A bell rang, all the peasants pressed to the foot of a small staircase of a few steps, situated under a shed which occupied the back part of the court. The flight of steps was surmounted by a vault through which one came out from the interior of the convent.
The cellarer, accompanied by two lay brethren, appeared under this vault.
The fat, rubicund, animated face of the Father, detached itself like a Rembrandt on the obscure depth of the pa.s.sage at the extremity of which he had stopped; from fear of the cold, the monk had drawn over his head the warm hood of his black cloak. A soft _soutane_ of white wool draped itself in large folds about his enormous obesity.
One of the brothers carried an ink bottle at his girdle, a pen behind his ear, and a big register under his arm; he seated himself on one of the steps of the staircase, in order to enter the rents brought by the farmers.
The other brothers cla.s.sified the goods under the shed as they were placed there; while the cellarer, from the top of the flight of steps, presided solemnly over their admission, his hands concealed in his large cuffs.
It is impossible to number and describe this ma.s.s of comestibles placed at the foot of the staircase. Here were enormous fish from the sea, the lake, or the river, which still wriggled on the slabs of the court; there magnificent capons, monstrous geese, large ducks coupled by their feet, fluttered convulsively in the midst of mountains of fresh b.u.t.ter and immense baskets of eggs, vegetables, and winter fruits. Further on were tethered two of these sheep fattened on the salt meadows, which give such fine flavor to their succulent flesh. Fishers rolled along small barrels of oysters; further on were sh.e.l.lfish of every kind, lobsters, eels and shrimps, which shook the wicker baskets in which they were inclosed.
One of the porters of the abbey was on his knees before a buck a year old, in full flesh, and killed the day before; he weighed with his hand a quarter, to make the cellarer admire its weight; near the buck lay two kids, a good number of hares and partridges; while another porter opened hampers filled with every species of marsh fowl and birds of pa.s.sage, such as wild duck, woodc.o.c.k, teal, plovers, etc.
Finally, in another corner of the court, were spread out the more modest, but no less useful offerings, such as sacks of the purest flour, dried vegetables, strings of perfumed hams, etc.
At one time these gastronomics were so heaped up that they reached the level of the staircase where the cellarer stood.
Seeing this rotund monk with his shining face, his vast abdomen, standing on this pedestal of comestibles which he watched with the eye of a gormand, one would have called him the genius of good cheer.
According to the quant.i.ty or quality of his tribute, each tenant, after having received a word of blame or praise from the cellarer, withdrew with a slight genuflection. The Reverend Father even deigned at times to withdraw from his long sleeves his fat, red hand, to give it to the most favored to kiss.
The roll-call of the lay brother was almost at an end.
There was brought to the cellarer a savory caudle in a silver bowl borne on a tray of the same metal. The Reverend Father swallowed this consomme, a perfect specific against the morning cold and fog. At this moment the lay brother complained of having in vain twice called James, the tenant of the farm of Blaville, who owed ten hens, three sacks of wheat and one hundred crowns for the rent of his farm.
"Ah, well!" said the cellarer, "where then is James? He is ordinarily exact. For fifteen years that he has held the farm of Blaville, he has never failed in his rent."
The peasants still called for James.
James did not appear.
From out the crowd of farmers came two children, a young boy and a young girl from thirteen to fourteen years of age; trembling with confusion, they advanced to the foot of the staircase--redoubtable tribunal!--holding each other by the hand, their eyes downcast and full of tears.
The little girl fingered the corner of the ap.r.o.n of coa.r.s.e cloth covering her petticoat of whitish cloth rayed with wide black stripes; the young boy convulsively grasped his cap of brown wool. They stopped at the foot of the staircase.
"These are the children of the farmer James," said a voice.
"Very well! and the ten hens, and the three sacks of wheat, and the one hundred crowns from your father?" said the reverend man severely.
The two poor children pressed against each other, nudging one another with the elbow, as an encouragement to answer.
Finally the young boy, having more resolution, raised his n.o.ble, handsome face, which his coa.r.s.e garments rendered still more remarkable, and sadly said to the monk: "Our father has been very ill for two months; our mother is taking care of him--there is no money in the house; we have been obliged to take the wheat and the rent to support the day laborer and his wife who takes my father"s place in the farm work, and then it has been necessary to sell the hens to pay the doctor."
"It is always the same story when tenants fail in their rents," said the monk roughly. "James was a good and punctual farmer; this is how he spoils all, just like the others; but in the interests of the abbey as well as in his own, we will not let him wander into the bad way." Then, addressing himself to the children, he added severely: "The father-treasurer will consider this--wait there."
The two children withdrew into an obscure corner of the shed. The young girl seated herself, weeping, on a bench; her brother stood near her, looking at his sister with gloomy sadness.
The roll-call finished, the monks re-entered the abbey, the peasants regained the horses and carts which had brought them, the two children remained alone in the court, waiting with sad disquietude the decision of the treasurer with regard to their father.
A new personage appeared at the gate of the little court. This was a tall old man with large, white mustache and neglected beard; he walked with difficulty with the help of a wooden leg, and wore a uniform-coat of green with an orange-colored collar; a wallet of leather slung on his back carried his modest baggage; he supported himself on a thick cane made from the dogwood tree, and on his head was a big Hungarian cap of black worn fur, which descending to his eyebrows, gave him the most savage air in the world; his hair, as white as his mustache, tied with a leathern string, formed a long queue which fell to his shoulders; his skin was tanned, his eyes were bright and lively, though age had bowed his tall stature.
This old man entered the court without seeing the children; he looked about him like a man seeking to find his way; perceiving the two little peasants, he went straight to them.
The young girl, startled by this strange figure, or rather, by this enormous cap of bristling fur, gave a cry of affright; her brother took her hand to rea.s.sure her, and although the poor child wished to withdraw it, he advanced resolutely toward the old man.
The latter stopped, struck with the beauty of these two children, and especially the delicate features of the young girl, whose face of perfect regularity was crowned with two bands of blond hair half concealed under a poor little child"s cap of a brown color; she wore, like her brother, rude wooden shoes and wool stockings.
"You are afraid of me then! Zounds! you will not tell me, then, where the Abbey of St. Quentin is?" said the old soldier.
Although he was far from wishing to intimidate the children, the tone of his voice frightened the young girl still more, who, pressing closely to her brother, said to him in a low tone: "Answer him, James, answer him; see what a wicked air he has."
"Have no fear, Angela, have no fear," answered the boy. Then he said to the soldier: "Yes, sir, this is the Abbey of St. Quentin; but if you wish to enter the porter"s lodge is on the other side, outside of this court."
The boy might have spoken a long time without the soldier paying attention to his words.
When the young girl called her brother "James" the old man made a movement of surprise; but when James, in his turn, called his sister "Angela" the old man started, let his stick fall, and was obliged to support himself against the wall, so violent was his agitation.
"You call yourselves "James" and "Angela," my children?" said he, in a trembling voice.
"Yes, sir," answered the young boy entirely rea.s.sured, but astonished at this question.
"And your parents?"
"Our parents are tenants of the abbey, sir."
"Come," said the soldier, whom the reader has doubtless already recognized, "I am an old fool--but--the union of these two names--James--Angela. Come, come, Polypheme, you lose your head, my friend; because you encounter two little peasants you imagine--" he shrugged his shoulders; "it is hardly worth while to have this big white beard at one"s chin only to give way to such visions! If it is to make such discoveries that you return from Moscow, Polypheme, you might just as well--have done----"
While speaking thus to himself, Croustillac had examined the young girl with the greatest curiosity; more and more struck with a resemblance which seemed incomprehensible, he fastened eager eyes on Angela.
The young girl again frightened, said to her brother, hiding her face behind his shoulder: "Heavens! how he frightens me, again!"
"However, these features," said Croustillac, feeling his heart beat with doubt, anxiety, fear and despair all at once, "these charming features recall to me--but no--it is impossible--impossible. By what probability?
Decidedly, I am an old fool. Farmers? Come, that sabre cut I got on the head at the siege of Azof has deranged my brain. After all, there are chances so strange (and surely, more than any one else, I should believe in the oddities of chance; I should be an ingrate to deny it); yes, chance might occasion peasants to give their children certain names rather than others, but chance does not make these resemblances--come, it is impossible. After all, I can ask them, and in asking them I shall laugh at myself; it is stupid. My children, tell me, what is your father"s name?"
"James, sir."
"Yes, James--but James--what?"
"James, sir."
"James? nothing more?"
"Yes, sir," answered the boy, regarding Croustillac with surprise.
"This is more and more strange," said Croustillac, reflecting.
"Has he been long in France?"
"He has always been here, sir."