Ball of Suet: Selected Short Stories by Maupassant

Chapter 4 Balls of Suet (3)
In such a situation, everyone naturally talked about war.Everyone was full of emotion about the atrocities of the Prussians and the feats of the French. These people who were fleeing were all paying homage to the courage of others.Everyone talked about their experiences, Ball-of-Fat was no exception, and when she told how she left Rouen, she was obviously emotional, as courtesans often are when they are really emotional.She recalled: "At first I thought I could stay. There was a lot of food at home, so I would rather let some soldiers eat and drink in my house than wander around and escape. But when I saw these Prussians, I couldn't help myself! They came and made me so angry that I felt a shame like never before, and I even cried all day because of it. Oh, if only I was a man! I watched from the window They, those fat pigs with pointed helmets, if the maid hadn't grabbed my hand, I would have thrown the furniture of the house on them. Then a Prussian came to live in my house, and I jumped on it and strangled it. The neck of the first guy. Actually, choking them is no harder than choking someone else! If it wasn't for someone pulling my hair, I would have taken that guy out. I had to hide afterwards and take a chance I ran away, so I got into this car."

The crowd applauded her behavior.No one else here has such courage as her, so they all speak highly of her.Especially Cornides, when listening to Ball-of-Fat, always maintained an apostolic approval and a friendly smile, just like a priest listening to a believer praising God, and democrats with long beards monopolize patriotism, just as the clergy have a monopoly on religion.Then he showed off his eloquence in a lecturing tone, using the flamboyant tone he had learned from the daily bulletins posted on the wall, and impassionedly reprimanded the "rogue Batangai Batangai is the nickname of Napoleon III." .

Ball-of-Fat got angry immediately after hearing this, because she was a Bonapartist who supported the Napoleonic dynasty. .I saw her face flushed redder than a cherry, and she stammered angrily: "I want to see what you guys would do in his position. It's really despicable, yes, that's it! It was you who betrayed him, and you are still plausible here! If you were governed by people like you, France would have ceased to exist long ago!" Cornid was indifferent to Ball-of-Fat's words, and always maintained a kind of contempt and arrogance but it was felt that he was about to curse, so the count hurried out to intervene, declaring that all sincere opinions should be respected, and thus calmed the angry girl.In this unfriendly conflict, the countess and the wife of the owner of the textile factory all stood on the side of the ball of fat. They felt that it was necessary to be righteous at this time. The instinctive tenderness of a mighty and despotic government always harbors in it the natural hatred of a cultured man for a republic.

The basket is quickly empty.Ten people ate all they could eat without difficulty, and at the same time regretting that the basket hadn't been bigger.They began to talk again, but not as intensely after eating as they had been eating.

Night fell slowly, and the sky was getting darker and darker.When the food is slowly being digested, it is most sensitive to the cold. Even though the ball of suet is plump, it can't help shivering.Mrs. Breville offered to lend her her own little stove, in which the coals had been changed several times since morning.Ball-of-Fat was not polite, and immediately took it. She felt that her feet were about to freeze.Madame Loiseau and Madame Carré-Ramadon also lent their stove to two nuns.

It was getting dark, and the groom turned on the headlights.The strong light illuminated the sweating buttocks of the shaft horse, and there was a cloud of hot air above.The white snow on both sides of the road changes in the changing light and shadow.

It was very dark in the car, and I couldn't see anything clearly, but there seemed to be some small movement between Cornid and Ball-of-Fat. Loiseau's eyes searched hard in the shadows, and he was sure that he saw Cornid He was beaten violently without making a sound, and quickly dodged away.

A light appeared on the road ahead, and Thoth had finally arrived.Eleven hours on the road, plus two hours for the horse to eat oatmeal and pant four times, it took a total of fourteen hours. .After the carriage entered the town, it stopped at the entrance of the business hotel.

The door opened, but a rather familiar sound—the scabbard hitting the ground—shocked all the passengers.Then there was a shout from a German.

The carriage stopped there, motionless, and no one got off, as if they would be killed as soon as they got out.A lamp carried by the coachman suddenly illuminated two rows of ten panic-stricken faces throughout the carriage, whose mouths and eyes widened with surprise and terror.

Beside the coachman stood a German officer.He was a tall, thin young man with blond hair, and his whole body was tightly wrapped in a military uniform, like a girl in a corset.He wore his oilcloth flat cap askew like a porter in an English hotel.He had a very interesting mustache, long and straight, spreading thinner and thinner on both sides, until there was only a golden beard, so thin that you couldn't see the end of it.His mustache seems to be pressed against the corner of his mouth, pulling down his cheeks and printing a falling crease on his lips.

He used the province of Alsace in the northeastern part of France in the old days, which bordered Germany across the Rhine River. After the Franco-Prussian War, it was ceded to Germany together with Lorraine, and it was taken back by France after World War I.French said bluntly: "Gentlemen and ladies, please get out of the car."

The nuns, accustomed to obedience, got out of the car meekly first.Then the count and countess, followed by the miller and his wife, and Loiseau pushing his tall wife ahead of him.As soon as his feet hit the ground, he said to the German officer, "Good morning, sir," more out of caution than out of politeness.The other party glanced at him but ignored him, like all people in power.

Although Ball-of-Fat and Cornid were sitting at the door of the car, they were the last to get out of the car. They looked solemn and proud.The fat girl tried to control her emotions and keep her composure, while the democrat used a slightly trembling hand.Like a tragedy, he kept twirling his long reddish-brown beard.They think that in this kind of occasion, everyone represents their own country, so there should be dignity.They resent the obedience of their fellow travelers.Ball-of-Fat tried to appear more self-respecting than the decent women around him, while Cornid felt that he should be a role model, and continued to fulfill the mission of digging holes on the road to fight against the enemy in every word and deed.

A group of people went to the large kitchen of the hotel, and the Germans asked them to show the departure permit issued by the commander-in-chief, which stated the name, physical characteristics and occupation of each passenger.He looked at these people for a long time, comparing each person with the content on the certificate.

Finally he said suddenly, "That's right," and walked away.

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, because they were hungry again, and taught others to prepare dinner.Since cooking takes at least half an hour, when the two maids are busy with meals, they each go to their own rooms.The rooms are all in a long corridor, and at the end of the corridor there is a door marked with a well-known number 100, which stands for the toilet.Door with glass on top.

When we all sat down to eat, the innkeeper himself came.He used to be a horse dealer, and he was a fat man suffering from asthma, with a constant whirring in his throat, a hoarse voice, and constant phlegm.His father had passed on the surname Franvie to him.

He asked: "Who is Miss Elizabeth Roussey?"

Ball-of-Fat shuddered, turned around and replied, "I am."

"Miss, the Prussian officer would like to speak to you at once."

"With me?"

"You are right if you are Miss Elizabeth Roussey."

She was confused, thought for a while, and then made it clear: "Maybe he is looking for me, but I don't want to go."

There was a commotion all around her, everyone was expressing their opinions, and inquiring into the reason for the order, the count approached her and said: "You are mistaken, madame, for your refusal may not only be given to you, but to all your companions." Both bring serious consequences. Never rebel against the most powerful. There is no danger in him asking you to go, probably to make up for some formality."

Everyone begged her, urged her, repeatedly advised her, and finally persuaded her, because they were all afraid that her refusal would cause trouble.At last Ball-of-Fat said: "I went for you, that's all!"

The countess took her hand: "We will all thank you for that."

And so she went.Everyone waited for her to come back before eating.Everyone felt a little regretful, why it was not him who was summoned, but this shameless prostitute. Everyone was silently preparing some flattering words, so that they could say the wrong thing when it was their turn to be summoned.

Ten minutes later, Ball-of-Fat came back out of breath and flushed with anger.She tossed and said, "What a bastard! Rascal!"

Everyone was eager to know what was going on, but she remained silent.After repeated questioning by the count, she replied very solemnly: "It's nothing, it has nothing to do with you, so it's better not to say anything."

Everyone sat down around a large soup bowl with a cover, and the cabbage in the bowl revealed a fragrant aroma.Even though there was a hiccup just now, the dinner was enjoyable.The Loiseaus and the two nuns ordered cider to save money.Everyone except Cornides ordered some wine.Cornid wanted beer.He uncapped the bottle in a unique way, let the beer froth quickly, and put the glass on its side in front of the lamp to carefully appreciate the color of the wine.His beard was the same shade as his drink of choice, and it quivered softly as he drank.His eyes were fixed on the tankard without blinking, as if performing the only duty he was born to perform.He had two lifelong passions: ale and revolution.Spiritually the two are so close that one cannot forget the other when savoring the other.

At the other end of the table the Franvie couple were eating.The man was panting like a broken locomotive. If he talked while eating, his chest would become more difficult to breathe due to lack of ventilation.But the woman kept talking.She went on and on about her impressions of the Prussians, what they did and said.She hated the Prussians because they squandered her money, and because she had two sons in the army.She talked the most to the countess, and she took the comfort of being able to talk to a lady of state.

She even lowered her voice to talk about more sensitive issues.Her husband interrupted her from time to time: "You'd better shut up, Mrs. Franvie." But she pretended not to hear, and went on: "You know, ma'am, these people only eat potatoes and pork , or pork and potatoes. Don't think they're hygienic. They're not! I tell you, they defecate everywhere. But if you've ever seen them practice, they practice for hours. For a few days, they kept walking forward, backward, turning left, and turning right in an open field. In fact, they could plant land or build roads in their own country! But they didn’t, ma’am , these soldiers are useless. They can only be supported by the common people, they don't learn anything, they only kill people! Yes, I'm just an old woman with no knowledge, but I see them treading from morning to night, exhausted , I thought: some people have invented so many things to be useful people, do we need other people to suffer so much just to kill people! Whether it is to kill Prussians, British, Poles, or French , Killing is indeed a terrible thing, right? If someone hurts you, you take revenge for it. This is not good, and you will be sentenced; but people shoot our young man with a machine gun like hunting, which is wrong, why not? How about awarding medals to the person who kills the most? God, what's going on here, I just don't understand!"

Cornid raised his voice: "If you attack a peaceful neighboring country, war is a barbaric act; if you fight for the peace of the country, it is a sacred duty."

Franvie's wife bowed her head and said: "Yes, self-defense is another matter. But shouldn't one kill rulers who take pleasure in war?"

Cornid's eyes lit up, and he said, "Well done, female citizen."

Carré-Lamadon had been thinking.Although he fanatically admired all outstanding commanders, the old woman's insight made him think that so many people are sitting and eating without doing anything. bring much wealth.

Loiseau left his seat and went up to the innkeeper, talking in a low voice.The fat man was laughing, coughing, and spitting, and Loiseau's jokes made his huge belly bob up and down.Soon, he ordered six large barrels of Bordeaux wine from Loiseau, and agreed to deliver them when the Prussians left in the spring.

After dinner, everyone went to bed because they were so tired.

But Loiseau did not fall asleep.After he had put his wife to bed, he put his ear to the door, his eyes to the keyhole, to discover what he called "mysteries in the corridors."

After an hour or so, he heard a rustle of dresses, and he immediately looked out, and saw Ball-of-Fat.She was wearing cashmere fingers embroidered with white lace.The dressing gown made her look even fatter.Holding a candle tray in her hand, she walked towards the well-known numbered room (referring to the toilet) at the end of the corridor.But another door opened gently, and when she walked back a few minutes later, Cornid followed her in overalls.They spoke in low voices, then stopped.It seemed that Ball-of-Fat had firmly forbidden Cornid to enter her room.It's a pity that Loiseau couldn't hear exactly what they were talking about.But at last they raised their voices and heard a few words clearly.Cornid insisted fiercely, and said, "Look at you, why bother, what is this kind of thing to you?"

Ball-of-Fat seemed offended, and replied: "No, my dear, such a thing cannot be done at this hour, and it would be a disgrace to do it here."

Cornid felt baffled and asked why.

At last Ball-of-Fat lost his temper, and raised his voice even higher: "Why? You really don't understand why? Didn't know there was a Prussian in the room, perhaps in the next room?"

Cornid fell silent.The patriotic sense of shame aroused his weakening pride in the presence of enemies, and a whore could touch her casually. He only hugged her, and then quietly went back to his room.

Loiseau looked hot all over, and after leaving the keyhole, he did a dance in the room, where he jumped up and then his feet hit each other several times. .He put on his brightly colored cotton nightcap, lifted the sheet from his bone-bone wife, woke her up with a kiss, and whispered, "Love me, darling?"

The whole house fell silent.But not long after, somewhere in an unknown direction, maybe the cellar or the attic, there was a loud, monotonous, regular snoring sound, like a boiler shaking under steam pressure-dull and long, It was Mr. Franvie, the innkeeper, asleep.

8 o'clock the next morning is the scheduled departure time.When the time came, everyone came to the kitchen to gather and prepare to go.But the car was parked alone in the yard, with a layer of snow on top of the tarpaulin, without horses or grooms.Everyone went to the stables, the hayloft, and the garage to look for the groom, but in vain.So the men decided to go out and look for it, and they went out.They came to the square, facing a church, with some low houses on both sides, and some Prussian soldiers in them.One of the soldiers they saw was peeling potatoes.Another soldier, a little further off, was washing down the barber shop.And a bearded soldier rocking a crying child on his lap.Kissing, trying to keep the child as quiet as possible.Those fat peasant women, whose husbands fought in the army, are pointing out to the victor what to do with hand gestures. The soldiers are obediently chopping wood, pouring soup on slices of bread, and grinding coffee. One of the soldiers even helped his landlady .A crippled old woman was doing laundry.

The count was greatly astonished by this scene, and asked the deacon who had come out of the parsonage.The very pious old man replied: "Alas! These people are not bad people, they are said to be not Prussians. They come from farther places, I don't know where. They didn't come out to fight voluntarily. They have wives and children at home. I Believe their wives and children are crying for these men too, the war will make them suffer as much as we do. We don't have too much trouble here now, because these people don't do bad things, they work as if they are in their own home. You see, Sir, the poor should help each other...Only the great are fond of war."

(End of this chapter)