Belle-Rose — page 22: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE FALCONER’S SON. 1 while he was promenading in a meadow at a short dis- tance from St. Omer, an unknown man who was indiffer- ently dressed. You would have taken him for.some de- serter, by his accouterment, which pertained as much to the civil as to the military state, if the stranger had not been deformed, One could not be asoldier with a hump on the shoulders, and Jacques thought he might be a peddler. The stranger followed a path traced by the marsh-gar- deners between the vegetables, and mounted at times upon a hillock to look over the hedges at the country beyond. When he was close to Jacques he stopped and began to consider him fora moment. Jacques was leaning against an apple tree, his hands in his pockets and whistling be- tween his teeth. After some minutes of reflection, the un-- known walked toward him. ‘*Do you peiong to this country, my boy?’’ he said to him. ‘Yes, monsieur,’’ replied Jacques. If some one had asked J acques why he had saluted him whom he took for a peddler with the name of monsieur, he would have found great difficulty in explaining it. The stranger had an air which awed Jacques, though the son of Guillaume Grinedal did not allow himself to be easily intimidated. He spoke, looked, and acted with an extreme simplicity, but in this simplicity there was more of nobil- ity and pride than in all the importance of Monsieur de Malzonvilliers. ‘If that is the case,’’ said the unknown, ‘‘you can un- doubtedly give me the name of some one able to makea long journey on horseback?”’ ‘“You have that same one before you, monsieur.”’ ‘“VYou?’’ ‘“Myself.’’ ‘But, my little friend, you appear to me very young. Do you know that itis a question of galloping seven or eight leagues without drawing bridle?’’ ‘‘Do not bother yourself about my age; only furnish me the horse, and you will see.’”’ ~ The stranger smiled; then he added: ‘*He is untractable and full of fire——’’ ‘‘T have a good arm and a good eye; he can run——”’ ‘‘Come, then; the horse is not far off.”’ The unknown and Jacques left the meadow and entered. alittle patch of woods. Just in the middle, behind a thicket, Jacques perceived a horse hitched to an elm. Jacques had neyer seen an animal so beautiful, even in € cComicbooks (eo)