FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   704   705   706   707   708   709   710   711   712   713   714   715   716   717   718   719   720   721   722   723   724   725   726   727   728  
729   730   731   732   733   734   735   736   737   738   739   740   741   742   743   744   745   746   747   748   749   750   751   752   753   >>   >|  
but he is provided with good testimonials, and his papers are all in order." "Show me his papers," the mayor said. He took them, read them, reread, returned them and then said: "Search him." So they searched him, but found nothing, and the mayor seemed perplexed, and asked the workman: "What were you doing on the road this morning?" "I was looking for work." "Work? On the highroad?" "How do you expect me to find any if I hide in the woods?" They looked at each other with the hatred of two wild beasts which belong to different hostile species, and the magistrate continued: "I am going to have you set at liberty, but do not be brought up before me again." To which the carpenter replied: "I would rather you locked me up; I have had enough running about the country." But the magistrate replied severely: "be silent." And then he said to the two gendarmes: "You will conduct this man two hundred yards from the village and let him continue his journey." "At any rate, give me something to eat," the workman said, but the other grew indignant: "Have we nothing to do but to feed you? Ah! ah! ah! that is rather too much!" But Randel went on firmly: "If you let me nearly die of hunger again, you will force me to commit a crime, and then, so much the worse for you other fat fellows." The mayor had risen and he repeated: "Take him away immediately or I shall end by getting angry." The two gendarmes thereupon seized the carpenter by the arms and dragged him out. He allowed them to do it without resistance, passed through the village again and found himself on the highroad once more; and when the men had accompanied him two hundred yards beyond the village, the brigadier said: "Now off with you and do not let me catch you about here again, for if I do, you will know it." Randel went off without replying or knowing where he was going. He walked on for a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, so stupefied that he no longer thought of anything. But suddenly, as he was passing a small house, where the window was half open, the smell of the soup and boiled meat stopped him suddenly, and hunger, fierce, devouring, maddening hunger, seized him and almost drove him against the walls of the house like a wild beast. He said aloud in a grumbling voice: "In Heaven's name! they must give me some this time!" And he began to knock at the door vigorously with his stick, and as no one came he knocked louder and called out: "Hey! hey! you
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   704   705   706   707   708   709   710   711   712   713   714   715   716   717   718   719   720   721   722   723   724   725   726   727   728  
729   730   731   732   733   734   735   736   737   738   739   740   741   742   743   744   745   746   747   748   749   750   751   752   753   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

village

 

hunger

 
replied
 

magistrate

 
carpenter
 

suddenly

 
seized
 

hundred

 

gendarmes

 
Randel

highroad

 

papers

 
workman
 

called

 

knowing

 

louder

 

replying

 

walked

 

quarter

 
testimonials

longer

 
thought
 

stupefied

 

minutes

 

twenty

 

resistance

 

allowed

 

dragged

 

passed

 

accompanied


brigadier

 

Heaven

 

grumbling

 
window
 
knocked
 

provided

 

passing

 

maddening

 

devouring

 

fierce


boiled
 

stopped

 

vigorously

 

country

 

severely

 
running
 

locked

 

silent

 

morning

 

conduct