CHAPTER XIV
A BANQUET IN THE HUT
Perrine was so busy of an evening that she let an entire week passbefore she again went to see Rosalie. However, one of the girls at thefactory who lodged with Mother Francoise had brought her news of herfriend. Perrine, as well as being busy, had been afraid that she mightsee that terrible Aunt Zenobie and so she had let the days pass.
Then one evening after work she thought that she would not return atonce to her little island. She had no supper to prepare. The nightbefore she had caught some fish and cooked it, and she intended to haveit cold for her supper that evening.
Rosalie was alone in the garden sitting under an apple tree. When shesaw Perrine she came to the gate, half pleased, half annoyed.
"I thought that you were not coming any more," she said.
"I've been very busy."
"What with?"
Perrine showed Rosalie her shoes. Then she told her how she had madeherself a chemise and the trouble she had had in cutting it.
"Couldn't you borrow a pair of scissors from the people in your house?"asked Rosalie in astonishment.
"There is no one in my house who could lend me scissors," repliedPerrine.
"Everybody has scissors!"
Perrine wondered if she ought to keep her abode a secret any longer. Shewas afraid that if she did so she might offend Rosalie, so she decidedto tell her.
"Nobody lives in my house," she said smiling.
"Whatever do you mean?" asked Rosalie with round eyes.
"That's so, and that's why, as I wasn't able to borrow a saucepan to cookmy soup in and a spoon to eat it with, I had to make them and I can tellyou that it was harder for me to make my spoon than to make my shoes."
"You're joking!"
"No, really."
Then she told her everything, how she had taken possession of the cabin,and made her own cooking utensils, and about her search for eggs, andhow she fished and cooked in the gypsy's camping ground.
Rosalie's eyes opened wider still in wonder and delight. She seemed tobe listening to a wonderful story.
When Perrine told her how she made her first sorrel soup, she clappedher hands.
"Oh, how delicious! How you must have enjoyed it!" she cried. "Whatfun!"
"Yes, everything is great fun when things go right," said Perrine; "butwhen things won't go! I worked three days for my spoon. I couldn't scoop itout properly. I spoiled two large pieces of tin and had only one left. Andmy! how I banged my fingers with the stones that I had to use in place of ahammer!"
"But your soup, that's what I'm thinking of," said Rosalie.
"Yes, it was good."
"You know," said Perrine, "there's sorrel and carrots, watercress, onions,parsnips, turnips, and ever so many things to eat that one can find in thefields. They are not quite the same as the cultivated vegetables, but theyare good!"
"One ought to know that!"
"It was my father who taught me to know them."
Rosalie was silent for a moment, then she said:
"Would you like me to come and see you?"
"I should love to have you if you'll promise not to tell anyone where Ilive," said Perrine, delightedly.
"I promise," said Rosalie, solemnly.
"Well, when will you come?"
"On Sunday I am going to see one of my aunts at Saint-Pipoy; on my wayback in the afternoon I can stop...."
Perrine hesitated for a moment, then she said amiably:
"Do better than just call; stay to dinner with me."
Rosalie, like the real peasant that she was, began to reply vaguely ina ceremonious fashion, neither saying yes nor no; but it was quite plainto see that she wished very much to accept the invitation. Perrineinsisted.
"Do come; I shall be so pleased," she said. "I am so lonesome."
"Well, really...." began Rosalie.
"Yes, dine with me; that is settled," said Perrine, brightly; "but youmust bring your own spoon, because I shall not have the time nor the tinto make another one."
"Shall I bring my bread also? I can...."
"I wish you would. I'll wait for you in the gypsy's ground. You'll findme doing my cooking."
Perrine was very pleased at the thought of receiving a guest in her ownhome ... there was a menu to compose, provisions to find ... what anaffair! She felt quite important. Who would have said a few days beforethat she would be able to offer dinner to a friend!
But there was a serious side. Suppose she could not find any eggs orcatch a fish! Her menu then would be reduced to sorrel soup only. What adinner!
But fortune favored her. On Friday evening she found some eggs. True,they were only water-hen's eggs, and not so large as the duck's eggs,but then she must not be too particular. And she was just as lucky withher fishing. With a red worm on the end of her line, she managed tocatch a fine perch, which was quite sufficient to satisfy hers andRosalie's appetite. Yet, however, she wanted a dessert, and somegooseberries growing under a weeping willow furnished it. True, theywere not quite ripe, but the merit of this fruit is that you can eat itgreen.
When, late Sunday afternoon, Rosalie arrived at the gypsy campingground, she found Perrine seated before her fire upon which the soup wasboiling.
"I waited for you to mix the yolk of an egg in the soup," said Perrine."You have only to turn it with your free hand while I gently pour thesoup over it; the bread is soaked."
Although Rosalie had dressed herself specially for this dinner, she wasnot afraid to help. This was play, and it all seemed very amusing toher.
Soon the soup was ready, and it only had to be carried across to theisland. This Perrine did.
The cabin door was open, and Rosalie could see before she entered thatthe place was filled with flowers. In each corner were grouped, inartistic showers, wild roses, yellow iris, cornflowers, and poppies, andthe floor was entirely covered with a beautiful soft green moss.
Rosalie's exclamations of delight amply repaid Perrine for all thetrouble she had taken.
"How beautiful! Oh, isn't it pretty!" she exclaimed.
On a bed of fresh ferns two large flat leaves were placed opposite eachother; these were to serve for plates; and on a very much larger leaf,long and narrow, which is as it should be for a dish, the perch wasplaced, garnished with a border of watercress. Another leaf, but verysmall, served as a salt-cellar, also another holding the dessert.Between each dish was a white anemone, its pure whiteness standing outdazzlingly against the fresh verdure.
"If you will sit down...." said Perrine, extending her hand. And whenthey had taken their seats opposite one another the dinner commenced.
"How sorry I should have been if I hadn't have come," said Rosalie,speaking with her mouth full; "it is so pretty and so good."
"Why shouldn't you have come?"
"Because they wanted to send me to Picquigny for Mr. Bendit; he is ill."
"What's the matter with him?"
"He's got typhoid fever. He's very ill. Since yesterday he hasn't knownwhat he's been talking about, and he doesn't know anybody. And I had anidea about you...."
"Me! What about me?"
"Something you can do...."
"If there is anything I can do for Mr. Bendit I'd be only too willing.He was kind to me; but I'm only a poor girl; I don't understand."
"Give me a little more fish and some more watercress, and I'll explain,"said Rosalie. "You know that Mr. Bendit has charge of the foreigncorrespondence; he translates the English and German letters. Naturally, ashe is off his head now, he can't translate. They wanted to get somebodyelse to replace him, but as this other man might take his place after heis better (that is, if he does get better), M. Fabry and M. Mombleux havetaken charge of the work, so that he will be sure to have his job when he'sup again. But now M. Fabry has been sent away to Scotland and M. Mombleuxis in a fix, because, although he can read German all right, he's not muchon English. If the writing isn't very clear he can't make out the lettersat all. I heard him saying so at the ta
ble when I was waiting on them. So Ithought I'd tell him that you can speak English just as good as you canFrench."
"I spoke French with my father, and English with my mother," saidPerrine, "and when we were all three talking together we spoke sometimesone, sometimes the other, mixing two languages without payingattention."
"I wasn't sure whether I should say anything about you or not, but now Iwill, if you like."
"Why, yes; do, if you think a poor girl like me could be of any use tothem."
"'Tain't a question of being a poor girl or a young lady; it's aquestion of knowing English," said Rosalie.
"I speak it, but to translate a business letter is another thing," saidPerrine, doubtfully.
"It'll be all right with M. Mombleux; he knows the business part."
"Well, then, tell him I shall be very pleased if I can do anything forM. Bendit."
"I'll tell him."
The perch, although a large one, had all been eaten, and all thewatercress had disappeared. It was now time for the dessert. Perrine gotup and replaced the fish plates with smaller leaf plates in the shape ofa cup; she had picked the prettiest, with variegated shades, and markedas exquisitely as enameled ware. Then she offered her guest thegooseberries.
"Let me offer you some fruit from my own garden," she said, laughing, asthough she were playing at keeping doll's house.
"Where is your garden?"
"Over your head. There is a gooseberry bush growing in the branches ofthis willow tree which holds up the cabin, so it seems."
"You know you won't be able to live in here much longer," said Rosalie.
"Until the winter, I think."
"Until winter! Why, the bird catchers will need this place pretty soon;that I'm sure."
"Oh! ... Oh, dear ... Oh, dear!"
The day, which had begun so brightly for Perrine, ended sadly. Thatnight was certainly the worst Perrine had passed since she had been onher little island.
Where should she go?
And all her utensils that she had taken such trouble to make; whatshould she do with them?