"Whoisitthathascome?"askedBonaparte,whenhestooddrinkinghiscoffeeinthefrontroom。
"Why,myniece,tobesure,"saidTantSannie,theHottentotmaidtranslating。"She’stheonlydaughterofmyonlybrotherPaul,andshe’scometovisitme。She’llbeanicemouthfultothemanthatcangether,"
addedTantSannie。"Herfather’sgottwothousandpoundsinthegreenwagonboxunderhisbed,andafarm,andfivethousandsheep,andGodAlmightyknowshowmanygoatsandhorses。Theymilktencowsinmid—
winter,andtheyoungmenareafterherlikefliesaboutabowlofmilk。
Shesaysshemeanstogetmarriedinfourmonths,butshedoesn’tyetknowtowhom。ItwassowithmewhenIwasyoung,"saidTantSannie。"I’vesatupwiththeyoungmenfourandfivenightsaweek。Andtheywillcomeridingagain,assoonasevertheyknowthatthetime’supthattheEnglishmanmademeagreenottomarryin。"
TheBoer—womansmirkedcomplacently。
"Whereareyougoingto?"askedTantSanniepresently,seeingthatBonaparterose。
"Ha!I’mjustgoingtothekraals;I’llbeintosupper,"saidBonaparte。
Nevertheless,whenhereachedhisowndoorhestoppedandturnedinthere。
Soonafterhestoodbeforethelittleglass,arrayedinhisbestwhiteshirtwiththelittletucks,andshavinghimself。Hehadonhisverybesttrousers,andhadheavilyoiledthelittlefringeatthebackofhishead,which,however,refusedtobecomedarker。Butwhatdistressedhimmostwashisnose——itwasveryred。Herubbedhisfingerandthumbonthewall,andputalittlewhitewashonit;but,findingitrathermademattersworse,herubbeditoffagain。Thenhelookedcarefullyintohisowneyes。Theycertainlywerealittlepulleddownattheoutercorners,whichgavethemtheappearanceoflookingcrosswise;butthentheywereaniceblue。Soheputonhisbestcoat,tookuphisstick,andwentouttosupper,feelingonthewholewellsatisfied。
"Aunt,"saidTranatoTantSanniewhenthatnighttheylaytogetherinthegreatwoodenbed,"whydoestheEnglishmansighsowhenhelooksatme?"
"Ha!"saidTantSannie,whowashalfasleep,butsuddenlystarted,wideawake。"It’sbecausehethinksyoulooklikeme。Itellyou,Trana,"saidTantSannie,"themanismadwithloveofme。ItoldhimtheothernightI
couldn’tmarrytillEmwassixteen,orI’dloseallthesheepherfatherleftme。AndhetalkedaboutJacobworkingsevenyearsandsevenyearsagainforhiswife。Andofcoursehemeantme,"saidTantSanniepompously。"Buthewon’tgetmesoeasilyashethinks;he’llhavetoaskmorethanonce。"
"Oh!"saidTrana,whowasalumpishgirlandnotmuchgiventotalking;butpresentlysheadded,"Aunt,whydoestheEnglishmanalwaysknockagainstapersonwhenhepassesthem?"
"That’sbecauseyouarealwaysintheway,"saidTantSannie。
"But,aunt,saidTrana,presently,"Ithinkheisveryugly。"
"Phugh!"saidTantSannie。It’sonlybecausewe’renotaccustomedtosuchnosesinthiscountry。Inhiscountryhesaysallthepeoplehavesuchnoses,andtheredderyournoseisthehigheryouare。He’softhefamilyoftheQueenVictoria,youknow,"saidTantSannie,wakeningupwithhersubject;"andhedoesn’tthinkanythingofgovernorsandchurcheldersandsuchpeople;theyarenothingtohim。Whenhisauntwiththedropsydieshe’llhavemoneyenoughtobuyallthefarmsinthisdistrict。"
"Oh!"saidTrana。Thatcertainlymadeadifference。
"Yes,"saidTantSannie;"andhe’sonlyforty—one,thoughyou’dtakehimtobesixty。Andhetoldmelastnighttherealreasonofhisbaldness。"
TantSanniethenproceededtorelatehow,ateighteenyearsofage,Bonapartehadcourtedafairyounglady。Howadeadlyrival,jealousofhisverdantlocks,hisgoldenflowinghair,had,withadamnableandinsinuatingdeception,madehimapresentofapotofpomatum。How,applyingitintheevening,onrisinginthemorninghefoundhispillowstrewnwiththegoldenlocks,and,lookingintotheglass,beheldtheshiningandsmoothexpansewhichhenceforthhemustbear。Thefewremaininghairswereturnedtoasilverywhiteness,andtheyoungladymarriedhisrival。
"And,"saidTantSanniesolemnly,"ifithadnotbeenforthegraceofGod,andreadingofthepsalms,hesayshewouldhavekilledhimself。Hesayshecouldkillhimselfquiteeasilyifhewantstomarryawomanandshewon’t。"
"Allewereld!"saidTrana:andthentheywenttosleep。
Everyonewaslostinsleepsoon;butfromthewindowofthecabinthelightstreamedforth。Itcamefromadungfire,overwhichWaldosatbrooding。Hourafterhourhesatthere,nowandagainthrowingafreshlumpoffuelontothefire,whichburntupbravely,andthensankintoagreatbedofredcoals,whichreflectedthemselvesintheboy’seyesashesattherebrooding,brooding,brooding。Atlast,whenthefirewasblazingatitsbrightest,herosesuddenlyandwalkedslowlytoabeamfromwhichanoxriemhung。Looseningit,herananooseinoneendandthendoubleditroundhisarm。
"Mine,mine!Ihavearight,"hemuttered;andthensomethinglouder,"ifIfallandamkilled,somuchthebetter!"
Heopenedthedoorandwentoutintothestarlight。
Hewalkedwithhiseyesbentupontheground,butoverheaditwasoneofthosebrilliantsouthernnightswheneveryspacesosmallthatyourhandmightcoveritshowsfiftycoldwhitepoints,andtheMilky—Wayisabeltofsharpfrostedsilver。HepassedthedoorwhereBonapartelaydreamingofTranaandherwealth,andhemountedtheladdersteps。Fromthoseheclamberedwithsomedifficultyontotheroofofthehouse。Itwasofoldrottenthatchwitharidgeofwhiteplaster,anditcrumbledawayunderhisfeetateverystep。Hetrodasheavilyashecould。Somuchthebetterifhefell。
Hekneltdownwhenhegottothefargable,andbegantofastenhisriemtothecrumblingbricks。Belowwasthelittlewindowoftheloft。Withoneendoftheriemtiedroundthegable,theotherendroundhiswaist,howeasytoslidedowntoit,andtoopenit,throughoneofthebrokenpanes,andtogoin,andtofillhisarmswithbooks,andtoclamberupagain!
Theyhadburntonebook——hewouldhavetwenty。Everyman’shandwasagainsthis——hisshouldbeagainsteveryman’s。Noonewouldhelphim——hewouldhelphimself。
Heliftedtheblackdamphairfromhisknitforehead,andlookedroundtocoolhishotface。Thenhesawwhataregalnightitwas。Hekneltsilentlyandlookedup。Athousandeyeswerelookingdownathim,brightandsocold。Therewasalaughingironyinthem。
"Sohot,sobitter,soangry?Poorlittlemortal?"
Hewasashamed。Hefoldedhisarms,andsatontheridgeoftherooflookingupatthem。
"Sohot,sobitter,soangry?"
Itwasasthoughacoldhandhadbeenlaiduponhisthrobbingforehead,andslowlytheybegantofadeandgrowdim。TantSannieandtheburntbook,Bonaparteandthebrokenmachine,theboxintheloft,hehimselfsittingthere——howsmalltheyallbecame!Eventhegraveoveryonder。Thosestarsthatshoneonupabovesoquietly,theyhadseenathousandsuchlittleexistencesfightjustsofiercely,flareupjustsobrightlyandgoout;
andthey,theold,oldstars,shoneonforever。
"Sohot,soangry,poorlittlesoul?"theysaid。
Theriemslippedfromhisfingers;hesatwithhisarmsfolded,lookingup。
"We,"saidthestars,haveseentheearthwhenitwasyoung。Wehaveseensmallthingscreepoutuponitssurface——smallthingsthatprayedandlovedandcriedveryloudly,andthencreptunderitagain。Butwe,"saidthestars,"areasoldastheUnknown。"
Heleanedhischinagainstthepalmofhishandandlookedupatthem。Solonghesattherethatbrightstarssetandnewonesrose,andyethesaton。
Thenatlasthestoodup,andbegantoloosentheriemfromthegable。
Whatdiditmatteraboutthebooks?Thelustandthedesireforthemhaddiedout。Iftheypleasedtokeepthemfromhimtheymight。Whatmatter?
itwasaverylittlething。Whyhate,andstruggle,andfight?Letitbeasitwould。
Hetwistedtheriemroundhisarmandwalkedbackalongtheridgeofthehouse。
BythistimeBonaparteBlenkinshadfinishedhisdreamofTrana,andasheturnedhimselfroundforafreshdozeheheardthestepsdescendingtheladder。Hisfirstimpulsewastodrawtheblanketoverhisheadandhislegsunderhim,andtoshout;butrecollectingthatthedoorwaslockedandthewindowcarefullybolted,heallowedhisheadslowlytocropoutamongtheblankets,andlistenedintently。Whosoeveritmightbe,therewasnodangeroftheirgettingathim;soheclamberedoutofbed,andgoingontiptoetothedoor,appliedhiseyetothekeyhole。Therewasnothingtobeseen;sowalkingtothewindow,hebroughthisfaceasclosetotheglassashisnosewouldallow。Therewasafigurejustdiscernible。Theladwasnottryingtowalksoftly,andtheheavyshufflingofthewell—
knownvelschoenscouldbeclearlyheardthroughtheclosedwindowastheycrossedthestonesintheyard。Bonapartelistenedtilltheyhaddiedawayroundthecornerofthewagon—house;and,feelingthathisbarelegsweregettingcold,hejumpedbackintobedagain……
"Whatdoyoukeepupinyourloft?"inquiredBonaparteoftheBoer—womanthenextevening,pointingupwardsandelucidatinghismeaningbytheadditionofsuchDutchwordsasheknew,fortheleanHottentotwasgonehome。
"Driedskins,"saidtheBoer—woman,"andemptybottles,andboxes,andsacks,andsoap。"
"Youdon’tkeepanyofyourprovisionsthere——sugar,now?"saidBonaparte,pointingtothesugar—basinandthenupattheloft。
TantSannieshookherhead。
"Onlysalt,anddriedpeaches。"
"Driedpeaches!Eh?"saidBonaparte。"Shutthedoor,mydearchild,shutittight,"hecalledouttoEm,whostoodinthediningroom。ThenheleanedovertheelbowofthesofaandbroughthisfaceascloseaspossibletotheBoer—woman’s,andmadesignsofeating。Thenhesaidsomethingshedidnotcomprehend;thensaid,"Waldo,Waldo,Waldo,"pointeduptotheloft,andmadesignsofeatingagain。
NowaninklingofhismeaningdawnedontheBoer—woman’smind。Tomakeitclearer,hemovedhislegsafterthemannerofonegoingupaladder,appearedtobeopeningadoor,masticatedvigorously,said,"Peaches,peaches,peaches,"andappearedtobecomingdowntheladder。
ItwasnowevidenttoTantSanniethatWaldohadbeeninherloftandeatenherpeaches。
Toexemplifyhisownshareintheproceedings,Bonapartelaydownonthesofa,andshuttinghiseyestightly,said,"Night,night,night!"Thenhesatupwildly,appearingtobeintentlylistening,mimickedwithhisfeetthecomingdownaladder,andlookedatTantSannie。Thisclearlyshowedhow,rousedinthenight,hehaddiscoveredthetheft。
"Hemusthavebeenagreatfooltoeatmypeaches,"saidTantSannie。
"Theyarefullofmitesasasheepskin,andashardasstones。"
Bonaparte,fumblinginhispocket,didnotevenhearherremark,andtookoutfromhiscoat—tailalittlehorsewhip,nicelyrolledup。Bonapartewinkedatthelittlerhinoceroshorsewhip,attheBoer—woman,andthenatthedoor。
"Shallwecallhim——Waldo,Waldo?"hesaid。
TantSannienodded,andgiggled。Therewassomethingsoexceedinglyhumorousintheideathathewasgoingtobeattheboy,thoughforherownpartshedidnotseethatthepeacheswereworthit。WhentheKaffermaidcamewiththewash—tubshewassenttosummonWaldo;andBonapartedoubledupthelittlewhipandputitinhispocket。Thenhedrewhimselfup,andpreparedtoacthisimportantpartwithbecominggravity。SoonWaldostoodinthedoor,andtookoffhishat。
"Comein,comein,mylad,"saidBonaparte,"andshutthedoorbehind。"
Theboycameinandstoodbeforethem。
"Youneednotbesoafraid,child,"saidTantSannie。"Iwasachildmyselfonce。It’snogreatharmifyouhavetakenafew。"
Bonaparteperceivedthatherremarkwasnotinkeepingwiththenatureoftheproceedings,andofthelittledramaheintendedtoact。Pursingouthislips,andwavinghishand,hesolemnlyaddressedtheboy。
"Waldo,itgrievesmebeyondexpressiontohavetosummonyouforsopainfulapurpose;butitisattheimperativecallofduty,whichIdarenotevade。Idonotstatethatfrankandunreservedconfessionwillobviatethenecessityofchastisement,whichifrequisiteshallbefullyadministered;butthenatureofthatchastisementmaybemitigatedbyfreeandhumbleconfession。Waldo,answermeasyouwouldyourownfather,inwhoseplaceInowstandtoyou;haveyou,orhaveyounot,didyou,ordidyounot,eatofthepeachesintheloft?"
"Sayyoutookthem,boy,sayyoutookthem,thenhewon’tbeatyoumuch,"
saidtheDutchwoman,good—naturedly,gettingalittlesorryforhim。
Theboyraisedhiseyesslowlyandfixedthemvacantlyuponher,thensuddenlyhisfacegrewdarkwithblood。
"So,youhaven’tgotanythingtosaytous,mylad?"saidBonaparte,momentarilyforgettinghisdignity,andbendingforwardwithalittlesnarl。"ButwhatImeanisjustthis,mylad——whenittakesaboythree—
quartersofanhourtofillasalt—pot,andwhenatthreeo’clockinthemorninghegoesknockingaboutthedoorsofaloft,it’snaturaltosupposethere’smischiefinit。It’scertainthereismischiefinit;andwherethere’smischiefin,itmustbetakenout,"saidBonaparte,grinningintotheboy’sface。Then,feelingthathehadfallenfromthathighgravitywhichwasasspicetothepudding,andtheflavourofthewholelittletragedy,hedrewhimselfup。"Waldo,"hesaid,"confesstomeinstantly,andwithoutreserve,thatyouatethepeaches。"
Theboy’sfacewaswhitenow。Hiseyeswereontheground,hishandsdoggedlyclaspedbeforehim。
"What,doyounotintendtoanswer?"
Theboylookedupatthemoncefromunderhisbenteyebrows,andthenlookeddownagain。
"Thecreaturelooksasifallthedevilsinhellwereinit,"criedTantSannie。"Sayyoutookthem,boy。Youngthingswillbeyoungthings;IwasolderthanyouwhenIusedtoeatbultonginmymother’sloft,andgetthelittleniggerswhippedforit。Sayyoutookthem。"
Buttheboysaidnothing。
"Ithinkalittlesolitaryconfinementmightperhapsbebeneficial,"saidBonaparte。"Itwillenableyou,Waldo,toreflectontheenormityofthesinyouhavecommittedagainstourFatherinheaven。Andyoumayalsothinkofthesubmissionyouowetothosewhoareolderandwiserthanyouare,andwhosedutyitistocheckandcorrectyou。"
Sayingthis,Bonapartestoodupandtookdownthekeyofthefuel—house,whichhungonanailagainstthewall。
"Walkon,myboy,"saidBonaparte,pointingtothedoor;andashefollowedhimouthedrewhismouthexpressivelyononeside,andmadethelashofthelittlehorsewhipstickoutofhispocketandshakeupanddown。
TantSanniefelthalfsorryforthelad;butshecouldnothelplaughing,itwasalwayssofunnywhenonewasgoingtohaveawhipping,anditwoulddohimgood。Anyhow,hewouldforgetallaboutitwhentheplaceswerehealed。Hadnotshebeenbeatenmanytimesandbeenallthebetterforit?
Bonapartetookupalightedcandlethathadbeenleftburningonthekitchentable,andtoldtheboytowalkbeforehim。Theywenttothefuel—
house。Itwasalittlestoneerectionthatjuttedoutfromthesideofthewagon—house。Itwaslowandwithoutawindow,andthedrieddungwaspiledinonecorner,andthecoffee—millstoodinanother,fastenedonthetopofashortpostaboutthreefeethigh。Bonapartetookthepadlockofftheroughdoor。
"Walkin,mylad,"hesaid。
Waldoobeyedsullenly;oneplacetohimwasmuchthesameasanother。Hehadnoobjectiontobeinglockedup。
Bonapartefollowedhimin,andclosedthedoorcarefully。Heputthelightdownontheheapofdunginthecorner,andquietlyintroducedhishandunderhiscoat—tails,anddrewslowlyfromhispockettheendofarope,whichheconcealedbehindhim。
"I’mverysorry,exceedinglysorry,Waldo,mylad,thatyoushouldhaveactedinthismanner。Itgrievesme,"saidBonaparte。
Hemovedroundtowardtheboy’sback。Hehardlylikedthelookinthefellow’seyes,thoughhestoodtheremotionless。Ifheshouldspringonhim!
Sohedrewtheropeoutverycarefully,andshiftedroundtothewoodenpost。Therewasaslipknotinoneendoftherope,andasuddenmovementdrewtheboy’shandstohisbackandpasseditroundthem。Itwasaninstant’sworktodragittwiceroundthewoodenpost:thenBonapartewassafe。
Foramomenttheboystruggledtofreehimself;thenheknewthathewaspowerless,andstoodstill。
"Horsesthatkickmusthavetheirlegstied,"saidBonaparte,ashepassedtheotherendoftheroperoundtheboy’sknees。"Andnow,mydearWaldo,"
takingthewhipoutofhispocket,"Iamgoingtobeatyou。"
Hepausedforamoment。Itwasperfectlyquiet;theycouldheareachother’sbreath。
"’Chastenthysonwhilethereishope,’"saidBonaparte,"’andletnotthysoulspareforhiscrying。’ThoseareGod’swords。Ishallactasafathertoyou,Waldo。Ithinkwehadbetterhaveyournakedback。"
Hetookouthispenknife,andslittheshirtdownfromtheshouldertothewaist。
"Now,"saidBonaparte,"IhopetheLordwillblessandsanctifytoyouwhatIamgoingtodotoyou。"
Thefirstcutranfromtheshoulderacrossthemiddleoftheback;thesecondfellexactlyinthesameplace。Ashudderpassedthroughtheboy’sframe。
"Nice,eh?"saidBonaparte,peepingroundintohisface,speakingwithalisp,asthoughtoaverylittlechild。"Nith,eh?"
Buttheeyeswereblackandlustreless,andseemednottoseehim。WhenhehadgivensixteenBonapartepausedinhisworktowipealittledropofbloodfromhiswhip。
"Cold,eh?Whatmakesyoushiverso?Perhapsyouwouldliketopullupyourshirt?ButI’venotquitedoneyet。"
Whenhehadfinishedhewipedthewhipagain,andputitbackinhispocket。Hecuttheropethroughwithhispenknife,andthentookupthelight。
"Youdon’tseemtohavefoundyourtongueyet。Forgottenhowtocry?"saidBonaparte,pattinghimonthecheek。
Theboylookedupathim——notsullenly,notangrily。Therewasawild,fitfulterrorintheeyes。Bonapartemadehastetogooutandshutthedoor,andleavehimaloneinthedarkness。Hehimselfwasafraidofthatlook……
Itwasalmostmorning。Waldolaywithhisfaceuponthegroundatthefootofthefuel—heap。Therewasaroundholenearthetopofthedoor,whereaknotofwoodhadfallenout,andastreamofgreylightcameinthroughit。
Ah,itwasgoingtoendatlast。Nothinglastsforever,noteventhenight。Howwasithehadneverthoughtofthatbefore?Forinallthatlongdarknighthehadbeenverystrong,hadneverbeentired,neverfeltpain,hadrunonandon,upanddown,upanddown;hehadnotdaredtostandstill,andhehadnotknownitwouldend。Hehadbeensostrong,thatwhenhestruckhisheadwithallhisforceuponthestonewallitdidnotstunhimnorpainhim——onlymadehimlaugh。Thatwasadreadfulnight。
Whenheclaspedhishandsfranticallyandprayed——"OGod,mybeautifulGod,mysweetGod,once,onlyonce,letmefeelyounearmetonight!"hecouldnotfeelhim。Heprayedaloud,veryloud,andhegotnoanswer;whenhelisteneditwasallquitequiet——likewhenthepriestsofBaalcriedaloudtotheirgod——"Oh,Baal,hearus!Oh,Baal,hearus!ButBaalwasgonea—
hunting。
Thatwasalongwildnight,andwildthoughtscameandwentinit;buttheylefttheirmarksbehindthemforever:for,asyearscannotpasswithoutleavingtheirtracesbehindthem,neithercannightsintowhichareforcedthethoughtsandsufferingsofyears。Andnowthedawnwascoming,andatlasthewasverytired。Heshiveredandtriedtodrawtheshirtupoverhisshoulders。Theyweregettingstiff。Hehadneverknowntheywerecutinthenight。Helookedupatthewhitelightthatcameinthroughtheholeatthetopofthedoorandshuddered。Thenheturnedhisfacebacktothegroundandsleptagain。
SomehourslaterBonapartecametowardthefuel—housewithalumpofbreadinhishand。Heopenedthedoorandpeeredin;thenentered,andtouchedthefellowwithhisboot。Seeingthathebreathedheavily,thoughhedidnotrouse,Bonapartethrewthebreaddownontheground。Hewasalive,thatwasonething。Hebentoverhim,andcarefullyscratchedopenoneofthecutswiththenailofhisforefinger,examiningwithmuchinteresthislastnight’swork。Hewouldhavetocounthissheephimselfthatday;theboywasliterallycutup。Helockedthedoorandwentawayagain。
"Oh,Lyndall,"saidEm,enteringthediningroom,andbathedintears,thatafternoon,"IhavebeenbeggingBonapartetolethimout,andhewon’t。"
"Themoreyoubegthemorehewillnot,"saidLyndall。
Shewascuttingoutapronsonthetable。
"Oh,butit’slate,andIthinktheywanttokillhim,"saidEm,weepingbitterly;andfindingthatnomoreconsolationwastobegainedfromhercousin,shewentoffblubbering——"IwonderyoucancutoutapronswhenWaldoisshutuplikethat。"
FortenminutesaftershewasgoneLyndallworkedonquietly;thenshefoldedupherstuff,rolledittightlytogether,andstoodbeforethecloseddoorofthesittingroomwithherhandscloselyclasped。Aflushrosetoherface:sheopenedthedoorquickly,andwalkedin,wenttothenailonwhichthekeyofthefuel—roomhung。BonaparteandTantSanniesatthereandsawher。
"Whatdoyouwant?"theyaskedtogether。
"Thiskey,"shesaid,holdingitup,andlookingatthem。
"Doyoumeanhertohaveit?"saidTantSannieinDutch。
"Whydon’tyoustopher?"askedBonaparteinEnglish。
"Whydon’tyoutakeitfromher?"saidTantSannie。
Sotheylookedateachother,talking,whileLyndallwalkedtothefuel—
housewiththekey,herunderlipbittenin。
"Waldo,"shesaid,asshehelpedhimtostandup,andtwistedhisarmaboutherwaisttosupporthim,"wewillnotbechildrenalways;weshallhavethepower,too,someday。"Shekissedhisnakedshoulderwithhersoftlittlemouth。Itwasallthecomfortheryoungsoulcouldgivehim。
Chapter1。XIII。HeMakesLove。
"Here,"saidTantSannietoherHottentotmaid,"Ihavebeeninthishousefouryears,andneverbeenupintheloft。FatterwomenthanIgoupladders;Iwillgouptodayandseewhatitislike,andputittorightsupthere。Youbringthelittleladderandstandatthebottom。"
"There’sonewouldbesorryifyouweretofall,"saidtheHottentotmaid,leeringatBonaparte’spipe,thatlayonthetable。
"Holdyourtongue,jade,"saidhermistress,tryingtoconcealapleasedsmile,"andgoandfetchtheladder。"
Therewasanever—usedtrap—dooratoneendofthesittingroom:thistheHottentotmaidpushedopen,andsettingtheladderagainstit,theBoer—
womanwithsomedangeranddifficultyclimbedintotheloft。ThentheHottentotmaidtooktheladderaway,asherhusbandwasmendingthewagon—
house,andneededit;butthetrap—doorwasleftopen。
ForalittlewhileTantSanniepokedaboutamongtheemptybottlesandskins,andlookedatthebagofpeachesthatWaldowassupposedtohavelikedso;thenshesatdownnearthetrap—doorbesideabarrelofsaltmutton。Shefoundthatthepiecesofmeatweremuchtoolarge,andtookoutherclasp—knifetodividethem。
Thatwasalwaysthewaywhenoneleftthingstoservants,shegrumbledtoherself:butwhenonceshewasmarriedtoherhusbandBonaparteitwouldnotmatterwhetherasheepspoiledorno——whenoncehisrichauntwiththedropsywasdead。Shesmiledasshedivedherhandintothepickle—water。
Atthatinstanthernieceenteredtheroombelow,closelyfollowedbyBonaparte,withhisheadononeside,smilingmawkishly。HadTantSanniespokenatthatmomentthelifeofBonaparteBlenkinswouldhaverunawhollydifferentcourse;asitwas,sheremainedsilent,andneithernoticedtheopentrap—doorabovetheirheads。
"Sitthere,mylove,"saidBonaparte,motioningTranaintoheraunt’selbow—chair,anddrawinganothercloseupinfrontofit,inwhichheseatedhimself。"There,putyourfeetuponthestovetoo。Youraunthasgoneoutsomewhere。LonghaveIwaitedforthisauspiciousevent!"
Trana,whounderstoodnotonewordofEnglish,satdowninthechairandwonderedifthiswasoneofthestrangecustomsofotherlands,thatanoldgentlemanmaybringhischairuptoyours,andsitwithhiskneestouchingyou。ShehadbeenfivedaysinBonaparte’scompany,andfearedtheoldman,anddislikedhisnose。
"HowlonghaveIdesiredthismoment!"saidBonaparte。"Butthatagedrelativeofthineisalwayscastingherunhallowedshadowuponus。Lookintomyeyes,Trana。"