om some nervous affection, fell down
sometimes over his white, sightless orbs. Had he any intellect, any
thinking faculty, any consciousness of his own existence? Nobody cared
to inquire as to whether he had or no.

For some years things went on in this fashion. But his incapacity for
doing anything as well as his impassiveness eventually exasperated his
relatives, and he became a laughing-stock, a sort of martyred buffoon,
a prey given over to native ferocity, to the savage gaiety of the
brutes who surrounded him.

It is easy to imagine all the cruel practical jokes inspired by his
blindness. And, in order to have some fun in return for feeding him,
they now converted his meals into hours of pleasure for the neighbors
and of punishment for the helpless creature himself.

The peasants from the nearest houses came to this entertainment; it
was talked about from door to door, and every day the kitchen of the
farmhouse was full of people. Sometimes they put on the table, in
front of his plate, when he was beginning to take the soup, some cat
or some dog. The animal instinctively scented out the man's infirmity,
and, softly approaching, commenced eating noiselessly, lapping up the
soup daintily; and, when a rather loud licking of the tongue awakened
the poor fellow's attention, it would prudently scamper away to avoid
the blow of the spoon directed at it by the blind man at random!

Then the spectators huddled against the walls burst out laughing,
nudged each other, and stamped their feet on the floor. And he,
without ever uttering a word, would continue eating with the aid of
his right hand, while stretching out his left to protect and defend
his plate.

At another time they made him chew corks, bits of wood, leaves, or
even filth, which he was unable to distinguish.

After this, they got tired even of these practical jokes; and the
brother-in-law, mad at having to support him always, struck him,
cuffed him incessantly, laughing at the useless efforts of the other
to ward off or return the blows. Then came a new pleasure--the
pleasure of smacking his face. And the plough-men, the servant girls,
and even every passing vagabond were every moment giving him cuffs,
which caused his eyelashes to twitch spasmodically. He did not know
where to hide himself, and remained with his arms always held out to
guard against people coming too close to him.

At last he was forced to beg.

He was placed somewhere on the high-road