Nobody's Girl

  CHAPTER XIII

  STRANGE HOUSEKEEPING

  Although she was very proud of her shoes, she was rather anxious as tohow she would conduct herself while wearing them at work. While sheloaded her truck or pushed it along she was continually looking down ather feet.

  By doing so she would probably attract the attention of the other girls.This is exactly what did happen. Several of her comrades noticed themand complimented her.

  "Where did you buy those shoes?" one asked.

  "They are not shoes; they are sandals," corrected Perrine.

  "No, they are not; they are shoes," said the girl; "but whatever theyare they sure are pretty. Where did you buy them?"

  "I made them myself with plaited reeds and four cents worth of canvas,"replied Perrine.

  "They _are_ beautiful."

  The success she had made of her shoes decided her to undertake anothertask. She had thought several times of doing it, but it was much moredifficult, or so she thought, and might mean too much expense. Shewanted to make a chemise to replace the only one which she possessed.For it was very inconvenient to take off this only garment to wash itand then wait until it was dry to put it on again. She needed two yardsof calico, and she wondered how much it would cost. And how would shecut the goods when she had them? These were very difficult questions toanswer. She certainly had something to think about.

  She wondered if it would not be wiser to begin by making a print dressto replace her waist and skirt, which was worn more than ever now, asshe had to sleep in it. It could last a very little while longer. Whenit was finished, how would she go out? For her daily bread, as much asfor the success of her future plans, she must continue to be admitted tothe factory.

  Yet on the Saturday evening when she had the three francs in her handwhich she had earned for the week's work, she could not resist thetemptation of a chemise. She still considered a waist and skirt of theutmost utility, but then a chemise also was indispensable, and besidesthere were many arguments in favor of the chemise--cleanliness in whichshe had been brought up, self-respect. Finally the chemise won the day.She would mend her waist and skirt; as the material had formerly beenvery strong, it would still hold a few more darns.

  Every day at the luncheon hour she went to Mother Francoise's house toask news of Rosalie. Sometimes news was given to her, sometimes not,according to whether it was the grandmother or the aunt whom she saw.

  On her way to inquire for Rosalie she passed a little store which wasdivided into two sections. On one side newspapers, pictures and songswere sold, and on the other linens, calicos and prints. Perrine hadoften looked in this store. How nice it would be to go in and have themcut off as much material as she wished! Sometimes, when she had beenlooking in the window, pretending to look at the newspapers or a song,she had seen girls from the factory enter and come out shortly afterwith parcels carefully wrapped up, which they held clasped tightly tothem. She had thought then that such pleasure was not for her ... atleast not then.

  Now she could enter the store if she wished, for she had three silvercoins in her hand. She went in.

  "What is it you want, mademoiselle?" asked a little old woman politely,with a pleasant smile.

  "Will you please tell me what is the price of calico the yard ... thecheapest?" asked Perrine timidly.

  "I have it at forty centimes the yard," said the old woman.

  Perrine gave a sigh of relief.

  "Will you cut me two yards, please?" she said.

  "It won't wear very well ... but the sixty centimes...."

  "The forty centime one will do, thank you," said little Perrine.

  "As you like," said the old woman. "I wouldn't like you to come backafter and say...."

  "Oh, I wouldn't do that," interrupted Perrine hastily.

  SHE HAD SOME TIME AGO DECIDED ON THE SHAPE.]

  The old woman cut off two yards, and Perrine noticed that it was notwhite nor shiny like the one she had admired in the window.

  "Any more?" asked the shopkeeper when she had torn the calico with asharp, dry rip.

  "I want some thread also," said Perrine; "a spool of white, numberforty."

  Now it was Perrine's turn to leave the store with her little newspaperparcel hugged tightly to her heart. Out of her three francs (sixtycentimes) she had spent eighteen, so there still remained forty-twountil the following Saturday. She would have to spend twenty sous forbread, so that left her fourteen sous for extras.

  She ran back all the way to her little island. When she reached hercabin she was out of breath, but that did not prevent her from beginningher work at once. She had some time ago decided upon the shape she wouldgive her chemise. She would make it quite straight, first, because thatwas the simplest and the easiest way for one who had never cut outanything before and who had no scissors, and secondly, because she coulduse the string that was in her old one for this new one.

  Everything went very well; to begin with, there was no cutting in thestraight piece. Perhaps there was nothing to admire in her work but atany rate she did not have to do it over again. But when the time camefor shaping the openings for the head and arms then she experienceddifficulties! She had only a knife to do the cutting and she was soafraid that she would tear the calico. With a trembling hand she tookthe risk. At last it was finished, and on Tuesday morning she would beable to go to the factory wearing a chemise earned by her own work, cutand sewn by her own hands.

  That day when she went to Mother Francoise's; it was Rosalie who came tomeet her with her arm in a sling.

  "Are you better?" asked Perrine.

  "No, but they let me get up and they said that I could come out in theyard," replied Rosalie.

  Perrine was very pleased to see her friend again and asked all kinds ofquestions, but Rosalie seemed rather reserved. Perrine could notunderstand this attitude.

  "Where are you living now?" asked Rosalie.

  Fearing to say where, Perrine evaded a direct answer to this question.

  "It was too expensive for me here," she said, "and I had so little moneyleft for food and other things."

  "Well, did you find anything cheaper elsewhere?"

  "I don't have to pay."

  "Oh!..."

  She looked narrowly at Perrine, then her curiosity got the better ofher.

  "Who are you with?" she asked.

  Again Perrine could not give a direct answer.

  "I'll tell you that later," she said.

  "Oh, when you like," replied Rosalie carelessly, "only let me tell youthis, if you see Aunt Zenobie in the yard or at the door you had betternot come in. She doesn't want to see you here. If you come it is betterto come in the evening, then she ... she is busy."

  Perrine went to the factory very saddened by this welcome. What had shedone that she could not go into the house? All day long she remainedunder the impression that she had offended them. When evening came andshe found herself alone in the cabin having nothing to do for the firsttime in eight days, she was even more depressed. Then she thought thatshe would go and walk in the fields that surrounded her little island,for she had not yet had time to do this.

  It was a beautiful evening. She wandered around the pond, walking in thehigh grass that had not been trodden by anyone. She looked across thewater at her little home which seemed almost hidden amongst the trees.The birds and beasts could not suspect that it was the work of manbehind which he could lie in ambush with his gun.

  At that moment she heard a noise at her feet which frightened her and awater hen jumped into the water, terrified. Then looking about her shesaw a nest made of grass and feathers in which were ten white eggs,dirty little eggs with small dark spots.

  Instead of being placed on the ground amongst the grass the nest wasfloating on the water. She examined it but without touching it, andnoticed that it was made in a way to go up and down according to theflow of the water, and was so surrounded with reeds that neither thecurrent nor the wind could carry it away.

  The mother hen, anxious,
took up her position at a distance and stayedthere. Perrine hid herself in the high grass and waited to see if shewould come back to her nest.

  As she did not return, she went on with her walk, and again and againthe rustling of her dress frightened other birds. The water hens, solissom in their escape, ran to the floating leaves of the water lilieswithout going under. She saw birds everywhere.

  When an hour later she returned to her little home the hut was hiddenhalf in the shadows of night. It was so quiet and pretty she thought,and how pleased she was that she had shown as much intelligence as thesebirds ... to make her nest here.

  With Perrine, as with many little children, it was the events of the daywhich shaped her dreams by night. The unhappiness through which she hadpassed the last few months had often colored her dreams, and many timessince her troubles had commenced, she had awakened in the night with theperspiration pouring off her. Her sleep was disturbed with nightmarescaused by the miseries she had experienced in the day.

  Now since she had been at Maraucourt and had new hopes and was at work,the nightmares had been less frequent and so she was not so sad.

  Now she thought of what she was going to do at the factory the next day,of the skirt and waist that she would make, of her underwear.

  Now on this particular evening after she had wandered over the fieldssurrounding her home and had entered her little nest to go to sleep,strange visions passed before her sleepy eyes. She thought that she waswalking about the field exploring, and came upon a great big kitchen, awonderful kitchen like in castles, and there were a number of littledwarfs of the most diabolical shapes, sitting around a big table beforea blazing fire; some of them were breaking eggs, others were beatingthem up until they were white and frothy; and some of these eggs were aslarge as melons and others were as small as a little pea, and the dwarfsmade the most extraordinary dishes from them. They seemed to know theevery kind of dish that could be made with eggs,--boiled eggs withcheese and butter; with tomatoes; poached; fried eggs; various omeletteswith ham and kidney, jam or rum; the rum set afire and flaming withsparkling lights. And then there were more important dishes still whichonly the head cooks were handling ... pastries and delicious creams.

  Now and again she half woke and she tried to banish the stupid dreambut it came again and the elfs still went on doing their fantastic work,so that when the factory whistle sounded she was still watching themprepare some chocolate creams which she could almost taste in her mouth.

  Then she knew that what had impressed her most during her walk was notthe beauty of the night but simply those eggs which she had seen in thenest, which had told her stomach that for fourteen days she had eatenonly bread and water. These eggs had made her dream of the elfs and allthose delicious things that they were making; she was hungry for goodthings and she had found it out through her dream.

  Why had she not taken those eggs, or at least some of them, they did notbelong to anyone for the duck was wild? Of course as she had no saucepanor frying pan or any kitchen utensils whatever, she could not prepareany of the dishes that she had seen made before her dream eyes. Butthere, that was the best about eggs, they could be used without any veryskillful preparation; a lighted match put to a little heap of dry woodand then she could cook them hard or soft, how she liked, in the hotashes. And she would buy a saucepan or a pan as soon as possible.

  Several times this idea came to her while she was at work that day untilfinally she decided to buy a box of matches and a cent's worth of salt.As soon as she had made her purchases she ran back to her hut.

  She had been too interested in the place where she had discovered thenest not to be able to find it again. The mother was not occupying thenest but she had been there during the day because Perrine saw now thatinstead of ten eggs there were eleven, which proved that she had notfinished laying.

  Here was a good chance for her to help herself. In the first place theeggs were fresh, and then if she only took five or six, the duck, whodid not know how to count, would not notice that any one had been there.

  A short time ago Perrine would not have had any scruples and she wouldhave quickly emptied the nest, without a thought, but the sorrows thatshe had experienced had made her very thoughtful for the griefs ofothers; in this same manner her love for Palikare had made her feel anaffection for all animals that she had not known in her early childhood.

  After she had taken the eggs she wondered where she could cook them;naturally this could not be done in the cabin for the slightest wreathof smoke which would emerge from it would indicate to anyone who saw itthat someone was living there.

  There was a gypsy camp quite near which she passed by to get to herisland, and a little smoke coming from there would attract no attention.

  She quickly got together some wood and lighted it; soon she had a firein the ashes of which she cooked one of her eggs. She lacked an egg cupbut what did that matter? A little hole made in a piece of bread couldhold the egg. In a few minutes she had the satisfaction of dipping apiece of bread in her egg, which was cooked to perfection. It seemed toher as she took the first mouthful that she had never eaten anything sogood.

  When she had finished her supper she wondered how she should use theremainder of her eggs. She would have to use them sparingly for shemight not be able to get any more for a long time. A hot soup with anegg broken into it would be very good.

  As the idea of having some soup came into her head, it was almostimmediately followed by the regret that she could not have it. Thesuccess of her canvas shoes and her underwear had inspired her with acertain amount of confidence. She had proved that one can do a greatdeal if one perseveres, but she had not enough confidence to imaginethat she could ever make a saucepan for her soup or a metal or woodenspoon, and if she waited until she had the money required to buy theseutensils, she would have to content herself with the smell of the soupthat came to her as she passed by the open doors.

  She was telling herself this as she went to work, but just before shereached the village she saw a heap of rubbish by the side of the roadand amongst the debris she noticed some tin cans which had been used forpotted meat, fish and vegetables. There were different shapes, somelarge, some small, some high, some low.

  Noticing how shiny they were on the surface, she instinctively stopped;she had not a moment's hesitation. The saucepans, dishes, forks, spoonswhich she lacked were all here; she could have a whole array of kitchenutensils; she had only to make her choice. With a bound she was acrossthe road; quickly picking out four cans she ran back and hid them behinda hedge so that when evening came she would be able to find them.

  When evening came she found her treasures and made for her home.

  She did not wish to make a noise on her island any more than she wishedsmoke to be seen, so at the end of her day's work she went to hergypsy's camp hoping that she might find a tool or something that wouldserve her for a hammer with which to flatten the tins that were to beused for plates, saucepans, spoons, etc.

  She found that it was a very difficult task to make a spoon. It took herno less than three days to do so, and when it was done, she was not atall sure that if she had shown it to anyone, he would have recognized itfor a spoon. But she had made something that served her purpose, thatwas enough; besides, she ate alone and there would be no one to noticeher utensils.

  Now for the soup for which she longed! All she wanted was butter andsorrel. She would have to buy butter and naturally as she couldn't makemilk she would have to buy that also.

  The sorrel she would find wild in the fields and she could also findwild carrots and oyster plants. They were not so good as the cultivatedvegetables but they would suit her very well indeed.

  She not only had eggs and vegetables for her dinner, and her pots andpans, but there were fish in the pond and if she were sharp enough tocatch them she would have fish too.

  She needed a line and some worms. She had a long piece of string left overfrom the piece she had bought for her shoes and she had only to spend oneso
u for some hooks, then with a piece of horse hair she could pick upoutside the blacksmith's door, she would have a line good enough to catchseveral kinds of fish; if the best in the pond passed disdainfully beforeher simple bait then she would have to be satisfied with little ones.