“I rushed forward to the boy, but I could already
hear the death-rattle. He passed away before
the fire was extinguished, without having said a word.
“Cavalier, still in his shirt, his legs bare,
was standing near us, motionless, dazed.
“When the people from the village arrived, my
gamekeeper was taken away, like an insane man.
“I appeared at the trial as witness, and related
the facts in detail, without changing a thing.
Cavalier was acquitted. He disappeared that very
day, leaving the country.
“I have never seen him since.
“There, gentlemen, that is my story.”
As the weather was very fine, the people on the farm
had hurried through their dinner and had returned
to the fields.
The servant, Rose, remained alone in the large kitchen,
where the fire was dying out on the hearth beneath
the large boiler of hot water. From time to time
she dipped out some water and slowly washed her dishes,
stopping occasionally to look at the two streaks of
light which the sun threw across the long table through
the window, and which showed the defects in the glass.
Three venturesome hens were picking up the crumbs
under the chairs, while the smell of the poultry yard
and the warmth from the cow stall came in through
the half-open door, and a cock was heard crowing in
the distance.
When she had finished her work, wiped down the table,
dusted the mantelpiece and put the plates on the high
dresser close to the wooden clock with its loud tick-tock,
she drew a long breath, as she felt rather oppressed,
without exactly knowing why. She looked at the
black clay walls, the rafters that were blackened
with smoke and from which hung spiders’ webs,
smoked herrings and strings of onions, and then she
sat down, rather overcome by the stale odor from the
earthen floor, on which so many things had been continually
spilled and which the heat brought out. With
this there was mingled the sour smell of the pans of
milk which were set out to raise the cream in the
adjoining dairy.
She wanted to sew, as usual, but she did not feel
strong enough, and so she went to the door to get
a mouthful of fresh air, which seemed to do her good.
The fowls were lying on the steaming dunghill; some
of them were scratching with one claw in search of
worms, while the cock stood up proudly in their midst.
When he crowed, the cocks in all the neighboring farmyards
replied to him, as if they were uttering challenges
from farm to farm.
The girl looked at them without thinking, and then
she raised her eyes and was almost dazzled at the
sight of the apple trees in blossom. Just then
a colt, full of life and friskiness, jumped over the
ditches and then stopped suddenly, as if surprised
at being alone.
