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Then he straightened himself, filled a pipe,and had a look at Leithen.
Buther
sister offered an exposed front to fortune.
It was the fourth day of May, a
perfect spring day. Thecontract was for a month, but with provision for an
indefiniteextension.
This valley had been hisroad down country long ago. He
found himself in a mood almost of regret.
And there wassomething beyond of
which the memory was even sharper.
You shall sleep here, monsieur, andshare my
supper. Now, monsieur, it is imperative that you goto bed, for you are very
weary. Galliards trouble has nothing to do with his health.
His hair was a
little ruffled by the wind, and one hand wasrepelling the advances of a
terrier. Hes a fascinating human being and rousesno antagonisms. Gain, hetold
himself, for he implicated no one in his calamity.
No doubt Augustin can lodge
Monsieur Frizel, but I fear he willhave rough quarters.
You can put up at the
farm, and I dare say I canget a shake-down at the presbytery. Apart from my own
outfit you are the firstman Ive seen for a month. He felt likesome disembodied
creature, for already he seemed to have shed allordinary interests. He simply
was notconcerned about other things. Not even if I turn myself into a complete
invalid? There was a charming athleticism about her; shehad none of Barbaras
airy fragility. He found himself in a mood almost of regret. Johnny was a small
man, about five feet six, with broad shouldersand sturdy, bandy legs. Francis
had been here and hadenjoined secrecy on the priest and no doubt on old
Augustin.
Suddenly he was haunted by a recollection, a shadow at the back ofhis
mind. There is little time for any of us, said the old man.
Wehave no
geographical frontier left, but weve an eternal frontierin our minds. Oddly
enough, it was of anolder man, with a rough yellow beard. Leithen decided that
this was what he had expected.
For supper there was soup and the fowl, and
coffee made by one whohad learned the art in France. Leithen decided that this
was what he had expected.
The mountain meadow haunted his imagination. If he
hadstarted early in May he should just about have reached the Arcticshores. A
man can scarcely be if he lives in aperpetual flux.
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