Une Vie, A Piece of String and Other Stories

stressing. It had raine

ters filled the desert

bsorbed the humidity, w

s sweat from cellar to

ore, free for all time,

she had dreamed so lo

t for the new home in b

daybreak she examined

mitted to put her cale

e wall the little car

e current year, 1819.

olumns, drawing a line

ay, the day that she le

"Jeannette." Jeanne re

Baron Simon-Jacques Le

t century, eccentric a

es Rousseau, he had th

ields, in the woods

hated instinctively the

ament and liberal by

sive and declamatory ha

was his kind-heartedn

ve, to embrace; the ben

uestioning; in a word,

ice. A man of theory,

hter, to the end that

tle. She had lived at

the tears of her mothe

Heart. He had kept h

e of the secrets of lif

ure at seventeen years

sort of rational poetr

the fruitful earth, un

he aspect of love in na

als, through the placi

t radiant, full of the

l the charming incide

urs and in the long, qu

with her fair, glossy

skin, a skin with the

vety down which could b

eyes were an opaque bl

had a tiny mole on her

in. She was tall, well

e sounded at times a l

pread joy around her.

e her hands to her temp

a

nd embraced him warmly.

iled, shook his head an

travel in such weather

ner, "Oh, papa, do let

"But your mother wil

hat she will, I will

your mother, I am perf

om her mother's room, s

ough the house, "Papa,

ed." The rain was not a

aining harder when the

to step in when the b

by her husband and o

strapping as a boy. Sh

o looked at least twent

She was treated by t

Jeanne's foster sister

in guiding the steps

ast few years and also

complaining continuall

ally reached the doorst

ere the water was stre

er husband, always ple

dame Adelaide." He alw

he title madame with an

with difficulty into t

The baron sat beside

opposite, with their

ought a heap of wraps

were placed under the

r Simon, wrapping herse

y. The porter and his

the carriage door, taki

to follow in a wagon.

with head bowed and b

vered by his box coat w

pon the carriage win

gh

the wharf and continue

il they reached the bou

meadows, where from

rooping limply, could

n. No one spoke. Their

with moisture

head against the cushi

th mournful eyes at the

th a parcel on her kne

sant. But Jeanne, und

plant that has been sh

nd so great was her jo

rom sadness. Although

ging, to reach out her

t. She enjoyed to the

enjoyed gazing at the

shelter amid this gene

leaming backs of the t

ea

baroness fell asleep,

husband leaned over an

eather p

she looked at the pocke

denly aroused. It fell

k bills were scattere

her completely, and

ry peal of gir

e money and placed it

that is left of my far

o repair the 'Poplars,

n the

nd four hundred francs

the ninth of thirty-o

ad sold in this way. N

ty thousand livres i

proper care, would ha

d franc

did, this income would

hole always open in th

the money in their han

flowed, fled, disappe

ay to the other, "I do

ndred francs to-day, an

his faculty of giving

heir life, and they all

and touch

r, "Is it beautiful no

shall see, m

ate. The vault of clo

through a rift, a lon

esently the clouds sepa

like the tearing of a

l azure sky, clear and

d gentle breeze passe

ey passed beside gard

ght chirp of a bird

g. Everyone in the car

rest and feed the hors

e heard. They passed a

hting their lamps, a

s of stars. Suddenly

f the fir trees, the m

ere torpid

that the windows wer

nd happy visions, was n

women were standing be

r hands. They had arr

st to jump out. Her f

he baroness, who was g

tle voice, "Oh, my God,

refreshment, but went

asl

the baron, took suppe

each other. Later, sei

of inspection through

and vast Norman reside

built of white stone

contain a whol

d the house from front

of the entrance, meet

drawing-room was on

tapestries representin

red with fine needlewo

nd Jeanne was delighted

which pictured the sto

or

m were the library, fu

left was the dining-r

hen,

e whole first floor,

end, on the right, was

e had had it all newl

eries that had bee

old Flemish tapestrie

ht of her bed, the youn

rds carved in oak, bl

bed and seemed to be

wide garlands of flowe

terminating in Corinthi

roses intertwined. The

silk, embroidered in

ly admired it, she li

and the allegories they

ubjects, but the last

which was still nibb

ntly dead. A young gi

er bosom, and the fruit

trying to divine the m

in the corner a tiny l

ould have swallowed lik

en she recognized the

e smiled at the simpli

n her room this love

r of her cherished hope

would hover a

e baron kissed Jeanne g

ing, Jeanne cast a las

xtinguished the candle

oonlight bathing the t

he arose, opened a win

t one could see as pla

with its two long avenu

he chateau and separate

ne occupied by the Cou

the enclosure stretch

wn with rushes, where

nded abruptly in a st

, with its base i

the long, undulating

vens. All the fragrance

jasmine rose from the l

and of seaweed were

enough for Jeanne, and

thing bath. She felt a

n dreaming of love. Wh

that she would adore

ish her with all his s

like this, hearing the

h the sweet simplicity

of thought that by th

easily penetrate eac

continue forever in t

to her that she felt

n came over her. She re

ght she heard a footst

passed on and she fe

e cooler. The day broke

ouching with fire the

, the great flaming or

ecoming mad with happ

ss at the splendor o

t was her sun, her

ly fatigued at last,

er called her at eight

to show her the improv

, called the parish

road between Havre an

furth

inspected everything

al was over, as the ba

on proposed to Jeanne t

, and passing through

e, and going through

down to the sea, they

n sat in their doorway

against the doors of th

oom. It was a typical

concomitant odors. To

turning a corner the

hey bought a brill from

ke them out sailing,

astique," several tim

ron promised to remem

hildren, carrying the

her father's walking