Maupassant's Short Story: Mademoiselle Fifi (Part I)

Count von Farsberg, the major commander of the Prussian army, had just finished reading his mail, and was sitting on his back in a large armchair upholstered with velvet embroidery, his feet in boots resting on the elegant marble mantelpiece. Since he had taken possession of Ville Castle three months earlier, his spurs had carved two deep holes in the mantelpiece, and he was digging day after day.

A cup of coffee is steaming hot on a small one-legged round table. On the wood-inlaid table are stains of liqueur, scorch marks from cigar smoke, and marks carved with a small folding knife. The occupation major often stopped as he sharpened his pencil and, as he carelessly imagined, carved numbers or figures into this fine piece of furniture with a small folding knife.

After reading the letter that the sergeant had just sent him, and after reading the German newspaper, he got up, threw three or four large pieces of wood into the fireplace that had not yet dried (the GIs were cutting down trees in the garden in patches for warmth), and went to the window.

It was pouring rain outside the window. It was a heavy rain in Normandy that seemed to be a hand pouring down like a frenzied water, a heavy rain as dense as a curtain, like a diagonal striped wall, a hearty, mud-splashing, and drowning rain, typical of the Rouen region, commonly known as the "French urinal".

The Major looked at the rain-soaked lawn and the overflowing River of Ondale in the distance. He banged on the glass window with his hand and played a Rhine waltz. Suddenly there was a knock at the door, causing him to turn away. It turned out to be his deputy, Baron von Kerweiingestein, who was equivalent to captain in terms of military rank.

The Major was a giant, broad-shouldered, and a long, fan-shaped beard that stretched over his chest like a tablecloth. His tall, burly figure is reminiscent of a peacock in military uniform, except with an outstretched tail reaching his chin. His blue eyes were cold and soft; There is a scar on his cheek, which was slashed by a saber during the Austrian war. He is said to be an upright man and an upright officer.

The captain was a short man, with a flushed face, a big belly, and his body tightly wrapped in his uniform; When the flaming beard is shaved, it looks like a layer of phosphorus has been applied to the face under the light at a certain angle. On an indulgent night, he couldn't remember how he had lost two teeth, so his speech was slurred and often incomprehensible. He was like a shaved monk with a bare head; Around this piece of bare flesh grew thick, curly short hair, like gilded, shiny.

The commander shook his hand and drank the cup of coffee (the sixth since the morning) in one gulp, listening to his subordinates report what was happening on duty; Then they went to the window and complained that life here was really not fun. The Colonel was a man of steady character, who already had a wife in the country, and was able to take everything with his fate. But the Baron Captain is ingrained in the greed of pleasure, a frequent visitor to the nasty establishments, and a penchant for playing with flowers; After three months of being trapped in this remote post, forced to live a life of pure heart and few desires, he was already angry. There was a gentle knock on the door, and the commander called "Come in," and a man, one of his robotic soldiers, pushed the door in; He didn't need to speak, his presence itself was to say: lunch is ready.

They met three lower-ranking officers in the dining room: a lieutenant, Otto von Grossling; Two ensigns, Forlitz Suinauburg and Marquis Wilhelm von Eric. The latter was a short, golden-haired man, arrogant and rough towards the soldiers, cruel to the vanquished, and as violent as a weapon filled with gunpowder.

Since his arrival in France, his colleagues have stopped calling him by his first name, but only "Mademoiselle Fifi". He was given such a nickname, firstly because he was in a beautiful figure, as if he were wearing a woman's corset; second, because he had just begun to grow a beard, which was barely noticeable, and he looked fair-skinned; The third is because he loves people and things, and uses the French phrase "Phew! Bah! But when he said it, he always had a slight whistle, and it became "Fei! Phenanthrene! ”。

The dining room of the Château de Huvel is a long, palatial room; The ancient crystal mirrors were all struck with bullets; The tall Flanders' tapestries were cut into strips by sabers, and in some places drooped down like tassels, the result of Miss Fifi's idle and boring pastimes.

On the walls of the dining room hang three portraits of the master's family: an armoured warrior, a bishop, and a court president, all smoking long porcelain pipes; There was also a noble lady with her breasts tightly tied, and two large charcoal-painted beards in a gold-plated frame that had faded over time.

In the devastated room, the officers ate their lunches almost silently. The room was particularly dark on a rainy day, its defeated appearance chilled to look at, and the old oak floors were as dirty as the mud floor of a tavern.

When they had finished eating, it was time to smoke, and as usual, they started to complain while drinking. Bottles of brandy and liqueur passed around in their hands; They all sat on their backs in their chairs, gulping their wines and pipes in their mouths. The pipe has a long curved handle, and ends in an oval-shaped, refined clay bucket painted with a harsh glaze, as if intent on seducing the[2].

As soon as their glasses were empty, they filled them with an uncontrollable movement, even though they were all exhausted. Miss Fifi, however, always broke the empty wine glass, and a soldier handed him a new one at once.

Choking smoke enveloped them; It was as if they had fallen into a lethargic state of embarrassment, immersed in the depressed drunkenness of those who had drunk their sorrows.

But the baron suddenly stood up. He couldn't take it anymore and scolded, "Fuck, you can't go on like this, you have to think of something to do." ”

Lieutenant Otto and Ensign Forlitz are two Germans with very German characteristics, dull and serious. They asked, "What do you say, Captain?" ”

He thought for a few seconds and replied, "Say what?" I said that an evening should be organized, if the commander allowed it. ”

The colonel took the pipe from his mouth and asked, "What kind of party, Captain?" ”

The baron walked up to him and said, "I'll take care of everything, my commander." I sent the 'servant' to Rouen and asked him to find some girls, and I knew where to find them. We're here for a late-night snack, and we don't lack anything anyway. At the very least, we can have a good night. ”

Count von Farsberg smiled and shrugged his shoulders and said, "You are crazy, my friend. ”

At this moment all the officers present stood up, surrounded the commander, and begged: "Let the captain do it, Commander; It's so hard here. ”

The colonel finally relented: "So be it," he said. The baron immediately called for "duty". It was an old non-commissioned officer, and people had never seen him smile, but he carried out the orders of his commander with a feverish zeal, no matter what kind of orders they were.

Standing upright, with no expression on his face, he listened to the baron's instructions, and after listening to them, he walked out. Five minutes later, a large wagon with an oilcloth roof was pulled away by four horses in the pouring rain.

In the blink of an eye, their minds cleared up a lot, their listless sitting posture perked up, and their faces glowed. They chatted again.

Although the rain was still falling heavily, the Colonel affirmed that it was not so dark, and Lieutenant Otto confidently announced that the sky was about to clear. Miss Fei Fei seemed to be unable to hold it back. One moment he stood up, the next he sat down again. His shining, grim eyes searched for something to smash. Suddenly, the blond-haired young man stared at the bearded lady and pulled out his pistol.

"You, you can't let you see this kind of thing." With that, he raised his gun and aimed without leaving his seat. Two bullets gouged out the two eyes of the portrait one after the other.

Then he shouted, "Let's blow up the mines!" The conversation and laughter came to an abrupt end, as if there was a more exciting and novel thing that attracted everyone.

Landmines, his invention, his way of destruction, his most passionate game.

When the rightful owner of the castle, Count Fernand de Amo de Huville, fled, he had no time to carry away or hide anything but some silverware stuffed into a hole in the wall. He was wealthy and luxurious, so his large living room, which had a door to the dining room, was like the exhibition hall of a museum until he fled in a hurry.

The walls are covered with precious paintings, drawings and watercolours; With countless ornaments on the tables, shelves and in the fine glass cases: large porcelain vases, figurines, Saxon porcelain, Chinese and Japanese porcelain, ancient ivory carvings and Venetian glass art, this spacious hall is full of treasures.

But there's not much left of that. It was not that it had been plundered, which Colonel Count von Farsberg would never have tolerated; It's because Miss Fifi has to blow up a mine every now and then. On such a day, the officers can indeed be happy for three to five minutes.

The diminutive marquis went to the drawing-room to find the necessary materials for him; He found a small, delicate Chinese teapot with a rose red glaze. He filled the teapot with explosives and carefully shoved a long velvet through the spout. Burning the velvet, he hurriedly ran into the next hall with the evil machine.

He quickly hurried back and closed the door. The German officers present stood there waiting for the change, with childlike smiles on their faces. The explosion shook the castle; They immediately rushed to the scene.

Miss Fei Fei took the lead. He clapped his hands madly in front of a statue of Venus made of roasted clay, because this time he had finally blown off Venus's head. Everyone picked up a few pieces of broken porcelain and admired the oddly shaped notch; The damage caused by this explosion was studied, and the damage was determined from the previous one, and there was an argument about it. The Major looked at the hall with a fatherly gaze, which had been devastated by Nero[3] shotguns and littered with fragments of art. He was the first to come out, and as he went, he announced with satisfaction: "This time, it was a great job." ”

But the tornado-like smoke poured into the dining room, mixing with the original cigar smoke, leaving people breathless. The commander opens the window; The officers who had returned for the last glass of brandy also gathered around the window.

The humid air rushed into the room, carrying a stream of rain dust on their beards and the smell of overflowing river water. They looked at the trees that were overwhelmed by the pouring rain, at the vast valley shrouded in the rain of low dark clouds, at the bell tower of the church that stood like a gray needle in the pouring rain.

Ever since they came here, the bell tower has not been rung again. This was the only resistance the invaders encountered in the area: the resistance of the bell tower. The parish priest never refused to provide food and lodging for the Prussian soldiers; On several occasions, he was even invited by enemy commanders to drink a bottle of beer or Bordeaux wine. He was also often approached by commanders as a friendly intermediary. However, if he was asked to ring the bell, it would never have been possible, and he would rather be shot. This is his way of protesting against the aggressor, the peaceful way, the silent way, and in his words, it is the only viable way for the preacher who advocates moderation over bloodshed. Within a radius of ten fats, everyone praised Father Chantawana for his steadfastness and courage as a way to publicly mourn the loss of his homeland by keeping his church tenaciously silent.

Inspired by his spirit of resistance, the whole village resolved to support their priest to the end, no matter what danger they encountered, because they regarded this silent protest as a feat of national honor. In the eyes of the villagers, they did more to their country than Belfort and Strasbourg,[4] and they set an equally heroic example, for which their small village would go down in history. Of course, apart from that, they would not refuse any demands from the victorious Prussians.

The commander and his officers laughed at this harmless bravery; Moreover, the locals were courteous and obedient to them, and they were happy to turn a blind eye to this silent patriotism.

Only the Marquis William the Short had ever wanted to force the bell to be ringed. His superiors' wise tolerance for the missionaries made him angry; He begged the commander every day to let him go to Ding Ding Dangdang to knock once, even if it was just twice, and give everyone a good time. In order to convince the commander, he even displayed the tenderness of a female cat, the sweet words of a woman, and even the snort of a mistress who wants to go crazy when she wants something; Helplessly, the commander just didn't give an inch. So Miss Fei Fei had no choice but to blow up the "landmine" and talk about masturbation.

The five men stood there in a heap, breathing in the humid air for five minutes. In the end, it was Lieutenant Fritz who opened his mouth, he smiled, and said inarticulately: "Che (these) young ladies, Che (this) will definitely not be able to cut (catch) a good heavenly thorn (gas) when he goes out." ”

After that, everyone broke up and went their own way. The captain has dinner to prepare, and there's a whole lot of work to do.

When they got together again when it was dark, they saw everyone like in the days of the big parade

They were all dressed up and so full of vigour that they couldn't help laughing. They all had shiny hair, perfume, and radiant faces. The Commander's hair didn't seem to be as gray as it had been in the morning; The captain's face was bare-shaven, except for a mustache, like a flame under his nose.