The Devil's Pool

roof of friendship; she wrapped him up carefully, stirred the fire, and, as the mist lying upon the n

a word, and you are staring at the fire just as your little one did

an, "and I will watch both of you, for I never was l

th some suggestion of mockery in her tone; "ther

ng fifty, at all events I have one

it is, as well as the

can guess, Marie; tell me

u had the idea of eating, and no

n ox. You're a bad girl, and I see that you don't want to talk with me. Go to

r head against the saddle. "You're determined to worry, Germain, and in that you don't show much

ver in autumn, where there's no profit in raising sheep for wool, which always vexes a shepherdess who is interested in her business; and then you will be among strangers who may not be

owardly for his friends, and instead of pointing out the dark side of my lot,

looked to me then, and they look different

I told you; and as it can't

if you would tell me what sort of a man you'd like

find him. I don't think about

hought of finding

e not, as I a

ll lodged, well fed, well dressed, and to belong to a family

s! to help my mothe

even if he wasn't in his first you

ust the thing I am particular abo

e not; but a man of m

prefer Bastien so far as age goes, though B

rd?" said Germain bitterly. "A fellow

eyes for the sake of

ll, well," he said, "I see that your mind is se

him believe whatever you chose. For instance, I picked up a tomato in monsieur le curé's garden the other day; I told him i

him then, as y

don't love him: he's cruel to his

don't feel inclined

e does it make

to talk about. I see, my girl, that you

later: but as I shall not marry till I have saved up a little

, take an o

ung myself, it will be all the sam

; that's very clear," said Germain an

ep; she had fallen back, conquered, struck down, as it were, by d

rds; he realized that they were unwise, and he turned his b

walked around the fire twenty times, walked away and returned; at last, feeling as excited as if he had swallow

pte

hands, and began to repeat his prayer with interest and

ight as a lark!-I don't know why they think so much at home of a tall, stout, red-faced woman. My wife was rather thin and pale, and she suited me above all others.-This girl is delicate, but she's perfectly well and as pretty to look at as a white kid! And what a sweet, honest way she has! how well you can

ks I am too old: she told me so. She isn't interested; it doesn't worry her much to think of being in want and misery, of wearing poor clothes and suffering with hunger two or three months in the year, provided that she satisfies her heart some day and

enly found himself on his knees beside the two sleeping children. Once he even tried to kiss Petit-Pierre, who had one arm around Marie's neck, and he went so fa

d Germain, quickly drawing back. "I came

ent to the other side of the fire, and vowed that he would not stir until she was

seemed like a row of phantoms in their shrouds. The fire was reflected in the pool; and the frogs, beginning to become accustomed to it, hazarded a few shrill, timid notes; the knotty branches of the old trees, bristling with pale lichens, crossed and recrossed, like great fleshless arms, over our travellers' heads; it was a lovel

, notwithstanding our fire.-Now we can see where we are going, and we shall be sure to find a house

d although she was still very sleep

sted that Marie should come and take a part of his cloak

is head again. Two or three times he walked abruptly away from her and left her to walk by herself. Then, seeing that she had difficulty in keeping

so that they passed through the whole forest once more, found themselves again on the edge of the deserted moor

n, "and people already awake, as the

fire which they had covered when they left

hours, only to find themselves