Pierre and Jean

ionless for a quarter of an hour, his eyes fixed on the water, whi

milly, who had been invited to join the fishing-party, wo

well! G

fellow repli

since noon. Only men should ever go fishing. Wo

twisted round his forefinger, one to port and one

ry polite to ou

s abashed, a

invite ladies because I like to be with them, and then, as soon

nd gazing with a softened look at

sport, all the sa

fins, and dull, ineffectual efforts, gasping in the fatal air. Old Roland took the basket between his knees and tilted it up, making the silver heap of creatures slide to the edge that he might see those lying at the bottom, an

nough!" and he went on: "How

black whiskers trimmed square like a lawyer'

any; three

o the younger. "And

r than his brother, fair, with a

e as Pierre-f

ted father Roland. He had hitched his line roun

ver. The lazy brutes will not bite; they are taking their siesta in the sun." An

ey to live in modest comfort on the interest of his savings. He retired to le Havre, bought a boat, and became an amateur skipper. His two sons,

th each in turn, he started afresh with new hopes. Medicine had been his last fancy, and he had set to work with so much ardour that he had just qualified after an unusually

ietly gone through his studies for the law and had just taken his diploma as a licentiate, at the time when Pierre had taken his in medici

ld when Jean was born, had looked with the eyes of a little petted animal at that other little animal which had suddenly come to lie in his father's and mother's arms and to be loved and fondled by them. Jean, from his birth, had always been a pattern of sweetness, gentleness, and good temper, and Pierre had by degrees begun to chafe at ever-lastingly hearing the praises of this grea

Jean and follow his example," but every time he heard them say "Jean did this

as in fear of some complications; for in the course of the winter, while her boys were finishing their studies, each in his own line, she had made the acquaintance of a neighbour, Mme. Rosemilly, the widow of a captain of a merchantman who had died at sea two years before. The young widow-quite young, only three-and-twenty-a woman of strong intellect

t the departed captain; and she would talk of him, and his voyages, and his old-world tales,

t home in the house, forthwith began to court her, less from a

t one of them might win the young widow, for she was rich; but

ring at the least breath of wind, and an alert, daring, pugnacious little wa

occasionally asking his opinion. She seemed to guess that Jean's views would support her own, while those of Pierre must inevitably be different. When she spoke of the doctor's ideas on politics, a

d to put off before daybreak, with his ally, Captain Beausire, a master mariner retired, whom he had first met on the quay at high t

fun to go out fishing." The jeweller, flattered by her interest and suddenly fired with the wish to share his f

sure I

Tues

next T

be ready to start at

aimed in

d: that is

ed, suddenly doubting her tru

our can yo

-at n

bef

e. Even that i

n has warmed the sea the fish bite no more; but the two brothers had eagerl

catching anything; and then it was that father Roland, perceiving, rather late, that all that Mme. Rosemilly really enjoyed and cared for was the sail on the sea, and seeing that hi

of a miser; seeing as he looked up at the sky that the sun was

oiled them up, cleaned the hooks and s

p to look out

. "You will have t

ng one arm to the no

he packet fro

to which he pointed, and below it they could make out the hull of the steamer, which looked tiny at such a distance. And to southward other wreaths of smoke, numbe

the Normandie due to-d

, to

s. I fancy I see

usted it to his eye, sought the speck, and

ow her two funnels. Would you

o find the vessel, for she could distinguish nothing-nothing but blue, with a coloured halo round i

she return

ut my husband in quite a rage; he would stand fo

much put o

ect in your eye, for my g

fered it t

ou like

before hand that I co

id not look it, seemed to be enjoying this excurs

her from enjoying the delights of dreaming. She was fond of reading, of novels, and poetry, not for their value as works of art, but for the sake of the tender melancholy mood they would induce in her. A line of poetry, often but a poor one, often a

ptibly stouter, and her figure, which had be

. He controlled himself in the presence of strangers, but in private he let loose and gave himself terrible vent, though he was himself afraid of every one. She, in sheer horror of the turmoil, of scenes, of useless explanation

r the waves. She was not thinking; her mind was not wandering through either memories or hopes; it seemed to her as

at the oars!" she smiled to see her sons, her two great boys, take

he other, and they sat waiting till the skipper should say: "Give way

was suddenly aroused by the prospect of measuring their powers. When they went out alone with their father they plied the oars without any steering, for Roland would be busy getting the lines ready, while he kept a lookout in the boat's course, guiding it by a sign

were hairy, somewhat lean but sinewy; Jean's were round and

every stroke, and the Pearl was veering landward. Father Roland, sitting in the bows, so as to leave the stern seat to the two women, wasted his breat

own way; he grew eager and warmed to his work, while Pierre, out of breath and exhausted by his first vigorous spurt, was lax and panting. Four times running father Roland made them stop

; I have a stitch in my side. I start

I pull alone with b

ks, it wi

her, somewhat

son is there in getting into su

is shoulders and

r fair head went back with an engaging little jerk every time the boat

land presentl

nce Albert is

ing on at full steam, crowded with passengers under open parasols. Its hurrying, noisy paddle-wheels beating up the water which fell again in foam, gave it an appe

iefs, and half a dozen parasols eagerly waved on board the steamboat responded to this salute as she

w of inconspicuous tugs, were coming in, faster and slower, towards the devouring ogre, who from time to time seemed to have had a surfeit, and spewed out to the open sea another fleet of steamers, brigs, schooners, and three-masted vessels with their tangled mass of rigging. The hurry

lf-shut, murmured: "Good heav

with a long sigh, which, ho

ometimes very cru

d exc

rmandie just going in.

rg. Then he enlarged on the question of the sand-banks in the Seine, which shift at every tide so that even the pilots of Quilleboeuf are at fault if they do not survey the channel every day. He bid them notice how the town of Havre divided Upper from Lower Normandy. In Lower Normandy the shore sloped down to the

their den, they sat speechless, somewhat awed by the soothing and gorgeous sunset. Roland alone talked on without end; he was one of those whom nothing

ing slowly, and the Pearl was making for the h

t of a milliner's or a jeweller's shop, to look at a bonnet or an ornament; then after making their comments they went on again. In front of the Place de la Bourse Roland paused, as he did every day, to gaze at the docks full of vessels-the Bassin du Commerce, with other docks beyond, where the huge hulls lay side by side, closely packed in rows, four or five deep. And masts innumerable

f ceremony, just that we may end the day

t equally without ceremony. It would be di

f: "Well, the widow is taking root now, it would seem." For some days past he had spoken of her as "the widow." The

s above, in the Rue Belle-Normande. The maid, Josephine, a girl of nineteen, a rustic servant-of-all-work at low wages, gifted to excess with the startl

n called-th

ke to her without shoutin

called, in the

her master's roaring

an from th

t la

ieu 'Canu

id this gen

call in himself in the

important must be in the wind; and the four Rolands looked at each other, disturbed by the announcement as folks of small fortune are wont to be at any intervention of a

earth can

illy began

urse. I am sure of it

he death of any one who m

hink over all their connections on her husband's side and on her

king off her b

metimes "Monsieur Roland" before strangers), "tell me, do you re

named Dumenil, a st

y any ch

k so! four or

that quart

y. But Pierre, who was very fond of his mother, who knew her to be somewhat visionary and feared she migh

American uncle. For my part, I should sooner

nd Jean was a little ruffled by his brother'

disputable. You are the elder; you, therefore, would be th

miled sn

in love

s it necessary that a man should be in lo

hat 'yet' sets it rig

m waiting, if you

ening and cogitating, suddenly hi

ry good friend; he knows that Pierre is looking out for a medical partnership

and likely that ev

y all hurried off to their rooms to wash

at dinner in the little dini

resently Roland began again in a

Why should he have sent his clerk th

ught it qu

nd perhaps there are certain confidential condi

yed at having invited a stranger, who would be in the wa

gain when the lawyer was anno

ng his visitor the title which in France is t

osemil

she said. "I a

not consent, and went home without either of the thr

he honours eagerl

coffee,

u. I have jus

of tea,

pt one later. First we

regular ticking of the clock, and below stairs the clatter of saucep

wyer w

know a certain M. Ma

th exclaimed at once:

friend o

he boulevard. He was a head clerk in the exchequer office. I have never seen him since I left th

er grave

chal is

ement of pained surprise, genuine or false, but

Lecanu

e the main item of his will, by which he makes yo

single word. Mme. Roland was the first

on-our poor friend! De

em so very sad, being so clear. But Roland was thinking less of the loss than of the prospect announced. Still, he dared not a

he die of, p

did not know

nty thousand francs a year ($3,840) in three per cents-to your second son, whom he has known from his birth up

ot conceal his del

art. And if I had had no heir I would not

wyer s

the event to you myself. It is always a

riend, of Roland's best friend; and the old man himself had suddenly f

was still shedding a few tears, wiping her eyes with her handker

ctor m

ctionate. He often invited us to

th him, and drew his fingers down it to the tip of the last hairs, as if to pull it longer and thinner

of me. He would always embra

inheritance to come; nay, already in hand; this money lurking behind th

culty in the way?" he asked. "N

anu seemed

hat everything is quite clear. M. Je

n the fortune i

ctly c

formalities have

ll

ame-obscure, instinctive, and fleeting; shame

ich he might not foresee. Sometimes there are debts, embarrassing liabilities, what not! And a legatee fin

among themselves as the "little one,"

emote fact, a thing almost forgotten that she had heard long ago,

poor friend Marechal had left

, ma

went o

ear it; it proves that

d had

r sir, that my son should a

at my office to-morrow, at t

-yes, indeed. I

went up to the lawyer, and laying her hand on the back of his chair whil

at cup of tea,

ept it with ple

arrot's beak, and soldered into metal cases for a voyage round the world. Next she fetched some little gray linen doilies, folded square, those tea-napkin

Roland alone attempted a few commonplace remarks. She gave an account of th

g!" the lawyer sai

ckered for a whistle, could not keep still, tortured by the invincible desire to give vent to his delight. The two brothers, in two arm-

d drank it, after having crumbled into it a little cake which w

repeated Roland. "To-morr

To-morrow

not spoke

ain till father Roland clapped his two han

sh lucky dog! You

. He embraced hi

truck me as i

bout the room, strummed on the furniture with his clu

k! Now, that is real

re a

to know this

father

r the doctor. He had been breakfasting with us when your mother was taken ill. Of course we knew at once what it meant, and he set off post-haste. In his hurry he took my hat instead of his own. I remember that because we had a good la

lost in reminiscences once more. She mur

very devoted, very faithful

got

t for a little

claring that he had an engagement. Besides, there would be time enough for settling everything before he came into possession of his inheritance. So

in his arms, kissed her a dozen times on each cheek, and, re

er in Paris and work for the children till I dropped, instead of comin

quite

skies on Jean," she

ake plenty of money; besides, his brot

egacy is for Jean, only for Jean. Pierre w

ed: "Well, then, we will leav

in would not

hit on a whole heap of disagreeable ideas. You must spoil all my pleasures. Well,

verything, and without a word of regret

again in front of the l