My father had suddenly become serious, and the
solemnity
of
his last words moved me deeply.
his last words moved me deeply.
Warner - World's Best Literature - v06 to v10 - Cal to Fro
.
.
.
I have not been very well.
Oh, a
mere nothing; a small ailment, a neglected cold. . .
A slight
cold, was it not, Yana? . . . I have lost it, as you see. Ah!
my boy, what good it does me to see you! . . . What fun we
shall have! We are going out into the country at once.
I
have prepared a surprise for you. "
I listened enchanted — oh the selfishness of childhood! The
promise of this expedition made me deaf to his cough — a dry,
convulsive cough which he tried to stifle by holding his silk hand-
kerchief to his mouth. Neither did I notice - or rather I did
notice but attached no importance to-- the bottles of medicine
and pill-boxes which stood on the chimney-piece and on the bed-
table. A bottle of syrup had just been opened, and a drop re-
mained in the silver spoon. Yana held a prescription in her
hand, which had been written that morning. A heavy odor of
opiates and other drugs filled the room. These details only
recurred to me afterwards.
My uncle took leave.
"Above all, no imprudence! ” he said to my father. « You
promise me? Be back in town before the dew falls. . . . I will
take George to school again to-morrow morning. ”
“Set your mind at rest; we will be wise! ” replied my father,
excited and preoccupied, thinking only of his child.
I believe that he was not sorry to find himself alone with me,
and as the prospect of returning to M - evoked by the old
officer, had saddened me, he took me on his knee.
## p. 5194 (#366) ###########################################
GEORGES EEKHOUD
5194
.
"Courage! little one,” he said. “It is not for long. I feel
too lonely since the death of your poor mother. I have told my
family that in the future I do not intend to be separated from
you . . . You have made your first communion, you are big,
you shall go back to school for a week, just time to pack
up and to settle in our new quarters.
Come, there, I am
betraying the secret . . . Never mind, after all, I may as well
tell you everything now. I have bought a pretty little house,
almost a farmstead, three miles from here. . . We are going to
live in the country, like peasants, to wear sabots and smocks.
Hey? That will make you grow. What do you say to it ?
We shall be always together. ”
I clapped my hands, and jumped round the room.
“What joy! Always we two, is that it ? Then we shall be
always together. Is it really true ? ”
"Really true. ”
We sealed this understanding in a long embrace.
An hour later my father, Yana, and I stepped into a landau
at the door.
It was one of those enervating equinoctial days when the
warmth and the intense quietness affect one almost to tears.
The sun, in a beautiful Flemish sky of pale, soft turquoise, had
dispersed the morning mist.
“Look at him, sir,” said Yana, pointing to me; "he is as
happy as a king! ”
“Now is the time to take in a plentiful supply of air," re-
marked my father; "one only needs to open one's mouth! ”
I opened mine quite wide, as if I were yawning.
What a difference, too, between this air and the air at school;
even that which one breathed out of doors in the cloistered
court, shut in by four forbidding high walls, sweating with damp
and decaying with mildew.
Seated with my back to the coachman, my hands on my
father's knee, I uttered exclamations of surprise and besieged
him with questions. He sat back in the carriage, shielded from
the wind by his big overcoat. Yana sat beside him; Lion ran on
in advance.
Passing along the chief street of the suburb, we came out
into the open country. The tufts of young leaves gave a sweet
freshness to the hoary trunks of the great beech-trees which
lined the road. In place of the yellow withered grass in the
## p. 5195 (#367) ###########################################
GEORGES EEKHOUD
5195
snows.
meadows, there was a vivid emerald carpet; splendid cows, with
well-rounded flanks and dewlaps reaching the ground, nibbled
the tender shoots. The full rows of young corn promised a
plentiful harvest. Between a double hedge of weeping-willows
and alders ran silvery waters, swollen by the melting of the late
When we passed a flower-garden the scent of lilac filled
the dreamy air. Gates with gilt knobs opened on avenues of
elms and oaks; sloping lawns led up to a castle, whose terrace
was ornamented with clipped and modeled orange-trees. The
majestic passing of a pair of big swans or the scurry of hare-
brained ducks stirred the stagnant pond, and left wakes amid
the flags and water-lilies.
Moss-grown farmsteads, flanked by barns with green shutters
fixed to the red bricks, draw-wells, chickens picking about on
the manure-heaps,—these were my chief delight. Sometimes a
countryman's cart with its white awning stood on one side for us
to pass.
We drove through Deurne, then through Wyneghem.
For the third time a slender spire lifted its gray-slated point
into the opaline sky.
“S'Gravenwezel tower! ” exclaimed Yana.
«S'Gravenwezel! But that is your village! ” I cried.
Are
we going to live there? ”
The good creature smiled in the affirmative.
Some few moments later, the driver, directed by Yana, stopped
in front of a lonely farm, a quarter of an hour away from the
rest of the long, straggling village.
“This is my parents' home! ” she said.
I can still see the little one-storied farmhouse, with its over-
hanging thatched roof, festooned with stone-crop, a white chalk
cross on the brickwork to protect it from lightning. At sound
of the carriage, the whole household ran to the door.
There was
Yana's father, a short, thick-set sexagenarian, bent but still
healthy-looking, his face wrinkled like old parchment, with a
stiff beard and bright eyes; the mother, a buxom woman about
ten years younger, very active despite her stoutness; then a host
of brothers and sisters, varying from twenty-five to fifteen; the
boys bold, dark, curly-headed, muscular, square-set fellows; the
girls fresh-looking, tanned by the sun, all like Yana their elder
sister, who, to my mind, was the most charming boerine annwers-
oise that one could imagine, with her dark hair, her big emerald-
## p. 5196 (#368) ###########################################
5196
GEORGES EEKHOUD
As they
green eyes and sweeping lashes. In honor of S'Gravenwezel
kermesse, - sounds of which could already be heard in the dis-
tance, — they said, but more in honor of our visit, the men wore
their Sunday trousers, and bright blue smocks coquettishly gath-
ered at the neck. The women had taken out their lace caps
with big wings, the head-dresses with silver pins, woolen dresses,
and large silk handkerchiefs which crossed over the breast and
fell in a point behind. The good people complimented my father
on his appearance.
« That is Mynheer's son, - Jonkheer Jorss! ”
In a few moments I had made friends with these simple cordial
folk, and particularly with a fine lad of nineteen — "onze Jan
(our Jean), said Yana — on the eve of drawing lots for the con-
scription.
When his sister laid the table,- for we were to stay to din-
ner there,- he offered to show me the orchard, the garden, and
the stables. I accepted joyfully. I could no longer keep still.
Jean, with my hand in his, took me first to the cows.
lay down, chained up in their sheds, they lowed piteously. The
dung-strewn bedding shone with bronze and old-gold, and the
far end of the stable resembled a picture by Rembrandt - at
least, it is thus that I recall to-day that reddish brown half-
light. That I might be better able to admire the animals,
he roused them with kick. They got uplazily, sulkily.
He told me their names and their good points. That big black
one, with the spot between her eyes, was Lottekè; this big glut-
ton chewing the early clover was called La Blanche.
a Blanche. Jan per-
suaded me to pat them. They rubbed their horns against the
posts which divided them. The boy told me that they were
excellent milkers. I counted six in all. A strong smell of milk
filled the air, warm with all this breathing, heaving animality.
Jan promised to take me to work in the fields with him when
I came to live in the village. I should dig the ground and
become a real peasant, a bocr like himself. Boer Jorss, he called
me, laughing But I took this prospect of country life quite
seriously; I admired the fine figure, the proud healthy bearing,
of this young peasant. I in my turn should grow like that, I
thought. A career such as his awaited me! That was better
than wearing a frock-coat and a black hat, than growing pale
and fevered over books and copies, and seeing nothing of beau-
tiful nature except what can be found in a suburb: weeds grow-
ing over waste places and patches of sky amid spotted roofs!
а
## p. 5197 (#369) ###########################################
GEORGES EEKHOUD
5197
He took me also to the garden, an oblong inclosure with well-
kept paths, and planted with sunflowers, peonies, and hollyhocks.
The beds were edged with strawberry plants, the fruit just
ripening. The kind lad promised me the first that were gathered.
We were called back to the house, while I was making the
acquaintance of Spits the watch-dog. The kermesse meal awaited
us.
At the express request of my father, who threatened to eat
nothing, the family, at least the men, sat down with us.
As to
the women, they all pretended to wait on us. My eyes wandered
with delight around this room, so new to me; the alcoves where
the parents and older members of the family slept, receded into
the wall and were hidden by flowered curtains; the wide chimney-
piece was ornamented with a crucifix and plates imprinted with
historical subjects; a branch of consecrated box hung below; then
there were enormous spits and the imposing chimney-hook.
Yana placed on the table a tureen of cabbage and bacon soup,
the smell of which would have aroused the appetite of the dead.
We all made the sign of the cross, bowed our heads and
clasped our hands over the soup-basins, the savory smell from
which rose towards the smoky beam like the perfume of incense.
For some seconds nothing was audible save the lowing of the
cows from the sheds, the buzzing of flies on the window-panes,
and the striking of S'Gravenwezel clock, which rang out midday
with the silvery, melancholy chimes of village bells.
What a delicious meal we had! My father thought of all the
most expressive adjectives in the patois to express the merits of
the soup, I sang the praises of the eggs which served as a golden
frame to the red-and-white slices of ham. A mountain of mealy
potatoes disappeared beneath our lively forks, I had a healthy
country appetite!
Yana, who was touched, declared that her master had not
eaten so much for a month.
We were obliged to taste all the products of the farm: butter,
milk, cream cheese, early vegetables, and fruit. I laughed at
Yana, who had thought it necessary to bring provisions. She
did not know the parental hospitality! But I no longer made
fun of her forethought when she brought out the contents of
the wonderful basket: two bottles of old wine and a plum tart
of her own making, which she placed triumphantly in the mid-
dle of the table. They all drank to my father's health, to mine,
and to our happy stay in S'Gravenwezel.
## p. 5198 (#370) ###########################################
5198
GEORGES EEKHOUD
"It is settled, then, that in a week's time you shall come to
my house-warming, you hear, all of you! ” said my father defi-
nitely. . “And now, Djodgy, we must be going, for you
are longing to see our nest. ”
Jan came with us. He walked behind with his sister. Lion
ran backwards and forwards, showing his joy by his wild leaps
and bounds, and chasing the small animals which he raised
among the rye.
Poppies and cornflowers already lit up the changing ears of
corn with their bright color, and white or brown butterflies flitted
above like animated flowers. We had followed a path which ran
across the cornfields, behind Ambroes farm, to the left of the
high road. Some minutes later we skirted a little oak wood,
and immediately behind it my father pointed our home out
to me.
Simple cottage! you haunt me still, above all in springtime,
when the air is warm and soft as on that memorable day.
Your white walls will ever be to me a sad though sweet and
loving memory.
The little house was simple and quiet as possible. There was
one story only, and it contained but four rooms. An out-house
with hen-roost, which would serve as a shed for the gardener,
stood on one side. Yana's brother had for the time being put
into it a pretty white kid, which bleated loudly at our approach;
he ran to set it free.
Fruit-trees covered the wall facing south. The inclosure, en-
circled by a hedge of beech, was half orchard, half pleasure
garden, and covered an area of three thousand metres. In front
of the house was a square lawn, divided by a path from the gate
to the front door. Leafy copses of plantain, chestnuts, American
oaks, and birches, offered delightful retreats on either side of the
house for reading or dreaming. As we went round the grounds,
my father explained with animation the improvements which he
projected. Here was to be a clump of rhododendrons, here a bed
of Orléans roses, there a grove of lilacs. He consulted me with
a feverish “Hey? " He was excited, unreserved; rarely had I seen
him in such high spirits. Since the death of my mother his
beautiful, sonorous, and contagious laugh had been heard no
more.
Chattering thus, we came to a mound at the bottom of the
garden, from which we could see a corner of the village; the
## p. 5199 (#371) ###########################################
GEORGES EEKHOUD
5199
over-
spire emerging from a screen of limes, the crossed sails of a
silent mill perched on a grassy knoll, farms scattered among corn-
fields and meadows, until the plain was lost in the horizon.
“Look, George,” he said, “this will be our world in future.
It will be good for us both to live here; for if I need
solace, you will gain equally. . . . No more confinement, my dear
little fellow; we are rich enough to live in the country as phi-
losophers. . . . And when I am gone . . . for one must provide
for everything. . . . " He stopped. I remember that a broken-
winded barrel organ ground out a polka behind the screen of
limes which shut off the village.
My father had suddenly become serious, and the solemnity of
his last words moved me deeply. Then that distant melancholy air
made me shudder. When he had finished speaking, he coughed
for a long time.
We were seated on the slope, our backs to the house, facing
the vast plain, the silence of which was rendered more
whelming by the jarring notes of the barrel organ.
“Father,” I murmured, as if in prayer, “what do you mean ? »
In reply he drew me towards him, took my head in his hands
and looked at me long, his eyes lost in mine; then he embraced
me, attempted to smile, and said :-
"It is nothing. I am well, am I not? Why do my family
worry me with their advice ? Indeed, they will frighten me with
their long faces and perpetual visits. . . , To-day at least I have
escaped from them. . . . We two are alone . . . free! Soon it
will be always so! ”
Despite this reanimation, an inexpressible agony wrung my
heart, and I made no effort to escape from this influence, which
I felt to be due to our deep sympathy.
Regret was already mingled with my delight; and on this
exquisite afternoon there was that heart-rending sense of things
which have been and will never be again — never.
I threw my arms round my father's neck, and made no other
reply to his last words. It required a mutual effort to break the
silence; neither of us made the effort. In the distance the organ
continued to grind out the tune as if it too were choked with sobs.
Thus we remained for long, until the day waned.
"Is it not time to go back, sir? ”
Yana's interruptions aroused us. Silently my father got up,
and with my hand still in his we passed through the graying
## p. 5200 (#372) ###########################################
5200
GEORGES EEKHOUD
country, where the twilight already created fantastic shadows. At
about a hundred yards from the house he turned round, and
made me look once more at the little corner of earth, the hermi-
tage which was to shelter us.
“We will call it Mon Repos! ” he said, and he moved on.
Mon Repos! How he lingered over those three syllables.
Even thus are certain nocturnes of Chopin prolonged.
When we reached Ambroes farm, we took affectionate fare-
well of Yana's family. My father thanked them for their wel.
come, and reminded them of his invitation. He gave Jan a few
further instructions about the garden; the lad stood cap in hand,
his dark eyes expressive of vivid sympathy.
Yet another au revoir"; then the carriage drove away, and
we turned our backs on the dear village.
Was it still the kermesse organ which obsessed me, lingering
above all other sounds, growing fainter and fainter but never
quite dying away? And why did I ceaselessly repeat to myself,
whatever the music, these three unimportant syllables “Mon
Repos” ?
The sun was setting when we reached the gates of the town.
Country masons, white and dusty, with tools over their shoulder
and tins hanging by their side, walked rapidly to the villages
which we had left behind. Happy workmen! They were wise
to go back to the village, and to leave the hideous slums of
West Antwerp to their town comrades.
A fresh breeze had risen which stirred the tops of the aspens.
The purple light on the horizon beyond the ramparts grew faint.
During the whole drive my father remained sunk in prostration;
his hands, which I stroked, were moist; now burning, now icy.
He roused himself from this painful torpor only to slip his hand
through my hair, and to smile at me as never friend has smiled
since.
Yana too looked sad now, and pretended that it was the
dust which caused her to wipe her eyes continually with her
handkerchief.
I was tired, overcome with so much open air, but I could not
fall asleep that night. I dreamed with open eyes of the events
of the day, of the farm, of good-natured Jan, of the happy meal,
of the kid, of the coming day when I should be boer Jorss," as
the kind fellow said. . . . I was happy, but from time to time
a fit of terrible coughing from the next room stifled me, and
## p. 5201 (#373) ###########################################
GEORGES EEKHOUD
5201
« You
me.
then I recalled the scene in the garden, our silence against the
jarring sound of the organ, and later these two words
« Mon
Repos. ” I did not close my eyes until the morning.
When I awoke, my uncle was already waiting for me. He
was an old officer and adhered to military time only.
“We must be off ! ” he said in his gruff, harsh voice.
must go back to work, my lad. ”
Must I go away again ? Why this week's separation ? What
did my uncle's authoritative tone mean in my father's house, in
our house? Why did Yana look at him respectfully but sullenly?
I did not guess the horrible but absolute necessity for this intru-
sion; it exasperated me.
What a bitter leave-taking! And that, too, for a week's sepa-
ration only. It was in vain that my uncle made fun of our tears.
I clung to my beloved father, and he had not the strength to repel
The impatient officer tore me at last from his embrace.
«The train does not wait! ” he grumbled. "Were there ever
such chicken-hearted people!
I was indignant.
“No, not at parting from you,” I said to my unsympathetic
relation, (but from him ! »
“Djodgy! Djodgy! my father tried to say in a tone of re-
proach. “Forgive him, Henry. . . . Au revoir! In a week's
time! . . . Be good ever. ”
This time Yana no longer tried to hide her tears. Lion
moved sadly from one to another, and his human eyes appeared
to say, “Stay with him. ”
But nothing would move my obdurate uncle.
We drove away
in the same carriage which had taken us the day before to
S'Gravenwezel.
We waved to one another as long as the carriage was in the
street.
In a week I should see him again!
In a week he was dead!
But I have forgotten nothing.
Thus it is, ever since then, that I love, I adore this Flemish
country as my heritage from him who loved it above all others;
from him, the sole human being who never wrought me any ill.
These vast pale-blue horizons, often veiled with mist or fog,
gleam before me again as that tearful smile which I caught for
the last time upon his dear face.
IX-326
## p. 5202 (#374) ###########################################
5202
GEORGES EEKHOUD
KORS DAVIE
From The Massacre of the Innocents, and Other Tales by Belgian Writers):
copyrighted 1895, by Stone & Kimball
I* Verhulst, was sace
WAS fair-time, yet Rika Let, the young dairymaid of bats
She had worked so hard all August that
this morning, before mass, the baezine had given her a bright
florin and spoken kindly to her: -
«Rika, it is fair-time for every one. Enjoy yourself, my girl.
Here is something to buy yourself a neckerchief at the fair, a
bright-colored one with fringe to cross over your breast. ”
Rika accepted her mistress's present. Alone in her garret
above the stable, she turned the shining coin over and over, but
hesitated to exchange it for some coveted trifle at Suske Derk's
stall, down there by the church. Great tears sprang to her eyes,
eyes which were faintly tinged with green. What sorrow filled
the heart of this fair young girl of eighteen summers ?
"Ah,” she sighed, “if only one of the village lads would take
me to the fair and give me a gay kerchief! But who cares for
poor Rika? Our lads woo other girls, better born and richer than
I am! Baezine Verhulst knew that, or she would not have given
me money to buy a thing which the poorest laborer, or even the
humblest thresher, gives gladly to his sweetheart to-day.
Who will dance this evening with Rika Let at the Golden Swan ?
. . No one. No, baezine Verhulst, it is not a fête day for
every one ! »
Tears rested on her fair lashes as the morning dew clings to
the bearded ears of corn. Mechanically she looked at herself in
a piece of glass which hung beneath a little Notre-Dame of
Montaigu. She was not plainer than many of her companions
who were admired by the ardent and happy lovers. Ugly - Rika!
No indeed. Fair as the August cornfields of the Verhulsts were
her tresses. Her lips were red and full as ripe cherries. If you
feel aught of the charm of the young peasant girls of our coun-
try, you would admire Rika.
She dressed herself in her simple Sunday clothes; a little col-
lar and flat cap, both of dazzling whiteness; a skirt and bodice,
unsoiled by any speck of dust.
The bell sounded for mass.
Go and pray, Rika! Who can say ? the good God mayhap will
unseal the eyes of the blind gallants of Viersel.
## p. 5203 (#375) ###########################################
GEORGES EEKHOUD
5203
A savory
She told her beads so earnestly, that a friend had to remind
her when the service was at an end.
Outside the church a crowd of gay youths, with crossed arms
and flowers between their lips, watched the blushing procession
of girls who were to be their partners in the evening. Sympa-
thetic glances were exchanged, and with a smile or a simple
movement of the head a meeting was arranged, a promise con-
firmed, a consent given. Eager hearts throbbed under the blue
smocks, the many-colored kerchiefs; but no glance sought to
attract the bright eyes of the orphan girl, not one of those young
hearts beat in unison with hers.
To reach the farm, Rika had to pass through the fair. Suske
Derk had displayed her wares. Rika did not even deign to look
at them. The mercer called to her:
“Ha! my pretty devotee! Won't you even wear a scapulary ? »
At midday there was a great feast at the Verhulst farm in
honor of the fair. Masters, friends, and servants, all with big
appetites, seated themselves round a table laden with enormous
dishes, brought in by the farmer's wife and Rika.
smell filled the large room; the steam dimmed the copper orna-
ments on the chimney-piece, the crucifix, the candlesticks, the big
plates, which were the pride of the cleanly Rika. At first the
guests, speechless, gravely and solemnly satisfied their hunger.
Then came the bumpers to wash down the viands, for mealy
Polder potatoes make one thirsty. As the tankards were re-filled,
tongues were loosed, and jokes piquant as the waters of the
Scheldt flew apace.
Rika in her turn sat down to the table, but the sorrow at
her heart robbed her of appetite, and she ate little. The lively
guests, distressed by her silence, attributed it to arrogance, and
turned their attention elsewhere. Later they would rejoin their
buxom wenches, and think no more of the poor little soul tor-
mented with the desire for love.
The more the day advanced, the less Rika thought of pur-
chasing a fichu at Suske Derk's stall; she would rather return the
florin to her mistress! Bugles and screeching fiddles could be
heard from the Golden Swan.
Houpsa! rich and poor hasten to the dance, some in shoes,
others in sabots. Lourelourela! The quadrilles form. The
couples hail their vis-à-vis across the room. All is ready. They
set off. . .
## p. 5204 (#376) ###########################################
5204
GEORGES EEKHOUD
Rika alone is absent from the ball. Seated on the threshold
of the barn, the sound of the brass and wind instruments, the
patter of feet, the laughter and oaths, reach her ear.
The low-roofed houses of the village fade slowly in the twi-
light. The church steeple rises heavenward as the watchful fin-
ger of God; at its base lies the Golden Swan; against the four
red-curtained windows the figures of the dancing couples are out-
lined black as imps.
Rika could not tear herself away from this scene. Her heart,
till now pure as the veil of a first communicant, was filled with
bitter thoughts.
Marvelous tales were told of Zanne Hokespokes. The little
old woman possessed some wonderful secrets; she could give rot
to sheep, make cows run dry, and poison nurses' milk. She
could see the fate of those who consulted her in cards and in
coffee-grounds. She could recall the fickle lover to the side of
the deserted maiden. Perhaps she could find a sweetheart for
lonely Rika?
Unholy thoughts rose with the oppressive mists of the even-
ing. They grew in the solitude, in the remoteness from others'
joy. The ungainly couples danced up and down, black as imps,
against the four red windows. The music grated and jarred; but
for the last hour the village steeple, which rose heavenward as
the watchful finger of God, had been lost in the darkness.
Would it be well to take advantage of the absence of her
master and mistress and consult the fortune-teller ? No one
would meet her. All the village was at the Golden Swan.
Holy Virgin! how they are enjoying themselves! Among the
whirling couples Rika saw two figures intertwined, their faces so
close that their lips must meet!
Yes, she would have recourse to the spells of the old woman
Hokespokes, whatever might happen. She had still the bright
coin in her pocket. This and the few coppers which she had
saved would suffice.
The sorceress lived in a clay hut deep in the dark woods of
Zoersel. The peasants avoided these woods and passed through
them in broad daylight only, making the sign of the cross. At
nightfall weird melancholy sounds, which seemed to come from
another world, murmured in the tree-tops. It took an hour to
reach the cottage from Viersel. Rika calculated that she could
be home before midnight. Her master and mistress would not
## p. 5205 (#377) ###########################################
GEORGES EEKHOUD
5205
return earlier than that. She overcame her last fears, and set
out bravely towards the lonely heath.
In this bag, little one, are the ashes of the tooth of a corpse;
the tooth was picked up in the cemetery of Safftingen, the vil-
lage that was submerged by the Scheldt; therein is also a mush-
room, called toadstool, gathered at the foot of the tree on
which Nol Bardaf the cobbler was hanged.
Next full moon,
on a cloudless night, sprinkle the magic powder at the foot of
your bed, and prick the mushroom deeply with a hairpin, utter-
ing these words three times:-'I command thee, charmed plant,
to bring me the man who shall wound me as I wound thee! )
Then go to bed with the mushroom under your pillow, and wait
in perfect quiet without speaking. The beloved one will appear.
Oh, a
mere nothing; a small ailment, a neglected cold. . .
A slight
cold, was it not, Yana? . . . I have lost it, as you see. Ah!
my boy, what good it does me to see you! . . . What fun we
shall have! We are going out into the country at once.
I
have prepared a surprise for you. "
I listened enchanted — oh the selfishness of childhood! The
promise of this expedition made me deaf to his cough — a dry,
convulsive cough which he tried to stifle by holding his silk hand-
kerchief to his mouth. Neither did I notice - or rather I did
notice but attached no importance to-- the bottles of medicine
and pill-boxes which stood on the chimney-piece and on the bed-
table. A bottle of syrup had just been opened, and a drop re-
mained in the silver spoon. Yana held a prescription in her
hand, which had been written that morning. A heavy odor of
opiates and other drugs filled the room. These details only
recurred to me afterwards.
My uncle took leave.
"Above all, no imprudence! ” he said to my father. « You
promise me? Be back in town before the dew falls. . . . I will
take George to school again to-morrow morning. ”
“Set your mind at rest; we will be wise! ” replied my father,
excited and preoccupied, thinking only of his child.
I believe that he was not sorry to find himself alone with me,
and as the prospect of returning to M - evoked by the old
officer, had saddened me, he took me on his knee.
## p. 5194 (#366) ###########################################
GEORGES EEKHOUD
5194
.
"Courage! little one,” he said. “It is not for long. I feel
too lonely since the death of your poor mother. I have told my
family that in the future I do not intend to be separated from
you . . . You have made your first communion, you are big,
you shall go back to school for a week, just time to pack
up and to settle in our new quarters.
Come, there, I am
betraying the secret . . . Never mind, after all, I may as well
tell you everything now. I have bought a pretty little house,
almost a farmstead, three miles from here. . . We are going to
live in the country, like peasants, to wear sabots and smocks.
Hey? That will make you grow. What do you say to it ?
We shall be always together. ”
I clapped my hands, and jumped round the room.
“What joy! Always we two, is that it ? Then we shall be
always together. Is it really true ? ”
"Really true. ”
We sealed this understanding in a long embrace.
An hour later my father, Yana, and I stepped into a landau
at the door.
It was one of those enervating equinoctial days when the
warmth and the intense quietness affect one almost to tears.
The sun, in a beautiful Flemish sky of pale, soft turquoise, had
dispersed the morning mist.
“Look at him, sir,” said Yana, pointing to me; "he is as
happy as a king! ”
“Now is the time to take in a plentiful supply of air," re-
marked my father; "one only needs to open one's mouth! ”
I opened mine quite wide, as if I were yawning.
What a difference, too, between this air and the air at school;
even that which one breathed out of doors in the cloistered
court, shut in by four forbidding high walls, sweating with damp
and decaying with mildew.
Seated with my back to the coachman, my hands on my
father's knee, I uttered exclamations of surprise and besieged
him with questions. He sat back in the carriage, shielded from
the wind by his big overcoat. Yana sat beside him; Lion ran on
in advance.
Passing along the chief street of the suburb, we came out
into the open country. The tufts of young leaves gave a sweet
freshness to the hoary trunks of the great beech-trees which
lined the road. In place of the yellow withered grass in the
## p. 5195 (#367) ###########################################
GEORGES EEKHOUD
5195
snows.
meadows, there was a vivid emerald carpet; splendid cows, with
well-rounded flanks and dewlaps reaching the ground, nibbled
the tender shoots. The full rows of young corn promised a
plentiful harvest. Between a double hedge of weeping-willows
and alders ran silvery waters, swollen by the melting of the late
When we passed a flower-garden the scent of lilac filled
the dreamy air. Gates with gilt knobs opened on avenues of
elms and oaks; sloping lawns led up to a castle, whose terrace
was ornamented with clipped and modeled orange-trees. The
majestic passing of a pair of big swans or the scurry of hare-
brained ducks stirred the stagnant pond, and left wakes amid
the flags and water-lilies.
Moss-grown farmsteads, flanked by barns with green shutters
fixed to the red bricks, draw-wells, chickens picking about on
the manure-heaps,—these were my chief delight. Sometimes a
countryman's cart with its white awning stood on one side for us
to pass.
We drove through Deurne, then through Wyneghem.
For the third time a slender spire lifted its gray-slated point
into the opaline sky.
“S'Gravenwezel tower! ” exclaimed Yana.
«S'Gravenwezel! But that is your village! ” I cried.
Are
we going to live there? ”
The good creature smiled in the affirmative.
Some few moments later, the driver, directed by Yana, stopped
in front of a lonely farm, a quarter of an hour away from the
rest of the long, straggling village.
“This is my parents' home! ” she said.
I can still see the little one-storied farmhouse, with its over-
hanging thatched roof, festooned with stone-crop, a white chalk
cross on the brickwork to protect it from lightning. At sound
of the carriage, the whole household ran to the door.
There was
Yana's father, a short, thick-set sexagenarian, bent but still
healthy-looking, his face wrinkled like old parchment, with a
stiff beard and bright eyes; the mother, a buxom woman about
ten years younger, very active despite her stoutness; then a host
of brothers and sisters, varying from twenty-five to fifteen; the
boys bold, dark, curly-headed, muscular, square-set fellows; the
girls fresh-looking, tanned by the sun, all like Yana their elder
sister, who, to my mind, was the most charming boerine annwers-
oise that one could imagine, with her dark hair, her big emerald-
## p. 5196 (#368) ###########################################
5196
GEORGES EEKHOUD
As they
green eyes and sweeping lashes. In honor of S'Gravenwezel
kermesse, - sounds of which could already be heard in the dis-
tance, — they said, but more in honor of our visit, the men wore
their Sunday trousers, and bright blue smocks coquettishly gath-
ered at the neck. The women had taken out their lace caps
with big wings, the head-dresses with silver pins, woolen dresses,
and large silk handkerchiefs which crossed over the breast and
fell in a point behind. The good people complimented my father
on his appearance.
« That is Mynheer's son, - Jonkheer Jorss! ”
In a few moments I had made friends with these simple cordial
folk, and particularly with a fine lad of nineteen — "onze Jan
(our Jean), said Yana — on the eve of drawing lots for the con-
scription.
When his sister laid the table,- for we were to stay to din-
ner there,- he offered to show me the orchard, the garden, and
the stables. I accepted joyfully. I could no longer keep still.
Jean, with my hand in his, took me first to the cows.
lay down, chained up in their sheds, they lowed piteously. The
dung-strewn bedding shone with bronze and old-gold, and the
far end of the stable resembled a picture by Rembrandt - at
least, it is thus that I recall to-day that reddish brown half-
light. That I might be better able to admire the animals,
he roused them with kick. They got uplazily, sulkily.
He told me their names and their good points. That big black
one, with the spot between her eyes, was Lottekè; this big glut-
ton chewing the early clover was called La Blanche.
a Blanche. Jan per-
suaded me to pat them. They rubbed their horns against the
posts which divided them. The boy told me that they were
excellent milkers. I counted six in all. A strong smell of milk
filled the air, warm with all this breathing, heaving animality.
Jan promised to take me to work in the fields with him when
I came to live in the village. I should dig the ground and
become a real peasant, a bocr like himself. Boer Jorss, he called
me, laughing But I took this prospect of country life quite
seriously; I admired the fine figure, the proud healthy bearing,
of this young peasant. I in my turn should grow like that, I
thought. A career such as his awaited me! That was better
than wearing a frock-coat and a black hat, than growing pale
and fevered over books and copies, and seeing nothing of beau-
tiful nature except what can be found in a suburb: weeds grow-
ing over waste places and patches of sky amid spotted roofs!
а
## p. 5197 (#369) ###########################################
GEORGES EEKHOUD
5197
He took me also to the garden, an oblong inclosure with well-
kept paths, and planted with sunflowers, peonies, and hollyhocks.
The beds were edged with strawberry plants, the fruit just
ripening. The kind lad promised me the first that were gathered.
We were called back to the house, while I was making the
acquaintance of Spits the watch-dog. The kermesse meal awaited
us.
At the express request of my father, who threatened to eat
nothing, the family, at least the men, sat down with us.
As to
the women, they all pretended to wait on us. My eyes wandered
with delight around this room, so new to me; the alcoves where
the parents and older members of the family slept, receded into
the wall and were hidden by flowered curtains; the wide chimney-
piece was ornamented with a crucifix and plates imprinted with
historical subjects; a branch of consecrated box hung below; then
there were enormous spits and the imposing chimney-hook.
Yana placed on the table a tureen of cabbage and bacon soup,
the smell of which would have aroused the appetite of the dead.
We all made the sign of the cross, bowed our heads and
clasped our hands over the soup-basins, the savory smell from
which rose towards the smoky beam like the perfume of incense.
For some seconds nothing was audible save the lowing of the
cows from the sheds, the buzzing of flies on the window-panes,
and the striking of S'Gravenwezel clock, which rang out midday
with the silvery, melancholy chimes of village bells.
What a delicious meal we had! My father thought of all the
most expressive adjectives in the patois to express the merits of
the soup, I sang the praises of the eggs which served as a golden
frame to the red-and-white slices of ham. A mountain of mealy
potatoes disappeared beneath our lively forks, I had a healthy
country appetite!
Yana, who was touched, declared that her master had not
eaten so much for a month.
We were obliged to taste all the products of the farm: butter,
milk, cream cheese, early vegetables, and fruit. I laughed at
Yana, who had thought it necessary to bring provisions. She
did not know the parental hospitality! But I no longer made
fun of her forethought when she brought out the contents of
the wonderful basket: two bottles of old wine and a plum tart
of her own making, which she placed triumphantly in the mid-
dle of the table. They all drank to my father's health, to mine,
and to our happy stay in S'Gravenwezel.
## p. 5198 (#370) ###########################################
5198
GEORGES EEKHOUD
"It is settled, then, that in a week's time you shall come to
my house-warming, you hear, all of you! ” said my father defi-
nitely. . “And now, Djodgy, we must be going, for you
are longing to see our nest. ”
Jan came with us. He walked behind with his sister. Lion
ran backwards and forwards, showing his joy by his wild leaps
and bounds, and chasing the small animals which he raised
among the rye.
Poppies and cornflowers already lit up the changing ears of
corn with their bright color, and white or brown butterflies flitted
above like animated flowers. We had followed a path which ran
across the cornfields, behind Ambroes farm, to the left of the
high road. Some minutes later we skirted a little oak wood,
and immediately behind it my father pointed our home out
to me.
Simple cottage! you haunt me still, above all in springtime,
when the air is warm and soft as on that memorable day.
Your white walls will ever be to me a sad though sweet and
loving memory.
The little house was simple and quiet as possible. There was
one story only, and it contained but four rooms. An out-house
with hen-roost, which would serve as a shed for the gardener,
stood on one side. Yana's brother had for the time being put
into it a pretty white kid, which bleated loudly at our approach;
he ran to set it free.
Fruit-trees covered the wall facing south. The inclosure, en-
circled by a hedge of beech, was half orchard, half pleasure
garden, and covered an area of three thousand metres. In front
of the house was a square lawn, divided by a path from the gate
to the front door. Leafy copses of plantain, chestnuts, American
oaks, and birches, offered delightful retreats on either side of the
house for reading or dreaming. As we went round the grounds,
my father explained with animation the improvements which he
projected. Here was to be a clump of rhododendrons, here a bed
of Orléans roses, there a grove of lilacs. He consulted me with
a feverish “Hey? " He was excited, unreserved; rarely had I seen
him in such high spirits. Since the death of my mother his
beautiful, sonorous, and contagious laugh had been heard no
more.
Chattering thus, we came to a mound at the bottom of the
garden, from which we could see a corner of the village; the
## p. 5199 (#371) ###########################################
GEORGES EEKHOUD
5199
over-
spire emerging from a screen of limes, the crossed sails of a
silent mill perched on a grassy knoll, farms scattered among corn-
fields and meadows, until the plain was lost in the horizon.
“Look, George,” he said, “this will be our world in future.
It will be good for us both to live here; for if I need
solace, you will gain equally. . . . No more confinement, my dear
little fellow; we are rich enough to live in the country as phi-
losophers. . . . And when I am gone . . . for one must provide
for everything. . . . " He stopped. I remember that a broken-
winded barrel organ ground out a polka behind the screen of
limes which shut off the village.
My father had suddenly become serious, and the solemnity of
his last words moved me deeply. Then that distant melancholy air
made me shudder. When he had finished speaking, he coughed
for a long time.
We were seated on the slope, our backs to the house, facing
the vast plain, the silence of which was rendered more
whelming by the jarring notes of the barrel organ.
“Father,” I murmured, as if in prayer, “what do you mean ? »
In reply he drew me towards him, took my head in his hands
and looked at me long, his eyes lost in mine; then he embraced
me, attempted to smile, and said :-
"It is nothing. I am well, am I not? Why do my family
worry me with their advice ? Indeed, they will frighten me with
their long faces and perpetual visits. . . , To-day at least I have
escaped from them. . . . We two are alone . . . free! Soon it
will be always so! ”
Despite this reanimation, an inexpressible agony wrung my
heart, and I made no effort to escape from this influence, which
I felt to be due to our deep sympathy.
Regret was already mingled with my delight; and on this
exquisite afternoon there was that heart-rending sense of things
which have been and will never be again — never.
I threw my arms round my father's neck, and made no other
reply to his last words. It required a mutual effort to break the
silence; neither of us made the effort. In the distance the organ
continued to grind out the tune as if it too were choked with sobs.
Thus we remained for long, until the day waned.
"Is it not time to go back, sir? ”
Yana's interruptions aroused us. Silently my father got up,
and with my hand still in his we passed through the graying
## p. 5200 (#372) ###########################################
5200
GEORGES EEKHOUD
country, where the twilight already created fantastic shadows. At
about a hundred yards from the house he turned round, and
made me look once more at the little corner of earth, the hermi-
tage which was to shelter us.
“We will call it Mon Repos! ” he said, and he moved on.
Mon Repos! How he lingered over those three syllables.
Even thus are certain nocturnes of Chopin prolonged.
When we reached Ambroes farm, we took affectionate fare-
well of Yana's family. My father thanked them for their wel.
come, and reminded them of his invitation. He gave Jan a few
further instructions about the garden; the lad stood cap in hand,
his dark eyes expressive of vivid sympathy.
Yet another au revoir"; then the carriage drove away, and
we turned our backs on the dear village.
Was it still the kermesse organ which obsessed me, lingering
above all other sounds, growing fainter and fainter but never
quite dying away? And why did I ceaselessly repeat to myself,
whatever the music, these three unimportant syllables “Mon
Repos” ?
The sun was setting when we reached the gates of the town.
Country masons, white and dusty, with tools over their shoulder
and tins hanging by their side, walked rapidly to the villages
which we had left behind. Happy workmen! They were wise
to go back to the village, and to leave the hideous slums of
West Antwerp to their town comrades.
A fresh breeze had risen which stirred the tops of the aspens.
The purple light on the horizon beyond the ramparts grew faint.
During the whole drive my father remained sunk in prostration;
his hands, which I stroked, were moist; now burning, now icy.
He roused himself from this painful torpor only to slip his hand
through my hair, and to smile at me as never friend has smiled
since.
Yana too looked sad now, and pretended that it was the
dust which caused her to wipe her eyes continually with her
handkerchief.
I was tired, overcome with so much open air, but I could not
fall asleep that night. I dreamed with open eyes of the events
of the day, of the farm, of good-natured Jan, of the happy meal,
of the kid, of the coming day when I should be boer Jorss," as
the kind fellow said. . . . I was happy, but from time to time
a fit of terrible coughing from the next room stifled me, and
## p. 5201 (#373) ###########################################
GEORGES EEKHOUD
5201
« You
me.
then I recalled the scene in the garden, our silence against the
jarring sound of the organ, and later these two words
« Mon
Repos. ” I did not close my eyes until the morning.
When I awoke, my uncle was already waiting for me. He
was an old officer and adhered to military time only.
“We must be off ! ” he said in his gruff, harsh voice.
must go back to work, my lad. ”
Must I go away again ? Why this week's separation ? What
did my uncle's authoritative tone mean in my father's house, in
our house? Why did Yana look at him respectfully but sullenly?
I did not guess the horrible but absolute necessity for this intru-
sion; it exasperated me.
What a bitter leave-taking! And that, too, for a week's sepa-
ration only. It was in vain that my uncle made fun of our tears.
I clung to my beloved father, and he had not the strength to repel
The impatient officer tore me at last from his embrace.
«The train does not wait! ” he grumbled. "Were there ever
such chicken-hearted people!
I was indignant.
“No, not at parting from you,” I said to my unsympathetic
relation, (but from him ! »
“Djodgy! Djodgy! my father tried to say in a tone of re-
proach. “Forgive him, Henry. . . . Au revoir! In a week's
time! . . . Be good ever. ”
This time Yana no longer tried to hide her tears. Lion
moved sadly from one to another, and his human eyes appeared
to say, “Stay with him. ”
But nothing would move my obdurate uncle.
We drove away
in the same carriage which had taken us the day before to
S'Gravenwezel.
We waved to one another as long as the carriage was in the
street.
In a week I should see him again!
In a week he was dead!
But I have forgotten nothing.
Thus it is, ever since then, that I love, I adore this Flemish
country as my heritage from him who loved it above all others;
from him, the sole human being who never wrought me any ill.
These vast pale-blue horizons, often veiled with mist or fog,
gleam before me again as that tearful smile which I caught for
the last time upon his dear face.
IX-326
## p. 5202 (#374) ###########################################
5202
GEORGES EEKHOUD
KORS DAVIE
From The Massacre of the Innocents, and Other Tales by Belgian Writers):
copyrighted 1895, by Stone & Kimball
I* Verhulst, was sace
WAS fair-time, yet Rika Let, the young dairymaid of bats
She had worked so hard all August that
this morning, before mass, the baezine had given her a bright
florin and spoken kindly to her: -
«Rika, it is fair-time for every one. Enjoy yourself, my girl.
Here is something to buy yourself a neckerchief at the fair, a
bright-colored one with fringe to cross over your breast. ”
Rika accepted her mistress's present. Alone in her garret
above the stable, she turned the shining coin over and over, but
hesitated to exchange it for some coveted trifle at Suske Derk's
stall, down there by the church. Great tears sprang to her eyes,
eyes which were faintly tinged with green. What sorrow filled
the heart of this fair young girl of eighteen summers ?
"Ah,” she sighed, “if only one of the village lads would take
me to the fair and give me a gay kerchief! But who cares for
poor Rika? Our lads woo other girls, better born and richer than
I am! Baezine Verhulst knew that, or she would not have given
me money to buy a thing which the poorest laborer, or even the
humblest thresher, gives gladly to his sweetheart to-day.
Who will dance this evening with Rika Let at the Golden Swan ?
. . No one. No, baezine Verhulst, it is not a fête day for
every one ! »
Tears rested on her fair lashes as the morning dew clings to
the bearded ears of corn. Mechanically she looked at herself in
a piece of glass which hung beneath a little Notre-Dame of
Montaigu. She was not plainer than many of her companions
who were admired by the ardent and happy lovers. Ugly - Rika!
No indeed. Fair as the August cornfields of the Verhulsts were
her tresses. Her lips were red and full as ripe cherries. If you
feel aught of the charm of the young peasant girls of our coun-
try, you would admire Rika.
She dressed herself in her simple Sunday clothes; a little col-
lar and flat cap, both of dazzling whiteness; a skirt and bodice,
unsoiled by any speck of dust.
The bell sounded for mass.
Go and pray, Rika! Who can say ? the good God mayhap will
unseal the eyes of the blind gallants of Viersel.
## p. 5203 (#375) ###########################################
GEORGES EEKHOUD
5203
A savory
She told her beads so earnestly, that a friend had to remind
her when the service was at an end.
Outside the church a crowd of gay youths, with crossed arms
and flowers between their lips, watched the blushing procession
of girls who were to be their partners in the evening. Sympa-
thetic glances were exchanged, and with a smile or a simple
movement of the head a meeting was arranged, a promise con-
firmed, a consent given. Eager hearts throbbed under the blue
smocks, the many-colored kerchiefs; but no glance sought to
attract the bright eyes of the orphan girl, not one of those young
hearts beat in unison with hers.
To reach the farm, Rika had to pass through the fair. Suske
Derk had displayed her wares. Rika did not even deign to look
at them. The mercer called to her:
“Ha! my pretty devotee! Won't you even wear a scapulary ? »
At midday there was a great feast at the Verhulst farm in
honor of the fair. Masters, friends, and servants, all with big
appetites, seated themselves round a table laden with enormous
dishes, brought in by the farmer's wife and Rika.
smell filled the large room; the steam dimmed the copper orna-
ments on the chimney-piece, the crucifix, the candlesticks, the big
plates, which were the pride of the cleanly Rika. At first the
guests, speechless, gravely and solemnly satisfied their hunger.
Then came the bumpers to wash down the viands, for mealy
Polder potatoes make one thirsty. As the tankards were re-filled,
tongues were loosed, and jokes piquant as the waters of the
Scheldt flew apace.
Rika in her turn sat down to the table, but the sorrow at
her heart robbed her of appetite, and she ate little. The lively
guests, distressed by her silence, attributed it to arrogance, and
turned their attention elsewhere. Later they would rejoin their
buxom wenches, and think no more of the poor little soul tor-
mented with the desire for love.
The more the day advanced, the less Rika thought of pur-
chasing a fichu at Suske Derk's stall; she would rather return the
florin to her mistress! Bugles and screeching fiddles could be
heard from the Golden Swan.
Houpsa! rich and poor hasten to the dance, some in shoes,
others in sabots. Lourelourela! The quadrilles form. The
couples hail their vis-à-vis across the room. All is ready. They
set off. . .
## p. 5204 (#376) ###########################################
5204
GEORGES EEKHOUD
Rika alone is absent from the ball. Seated on the threshold
of the barn, the sound of the brass and wind instruments, the
patter of feet, the laughter and oaths, reach her ear.
The low-roofed houses of the village fade slowly in the twi-
light. The church steeple rises heavenward as the watchful fin-
ger of God; at its base lies the Golden Swan; against the four
red-curtained windows the figures of the dancing couples are out-
lined black as imps.
Rika could not tear herself away from this scene. Her heart,
till now pure as the veil of a first communicant, was filled with
bitter thoughts.
Marvelous tales were told of Zanne Hokespokes. The little
old woman possessed some wonderful secrets; she could give rot
to sheep, make cows run dry, and poison nurses' milk. She
could see the fate of those who consulted her in cards and in
coffee-grounds. She could recall the fickle lover to the side of
the deserted maiden. Perhaps she could find a sweetheart for
lonely Rika?
Unholy thoughts rose with the oppressive mists of the even-
ing. They grew in the solitude, in the remoteness from others'
joy. The ungainly couples danced up and down, black as imps,
against the four red windows. The music grated and jarred; but
for the last hour the village steeple, which rose heavenward as
the watchful finger of God, had been lost in the darkness.
Would it be well to take advantage of the absence of her
master and mistress and consult the fortune-teller ? No one
would meet her. All the village was at the Golden Swan.
Holy Virgin! how they are enjoying themselves! Among the
whirling couples Rika saw two figures intertwined, their faces so
close that their lips must meet!
Yes, she would have recourse to the spells of the old woman
Hokespokes, whatever might happen. She had still the bright
coin in her pocket. This and the few coppers which she had
saved would suffice.
The sorceress lived in a clay hut deep in the dark woods of
Zoersel. The peasants avoided these woods and passed through
them in broad daylight only, making the sign of the cross. At
nightfall weird melancholy sounds, which seemed to come from
another world, murmured in the tree-tops. It took an hour to
reach the cottage from Viersel. Rika calculated that she could
be home before midnight. Her master and mistress would not
## p. 5205 (#377) ###########################################
GEORGES EEKHOUD
5205
return earlier than that. She overcame her last fears, and set
out bravely towards the lonely heath.
In this bag, little one, are the ashes of the tooth of a corpse;
the tooth was picked up in the cemetery of Safftingen, the vil-
lage that was submerged by the Scheldt; therein is also a mush-
room, called toadstool, gathered at the foot of the tree on
which Nol Bardaf the cobbler was hanged.
Next full moon,
on a cloudless night, sprinkle the magic powder at the foot of
your bed, and prick the mushroom deeply with a hairpin, utter-
ing these words three times:-'I command thee, charmed plant,
to bring me the man who shall wound me as I wound thee! )
Then go to bed with the mushroom under your pillow, and wait
in perfect quiet without speaking. The beloved one will appear.
