Nobody's Boy. Hector Malot

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СКАЧАТЬ looked at him."

      "Remi, come here."

      I went over to the table, my knees trembling.

      "There, don't be afraid, little one," said the old man.

      "Just look at him," said Barberin again.

      "I don't say that he is a homely child, if he was I wouldn't want him. I don't want a monster."

      "Ah, now if he was a monster with two ears, or even a dwarf. … "

      "You'd keep him, you could make your fortune out of a monster. But this little boy is not a dwarf, nor a monster, so you can't exhibit him: he's made the same as others, and he's no good for anything."

      "He's good for work."

      "He's not strong."

      "Not strong, him! Land's sakes! He's as strong as any man, look at his legs, they're that solid! Have you ever seen straighter legs than his?"

      Barberin pulled up my pants.

      "Too thin," said the old man.

      "And his arms?" continued Barberin.

      "Like his legs … might be better. They can't hold out against fatigue and poverty."

      "What, them legs and arms? Feel 'em. Just see for yourself."

      The old man passed his skinny hand over my legs and felt them, shaking his head the while and making a grimace.

      I had already seen a similar scene enacted when the cattle dealer came to buy our cow. He also had felt and pinched the cow. He also had shaken his head and said that it was not a good cow, it would be impossible to sell it again, and yet after all he had bought it and taken it away with him. Was the old man going to buy me and take me away with him? Oh, Mother Barberin! Mother Barberin!

      If I had dared I would have said that only the night before Barberin had reproached me for seeming delicate and having thin arms and legs, but I felt that I should gain nothing by it but an angry word, so I kept silent.

      For a long time they wrangled over my good and bad points.

      "Well, such as he is," said the old man at last, "I'll take him, but mind you, I don't buy him outright. I'll hire him. I'll give you twenty francs a year for him."

      "Twenty francs!"

      "That's a good sum, and I'll pay in advance."

      "But if I keep him the town will pay me more than ten francs a month."

      "I know what you'd get from the town, and besides you've got to feed him."

      "He will work."

      "If you thought that he could work you wouldn't be so anxious to get rid of him. It is not for the money that's paid for their keep that you people take in lost children, it's for the work that you can get out of them. You make servants of them, they pay you and they themselves get no wages. If this child could have done much for you, you would have kept him."

      "Anyway, I should always have ten francs a month."

      "And if the Home, instead of letting you have him, gave him to some one else, you wouldn't get anything at all. Now with me you won't have to run for your money, all you have to do is to hold out your hand."

      He pulled a leather purse from his pocket, counting out four silver pieces of money; he threw them down on the table, making them ring as they fell.

      "But think," cried Barberin; "this child's parents will show up one day or the other."

      "What does that matter?"

      "Well, those who've brought him up will get something. If I hadn't thought of that I wouldn't have taken him in the first place."

      Oh! the wicked man! How I did dislike Barberin!

      "Now, look here, it's because you think his parents won't show up now that you're turning him out," said the old man. "Well, if by any chance they do appear, they'll go straight to you, not to me, for nobody knows me."

      "But if it's you who finds them?"

      "Well, in that case we'll go shares and I'll put thirty down for him now."

      "Make it forty."

      "No, for what he'll do for me that isn't possible."

      "What do you want him to do for you? For good legs, he's got good legs; for good arms, he's got good arms. I hold to what I said before. What are you going to do with him?"

      Then the old man looked at Barberin mockingly, then emptied his glass slowly:

      "He's just to keep me company. I'm getting old and at night I get a bit lonesome. When one is tired it's nice to have a child around."

      "Well, for that I'm sure his legs are strong enough."

      "Oh, not too much so, for he must also dance and jump and walk, and then walk and jump again. He'll take his place in Signor Vitalis' traveling company."

      "Where's this company?"

      "I am Signor Vitalis, and I'll show you the company right here."

      With this he opened the sheepskin and took out a strange animal which he held on his left arm, pressed against his chest. This was the animal that had several times raised the sheepskin, but it was not a little dog as I had thought. I found no name to give to this strange creature, which I saw for the first time. I looked at it in astonishment. It was dressed in a red coat trimmed with gold braid, but its arms and legs were bare, for they really were arms and legs, and not paws, but they were covered with a black, hairy skin, they were not white or pink. The head which was as large as a clenched fist was wide and short, the turned-up nose had spreading nostrils, and the lips were yellow. But what struck me more than anything, were the two eyes, close to each other, which glittered like glass.

      "Oh, the ugly monkey!" cried Barberin.

      A monkey! I opened my eyes still wider. So this was a monkey, for although I had never seen a monkey, I had heard of them. So this little tiny creature that looked like a black baby was a monkey!

      "This is the star of my company," said Signor Vitalis. "This is Mr. Pretty-Heart. Now, Pretty-Heart,"—turning to the animal—"make your bow to the society."

      The monkey put his hand to his lips and threw a kiss to each of us.

      "Now," continued Signor Vitalis, holding out his hand to the white spaniel, "the next. Signor Capi will have the honor of introducing his friends to the esteemed company here present."

      The spaniel, who up till this moment had not made a movement, jumped up quickly, and standing on his hind paws, crossed his fore paws on his chest and bowed to his master so low that his police helmet touched the ground. This polite duty accomplished, he turned to his companions, and with one paw still pressed on his chest, he made a sign with the other for them to draw nearer. The two dogs, whose eyes had been fixed СКАЧАТЬ