Maupassant's short story: A family

The little train bound for Neuilly[2] had just passed the Porte de Maio and was running along the boulevard leading to the banks of the Seine. The front of the car dragged its carriage, honking its whistle to drive away the pedestrians and vehicles that got in the way, like a panting long-distance runner, spitting steam; The pistons are like two iron legs in motion, scurrying forward with a tom. The sweltering heat of a summer evening shrouded the road; Although there was not a trace of wind, it still raised bursts of chalk-gray white dust, thick and choking, and hot. The dust sticks to people's wet skin, squints people's eyes, and even burrows into people's lungs.

On both sides of the avenue, many people go outdoors, hoping to breathe.

The windows were all open; The car was moving fast, and the curtains were fluttering in the wind. Only a handful of people sit in the carriage (on such a hot day, people prefer to stay on the top floor and terrace of the car). Among them were a few fat ladies who were not very elegantly dressed; These middle-class women in the suburbs, lacking in nobility, were unfashionably arrogant. There were also a few men who had been tired from a hard day's work in the office, with sallow faces and hunched backs, who looked a little high on one shoulder because of their long years of desk work. From their anxious, sad faces, we know that their family life is full of troubles, often strapped for money, and that their hopes are destined to come to naught. They all belonged to the army of poor ghosts, who lived a dull and boring life in thin houses made of plasterboard in the fields near a garbage dump around Paris; A small flower bed outside the door is considered their garden.

Next to the car door was a short, stocky man with puffy cheeks and a belly hanging between his split legs, dressed in black and wearing a medal ribbon. He was talking to a gentleman. The other was lanky, unkempt, dressed in dirty white linen and wearing an old Panamanian hat. The former, Mr. Karawang, the chief clerk of the Admiralty, spoke slowly, slurringly, and sometimes almost like a stammer. The latter, who had worked as a hygienist on a merchant ship, opened his business next to the Gurboa Rotunda and practiced medicine among the poor local population with the only specious medical knowledge he had left in his life; His surname was Shenai, and he wanted people to call him "doctor". There is a lot of gossip about his character.

Mr. Karawang has always lived the standard life of a civil servant. For thirty years, he went to work every morning, walking the same road, at the same time, in the same place, seeing the same face rushing to work; Every night he followed the same route home, and met him again with the same face that he had seen as he grew old.

Every day he spent a sso on the corner of Saint-Honoré to buy a newspaper and two loaves of bread, and then he walked into the ministry with a look like a prisoner who had surrendered himself. He hurried to the office. He was always anxious, always worried that he would be reprimanded for any negligence.

Nothing ever happened that could change the monotony of his life; Because he doesn't care about anything but Corey, except for promotions and bonuses. Whether in the ministry or at home (he no longer cares about the dowry, he married the daughter of a colleague), he never talks about anything other than official business. His mind, atrophied by the tedium of daily work, had no other thoughts, hopes, or dreams than those related to the ministry. But the clerk was always indignant when he remembered one thing: those naval quartermasters, who were called "white blacksmiths" because of their silver thread bands, could become deputy section chiefs or section chiefs as soon as they were transferred to the ministry. Every night at the dinner table, in front of his wife, who was a fellow enemy of his life, he argued with good faith that it was grossly unfair in every way to give the official office of Paris to those who should have sailed the sea.

He's old now. But he didn't even feel how his life had passed, because he stepped directly into the office after leaving the middle school gate, but the superintendent who used to be fearful was now replaced by his boss who was terribly afraid. As soon as he saw the threshold of these yamen tyrants, he trembled all over his body. He always seems embarrassed and restless in front of people, always whispers when talking to people, and even stutters nervously, which is the result of this constant fear.

He knew no more about Paris than a blind man who led his dog to the same door every day to beg for food. Even if he read about any major events or scandals in his newspaper, he thought that they were all stories made up out of thin air, and they were made up for the amusement of the little clerks. He was a champion of order, a conservative, a conservative who had no political views but was hostile to all "new things." He ignores all political news, not to mention that his newspaper takes money from one side and always distorts the news in order to satisfy that side's needs. Every evening, he walked home along the Champs-Élysées, looking at the bustling pedestrians and the endless stream of vehicles, like a stranger wandering in a distant foreign land.

Just this year, he completed the required 30 years of service. On January 1, he was awarded the Cross of the Order of Honor. In these militarized institutions, it was used to reward prisoners who had been nailed to the green dossier for their long and miserable hard labor (or "loyal service" as it is called). This unexpected honor gave him a new, higher awareness of his talents and completely changed his attitude towards life. Out of courtesy and respect for the "Order Corps" to which he belonged, he had since banned motley trousers and fancy blouses, wearing only black trousers and long gowns more suitable for wearing his wide "medal ribbon"; He shaved his face every morning, carefully cleaned his fingernails, and changed his shirt every two days. In short, in a short time, he became another Karawang, neat, dignified, and somewhat condescending.

At home, he said everything with "my cross". He was even so proud that he could not tolerate any kind of medal that someone else hung on the buttonhole. He was particularly furious when he saw foreign medals,—— "This kind of medal should not be allowed to be hung in France at all". He was particularly unaccustomed to the "doctor" of Schönai, because every night when he met him on the small train, he always hung a ribbon of medals, white, blue, orange, and green.

On the road from the Arc de Triomphe to Neuilly, the conversation between the two of them was still a cliché. On this day, as usual, they first dealt with local ills; They were disgusted by these abuses, but the mayor of Nay ignored them. Then, as is inevitable with a doctor, Karawang turned the conversation to the disease, hoping to get some free advice or even a diagnosis through small talk, if done skillfully so that he would not see the flaws. Besides, his mother's condition had been worrying him a lot lately. She often fainted and it took a long time for her to wake up. Although she is 90 years old, she just doesn't agree to go to the doctor.

Karawang was thrilled at the mention of his mother's longevity. He repeatedly said to Schönai's "doctor": "Do you see people who live for such an age? He rubbed his hands together in a sense of great luck, not because he wanted to see the old lady live endlessly in the world, but because his mother's long life was a harbinger of his own longevity.

He then said, "Hey, hey! All the people in my family live a long life; Therefore, I can be sure that unless something happens to me, I will live to die of old age. The hygienist gave him a pitiful look; In an instant, he took a look at the other party's flushed face, fat neck, big belly that fell between two fluffy thick legs, and the round body of the fat old clerk who was prone to stroke; Then, with one hand, he lifted the gray-and-white Panama hat that was buckled on his head, smiled coldly, and replied: "Not necessarily, man, Ling Tang is skinny, but Your Excellency, he is as fat as a soup bucket." Karawang was flustered and speechless by what he said.

Fortunately, the train arrived at the station at this time. The two buddies got out of the car. Mr. Schönay offered to invite him to the Globe Café, where they frequented the opposite, for a glass of absinthe. The boss, who was friends with them, held out two fingers to them and shook them across the bottles on the counter. Then they walked over to the three fans who had been sitting at the table playing dominoes since noon. They greeted each other warmly, and asked the indispensable "What's the news?", and then the card player continued to play, and they took their leave. They didn't lift their heads, but stretched out their hands to shake each other's hands, and then went home to eat.

Karawang lives in a small three-story building near Plaza Gulbowa. Downstairs is a hairdresser's shop.

The home has two bedrooms, a dining room, and a kitchen, with a few trimmed chairs moving from one room to the other as needed. Mrs. Karawang spends all her time cleaning. Her twelve-year-old daughter, Marie Louise, and her nine-year-old son, Philippe Auguste, play with the neighborhood children in the ditch on the side of the street.

Karawang placed his mother upstairs. The old lady was notoriously stingy in the area, and she was skinny, so it was said that God had applied his principles of careful calculation to her. She is always in a bad mood, and there is not a day when she doesn't quarrel with people and lose her temper. She often yelled at neighbors, vegetable vendors, scavengers and children through the window. In order to take revenge on her, when she went out, the children followed her from a distance and shouted: "Old-goblin-elf! ”

A careless little maid from Normandy who is unbelievably careless does the housework for them. In order to prevent accidents, she slept on the third floor, next to the old lady.

When Karawang returned home, his clean-loving wife was wiping the mahogany chairs scattered in several empty rooms with a flannel cloth. She always wore velvet gloves and a beanie buttoned over her head, embellished with multicolored ribbons, and always slid over one ear. Whenever someone bumped into her brushing, sweeping, wiping, and washing, she always said, "I'm not rich, everything is very simple at home, but I also have my luxury, and that is cleaning, which is just as valuable as other luxuries." ”

She was born practical and stubborn; She was her husband's guide in everything. Every night, at the dinner table and then in bed, they always chattered about things in the office. Although she was twenty years younger than him, he spoke to her like a priest, and obeyed her in all things.

She had never been beautiful at all; Now it's uglier, shorter and thiner. Her tiny feminine features could have been subtly revealed; But she didn't know anything about dressing, and she was buried forever. Her skirt always seemed to be crooked to the side. No matter what the occasion, even in front of the public, she often scratches and scratches herself, which has almost become a quirk. The only ornament she allowed herself to use was the beanie she used to wear at home, adorned with many ribbons, which she thought was beautiful.

As soon as she saw her husband returning, she straightened up, kissed him on the cheek, and asked, "My friend, do you want to go to Bodan[3]?" (This is a reference to one thing he promised to do for her.) When he heard this, he immediately collapsed in his chair in despair; It was the fourth time he had forgotten about it. He said, "It's really evil, I thought about it all day, but it didn't work, and I forgot about it in the evening." Seeing that he was sad, she comforted, "You can't remember it tomorrow." Isn't there any news in the ministry? ”

"Yes, it's still big news: another 'white blacksmith' has been appointed as deputy section chief."

Her face immediately became serious, and she asked:

"Which department?"

"External Procurement Section."

She said angrily:

"So, it's Ramon's seat, and it's exactly the seat I want you to get. What about Ramon? He's retired? ”

He muttered, "Retired." She immediately burst into a rage, and her hat slipped all the way to her shoulders:

"It's over! You see, this place, there is no hope now. What's that quartermaster's last name? ”

"Bonaso."

She picked up the Navy Almanac that she always kept at hand, and said, "Bonaso." - Toulon. —Born in 1851. - Cadet quartermaster in 1871. In 1875 he was appointed Assistant Quartermaster. ”

"Has he ever been out to sea?"

Hearing this question, Karawang's heart was clear. His stomach was shaking with joy. "With Balan, his section chief Balan, just like all the way." Then he laughed heartily, and told the old joke that all his men thought were wonderful: "Don't send them by water to inspect the Dawn Naval Harbor, they will get seasick on the sightseeing steamer." ”

However, as if she hadn't heard, she still kept a straight face. After a while, she slowly scratched her chin and muttered, "If only we had a friendly councillor!" As soon as the parliament knew what was happening in the ministry, the minister would fall immediately......"

At this time, a noise from the stairs interrupted her words. Marie-Louise and Philip Auguste came back from playing in the gutter, and they went step by step, you slap me, I kick you. Their mother rushed out with a frown, grabbed one of the children's arms in one hand, shook them vigorously, and pushed them into the house.

As soon as they saw his father, they rushed to him. He kissed them kindly, kissed them for a long time, and then sat down and let them sit on his lap and talk to them.

Philip August was a little mischievous, with messy hair, not clean from head to toe, and an idiot on his face. Marie-Louise looked like her mother, spoke like her, opened her mouth as if repeating her words, and even gestured exactly like hers. She also said: "What's the news in the ministry? He happily replied, "Baby girl, your friend Ramon, who comes to our house every month for dinner, is leaving us." A new deputy section chief took his place. She looked up at her father and said in the sympathetic tone of a precocious child, "So another man has jumped up from your shoulder." ”

He smiled, but did not answer; Then he changed the topic and asked his wife, who was cleaning the windows, "Is mom upstairs?" ”

Mrs. Calavan stopped cleaning the window, turned around, put back on the hat which had slipped completely to her back, and said with trembling lips:

"Hah! That's right! Let's talk about your mom! She sang a good show with me! If you think about it, the barber's wife, Mrs. Lebodin, went upstairs to borrow me a packet of starch, and I went out, and your mother threw them out like a beggar. So I came back and repaired the old lady as well. But as usual, people pointed out that she was not, and she always pretended not to hear. Actually, her ear power is no worse than mine, is she? She's simply pretending to be garlic. She didn't say a word, and immediately went upstairs, and this is the proof. ”

Karawang was embarrassed and silent. Just then, the little maid barged in and said that dinner was ready. So he took the broom that was always hidden in the corner, stabbed it three times on the ceiling, and told his mother to come down to dinner. Then they went to the dining room. Mrs. Karawang divided the soup and waited for the old lady to come down. Wait, wait, the soup was also cold, and she couldn't come down yet, so they had to eat it slowly first. When the soup on each man's plate was finished, they waited again. Mrs. Karawang was annoyed, so she made a fuss at her husband: "She is trying to make trouble, you know." But you're still protecting her. Caught in the middle, he was torn between a dilemma and had to send Marie-Louise to call her grandmother. His wife angrily struck the foot of the glass with the tip of her knife, and he only bowed his head and remained motionless.

The door suddenly opened, and only the daughter came back alone, she was panting, her face was pale, and she said in a panic, "Grandma has fallen to the ground." ”

Karawang jerked to his feet, threw his napkin down the table, and ran out, the sound of his heavy, hurried footsteps on the stairs. His wife thought that her mother-in-law was playing some trick again, shrugged her shoulders disapprovingly, and slowly followed her upstairs.

The old lady fell straight down in the middle of the room. The son turned her over, and saw that her face was motionless and expressionless; The skin is sallow, wrinkled, as if it has been nitrated; His eyes were closed, his teeth were clenched, and his thin body was hardened.

Karawang knelt beside her, moaning and shouting, "Mommy, my poor mother! But Mrs. Calavan looked at it for a moment, and said with certainty, "Come on, she's fainted again, it's nothing serious." Don't worry, it's just delaying our meal. ”

They carried the old lady to the bed and stripped naked. Karawang, his wife, and the maid, all three of them rubbed her body. However, despite their efforts, she did not regain consciousness. So they sent Rosalie to the "doctor" of Schönai. He lives by the river near Sulena, a long way away. After waiting for a long time, he finally arrived. He examined the old lady, took her pulse, listened to her heart, and announced, "It is over." ”

Karawang threw himself on top of his mother, his body shaking as he sobbed rapidly. He kissed his mother's stiff face desperately, crying so sadly that large tears fell on the face of the deceased like droplets. Mrs. Karawang grieved for a while, and then she stood up and stood behind her husband, whimpering slightly, and rubbing her eyes without stopping.

Karawang's eyes were swollen with crying, his hair was disheveled, and his heartfelt grief had made him ugly. He stood up suddenly, and said, "But...... Can you be sure? Doctor, are you sure of that? ......" the hygienist hurried over, and with the cunning mantle of the corpse, as if a merchant were boasting of his goods, and said, "Look, friend, look at these eyes. He opened the old woman's eyelids, and the eyeballs peeked out from under his hands, and there was no change, except for a slight dilation of the pupils. Karawang's heart was like a stabbing man, and he was terrified. Monsieur Schönay took the old lady's curled arm again, pulled her fingers away, as if directed at an opponent of debate, and said aggressively, "Look at this hand." Rest assured, I can't be mistaken. ”

Karawang pounced on the old man again, screaming to the sky and the ground. His wife was crying falsely while she was taking care of the necessary things. She brought the bedside table, laid out a napkin, put four candles, and lit it; He took from the mantelpiece a boxwood branch that hung behind the mirror, and laid it on a plate between the candles; When there is no holy water, they fill the plate with water. Then she thought about it, grabbed a pinch of salt and threw it in the water, probably thinking that this was the completion of the consecration ceremony.

After arranging the scene that should be set up when death came, she stood motionless. The hygienist who had helped her with the arrangement just now whispered to her, "It's better to take Karawang out." She nodded in agreement, and walked over to her husband, who was still kneeling and whimpering, and threw him out by the arm of Monsieur Schönay.

They first sat him in a chair, and his wife kissed him on the forehead and enlightened him. The hygienist also helped him, persuading him to be strong, courageous, and content with the destiny of heaven, in fact, all this is something that a person cannot do when he encounters this kind of catastrophe from heaven. Then they took him by the arm and led him out.

He was crying and crying like a fat doll, sobbing as if he was spasmod, weak, his arms drooping, and his legs limp. He didn't know what he was doing, he just moved his feet mechanically and walked downstairs.

They placed him in the armchair where he usually sat eating, in front of the soup basin that was almost empty, and his spoon was still dipped in the unfinished soup. He sat there, motionless, staring at the glass; He was so demented that he didn't think about anything anymore.

Mrs. Karawang talked to the doctor in a corner, asking about the formalities and asking about all sorts of specific matters. As if he was still waiting for something, at last he took his hat and said that he had not yet eaten his supper, and that he had made a salute and was about to leave. Only then did she suddenly realize:

"Why, haven't you had dinner yet? Then stay here and eat, doctor, stay here and eat! We have ready-made ones, and this one will be served to you. You know, we can't eat much. ”

He politely excused himself; But she insisted on holding on, saying:

"What's that, just stay. It's a rare thing to have a friend by your side at a time like this. Besides, you may be able to persuade my husband to eat something to refresh himself; He really needs to pick himself up. ”

The doctor bowed, placed his hat on a piece of furniture, and said, "In that case, I have no choice but to obey, ma'am." ”

She said a few words to the dazed Rosalie, and sat down to eat herself, which, according to her, was nothing more than "pretending to eat and accompanying the 'doctor.'"

The cold soup was served again. Mr. Schönay finished drinking and asked for another one. This was followed by a plate of Lyonnaise-style tripe with the aroma of onions, which Mrs. Calavan decided to try as well. "It tastes great." "Doctor" said. She smiled, "Really? Then he turned to his husband and said, "Eat some, poor Alfrey, even if you have a belly, think of it, you have to stay up all night!" ”

He passed the plate obediently, as if he would do so even if she ordered him to go to bed immediately. In fact, he is now at the mercy of others, neither resisting nor thinking. Then he began to eat.

The "doctor" took matters into his own hands and took it from the dish three times in a row. Mrs. Karawang, after a while, forked a piece of tripe with a fork and swallowed it as if she were careless.

A pot full of macaroni was served, and the "doctor" muttered, "Hey! That's a good thing. This time, Mrs. Karawang gave everyone a portion, and even the children's plates were full. No one cared about them, and the two children, eating the food from their plates and drinking unmixed wine, were already fighting with their feet under the table.

Remembering Rossini[4]'s fondness for this Italian dish, Monsieur Schönay said coldly: "Look! It also rhymes; It is possible to start a poem with verses like this:

The great composer Rossini

Eating macaroni became a fetish......"

But no one listened to him. Mrs. Calavan suddenly became thoughtful: she was considering the possible consequences of this incident. Her husband, on the other hand, rolled the bread into small balls and laid them on the tablecloth, staring intently at the balls like an idiot. He seemed to be thirsty and thirsty, and drank glass after glass of wine; His head, tossed with blows and sorrow, fluttered as if it were fluttering in the dizziness that had suddenly been caused by the difficult process of digestion at the beginning.

The "doctor" drank like a bottomless pit, apparently drunk. Mrs. Calavan also had the necessary reaction after the nerve shock, excitement, irritability, and although she drank plain water, her mind was a little dizzy.

Mr. Schönay began to tell of the events that had happened to the families of several people who had been bereaved, which seemed to him to be absurd. Because in this suburb of Paris, residents from other provinces often see the indifference, the lack of respect, and the cruelty and ruthlessness that even they don't realize to the deceased, whether they are fathers or mothers. These things are commonplace in the countryside, but they are rare in Paris. He said, "Look, just last week, a family on Pito Street came to invite me. I hurriedly ran. When they got there, the sick were dead, and the family members were sitting around the bedside drinking ouzo as if nothing had happened. This bottle of wine was bought the night before to enjoy the dying patient. ”

But Mrs. Calavan did not listen to him, but was preoccupied with the inheritance; Karawang, on the other hand, was empty-headed, unable to understand what he was saying.

The coffee is poured; For a pick-me-up, cook very thickly. The brandy coffee suddenly added a blush to their cheeks and tossed up even more what little thought was left in their already delirious minds.

Then, the "doctor" suddenly grabbed the brandy bottle and poured a glass of "shabu wine" for each person. The warmth of the digestion of the food made them lazy, and the carnal comfort of the after-dinner spirits intoxicated them, and they did not say a word, slowly sipping the sweet brandy that formed a pale yellow syrup at the bottom of the glass.

The children were already asleep, and Rosalie put them to bed.

Whoever encounters misfortune likes to drown his sorrows with wine; Driven by this need, Karawang couldn't help but drink several glasses of brandy in a row; There was a glint in his dull eyes.

The "doctor" finally stood up and prepared to leave; He grabbed his friend's arm and said:

"Hey! Come with me for a walk. Getting fresh air is good for you. When a person is troubled, he should not stay still. ”

The other party listened to his advice, put on his hat, picked up his cane, and walked out. The two men walked arm in arm and under the stars towards the Seine.

Bursts of aroma waft through the hot night, as the surrounding gardens are in full bloom during the season. The fragrance of flowers seems to be sleeping during the day and waking up as soon as it gets dark, mingling with the breeze blowing in the darkness.

The wide street was quiet and empty, and two rows of gas streetlamps stretched out to the Arc de Triomphe. On the other side of the Arc de Triomphe, however, Paris was still bustling with activity under a red mist, a constant bustle. In the distance, on the plains, occasionally a train is running at full speed, or passing through the provinces towards the seashore, and the train blows its whistle, as if echoing the hustle and bustle.

The outdoor air was blowing on their faces, which at first surprised them so much that the "doctor" almost lost his balance; Karawang felt dizzy after dinner, and this time the dizziness was even worse. He seemed to be walking in a dream, groggy and weak. Because of the mental numbness, he no longer felt intense sadness, and even felt lighter. The warm scent of flowers that permeated the dark night added to his sense of relaxation.

When they reached the bridge, they went to the right along the river. The Seine sent a cool breeze to them. In front of a curtain of towering poplar trees, the river flows melancholy and silently; The stars are rippled by the river, as if swimming in the water. The pale white mist floating on the opposite shore brings a damp breath to one's lungs. Karawang stood suddenly, for the breath of the river evoked memories of the past in his heart.

It was as if he saw his former mother, his own mother as a child, kneeling in front of his house in that far away Pikadia[5], kneeling by the brook that flowed through his home, bent over, washing a pile of clothes beside her. He seemed to hear her pounding clothes in the silent field and her shouting: "Alfre, bring me a bar of soap." He felt the same smell of the water again, the same mist rising from the murmuring ground, and the smell of the water steaming from the moor, which had remained in his heart so much that he had never forgotten, on the night of his mother's death.

He stopped, froze, and sorrow came back to his heart. It was like a bolt of lightning that exposed his misfortune at once; In the light of the breeze, he fell back into the abyss of irretrievable pain. He felt his heart torn apart by this never-ending parting. His life has since been divided into two parts; His youth was completely engulfed by death with the death of his mother, and disappeared without a trace. The whole "past" is over, and all the memories of adolescence are gone; No one could talk to him about the past, about the people he was familiar with, about himself, and about the intimate things of his past life. That part of his life no longer exists, and now it's the turn of another part waiting to die.

The past began to pass through his mind one by one. He saw the young "mother" again, dressed in old dresses, which had been worn for so long that they were inseparable from her in his impression. In the thousands of scenes he had forgotten, he found his mother's vague face, her gestures, her intonation, her habits, her strangeness, her immobile liver fire, the wrinkles on her face, the movements of her thin fingers, and the gestures that would never be there again.

He grabbed the "doctor" by the shoulders and whimpered uncontrollably. His two limp legs trembled, his whole fat body trembled with crying, and his mouth muttered: "Mother, my poor mother, my poor mother!" ……”

But his companion, who was still drunk, was now thinking of ending the night in the same place he frequented secretly. He was impatient with the sudden burst of sorrow of Karawang, and after helping him to sit down on the grass by the river, he almost immediately left him under the pretext of seeing a sick person.

Karawang cried for a long time. Later, the tears dried up, and the pain could be said to have flowed away, and he felt relaxed and comfortable again, and his mood suddenly calmed down. The moon rises; The earth is bathed in soft moonlight. The tall aspen trees glowed with silver, and the fog on the plains was like floating snow. The surface of the river no longer has stars swimming, but seems to be covered with pearls; The river still flows, stirring up shimmering ripples. The air is mild and the breeze is scented with flowers. The sleeping earth revealed some flexibility, and Karawang enjoyed the sweetness of the night. He breathed deeply; A feeling of freshness, serenity, an incredible sense of pleasure, seemed to permeate his whole body.

However, in order to resist this untimely comfort, he said over and over again: "Mother, my poor mother." Out of the conscience of a righteous man, he wanted to cry, but he couldn't. Even the memories that made him cry just now couldn't arouse the slightest bit of his pathos.

So he got up and walked back slowly the way he came. He was immersed in the silence of nature, which was indifferent to everything, and his heart was calmed as he wished.

He walked to the bridge, only to see the last train with a signal light that was about to depart; Behind the train, the window of the Universal Café is brightly lit.

He felt the need to find someone to talk about his misfortune and arouse sympathy and concern. So with a sad face, he pushed open the door of the café and walked straight to the counter. The owner is sitting there. He had hoped that this would have the effect: everyone stood up, walked over, and took the initiative to shake hands with him, and asked, "Hey, what's wrong with you?" But no one paid attention to the sadness on his face. He leaned down on the counter, holding his head in both hands, and muttered, "Lord! O Lord! ”

The boss looked at him and asked, "Mr. Karawang, are you sick?" He replied, "I'm not sick, poor friend, my mother has just died." The other party absentmindedly let out an "ah"; At this time, a customer at the end of the restaurant was shouting, "A big beer!" He immediately replied in a frightening voice: "Yes! …… Here it is! Leaving Karawang, stunned, and hurried to wait for the guests.

The three fans were still at the pre-dinner table, playing dominoes with full attention and thunder. Karawang walked over and sought their sympathy. None of them seemed to notice him coming, so he decided to speak himself. "Just for a moment," he said to them, "I have been in a terrible situation. ”

The three men raised their heads slightly at the same time, but their eyes were still fixed on the cards in their hands. "What's wrong?" "My mother just passed away." One of them muttered, "Oh! At the same time, make an expression that is obviously indifferent but pretends to be sad. The other, unable to find anything to say, shook his head and whistled a sad expression. The third man played his cards again, as if to think, "So that's what happened!" ”

Karawang had expected a so-called "from the heart" phrase. Now when I saw that I was being treated like this, I walked away. He was so indifferent to his friend's pain that he was angry, even though his pain had now eased so much that even he didn't feel it himself.

He left the café. His wife, dressed in pajamas, was waiting for him in a small chair next to the open window. It turned out that she had been thinking about the inheritance in her heart.

"Take off your clothes," she said, "and we'll get to bed." ”

He looked up at the ceiling and said, "But...... Upstairs...... Not a single one. "Don't worry, Rosalie is by her side. You take a nap and go for her at three o'clock in the morning. ”

However, just in case something happened, he didn't take off his shirt; With a scarf wrapped around his head, he followed his wife into the bed.

They sat side by side for a while. She was thinking about her thoughts.

Even then, her nightcap was adorned with a red bow, and it was slightly tilted to one ear, as if under the influence of the insurmountable habit she had developed in wearing a beanie.

She suddenly turned her face and said to him, "Do you know that your mother made a will?" He hesitated and said, "I...... I don't think so...... Probably not erected. Mrs. Karawang stared at her husband's face, lowered her voice, and said indignantly, "It's not true, isn't it?" We have worked hard to serve her, we have provided her with shelter and food, and we have been serving her for ten years! If you change your sister, she will never do it. It's me, if I had known that this would happen, I wouldn't have done it! Yes, it would be a shame for people to think of her in the future! You may tell me that she paid us for our room and board. Yes, but the care of the children is not something that can be paid for with a little money, and it should be expressed in a will after death. That's what people with integrity and decency do. It seems that I have worked hard and worked in vain! Despicable! Yes! Despicable! ”

Karawang was so distraught that he cried out, "My dear, my dear, I beg you to be okay." ”

She counted down for a long time, gradually calmed down, and said in her usual tone, "You should inform your sister tomorrow morning." He jumped up at once, and said, "Really, I didn't think of it; As soon as dawn I sent a telegram. However, it was the woman who thought carefully, and she stopped him and said, "No, it will be sent again between ten and eleven; Before she arrived, we had to have time to think about what to do. From the arrival of Shalomdon[6] she was here in two hours at most. We can infer that you are dizzy. Besides, even if it's a morning notice, it's not an inaction! ”

Karawang slapped his head suddenly, just like the section chief who usually talked about him trembling when he thought about it, and said tremblingly: "You should also notify the ministry." She asked, "Why notify?" When you encounter such a thing, you forget it, and it is understandable. Trust me: no notice. Your section chief can't say anything; You're going to embarrass him. "Ahh Well, no," he said, "he must be furious when he sees that I don't go to work." Well, you're right. It's a good idea. When I told him my mom was dead, he had to keep quiet. ”

The clerk was very proud of this prank, rubbing his hands together and imagining the expression of the section chief. At this time, the old lady's body was still lying upstairs, and the maid, who had fallen asleep, was standing by it.

Mrs. Calavan suddenly became preoccupied again, as if something unspeakable was troubling her. At last she made up her mind, saying, "Your mother has given you her grandfather clock, isn't that the girl the one who played the Bilbao Kaiqiu[7]?" He thought for a moment and said, "Yes, yes, she said it to me; But that's what she said a long time ago when she first came here. She did say to me at the time, 'If you treat me well, this clock will be yours in the future.'" ’”

Mrs. Karawang was reassured, and her brow suddenly relaxed, and she said, "You see, since you have said it, you should go and get it; When your sister comes, she won't let us take it. He hesitated and said, "Do you think so?" ......" she got angry: "Of course I think so. As long as God moves here without knowing it, it's ours. The same goes for the marble-faced chest of drawers in her room. One day she promised me when she was good-tempered. Let's move down together. ”

Karawang didn't seem convinced. "But, my dear, that's a big responsibility!" She turned her face away, glared straight and said, "Alas! Really! You'll never be able to change it, will you? You! You'd rather starve your child to death than do a move. That chest of drawers, from the time she promised me, was ours, right? If your sister doesn't agree, let her come and talk to me! I don't care about your sister. Alright, get up, let's go and get what your mom gave us. ”

He was subdued and got out of bed tremblingly; Just as he was about to put on his trousers, she stopped him again and said, "You don't need to wear a coat, let's go, it's enough to have a shirt." You see, I'm going like this. ”

Dressed in their pajamas, they crept up the stairs, carefully pushed open the door, and walked into the house. There the old lady lay upright, guarding her as if there were only the four burning candles around the plate with boxwood branches; Because Rosalie was lying in an armchair, she had long since fallen asleep. She stretched out her legs, crossed her hands on her skirt, tilted her head, motionless, and snored with her mouth open.

Karawang picked up the clock. Like many works of art from the Imperial era, this is an unconventional ornament. A gilded young woman with a head adorned with various flowers and a Bilbao ball in her hand to use as a pendulum. "Give it to me," said his wife, "and carry the marble side of the chest of drawers." ”

He did as she was told, panting, and with great difficulty it took him a great deal to carry the marble surface to his shoulders.

The two of them set off. Karawang hunched over the door, and began to descend the stairs in fear; His wife walked backwards, holding a candle in one hand to light him and a table clock in the other.

When she got to her room, she breathed a long sigh of relief. "The hardest part is done," she said, "and I'll move the rest." ”

But the drawers of the chest of drawers were full of the old lady's clothes, and they had to be somewhere.

Mrs. Calavan had an idea, and said, "Go and bring that pine box from the porch; That box isn't even worth forty su, so let's put it here. "When the wooden boxes were moved, they started to make the drawers.

They took out the sleeves, the crumpled collars, the shirts, the hats, and all the shabby old clothes of the old lady who lay behind them, one by one, and put them neatly into the wooden box, so that they might hide the other child of the deceased, Mrs. Blo, who arrived the next day.

When they were done, they first moved all the drawers down, and then one of them lifted the cabinet down. They spent a long time figuring out where it would fit, and finally decided to place it in the bedroom, between the two windows opposite the bed.

As soon as the chest of drawers was set up, Mrs. Karawang put her change of clothes inside. The table clock is placed on the mantelpiece in the dining room. Then the two of them carefully checked the effect of the arrangement. They couldn't be happier. "That's good," she said. He replied, "Yes, very good." Then they went to bed. She blew out the candles. Soon, on the two floors of the house, all the people fell asleep.

When Karawang opened his eyes, it was already dawn. He had just woken up, his head still groggy, and it took a few minutes before he remembered what had just happened. He seemed to have been punched in the chest, and jumped out of bed, feeling sad again, and almost cried.

He hurried upstairs. Rosalie was still asleep in that room, still in the same position she had been the night before; In fact, she didn't wake up that night. He sent her to work, and with his own hands he replaced the burned candles, and then looked at his mother. At the same time, his mind was filled with seemingly esoteric thoughts, religious and philosophical preconceptions that the masses of beings could not escape in the face of the dead.

Then he heard his wife calling him and went downstairs again. She had already made a list of things to do in the morning. He took the list full of terms and looked at it, startled.

单子上写着:

1. Go to the city government to register;

2. Ask a doctor for an autopsy;

3. Dingju wood;

4. Go to church;

5. Go to the funeral home;

6. Go to the printing office to print the obituary;

7. Find a notary public;

8. Notify relatives by telegram.

And then there's a whole bunch of bits and pieces to do. He picked up his hat and immediately went out.

By this time, the news had already spread, and female neighbors began to come to the door and ask to see the deceased.

In the barber shop downstairs, the proprietress and the boss who was shaving the customer's face even had an argument over the matter.

The woman knitted her socks as she muttered, "One less, one less stingy; This stingy ghost is rare in the world. Seriously, I've never liked her; Still, you should go and see her. ”

The man rubbed soap on the customer's chin and whispered, "Listen, it's all weird! Only a woman can figure it out. It's not enough for them to bother you when they're alive, and they won't let you live in peace when they're dead. But his wife was not embarrassed, and continued, "I can't help it, but I think I should go." I've been thinking about it all morning. If I don't go to see her, it's like I can't let go of it for the rest of my life. But when I look at her and remember what she looks like, I'm satisfied. ”

The husband, with the razor in his hand, shrugged his shoulders and whispered to the gentleman who was shaving: "I would like to ask you, what do you think of these abominable?" I wouldn't find it any fun to watch the dead anyway! His wife heard this, and she replied quietly, "It's funny, it's funny." With that, she threw the woolen work in her hand on the counter and went upstairs.

Two female neighbours had already arrived and were talking to Mrs. Karawang about the misfortune. Mrs. Calavan recounted the events in vivid detail.

They walked towards the morgue's room. The four women crept in, dipped in some salt water and sprinkled it on the bed; Then he knelt down and muttered prayers while drawing crosses; Then he stood up, his eyes widened, his mouth wide open, and he looked at the corpse for a long time. At this moment, the deceased's daughter-in-law covered her face with a handkerchief and forcibly sobbed sadly.

When she turned to go out, she found Mary-Louise and Philip Auguste all standing in the doorway in their underwear, looking curiously. She forgot her pretentious grief, raised her hand, ran over, and shouted angrily, "Get out of my way, naughty one!" ”

Ten minutes later, she accompanied another group of female neighbors upstairs. She waved a boxwood branch on her mother-in-law, prayed, shed a few tears, and did all her duty. At this time, she noticed that the two children appeared behind her again, and slapped them twice. But by the third time, she had stopped paying attention to them. Every time a guest came, the two children followed, kneeling in the corner, imitating their mother's every movement over and over again.

In the afternoon, fewer women are driven by curiosity. It didn't take long for no one to come to the door. Mrs. Karawang went back to her house and was busy preparing for the funeral. The dead man was left alone upstairs.

The windows were open. The heat rushed into the house with puffs of dust; The flames of four candles danced beside the motionless corpse; Some small flies crawled up and down on the bed, on their eyes closed, on their outstretched hands, flying away and back, and kept going in circles; They had come to visit the old lady and awaited their own imminent death.

Marie-Louise and Philippe Auguste went out into the streets again. It didn't take long for them to be surrounded by children, especially the girls, who were more alert and able to sniff out all the secrets of life faster. They asked like adults, "Your grandmother is dead, isn't she?" "Dead, dead last night." "What does a dead man look like?" Marie-Louise explained: candles, boxwood branches, what the face of a dead man looks like. The introduction aroused the children's strong curiosity; They also asked to go upstairs to see what was going on.

Marie-Louise immediately organized the first tour: five girls and two boys, all the oldest and the most courageous. In order not to be discovered, she asked them to take off their shoes. After the group infiltrated the building, they rushed upstairs like an army of little mice.

When she got into the house, the little girl immediately imitated her mother and began to perform the ritual in style. She solemnly led the children to kneel, drew crosses, squirmed their lips, stood up again, and sprinkled water on the bed. Then the children huddled together and approached the bed with fear, curiosity, and excitement, looking at the dead man's face and hands. At this time, Marie-Louise suddenly covered her eyes with a small handkerchief and pretended to cry. However, when she thought of the children who were waiting for her outside, she immediately forgot her grief and ran to take this batch with her, and then brought another batch, several batches in a row. Because the children of the locals, even the little beggars in ragged clothes, heard the news and rushed to take part in this strange entertainment. And every time she repeats her mother's pretentious movements, she repeats them vividly.

After a long time, she was also tired, and the children were attracted to other games. The old grandmother lay there alone, completely forgotten.

The house was filled with shadows; The flickering candlelight danced light and shadow on her shriveled and wrinkled face.

At eight o'clock, Karawang came upstairs, closed the window, and changed the candles. He had come in now, and his attitude was calm, for he was used to seeing the corpse, as if it had been sitting there for months. He was even able to notice that it showed no signs of decay. As he sat down for dinner, he told his wife about the discovery. She replied, "No, she is made of wood and can last at least a year." ”

They drank the soup without saying a word. The children had been left unattended all day, and they were already sleepy, so they fell into their chairs and took a nap. Everyone else remained silent.

The lights suddenly dimmed.

Mrs. Calavan twisted the wick; But the oil lamp rang hollowly, and after a long grunt, it went out. They forgot to buy lamp oil! If you go to the grocery store now, you will inevitably delay eating. So they found the candles. However, there were none other than those ordered on the bedside table upstairs.

Mrs. Calavan always made quick decisions when she did things; She immediately sent Marie-Louise upstairs to fetch two of them, while the rest waited in the dark.

One can clearly hear the footsteps of the little girl going upstairs. A few seconds of silence followed. Suddenly, the child ran downstairs in a panic. She pushed the door open, her face terrified, even more nervous than the day before when she reported the sad news. She breathlessly said, "Oops! Daddy, Grandma is getting dressed! ”

Karawang jumped up at once; The chair he had brought down rolled all the way to the wall. He stammered, "What? …… What did you say? ……”

Marie-Louise, who was so nervous that she couldn't speak, repeated: "...... Milk...... Granny getting dressed...... She's going downstairs. ”

Mr. Karawang ran madly to the stairs; The frightened wife followed. But when he got to the door of the third floor, he stopped, because he was too frightened to go in. What will he see? Still Mrs. Karawang, who was bolder than her husband, turned the doorknob and went in.

The room seemed to be getting much darker. In the middle of the room, a tall, thin figure walked around. It's the old lady, she's already up. When she awoke from her slumber, and before she had fully recovered her senses, she turned on her side, propped herself up with one arm, and blew out three candles that had been lit beside the bed. When she had recovered a little, she got out of bed and looked for clothes. Seeing that the chest of drawers was gone, she was indeed a little confused at first; But slowly found it in the wooden box, and she didn't hurry to put it on. Then she threw the full basin of water away, hung the poplar branches still behind the mirror, and put the chairs back in their place. When her son and daughter-in-law came in, she was about to go downstairs.

Karawang rushed over, grabbed her hand, kissed her, and burst into tears; Behind his back, his wife whispered, "It's so good, it's so good! ”

But the old lady was not moved, and even seemed to not understand what they were doing. Her face was as tense as a statue, her eyes were cold, and she asked, "Is dinner almost ready?" He was already dazed, and stammered, "It's good morning, Mom, we're waiting for you to eat." He showed unusual courtesy and took her arm. Mrs. Calavan took up the candle and led the way backwards step by step, just as she did for her husband who carried the marble countertop at night.

When she reached the second floor, she almost bumped into someone who was going upstairs. It turned out that relatives living in Charandon had arrived, and Mrs. Bro had walked in front and her husband behind.

The woman was tall and fat, with a big belly suffering from edema, and her upper body was propped up. When she saw this, she was stunned and planned to turn around and run away. Her husband was a socialist cobbler, short and short, with a full beard that stretched to the base of his ears, and looked like a monkey at first sight. He didn't make a fuss, just whispered, "Huh, what's going on?" She's alive! ”

As soon as Mrs. Karawang recognized them, she winked at them desperately, and then exclaimed, "Hey! How! …… It's you! I didn't expect that! ”

But Mrs. Blow, who was so dazed that she did not understand the meaning of the sentence, replied in a low voice: "It was you who sent us by telegram; We thought it was over. ”

Her husband pinched her behind her back and told her to stop. Then he made a wicked smile under his beard, and remedied, "It is very gracious to be invited by you. We came right away. The words allude to the long-standing hostility between the two families. By this time, the old lady had reached the bottom of the stairs, and he hurried up to meet her, and rubbed her cheeks with the beard that covered her face; Afraid of her ear, he pointed at her ear and shouted, "How are you, Mom?" Or is it that tough, huh? ”

Mrs. Bro was so distraught when she saw that the man she thought she was dead was now alive and well, and she did not even dare to go up and kiss her. Her massive belly clogged the entire staircase and blocked the way of the others.

The old lady felt a little strange and was already suspicious, but she never spoke, just looked at the people around her. Her little gray eyes probed around, sharp and stern, staring at this person for a while, and staring at that person for a while, and her eyes were obviously full of ideas, which made the children very uncomfortable.

Karawang wanted to make a round and said, "The old lady was a little uncomfortable just now; But now it's okay, it's totally good. Isn't it, Mom? ”

The old lady replied as she walked on, "I fainted all at once." But I heard what you said and did. Her voice was so faint that it seemed to come from afar.

An awkward silence followed. The crowd walked into the dining room. In a few minutes, a table of dinner had been set up.

Only Mr. Bro could still hold his breath. His gorilla-like face was full of strange appearances; He made some semantic puns that made everyone laugh and cry.

And that's not all, the doorbell rang from time to time on the porch, and the busy and dizzy Rosalie ran in again and again to look for Karawang; He always hurriedly took off his napkin and walked out. His brother-in-law even asked him if it was his day to be a guest. He hesitantly said, "No, no, it's all trivial, nothing." ”

Later, someone brought a package of things, and Karawang recklessly opened it to see that it turned out to be an obituary with a black frame printed on it. His face flushed red, and he quickly wrapped it up again and stuffed it into his pocket.

His mother didn't see it; She stared intently at her table clock on the mantelpiece, the gilded sword ball still swinging. In the cold silence, the awkward situation became more and more embarrassing.

The old lady turned her witch-like wrinkled face, and with a hint of cunning in her eyes, said to her daughter, "Bring your little girl on Monday, I want to see her." Mrs. Bro was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Yes, mamma." Mrs. Calavan turned pale, and almost fainted.

At this moment, the two men were talking more and more vigorously; For the sake of a trivial matter, they actually started a political debate. Brough embraced all sorts of revolutionary communist doctrines, and he was so excited that he pointed his fingers, his eyes shining brightly on his hairy face, and he cried out: "Property, sir, is the plundering of the toilers; - The land should belong to the public; - Inheritance is a depravity, a disgrace! ......" But he stopped suddenly, as if he had just said something stupid, a little embarrassed. After a while, he said in a more moderate tone, "But now is not the time to argue about these things. ”

The door opened, and Dr. Chenai entered. At first he was surprised, but in the blink of an eye it seemed like nothing had happened. He walked up to the old lady and said, "Haha! Old lady! I look good today! Yes! I had expected it, and it was. When I first went upstairs, I said to myself: I bet, old lady, she is up again. He patted her lightly on the back, and continued: "She is as strong as a new bridge[8]! Wait and see, we'll all have to rely on her old man to dig the grave. ”

He sat down, took the coffee that was handed to him, and quickly joined the two men in an argument. He agreed with Brow, for he himself had been implicated in the affairs of the Commune[9].

The old lady was tired and wanted to go upstairs. Karawang hurriedly came over, but she glared at him and said, "You will immediately bring up my chest of drawers and the table clock." Before he could finish, "Yes, Mom," she took her daughter's arm and walked out.

Karawang and his family were dumbfounded, speechless, and depressed as if they had been caught in trouble. Bro rubbed his hands together triumphantly and sipped his coffee.

Mrs. Karawang was mad and threw herself at him, shouting, "You thief, scoundrel, rascal...... I want to spit on you...... I ......" She couldn't find a word, and she couldn't breathe. And he, smiling and sipping his coffee all the time.

Just then, Mrs. Bro returned, and Mrs. Calavan rushed at her sister-in-law again. These two people, one is huge fat, with a daunting belly, the other is thin, and his movements are crazy as if he is having epilepsy, the tone of both of them has changed, and their hands are constantly trembling, and you and I are scolding each other one by one.

Schönay and Bro came over to pull the rack. Bro grabbed his wife's arms and pushed her out the door, yelling, "Get out, you stupid donkey, stop yelling! ”

They could be heard arguing as they walked away on the street.

Then Mr. Schönay took his leave.

Only Karawang and his family were left looking at each other.

The man's ass fell on a chair, cold sweat broke out on his temples, and he muttered, "How can I go and tell the section chief?" ”

* * *

[1] This article was first published in the New Magazine on February 15, 1881; In 1881, he was included in the collection of short stories "The Mansion of Telliers".

[2] Neuilly: A suburb west of Paris, where a small train ran from the city's Place de l'Etoile to Place de Gurbois in Neuilly.

[3] Félix Potin: Famous French grocery store.

[4] Rossini (1792–1868): Italian opera composer.

[5] 庇卡底(Picardie):法国北部旧省名。

[6] Charenton: an important town in the eastern suburbs of Paris.

[7] Bilbao Ball: A game in which a long rope is tied to the ball and catches.

[8] 新桥(The New Bridge):巴黎塞纳河上的一座桥。

[9] Commune: refers to the Paris Commune Revolution of 1871. After the defeat of the revolution, the participants were severely suppressed.