SHORT STORY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1716, 5 April 1913, Page 12

SHORT STORY.

THE PEACHES. (By Andro Thuriet.) The first, timo that I saw my old chum, Vital Herbelot, again after twenty-five years was at tho old boys' dinner of a provincial lycee, where we had worked for our degree. Reunions of this kind aro almost all alike: hand-sliakings, noisy recognitions, familiarities that ono is surprised to hear again after a quarter of a century's silence, melancholy and unmistakable signs of tho changes years havo wrought in faces and fortunes; then tho formal speech by the president, tho toasts, the calling up of school memories, tho bitterness of which time has removed, leaving only tho honeyed savour of the days when each of us held in his hand a Pandora's casket full of golden hopes. J was tolerably surprised to find a very different Vital Horbelot from tho ono I remembered. I had known him slender and shy, spick and span, correct and reserved, a combination of all the amiablo qualifications of a young civil servant who wishes to mako his way in tho administration where his family lias placed him. I saw a burly, large-limbed fellow, with sunburnt neck and complexion, a keen eye, and tho high, clear, loud voice of a man who is not accustomed to weigh his words. With his hair cut so as to stand up straight, his English cloth suit, his fan-shaped pepper and ealt board, there was something easy, decided, and unrestrained- about him which did not smack of the civil servant. "What has happened to you?" I asked him. "Are you no longer in tho service?" "No, old man," bo replied, "I am simply a farmer. I am working a fairij large estate half a league from here j at Chanteraine, where I sow corn nnd get in a little Burgundy that I shall make you taste when you come and seo. me." "Indeed." I cried, "you, tho son and grandson of bureaucrats, you who were spoken of as a model civil servant, for whom a brilliant future was predicted, you have thrown it up?" "Indeed I have." "How did it happen?" "My dear fellow," ho replied with a laugh, "great effects are often produced by the most trilling causes. ... I resigned on account of two peaches." "Two peaches?" "Neither more nor less, and when we have had coffee, if you will go with mo as far as Chanteraine, I will tell you the story." . After coffee we left the dining-room, and, as we wrilkcd along smoking a cigar beside the canal on a warm 'afternoon towards the end af August, my friend Vital began his story: - "You know," ho said, "that I followed my father's profession, and he. an old Civil Servant, saw nothing to be compared with an official career. So, as soon as I had got clear of my degree, nothing was more urgent than to settle me as a supernumerary in my father's office.'. I had no special vocation, and meekly took to tho banal highway of bureaucracy on which my father and grandfather had slowly but surely walked. I was a hardworking, well-disciplined., youth, brought up from tho cradle in the respect due to superiors and deference towards authority, so I was favourably noticed by my chiefs, and quickly went through tho first grades of promotion. When I was twenty-five years old, my director, who had taken mo into his favour, mado me his secretary,'' and my comrades envied my lot. Already they spoke of me as a coming high official, and foretold tho most brilliant future for mo, Then I married. Sho was a very pretty girl, and. what is more, very good and very affectionate —but with no fortune. It was a grave wrong in tho eyes of tho civil service world in which I lived. They aro very positive t'heroj they scarcely see anything in marriage except a business transaction, and willingly lay down the rule that - 'if tho ■husband brings the .wherewithal to breakfast', tho wife should provide tho dinner.' Now my wife and I together had scarcely the wherewithal for a scanty supper. There was a great outcry that I had bohaved foolishly. More than one good citizen among my acquaintances declared openly that I was mad and was wanton* ly spoiling a good position. However, as my wife was a very pretty and a very good girl, as wo lived unassumingly, and by dint of economy succeeded in making both ends meet, they condoned my 'iinSrovidence,' and the society of tho place eigned t'o go on-receiving us. "My director was rich, loved show, and prided himself on making a good figure in the world. He often had company, gave sumptuous dinners, and from time to time invited the families of tho functionaries and leading men of the town to a dance. My chief did not' allow his invitations to bo refused, and at his house his subordinates had to amuse themselves to order. "Just when my wife ,was about to make me a father, thero was a great ball at my director's, and, of course, whether I would or no, I had to put on my black coat. . "When it was time to go, my wife, while fastening the knot of my white tie, gave mo many injunctions: "'lt will be very fine. ... Do not forget to keep your eyes open, so that you can tell me.all tho particulars: tho names of the ladies who are there, t'heit dresses and the supper menu. . . . For there will be a supper. It' v seems thoy have ordered heaps of good things from Chevet's, . . . fruit just in season; I hear of peaches costing three francs apiece. . ■. . Oh, those peaches! ... Do you' know, if you were nice, you would bring ono home for me.' "It was in vain that I protested, showed her that it was hardly practicable, and how difficult, it was for a gentleman in a black coat to put one into his pocket without the risk of being seen and put on the index. . . . Tho more objections I raised, tjio more obstinate she became in her fancy. " 'On the contrary, nothing is easier. . '. . In the midst of the coming and going of people at supper, nobody will perceive it. . ... You will tako ono ass if for yourself and will hide it cleverljv . . . Don't shrug your shoulders! . .' . Well, perhaps it is childish, but I want it; since I heard of those peaches I have had a groat wisli to taste them. . . .' Promise mo that you will bring mo at least one. . . . Swear it! . . .' "How can one oppose a categorial refusal to tho woman ono loves? ... I ended by murmuring a vague promise, and matte haste to be off; but iust as 1 was turning tho handle of the door, sho called me back. I saw her large blue eyes turned towards me, shining with greed, nnd she cried once raoro: "'You promise me? . . .' "A very fine ball: (lowers everywhere, iiew dresses, an excellent orchestra. The mayor, the chief magistrate, the officers of the garrison, all the upper crust were there. My director had spared nothing to give splendour to this feast, the honours of which wero so graciously done by his wife and daughter. At midnight supper was served, and the dancers went in couples into the din-ing-room. - 1 vent in trembling, and hardly had I entered when I saw, in a good position in the middle of the table, the famous peaches sent by Chevefc. "They wero mnjroificent'! -Placed in a pyramid in a Luneville china basket, daintily arranged anil set in vine-leaves, tlie.v proudly displayed their appetising colour, in which dark-red tints sti'eaked the greeny whiteness of the velvet skin. Only lo see t'hera, one guessed the fine, perfumed savour of the rosy melting flesh. My eye care.sscd, them at a distance, and I thought of the joyful exclamations that would welcome me on my return if I managed to take homo a specimen of tho exquisite lrult. They aroused general admiration; the more 1 looked at thuin. the more my desire took tho shape of a fixed idea, and tho stronger tho resolve to tako one or two sank into my brain. . . . But how?. . . The servants kept good guard round these rare and costly delicacies. My chief had kept for himself the pleasure of personally offering his peaches t'o some privileged guests. From timo to time, at a sign from him, a steward delicately took a panel), cut it with a silver-bladed knife, and presented tho two halves on a Sevres plato to the chosen person. I greedily followed this manoeuvre, and saw, with trembling, how the pyramid dwindled. But the contorts of tho basket were not exhausted. Either tho consignment. had been skilfully executed, or it was discreetly managed, but when the people, recalled by a prelude from :he orchestra, hastened back to the ball-roum, there still remain-

Ed half a dozen fine peaches on the bed of . green leaves. ! "I followed tho crowd, but it was only a feint. I had left my hat in a corner— a tall hat; that had considerably worried mo all tho evening. I went back under tho pretext' of talcing it, and, as I to come extent belonged to tho house, the servants did not suspect me. Besides, they were busy in carrying to tho kitchen tho plato and glasses which had been used at supper, and, for a moment, I found myself clone near tho sideboard. There was not a minute to bo lost. After a furtive glance right, and left, I approached tho basket and quickly rolled two neaches into my hat, whero I rammed them in with my handkerchief; then—very calm outwardly, very dignified, although my heart was beating terribly—l left the dinging-room, carefully placing the opening of my hat against my chest and keeping it there by passing my right hand into tho opening of my waistcoat, which gave me a very majostic pose almost Napoleonic. "My plan was to cross the ballroom quietly, to take French leave, and, once outside, to carry home in. triumph-the two peaches wrapped up in my handkerchief. ' "It was not so easy as I had thought, Tlia cotillon was just bsgun. All round tho room was a double row of black coats and elderly ladies, surraunding a second circle formed by the dancers' chairs; then, in the middle, a largo open spaco, where the couples wero waltzing. It was this 6pace that I had to cross to reach the door of the ante-cb,amber. "I timidly inserted myself into the spaces between the groups, I wound among tho chairs with the suppleness of an adder. ... At every instant I trembled lest a brutal elbow-jog should unset tho position of my hat and make my peaches fall. 'I felt them tossing about inside it, and went hot all over. - At last, after many difficulties and many frights, I entered tho circle just as they were arranging a new figure. Tho lady is placed in . tho centre of the gentlemen, tfho go round with their backs to her; sho has to hold a hat in her hand and nut it on the head of the cavalier with whom she wishes to waltz as ho passes. Scarcely had I taken two steps, when my chief's daughter, who was leading the cotillon with a young municipal councillor, called out: 'A hat! We want a hat I"' 'At the same time sho perceived me with my stove-pipe glued to my chest; I met her look ana all my blood froze, "'Ah!' said she, 'you como at the right, time, Monsieur Herbelol 1~. Quick, your hat!' . "Before I could stammer out a single word, she seized my hat ... so abruntly that, at the same instant, tho peaches rolled on to the floor, dragging with them my handkerchief. and two or three vine leaves. ... "You can imagino the scene.' The young ladies laughed in their sleeves to sea my misdeed and my discomfiture; my chief frowned, the gravo elderly people pointed at me and whispered, nnd 1 felt inj legs giving way. . . ; I should havo liked to sink into the floor and disappear. "Tho girl squeezed her lips to repress a burst of laughter, then, returning my hat: " 'Monsieur Horbelot,' sho said in an ironical tone, 'pick up your peaches!' "Laughter then broke out from all corners of the room: even the servants held their sides, and I fled, pale, haggard, staggering, overwhelmed with confusion; I was so upset that I oould hardly find the door, and I went away with death in my heart to tell my wife of my disaster. i' "Tho next day the story went round the town.. When I entered my office iny comrades greeted mo with a 'Herbelor, pick up your peaches!' which made a blush come to my face. _ I could not venture into tho street without hearing a mocking voice murmur behind mo: 'It is tho gentleman with the peaches!' The place was no longer tenable, and a week later .1 sent in my resignation. ' . "An uncle of- my wife's had an agricultural , establishment near my native town. _ I begged him to tako me as his assistant. Ito agreed, and we installed ourselves at Chanteraino. . . . What need I say more? ... I set to work with determination, getting 1 up at dawn and not minding It seems.l had more vocation for farming than for quill-driving, for in a short time I becamo an agriculturist in earnest. The estate prospered bo well that on his death our uncle left it" to us by his wall. Sinco then'l have improved it aid brought it to the satisfactory state you will see it ill. ..." We had reached Chanteraine. Wo went through an orchard full of fruit. The branches were bent down to tho ground under their load of apples, pears, and plums. At tho end of this enclosure a sloping meadow went down to the blue river, beyond which rose a hill-side covered with vines, whore tho grapes were beginning to swell and where the thrushes wero singing. On the left, behind the trees, the noise of a threshing machine indicated the position of tho barns, and when we had crossed the kitchen garden, wo perceived tho white front of the farmhouse, where climbed an espalier covered with fine ripening peaches. "You see," said Vital Herbolot, "I pay my respects to tho peaches. . I owe my happiness to them. But for them I should have been still a civil servant, trembling at the sligMxst frowa from my superiors, increasing the already too numerous band of those who have great difficulty in making both ends meet, and even refusing myself'the joys of paternity."—Translated by A. C. Wood for "Everyman."