登陆注册
5255000000023

第23章 CHAPTER V MADAME RIENNES(2)

At the outskirts of the town they passed a shrine, in which was the image of some saint. The priest crossed himself and bowed so low that he struck the knee of the Pasteur, who remonstrated in an elaborate and sarcastic fashion. Then the fight began, and those two holy men belaboured each other, with words, not fists, for the rest of the journey. Godfrey's French was sadly to seek, still before it was done, he did wonder whether all their language was strictly Christian, for such words as /Sapristi/, and /Nom de Dieu/, accompanied by snapping of the fingers, and angry stares, struck him as showing a contentious and even a hostile spirit. Moreover, that was not the end of it, since of the occupants of the diligence, about one half seemed to belong to the party of the priest, and the other half to the party of the Pasteur.

By degrees all of these were drawn into the conflict. They shouted and screamed at each other, they waved their arms, and incidentally their baskets, one of which struck Godfrey on the nose, and indeed nearly came to actual fisticuffs.

Apparently the driver was accustomed to such scenes, for after a glance through his little window he took no further notice. So it went on until at last he pulled up and shouted:

"/Voyageurs pour Kleindorf, descendez. Vite, s'il vous plait./"

"Here we do get down, young Monsieur," said the Pasteur, suddenly relapsing into a kind of unnatural calm. Indeed, at the door he turned and bowed politely to his adversary, wishing him /bon voyage/, to which the priest replied with a solemn benediction in the most Catholic form.

"He is not bad of heart, that priest," said the Pasteur, as he led the way to the gate of a little shrubbery, "but he do try to steal my sheep, and I protect them from him, the blood-toothed wolf. Jean, Jean!"

A brawny Swiss appeared and seized the baggage. Then they advanced across the belt of shrubbery to a lawn, through which ran a path. Lo!@@in the centre of that lawn grew such a fruit-tree, covered with large cherries or small plums, as Godfrey had described to Miss Ogilvy, and beyond it stood the long white house, old, and big, and peaceful looking. What he had not described, because of them his subliminal sense had given him no inkling, were the two ladies, who sat expectant on the verandah, that commanded a beautiful view of the lake and the mountains beyond.

By a kind of instinct distilled from his experience of clergymen's belongings, Godfrey had expected to see a dowdy female, with a red, fat face, and watery eyes, perhaps wearing an apron and a black dress hooked awry, accompanied by a snub-nosed little girl with straight hair, and a cold in the head. In place of these he saw a fashionably-dressed, Parisian-looking lady, who still seemed quite young, very pleasant to behold, with her dark eyes and graceful movements, and a girl, apparently about his own age, who was equally attractive.

She was brown-eyed, with a quick, mobile face, and a lithe and shapely, if as yet somewhat unformed figure. The long thick plait in which her chestnut hair was arranged could not hide its plenitude and beauty, while the smallness of her hands and feet showed breeding, as did her manners and presence. The observant Godfrey, at his first sight of Juliette, for such was her name, marvelled how it was possible that she should be the daughter of that plain and ungainly old pasteur. On this point it is enough to say that others had experienced the same wonder, and remained with their curiosity unsatisfied. But then he might as well have inquired how he, Godfrey, came to be his father's son, since in the whole universe no two creatures could have been more diverse.

Monsieur Boiset waddled forward, with a gait like to that of a superannuated duck, followed at some distance by Godfrey and the stalwart Jean with the luggage.

"My dears," he called out in his high voice, "I have found our new little friend; the train brought him safely. Here he is."

Madame and Juliette looked about them.

"I see him not," said Madame.

"Where is he?" asked Juliette, in a pleasant girlish voice. "Still at the gate? And say then, my father," this in low tones meant not to be overheard, "who is this monsieur?"

"He is the little boy," exclaimed the Pasteur, chuckling at his joke, "but you see he has grown in the train."

"/Mon Dieu!/" exclaimed Madame, "I wonder if his bed will be long enough?"

"It is very amusing," remarked Juliette.

Then they both descended from the verandah, to greet him with foreign cordiality which, as they spoke rapidly in French, was somewhat lost on Godfrey. Recognizing their kind intentions, however, he took off his hat and bowed to each in turn, remarking as he did so:

"/Bonjour, oui. Oui, bonjour/," the only words in the Gallic tongue that occurred to him at the moment.

"I speek Engleesh," said Juliette, with solemn grandeur.

"I'm jolly glad to hear it," replied Godfrey, "and I /parle Fran?ais/, or soon shall, I hope."

Such was Godfrey's introduction to his new home at Kleindorf, where very soon he was happy enough. Notwithstanding his strange appearance and his awkwardness, Monsieur Boiset proved himself to be what is called "a dear old gentleman"; moreover, really learned, and this in sundry different directions. Thus, he was an excellent astronomer, and the possessor of a first-rate telescope, mounted in a little observatory, on a rocky peak of ground which rose up a hundred feet or more in the immediate neighbourhood of the house, that itself stood high. This instrument, which its owner had acquired secondhand at some sale, of course was not of the largest size. Still, it was powerful enough for all ordinary observations, and to show many hundreds of the heavenly bodies that are invisible to the naked eye, even in the clear air of Switzerland.

同类推荐
  • The Arrow of Gold

    The Arrow of Gold

    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。
  • 郊庙歌辞 享龙池乐

    郊庙歌辞 享龙池乐

    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。
  • 申鉴

    申鉴

    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。
  • Uncle Vanya

    Uncle Vanya

    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。
  • 冷斋夜话

    冷斋夜话

    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
  • 老王走了,留下一堆苦难

    老王走了,留下一堆苦难

    当我们还没有翻开自己生命的帘子,血液就注定了我们生命的全部,将全部交给罪恶,那一年那一月那一日那一时那一分那一秒。我们都渴望着,世界就在足下。而面对后天的后天,经岁月浇筑成的版图,才是痕迹的回音。一代人,活在梦里,不知时日如何飞走。一代人,活在昨天,不知是谁告诉他们可以离开自己的肉体。一代人,活在今天,不知过去留给了历史无数的遗憾。一代人,活在明天,不知期望其实就是捉弄自己的双手。
  • 花下獠牙:绝宠天价嫡女

    花下獠牙:绝宠天价嫡女

    继母暗害,亲爹默许,造就她与生母的悲剧。死后重生,楚清幽发誓,让他们付出代价!与此同时被迫卷入皇室斗争,却发现幽王府里神秘力量。入宫从军,楚清幽一生风风火火,幸得所爱之人。只是这争斗不休,阴谋层出不穷。且看楚清幽是否能够化险为夷,风生水起!
  • 梦琂

    梦琂

    宁端盯着面前的人,说,“阿琂先生,你喜欢我对不对?”他说,“是的,阿端,可我只能在背后护着你。”她说,“谢谢你,阿琂先生,可我已经嫁人了,我不会再在意了。”他面色苍白,一如初见模样。后来,连怨恨乔琂的乔偐都说她残忍。
  • 云间笔会(2011)

    云间笔会(2011)

    本书是上海市松江区文联文学分会会员作品汇编,包括散文、诗歌、小说、剧本等形式,文笔流畅,内容健康向上。其中不乏优秀之作,体现出松江的地方文化氛围和创作状况。
  • 重生小医仙

    重生小医仙

    虎落平阳被犬欺,掉毛凤凰不如鸡。翻手为云覆手雨的貌美丹祖,转生后直接幸运E。不就是体质废柴么?老子练!不就是流落在外没钱吃饭么?老子赚!不就是时不时被豪门老爷爷鄙视加无视么?老子忍!不就是随身绑定手无缚鸡之力的软包子兄长一只么?老子……她额角微微抽动,有些嫌弃。这个能不能换?
  • 我穿成了黑化宿主的系统

    我穿成了黑化宿主的系统

    柠萌死后,不仅变成了系统,而且还契约了一个控制欲十分强,时不时就会黑化的蛇精病宿主!人家主角穿越都是附赠金手指,结果没有想到她自己居然穿成了金手指!柠萌怒:“凭什么其他系统的宿主,都是性格好脾气温柔的国民男神,她家宿主却是个一言不合,就对着自家系统各种花样玩不停的高冷大流氓!?举手抗议,我要换宿主!”某位姗姗来迟的宿主大人勾唇邪魅一笑:“小柠萌,你刚刚在说什么?过来,当着我的面儿再说一次。”【本书位面世界已经完结,本书Q群663872102】
  • 宇宙之终极战神

    宇宙之终极战神

    一切的都是有神罗公司的一个发现开始的,在那黑暗的地底之城,神罗著名的科学家发现了一种从外来星系而到达这个星球的生命---杰诺瓦。这种生命原本是宇宙的一种灾难,它来到这个星球的目的,就是毁灭这个星球。然而,神罗公司的人却把它保留下来,并且用来做研究,甚至用活人来做实验。他们发现这种杰诺瓦细胞在植入人体后,可以增强人的体能。因此,神罗公司用它培育出了一批特殊的士兵神战士。
  • 训夫十二戒:王爷别乱来

    训夫十二戒:王爷别乱来

    她悲催十分的被一口水呛死,莫名就来到了全然陌生的年代,有了新的身子新的身份,可惜却是个不招人恋爱的小可怜。秉着人不犯我我不犯人,人若犯我我必千万倍犯人的良好品行,那令人作呕的男人需得好好整治,喜欢作死的女人更是要好好教训一番……她活得风生水起,也不顾他人是死是活。只是这位王爷,咱们似乎只是一夜的露水情缘,就不要那么当真的吧?为什么要追我?我可是有“训夫十二诫”的女人!--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 一个来历不明的人

    一个来历不明的人

    《一个来历不明的人》系吴亚丁的短篇小说选集,收录了作者近年写作的10个短篇。这些作品题材独特,叙述角度新,时间跨度大,简洁而多层面地描摹了当代中国城市与乡村的世俗生活图景,通过揭示小说人物的经历与成长,力图呈现一个较大跨度下社会生存状态的不同侧面。简朴动人的故事,凝聚了一个又一个人物的各自际遇和命运。
  • 霸天狂神

    霸天狂神

    人们盛传的“魔武废材”,却是隐藏的武修高手,大陆万年难得一见的奇才,看一代隐藏神级天才如何成就霸天狂神之路。