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How poignant must have been her anguish that day on Montanvert if she cared for him! She loved him how could he doubt it? but she had accepted the hopelessness of the position. In his own mind he had accused her of coquetry in their walk at the cascade of Nant d'Arpenaz. He saw through it all now; the scales had fallen from his eyes. She was hiding her misery under a smooth face, as women will.
"Ah," said the dame, "you know more about Tom o'r Nant than I do; and was he not a great poet?" "I daresay he was," said I, "for the pieces which he wrote, and which he called Interludes, had a great run, and he got a great deal of money by them, but I should say the lines beneath the portrait are more applicable to the real Shakespeare than to him."
English, he guessed, or possibly American, but much at home in France.... "Monsieur d'Aubrac has been wounded, a knife thrust. It will be necessary to get him to a surgeon as quickly as possible. I fancy there will be none nearer than Nant. Do you know the way?" "One can doubtless find it," said Duchemin modestly. "But I myself am not without knowledge of wounds. Perhaps..."
And the rudest nation this day in Europe is that alone where it is in fashion. Other vices discompose the understanding: this totally overthrows it and renders the body stupid: "Cum vini vis penetravit . . . Consequitur gravitas membrorum, praepediuntur Crura vacillanti, tardescit lingua, madet mens, Nant oculi; clamor, singultus, jurgia, gliscunt."
But it wasn't; not to wait a decent interval would be self-betraying, since Duchemin had no longer any immediate intention of moving on from Nant; finally, he rather hoped to get news at Millau that would strengthen a prayer to Eve de Montalais to be sensible and remove her jewels to a place of safe-keeping before it was too late. Millau, however, disappointed.
"Well," said I, "I do understand more Welsh than bara y caws I do understand a considerable part of a Welsh conversation; moreover, I can read Welsh, and have the life of Tom O'r Nant at my fingers' ends." "Well, sir, that is speaking plain, and I will tell you plainly that we don't like to have strangers among us who understand our discourse, more especially if they be gentlefolks."
Before starting, our host presented us with a letter of introduction to the master of the auberge at our halting- place for the night the little village of Nant, half-way between Le Vigan and Millau. 'It is only an auberge, he said apologetically; 'you must not expect much. But the patron is a friend of mine; he will do his very best for you after what I have written.
"I visited it the first time I came over the road. You get a good look at the peaks of Mont Douron on the other side of the valley, and that's all; the grotto itself is not remarkable. But I think it will be worth while to halt a moment when we come to the fall of Nant d'Arpenaz. That is really marvellous. It is said to be nearly as fine as the Staubbach."
That Tom was about five feet eight inches high, lusty, and very strongly built; that he had something the matter with his right eye; that he was very satirical and very clever; that his wife was a very clever woman and satirical; his two daughters both clever and satirical, and his servant-maid remarkably satirical and clever, and that it was impossible to live with Twm O'r Nant without learning to be clever and satirical; that he always appeared to be occupied with something, and that he had heard him say there was something in him that would never let him be idle; that he would walk fifteen miles to a place where he was to play an interlude, and that as soon as he got there he would begin playing it at once, however tired he might be.
Maurice Van Nant visited him unexpectedly, and withdrew from his keeping a sealed packet which had been in the firm's custody for eight years. If you want to know why he withdrew it Dollops!" "Right you are, Gov'nor." "Give me the sledge-hammer. Thanks! Now, Mr. Narkom, look!"
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