Chapter 2 Suet Ball-2

The count was surprised, and when he saw a chapel clerk coming out of the rector's house, he asked him.The mouse who ate in the chapel replied: "Oh! Those people are not vicious; they are not Prussians, it is said. They all come farther, I don't know where it is, and they all keep their wives and children to themselves." In my hometown, war is not fun in their country, needless to say! I am sure that there are many people crying for men in their country, and war will cause a kind of war in their country just like it does in our country. Poverty. There is not much hardship in this country at present, for they do no evil, and work as if they were in their own household. You see, sir, that one should really help one another among the poor...for it is the great men who fight where."

This sincere solidarity between the victor and the vanquished made Gornudet so angry that he would rather go back to the hotel and slump, so he withdrew.The bird master made a mocking remark: "They're breeding." Calais-Lamadon said a solemn remark: "They're making it up." But they couldn't find the driver.He was found at last in the town café, where he was sitting at a table with the Prussian officer's orderly like a brother.The count asked him: "Didn't I tell you to harness the car at eight o'clock?" "Exactly, but I have already received another order."

"Which order?" "No need to set up a car." "Who ordered you to do this?" "My God! Prussian Battalion Commander." "why?" "I don't know at all. Ask him, please. They forbid me to have a car, and I don't. That's the way it is." "But he himself told you?" "No, sir, the proprietor of the hotel did as he ordered." "at what time?" "Last night when I was going to sleep." The three returned worriedly. They went to Monsieur Furlandville, but the maid replied that Monsieur never got up before ten o'clock because he was asthmatic.And he explicitly forbids others to wake him up before 10 o'clock, unless there is a fire.

They wanted to see the Prussian officer, but it was absolutely impossible, although he was staying at the hotel.For the sake of civil affairs, he only allowed Mr. Furlandville to speak to him.As a result, they had to wait.The ladies went back to their bedrooms, busy with trivial matters. Ernudi sat down in the kitchen before the tall fireplace, where a good fire was burning.He had a little table and a can of beer brought from the hotel café, and he smoked his pipe, which in democratic circles enjoyed almost as much respect as he himself, as if it To serve Cornudet is to serve the motherland.It was a well-smoked meerschaum pipe, as black as its owner's teeth, but sweet, curved, and lustrous, intimate to his hand, and adding to his appearance. air.At last, he stopped moving, and his eyes were sometimes fixed on the fire in the fireplace, and sometimes on the layer of foam that covered his wine glass; every time he took a sip, he sucked the foam that stuck to his mustache, At the same time, he proudly stretched out a few long and thin fingers to scratch his long, greasy hair.

Under the guise of stretching his legs, Boss Bird went out and threw some wine to the small wine merchants in the town.The count and the factory director began to talk about politics.They predicted the future of France.One believed in relying on the Aurelian party, the other believed in an unfamiliar savior, a hero who would appear when everything was disappointed: a Gaeklan, a Swann Darke, maybe?Or another Napoleon I, right?what!It would be great if the prince wasn't so young!Cornudet listened quietly to such words, smiling like a man who knows the story of fate.His pipe scented the kitchen.

After ten o'clock, Mr. Furlandville came out.He was soon questioned; but he could only say two or three times without changing a word: "The officer said to me: "Monsieur Furlenville, you will forbid the carriages of the passengers to-morrow.I don't want them to set off without my order.Now you hear me.This is enough. '" So they wanted to see the Prussian officer.The count had his own card given to him, and Calais-Lamadon added his name and all his titles to the count's card.The Prussian was taught to answer that he would allow the two gentlemen to come and talk to him, but only after he had finished his lunch, that is to say, for a while.The female passengers came out, and everyone ate a little despite their uneasiness.Ball-of-Fat seemed to be ill and flustered strangely.

Coffee was finished when the Prussian officer's orderly came to the gentlemen. Boss Bird also joined with these two, and in order to increase the momentum of this movement, they planned to go to Lagornide together, but he declared that he never wanted to have anything to do with the Germans. He ordered another beer and went back to his fire. All three men went upstairs and were ushered into the most elegant room of the hotel, where the officer received them. Smoking a long chimney pipe, wrapped in a brightly colored pajamas—stolen no doubt from some vulgar propertied-class abode.He doesn't get up, he doesn't greet them, he doesn't look at them.He showed a fine living specimen of the natural style of a victorious warrior.

After a while, he finally asked in French with a Germanic accent: "What do you want?" "We want to go, sir," said the Count. "No." "May I ask the reason for this refusal?" "Because I don't want to." "Sir, I respectfully ask you to examine our passports issued by your Commander-in-Chief, which authorize us to set off for Ji'ab; I cannot think of anything we have done to be subject to your strict treatment. " "I don't want to... nothing else...you can go downstairs." The three bowed and left. Conditions in the afternoon were dire.No one knew anything about the bad temper of the German, and the strangest notions of all sorts made their heads spin.They all sat in the kitchen, thinking up a lot of imaginary things and arguing.He might want to keep them hostages—but for what purpose? —Or hold them captive?Or maybe they still ask them for a considerable redemption fee?A wave of panic drove them mad at this thought.Those who are richest are the most frightened, and they have purses full of gold coins, and they seem to have seen themselves persecuted, and put the money into the two hands of this haughty Qiuba to redeem their own money. life.So they racked their brains to find all kinds of reasonable lies.to conceal their wealth.To pretend to be poor, to be poor.Boss Bird took off his gold watch chain and hid it in his pocket.The falling night added to the panic.The lamp was lit, and at this time, there were two hours before dinner, and Mrs. Bird suggested a game of "thirty one" with cards.That's a distraction.Everyone agrees.Cornudet also came, and out of politeness he extinguished his pipe beforehand.

The Count shuffled the cards, and Ball-of-Fat held a thirty-one; and soon the interest of the game overcame every distracting fear.However, Gornudi discovered that Boss Bird and his wife were deceiving in combination. Just as they were about to go to dinner, M. Frunwick reappeared and said in a loud, phlegmatic voice: "The Prussian officer wants someone to ask Miss Elisabeth Roussy if she is still alive." Change her mind." Ball-of-Fat stood motionless, her face very pale; then suddenly it turned crimson, and she was short of breath with rage, so fast that she lost the ability to speak.At last she cried out: "You can tell this Prussian bastard, this filth, this dead body, that I never want to, you hear me, never, never, never."

The fat shopkeeper went out.So Ball-of-Fat was surrounded, questioned, begged, and everyone expected her to reveal the secret of the Prussian officer asking her to talk.She refused to explain at first; but after a while her rage aroused her, and she cried out, "What he wants? What he wants? What he wants is to sleep with me!" No one found this harsh, because at that time Public outrage is very active.Cornudet threw his glass on the table so violently that he broke it.It was a public indignation, a fury, a union of all to resist, yelling at this vile Qiuba, as if the sacrifice that Qiuba was forcing upon her was asking for a part from everyone.The count declared with disgust that these fellows behaved like the barbarians of old.The women in particular showed a vigorous and loving sympathy for Ball-of-Fat.The two nuns originally only came out when eating, so they lowered their heads and said nothing.

The first bout of anger had subsided, and by then they had dinner as usual, though they didn't talk much; they planned. The women withdrew early, and the men, smoking cigars, organized another, more gambled game, and invited M. Frunweier to participate, thinking that they would be able to tactfully ask the shopkeeper how to subdue the Prussian officer.But the shopkeeper only pays attention to his own cards, does not listen to anything, does not answer anything, but keeps repeating: "Pay attention to the cards, gentlemen, pay attention to the cards." His thoughts are so tense that he even forgets to spit. , so that the phlegm in the chest is constantly wearing a lot of sustain notes.His lungs were whistling, producing the full scale of panting, from the low, deep note counts to the shrill, hoarse voice of a cockerel barely crowing. When his wife came to him when she was dozed off, he refused to go upstairs.So she went off alone, for she was "the morning shift" and was always up with the sun, while her husband was "the evening shift" and was always ready to stay up late with his friends.Then he called to her: You will put my custard by the fire. "Then came the card game again. When everyone saw that they could not get any news from him, they said that it was time to leave, and everyone went back to bed. On the third day, everyone got up early again, with a kind of vague hope in their hearts all the time, and the desire to leave was even more urgent, because living in this terrible country inn was really scary. Oops!The animals are all tied up in the stables, and the driver has never been seen.With nothing to do, they circled the car. The luncheon was dismal, and there seemed to be an atmosphere of desolation over Ball-of-Fat, for the quietness of the night, which was something to be considered, had slightly altered opinions.They almost resented this "girl" now: she did not go to the Prussian in secret, and if she did, she would give her companions a pleasant surprise in bed together.Where else is simpler?And who will know?All she had to do was tell the officer that she was the lamentation of her poor companions, and that would save face.To her, that would have been very unimportant! But no one has yet said what this means. In the afternoon, when they were bored to death, the Count proposed to go for a walk in the neighborhood outside the town.Every one was carefully dressed, and the little group set off, except Gornudet, who preferred to stay by the fire.As for the two nuns, they spent their daytime in the chapel or at the rector's house. The cold was getting worse day by day, piercing the nose and ears like needles, and the feet became very painful. Every step I took would hurt a lot. Later, when I walked outside the town, the fields were completely white. Yes, in their eyes, it was really miserable and terribly frightening, and everyone turned around at once, their hearts were cold and their hearts were constricted. Four women walked in the lead, and three men followed behind, separated by a few steps. Boss Bird knows the situation.He suddenly asked if the laughing woman wanted to teach them to stay in such a strange place for a while.The count, always polite, said that no one could force such a painful sacrifice on a woman, but that she should do it voluntarily.Monsieur Carre-Lamadon noted that if the French counter-offensive came from Dieb, as everyone suspected, it could only be approached at Dotes.This thought made the other two uneasy. "If we escape on foot," said the bird boss.The count shrugged his shoulders and said: "In such a heavy snow, what do you want to do? And bring our family members with us? In the end, we will be chased immediately, but we will be rushed to the front in 10 minutes, and we will be treated as a Prisoners are generally handed over to Qiu Ba and others." This was the truth, and no one spoke. Several ladies talked about fashion, but a certain restraint seemed to make them all seem to be inseparable. At the end of the street, a Prussian officer suddenly appeared.On the endless snow, he reflected the long wasp-waisted silhouette in military uniform, walking forward with his knees apart, a movement unique to soldiers, who tried their best to protect their carefully waxed eyes. His riding boots don't teach it to get a little filthy. When several ladies passed by, he bowed his body and looked at the men with a contemptuous look. They all kept their dignity and hardly took off their hats to him, although Boss Bird He made a gesture as if to take off his hat. Ball-of-Fat's ears were even crimson, and the three married women thought that Qiu Ba had treated this "girl" very chivalrously in the past.Now they met him just as they were walking with her, and they all felt a moment of great humiliation. In this way, everyone talked about him, about his posture and appearance.Mrs. Calais-Lamadon knew many officers and could judge them with the status of a knowledgeable person. At this moment, she thought this one was not bad at all. She even regretted that he was not French, otherwise he would be a very handsome light cavalry officer. All the women must be fascinated by him. When we got back to the hotel, everyone didn't know what to do.Even when encountering some trivial things, he said some bitter sentences.Supper was silent and short, and at the end everyone who wished to pass the time by sleeping went upstairs to rest.On the fourth day, everyone came downstairs with tired faces and restless hearts.The women chatted less with Ball-of-Fat. A bell came.That was for a baptism.The fat "girl" used to have a child who was raised by a farmer in Ivedo, and she never saw him once a year, and she never cared about him; Her own one was moved by a sudden passionate love, so she was determined to visit this ceremony. She was just going out, and everyone exchanged looks, and then moved the chairs together, because they all felt that at last a decision should be made.Boss Bird was inspired and said: He proposes to propose to the officer that only Ball-of-Fat should be snapped off and the rest should go.Monsieur Furlandville went upstairs again with this mission, but he came down again almost at once.The German, who knew the essence of man, threw him out of the house.He said that when his desire was not satisfied, he always kept this group of passengers. As a result, Mrs. Bird's vulgar temper exploded: "But we won't die here. Since it's her job to do it with all the men, this bitch's job, I don't think she has the right to choose the best ones." Choose fat. Let me ask you now: in Rouen she wants whoever she meets, even a lot of drivers! Yes, madam, the governor's driver! I know him very well, I, he buys in my shop The wine he drank. Today, when she had to relieve us of difficulties, she would act like a baby, this snot-nosed fellow! As for me, I think he knows the rules, this officer. He may have been absent for a long time, and the three of us are undoubtedly He can appreciate it. But he doesn't do that, and is content with this public woman. He respects a married woman. Think about it, he is the master. Just say "I want". He can use his men to catch us with force." The other two women shivered slightly.The eyes of the beautiful Madame Carre-Lamadon sparkled, and she turned a little pale, as if she felt that she had been seized by the officer with force. The men were all talking on the other side, but now they all came over, and the angry Boss Bird wanted to tie up "this bitch" hand and foot and give it to someone else.But the Earl, who came from a family of three generations of ambassadors and had the appearance of a diplomat, advocated subtlety: "She should be taught to decide for herself," he said. In this way, they launched a conspiracy. The women whispered to each other and lowered their voices, and the discussion was extensive. Everyone expressed their own opinions. After all, it is very suitable for their status, especially in order to say the most unpleasant things. These ladies have found all kinds of exquisite The twists and turns, all kinds of ingenious and moving tone.The language is so strictly guarded that an outsider may not understand it at all.But the thin veil of modesty which shields the ladies of the world is only superficial, so that in this indulgent adventure they are all exhilarated, all utterly insanely happy, and feel that it is right for them. Vigorous, mixing love and lust, like one gluttonous cook cooking broth for another. The end of the story is really funny, and the happy mood happened naturally.The Count finds the wit, which is a little stinging, but very well told and only makes people smile.When it was Boss Bird's turn, he made three or five blunt obscene remarks, which were not considered harsh by anyone; later his wife's crude opinion was approved by all, and she said: "Since it is this 'girl' Why can she refuse this one better than the other?" The amiable Madame Carre-Lamadon seemed to remember that if she were in the position of Ball-of-Fat, she could refuse this officer as much as another. They prepared the steps of the encirclement as long as a fort under attack.Each accepts the role he will play, the arguments he will rely on, and the action he will perform.They decide how to attack, and all the guile and surprise of the charge are at their disposal, to compel the living fortress to receive the enemy in its own position. However, Cornudet stayed aside and had nothing to do with this incident.A deep attention made everyone's minds so tense that they didn't hear Ball-of-Fat walking in.The Count hissed softly, and all eyes were raised again.In her presence, people suddenly stopped talking, and at first a certain embarrassment prevented anyone from speaking to her.The countess was more familiar with the two-faced style of the living room than the other women. She asked Ball-of-Fat: "Is it interesting, what about the baptism?" The fat "girl" was still full of emotion. She told the story from the beginning to the end, the faces and postures of the people present and the situation of the chapel itself.She went on to say, "Sometimes it's good to pray." Until dinner, the ladies were happy to show her kind looks, in order to increase her confidence and obedience in addition to exhorting her. Sitting down at the dinner table, everyone started to do all kinds of close kung fu.At first it was a general chatter about dedication.Several ancient examples are given: Judides and Holoferon, and then Lucret and Sextus, without reason, and Clive Patty who made all the enemy generals panic when they passed her bed. Become a faithful slave.In this way, a fictional history was hatched in the imagination of these ignorant millionaires: the female citizens of Rome went to the city of Gaboue to teach Hannibal and his All the generals and soldiers slept soundly in their arms.They speak of all the women who captured conquerors, who made their bodies a kind of battlefield, a method of conquest, and a weapon, who vanquished by all sorts of heroic caresses ugly or contemptible enemies, and sacrificed her virginity to vengeance and service to her country. They even went so far as to speak, in veiled terms, of the English maid who had infected herself with a dreadful contagion before passing it on to Napoleon, when, from a sudden weakness, he was at the inevitable moment of rendezvous. If God helped, he escaped. It's all told in a fitting and allusive way, sometimes with an air of extreme embarrassment designed to stir up competition. In the end, one may believe that the only function of women on earth is a permanent personal sacrifice, a duty of constant commitment to the tyranny of the tyrannical warrior. The two nuns didn't seem to hear anything, they were completely lost in all kinds of deep thoughts, and Ball-of-Fat didn't speak. For the rest of the day, everyone left Ball-of-Fat to think.However, I always called her "Madame", but now simply called her "Miss", and no one knew why, as if she had climbed to a certain position in the evaluation, but now, everyone As if trying to drag her down from that position, make her understand that her position is shameful. When supper began, Monsieur Frounget reappeared, repeating the old saying of the previous day: "The Prussian officer sent to ask Mademoiselle Elisabeth Roussy if she had not changed her mind. " Ball-of-Fat replied simply: "No, sir." But at the dinner table, the alliance disintegrated.Boss Bird said three or five words that people didn't pay much attention to.Everyone searched for new examples, and found nothing, when the countess, perhaps feeling a general need to pay respect to Catholicism, asked the older nun about the saints. Great deeds in our lives.Who knows that the things done by many saints can be regarded as serious crimes in our eyes; but as long as they are for the glory of God or the happiness of mankind, the Catholic Church does not punish them but forgives them. kind of evil.This was a strong argument, and the countess took advantage of it.Thus the aged nun brought a great support to the conspiracy, either by a tacit understanding, a secret gallantry at which any man in a cassock is best, or simply by an accidental cleverness. Efficacy, the efficacy of a folly that can be exploited.In the past, people thought she was timid, but now she is bold, talkative, and fierce.This one is really not confused by the groping of casuistry, her doctrine is as hard as iron, her faith never hesitates, her conscience has no scruples.She thought Abraham's sacrifice was very simple, because if she followed the command from God, she could kill her parents immediately, and in her opinion, as long as the intention is good, nothing can make the Lord unhappy.The Countess, taking advantage of the divine power of her accomplice from the sidelines, said to her as if in a footnote to this moral axiom: "The end is the criterion of the method." Then she asked Mammy: "You believe, then, that God tolerates all means, and that God forgives actions when the motives are pure?" "Who can doubt this, ma'am? An act that is condemnable in oneself is often made praiseworthy by the thought that makes it feel." They went on talking in this way, discussing God's will, anticipating his decisions, and connecting him with many things that really didn't have much to do with him.All these arguments were reserved, clever, and deliberate, but every word of the saint in the pointed hood damaged the wrath resistance of the flamboyant woman.Then the conversation turned slightly, and the woman with the rosary spoke of the convents of her congregation, of her abbot, of herself, and of her diminutive companion, Sister Shannisève.They were called from Harvard to nurse hundreds of smallpox soldiers in various hospitals.She described the poor souls, detailing their ailments.But at this time, they were held back by the bad temper of the Prussian on the road, so many French soldiers who might be rescued by them would inevitably die!Guarding soldiers was originally her own expertise. She had been to Crimea, Italy, and Austria. When talking about her battlefield experience in those places, she suddenly confessed that she was familiar with bronze drums and trumpets. Female monks, this kind of monks seem to be born into the world to track the battlefield and accommodate the wounded in the vortex of the battle. If it comes to controlling those undisciplined veterans with one sentence, they are more effective than a The magistrate's was big, a real nurse in the army, and her disfigured face, riddled with tiny holes, seemed to be a small shadow of the destructive forces of war. No one said a word after her, and the effect seemed to be excellent.As soon as the meal was over, everyone quickly went upstairs to the bedroom, and did not come down until quite late on the fifth morning. Lunch is eaten quietly.People allow time for the seeds sown the previous day to germinate and bear fruit. The countess proposed a walk in the afternoon, and the count, as agreed, took Ball-of-Fat's arm, and walked with her behind the rest. His tone of voice to her was affectionate, patriarchal, slightly contemptuous, the way a showman would address "girls," whom he called "my sweet boy," in his own He bowed his head to negotiate with her, and negotiated with her with his indisputable reputation. He immediately penetrated to the center of the problem: "So, such a kind of courteousness is something you often encounter in your life, but you don't now. Willing to accept, but preferring to keep us here, do you want to teach us, like yourself, to offend all the violence that may follow the Prussian rout?" Ball-of-Fat did not answer a word. He won her confidence with grace, theoretical deliberation, and emotion.He knew how to remain "Mr. Earl" while at the same time showing himself to be flattering, flattering, and generally amiable when necessary.He warmly praised her for what she could do for them, to show their gratitude to her, and then he suddenly addressed her cheerfully with the word "you": "You know, my dear, that Prussian will be able to boast in the future." Said he tasted a pretty girl, and that's not very easy to find in his country." Ball-of-Fat did not answer, but rushed to the head to join the others. Once back at the hotel, she went upstairs to her bedroom and never came out again.Everyone's worries are at their peak.What is she going to do?How bad it would be if she resisted! The bell rang for supper, and everyone waited for her in vain, until Monsieur Furlandville came in to tell Miss Roussy that she was not well and that everyone could eat.Everyone seemed to feel threatened.The count went up to the innkeeper and asked in a low voice: "But it is all right?"Immediately, a long sigh of relief escaped from everyone's chest, and a burst of joy appeared on everyone's face.The bird boss shouted: "Good luck! If you can find champagne in the hotel, I will treat everyone to drink." Mrs. Bird felt heartache, and waited until the shopkeeper returned with four bottles.In vain, everyone became happy and talked loudly, and a burst of unrestrained joy filled everyone's hearts.The count thought Madame Carre-Lamadon was charming, and the director of the factory praised the countess.Everyone talked lively and cheerfully, full of vivid atmosphere. Boss Bird's face suddenly showed suspense, and he raised his arms and shouted loudly: "Silence!" No one spoke, surprised, almost panicked.At this time, he turned his ears to the side and used his hands to teach people not to make any noise. He looked at the ceiling and listened again. Finally, he changed his voice in a natural voice: "Please rest assured, everything is going well." Everyone didn't understand him immediately, but a smile broke out after a while. A quarter of an hour later, he was doing the same antic, and then he did it again, pretending to question a guy upstairs, and at the same time giving him a lot of puns.Lots of pun-inspired advice from a broker's head.Sometimes he sighed with a look of worry, "Poor girl," or muttered between his teeth with a look of anger, "Prussian bachelor, you go!" No one thought about it any more, and he said several times in a trembling voice: "Enough! Enough!" At last, as if talking to himself, "As long as we can see her again, Anything can be done, so I hope this shameless guy will not put her to death!" Such jokes, though of low taste, are lighthearted and inoffensive, for anger is always dependent on circumstances, and the atmosphere that develops around them is one full of obscene thoughts. When dessert was served, the women exchanged clever and prudent lingo among themselves.The eyes are glowing, and everyone has drunk a lot.The count, who had at first maintained his grandeur's composure and kept himself out of the way, now found a very amusing analogy, saying that it was really like those drifters in the Arctic Ocean who found a way after winter and spring. The way to go south. Boss Bird was elated, and stood up with a glass of champagne in his hand: "I'll drink a glass for our liberation!" Everyone stood up and applauded him.The two nuns, at the begging of some of the ladies, agreed to dip their lips in this fizzy wine, which they had never tried before.They shouted that it was like lemonade, but it tasted much better than soda. Boss Bird simply put forward an appropriate opinion. "I'm sorry there's no piano here, or I could play a quartet." Cornudet didn't say a word, didn't make a gesture, and seemed to be sunk in some very serious thoughts, occasionally stroked his long beard with a very angry movement, as if he wanted to lengthen it a little longer .Finally, at around 12 o'clock, when everyone was about to part ways, Boss Bird was swaying and swaying, and suddenly patted Cornudet's stomach and stammered to him: "You are not kidding, tonight, you Don't you say anything, citizen?" But Gornudet suddenly raised his head, glanced around the whole group with frighteningly bright eyes, and said: "I say that you have all done a shameful thing just now. What happened!" He stood up, went to the door and said again, "A very shameful thing!" At last he went away. At first, it seemed like a cold water had been thrown on them, and Boss Bird was taken aback, but then he regained his composure, and suddenly bent over and laughed, repeating: "They're all too careless." Now, old friend, they are all too careless." At this time, people did not understand what he meant, so he related "the secret in the passage".This made everyone laugh again.Those noble ladies are as happy as idiots.The Count and Monsieur Carre-Lamadon laughed with tears.They could hardly believe such a thing. "Well! Are you sure? He thought..." "I tell you that I saw it myself." "And she refused..." "Because the Prussians live in the next room." "impossible?" "I swear to you." The Count was breathless.Businessman holding belly with hands.Boss Bird went on to say: "You see, so tonight, he didn't think she was funny, not at all." The three of them laughed again, until they felt uncomfortable and couldn't breathe. That's how everyone broke up.But Mrs. Bird has a nettle-like personality, and when the couple were just lying down, she pointed out to her husband that the little bastard at Calais-Lamadon's had been smirking all night: "You know, girls When it comes time to love a soldier, it doesn't matter if it's French or Prussian, it's all the same to them. Isn't that a pity, my lord!" All night, in the darkness of the corridor, there came out, like shuddering, slight noises, barely perceptible, like breaths, bare feet touching the ground, incomprehensible noises. An inscrutable rubbing sound.人都显然是睡得很迟的，因为有好些光线从各处屋子门底下的缝儿里长久地漏到了外面。香槟酒真有它的效力，据人说，它是扰乱瞌睡的。 第六天，冬天的明亮太阳把积雪照成教人目眩的了。那辆终于套好了的长途马车在旅馆门外等着，一大群白的鸽子从它们的厚而密的羽毛里伸着脑袋，亮出它们那种瞳孔乌黑的玫瑰色眼睛，稳重地在六匹牲口的脚底下散步，向着牲口撒下的热气腾腾的粪里边寻觅它们的营养物。 赶车的披上羊皮大衣，坐在车子头里的坐位上安闲地衔着烟斗，所有的人全是喜笑颜开的，匆匆忙忙让人包好为了在剩下的路程上去用的食品。 人都只等候羊脂球来就开车。她终于出现了。 她像是有点不安定，不好意思，后来她胆怯地向她的旅伴们走过来，旅伴们却在同一动作之下把身子偏向另一面，如同都没有望见她似的。伯爵用尊严的神气搀着他妻子的胳膊，使她远远地避开那种不清洁的接触。 胖“姑娘”觉得心下茫然，停着不前进了，随后集中了全部勇气，她才卑屈地轻轻道出一声“早安，夫人”，走到厂长夫人的近边，那一个只用头部表示一个倨傲的招呼，同时还用一种失面子的人的眼光望着。大家都像是忙碌的，而且离开她远远站着，仿佛她的裙子里带来了一种肮脏。随后人都赶到了车子跟前，她单独地到得最后，静悄悄地重新坐上了她在第一天路上坐过的那个位子。 大家都像是看不见她，认不得她；不过鸟夫人远远地用怒眼望着她，同时用低声向她丈夫说：“幸而我不同她坐在一条长凳上。” 那辆笨重的马车摇晃起来，旅行又开始了。 开初，谁都不说话。羊脂球不敢抬起头来。同时觉得自己对于同车的人怀着愤慨，觉得自己从前让步是受了委屈的，是被普鲁士人的嘴唇弄脏了的，然而从前把她扔到普鲁士人怀抱里的却是这些同车旅伴的假仁假义的手段。 但是伯爵夫人偏过头来望着迦来－辣马东夫人，不久就打破了那种令人难堪的沉寂。 “我想您认得艾忒来尔夫人，可对？” “对呀，那是我女朋友当中的一个。” “她多么娇媚哟！” “真教人爱哟！是一个真正的出色人物，并且知识很高，连手指头儿上都是艺术家的风度，唱得教人忘了忧愁，又画得尽善尽美。” 厂长和伯爵谈着，在车上玻璃的震动喧闹当中偶然飞出来一两个名词：“息票——付款期限——票面超出额——期货。” 鸟老板偷了旅馆里的一副旧纸牌，那是在那些揩得不干净的桌子上经过五六年的摩擦变成满是油腻的，现在他拿着这副牌和妻子斗着一种名叫“倍西格”的斗法。 两个嬷嬷在腰带上提起那串垂着的长念珠，一同在胸脯上划着十字，并且她们的嘴唇陡然开始活泼地微动起来，渐渐愈动愈快，催动她们的模糊喃喃声音如同为了一种祈祷的竞赛，后来她们不时吻着一方金属圆牌，重新再划十字，再动口念着她们那种迅速而且不断的模糊咒语。 戈尔弩兑坠入沉思了，没有动弹。 在路上走过了三小时，鸟老板收起了纸牌，他说道：“饿了。” 于是他妻子摸着了一个用绳子缚好的纸包，从中取出了一块冷的牛仔肉。她仔仔细细把它切成了一些齐整的薄片儿，两口子动手吃着。 “我们是不是也照样做。”伯爵夫人说。有人同意了，于是她解开了那些为了两家而预备的食品。那是装在一只长形的陶质钵子里的，钵子的盖上塑着一只野兔，表示那盖着的是一份野兔胶冻，一份美味的冷食，看得见一些冻了的猪油透在那种和其他肉末相混的棕色野味中间，像是许多雪白的溪涧。另外有一方用报纸裹着的漂亮的乳酪干，报纸上面印的“琐闻”的大字标题还在它的腴润的表面上保留得清清楚楚。 两个嬷嬷解开了一段滚圆的香肠，那东西的蒜味儿很重，戈尔弩兑把两只手同时插进了披风的两只大衣袋，从一只衣袋里取出了四个熟鸡蛋，从另一只里取出了一段面包。他剥去了蛋壳扔到脚底下的麦秸当中，就这样拿着蛋吃，使得好些蛋黄末儿落在他那一大簇长胡子当中像是好些星星一般挂着。 羊脂球在慌忙中起床的时候是什么也没有打算的，现在望着这些平平静静吃东西的人，她气极了，因为愤怒而呼吸迫促了。开初，一阵骚动的暴怒使得她肌肉痉挛，她张开了嘴预备把一阵升到嘴边的辱骂去斥责他们的行为，不过因为愤怒扼住了嗓子，她简直不能够说话。 没有一个人望她，没有一个人惦记她。她觉得自己被这些顾爱名誉的混帐东西的轻视淹没了，当初，他们牺牲了她，以后又把她当作一件肮脏的废物似的扔掉。于是她想起她那只满是美味的提篮，那里面本来盛着两只胶冻鲜明的子鸡，好些点心，好些梨子和四瓶波尔多的名产红葡萄酒，第一天通通被他们饕餮地吃喝得干干净净。末后，她的愤慨如同一根过度紧张的琴弦中断了似的忽然下降了，她觉得自己快要哭了。她使出了惊人的努力，镇定了自己，如同孩子一般吞住自己的呜咽，但是眼泪出来了，润湿了她的眼睑边缘，不久两点热泪从眼睛里往外流，慢慢地从颊部往下落，好些流得更迅速一些的眼泪又跟着来了，像一滴滴从岩石当中滤出的水，有规则地落到了她胸脯突出部分的曲线上。她直挺挺地坐着，眼光是定着不动的，脸色是严肃而且苍白的，她一心希望不至于有人看见她。不过伯爵夫人偏偏瞧出来了，用一个手势通知了丈夫。他耸着肩膀仿佛就是说：“您要怎么办，这不是我的过错。”鸟夫人得胜似的冷笑了一声，接着就低声慢气地说：“她哭自己的耻辱。” 两个嬷嬷把剩下的香肠用一张纸卷好了以后，又开始来祷告了。 这时候，戈尔弩兑正等着那四个鸡蛋在胃囊里消化，他向对面的长凳底下伸长着双腿，仰着身子，叉着胳膊，如同一个人刚刚找着一件很滑稽的玩意儿一般因此微笑，末了他开始用口哨吹起了《马赛曲》。 所有的脸儿都变得暗淡了。这首人民的军歌显然使得同车的人很不开心。他们都变成神经质的了，受到刺激了，并且如同猎犬听见了手摇风琴一般都像是快要狂吠了。戈尔弩兑看出了这种情况，他的口哨就吹个不停了。甚至于有时候，他还轻轻地哼着好些歌词： 至情，爱国的神圣的至情， 你来领导支持我们的复仇之手， 自由，我们十分宝贵的自由， 你带着你的防护者来战斗！ 路上的雪冻成比较坚硬的，车子走得比较快了，经过旅行中的好些惨淡的钟点，在傍晚的时候颠簸晃动个不停，再后些时，车子里变成了黑暗世界，一直走到吉艾卜为止，戈尔弩兑始终用一种猛烈的不屈不挠态度吹着他这种复仇意味的单调口哨，强迫那些疲倦而且生气的头脑从头到尾地倾听他的歌唱，去记忆每一句被他们注意节奏的歌词。 羊脂球始终哭着，并且不时还有一声忍不住的呜咽，在两段歌词的间歇中间在黑暗世界里传出来。