?"

"Because I don't choose."

"I would respectfully call your attention, monsieur, to the fact that
your general in command gave us a permit to proceed to Dieppe; and I do
not think we have done anything to deserve this harshness at your hands."

"I don't choose--that's all. You may go."

They bowed, and retired.

The afternoon was wretched. They could not understand the caprice of this
German, and the strangest ideas came into their heads. They all
congregated in the kitchen, and talked the subject to death, imagining
all kinds of unlikely things. Perhaps they were to be kept as hostages
--but for what reason? or to be extradited as prisoners of war? or
possibly they were to be held for ransom? They were panic-stricken at
this last supposition. The richest among them were the most alarmed,
seeing themselves forced to empty bags of gold into the insolent
soldier's hands in order to buy back their lives. They racked their
brains for plausible lies whereby they might conceal the fact that they
were rich, and pass themselves off as poor--very poor. Loiseau took
off his watch chain, and put it in his pocket. The approach of night
increased their apprehension. The lamp was lighted, and as it wanted yet
two hours to dinner Madame Loiseau proposed a game of trente et un. It
would distract their thoughts. The rest agreed, and Cornudet himself
joined the party, first putting out his pipe for politeness' sake.

The count shuffled the cards--dealt--and Boule de Suif had thirty-one
to start with; soon the interest of the game assuaged the anxiety of the
players. But Cornudet noticed that Loiseau and his wife were in league to
cheat.

They were about to sit down to dinner when Monsieur Follenvie appeared,
and in his grating voice announced:

"The Prussian officer sends to ask Mademoiselle Elisabeth Rousset if she
has changed her mind yet."

Boule de Suif stood still, pale as death. Then, suddenly turning crimson
with anger, she gasped out:

"Kindly tell that scoundrel, that cur, that carrion of a Prussian, that I
will never consent--you understand?--never, never, never!"

The fat innkeeper left the room. Then Boule de Suif was surrounded,
questioned, entreated on all sides to reveal the mystery of her visit to
the officer. She refused at first; but her wrath soon got the better of
her.

"What does he want? He wants to make me his mistress!" she cried.

No one was shocked at the word, so great was the general indigna