as possible, not only going to the fields with them, but also visiting them in entertainment venues.I am less interested in their dull minds than in watching them eat, listening to their jokes, and lovingly watching their merrymaking.Speaking of something like a vibe, like the way Maceline's heart beats mine, there is an instant resonance with every feeling in another person; the resonance is not vague, but clear and strong.I feel the soreness of the lawnmowers in my arms; I see them tired and I am tired; I see them drink cider and I feel my thirst quenched and the wine run down my throat.One day when they were sharpening a knife, one man cut a deep gash in his thumb, and I felt the pain to the bone.

It seems that I do not rely solely on vision to observe the scene, but also rely on some kind of contact to feel, and this contact is also infinitely enlarged by strange induction. As soon as Bojari came, I felt a little uncomfortable, and I had to put on the airs of my master, which was really boring.Of course, I should command or command, but command the hired men in my own way; I don't ride anymore, for fear of appearing superior to them.In order to make them no longer mind and be restrained when they are with me, although I am careful, I still want to pry into other people's private affairs as before.I always felt that each of their lives was mysterious, partly hidden.What do they do when I'm not there?I do not believe that they have other diversions, and presume that each of them has a secret, and therefore must find out.I hang around and stalk, especially the roughest of people.As if expecting their ignorance to shed light to enlighten me.

There is one person who particularly attracts me.He was good-looking, tall, and not stupid at all, but he did what he wanted, abruptly, and on the spur of the moment.He was not a native, hired by chance on a farm; two days' hard work, and the third day he was drunk.One night, I quietly went to see him in the barn, and saw him lying drunk in the haystack, sound asleep.How long have I gazed at him! ...He came and went without a trace, and suddenly one day he left.I wanted to know where he had gone; I was so annoyed when I heard that Bogaz had dismissed him that evening, I sent for Bogaz. "It seems that you dismissed Pierre," I began, "why?"

I tried my best to control my anger, but he was still stunned for a moment when he heard this: "Sir, he will never keep a drunk, right? He is a black sheep, and he ruined all the best hired workers." "Who I want to keep is better than you." "That's a tramp! Don't even know where he came from. A man like that can do no good here. Maybe Monsieur will be happy when he sets fire to the barn some night." "Anyway, this is my business. The farm is still mine after all. I can manage it as I like. In the future, if you want to drive someone away, please tell me the reason in advance."

As I said before, Bojari watched me grow up and loved me very much. No matter how harsh my tone was, he would not get angry or even take it seriously.Such is the nature of the Norman peasants, that they tend not to believe in things for which they do not understand their motives, that is, things that do not concern their own interests.Bogari only regarded my reproach as a whim. However, after a warning, I could not end the conversation. I felt that my words were too violent, and I wanted to find something else to say. "Is your son Charles coming back soon?" I pondered for a moment and finally asked.

"I saw that Mr. didn't take him to heart at all, so I thought you had forgotten him long ago." Bogari replied a little bit angry. "I, forget about him, Bogari! How is that possible? How well we cooperated last year! I still rely on him to a large extent for the affairs of the farm." "Sir is really kind to others. In a week, Charles will be back." "Well, Bogari, I'm so glad." I let him back off. Bojari hit the nail on the head: Although I didn't put Charles in the back of my mind, I didn't take him anymore either.I was so intimate with him before, but now I have no interest in him. How can this be explained?It seems that my mind and taste are very different from last year.To be honest, I am not as interested in the two farms as I am in the hired workers.If I want to associate with them, Charles will be in the way if I don't leave my side.So, though the thought of him revived my old excitement, I could not help feeling a little apprehensive at the nearness of his return.

He is back.what!How right I am to worry, and how insightful Menalke is to deny all memory!It was not the old Charles that I saw coming in, but a gentleman in a top hat, who looked both ridiculous and stupid.God!How much he has changed!I was rather restrained and embarrassed, but I could not be too indifferent to him with the joy of seeing him reunited with me; but his joy also disgusted me, and his appearance seemed awkward and insincere.I received him in the living room, and as it was getting late, I couldn't see his face clearly; when the palm lamp came on, I found that he had grown a beard, and I felt a little disgusted.

The conversation that night was pretty boring; I knew he was going to stay on the farm and I didn't go at all, and for nearly a week I buried myself in research and among the guests.Later, when I went out again, I immediately found a new job. A group of lumberjacks came from the woods.A portion of wood is sold every year.The forest is divided into twelve equal parts, and each year can provide several large trees that no longer grow, and low trees that can be used as firewood for twelve years. This kind of business is closed in winter, and according to the terms of the sale contract, the loggers must transport all the felled trees before the beginning of spring.However, the old lumber merchant Ertewang who directed the felling was very procrastinating. Often in spring, the felled trees were still piled up in a haphazard manner, and tender new shoots grew among the dead branches; Many new seedlings will be destroyed.

This year, the buyer, Erte Wang, is so sloppy that we worry about it.Since there was no competition from buyers, I had to sell at a low price.He bought the trees at such a cheap price, no matter what, he would be sure to make a profit, so he delayed starting work, and it was delayed week by week; Talk about busying with other jobs... There are so many tricks, who can tell?Dragging left and right, until midsummer, a tree has not been transported away. If last year I would have lost my temper, this year I am quite calm; I do not pretend not to notice the damage that Ertewan has done to me; Walking, spying on prey, frightening locust snakes away, sometimes sitting for a long time on a recumbent tree trunk; the trunk seems to be still alive, and a few green branches issue from the section. By mid-August, Ertwang suddenly decided to send someone.A total of six came, saying that it would be completed in ten days.The felling was almost adjoining the Valtteri farm; I agreed to bring food from the farm to the loggers so they wouldn't miss work.The guy who delivered the food was Boot, a veritable clown, and he got kicked out of the army by the rotten--I mean brains, because he had a fantastic body.He became one of the hirelings I liked to talk to, and I could meet him without going to the farm.At that time, I happened to be wandering again; for several days, I always lingered in the woods, returning to Molinieres at dinner time, and often missing the time for dinner.I pretended to monitor the labor, but the drunken man didn't want to drink, he just wanted to see those working. Ertwang's two sons came to help these six people from time to time. The eldest was twenty years old and the youngest was fifteen. They were tall and straight, with thick faces and foreign faces.Later I did hear that their mother was Spanish.At first I wondered how that woman came to live here.In his youth, however, Ertewang wandered and made his home around the world, possibly marrying in Spain.For this reason the natives despised him.I still remember that it was raining when I first met Ertwan's second child.He was alone, lying on his back on a cart stacked high with firewood, buried among the branches and singing, or howling instead; the song was very strange, and I had never heard of it in the local area.The horses that pull the carts know the way, they don't need to be driven, they go on their own.The feeling that this song made me feel is indescribable, because I have only heard songs like it in Africa.The lad was very excited, as if drunk; he didn't look at me as I passed the car.The next day I heard that he was a son of the Ertwans.I lingered in the logging forest, just to see him again, or at least to wait for him.The felled trees will soon be gone.The two Ertwan boys came only three times.They looked so haughty that I couldn't get a word out of their mouths. On the contrary, Bout is easy to talk about.I managed to make him understand very quickly that he could talk freely with me; so he let go of his restraint and revealed all the local secrets.I listened greedily.This secret was beyond my expectation and could not satisfy my curiosity.Is this a matter of secretly streaming shocks?Maybe it's just a new disguise?It doesn't matter!I grilled Bout as I once wrote the incomplete chronicle of the Goths.From the abyss of his narration rose a cloud of mist to my brain, and I sucked restlessly.He first told me that Ertwang slept with his daughter.I was afraid that a slight look of condemnation would silence him, so I smiled and asked out of curiosity, "What about the mother? Didn't she say anything?" "Mother! It's been twelve years since she died... Ertewang beat her all the time while she was alive. "How many people are there in their family?" "Five children. You have seen the elder son and the younger son. There is also a boy, sixteen years old, in poor health, who wants to be a priest. Besides, the elder daughter has already had two children by her father..." I came to know the rest of the Ertwang house: it was a place of trouble, with a strong smell, and though my imagination was not too rich, I could only imagine it as a gadfly:—let us say that one night, the eldest son tried to He raped a young maid. As the maid was struggling, Lao Tzu stepped forward to help his son and held her down with his two thick hands. At that time, the second son was upstairs, praying as he should, while the youngest son watched the fun.Speaking of rape, I don't think it's that hard, because Bout said it wasn't long before the maid got hooked too and started seducing the little priest. "Didn't succeed?" I asked. "He's still holding on, but not so hard," Boot replied. "Didn't you say you still have a daughter?" "She has one and one, and she doesn't want anything. Once she is in heat, she will post back. It's just that I can't sleep at home, and I will fight. He said that at home, whoever wants to do anything is free." What, but don't bring outsiders in. Take Pierre, the boy you fired from the farm, he couldn't keep his mouth shut, and he came out of the house one night with a hole in his head. After that, it's off to the woods on the estate." I encouraged him with my eyes again, and asked, "Have you tried it?" He pretended to lower his eyes, and said with a chuckle: "A few times." Then he raised his eyes again: "The same goes for old man Bojari's youngest son." "Which son of old man Fu Jiari?" "Alcide, the one who lives on the farm. Don't you know him, sir?" When I heard that Bojari had another son, I was dumbfounded. "He was at his uncle's last year, that's true," Boot went on. "But it's strange that sir didn't catch him in the woods; he poached almost every night." Boot lowered his voice and looked at me as he finished, so I knew I had to laugh it off.Only then was Boot satisfied, and continued: "Sir, I know someone is poaching. Hey! The forest is so big, it can't do anything bad." I didn't express my dissatisfaction, but Bout quickly became bolder. From today's perspective, he is also happy to say something bad about Bogari.So he showed me Alcide's cover in the hollow, and told me where in the hedge he was most likely to be blocked.It was on a dirt slope, and there was a small gap in the hedge surrounding the woods, through which Alcide often slipped in at six o'clock in the evening.When Boot and I got there, we put a copper wire sleeve on a whim, and it was extremely concealed.Bout was afraid of getting involved, made me swear not to tell him, and then left.I lay on the back of the slope and waited. I waited three evenings in vain, and began to think that Bout had tricked me.On the evening of the fourth day, I finally heard very light footsteps getting closer.My heart was pounding, and I suddenly felt the thrill of a poacher's fear.The cover was put on really well, and Alcide hit it right.He suddenly fell down, his legs and wrists were bound.He tried to run away, but fell again, struggling like prey.However, I have caught him.He was a wild boy with green eyes, flaxen hair, and a cunning look.He kicked me, and after being held down by me, he wanted to bite me again, and when he couldn't bite, he yelled at me. I had never heard that kind of swearing.In the end I couldn't help it anymore and laughed out loud.So, he stopped talking abruptly, looked at me blankly, and said in a low voice: "You rough guy, but you crippled me." "Look." He slipped the cover over the overshoe, exposing the ankle, with only a light red mark on it. - it's all right. ——He smiled slightly, and muttered again: "I'll go back and tell my father, and I'll say you're playing tricks." "Damn! This condom is yours." "Of course you didn't make this set." "Why didn't I do it?" "You can't play so well. Let me see how you play." "You teach me." This evening, I did not go home for dinner; Maceline didn't know where I was, and was very worried.However, instead of telling her that I played six tricks, instead of reprimanding Alcide, I gave him ten sous. The next day, I went to play with him and found that I had caught two rabbits. I was very happy, so I naturally gave the rabbits to him.Hunting season is not yet here.How can the prey make a move without implicating himself?Alcide refused to disclose this secret.In the end it was Bout who told me that the owner was Ertwang, whose youngest son ran errands between him and Alcide.In this way, am I going to go deeper step by step to find out the details of this savage family?How eager am I to poach! I met Alcide every night and we caught a lot of rabbits and even a kid: it was still breathing.I always shudder to think of Alcide's joy when he slaughtered it.We put the kid in a safe place, and the youngest son of the Ertwans came to fetch it during the night. The felled trees have been removed, the charm of the woods has diminished, and I don't go much during the day.I even wanted to sit down and work; I turned down the offer as soon as last term was over; it was boring, purposeless, and thankless.Now, there is a little singing and a little noise in the field, and I suddenly lose my mind.For me, every sound becomes a call.How many times have I slammed my book down and jumped to the window, only to see nothing!How many times have I suddenly gone out... Now the only thing I can pay attention to is all my senses. It's getting dark now.As soon as it was dark, it was our activity time, and I slipped out like a thief through a door.I have never appreciated the beauty of the night before, but now I have cultivated eyes like a night bird to appreciate the taller and more swaying grass and the thicker trees.In the night, all the scenery faded away, the ground became wide, and the whole picture became deep.Even the flattest paths seemed dangerous, and all things that lived in secret seemed to wake up here and there. "Where does your father think you are now?" "Thought I was watching the animals in the barn." I know that Alcide sleeps there, next to the pigeons and chickens; since the door is locked at night, he crawls out of the hole in the roof, the warm smell of poultry still on his clothes. Then, as soon as he put away his prey, without waving goodbye to me, or saying goodbye, he disappeared into the night as quickly as if he had turned into a trap door.The farm dogs don't bite or bark when they see him; but I know he's going to find the Ertwan boy and give him his game before he goes back.But where?No matter how much I try to inquire, it is in vain; whether it is threats or coaxing, it is of no avail.The Ertwans never let anyone come near them.Nor can I tell how my own absurdity is a triumph: a common secret that continues to be pursued further and further away?Or did he invent that secret out of curiosity? —What did Alcide do after he parted from me?Did he really sleep on the farm?Or is it just to convince the farmer that he sleeps there?snort!I got involved in vain and gained nothing. Instead of winning his greater trust, I lost some of his respect. I couldn't help being angry and sad. He disappeared suddenly, and I felt terribly alone, returning through the fields and dew-heavy grass, covered in mud and leaves, still reveling in the night, the wildness, and the wild deeds.In the distance Molinier is sleeping soundly; the light in my study or Maceline's bedroom is like a beacon of calm.Marceline thought I was shut up in the study, and I convinced her that I couldn't sleep at night without going out for a walk.It's true: I hate my bed, I'd rather be in a barn. This year there is a lot of wild game, and rabbits, hares and pheasants come here one after another.Seeing that everything was going well, Bout joined the gang after three nights. On the night of the sixth day of poaching, only two of the twelve sets of covers we had placed were left, and they were almost wiped out during the day.Bout pays me a hundred sous for the wire, and wire sleeves don't do anything. The next day, I was delighted to see my ten pairs of condoms at Bojaj's house, and I had to praise his enthusiasm.The most ironic thing is that last year I promised him ten sous for every pair of condoms I paid him without thinking;Bout bought another copper wire sleeve with the hundred sous I gave.Four days later, the old trick was repeated.So another hundred sous was given to Bout and another hundred sou to Bojari.Hearing me praise him, Bogari said, "It's not me who should be praised, but Alcide." "Hmm!" I held back; too surprised, and we're all going to be screwed. "That's right," Bogari went on, "what can I do, sir, I'm old and I'm busy with the farm. The little guy looks for the woods for me. He's familiar with it too, and he's smart. Find the stolen case, he knows better than me." "That's easy to believe, Bogari." "Therefore, I will give him five sous of the ten sous he gives for each pair of suits." "Of course he deserved it. Well done! Turned in twenty sets in five days! He did a great job. The poachers just have to admit it, and they'll stop." "Hey! Sir, I'm afraid more and more are caught. This year's game is sold at a good price. For them, how much money will they lose..." I've been fooled so badly that I almost think Bogja-ri ​​is complicit.In this case, it wasn't Alcide's triple deal that annoyed me, but seeing him cheat me so much.Besides, what did he and Bout do with the money?I don't know, and I'll never know that kind of person.They are not sure what to say at any time, if they lie, they will lie to me.This evening I gave Bout ten francs instead of a hundred sous, but warned him that it was the last time and that he would deserve it if he was taken away. The next day, I saw Bojari coming, he was very embarrassed, and then I was even more embarrassed than him.What happened?Bojaj told me that Bout was so drunk that he didn't return to the farm until early in the morning; as soon as Bojaj said a few words to him, he yelled at him, and then jumped on him and beat him up. "Therefore," Fu Jiari said to me, "I'm here to ask whether my husband will allow me (he paused at this point) and whether I will be allowed to dismiss him." "Let me think about it, Bojari. I am very sorry to hear that he has been rude to you. I know that. Leave me alone to think about it, and you will come back in two hours." - Bojari left. Retaining Bout would embarrass Bojari greatly; driving Bout away would prompt him to take revenge.Forget it, leave it to fate, anyway, it's all my fault.So, when Bojari came again, I said to him: "You can tell Bute that he is not needed here." Then I wait.What did Bogari do?What did bout say?I didn't hear about the incident until the evening of that day.Bout spoke.I heard his cry from the Bogage room, and I understood it at once; little Alcide had been beaten.Bogage is coming; and he is; I hear his old footsteps coming nearer, and his heart beats harder than when he caught his prey.Difficult moment!All noble feelings are coming back again, and I have to take it seriously.How can I make up words to explain it?I must pretend not to!well!I'm so tempted to unload my role...Bogjari walks in.I didn't understand a word.Absurd: I had to make him repeat it.At last I caught the meaning: he thought Bout was only to blame; let go of the unbelievable fact; said I gave Bout ten francs, for what?He was quite a Norman and would never believe such a thing.The ten francs must have been stolen by Bout, who stole the money and lied. This kind of nonsense is not to cover up his theft; how can this deceive him Bogage.Never think about poaching again.As for Bojari hitting Alcide, it was because the boy had spent the night outside. all right!I kept it; at least it seemed to Bogage that everything was working.Bout this guy is such a big idiot!Naturally, I had no interest in poaching this evening. I thought everything was over, but an hour later, Charles arrived; from a distance, I could see that his face was uglier than his father's.I really can't think of last year... "Hello! Charles, I haven't seen you for a long time." "Sir, if you want to see me, you just have to go to the farm. Watching the forest and keeping watch at night are not my business." "Oh! Your father told you..." "My father didn't tell me anything, because he didn't know anything. He is so old, why should he understand his master and mock him?" "Watch out, Charles! You're going too far..." "Hmph! Of course, you are the master! You can do whatever you want." "Charles, you are fully aware that I am not mocking anyone, and that even if I do what I like, it is only to the detriment of myself." He shrugged slightly. "You are infringing on your own interests, how can you let others protect them? You can't protect foresters and poachers at the same time." "why?" "Because then... huh! Tell you, sir, there are too many twists and turns here, I can't figure it out, but I don't like to see my master gang up with the captured people and destroy others with them." for him." As Charles spoke these words, his tone became more and more assertive, and his air was almost solemn.I noticed he had shaved his whiskers.What he said did make sense.Since I was silent (what can I say to him?), he went on: "A man who owns property comes with duties. My master taught me this last year, but now I seem to have forgotten it. Duties must be taken seriously, Otherwise you are not eligible to own property." There was a moment of silence. "Is that all you have to say?" "Yes, monsieur, that's all for this evening; but if monsieur drives me into a hurry, I may come some evening and tell him that my father and I are leaving the Château de Molinier." He bowed deeply and walked out.I said almost without thinking: "Charles!—Of course he's right... Hey! Hey! That's what property is, if that's what it is!... Charles. Then I'll go after him and bring him back overnight .” As if to confirm my sudden decision, I said very quickly: “You can go and tell your father that I want to sell the Molinier estate.” Charles bowed solemnly again, and walked away without a word. How absurd it all is!How ridiculous! Marceline was unable to come down to dinner that evening, and sent to say she was not well.I was apprehensive, and hurried upstairs to her bedroom.She immediately put me at ease. "It's just a cold," she said expectantly.She has a cold. "Can't you wear more?" "However, as soon as I had a cold war, I put on the cape." "It should be put on before the Cold War, not after." She stared at me and forced a smile.oh!Maybe this day has been extremely unfavorable from the beginning, and I am prone to worry; even if she said to me loudly: "I am dead or alive, do you care that much?" I would not be able to penetrate her mind like this.Undoubtedly, everything around me was disintegrating; my hands grasped many things, but I couldn't keep anything.I rushed towards Marceline and kissed her pale cheeks.So, she couldn't bear it anymore, and cried on my shoulder. "Oh! Marceline! Marceline! Let's get out of here. I'll love you somewhere else as I loved you in Sorrento. You think I've changed, don't you? You'll see clearly when you're elsewhere, and we My love hasn't changed at all." However, I have not completely resolved her melancholy, but she has regained her hope! Late autumn came, but the weather was cold and wet; the last buds of the roses rotted before they opened.The guests have long since left.Although Marceline was unwell, she hadn't reached the level of Dumen's thanking guests.Five days later, we were off.