Милий друг
Marriage
onayellowhorse,weretheonlyornamentsinthatneat,butbareroom.
Whentheywerealone,GeorgesembracedMadeleine.
"Goodmorning,Made!Iamgladtoseetheoldpeopleoncemore.WhenoneisinParisonedoesnotthinkofthisplace,butwhenonereturns,oneenjoysitjustthesame."
Atthatmomenthisfathercried,knockingonthepartitionwithhisfist:"Come,thesoupisready."
Theyre-enteredthelargepublic-roomandtooktheirseatsatthetable.Themealwasalongone,servedinatrulyrusticfashion.FatherDuroy,enlivenedbytheciderandseveralglassesofwine,relatedmanyanecdotes,whileGeorges,towhomtheywereallfamiliar,laughedatthem.
MotherDuroydidnotspeak,butsatattheboard,grimandaustere,glancingatherdaughter-in-lawwithhatredinherheart.
Madeleinedidnotspeaknordidsheeat;shewasdepressed.Wherefore?Shehadwishedtocome;sheknewthatshewascomingtoasimplehome;shehadformednopoeticalideasofthosepeasants,butshehadperhapsexpectedtofindthemsomewhatmorepolished,refined.Sherecalledherownmother,ofwhomsheneverspoketoanyone—agovernesswhohadbeenbetrayedandwhohaddiedofgriefandshamewhenMadeleinewastwelveyearsold.Astrangerhadhadthelittlegirleducated.Herfatherwithoutdoubt.Whowashe?Shedidnotknowpositively,butshehadvaguesuspicions.
Themealwasnotyetoverwhencustomersentered,shookhandswithM.
