The Mysteries of Paris, illustrated with etchings, Vol. 1Sue, Eugène
General
The Mysteries of Paris, illustrated with etchings, Vol. 1
Sue, Eugène
Paris (France) -- Fiction
"Yes, yes,--green blinds to the windows. I quite agree with you,--they
do look uncommonly pretty, and set off a place so well! Of course, the
person tenanting this farm is your aunt."
"Of course she is my aunt, and a very good, sensible, kind woman, M.
Rodolph, is she not?"
"Particularly so, and loves you like her own child."
"Dear, good aunt! Oh, how delightful to have some one to love us!"
"And you return the tender affection she bears you?"
"Oh, with all my heart!" exclaimed Fleur-de-Marie, clasping her hands,
and raising her eyes to heaven with an expression impossible to
describe. "And I should help her to work, to attend to the family linen,
to keep everything neat and clean, to store up the summer fruits against
winter--oh, she would never have to complain that I was idle, I promise!
First of all, in the morning--"
"Wait a bit, Fleur-de-Marie; you are in too great a hurry. I want to
finish describing the house to you; never mind your aunt just yet."
"Ah, ha, Mr. Painter! All this is taken from some pretty landscape you
have been painting on a fan. Now I know what makes you so expert at
describing it!" said La Goualeuse, laughing merrily at her own little
jest.
"You little chatterer, be quiet, will you?"
"Yes, I am a chatterer, indeed, to interrupt you so often, M. Rodolph;
but pray go on, and I will not speak again till you have finished
painting this dear farm."
"Your room is on the first floor--"
"My room! how charming! Oh, go on--go on, please, M. Rodolph, and
describe all about it to me!" And the delighted girl opened her large
laughing eyes, and pressed more closely against Rodolph, as if she
expected to see the picture in his hand.
"Your chamber has two windows looking out upon the flower garden, and a
small meadow, watered by the river we mentioned. On the opposite bank of
the stream rises a small hill, planted with fine old chestnut-trees; and
from amongst them peeps out the village church--"
"Oh, how beautiful,--how very beautiful, M. Rodolph! It makes one quite
long to be there."
"Three or four fine cows are grazing in the meadow, which is only
separated from the garden by a hedge of honeysuckle--"
"And from my windows I can see the cows?"
"Perfectly."
"And one among them ought to be my favourite, you know, M. Rodolph; and
I ought to put a little bell round its neck, and use it to feed out of
my hands!"
"Of course she would come when you called her. Let me see, what name
shall we give her? Suppose we say, Musette. Do you like that? She shall
be very young and gentle, and entirely white."
"Oh, what a pretty name! Musette! Ah, Musette, Musette, I shall be
always feeding you and patting you to make you know me."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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