羊脂球 BOULE DE SUIF

It was half past four in the morning.The travellers， who had met in the yard of the Normandy Hotel，were shivering with cold in the darkness.

“Isn’t the coach ready yet?”one of them said.

“No，not yet，”his companion answered.

“Lucky we have been to get a permit from the Prussian army to leave Rouen，”another said.

“I have an acquaintance among German officers.”

“I see.”

“Do you think we can run a business at Havre?”

“Perhaps we can.If not，we can make our way to England.Nothing venture，nothing gain.”

“I agree with you.We can do nothing in occupied Rouen.”

“I have brought my wife.”

“So have I.”

“And I，too.”

Horses’ hoofs were heard，and the tinkling of little bells told them that the harness was being got ready.Snow was falling with something like a vague and indefinable whisper.

A man with a lantern appeared，dragging along a horse.He spent a long time adjusting the harness with one hand， for he held the lantern in the other.As he was going to fetch the second horse，he noticed the travellers standing helplessly under the falling snow.

“Don’t you stand there，”he said.“Get inside the coach， and you can at least take shelter from the snow.”

Why had it not occurred to them?They rushed for the coach.The three husbands took their seats at the far end with their wives;the other veiled and vague forms took the remaining places.

At last the coach was ready.It was drawn by a team of six horses instead of the usual four，because of the bad state of the roads.The roads were very bad indeed.The horses slipped and panted，and the driver had to use his whip incessantly.

Gradually the day dawned.A bluish，leaden light came over the dreary， white landscape.Inside the carriage the passengers now looked at one another inquisitively.

Monsieur and Madame Loiseau were wholesale wine merchants of the Rue Grand-pont.He had started life as a clerk in an office，and when his employer failed in business，he bought it and made a fortune by selling very bad wine at low prices to small retailers in the country.Master of every trick of making money， he was notorious for his sharp practice.

Next to them sat， with the dignity of a higher class，Monsieur Carre-Lamadon，owner of three spinning-mills，officer of the Legion of Honour and member of the Conseil Général.Under the Empire he posed as leader of the moderate opposition，which he hoped would be useful to him should he wish to desert to the opposite side.

Madame Carré-Lamadon was much younger20 than her husband.A lady of delicate beauty，she had always attracted the attention of officers of good family， stationed at Rouen.Muffled in furs，she now stared sulkily at the interior of the coach.