"I TELL you that I don't need Zoe to give the child a bath," exclaimed Mathieu half in anger. "Stay in bed, and rest yourself!"
"But the servant must get the bath ready," replied Marianne, "and bring you some warm water."
She laughed as if amused by the dispute, and he ended by laughing also.
Two days previously1 they had re-installed themselves in the little pavilion on the verge2 of the woods near Janville which they rented from the Seguins. So impatient, indeed, were they to find themselves once more among the fields that in spite of the doctor's advice Marianne had made the journey but fifteen days after giving birth to her little boy. However, a precocious3 springtide brought with it that March such balmy warmth and sunshine that the only ill-effect she experienced was a little fatigue4. And so, on the day after their arrival--Sunday--Mathieu, glad at being able to remain with her, insisted that she should rest in bed, and only rise about noon, in time for dejeuner.
"Why," he repeated, "I can very well attend to the child while you rest. You have him in your arms from morning till night. And, besides, if you only knew how pleased I am to be here again with you and the dear little fellow."
He approached her to kiss her gently, and with a fresh laugh she returned his kiss. It was quite true: they were both delighted to be back at Chantebled, which recalled to them such loving memories. That room, looking towards the far expanse of sky and all the countryside, renascent5, quivering with sap, was gilded6 with gayety by the early springtide.
Marianne leant over the cradle which was near her, beside the bed. "The fact is," said she, "Master Gervais is sound asleep. Just look at him. You will never have the heart to wake him."
Then both father and mother remained for a moment gazing at their sleeping child. Marianne had passed her arm round her husband's neck and was clinging to him, as they laughed delightedly over the cradle in which the little one slumbered7. He was a fine child, pink and white already; but only a father and mother could thus contemplate8 their offspring. As the baby opened his eyes, which were still full of all the mystery whence he had come, they raised exclamations9 full of emotion.
"You know, he saw me!"
"Certainly, and me too. He looked at me: he turned his head."
It was but an illusion, but that dear little face, still so soft and silent, told them so many things which none other would have heard! They found themselves repeated in the child, mingled11 as it were together; and detected extraordinary likenesses, which for hours and for days kept them discussing the question as to which of them he most resembled. Moreover, each proved very obstinate12, declaring that he was the living portrait of the other.
As a matter of course, Master Gervais had no sooner opened his eyes than he began to shriek13. But Marianne was pitiless: her rule was the bath first and milk afterwards. Zoe brought up a big jug14 of hot water, and then set out the little bath near the window in the sunlight. And Mathieu, all obstinacy15, bathed the child, washing him with a soft sponge for some three minutes, while Marianne, from her bed, watched over the operation, jesting about the delicacy16 of touch that he displayed, as if the child were some fragile new-born divinity whom he feared to bruise17 with his big hands. At the same time they continued marvelling18 at the delightful19 scene. How pretty he looked in the water, his pink skin shining in the sunlight! And how well-behaved he was, for it was wonderful to see how quickly he ceased wailing20 and gave signs of satisfaction when he felt the all-enveloping caress21 of the warm water. Never had father and mother possessed22 such a little treasure.
"And now," said Mathieu, when Zoe had helped him to wipe the boy with a fine cloth, "and now we will weigh Master Gervais."
This was a complicated operation, which was rendered the more difficult by the extreme repugnance23 that the child displayed. He struggled and wriggled24 on the platform of the weighing scales to such a degree that it was impossible to arrive at his correct weight, in order to ascertain25 how much this had increased since the previous occasion. As a rule, the increase varied26 from six to seven ounces a week. The father generally lost patience over the operation, and the mother had to intervene.
"Here! put the scales on the table near my bed, and give me the little one in his napkin. We will see what the napkin weighs afterwards."
At this moment, however, the customary morning invasion took place. The other four children, who were beginning to know how to dress themselves, the elder ones helping27 the younger, and Zoe lending a hand at times, darted28 in at a gallop29, like frolicsome30 escaped colts. Having thrown themselves on papa's neck and rushed upon mamma's bed to say good-morning, the boys stopped short, full of admiration31 and interest at the sight of Gervais in the scales. Rose, however, still rather uncertain on her legs, caught hold of the scales in her impatient efforts to climb upon the bed, and almost toppled everything over. "I want to see! I want to see!" she cried in her shrill32 voice.
At this the others likewise wished to meddle33, and already stretched out their little hands, so that it became necessary to turn them out of doors.
"Now kindly34 oblige me by going to play outside," said Mathieu. "Take your hats and remain under the window, so that we may hear you."
Then, in spite of the complaints and leaps of Master Gervais, Marianne was at last able to obtain his correct weight. And what delight there was, for he had gained more than seven ounces during the week. After losing weight during the first three days, like all new-born children, he was now growing and filling out like a strong, healthy human plant. They could already picture him walking, sturdy and handsome. His mother, sitting up in bed, wrapped his swaddling clothes around him with her deft35, nimble hands, jesting the while and answering each of his plaintive36 wails37.
"Yes, yes, I know, we are very, very hungry. But it is all right; the soup is on the fire, and will be served to Monsieur smoking hot."
On awakening38 that morning she had made a real Sunday toilette: her superb hair was caught up in a huge chignon which disclosed the whiteness of her neck, and she wore a white flannel39 lace-trimmed dressing-jacket, which allowed but a little of her bare arms to be seen. Propped40 up by two pillows, she laughingly offered her breast to the child, who was already protruding41 his lips and groping with his hands. And when he found what he wanted he eagerly began to suck.
Mathieu, seeing that both mother and babe were steeped in sunshine, then went to draw one of the curtains, but Marianne exclaimed: "No, no, leave us the sun; it doesn't inconvenience us at all, it fills our veins42 with springtide."
He came back and lingered near the bed. The sun's rays poured over it, and life blazed there in a florescence of health and beauty. There is no more glorious blossoming, no more sacred symbol of living eternity43 than an infant at its mother's breast. It is like a prolongation of maternity's travail44, when the mother continues giving herself to her babe, offering him the fountain of life that shall make him a man.
Scarce is he born to the world than she takes him back and clasps him to her bosom45, that he may there again have warmth and nourishment46. And nothing could be more simple or more necessary. Marianne, both for her own sake and that of her boy, in order that beauty and health might remain their portion, was naturally his nurse.
Little Gervais was still sucking when Zoe, after tidying the room, came up again with a big bunch of lilac, and announced that Monsieur and Madame Angelin had called, on their way back from an early walk, to inquire after Madame.
"Show them up," said Marianne gayly; "I can well receive them."
The Angelins were the young couple who, having installed themselves in a little house at Janville, ever roamed the lonely paths, absorbed in their mutual47 passion. She was delicious--dark, tall, admirably formed, always joyous48 and fond of pleasure. He, a handsome fellow, fair and square shouldered, had the gallant49 mien50 of a musketeer with his streaming moustache. In addition to their ten thousand francs a year, which enabled them to live as they liked, he earned a little money by painting pretty fans, flowery with roses and little women deftly51 postured52. And so their life had hitherto been a game of love, an everlasting53 billing and cooing. Towards the close of the previous summer they had become quite intimate with the Froments, through meeting them well-nigh every day.
"Can we come in? Are we not intruding54?" called Angelin, in his sonorous55 voice, from the landing.
Then Claire, his wife, as soon as she had kissed Marianne, apologized for having called so early.
"We only learnt last night, my dear," said she, "that you had arrived the day before. We didn't expect you for another eight or ten days. And so, as we passed the house just now, we couldn't resist calling. You will forgive us, won't you?" Then, never waiting for an answer, she added with the petulant56 vivacity57 of a tom-tit whom the open air had intoxicated58: "Oh! so there is the new little gentleman--a boy, am I not right? And your health is good? But really I need not ask it. _Mon Dieu_, what a pretty little fellow he is! Look at him, Robert; how pretty he is! A real little doll! Isn't he funny now, isn't he funny! He is quite amusing."
Her husband, observing her gayety, drew near and began to admire the child by way of following her example. "Ah yes, he is really a pretty baby. But I have seen so many frightful60 ones--thin, puny61, bluish little things, looking like little plucked chickens. When they are white and plump they are quite nice."
Mathieu began to laugh, and twitted the Angelins on having no child of their own. But on this point they held very decided62 opinions. They wished to enjoy life, unburdened by offspring, while they were young. As for what might happen in five or six years' time, that, of course, was another matter. Nevertheless, Madame Angelin could not help being struck by the delightful picture which Marianne, so fresh and gay, presented with her plump little babe at her breast in that white bed amid the bright sunshine.
At last she remarked: "There's one thing. I certainly could not feed a child. I should have to engage a nurse for any baby of mine."
These words had scarcely passed his lips when he regretted them and apologized to Marianne, explaining that no mother possessed of means was nowadays willing to face the trouble and worry of nursing.
"Oh! for my part," Marianne responded, with her quiet smile, "if I had a hundred thousand francs a year I should nurse all my children, even were there a dozen of them. To begin with, it is so healthful, you know, both for mother and child: and if I didn't do my duty to the little one I should look on myself as a criminal, as a mother who grudged64 her offspring health and life."
Lowering her beautiful soft eyes towards her boy, she watched him with a look of infinite love, while he continued nursing gluttonously66. And in a dreamy voice she continued: "To give a child of mine to another--oh no, never! I should feel too jealous. I want my children to be entirely67 my own. And it isn't merely a question of a child's physical health. I speak of his whole being, of the intelligence and heart that will come to him, and which he ought to derive68 from me alone. If I should find him foolish or malicious69 later on, I should think that his nurse had poisoned him. Dear little fellow! when he pulls like that it is as if he were drinking me up entirely."
Then Mathieu, deeply moved, turned towards the others, saying: "Ah! she is quite right. I only wish that every mother could hear her, and make it the fashion in France once more to suckle their infants. It would be sufficient if it became an ideal of beauty. And, indeed, is it not of the loftiest and brightest beauty?"
The Angelins complaisantly began to laugh, but they did not seem convinced. Just as they rose to take their leave an extraordinary uproar70 burst forth71 beneath the window, the piercing clamor of little wildings, freely romping73 in the fields. And it was all caused by Ambroise throwing a ball, which had lodged74 itself on a tree. Blaise and Denis were flinging stones at it to bring it down, and Rose called and jumped and stretched out her arms as if she hoped to be able to reach the ball. The Angelins stopped short, surprised and almost nervous.
"Good heavens!" murmured Claire, "what will it be when you have a dozen?"
"But the house would seem quite dead if they did not romp72 and shout," said Marianne, much amused. "Good-by, my dear. I will go to see you when I can get about."
The months of March and April proved superb, and all went well with Marianne. Thus the lonely little house, nestling amid foliage75, was ever joyous. Each Sunday in particular proved a joy, for the father did not then have to go to his office. On the other days he started off early in the morning, and returned about seven o'clock, ever busily laden76 with work in the interval77. And if his constant perambulations did not affect his good-humor, he was nevertheless often haunted by thoughts of the future. Formerly78 he had never been alarmed by the penury79 of his little home. Never had he indulged in any dream of ambition or wealth. Besides, he knew that his wife's only idea of happiness, like his own, was to live there in very simple fashion, leading a brave life of health, peacefulness, and love. But while he did not desire the power procured80 by a high position and the enjoyment82 offered by a large fortune, he could not help asking himself how he was to provide, were it ever so modestly, for his increasing family. What would he be able to do, should he have other children; how would he procure81 the necessaries of life each time that a fresh birth might impose fresh requirements upon him? One situated83 as he was must create resources, draw food from the earth step by step, each time a little mouth opened and cried its hunger aloud. Otherwise he would be guilty of criminal improvidence84. And such reflections as these came upon him the more strongly as his penury had increased since the birth of Gervais--to such a point, indeed, that Marianne, despite prodigies85 of economy, no longer knew how to make her money last her till the end of the month. The slightest expenditure86 had to be debated; the very butter had to be spread thinly on the children's bread; and they had to continue wearing their blouses till they were well-nigh threadbare. To increase the embarrassment87 they grew every year, and cost more money. It had been necessary to send the three boys to a little school at Janville, which was as yet but a small expense. But would it not be necessary to send them the following year to a college, and where was the money for this to come from? A grave problem, a worry which grew from hour to hour, and which for Mathieu somewhat spoilt that charming spring whose advent88 was flowering the countryside.
The worst was that Mathieu deemed himself immured89, as it were, in his position as designer at the Beauchene works. Even admitting that his salary should some day be doubled, it was not seven or eight thousand francs a year which would enable him to realize his dream of a numerous family freely and proudly growing and spreading like some happy forest, indebted solely90 for strength, health, and beauty to the good common mother of all, the earth, which gave to all its sap. And this was why, since his return to Janville, the earth, the soil had attracted him, detained him during his frequent walks, while he revolved92 vague but ever-expanding thoughts in his mind. He would pause for long minutes, now before a field of wheat, now on the verge of a leafy wood, now on the margin93 of a river whose waters glistened94 in the sunshine, and now amid the nettles95 of some stony96 moorland. All sorts of vague plans then rose within him, uncertain reveries of such vast scope, such singularity, that he had as yet spoken of them to nobody, not even his wife. Others would doubtless have mocked at him, for he had as yet but reached that dim, quivering hour when inventors feel the gust98 of their discovery sweep over them, before the idea that they are revolving99 presents itself with full precision to their minds. Yet why did he not address himself to the soil, man's everlasting provider and nurse? Why did he not clear and fertilize100 those far-spreading lands, those woods, those heaths, those stretches of stony ground which were left sterile101 around him? Since it was just that each man should bring his contribution to the common weal, create subsistence for himself and his offspring, why should not he, at the advent of each new child, supply a new field of fertile earth which would give that child food, without cost to the community? That was his sole idea; it took no more precise shape; at the thought of realizing it he was carried off into splendid dreams.
The Froments had been in the country fully102 a month when one evening Marianne, wheeling Gervais's little carriage in front of her, came as far as the bridge over the Yeuse to await Mathieu, who had promised to return early. Indeed, he got there before six o'clock. And as the evening was fine, it occurred to Marianne to go as far as the Lepailleurs' mill down the river, and buy some new-laid eggs there.
"I'm willing," said Mathieu. "I'm very fond of their romantic old mill, you know; though if it were mine I should pull it down and build another one with proper appliances."
In the yard of the picturesque103 old building, half covered with ivy104, with its mossy wheel slumbering105 amid water-lilies, they found the Lepailleurs, the man tall, dry, and carroty, the woman as carroty and as dry as himself, but both of them young and hardy106. Their child Antonin was sitting on the ground, digging a hole with his little hands.
"Eggs?" La Lepailleur exclaimed; "yes, certainly, madame, there must be some."
She made no haste to fetch them, however, but stood looking at Gervais, who was asleep in his little vehicle.
"Ah! so that's your last. He's plump and pretty enough, I must say," she remarked.
But Lepailleur raised a derisive107 laugh, and with the familiarity which the peasant displays towards the bourgeois108 whom he knows to be hard up, he said: "And so that makes you five, monsieur. Ah, well! that would be a deal too many for poor folks like us."
"Why?" Mathieu quietly inquired. "Haven't you got this mill, and don't you own fields, to give labor109 to the arms that would come and whose labor would double and treble your produce?"
These simple words were like a whipstroke that made Lepailleur rear. And once again he poured forth all his spite. Ah! surely now, it wasn't his tumble-down old mill that would ever enrich him, since it had enriched neither his father nor his grandfather. And as for his fields, well, that was a pretty dowry that his wife had brought him, land in which nothing more would grow, and which, however much one might water it with one's sweat, did not even pay for manuring and sowing.
"But in the first place," resumed Mathieu, "your mill ought to be repaired and its old mechanism110 replaced, or, better still, you should buy a good steam-engine."
"Repair the mill! Buy an engine! Why, that's madness," the other replied. "What would be the use of it? As it is, people hereabouts have almost renounced112 growing corn, and I remain idle every other month."
"And then," continued Mathieu, "if your fields yield less, it is because you cultivate them badly, following the old routine, without proper care or appliances or artificial manure113."
"Appliances! Artificial manure! All that humbug114 which has only sent poor folks to rack and ruin! Ah! I should just like to see you trying to cultivate the land better, and make it yield what it'll never yield any more."
Thereupon he quite lost his temper, became violent and brutal115, launching against the ungrateful earth all the charges which his love of idleness and his obstinacy suggested. He had travelled, he had fought in Africa as a soldier, folks could not say that he had always lived in his hole like an ignorant beast. But, none the less, on leaving his regiment116 he had lost all taste for work and come to the conclusion that agriculture was doomed117, and would never give him aught but dry bread to eat. The land would soon be bankrupt, and the peasantry no longer believed in it, so old and empty and worn out had it become. And even the sun got out of order nowadays; they had snow in July and thunderstorms in December, a perfect upsetting of seasons, which wrecked118 the crops almost before they were out of the ground.
"No, monsieur," said Lepailleur, "what you say is impossible; it's all past. The soil and work, there's nothing left of either. It's barefaced119 robbery, and though the peasant may kill himself with labor, he will soon be left without even water to drink. Children indeed! No, no! There's Antonin, of course, and for him we may just be able to provide. But I assure you that I won't even make Antonin a peasant against his will! If he takes to schooling120 and wishes to go to Paris, I shall tell him that he's quite right, for Paris is nowadays the only chance for sturdy chaps who want to make a fortune. So he will be at liberty to sell everything, if he chooses, and try his luck there. The only thing that I regret is that I didn't make the venture myself when there was still time."
Mathieu began to laugh. Was it not singular that he, a bourgeois with a bachelor's degree and scientific attainments121, should dream of coming back to the soil, to the common mother of all labor and wealth, when this peasant, sprung from peasants, cursed and insulted the earth, and hoped that his son would altogether renounce111 it? Never had anything struck him as more significant. It symbolized122 that disastrous123 exodus124 from the rural districts towards the towns, an exodus which year by year increased, unhinging the nation and reducing it to anaemia.
"You are wrong," he said in a jovial125 way so as to drive all bitterness from the discussion. "Don't be unfaithful to the earth; she's an old mistress who would revenge herself. In your place I would lay myself out to obtain from her, by increase of care, all that I might want. As in the world's early days, she is still the great fruitful spouse126, and she yields abundantly when she is loved in proper fashion."
But Lepailleur, raising his fists, retorted: "No, no; I've had enough of her!"
"And, by the way," continued Mathieu, "one thing which astonishes me is that no courageous127, intelligent man has ever yet come forward to do something with all that vast abandoned estate yonder--that Chantebled--which old Seguin, formerly, dreamt of turning into a princely domain128. There are great stretches of waste land, woods which one might partly fell, heaths and moorland which might easily be restored to cultivation129. What a splendid task! What a work of creation for a bold man to undertake!"
This so amazed Lepailleur that he stood there openmouthed. Then his jeering130 spirit asserted itself: "But, my dear sir--excuse my saying it--you must be mad! Cultivate Chantebled, clear those stony tracts131, wade132 about in those marshes133! Why, one might bury millions there without reaping a single bushel of oats! It's a cursed spot, which my grandfather's father saw such as it is now, and which my grandson's son will see just the same. Ah! well, I'm not inquisitive134, but it would really amuse me to meet the fool who might attempt such madness."
"_Mon Dieu_, who knows?" Mathieu quietly concluded. "When one only loves strongly one may work miracles."
La Lepailleur, after going to fetch a dozen eggs, now stood erect135 before her husband in admiration at hearing him talk so eloquently136 to a bourgeois. They agreed very well together in their avaricious137 rage at being unable to amass138 money by the handful without any great exertion139, and in their ambition to make their son a gentleman, since only a gentleman could become wealthy. And thus, as Marianne was going off after placing the eggs under a cushion in Gervais' little carriage, the other complacently140 called her attention to Antonin, who, having made a hole in the ground, was now spitting into it.
"Oh! he's smart," said she; "he knows his alphabet already, and we are going to put him to school. If he takes after his father he will be no fool, I assure you."
It was on a Sunday, some ten days later, that the supreme141 revelation, the great flash of light which was to decide his life and that of those he loved, fell suddenly upon Mathieu during a walk he took with his wife and the children. They had gone out for the whole afternoon, taking a little snack with them in order that they might share it amid the long grass in the fields. And after scouring142 the paths, crossing the copses, rambling143 over the moorland, they came back to the verge of the woods and sat down under an oak. Thence the whole expanse spread out before them, from the little pavilion where they dwelt to the distant village of Janville. On their right was the great marshy144 plateau, from which broad, dry, sterile slopes descended145; while lower ground stretched away on their left. Then, behind them, spread the woods with deep thickets146 parted by clearings, full of herbage which no scythe147 had ever touched. And not a soul was to be seen around them; there was naught148 save wild Nature, grandly quiescent149 under the bright sun of that splendid April day. The earth seemed to be dilating150 with all the sap amassed151 within it, and a flood of life could be felt rising and quivering in the vigorous trees, the spreading plants, and the impetuous growth of brambles and nettles which stretched invadingly over the soil. And on all sides a powerful, pungent153 odor was diffused154.
"Don't go too far," Marianne called to the children; "we shall stay under this oak. We will have something to eat by and by."
Blaise and Denis were already bounding along, followed by Ambroise, to see who could run the fastest; but Rose pettishly155 called them back, for she preferred to play at gathering156 wild flowers. The open air fairly intoxicated the youngsters; the herbage rose, here and there, to their very shoulders. But they came back and gathered flowers; and after a time they set off at a wild run once more, one of the big brothers carrying the little sister on his back.
Mathieu, however, had remained absent-minded, with his eyes wandering hither and thither157, throughout their walk. At times he did not hear Marianne when she spoke97 to him; he lapsed158 into reverie before some uncultivated tract91, some copse overrun with brushwood, some spring which suddenly bubbled up and was then lost in mire59. Nevertheless, she felt that there was no sadness nor feeling of indifference159 in his heart; for as soon as he returned to her he laughed once more with his soft, loving laugh. It was she who often sent him roaming about the country, even alone, for she felt that it would do him good; and although she had guessed that something very serious was passing through his mind, she retained full confidence, waiting till it should please him to speak to her.
Now, however, just as he had sunk once more into his reverie, his glance wandering afar, studying the great varied expanse of land, she raised a light cry: "Oh! look, look!"
Under the big oak tree she had placed Master Gervais in his little carriage, among wild weeds which hid its wheels. And while she handed a little silver mug, from which it was intended they should drink while taking their snack, she had noticed that the child raised his head and followed the movement of her hand, in which the silver sparkled beneath the sun-rays. Forthwith she repeated the experiment, and again the child's eyes followed the starry160 gleam.
"Ah! it can't be said that I'm mistaken, and am simply fancying it!" she exclaimed. "It is certain that he can see quite plainly now. My pretty pet, my little darling!"
She darted to the child to kiss him in celebration of that first clear glance. And then, too, came the delight of the first smile.
"Why, look!" in his turn said Mathieu, who was leaning over the child beside her, yielding to the same feeling of rapture161, "there he is smiling at you now. But of course, as soon as these little fellows see clearly they begin to laugh."
She herself burst into a laugh. "You are right, he is laughing! Ah! how funny he looks, and how happy I am!"
Both father and mother laughed together with content at the sight of that infantile smile, vague and fleeting162, like a faint ripple163 on the pure water of some spring.
Amid this joy Marianne called the four others, who were bounding under the young foliage around them: "Come, Rose! come, Ambroise! come, Blaise and Denis! It's time now; come at once to have something to eat."
They hastened up and the snack was set out on a patch of soft grass. Mathieu unhooked the basket which hung in front of the baby's little vehicle; and Marianne, having drawn164 some slices of bread-and-butter from it, proceeded to distribute them. Perfect silence ensued while all four children began biting with hearty165 appetite, which it was a pleasure to see. But all at once a scream arose. It came from Master Gervais, who was vexed166 at not having been served first.
"Ah! yes, it's true I was forgetting you," said Marianne gayly; "you shall have your share. There, open your mouth, you darling;" and, with an easy, simple gesture, she unfastened her dress-body; and then, under the sunlight which steeped her in golden radiance, in full view of the far-spreading countryside, where all likewise was bare--the soil, the trees, the plants, streaming with sap--having seated herself in the long grass, where she almost disappeared amid the swarming167 growth of April's germs, the babe on her breast eagerly sucked in her warm milk, even as all the encompassing168 verdure was sucking life from the soil.
Meantime Mathieu had remained standing169 amid the enchantment170 of the child's first smile and the gayety born of the hearty hunger around him. Then his dream of creation came back to him, and he at last gave voice to those plans for the future which haunted him, and of which he had so far spoken to nobody: "Ah, well, it is high time that I should set to work and found a kingdom, if these children are to have enough soup to make them grow. Shall I tell you what I've thought--shall I tell you?"
Marianne raised her eyes, smiling and all attention. "Yes, tell me your secret if the time has come. Oh! I could guess that you had some great hope in you. But I did not ask you anything; I preferred to wait."
He did not give a direct reply, for at a sudden recollection his feelings rebelled. "That Lepailleur," said he, "is simply a lazy fellow and a fool in spite of all his cunning airs. Can there be any more sacrilegious folly171 than to imagine that the earth has lost her fruitfulness and is becoming bankrupt--she, the eternal mother, eternal life? She only shows herself a bad mother to her bad sons, the malicious, the obstinate, and the dull-witted, who do not know how to love and cultivate her. But if an intelligent son comes and devotes himself to her, and works her with the help of experience and all the new systems of science, you will soon see her quicken and yield tremendous harvests unceasingly. Ah! folks say in the district that this estate of Chantebled has never yielded and never will yield anything but nettles. Well, nevertheless, a man will come who will transform it and make it a new land of joy and abundance."
Then, suddenly turning round, with outstretched arm, and pointing to the spots to which he referred in turn, he went on: "Yonder in the rear there are nearly five hundred acres of little woods, stretching as far as the farms of Mareuil and Lillebonne. They are separated by clearings of excellent soil which broad gaps unite, and which could easily be turned into good pastures, for there are numerous springs. And, indeed, the springs become so abundant on the right, that they have changed that big plateau into a kind of marshland, dotted with ponds, and planted with reeds and rushes. But picture a man of bold mind, a clearer, a conqueror172, who should drain those lands and rid them of superfluous173 water by means of a few canals which might easily be dug! Why, then a huge stretch of land would be reclaimed174, handed over to cultivation, and wheat would grow there with extraordinary vigor152. But that is not all. There is the expanse before us, those gentle slopes from Janville to Vieux-Bourg, that is another five hundred acres, which are left almost uncultivated on account of their dryness, the stony poverty of their soil. So it is all very simple. One would merely have to take the sources up yonder, the waters, now stagnant175, and carry them across those sterile slopes, which, when irrigated176, would gradually develop extraordinary fertility. I have seen everything, I have studied everything. I feel that there are at least twelve hundred acres of land which a bold creator might turn into a most productive estate. Yonder lies a whole kingdom of corn, a whole new world to be created by labor, with the help of the beneficent waters and our father the sun, the source of eternal life."
Marianne gazed at him and admired him as he stood there quivering, pondering over all that he evoked177 from his dream. But she was frightened by the vastness of such hopes, and could not restrain a cry of disquietude and prudence178.
"No, no, that is too much; you desire the impossible. How can you think that we shall ever possess so much--that our fortune will spread over the entire region? Think of the capital, the arms that would be needed for such a conquest!"
For a moment Mathieu remained silent on thus suddenly being brought back to reality. Then with his affectionate, sensible air, he began to laugh. "You are right; I have been dreaming and talking wildly," he replied. "I am not yet so ambitious as to wish to be King of Chantebled. But there is truth in what I have said to you; and, besides, what harm can there be in dreaming of great plans to give oneself faith and courage? Meantime I intend to try cultivating just a few acres, which Seguin will no doubt sell me cheaply enough, together with the little pavilion in which we live. I know that the unproductiveness of the estate weighs on him. And, later on, we shall see if the earth is disposed to love us and come to us as we go to her. Ah well, my dear, give that little glutton plenty of life, and you, my darlings, eat and drink and grow in strength, for the earth belongs to those who are healthy and numerous."
Blaise and Denis made answer by taking some fresh slices of bread-and-butter, while Rose drained the mug of wine and water which Ambroise handed her. And Marianne sat there like the symbol of blossoming Fruitfulness, the source of vigor and conquest, while Gervais heartily179 nursed on. He pulled so hard, indeed, that one could hear the sound of his lips. It was like the faint noise which attends the rise of a spring--a slender rill of milk that is to swell180 and become a river. Around her the mother heard that source springing up and spreading on all sides. She was not nourishing alone: the sap of April was dilating the land, sending a quiver through the woods, raising the long herbage which embowered her. And beneath her, from the bosom of the earth, which was ever in travail, she felt that flood of sap reaching and ever pervading181 her. And it was like a stream of milk flowing through the world, a stream of eternal life for humanity's eternal crop. And on that gay day of spring the dazzling, singing, fragrant182 countryside was steeped in it all, triumphal with that beauty of the mother, who, in the full light of the sun, in view of the vast horizon, sat there nursing her child.
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1
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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precocious
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| adj.早熟的；较早显出的 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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renascent
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| adj.新生的 | |
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gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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slumbered
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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8
contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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exclamations
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| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
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cherub
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| n.小天使，胖娃娃 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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14
jug
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| n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂 | |
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obstinacy
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| n.顽固；（病痛等）难治 | |
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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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17
bruise
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| n.青肿，挫伤；伤痕；vt.打青；挫伤 | |
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18
marvelling
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的现在分词 ) | |
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19
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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20
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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21
caress
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| vt./n.爱抚，抚摸 | |
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22
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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23
repugnance
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| n.嫌恶 | |
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24
wriggled
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等） | |
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25
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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26
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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27
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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28
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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29
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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30
frolicsome
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| adj.嬉戏的，闹着玩的 | |
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31
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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32
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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33
meddle
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| v.干预，干涉，插手 | |
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34
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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35
deft
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| adj.灵巧的，熟练的（a deft hand 能手） | |
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36
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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37
wails
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| 痛哭，哭声( wail的名词复数 ) | |
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38
awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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39
flannel
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| n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服 | |
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40
propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41
protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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42
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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43
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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44
travail
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| n.阵痛；努力 | |
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45
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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46
nourishment
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| n.食物，营养品；营养情况 | |
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47
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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50
mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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52
postured
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| 做出某种姿势( posture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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54
intruding
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| v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的现在分词)；把…强加于 | |
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55
sonorous
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| adj.响亮的，回响的；adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；n.感人，堂皇 | |
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56
petulant
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| adj.性急的，暴躁的 | |
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57
vivacity
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| n.快活，活泼，精神充沛 | |
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58
intoxicated
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| 喝醉的，极其兴奋的 | |
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59
mire
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| n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境 | |
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60
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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61
puny
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| adj.微不足道的，弱小的 | |
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62
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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63
idiotic
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| adj.白痴的 | |
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64
grudged
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| 怀恨（grudge的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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65
glutton
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| n.贪食者，好食者 | |
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gluttonously
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67
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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68
derive
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| v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自 | |
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malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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70
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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71
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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72
romp
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| n.欢闹；v.嬉闹玩笑 | |
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romping
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| adj.嬉戏喧闹的，乱蹦乱闹的v.嬉笑玩闹( romp的现在分词 )；（尤指在赛跑或竞选等中）轻易获胜 | |
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74
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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75
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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76
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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79
penury
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| n.贫穷，拮据 | |
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80
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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81
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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82
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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83
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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84
improvidence
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| n.目光短浅 | |
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85
prodigies
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| n.奇才，天才（尤指神童）( prodigy的名词复数 ) | |
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86
expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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87
embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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88
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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89
immured
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| v.禁闭，监禁( immure的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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90
solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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91
tract
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| n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林) | |
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92
revolved
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| v.（使）旋转( revolve的过去式和过去分词 )；细想 | |
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93
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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94
glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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95
nettles
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| n.荨麻( nettle的名词复数 ) | |
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96
stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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97
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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98
gust
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| n.阵风，突然一阵（雨、烟等），（感情的）迸发 | |
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99
revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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100
fertilize
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| v.使受精，施肥于，使肥沃 | |
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101
sterile
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| adj.不毛的，不孕的，无菌的，枯燥的，贫瘠的 | |
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102
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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103
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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104
ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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105
slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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106
hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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107
derisive
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| adj.嘲弄的 | |
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108
bourgeois
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| adj./n.追求物质享受的(人)；中产阶级分子 | |
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109
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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110
mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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111
renounce
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| v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系 | |
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112
renounced
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| v.声明放弃( renounce的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布放弃；宣布与…决裂；宣布摒弃 | |
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113
manure
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| n.粪，肥，肥粒；vt.施肥 | |
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114
humbug
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| n.花招，谎话，欺骗 | |
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115
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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116
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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117
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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118
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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119
barefaced
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| adj.厚颜无耻的，公然的 | |
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120
schooling
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| n.教育；正规学校教育 | |
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121
attainments
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| 成就，造诣； 获得( attainment的名词复数 )； 达到； 造诣； 成就 | |
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122
symbolized
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| v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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123
disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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124
exodus
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| v.大批离去，成群外出 | |
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125
jovial
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| adj.快乐的，好交际的 | |
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126
spouse
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| n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
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127
courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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128
domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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129
cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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130
jeering
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| adj.嘲弄的，揶揄的v.嘲笑( jeer的现在分词 ) | |
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131
tracts
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| 大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文 | |
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132
wade
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| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
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133
marshes
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| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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134
inquisitive
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| adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的 | |
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135
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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136
eloquently
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| adv. 雄辩地(有口才地, 富于表情地) | |
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137
avaricious
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| adj.贪婪的，贪心的 | |
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138
amass
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| vt.积累，积聚 | |
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139
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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140
complacently
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| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
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141
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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142
scouring
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| 擦[洗]净，冲刷，洗涤 | |
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143
rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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144
marshy
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| adj.沼泽的 | |
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145
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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146
thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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147
scythe
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| n. 长柄的大镰刀，战车镰； v. 以大镰刀割 | |
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148
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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149
quiescent
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| adj.静止的，不活动的，寂静的 | |
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150
dilating
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| v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的现在分词 ) | |
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151
amassed
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| v.积累，积聚( amass的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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152
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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153
pungent
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| adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的 | |
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154
diffused
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| 散布的，普及的，扩散的 | |
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155
pettishly
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156
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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157
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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158
lapsed
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| adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失 | |
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159
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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160
starry
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| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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161
rapture
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| n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜 | |
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162
fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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163
ripple
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| n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进 | |
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164
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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165
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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166
vexed
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| adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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167
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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168
encompassing
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| v.围绕( encompass的现在分词 )；包围；包含；包括 | |
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169
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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170
enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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171
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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172
conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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173
superfluous
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| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
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174
reclaimed
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| adj.再生的；翻造的；收复的；回收的v.开拓( reclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救 | |
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175
stagnant
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| adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的 | |
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176
irrigated
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| [医]冲洗的 | |
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177
evoked
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| [医]诱发的 | |
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178
prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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179
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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180
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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181
pervading
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的现在分词 ) | |
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182
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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