登陆注册
5242100000043

第43章 CHAPTER VII(6)

"Yes. Do you think I have altered in that time?"

Suzanne considered the question with her head slightly on one side.

"Only here, Mam'zelle," she replied at length.

"Here!" said Domini, rather eagerly. "Why, I have only been here twenty-six hours."

"That is true. But Mam'zelle looks as if she had a little life here, a little emotion. Mon Dieu! Mam'zelle will pardon me, but what is a woman who feels no emotion? A packet. Is it not so, Mam'zelle?"

"Well, but what is there to be emotional about here?"

Suzanne looked vaguely crafty.

"Who knows, Mam'zelle? Who can say? Mon Dieu! This village is dull, but it is odd. No band plays. There are no shops for a girl to look into. There is nothing chic except the costumes of the Zouaves. But one cannot deny that it is odd. When Mam'zelle was away this afternoon in the tower Monsieur Helmuth--"

"Who is that?"

"The Monsieur who accompanies the omnibus to the station. Monsieur Helmuth was polite enough to escort me through the village. Mon Dieu, Mam'zelle, I said to myself, 'Anything might occur here.'"

"Anything! What do you mean?"

But Suzanne did not seem to know. She only made her figure look more tense than ever, tucked in her round little chin, which was dimpled and unmeaning, and said:

"Who knows, Mam'zelle? This village is dull, that is true, but it is odd. One does not find oneself in such places every day."

Domini could not help laughing at these Delphic utterances, but she went downstairs thoughtfully. She knew Suzanne's practical spirit.

Till now the maid had never shown any capacity of imagination. Beni-Mora was certainly beginning to mould her nature into a slightly different shape. And Domini seemed to see an Eastern potter at work, squatting in the sun and with long and delicate fingers changing the outline of the statuette of a woman, modifying a curve here, an angle there, till the clay began to show another woman, but with, as it were, the shadow of the former one lurking behind the new personality.

The stranger was not at dinner. His table was laid and Domini sat expecting each moment to hear the shuffling tread of his heavy boots on the wooden floor. When he did not come she thought she was glad.

After dinner she spoke for a moment to the priest and then went upstairs to the verandah to take coffee. She found Batouch there. He had renounced his determined air, and his /cafe-au-lait/ countenance and huge body expressed enduring pathos, as of an injured, patient creature laid out for the trampling of Domini's cruel feet.

"Well?" she said, sitting down by the basket table.

"Well, Madame?"

He sighed and looked on the ground, lifted one white-socked foot, removed its yellow slipper, shook out a tiny stone from the slipper and put it on again, slowly, gracefully and very sadly. Then he pulled the white sock up with both hands and glanced at Domini out of the corners of his eyes.

"What's the matter?"

"Madame does not care to see the dances of Beni-Mora, to hear the music, to listen to the story-teller, to enter the cafe of El Hadj where Achmed sings to the keef smokers, or to witness the beautiful religious ecstasies of the dervishes from Oumach. Therefore I come to bid Madame respectfully goodnight and to take my departure."

He threw his burnous over his left shoulder with a sudden gesture of despair that was full of exaggeration. Domini smiled.

"You've been very good to-day," she said.

"I am always good, Madame. I am of a serious disposition. Not one keeps Ramadan as I do."

"I am sure of it. Go downstairs and wait for me under the arcade."

同类推荐
  • 临清寇略

    临清寇略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • On Interpretation

    On Interpretation

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Belgian Twins

    The Belgian Twins

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Pellucidar

    Pellucidar

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 道德真经注

    道德真经注

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 爱你不到白首

    爱你不到白首

    因为一句谎言,她要用余生作为代价来偿还,爱的有多深,恨就有多深.........
  • 水心集

    水心集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 我的宇宙超级战舰

    我的宇宙超级战舰

    【新书:全球极限进化,给你一个真实的末世体验。】浩瀚宇宙,文明林立,当灾难即将降临,平凡少年意外在自家果园内发现一艘宇宙战舰,从此打开了新世界的大门......先进科技、超级战士、强大的外星文明!
  • 纯野之真

    纯野之真

    有些事情,哪怕穿越漫长黯淡的时光,也不会有点点褪色,偶尔翻起封存的记忆,依然能听到那份纯真的芬芳。
  • 霸者三国

    霸者三国

    他,作为现代人时,是一个不择不扣的小混混,可是机缘巧合之下,我来了到一个战乱纷纷的年代:三国。面对着众多的三国名将,他竟然成了三国的第一武将吕布,面对感情,他是一个情种,爱美人不爱江山的那种,江山,美人,他会选择什么?
  • 武皇

    武皇

    一个精通医术的医生遇到了飞机失事——呃,好吧,有点俗,但就是这么回事,随后其借尸还魂在天元大陆——并附身在废物外加纨绔的楚国四殿下身上,且看他如何与他人一较高低……这才是真正的纨绔……做纨绔也要做最极品的纨绔!推荐作品《东莞情事:美女总监缠上我》
  • 暴牧女王

    暴牧女王

    异界修仙女王突破瓶颈失败,穿越到2350年之后化身游戏小白进入全息网游...左手匕首,右手法杖,可奶可攻,战绩连连,众人掀桌!谁说她是游戏小白的?某女王AND某萌宠表示:从修仙女王过渡到网游女王,过程轻松无压力!
  • 兽王·军中兽王

    兽王·军中兽王

    兰虎一出桃花源就遇到了一个叫做蛇六的神秘人,两人不打不相识,结伴前往彩虹城。得知彩虹城外有一只上古凶兽出没,兰虎与蛇六一同前往凶兽出没的水域,希望为民除害。就在与凶兽斗智斗勇的时候,兰虎忽然警觉地发现自己落入了新联盟精心设计的陷阱里,哈里兽的几个修为极为高强的弟子从天而降……兰虎脱险之后,跟着亚超人方冰来到了军中,见到了东联邦政府特别行动部门总指挥罗兰。然而军中的生活也并不是一帆风顺的,一些仇视新人类的将军对兰虎虎视眈眈。面对军中古人类高手的挑衅,兰虎是奋起反抗还是退避三舍?……
  • 一用就灵足疗祛百病

    一用就灵足疗祛百病

    针对想吃又不敢吃、不会吃的糖尿病患者,书中分门别类地介绍了糖尿病防治知识及食物交换份法,帮助糖友合理安排餐次、选择最佳食物和最佳的烹调方式、轻松应对特殊的就餐状态。饮食+运动+中医——三管齐下,攻克糖尿病。
  • 你当我是谁

    你当我是谁

    杨袭,女,1976年出生于黄河口,08年始在《大家》《作品》《黄河文学》《飞天》《山东文学》等文学杂志发表小说。