Belle-Rose — page 54: what you’re looking at

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

THE INTERIOR OF A h BARRAOK. co 9e = > our father’s name engages me besides to redouble my severity as regards you; I intend to prove to him that you deserve to be his son.”’ | Jacques prepared to -reply; Monsieur de Naucrais stopped him with a gesture. “Your name is Jacques,’’ he continued. ““Yes, captain. ”’ ‘It is a common name; we do not need it in the regi- ment. You will call yourselfi——”’ “*As you wish.”’ “Parbleu! that is the way I understand it! All sol- | diers have names.’ ‘Yes, names which do not belong to them?”’’ “But that is the case with mine! Do you believe, per- chance, that I need their consent to baptize them?’’ ‘Is that also a part of the discipline’?’ asked Jacques, blushing. “Yes, my boy,’’ replied Monsieur de —Naucrais, who could not refrain from smiling. ‘But, mon Dieu, if have your name; it is written upon your face.’ ‘Ah! Therefore I am to call myseli——’ ‘*Belle-Rose, ”’ Monsieur de Naucrais rang his bell; a soldier entered, the captain whispered a few words to him, the soldier went out and returned five minutes after with a corporal of sappers. ~ “Monsieur Déroute,’’ said Monsieur de Naucrais to the non-commissioned officer, “‘here is a recruit whom I confide to you; you will take him to the mess, instruct _ him in the profession, and render me an account of his conduct.= Go.”’ In spite of his formidable name, Corporal Déroute was an excellent man who asked nothing better than to be of service to some one. When both of them were in the street, the corporal andthe recruit, Déroute turned to our friend Jacques, now called Belle-Rose. “jt appears that you have been warmly recommended to the captain,’’ he said to him; “‘he has never BRol ge SO long apropos of a soldier.’ ‘*So long? a dozen words——’ 7 ‘Eh! that is just three times as many as he is accus- — tomed to pronounce. When a recruit reaches the company, Monsieur de Naucrais questions him, then he sends fora corporal, and pointing the man out to him, says to him: ‘Here is a soldier, enter him,’ and he turns his back. Oh! _ the captain is a terrible man.’’ co m GComicbooks