Nobody's Girl

still stood before the grave. The Baroness,

away," she added more firmly as

nts, Perrine not knowing what was passing around her, nor understanding where t

black ribbons on her bonnet; Grain-of-Salt was dressed like a gentleman and wore a high silk hat; Carp had replaced his leather apron by a black Prince Albert which came down to his feet, and the candy man

e should speak first, being the most important person present; "I want to tel

d the Baroness, "you can earn enough

iness, I'll teach you; that's a real tr

he let her understand that she could always find a

s which washed away the bitterness of the burning

all are to me,

one can," sai

little girl like you on the stre

replied Perrine; "I must g

others with an air which said that he did not think that tho

r Am

go to Amiens? Hav

the train, but I'm g

know t

map in my

u which road you have to ta

you will t

tion, but it was all so confused and contrad

saying," he said. "Now, this is the way you must go," and he explai

mised my mother

ness, solemnly, "but not before I'

hook hand

itated and turned once more towards the grave tha

to go, go at once; i

said Grai

aly. From Paris to Amiens the road was easy; she had only to take the Calais road; this was indicated on her map by a little black line. From Amiens she wou

was contemplating. There would be bad days ... rainy days ... and how long would her money last? She had only five francs thirty-five centimes left. The train pulled up at the station at which she had to

forth clouds of thick, black smoke, and all along the road wagons, tramways and carts. Again she saw a lot of trucks bea

, nor the mysterious shadows, but of Paris, the crowd, the lights. She was now on the outskirts of the city. Before leaving it (although she had

bread, plea

woman, who did not seem to put much

please. Here is five francs.

he woman took up the five

laimed, making it rin

franc piece,"

pass that off on me?" a

ing you for a pound o

d you'd better get out of here as quickl

?" she stammer

you're

h!

n me. You vagabond ... you thief! Be

false, but vagabond she was. She had no home, no parents. What would

ry quickly, but although her fear w

ad, at least you can give me back my

eep your money. If you want it, go and fetch the pol

rd in the street, and several peopl

matter?" s

b my till," shouted the woman. "Ther

s she made for the door, hissing her and calling her names as she ran. She

nd herself in the country, and was able to stop and bre

onions, cabbages, but there was nothing there ready to eat, and besides, even if there had been ripe melons and trees laden with fruit, what good would they have been to her; she

lone she was; but she knew that she must not give way; she felt that while there was still light she must

she saw a man and woman picking artichoke heads and packing them in baskets, which they piled up in a cart that sto

yours all in?" ca

an. "It's no fun sleeping here all night to watch for

Monneau's lot?"

on us others watching out for his. He's not going to be

ious that Monneau should prosper. Didn't he profit

be a jo

irl. "I won't be a jiffy;

. At the end of the field was a little hut made of branches where the man who watched the field had slept. Perrine decided that she would stay there for the night, now that she knew it would not be occupied by the watch. She did not fear that she would be disturbed, yet she dared not take possession of the place until it was quite dark. She sat do

at she was like a tracked animal, and more than once she had looked

ping along the roads, overwhelmed by her great loss, it had seemed to her that she would never want to eat or drink again. She felt the pangs of hunger now and she had only one sou le

d father; now it was the spirits of both her father and her mother that seemed to hover around her. Again and again sh

of a cart on the road would wake her, and sometimes some mysterious noise, which in the silence of the night made her heart bea

t the end of the field, and by the pale light from the stars she could dimly see the form of a man or woman throwing out baskets to two othe

artichoke heads and heaped them up in the baskets. The woman had taken the cart away; evidently they did n

k. There was the chance that they would not discover her. For they certainly knew that the hut would not be occupied on this night

on broke out on her forehead. Thieves wo

eard the noise of a cart on the paved road. As it drew nearer t

r feverish haste it seemed to little Perrine that they would never be finished. Every

her to leave the hut. This could easily be done, but then they would be sure t

for her to go out without being seen, it was wiser to pretend

as their cart coming back. It stopped at the end of the field. In a few minutes the baskets were

ter if she went on her way. In the country people are about at an early hour. If, when day broke, the laborers going to work saw her com

on the alert for the slightest noi

s above were disappearing, and from the east a faint streak of lig