his affairs were prospering. While
the whole country was in the throes of dissolution and bleeding at every
limb, he had succeeded in so extending his butchering business that he
was now slaughtering three and even four times as many animals as he had
ever done before. It was said that since the 31st of August he had been
carrying on a most lucrative business with the Prussians. He who on the
30th had stood at his door with his cocked gun in his hand and refused
to sell a crust of bread to the starving soldiers of the 7th corps had
on the following day, upon the first appearance of the enemy, opened
up as dealer in all kinds of supplies, had disinterred from his cellar
immense stocks of provisions, had brought back his flocks and herds from
the fastnesses where he had concealed them; and since that day he
had been one of the heaviest purveyors of meat to the German armies,
exhibiting consummate address in bargaining with them and in getting
his money promptly for his merchandise. Other dealers at times suffered
great inconvenience from the insolent arbitrariness of the victors,
whereas he never sold them a sack of flour, a cask of wine or a quarter
of beef that he did not get his pay for it as soon as delivered in good
hard cash. It made a good deal of talk in Remilly; people said it was
scandalous on the part of a man whom the war had deprived of his only
son, whose grave he never visited, but left to be cared for by Silvine;
but nevertheless they all looked up to him with respect as a man who was
making his fortune while others, even the shrewdest, were having a hard
time of it to keep body and soul together. And he, with a sly leer
out of his small red eyes, would shrug his shoulders and growl in his
bull-headed way:

"Who talks of patriotism! I am more a patriot than any of them. Would
you call it patriotism to fill those bloody Prussians' mouths gratis?
What they get from me they have to pay for. Folks will see how it is
some of these days!"

On the second day of his employment Jean remained too long on foot, and
the doctor's secret fears proved not to be unfounded; the wound opened,
the leg became greatly inflamed and swollen, he was compelled to take
to his bed again. Dalichamp suspected that the mischief was due to a
spicule of bone that the two consecutive days of violent exercise had
served to liberate. He explored the wound and was so fortunate as
to find the fragment, but there was a shock attending the op