Belle-Rose — page 59: what you’re looking at

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

<© eal othing, Soldiers fight and the officers close. their eyes.’ “Therefore I have nothing to do.’ —**You have only to keep silence. pains will be car- ried to the hospital and will say nothing; your two wit- nesses will be mute as carps; it is the soldier’s religion. Perform your duties as if you were not concerned in the affair, and if Monsieur de Naucrais learns all about it, be. sure that he will pretend to know nothing.”’ ‘But the surgeon will visit Bouletord?’’ “The surgeon will say that Bouletord has the fever; if he gets well, it will be said that the fever has left him.’’ ‘‘And if he dies?’’ ‘*He will be dead of the fever. ’’ Belle-Rose laughed. “T do not laugh,’’ continued the corporal; ‘‘] have al- — ready seen die in that fashion half a dozen sappers, and — some of the malignant fever, others of the red fever. The © red fever is a saber cut, the malignant fever is a sword thrust; it is the most dangerous. Fever is the soldier’s providence. Go to bed.”’ CHAPTER VI. LOST ILLUSIONS. Everything passed off as Déroute predicted it would. Bouletord entered the hospital; the surgeon visited him and declared that he was sick of an intermittent fever. Monsieur de Naucrais feigned to believe what the surgeon had said, but meeting Belle-Rose alone one day upon the: rampart, he brusquely said to him: ‘‘T have been told that you recently came near oon ing the fever. Take care, I do not likeit to be given or re-— ceived. I can, however, look over it for once.’ ‘“‘It has stopped, sy boldly replied Belle-Rose, ‘‘the attack — has passed away. Monsieur de Scar ais smiled. Bouletord got well, and nothing more was said about it. Some months passed, | then a year, then two, then three; Belle-Rose wrote fre- quently to St. Omer; in the replies which he received from there there was always some souvenir from Suzanne, a word, a flower of the new season, something which came from the heart and went to the heart. Already the fal-~ coner’s son had passed beyond Déroute; Monsieur de — 48 LOST ILLUSIONS. — shi see eae ca age comicbooks.co