Belle-Rose — page 57: what you’re looking at

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

46 ‘THE INTERIOR OF A BARRACK. treme, he wound up by eoing to his captain. On this. occa: sion he went straight to Monsieur de Naucrais without at even reflecting. ‘The case was grave. “Captain, you have placed an engineer in the mess,’” he. said to him ; “you have charged me with instructing Belle-- Rose, and. it is Belle-Rose who instructs his corporal. What must I do?” “Send Belle-Rose to me.”’ After a short conversation, Monsieur de Naucrais en- gaged his brother’s protégé to continue his studies in mathematics, and to join to them the study of languages. ‘We are all more or less engineers or cannoneers, ex 93 he said to him; ‘‘when you know thoroughly trigonometry — and. Spanish, you will not be far from the opagl eyes You_ ‘will begin the lessons to-morrow. ’ ~~ Belle-Rose often studied the theory of the square of the hypothenuse and took upon paper a bastion defended by a telescope. Sometimes Suzanne’s image came to confuse the angles, and the recollection of the promenades inthe i carden caused a sunken road to miss its effect; but Belle- ~ Rose took up again the calculation and the siege, saving to himself that-each figure and each assault drew him so ~— much nearer his sweetheart. One fine day, toward noon, as he was leaving his room, mixing together in his mind ~ love and mathematics, a soldier ran up against him on the stair-way. ‘*Devil take the awkward fellow!’’ exclaimed the. oaks dier. “It seems to me that itis you who have jostled me,”’ said Belle-Rose. ‘‘I was passing to the right, you were — mounting on the left, and you have run against me. is the awkward one, if you please?’’ “Who ‘“°"Pon my word! I believe he reasons! Do you mean to contradict me, young fellow?”’ ‘In truth, I was wrong—IlI should not have said awh ward, but insolent. a The soldier raised his hand, but Belle-Rose seized it in” the air, and grabbing his adversary by the throat, he hurled him rudely down the stair-way. At the noise of — this struggle, some sappers ran up, and seeing what was passing, rushed to the combatants in order -to separate — them. It was time; Belle-Rose had placed one. knee upon | the breast of the soldier, who was breathing hard. ‘You shall follow me; aman who has such a strong © hand ought to know how to hold a sword,’’ said the sol- ee * : _ to el * - . = ; ° dier, after he had risen, : = pook: ed . .— ~ 2 —_ a ~~ ‘. 4 ~~ —E€omic _ a cS. 3-0 a — -& m- ae te