The Works of Guy de Maupassant, Vol. 1 | Page 9

and made her swallow a few drops of wine. The pretty creature stirred,
opened her eyes, smiled and then declared in an expiring voice that she
felt quite well now. But to prevent her being overcome again in the
same manner, the Sister induced her to drink a full cup of wine, adding,
"It is simply hunger--nothing else."
At this Boule de Suif, blushing violently, looked at the four starving
passengers and faltered shyly, "Mon Dieu! If I might make so bold as
to offer the ladies and gentlemen--" She stopped short, fearing a rude
rebuff.
Loiseau, however, at once threw himself into the breach. "Parbleu!
under such circumstances we are all companions in misfortune and
bound to help each other. Come, ladies, don't stand on ceremony--take
what you can get and be thankful: who knows whether we shall be able
to find so much as a house where we can spend the night? At this rate
we shall not reach Totes till to-morrow afternoon."
They still hesitated, nobody having the courage to take upon
themselves the responsibility of the decisive "Yes." Finally the Count
seized the bull by the horns. Adopting his most grandiose air, he turned
with a bow to the embarrassed young woman and said, "We accept
your offer with thanks, madame."
The first step only was difficult. The Rubicon once crossed, they fell to
with a will. They emptied the basket, which contained, besides the
provisions already mentioned; a pate de foie gras, a lark pie, a piece of
smoked tongue, some pears, a slab of gingerbread, mixed biscuits, and
a cup of pickled onions and gherkins in vinegar--for, like all women,
Boule de Suif adored crudities.
They could not well eat the young woman's provisions and not speak to

her, so they conversed--stiffly at first, and then, seeing that she showed
no signs of presuming, with less reserve. Mesdames de Breville and
Carré-Lamadon, having a great deal of "savoir vivre," knew how to
make themselves agreeable with tact and delicacy. The Countess, in
particular, exhibited the amiable condescension of the extremely
high-born lady whom no contact can sully, and was charming. But big
Madame Loiseau, who had the soul of a gendarme, remained unmoved,
speaking little and eating much.
The conversation naturally turned upon the war. They related horrible
deeds committed by the Prussians and examples of the bravery of the
French; all these people who were flying rendering full homage to the
courage of those who remained behind. Incidents of personal
experience soon followed, and Boule de Suif told, with that warmth of
coloring which women of her type often employ in expressing their
natural feelings, how she had come to leave Rouen.
"I thought at first I should be able to hold out," she said, "for I had
plenty of provisions in my house, and would much rather feed a few
soldiers than turn out of my home and go goodness knows where. But
when I saw them--these Prussians--it was too much for me. They made
my blood boil with rage, and I cried the whole day for shame. Oh, if I
had only been a man!--well, there! I watched them from my
window--fat pigs that they were with their spiked helmets--and my
servant had to hold my hands to prevent me throwing the furniture
down on the top of them. Then some of them came to be quartered on
me, and I flew at the throat of the first one--they are not harder to
strangle than any one else--and would have finished him too if they had
not dragged me off by the hair. Of course I had to lie low after that. So
as soon as I found an opportunity I left--and here I am."
Everybody congratulated her. She rose considerably in the estimation
of her companions, who had not shown themselves of such valiant
mettle, and listening to her tale, Cornudet smiled the benignant and
approving smile of an apostle--as a priest might on hearing a devout
person praise the Almighty; democrats with long beards having the
monopoly of patriotism as the men of the cassock possess that of

religion. He then took up the parable in a didactic tone with the
phraseology culled from the notices posted each day on the walls, and
finished up with a flourish of eloquence in which he scathingly alluded
to "that blackguard of a Badinguet."[2]
But Boule de Suif fired up at this for she was a Bonapartist. She turned
upon him with scarlet cheeks and stammering with indignation, "Ah! I
should just like to have seen any of you in his place! A nice mess you
would have made of it! It is men of your sort that ruined him, poor man.
There would be nothing for it but to leave France for good