羊脂球(英文版).doc

BOULE DE SUIF It was half past four in the morningThe travellers， who had met in the yard of the Normandy Hotel，were shivering with cold in the darkness“Isnt the coach ready yet？”one of them said“No，not yet，”his companion answered“Lucky we have been to get a permit from the Prussian army to leave Rouen，”another said“I have an acquaintance among German officers”“I see”“Do you think we can run a business at Havre？”“Perhaps we canIf not，we can make our way to EnglandNothing venture，nothing gain”“I agree with youWe can do nothing in occupied Rouen”“I have brought my wife”“So have I”“And I，too”Horses hoofs were heard，and the tinkling of little bells told them that the harness was being got readySnow was falling with something like a vague and indefinable whisperA man with a lantern appeared，dragging along a horseHe spent a long time adjusting the harness with one hand， for he held the lantern in the otherAs he was going to fetch the second horse，he noticed the travellers standing helplessly under the falling snow“Dont you stand there，”he said“Get inside the coach， and you can at least take shelter from the snow”Why had it not occurred to them？They rushed for the coachThe three husbands took their seats at the far end with their wives；the other veiled and vague forms took the remaining placesAt last the coach was readyIt was drawn by a team of six horses instead of the usual four，because of the bad state of the roadsThe roads were very bad indeedThe horses slipped and panted，and the driver had to use his whip incessantlyGradually the day dawnedA bluish，leaden light came over the dreary， white landscapeInside the carriage the passengers now looked at one another inquisitivelyMonsieur and Madame Loiseau were wholesale wine merchants of the Rue Grand-pontHe had started life as a clerk in an office，and when his employer failed in business，he bought it and made a fortune by selling very bad wine at low prices to small retailers in the countryMaster of every trick of making money， he was notorious for his sharp practiceNext to them sat， with the dignity of a higher class，Monsieur CarreLamadon，owner of three spinningmills，officer of the Legion of Honour and member of the Conseil GnralUnder the Empire he posed as leader of the moderate opposition，which he hoped would be useful to him should he wish to desert to the opposite sideMadame CarrLamadon was much younger20 than her husbandA lady of delicate beauty，she had always attracted the attention of officers of good family， stationed at RouenMuffled in furs，she now stared sulkily at the interior of the coachTheir neighbours were the Count and Countess Hubert de Brville， who belonged to one of the oldest and most aristocratic families in NormandyThe Count bore a natural likeness to King Henry ， which he tried to accentuate by elaborate makeupIt had long been whispered among his family，not without pride， that the king had once made love to a Madame de Brville， and in return for her attentions， had made her husband a count and governor of a provinceGod only knows why he was married to the daughter of an unimportant shipowner of NantesShe was stately to look at， very hospitable，and the rumour that she had been a favourite with one of the sons of Louis Philippe made her the more popular among the local noblesHer salon was considered the best in the neighbourhoodAdmittance to it was not easy to get，and her drawing room was the only place where the gracious politeness of bygone days remained aliveThe Brvilles had landed estates，which were said to yield an income of half a million francsThese six were the most important of the party； they were all wealthy， respectable and solid members of societyIt so happened that all the women were seated on the same sideNext to the Countess sat two nunsOne of them was an old woman with a skin5 deeply pitted with smallpox； her companion was as mall，sickly， even consumptive-looking person，but seemingly filled with religious devotionOpposite the two nuns sat a man and a womanThe man was Cornudet； he was wellknown for his dissolute habits and crazy political ideasHehad inherited a respectable fortune from his father， but had wasted it away upon drink and useless ambitionsNow he took it into his head that he would be better employed at Havre，where his help would be neededThe woman beside him was what is called a woman of a certain typeWhat was most noticeable about her was her excessive portlinessShort， round and plump as a dumpling， she was nicknamed Boule de Suif， that is，suet dumplingShe had，nevertheless， rosy cheeks suggesting peony buds ready to burst into flowers， black eyes shaded and deepened by long lashes， and a25 charming， pouting mouth revealing now and then white rows of tiny teethAs soon as the ladies recognized her， they began to whisper among themselvesBy and by the words “prostitute”and “shameful”and similar5 words became audible and attracted the attention of the poor womanShe raised her head and looked at them so defiantly that they became silent，with their eyes cast down； Loiseau， sensitive to feminine charms， cast stealthy glances of curiosity at herHowever， the three ladles， soon encouraged by their dislike of this common enemy to housewives， resumed their conversationThe three husbands，on the other hand， discussed money matters proudly， and made contemptuous remarks about poorer folkCount Hubert talked about the loss of cattle and crops caused by the Prussians， but with an expression which showed that he did not care about it at allMonsieur Carr-Lamadon said he had been shrewd enough to send to England six hundred thousand francs for safe keepingLoiseau spoke of the huge amount of money the State would pay him at Havre for the wines he had sold to the French CommissariatThe three man exchanged meaningful glancesThough of different social standing，they all worshipped moneyThe coach moved on at a snail-like pace，and by ten oclock they had covered not more than ten milesThey had intended to have lunch at T tes， but it seemed impossible now to arrive there before nightfallThey looked for a wayside inn，but there was no sign of even the meanest tavern or wine shopThey were growing hungry and rather depressed， for they had not brought any food with themThe men tried to get food from peasants they came across by the roadside，but they could not obtain even plain breadTowards one oclock they felt more and more hungry，and stopped gossiping，pinched with hunger“I feel ill，”the Count said“Why didnt I think of bringing some provisions？Boule de Suif stooped down now and then，as if to take out something from under her petticoats， but each time she hesitated and sat up againAbout three oclock，when the coach was going across a desolate plain，she bent down again，and this time drew from under the seat a large basket covered with a napkinFirst she took out of it a little earthen plate， next a dainty silver cup，and then a large dish loaded with two cut fowls flavoured with jellyAnd from the basket peeped other good things-pies，fruit，dainties，even bottles，seemingly sufficient for a three days journeyThe agreeable smell of food filled the air，and riveted the attention of the hungry passengersThe ladies contempt for the hussy rose to a furyShe was making a display of food when they were starving！How they wished they could kill her！Loiseau was the first to rise to the occasion“Thank God！”he saidMadame，youve been very thoughtful”Boule de suif turned towards him“Would you care for some，sir？”she said“It is hard to go without food all day”He bowed“well，”he replied，trying to be facetious“Any port in a stormWe must make the best of things”He spread a newspaper on his lap，and using a knife which he always carried in his pocket， speared a leg of chicken thickly coated with jelly and began to eat it greedilyThen in a low，gentle voice Boule de Suif asked the two nuns if they would share her mealThe two devotees readily accepted the offerCornudet also accepted her invitationWith newspapers spread on their knees they made a sort of table and feverishly started stuffing their stomachsLoiseau quietly urged his wife to follow their exampleAt first she refused，but her hunger was too strong to resist for a long timeHer husband asked Boule de Suif if he might offer his wife a small portion“Why，certainly，sir，”she replied，a happy smile spreading across her face，and she handed him the dishThen the bottle of Bordeaux wine was opened， and though they had only one cup，they passed it round，each wiping it in turnCornudet alone gallantly put his lips to the brim of the cup still wet from the lips of his fair companionWith people eating and drinking all around them，the Count and Countess de Brville and Monsieur and Madame Carr-Lamadon suffered the agonies of hunger and thirstSuddenly the manufacturers wife grew ghastly pale，closed her eyes，and faintedHer husband called out for help，and the other passengers were panicstrickenThe elder nun held Boule de Suifscup to the womans lips and made her swallow a few drops of wineMadame opened her eyes and expressed her gratitude，saying that she was all right“Nothing serious，”the nun said“Mere hunger”Bould de Suif timidly looked at the four dignified ladies and gentlemen who were still fasting and spoke haltingly；“Oh，dear，might I offer？”She broke off，for fear of being rebuffedLoiseau took the cue“We are in the same boat， as the saying is”he said“We should help one anotherCome，ladies and gentlemen，accept her offer”They hesitated to be the first to yield to the necessityIt was the Count who made the decisionHe said with a superior air，Madame，we accept your offer with thanks”The ice once broken，they talked to Boule de Suif，at first with some reserve，but presently，through the influence of her sweet temper，with increasing freedomMadame de Brville and Madame Carr-Lamadon，who had seen much of the world，said nice things to please herThe Countess treated Boule de suif with the gracious condescension of a great ladyOnly Madame Loiseau was proof against the conciliatory influence of the partyShe said little but ate muchThe conversation turned naturally upon the war，the atrocities committed by the Prussians and the gallantry shown by the FrenchPresently they began to talk about themselves，and Boule de Suif，like the woman of her class who becomes eloquent when excited，told them why she had left Rouen“At first I thought I could stay thereBut the Prussians were more than I could bearOh，if only I were a man！I watched them out of my window，swine with their helmets on，and I would have thrown chairs and tables on them if my maid hadnt stopped meI was ordered to board and lodge some of them，but I sprang at the throat of the first oneThey dragged me down by my hairAfter that I had to hideI was always on the lookout for a chance of getting away，and here I am”The passengers all congratulated her upon her successThey thought highly of her braveryHowever，the basket was soon empty：the ten hungry people ate up all the provisionsConversation flowed for a while，but with less smoothness now that the meal was overNight closed in on the coach，and the darkness gradually deepenedBoule de Suif shivered with coldMadame de Brville offered her her foot warmer；Madame Carr-Lamadon and Madame Loiseau gave their foot warmers to the two nunsIn the strong，dazzling light of the lamps the horses galloped on，puffing and blowing，reeking with sweat，on a snowy and seemingly endless roadWithin the carriage all was dark，but once Loiseau thought he saw Cornudet jump aside from Boule de Suif as if repulsedAt last little twinkling lights came within sight in the darkness aheadIt was the town of TtesThirteen hours ride was nearly at an endThey entered the town and drew up at the Hotel of CommerceThe door of the carriage was flung open，but they were frightened when they heard some one exclaiming in German，together with the rattling sound of a sabreWhile they sat inside the coach in awful suspense，the driver flashed his lamps into their facesBeside him stood a young German officer，tall，fair，and extremely slender，wearing a flat cap which made him look like a porter at an English hotelIn Alsatian French he said：“Will you get out，ladies and gentlemen？”There was no choice for them but to obeyThey followed the officer into the great kitchen of the inn，where he asked them to show him their permit for departure and closely examined them allAt length he said，“All right，”and went into another roomThey heaved a sigh of reliefWhile two maids were busy preparing their supper，they went to look at the bedrooms，all of which faced a long passageJust as they were sitting down to supper，the host appeared“Is Mademoiselle Elisabeth Rousset here？”Boule de Suif turned to him，as if frightened“Yes？”“Mademoiselle，the Prussian officer wants to speak to you immediately”“To me？”“Yes”“He may want to speak to me，but I dont want to speak to him”This caused consternation among the companyEveryone was anxious to know what was his businessThe Count went up to Boule de Suif and said：“Think well，madameYour refusal may invite something serious，not only for yourself but for us allPerhaps he wants to speak to you about some trivial formality which has been omitted”The others agreed with him，and again begged her to reconsider the situationFinally she said：“All right，Ill do as you wishfor your sake”The Countessclasped her hand“You have our hearty thanks，”she saidWhen Boule de Suif was gone，they tried to guess why she had been summonedThey wondered what they would say if they were called in their turnIn ten minutes Boule de Suif returned，crimson with passionShe was so excited that she was almost breathlessShe only gasped out，“Pig！Filthy pig！”No one could tell why she was so angryThe next morning the party gathered in the kitchen，but the coach，which was to start at eight oclock，stood in the courtyard without any sign of startingThe driver being nowhere in the house，they went out into the street in search of himWhen they reached the market place，they saw a number of Prussian soldiersOne of them was peeling potatoes，another cleaning the barbers shop，a third humming to a little child in his arms，and a fourth doing the washing for an old womanSome soldiers were splitting wood for peasant womenSuch kindness was the last thing they expected from Prussian soldiersThe Count asked the beadle，as he came out of the church，how the Prussians behaved“Oh，they are not rowdyThey are not Prussians，so I hearThey come from a distant place，I dont know exactly wherePerhaps every one of them has his wife and children waiting for his return at homeYou see，poor people help one anotherThey are ready to do any odd job as they did in their own countryWar is the vice of higherups”It was a long time before they found the driverHe was talking nonchalantly with the officers orderly“Wasnt it arranged that the coach should start at eight？”the Count demanded“Yes， but I had orders”“What orders？”“Orders that I should not start this morning”“Who gave them？”“The Prussian commandant，of course”“For what reason？”“How can I know？”“Did he give such orders in person？”“No，through the innkeeper”On returning to the inn，the three men wanted to see the innkeeper，but were told by the maid that the innkeeper，Monsieur Follenvie，had given strict orders that he was not to be disturbed till ten oclock on account of his asthmaNothing remained to them but to wait for him to wake up，for Monsieur Follenvie alone was authorized to speak to the German officer on civil businessThe ladies went back to their rooms to pass the timeCornudet was smoking a beautiful meerschaum pipe in the kitchen chimney corner，with a pot of beer on a tableLoiseau under the pretext of going for a walk，went out to strike a bargain with local shopkeepersThe Count and the manufacturer discussed politics and the future of FranceJust at ten oclock Monsieur Follenvie appeared and said to the impatiently waiting guests：“The officer said to me，Monsieur Follenvie， you will give orders that the coach should not go tomorrow without my consentYou understand？ Good！”They asked the innkeeper to let them see the officer through him，and were told that they would be received after lunch about one oclockIn the meanwhile，the ladies came down and，de- spite their dissatisfaction，showed a pretty good appetiteBoule de Suif was somewhat nervous and restlessIt might be that she was upset about somethingAs they were drinking coffee，the orderly brought word that they might see the commandantLoiseau joined the Count and Monsieur Carr Lamadon；but Cornudet did not like to speak to Germans，and he called for another pot of beerThe three men went upstairs and were led into the best room of the inn，used only by the officerThe Prussian officer lounging in an armchair， was smoking a long porcelain pipeHe wore a gaudy dressing gown，doubtless looted from some unfortunate fugitiveWith his feet on the mantel- piece，he neither rose nor saluted；he did not even look at themHe was the very picture of the inso- lence of a victorAt last he said：“What do you want？”The count acted the part of spokesman“Sir，we wish to resume our journey”“You cant”“Might I ask why we cant？”“You cant go on because I dont wish you to resume your journey”“I beg you will notice the fact that the general in command has given us a permit to go to DieppeI dont think we have done anything to justify your refusal”“I dont wish itThats allYou may go”Coming down to the kitchen，they discussed the mysterious caprice of the German off