. Short stories of the tragedy and comedy of life with a critical preface . steps and something knocking against the side ofthe staircase. They were carrying away Clochettes body. IN THE WOOD HE mayor was just going to sitdown to breakfast, when he wastold that the rural policeman waswaiting for him at the mairie withtwo prisoners. He went there im-mediately, and found old Hochedurstanding up and watching a middle-classcouple of mature years with stern man, a fat old fellow with a rednose and white hair, seemed utterly de-jected; while the woman, a little roundabout,stout creature, w
. Short stories of the tragedy and comedy of life with a critical preface . steps and something knocking against the side ofthe staircase. They were carrying away Clochettes body. IN THE WOOD HE mayor was just going to sitdown to breakfast, when he wastold that the rural policeman waswaiting for him at the mairie withtwo prisoners. He went there im-mediately, and found old Hochedurstanding up and watching a middle-classcouple of mature years with stern man, a fat old fellow with a rednose and white hair, seemed utterly de-jected; while the woman, a little roundabout,stout creature, with shining cheeks, looked atthe agent who had arrested them with de-^ fiant eyes. What is it? What is it, Hochedur?The rural policeman made his deposition. He hadgone out that morning at his usual time, in order topatrol his beat from the forest of Champioux as faras the boundaries of Argenteuil. He had not noticedanything unusual in the country except that it was afine day, and that the wheat was doing well, whenthe son of old Bredel, Who was going over his vines (115). n6 WORKS OF GUY DE MAUPASSANT a second time, called out to him: **Here, daddyHochedur, go and have a look into the skirts of thewood, in the first thicket, and you will catch a pairof pigeons there who must be a hundred and thirtyyears old between them! He went in the direction that had been indicatedto him, and had gone into the thicket. There heheard words and gasps, which made him suspect aflagrant breach of morahty. Advancing, therefore, onhis hands and knees as if to surprise a poacher, hehad arrested this couple, at the very moment whenthey were going to abandon themselves to their nat-ural instincts. The mayor looked at the culprits in astonishment,for the man was certainly sixty, and the womanfifty-five at least. So he began to question them, be-ginning with the man, who replied in such a weakvoice, that he could scarcely be heard. **What is your name? ** Nicolas Beaurain. Your occupation? Haberdasher,
Size: 1188px × 2104px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthormaupassa, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookyear1903
