brought it up here!"

Max, Baruch, and their three comrades began to laugh at the Spaniard's



rage.

"I wanted to do you a service," said Max coolly, "and in handling the



damned thing I came very near flinging myself after it; and this is

how you thank me, is it? What country do you come from?"



"I come from a country where they never forgive," replied Fario,

trembling with rage. "My cart will be the cab in which you shall drive



to the devil!--unless," he said, suddenly becoming as meek as a lamb,

"you will give me a new one."



"We will talk about that," said Max, beginning to descend.

When they reached the bottom and met the first hilarious group, Max



took Fario by the button of his jacket and said to him,--

"Yes, my good Fario, I'll give you a magnificent cart, if you will



give me two hundred and fifty francs; but I won't warrant it to go,

like this one, up a tower."



At this last jest Fario became as cool as though he were making a

bargain.



"Damn it!" he said, "give me the wherewithal to replace my barrow, and

it will be the best use you ever made of old Rouget's money."



Max turned livid; he raised his formidable fist to strike Fario; but

Baruch, who knew that the blow would descend on others besides the



Spaniard, plucked the latter away like a feather and whispered to

Max,--



"Don't commit such a folly!"

The grand master, thus called to order, began to laugh and said to



Fario,--

"If I, by accident, broke your barrow, and you in return try to



slander me, we are quits."

"Not yet," muttered Fario. "But I am glad to know what my barrow was



worth."

"Ah, Max, you've found your match!" said a spectator of the scene, who



did not belong to the Order of Idleness.

"Adieu, Monsieur Gilet. I haven't thanked you yet for lending me a



hand," cried the Spaniard, as he kicked the sides of his horse and

disappeared amid loud hurrahs.



"We will keep the tires of the wheels for you," shouted a wheelwright,

who had come to inspect the damage done to the cart.



One of the shafts was sticking upright in the ground, as straight as a

tree. Max stood by, pale and thoughtful, and deeply annoyed by Fario's



speech. For five days after this, nothing was talked of in Issoudun

but the tale of the Spaniard's barrow; it was even fated to travel



abroad, as Goddet remarked,--for it went the round of Berry, where the

speeches of Fario and Max were repeated, and at the end of a week the



affair, greatly to the Spaniard's satisfaction, was still the talk of

the three departments and the subject of endless gossip. In



consequence of the vindictive Spaniard's terrible speech, Max and the

Rabouilleuse became the object of certain comments which were merely



whispered in Issoudun, though they were spoken aloud in Bourges,

Vatan, Vierzon, and Chateauroux. Maxence Gilet knew enough of that



region of the country to guess how envenomed such comments would

become.



"We can't stop their tongues," he said at last. "Ah! I did a foolish

thing!"



"Max!" said Francois, taking his arm. "They are coming to-night."

"They! Who!"



"The Bridaus. My grandmother has just had a letter from her

goddaughter."



"Listen, my boy," said Max in a low voice. "I have been thinking

deeply of this matter. Neither Flore nor I ought to seem opposed to



the Bridaus. If these heirs are to be got rid of, it is for you

Hochons to drive them out of Issoudun. Find out what sort of people



they are. To-morrow at Mere Cognette's, after I've taken their

measure, we can decide what is to be done, and how we can set your



grandfather against them."

"The Spaniard found the flaw in Max's armor," said Baruch to his



cousin Francois, as they turned into Monsieur Hochon's house and

watched their comrade entering his own door.



While Max was thus employed, Flore, in spite of her friend's advice,

was unable to restrain her wrath; and without knowing whether she



would help or hinder Max's plans, she burst forth upon the poor

• seriously [´siəriəsli] ad.严肃；严重，重大 (初中英语单词)


• abundant [ə´bʌndənt] a.丰富的；充分的 (初中英语单词)


• extremely [ik´stri:mli] ad.极端地；非常地 (初中英语单词)


• gesture [´dʒestʃə] n.手势 v.打手势 (初中英语单词)


• monsieur [mə´sjə:] n.先生 (初中英语单词)


• charming [´tʃɑ:miŋ] a.可爱的；极好的 (初中英语单词)


• luxury [´lʌkʃəri] n.奢侈(品)；享受 (初中英语单词)


• height [hait] n.高度；顶点；卓越 (初中英语单词)


• unusual [ʌn´ju:ʒuəl] a.不平常的；异常的 (初中英语单词)


• softly [´sɔftli] ad.软化地；柔和地 (初中英语单词)


• standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)


• constitution [,kɔnsti´tju:ʃən] n.宪法；体格；体质 (初中英语单词)


• instant [´instənt] a.立即的 n.紧迫；瞬间 (初中英语单词)


• mischief [´mistʃif] n.伤害；故障；调皮 (初中英语单词)


• gravely [´greivli] ad.庄重地，严肃地 (初中英语单词)


• meanwhile [´mi:n´wail] n.&ad.其间；同时 (初中英语单词)


• behave [bi´heiv] v.举止；表现；举止端正 (初中英语单词)


• apparent [ə´pærənt] a.显然的；表面上的 (初中英语单词)


• collection [kə´lekʃən] n.收集；征收；募捐 (初中英语单词)


• stupid [´stju:pid] a.愚蠢的；糊涂的 (初中英语单词)


• peasant [´pezənt] n.农民；庄稼人 (初中英语单词)


• laughter [´lɑ:ftə] n.笑，笑声 (初中英语单词)


• pointed [´pɔintid] a.尖(锐)的；中肯的 (初中英语单词)


• spaniard [´spænjəd] n.西班牙人 (初中英语单词)


• thunder [´θʌndə] n.雷 vi.打雷 vt.吼出 (初中英语单词)


• advantage [əd´vɑ:ntidʒ] n.优势；利益 (初中英语单词)


• curiosity [,kjuəri´ɔsiti] n.好奇；奇事；珍品 (初中英语单词)


• beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)


• button [´bʌtn] n.钮扣 vt.扣上(扣子) (初中英语单词)


• jacket [´dʒækit] n.茄克衫；外套 (初中英语单词)


• magnificent [mæg´nifisənt] a.壮丽的；豪华的 (初中英语单词)


• replace [ri´pleis] vt.放回；复置；取代 (初中英语单词)


• descend [di´send] v.下来，下降 (初中英语单词)


• feather [´feðə] n.羽毛 (初中英语单词)


• commit [kə´mit] vt.犯(罪)；把…判处 (初中英语单词)


• inspect [in´spekt] v.检查；视察；检阅 (初中英语单词)


• satisfaction [,sætis´fækʃən] n.满意；满足 (初中英语单词)


• spoken [´spəukən] speak的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• grandmother [´græn,mʌðə] n.(外)祖母 (初中英语单词)


• unable [ʌn´eibəl] a.不能的；无能为力的 (初中英语单词)


• knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)


• inheritance [in´heritəns] n.继承(物)；遗传；遗产 (高中英语单词)


• elegant [´eligənt] a.文雅的；优美的 (高中英语单词)


• namely [´neimli] ad.即，也就是 (高中英语单词)


• chamber [´tʃeimbə] n.房间；议院；会议室 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• sleepy [´sli:pi] a.困的，想睡的 (高中英语单词)


• indifference [in´difrəns] n.冷淡；无足轻重 (高中英语单词)


• commonly [´kɔmənli] ad.一般地；通常 (高中英语单词)


• tavern [´tævən] n.小酒馆；客栈 (高中英语单词)


• perilous [´periləs] a.危险的；冒险的 (高中英语单词)


• ascent [ə´sent] n.上升；攀登；上坡路 (高中英语单词)


• infinite [´infinit] a.无限的，无穷的 (高中英语单词)


• picturesque [,piktʃə´resk] a.似画的；别致的 (高中英语单词)


• formidable [´fɔ:midəbəl] a.可怕的；艰难的 (高中英语单词)


• spectator [spek´teitə] n.观众，旁观者 (高中英语单词)


• upright [´ʌprait] a.直立的 ad.直立地 (高中英语单词)


• thoughtful [´θɔ:tfəl] a.深思的；体贴的 (高中英语单词)


• repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)


• gossip [´gɔsip] n.&vi.说闲话；聊天 (高中英语单词)


• restrain [ri´strein] vt.抑制；管束；限制 (高中英语单词)


• hinder [´hində, ´haində] vt.阻止 a.后面的 (高中英语单词)


• nourishment [´nʌriʃmənt] n.食物；营养品(情况) (英语四级单词)


• muslin [´mʌzlin] n.平纹细布，薄纱织物 (英语四级单词)


• canopy [´kænəpi] n.(床上的)罩篷；天篷 (英语四级单词)


• muffle [´mʌfəl] vt.裹；蒙住 n.围巾 (英语四级单词)


• daybreak [´deibreik] n.黎明，拂晓 (英语四级单词)


• thieves [θi:vz] thief的复数 (英语四级单词)


• denote [di´nəut] vt.指出；意味着 (英语四级单词)


• uproar [´ʌprɔ:] n.喧嚣；骚动；轰鸣，轰动 (英语四级单词)


• coolly [´ku:li] ad.冷(静地)，沉着地 (英语四级单词)


• warrant [´wɔrənt] n.根据；委任书；权利 (英语四级单词)


• episcopal [i´piskəpəl] a.主教的，主教管辖的 (英语六级单词)


• footing [´futiŋ] n.立脚点；基础；地位 (英语六级单词)


• hunting [´hʌntiŋ] n.打猎 (英语六级单词)


• softness [´sɔftnis] n.柔软；柔和；温柔 (英语六级单词)


• scoundrel [´skaundrəl] n.&a.无赖(的) (英语六级单词)


• witchcraft [´witʃkrɑ:ft] n.巫术 (英语六级单词)


• swarthy [´swɔ:ði] a.黑皮肤的，黝黑的 (英语六级单词)


• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)


• robust [rəu´bʌst] a.强建的；茁壮的 (英语六级单词)


• calling [´kɔ:liŋ] n.点名；职业；欲望 (英语六级单词)


• retired [ri´taiəd] a.退休的；通职的 (英语六级单词)