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Selected Writings-Part22_Guy De Maupassant(1850-1893)_Translated Works(翻译文学)-第2页

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lying on the floor by the side of her chair, her face turned down



and her arms stretched out, but still holding her needle in one

hand and one of my shirts in the other. One of her legs in a blue



stocking, the longer one no doubt, was extended under her chair,

and her spectacles glistened by the wall, where they had rolled



away from her.

I ran away uttering shrill cries. They all came running, and in a



few minutes I was told that Mother Clochette was dead.

I cannot describe the profound, poignant, terrible emotion which



stirred my childish heart. I went slowly down into the

drawing-room and hid myself in a dark corner, in the depths of a



great, old arm-chair, where I knelt and wept. I remained there

for a long time no doubt, for night came on. Suddenly some one



came in with a lamp--without seeing me, however--and I heard my

father and mother talking with the medical man, whose voice I



recognized.

He had been sent for immediately, and he was explaining the cause



of the accident, of which I understood nothing, however. Then he

sat down and had a glass of liqueur and a biscuit.



He went on talking, and what he then said will remain engraved on

my mind until I die! I think that I can give the exact words



which he used.

"Ah!" said he, "the poor woman! she broke her leg the day of my



arrival here. I had not even had time to wash my hands after

getting off the diligence before I was sent for in all haste, for



it was a bad case, very bad.

"She was seventeen, and a pretty girl, very pretty! Would anyone



believe it? I have never told her story before, in fact no one

but myself and one other person, who is no longer living in this



part of the country, ever knew it. Now that she is dead, I may be

less discreet.



"A young assistant teacher had just come to live in the village;

he was good-looking and had the bearing of a soldier. All the



girls ran after him, but he was disdainful. Besides that, he was

very much afraid of his superior, the schoolmaster, old Grabu,



who occasionally got out of bed the wrong foot first.

"Old Grabu already employed pretty Hortense, who has just died



here, and who was afterward nicknamed Clochette. The assistant

master singled out the pretty young girl, who was no doubt



flattered at being chosen by this disdainful conqueror; at any

rate, she fell in love with him, and he succeeded in persuading



her to give him a first meeting in the hayloft behind the school,

at night, after she had done her day's sewing.



"She pretended to go home, but instead of going downstairs when

she left the Grabus', she went upstairs and hid among the hay, to



wait for her lover. He soon joined her, and he was beginning to

say pretty things to her, when the door of the hayloft opened and



the schoolmaster appeared, and asked: 'What are you doing up

there, Sigisbert?' Feeling sure that he would be caught, the



young school-master lost his presence of mind and replied

stupidly: 'I came up here to rest a little among the bundles of



hay, Monsieur Grabu.'

"The loft was very large and absolutely dark. Sigisbert pushed



the frightened girl to the further end and said: 'Go there and

hide yourself. I shall lose my situation, so get away and hide



yourself.'

"When the schoolmaster heard the whispering, he continued: 'Why,



you are not by yourself?'

" 'Yes I am, Monsieur Grabu!'



" 'But you are not, for you are talking.'

" 'I swear I am, Monsieur Grabu.'



" 'I will soon find out,' the old man replied, and double-locking

the door, he went down to get a light.



"Then the young man, who was a coward such as one sometimes

meets, lost his head, and he repeated, having grown furious all



of a sudden: 'Hide yourself, so that he may not find you. You

will deprive me of my bread for my whole life; you will ruin my



whole career! Do hide yourself!'

"They could hear the key turning in the lock again, and Hortense



ran to the window which looked out on to the street, opened it

quickly, and then in a low and determined voice said: 'You will



come and pick me up when he is gone,' and she jumped out.

"Old Grabu found nobody, and went down again in great surprise. A



quarter of an hour later, Monsieur Sigisbert came to me and

related his adventure. The girl had remained at the foot of the



wall unable to get up, as she had fallen from the second story,




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