Une Vie, A Piece of String and Other Stories

velling carriage arrive

arse

eanne had become accust

her repugnance to a c

t him handsome, she lo

and ch

ort and without sadne

carriage was just start

daughter's hand, say

penses as

se in her pocket and

said: "How much money

at pu

thought, and she poured

r filled her lap: two

shall commit all kinds

replaced it

t days in terribly ho

lowing day the Roi-

aples by way of Ajaccio

its bandits, its moun

Jeanne that she was lea

wide awake. Standing si

ooked at the cliffs of

alm sea of deep blue s

t rays of

cursion in Père Lastiqu

, he gave her a has

k the water, disturbing

froth of champagne rema

as the eye could see

e salt mist that seeme

where the sea. But ah

learly defined in the

ing clouds, pointed, ja

wa

clearer, its outline

arge chain of mounta

ca, covered with a lig

ing the jagged crests

athed in light, while

covered w

sun-browned man, dried

arsh salt winds, appear

wenty years of command

torms, sai

rceive it,

a strong and peculiar

atic

sends out that fragr

uliar odor of a pretty

hould recognize it fi

there, at Saint Helena,

f his native country. H

g off his hat, saluted

an, the great captive

fa

ffected that sh

rd the horizon, the

uina

ide his wife, with his

to the distance to see

d some pyramidal rocks

immense peaceful gul

hich was covered with

ant growth, the capta

eir course the circle o

eamer, which moved alo

that one could someti

red perfectly white at

, at the base of the

ored in the dock. Four

i-Louis to ge

ing the baggage, asked

is it not, to give to

ed the same question,

ewhat impatiently: "W

gh, one giv

with the hotel proprie

ndors of all kinds,

tained a reduction in

his hands: "I do not

a bill came in, cert

d make about each it

up to the roots of

the servants as they l

in their hand

with the boatme

saw was a palm. They

f an immense square a

ey arranged an itinerar

pent in this little tow

ot as a furnace encl

every breath of air fr

, so as to be able to c

e Corsican stallions w

one morning at daybrea

m and carried the pro

n this wi

gulf and soon turned in

tains. They frequently

ny stream of water tric

y like a wild a

ry seemed perfectly ba

th tall weeds, yellow

mountaineer, either o

ide a donkey about as

slung across their ba

table in t

he aromatic herbs wit

ke the air heavy. The

f the mountains. The r

fairyland to the wil

sts of chestnut trees

the elevatio

reaching out his hand

a name. Jeanne and Jul

ing, until at last th

tones fallen from the

granite hanging the

and almost invisible

like this made Jean

she whipped up her hors

ing her, she turned rou

long, pale, and holding

and down. His very

kwardness and timidit

tly. The road now ran b

covered the whole side

"Maquis," composed o

ivet, gorse, laurel

is, huge ferns, honeysu

which covered the sides

trable

uide rejoined them and

quent in rocky countrie

little hole in the ro

e passerby had placed

one's

that she could hardly

ing fo

ourney and began to de

e. Toward evening they

ed by a colony of refug

eautiful girls, with r

d singularly graceful,

ed out, "Good evening

e harmonious langua

they had to beg for ho

ds. Jeanne trembled wit

after Julien knocked.

ll the unexpected o

home of a young coup

archs must have receive

corn husk mattress in

worms, overrun with l

s, to be aliv

aybreak, and presently

purple granite. Ther

forms molded by age, t

hree hundred metres in

med, unexpected and fa

s, plants, animals, mo

vils, gigantic birds,

of nightmares petrif

ric di

ng, her heart was full.

ome with a longing for

y of

rged from this chaos,

by a wall of blood-red

flected in th

Jeanne, unable to speak

ears fell from her eyes

hment a

the matte

s, smiled and replied i

--I do not know--it ju

e least thing

these feminine attacks

, excited at nothing, w

whom an imperceptible

them wild with

urd to him, and thinki

s

better to watc

st impassable path to

right to ascend t

d that Julien proposed

ted. She was enchanted

with him after

with the mule and the

ow

om top to bottom, spre

n two gigantic walls.

air is icy, the grani

of blue sky astonish

nne start. She raised h

w; it was an eagle. Hi

f the gorge and he so

ppea

double gorge and the

anne, careless and ha

eneath her feet, fearl

d her, somewhat out of

fear of bec

ne down on them, and it

gions. They were thirst

sed a wilderness of st

a channel made of a pi

goatherds. A carpet of

Jeanne and Julien

the fresh cold water

r. She resisted and the

water splashed their fa

ds, and their kisses

reaching the summit of

d uneven, and they did

f Paoli Palabretti, a r

omewhat bent, with t

them to their room, a

r this country, where

guage--the Corsican pat

sure at welcoming the

le swarthy woman, with

slender waist, teet

d forward, kissed Jean

dame; good-day, monsieu

hawls, carrying all on

en she made them all g

ke them for a walk

t once and walked betw

village. He dragged

and repeating at ea

Val, which is cool, an

h beneath enormous ches

monotonous voice: "It

ed by Mathieu Lori. Se

eared at ten paces fro

e; do not go, Jean, or

o

'Do not go there,

hom they were both aft

am going, Mathieu; you

ent

his gun, and before

re

t in the air, like a

back full on me, so th

the big chestnut

e open, but he did no

ad

in amazement at the cal

ne a

ecame of th

d a long fit of cou

untain. It was my bro

know, my brother, Ph

nd

e shu

other a

e in his eye, the ca

lebrated, that one. He

e as Nicolas Morali, wh

days of fighting, and

ng

it," he added with a r

: "It is the air of t

dinner, and the littl

known them for

When Julien again held

e strange and intense

the spring? And when t

led lest she should st

assured, and this was

were about to set ou

mble cottage, where it

had begu

little wife into her

mean it as a present,

ding her from Paris, a

mbrance to which sh

ious sign

fused for some time, n

she consen

me a little pistol

in astonishment. The ot

t and intimate secr

iling, she hastily unwo

howing her firm, white

ow almost healed, she s

is, he would have kille

and, besides, he is

besides, madame, I am

es all that he hears.

rely try it again. The

be easy, and sur

the weapon, kissed her

ut on thei

as nothing but a dream

ion of caresses. She s

le, nor the places wher

g but

they had to pay the g

ng what he wanted, he

her's two thousand fra

fer in my belt, and it

cha

ed him h

visited Florence, Geno

on a morning when the

since they left the "

of Oc

e cold wind that seeme

felt sad. Julien had,

fferent, and she fea

urn home four days lon

leave this pleasant lan

ad come to an end

hey were to make all t

for good at the "Popl

ack some treasures, t

thing she thought of wa

Corsican wo

ved she said to Julien:

ma's? I want to m

d her with a lo

ch do y

tever you

dred francs," he repli

t

to say, amazed and c

-I--handed you

give her ti

ther it is in my poc

oment that we have th

ince I am giving yo

pieces without saying

more, and she bought

they set out fo