Part
1 I| dinner and had returned to the fields.~The servant,
2 I| of hot water. From time to time she dipped out some
3 I| dishes, stopping occasionally to look at the two streaks
4 I| on the high dresser close to the wooden clock with its
5 I| milk which were set out to raise the cream in the adjoining
6 I| adjoining dairy.~She wanted to sew, as usual, but she did
7 I| enough, and so she went to the door to get a mouthful
8 I| so she went to the door to get a mouthful of fresh
9 I| fresh air, which seemed to do her good.~The fowls were
10 I| neighboring farmyards replied to him, as if they were uttering
11 I| uttering challenges from farm to farm.~The girl looked at
12 I| She also felt inclined to run; she felt inclined to
13 I| to run; she felt inclined to move and to stretch her
14 I| felt inclined to move and to stretch her limbs and to
15 I| to stretch her limbs and to repose in the warm, breathless
16 I| comfort, and then she went to look for eggs in the hen
17 I| again, and she went out to sit on the grass for a time.~
18 I| surrounded by trees, seemed to be asleep. The tall grass,
19 I| the straw. The girl went to the shed, where the carts
20 I| buggies were kept. Close to it, in a ditch, there was
21 I| who had been making love to her for a long time. He
22 I| straw in his hair.~He tried to kiss her, but she gave him
23 I| and he was shrewd enough to beg her pardon; so they
24 I| in his head, drew closer to her.~"I have not seen my
25 I| she said. "It is very hard to be separated like that,"
26 I| fist that his nose began to bleed, and he got up and
27 I| was sorry, and going up to him, she said: "Have I hurt
28 I| It is not nice of you to despise me like that, Jacques."
29 I| all.~"So you really want to marry me?" she asked.~He
30 I| desire, and, putting his lips to her ear, he murmured: "Yes,
31 I| however, Jacques seemed to grow tired of her; he avoided
32 I| avoided her, scarcely spoke to her, and did not try any
33 I| and did not try any longer to meet her alone, which made
34 I| his horses. He pretended to snore when he heard her
35 I| replied: "I want -- I want you to marry me, as you promised."
36 I| replied: "Oh! if a man were to marry all the girls with
37 I| would have more than enough to do."~Then she seized him
38 I| had no chance of speaking to him for several days; and,
39 I| at night, she was afraid to make any noise, for fear
40 I| day, however, she tried to obtain some information
41 II| head:~"Suppose people were to know."~This continual feeling
42 II| that she did not even try to think of any means of avoiding
43 II| others and persistently tried to look at her figure in a
44 II| as she was very anxious to know whether anybody would
45 II| working every few minutes to look at herself from top
46 II| look at herself from top to toe, to see whether her
47 II| herself from top to toe, to see whether her apron did
48 II| question, did not appear to understand; but she had
49 II| which made her master say to her occasionally: "My poor
50 II| and no longer ventured to go to confession, as she
51 II| no longer ventured to go to confession, as she feared
52 II| confession, as she feared to face the priest, to whom
53 II| feared to face the priest, to whom she attributed superhuman
54 II| powers, which enabled him to read people's consciences;
55 II| bright eyes seemed always to be watching her.~One morning
56 II| it that she was obliged to sit down. Perhaps it was
57 II| as she did not venture to confide her secret to any
58 II| venture to confide her secret to any one. She often stopped
59 II| often stopped in her work to look at those lines written
60 II| impatience and anxiety, she went to the schoolmaster, who told
61 II| schoolmaster, who told her to sit down and read to her
62 II| her to sit down and read to her as follows:~"MY DEAR
63 II| MY DEAR DAUGHTER: I write to tell you that I am very
64 II| Monsieur Dentu, begs you to come, if you can.~"From
65 II| news, and he allowed her to go home for as long as she
66 II| she liked, and promised to have her work done by a
67 II| done by a charwoman and to take her back when she returned.~
68 II| next day Rose gave birth to a seven-months child, a
69 II| little skeleton, thin enough to make anybody shudder, and
70 II| shudder, and which seemed to be suffering continually,
71 II| be suffering continually, to judge from the painful manner
72 II| neighbors, who promised to take great care of it, and
73 II| of it, and she went back to the farm.~But now in her
74 II| however, was the mad longing to kiss it, to press it in
75 II| mad longing to kiss it, to press it in her arms, to
76 II| to press it in her arms, to feel the warmth of its little
77 II| are far away.~They began to talk about her and to tease-her
78 II| began to talk about her and to tease-her about her lover.
79 II| rich. When was the wedding to be and the christening?
80 II| And often she ran away to cry by herself, for these
81 II| for these questions seemed to hurt her like the prick
82 II| of a pin; and, in order to forget their jokes, she
83 II| forget their jokes, she began to work still more energetically,
84 II| money for it, and determined to work so that her master
85 II| master would be obliged to raise her wages.~By degrees
86 II| the work and persuaded him to get rid of one servant girl,
87 II| useless since she had taken to working like two; she economized
88 II| the corn, which they gave to the chickens too extravagantly,
89 II| she became. indispensable to him. She kept such a strict
90 II| good will; and she began to think rather bitterly that
91 II| bank every month, thanks to her, she was still only
92 II| so she made up her mind to ask for an increase of wages.
93 II| increase of wages. She went to see the schoolmaster three
94 II| in the kitchen, she said to him, with some embarrassment,
95 II| embarrassment, that she wished to speak to him particularly.
96 II| that she wished to speak to him particularly. He raised
97 II| not very well. He acceded to her request immediately,
98 II| I shall have something to say to you myself."~
99 II| shall have something to say to you myself."~
100 III| violently that it began to scream with terror; and
101 III| terror; and then she began to cry herself, because it
102 III| and stretched out its arms to its nurse as soon as it
103 III| But the next day it began to know her, and laughed when
104 III| life, she opened her heart to somebody, although he could
105 III| dressing it, for it seemed to her that all this was the
106 III| was hers, and would say to herself in a low voice as
107 III| way home as she returned to the farm and had scarcely
108 III| if they did not know what to do with them, and looking
109 III| up his mind, and began to speak vaguely, hesitating
110 III| frightened; she did not even try to comprehend his meaning,
111 III| he did not know what else to say, and Rose looked at
112 III| who thinks that he is face to face with a murderer and
113 III| with a murderer and ready to flee at the slightest movement
114 III| And he said quickly: "Why, to marry me, by Heaven!"~She
115 III| give you until tomorrow to think it over."~And he hurried
116 III| out of the room, very glad to have got through with the
117 III| as he thus bound a woman to his interests who would
118 III| habits.~Rose did not go to bed that night. She threw
119 III| had not even the strength to cry left in her, she was
120 III| without being at all able to collect her thoughts, though,
121 III| out, and then she began to imagine that some one bad
122 III| she felt a mad inclination to run away, to escape and
123 III| inclination to run away, to escape and to flee before
124 III| run away, to escape and to flee before her misfortune,
125 III| stooped down, so as not to be seen by any prowling
126 III| springy trot, and from time to time she unconsciously uttered
127 III| and followed her and tried to bite her, but she turned
128 III| dim, and the birds began to twitter; day was breaking.
129 III| her swollen feet refused to go any farther; but she
130 III| hand on her heart, in order to dip both her feet in it.
131 III| coolness pervaded her from head to foot, and suddenly, while
132 III| and with a mad longing to throw herself into it. All
133 III| peace, complete rest, and to sleep forever, and she got
134 III| She was in the water up to her thighs, and she was
135 III| and she was just about to throw her self in when sharp,
136 III| despair, for, from her knees to the tips of her feet, long
137 III| swelling as they adhered to her flesh. She did not dare
138 III| flesh. She did not dare to touch them, and screamed
139 III| along at some distance, to the spot. He pulled off
140 III| one by one, applied herbs to the wounds, and drove the
141 III| wounds, and drove the girl to her master's farm in his
142 III| cannot? I should just like to know the reason why?" She
143 III| the reason why?" She began to cry, and repeated: "I cannot."
144 III| ragamuffin, without a roof to his head, I suppose? Who
145 III| apron. But he still tried to find it out, with his brutish
146 III| scratching at her heart to discover her secret, just
147 III| terrier scratches at a hole to try and get at the animal
148 III| here last year. They used to say that you were always
149 III| swear it; I will swear it to you -- " She tried to think
150 III| it to you -- " She tried to think of something by which
151 III| think of something by which to swear, as she did not venture
152 III| as she did not venture to invoke sacred things, but
153 III| her: "At any rate, he used to follow you into every corner
154 III| never; I will solemnly swear to you that if he were to come
155 III| swear to you that if he were to come to-day and ask me to
156 III| to come to-day and ask me to marry him I would have nothing
157 III| him I would have nothing to do with him." She spoke
158 III| continued, as if speaking to himself:. "What, then? You
159 III| she had not the strength to speak, and he asked her
160 III| white horse, and she went to bed as soon as she could
161 III| farmer's voice, when he said to her: "Don't be frightened,
162 III| frightened, Rose; I have come to speak to you." She was surprised
163 III| Rose; I have come to speak to you." She was surprised
164 III| first, but when he tried to take liberties with her
165 III| she understood and began to tremble violently, as she
166 III| She turned her head now to the wall, and now toward
167 III| toward the room, in order to avoid the attentions which
168 III| attentions which the farmer tried to press on her, but she was
169 III| and one morning he said to her: "I have put up our
170 IV| earth, and whom she went to see twice a year, though
171 IV| gradually grew accustomed to her life, her fears were
172 IV| or three years he seemed to have been nursing some secret
173 IV| nursing some secret anxiety, to be troubled by some care,
174 IV| she spoke rather crossly to him, as she was very busy,
175 IV| suddenly came in and said to her in his unpleasant voice: "
176 IV| the farmer neither spoke to her nor looked at her, and
177 IV| looked at her, and he seemed to hate her, to despise her,
178 IV| and he seemed to hate her, to despise her, to know something
179 IV| hate her, to despise her, to know something about the
180 IV| composure, and did not venture to remain alone with him after
181 IV| left the room and hastened to the church.~It was getting
182 IV| darkness of the. arches, looked to Rose like her last hope,
183 IV| increasing mist. She went up to him, as he was going out.~"
184 IV| priest was just sitting down to dinner, and he made her
185 IV| has mentioned the matter to me that brings you here."
186 IV| some of which dropped on to his greasy cassock. But
187 IV| But Rose did not venture to say anything more, and she
188 IV| anything more, and she got up to go, but the priest said: "
189 IV| she went out and returned to the farm without knowing
190 IV| flood of tears, she said to him: "What have you got
191 IV| got against me?"~He began to shout and to swear: "What
192 IV| He began to shout and to swear: "What have I got
193 IV| may live alone together to the end of their days. That
194 IV| worth anything."~She began to cry, and said: "It is not
195 V| she had only one thought: to have a child another child;
196 V| child; she confided her wish to everybody, and, in consequence
197 V| infallible method. This was, to make her husband drink a
198 V| evening. The farmer consented to try it, but without success;
199 V| without success; so they said to each other: "Perhaps there
200 V| secret ways?" And they tried to find out. They were told
201 V| Vallin one day drove off to consult him. The shepherd
202 V| herbs, and each of them was to eat a piece of it, but they
203 V| the priest advised them to make a pilgrimage to the
204 V| them to make a pilgrimage to the shrine at Fecamp. Rose
205 V| one night, not being able to think of any means of making
206 V| suffer more he ordered her to get up and go and stand
207 V| her by the neck and began to strike her in the face with
208 V| mad with rage, he began to beat her. Then in her despair
209 V| know Jacques. He promised to marry me, but he left this
210 V| saying?" Then she began to sob, and amid her tears
211 V| reason why I did not want to marry you. I could not tell
212 V| you know? I did not want to marry you," she said, still
213 V| lit the candle, and began to walk up and down, with his
214 V| no answer, and he began to walk up and down again,
215 V| floor, he suddenly began to laugh with the hearty laugh
216 V| hands and said: "I wanted to adopt one, and now we have
217 V| the saucepan, he continued to walk up and down the kitchen
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