Nobody's Girl

e place where she belonged that she felt she could not. She had learned that the little garden was reserved for the boarders and that the factory hands were not pri

l the streets, and as everyone stared at her, being a strange

noticed a wood. Perhaps she would be alone there and

s and looked down over the village ... her father's birthpla

the big vans standing outside the Gates of Paris. This was not a country of dreams. She was in Maraucourt; before her she could see th

he quaint houses with their tiled or thatched roofs. Amongst the very old houses there was one which seemed more pretentious than the

in that wash-house on washing days, listening to the washerwomen's chatter and to the stories they told, quaint old legends. He had remembered them all those years, and later on had told them to his little daughte

e found another grassy nook and sat down again, very thou

ll. How would she ever be able to realize her dead mother's hopes? She trembled; it all seeme

and ten sous a day, although not much, it was far better now for her than a few days a

he was so ignorant of everything, and she soon realized that this was a task beyond her. If her mother had reached Maraucourt she would have known just what t

r mother brought tears to her eye

ar mother,"

came to her: "I see ... I k

their souls hovering between Heaven and earth, may have sometimes

ore hopeful, and it seemed to her that the light evening breeze which fanned her cheek from time to time brought her a k

s moment like a guardian angel? For a long time she sat deep in thought. Her beautiful litt

ter of marguerites. She got up quickly and pic

f the petals, one at a time, saying: "I shall succeed; a little; a lot; completely; not at all

would have told her the answer. So, with a heart bea

; a little; a lo

r, over her lips. It was surely her mother's reply i

sing, floating lightly around the great trees. Here and there little lights from behind the windows of the

o cover her and a bed to sleep in; besides, as she was to get up ear

he cabarets. They were full. Men and women were seated at the tables drinking. From the open do

h liquor was sold. On her tramps along the high roads and through the various towns she had seen many drinking pla

was a lighted candle, a piece of newspaper protecting the light, around which the moths

and recognized her. For the pleasure of speaking

ave a good night

he replied. "G

been?" he cont

s the woods," she repli

alo

not know an

nd read. There is nothing bet

e no b

'll lend you

night,

in the doorway ta

o go to bed no

ke to," repl

rst you'll have to arrange with gran

beforehand, was quickly settled. Perrine laid her twenty-eight

llage, little one?" asked Mother Fr

it is p

o it if yo

I ask," rep

n three. Between you, that'll be five francs a day. With that you're rich ... if you don't drink; but one mustn't drink. It's a good thing that M. V

ening, had been looking at her, saw that the sheets were made of a thick yellow canvas. It was so long since she had slept in sheets that she ought to think herself fortunate to get even these, hard though

eated on a clump of wood or standing about, talking and smoking, waiting for the hour t

, six beds were placed along the length of the walls, and the passage between the beds was only one yard wide. Six people, then, had to spend the night in a place where

ie, "you think it'

rather," was

t one hundred sous, you

swered Perrine, wi

be out in the woods and fields. If she had been able to endure the odo

Rosalie, pointing to on

laced on four feet and held together by two

never give old straw to anyone to sleep on. In the

ny beds in the little room

Rosalie, in reply to Perrine's questioning

ad any underwear they could make use of these, but as Perrine had only

night it's 'cause she's been drinking; she's a chatterbox. Tomorrow you get

d thank you," r

nts of the room. But when she was between the sheets she did not feel so comfortable as she had hoped, for they were very rough

e to time she glanced at Perrine, but without saying a word. As she was in her Sunday clothes, her disrobing took longer t

relating what had happened during the day. In the narrow space between the beds they pulled out and pushed back thei

t a

ing another bed

ut I won

o? It ain't no bet

gth, however, when the two who had first arrived were in bed, a li

rk at the factories, the quarrels, the doings of the heads of the concern-M. Vulfran Paindavoine and his nephews, whom they called "the kids," and

ed to hear everything, for this information might be of great importance to her,

n gathered that "Skinny", "Judas", and "Sneak" were all one and the same man, and that man was Taloue

sleep," at

why

e hasn't c

outside whe

was

couldn't

ink she can g

re abou

we lock t

hat a row s

Sunday; m

he sound of heavy shambling fo

e sh

hen there was a fall

falle

she can't

s well on the

d sleep

nued, interrupted

out a thick voice; "gi

move. After a time

to sleep.

ep at all; on the contrary, she was usin

me a hand, child. La

l came from the bottom of the stairs, and became m

to me," she wailed. "Oh! oh! the

ughter came f

yet, Laide; that's why yer don

nd we'll have som

won't find her, and it'll all begin

r a hand, Laide

lf," reto

he wan

slipping on her skirt,

ried La Noyelle, brokenly,

rove all thoughts of gett

I'll treat you to a glass; come

would not

on to bed,

continued

e, La Noyelle repeating th

irls in bed. "How long is this going to ke

like this every Sund

en fields, with their dark shadows and the chances of bad weather, was far better than this crowded room, reeking wi

oot of the stairs. La Noyelle's voice co

wn the narrow stairs. Then came the sound of angry voices, heavy footsteps and blows. The people o

dragged into the room

you that you should

and put her into bed, but even then she di

at you should treat me so badly.

eryone was so exasperated that the

o distraction. Now and again her voice dropped as though she were going off to sleep, then suddenly she cried out in a shriller voice,

y Sunday. How could they put up with her? Was there no

rbed her, but the air was now so stif

r rather it was only a prolonge

was oppressed. It seemed as though a hammer was beating o

ls in the room were not stifled like her, it was because they were accustomed to this a

tunately one does not breathe as one wishes, nor when one wishes.

er bed was placed. She tore away the paper, doing so as quietly as possible so as not to wake the girls beside her. Then putt