The Milkmaid of Montfermeil Part 73

The salesman could see n.o.body save his neighbor who was likely to have kissed him while he slept; and although he was unaccustomed to inspire pa.s.sions, he was convinced that he had kindled a flame in the heart of the young woman by his side. As he did not choose to be behindhand with her, the young man, who had hitherto had no thought for anything but his samples, and the duties imposed on his wares, began to think of something different, and to play with his hands on the young woman's knees. She made no resistance, while the two men, who seemed to be playing the _pied de boeuf_, seized each other's hand and pressed it with a vigor which surprised them both.

The first rays of dawn surprised the travellers in this situation.

Auguste laughed heartily, the salesman testily withdrew his hand and the young woman her knee; but she glanced furtively at Auguste, and he promised himself compensation for the blunders of the night.

In the morning they arrived at Auxerre; again the young woman remained in the diligence. Toward evening they halted at Avallon, where they were to dine. The young woman alighted, but she did not enter the inn; having purchased a loaf of bread and some other things, she sat down a short distance from the inn. Auguste, who had followed her with his eyes, allowed Bertrand to go in alone, saying that he was not hungry as yet, and joined his fair fellow-traveller, with whom he entered into conversation.

"Are you leaving Paris, madame?"

"Yes, monsieur"--with a sigh.

"Have you lived there long?"

"I was born there, monsieur."

"And you are turning your back on your native place?"

"I have no choice, monsieur"--with another sigh.

"Are you going to live in Lyon, madame?"

"I don't know, monsieur."

"Ah! you have no settled plan?"

"I am so unfortunate, monsieur!"

"You arouse my profound interest, madame; but we can talk more comfortably elsewhere than on this road. If you will take my arm, madame, we might take a walk about the place until it is time to start."

"With pleasure, monsieur."

The lady took Auguste's arm, and they walked away from the inn, talking.

"If I were not afraid of being too inquisitive, madame, I would ask what makes you leave Paris."

"Oh! I am very willing to tell you, monsieur. I am the child of respectable tradespeople; they married me when very young to a man whom I did not love; but I felt bound to obey, in order to gratify my parents."

"That was very good of you, madame."

"There was a very agreeable gentleman who had courted me before I was married; I didn't love him either, but I listened to him to gratify him."

"I understand, madame."

"My husband didn't make me happy; he was never willing that I should go out, and I stayed at home because that gratified him. But sometimes I had visitors, among others the gentleman who used to court me."

"And that didn't gratify your husband?"

"Apparently not, monsieur; for not long ago, happening to find him with me, he turned me out of doors. I undertook to be angry, and he beat me, monsieur; and said he'd do it again whenever he chose."

"He is a man who has a most brutal way of procuring himself pleasure."

"As I didn't care to be beaten again, I left my husband, and started for Lyon, having barely enough to pay for my pa.s.sage."

"I suppose then, madame, that you have friends in Lyon?"

"Oh! it was that gentleman who used to come to see me--he said that he was going there. However, I am no more anxious to go to Lyon than anywhere else. I wanted to get away from my husband, who made me so unhappy."

Meanwhile the fellow-travellers had reached a small restaurant. Auguste, remembering that his companion had not dined, proposed that they should go in and regale themselves, and she a.s.sented--to gratify him.

They entered the restaurant. Auguste asked for a private room, because one does not need witnesses to console a young wife whose husband has beaten her. He ordered as toothsome a repast as the place could afford, because he forgot as usual that he was no longer rich, and readily fell into his former habits. The Avallon restaurateur was put to his mettle to provide a dainty refection for the strangers who had honored his establishment. The dinner was served; Auguste urged the young woman to partake, and she, although she said that she complied only to gratify him, ate everything and did not need to be urged to drink freely of a native wine which the host declared to be of the vintage of the year of the comet.

Dining together, they became more and more friendly. At first Auguste seated himself opposite the young lady; but he reflected that they were much nearer than that in the diligence, and that it was, to say the least, unusual for two persons to keep at a respectful distance, tete-a-tete in a private dining-room, when they have pressed each other's knees before witnesses. So he took his seat beside the young lady, who sighed from time to time, but did not repulse the young man, who seemed most anxious to console her. He tenderly squeezed a very soft hand, expressing great surprise that a husband could be so brutal as to hurt such a charming woman.

"Men are cruel," said the young woman, who continued to keep her eyes on the floor.

"They are tyrants," rejoined Auguste, pressing her plump hand to his lips.

"They cause all our misery!" added the young woman, as she allowed her companion to kiss her.

"Ah! they cause something very different!" cried Auguste, throwing his arms about her.

"They do! they do!" whispered the young woman, apparently no longer conscious what they do or what she did; but after several meagre repasts, it was no wonder that the wine of the comet year caused her to lose her head.

On recovering his wits, Auguste said:

"By the way--the diligence?"

"Oh! that's so--the diligence!" echoed the young woman, heaving a sigh, presumably from habit.

"I am inclined to think, my dear love, that it is high time to return to it."

"Very well! let us return, my friend."

As you see, the wine of the comet had established most friendly relations between the travellers. But as a general rule, affairs that are negotiated in diligences are speedily consummated.

Auguste summoned the keeper of the restaurant and paid for the dinner.

The young lady replaced her hood, which was no longer on her head, I know not why. Then they left the private room and walked back, arm-in-arm, toward the inn where they had left the diligence.

As they walked Auguste talked with his companion, who seemed to him to have a very sweet disposition, but whose wit did not respond to the idea suggested by her decidedly expressive countenance. There are women whose wit is all in their eyes, and with them one must content oneself with pantomime.

As they approached the inn Auguste espied Bertrand, striding back and forth in front of the establishment, looking to right and left with gestures of impatience, and swearing energetically from time to time.

When he caught sight of Auguste, he ran to meet him and made a horrible wry face at the young woman who was hanging on his master's arm.

"Here you are at last, monsieur! Sacrebleu! I thought that you'd left me here to chase the swallows!"

"Don't get excited, Bertrand, I am here. I am not lost, you see. Well, when do we start?"

"Start! start for where, monsieur?"