"Next time I won't pay this much." "The competition from Italy is ruining me." "This barely pays for fertiliser for the flowers." "Next year we'll grow chick peas." "I'd miss our aperitifs together." "What is it?" "What are you barking at?" "I'm not going to steal your goats." "Leave my bread alone!" "Here, we'll share my lunch." "Hold on..." "leave some for me!" " Hello, chaps!" " Hello." "What did you do today, Bernard?" "I went for a walk in the hills." "Look what I found." "Lignite." "The hills are full of it." "Interesting." " I saw some goats." " It's the hunchback's girl's herd." "The little savage!" "She's been hiding from us since her father died." "I've seen her." "She's a real beauty." "She must take after her mother." "For a hunchback, he had a lovely daughter." "Who was this hunchback?" "You never met him, Mr Belloiseau." "You didn't live here then." "He was a city intellectual who wanted to be a farmer." " He was a loony!" " I'm not so sure of it." "I'm not saying he was an idiot but he just wasn't practical." "He thought he could breed rabbits by doing sums on paper." "Only because there was no water at Romarins." "But you found some." "How's the flower trade?" "Christmas and Shrove Tuesday are best, and Easter's pretty good, too." "How about deaths?" "Not bad at all." "They bring in a certain amount." "Come along!" "Quick!" "Thank you." "There's a letter for you." "My darling," "Tonight we're playing Ai'da in Bordeaux." "I've only got a small part, but I'm so pleased." "If only you were with me, I'd be almost happy." "Your loving mother." "You can't stay here for ever." "You should be with your mother." "No hares, no rabbits, no birds..." "Where have they got to?" "Maybe I'm going deaf and blind." "Next time I'll bring a hound along." "That one won't get away." "Galinette!" "Do you know it's five o'clock?" "That was some nap!" "I think I must have caught the sun." "No, you're not red." "You must be short of sleep." "Come on out." "She may be deaf, but she guesses everything." "What I've got to say is just between the two of us." "Galinette, you're past thirty, and you're the last of the Soubeyrans." "I know all that..." "Don't interrupt!" "If I'm repeating myself, that's your fault." "I'll talk till you understand." "We Soubeyrans were the most important family of this region." " On Grandpa's birthday..." " There were more than 30 guests." "All of them Soubeyrans, with pots of gold hidden about the place." "We were respected." "Well, things have changed." "That's fate." "No!" "Fate doesn't exist." "What happened to us is the fault of our elders." "They were proud and wanted to hold on to their money." "Cousins married cousins." "One uncle married his niece." "It's just as bad for men as for rabbits." "And what was the result?" "Two madwomen and three suicides." "Now, it's just us." "It's too late for me, so it's all up to you." "You're telling me to get married." "Why didn't you?" "I wasn't cut out for it." "Mind you, I almost did..." "It didn't work out." "I joined up on an impulse and went to Africa." "When I came back..." "If she'd given me a child, I'd have married her like a shot." "But it didn't happen." "I'm like Anglade's cherry trees:" "lots of flowers, but no fruit." " So I'm to marry instead of you?" " You've got to, Galinette." "But why should I?" "Why?" "You ask me why!" "Isn't the Soubeyran fortune reason enough?" "This isn't paper money we're talking about." "It's gold!" "Pots full of gold coins." "Do you understand?" "I own a fortune!" "The fruit of saving, skimping and hard work." " Do you want to chuck it all away?" " Of course not!" "I love gold." "If you love it, you can't deprive it of a loving owner!" "Papet, I can't make a family just like that!" " I've been telling you to for years!" " Now that you're more serious," "I'd rather make up my own mind." "Have you got your eye on someone?" "Maybe." "Can't you tell me who?" "Look, I've been out in the sun all day and I feel a bit dazed." "I will tell you, but not yet." "Fine." "You're a good boy, Galinette." "But one thing more..." "When choosing a wife, think of the children." "What do you mean?" "Don't get stuck on a pretty face." "We need a girl with wide hips, long legs and big tits!" "Think of her as a brood mare." "What if she's pretty besides?" "If it's besides, I won't object..." "On the contrary." "I'd enjoy looking at a pretty Soubeyran." "Come on!" "Over here, Noe!" "Come on!" "We do all the work even though everyone uses the water." "Cleaning the tank twice a year won't kill you!" "What with this sand, if we want clean drinking water..." "Better for vegetables, too." "It's not sticky." "It looks like clay, but it's not clay." "It's bauxite powder." "A mixture of iron and aluminium." "I wonder where it's from." "The spring deposits it here after big storms, but it doesn't reach the village." "The morning after a rainy night, my spring water's the colour of rust." "It is rust: it's iron oxide." " Then it's not harmful." " No, it's beneficial." "Where is your spring in relation to this tank?" "What do you mean?" "Is it higher up or lower down?" "It's hard to say." "I think the Romarins spring is higher up." "The village water must come from here and follow the same course." " It's ten o'clock." " I said I'd have the water on by noon!" "That's two hours away." "But it takes an hour for it to reach the village." "Much though I enjoy your company, I have to see the mayor." "Don't keep him waiting!" "Hey!" "Someone's throwing stones!" "I saw a flash of lightning!" "At ten o'clock?" "You must have started drinking early." "I swear I've had only a coffee!" "It's my knife." "I lost it in the hills a few days ago." " Around here?" " No." "I've never been here before." " That's very odd." " It's a gift from the goatherd." " Which goatherd?" "Do you mean Manon?" " Yes, the hunchback's kid." "Who else?" " Is she hiding up there?" " She'll have run away." "Too bad!" "I'd like to thank her." " Some other time!" " Thank her with a little kiss." "It's odd." "After all that talk, I dreamt about her the other night." " In my dream, I kissed her." " Did she let you?" "In my dreams women rarely resist me." " Aren't you eating?" " I'm not hungry." "You haven't looked well lately." "I've lost my appetite." "It's probably the poison." "What poison?" "The one I spray on my carnations to kill the spiders." " I'll do it for you." " No." "You have to use it at night." "Sunlight does it no good." "It makes it less potent." "Daylight destroys its effectiveness." "You work at night, but don't sleep days." "You're never home." "What do you do with yourself all day long?" "I go hunting and wander about the hills." "I breathe fresh air." "I need to clear my lungs of the poison." "True." "It's good for the carnations but bad for you." "You've got to eat and sleep." " Do you want to see the doctor?" " No, I'll be all right." "See?" "I'm eating." "She's going to Aubagne to sell my birds." "He's going mad!" " Who is it?" " Me!" " I know that!" "Who's the woman?" " What woman?" "The one you've been following to Aubagne." "I've been watching you." "And what about those birds you've been catching?" "Are you going mad, or what?" "Are you in love?" "That's a great illness!" "So who is she?" "If you won't tell me, she can't be altogether nice... or else she's married." "Yes, yes, that's it!" "She's married." "She's married!" " Open up, imbecile!" " No, I won't!" " We can talk through the door." " Why?" "If I can't see you, I might tell you something." "You're as mad as your poor father." "What do you want to tell me?" "I don't want to, but you're insisting, so ask away!" "Tell me who she is!" "No, I won't!" " A city girl?" " On the contrary!" "Good!" "Do I know her?" " Not really." " What do you mean?" "You're bound to guess who it is." "So I know her?" "See?" "You know I don't want to tell you, but you insist on interrogating me." " Well, I won't answer." " Why not?" "Because..." "Because it's my secret." "My first secret love." "In that case, I'm going." "Bye!" "No, stay here!" "I want to talk about her." " I don't even know who she is." " But I do!" "Papet, are you going?" "No, I'm rolling a cigarette." "So, you want to marry her?" "Yes, but she won't have me." " Why not?" " She's pretty and I'm ugly." "Has she got money?" "Not much." "Is she healthy?" "Yes, she's as strong as a horse." "She's got good muscles." "She could do a good job on my carnations." " And she's educated." " How do you know?" "She reads books for hours at a time." "That sounds bad." "I'm wary of a poor girl who reads books." "Besides, a beautiful wife may be fickle." "Is she virtuous?" "Wild and pure as the driven snow." "She'd be a wonderful wife." "I'd be happy as a king but she wouldn't want me." "No poor girl would reject a Soubeyran... unless she's mad." "If she said yes, would you consent?" "I can't until I know who she is." "Come on, you fool!" "Open up and tell me!" "No!" "I can't open the door!" "I've got to think." " Papet..." " Yes?" "I'll tell you, but you must swear on the family name that when you hear her name you won't say a word." " As you like." " No!" "Swear to me!" "I swear on the name of the Soubeyrans." "Good." "Now I've got to decide." "I'm not opening the door;" "I'm just taking out the key." "Put your ear next to the keyhole." "It's Manon, the hunchback's daughter." "In 20 years' time, she'll think you too old for her and she might be unfaithful." "Not a girl like her." "She's just like the rest of them." "But never mind." "By then you'll have your family of sturdy Soubeyrans." "She's lovely." "You have my consent." " Have you seen her?" " Yes, I have." " What do you think?" " I told you." "She's lovely." "She seems mature for her age." "She looks at least 18." " Do you know who she looks like?" " Nobody." "Yes, she does." "She looks like someone you never knew." " Her grandmother." " Did you know her?" "Florette Camoins." "The great beauty." "I'm glad to meet you at last." "I wanted to thank you for my knife." " How did you know it was mine?" " I saw you eating with it the other day." "I'm the new teacher." "I'm making a collection of local rocks so I can teach my pupils about their land." "I thought you were a gold-digger." "It's all cretaceous, from the Quaternary era." "You know a lot for a country girl." "My father taught me." " I'd like you to keep this." " I've got one." " That one's too fancy for me." " It's not!" "Why shouldn't a goatherd have a good knife?" "It's got four blades and a nail file." "And some scissors." "I know." "I used them." "It's the first one I've trapped." "It's a baby." "The hawks eat the big ones." "That hare's my offering to you." "My class begins soon." "I've got to go." "I'll leave this on a rock." "Someone will be glad to find it." "She doesn't want your knife." " I'll keep it if you take the hare." " Fine." "Thanks." " Papet..." " Yes." "What's the best way to talk to girls?" "I don't know how to talk about love." "So, you've made up your mind?" "Yes." "I'd better hurry because she often goes to Aubagne and she might meet a man who'll take her from me." " Where will you talk to her?" " In the hills." "I'll pretend I'm gathering snails and didn't see her." "Hang on!" "If you do that, it'll look as if you're poor." "Show your wealth!" "Don't wear your old clothes." "You should wear a new suit, a hunting outfit with leather leggings and a hat to match." "And most important of all..." "Wear braces!" "Excuse me..." "I'm looking for a hare I shot which must be wounded." "Aren't you Manon, the daughter of poor Monsieur Jean?" "I see you don't remember me." "That's because I've changed a lot." "I'm Ugolin, your poor father's friend." "You've changed, too." "You're a proper little lady." "I barely recognised you." "Perhaps you're wondering why we haven't met before." "I don't have time to hunt any more because of my carnations." "Did you know I grew carnations?" "I've been very successful." "I've made lots of money." "The money's all in gold coins!" "With my savings, I'll be worth 50,000 francs in two years." "Would you like to move back to Romarins?" "I could stay in my house in Massacan and you could tend to my flowers." "Manon, listen to me!" "I know why you don't want to." "It's because you're proud." "But your pride's no problem." "Carnations must be watered and picked." "A woman will do that well." "I'll pay you." "You'll be well paid." "It's not to give you work." "I was lying." "It's because I love you." "I love you with all my heart!" "Manon!" "I want to marry you!" "I'm all alone!" "I've got no-one!" "My grandparents are dead." "My father hanged himself when I was little." "My mother died of the flu." "There's only Uncle Papet!" "He's rich, he's old." "He's going to die." "He's going to leave me all his money." "It'll be yours, because I love you!" "I love you!" "I am sick for the love of you." "It's suffocating me!" "I saw you bathing in the rainwater." "I watched for hours." "You were so lovely." "I was tempted to commit a crime." " Did you talk to her?" " I didn't see her." " She must have gone to Aubagne." " Then do it tomorrow." "Maybe." "I have to get used to this outfit." "You look great!" "Like a hunter from Marseilles." " Look!" "See that?" " A nice little thrush." " That girl must have trapped it." " Really?" "Yes." "See?" "There's her herd." "She can't be far off." "I always respect other people's traps." "And it's this poor girl's only livelihood." "I've seen her selling birds in Aubagne." " We've done her enough harm already." " Not on purpose." "It wasn't our fault." "It was." "We all knew there was a spring at Romarins but no-one said anything." " So why didn't you tell him?" " Because of Amelie." " Shall we eat?" " Let's." "I used to go hunting over there and see that poor hunchback dowsing for water." "Once, he was right above it but the rod didn't move." "Later, I saw him digging in the wrong place and it kept on bothering me." "I told Amelie and she flew into such a rage." "It was none of our business." "Hunchbacks are bad luck." "He was an outsider, from Crespin, etc, etc." "You know what she's like." "She made me swear to say nothing." " So you didn't?" " No." " Ugolin and Papet were real bastards." " On that score, we were all bastards." " No water." " None at all?" "No." "I dug a deep hole." "Not a drop." " My carnations are budding." " 1 5,000 of them." " There's your tank." " In two days, it'll be empty." "Springs are capricious." "I bet it'll flow again in three months." "Three months!" "Oh, Lord!" "Stop it, you fool!" "Get up!" "It's probably already flowing again." "If not, we can transport enough water using a few mules." "It used to flow." "When the hunchback came, it stopped..." "Hey!" "There's something wrong with the fountain." " Come and see." " Impossible!" " Not here, too?" "We're ruined!" " Calm down!" "Well?" "There must be a frog blocking the pipe." "We're stuck, like Ugolin." "Impossible!" "It's flowed for 50 years." "Let's check the tank." "Nothing." " Right." "I'm off." " Don't worry." "Monsieur Jean, you're a good man and you're up in heaven." "You can see that my feet are so swollen I can hardly walk, that my mule's half dead." "If this continues, my carnations will be ruined." "Please, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, give us back your daughter's spring." "Amen." "Help us!" "Amen, damn it!" "Hello?" "Yes, I'm the mayor." "How soon can he get here?" "Tomorrow?" "We'll be dead by then!" "We need him now." "We've got no bread." "Our crops are ruined." "It's a catastrophe." "Then I'll expect him at seven at the public hall." "Thank you." " The expert will be here tomorrow." " What expert?" "The Rural Engineering expert I've been asking for." "I declare the meeting open." "We're meeting to discuss the problem of water." " It's not a problem: it's a disaster!" " Quite right." "But thanks to my personal initiative and my phone, the local authority has sent us expert help." "This is the expert." "Gentlemen, I've studied your problem, and this is what I shall report to the Chief Engineer." "The Perdrix spring which supplied your fountain is the main source of water for this whole region." "It runs between two layers of limestone." "The spring is not diaclistic, but a Vauclusian resurgence." "Let's not forget that, eh?" "Thus, the water flowed between two impervious strata, pressing against the upper layer." "The pressure generated forced water into the tank." "Gravity then ensured the flow of water from the tank to the village." "Right." "Gravity." "At the request of your mayor and with local authority permission, we have examined the cause of the present obstruction." "First, where is the source of the water?" "I have here a useful document..." "It's an analysis by the Chief Engineer clearly stating the results of experiments made in the region some five years ago." "Sadly, there's no indication whatever of a spring in this area." "There's no stream within the orography of the Huveaune river." "What does that mean?" "The source of your water is some way away." " I want to speak." " This isn't the time." "I'll make it short." "Just let him turn on the water." "He can explain later." "I'm not a plumber." "Now, the first hypothesis is drought." "The trouble may be due to a drop in the water table." "The watercourse is determined by seams of dolomite in the limestone." "It can cross the seams via a network of siphons." "You know what that is?" "You use them in winemaking." "Precisely." "During the rainy season, the siphons are reactivated as soon as the water table rises to its normal level." "What table?" "Quiet!" "To oppose progress is a sure sign of ignorance!" "If progress turns my water on, I'm all for it, and, if my spring flows again, here's my 100 francs for progress." "Let's hear the rest... the rest of his rubbish." "Now, the second hypothesis." "The subterranean stream drops into a network of cavities." "Once they're full, the water rises and the spring will flow again." " How soon?" " I really couldn't say." "Perhaps in two days, perhaps in two years." "Or a hundred years!" "That's not to be ruled out." "Third hypothesis..." "To hell with your theories!" "What can you do for us right now?" "The administration can provide a daily truck with 1 ,300 gallons of water." "That should cover your daily needs." "How much do I get for my flowers?" "If we've got no water by next month, what'll you do?" "We'd suggest you farm the land elsewhere." "There's no lack of villages where water is plentiful." "Our council can never accept that!" "Your council's influence on natural phenomena is next to zero." " The third hypothesis..." " To hell with their hypo-thingies!" "The administration's just a waste of time!" "In that case, the administration says you can go to hell!" "The water truck will be here in two days." "Meanwhile, gentlemen, I wish you good luck." "Where is he?" "Where's the head of the Water Board?" "I'm not the head of the Water Board:" "you are!" "Only because I'm the mayor and I've got a phone." " See this?" "What's this?" " It's your receipt." "Right. 52 francs plus the stamp." "So, where's the water I paid for?" "The expert explained it's the orography." "That's the whole problem." "I don't give a damn!" "I paid for my water and I want it." "Listen..." "They'll send a lorry of water daily." "Just bring your mule and you'll get 40 gallons of water like the rest of us." "One:" "I haven't got a mule, only a donkey." "Two: 40 gallons are enough for a cafe but not my field." "Three:" "I paid for spring water, not truck water." " The truck water must be spring water." " Not from my spring!" "I want my water." "Stop yelling." "You're driving us mad." "What about my aubergines?" "And my tomatoes are just ripening." "It's the same for everyone." "Damn that!" "I've paid and I want my water." "The spring's dry." "How can we get water?" "I don't care, as long as I get mine back." "And you - mind your own business!" "You may be a councillor but I didn't vote for you." "Who cares about your vote?" " Why us?" "Who do you think we are?" " Water thieves!" "Stop!" "Stop it!" "Good morning." "Today's my birthday and I'd like to invite you over for a drink after Mass." "I had no say over my birth date." "Dearly beloved, I am truly happy to see you all gathered in our little church." "The whole parish is here, including some clever folks - too clever, perhaps - who generally ignore Mass and hang around in the cafe." "I won't name it - it's our only cafe - or name them, since everyone's staring at them already." "I hope this shames them, rather than making them laugh." "Your hands are joined, your eyes moist." "Today you are all steeped in faith." "But God knows that your piety is due to your spring and that your prayers are merely pleas for your beans, orisons for your tomatoes, hallelujahs for your potatoes, and hosannas for your marrows!" "Now, I must speak seriously about the spring." "I keep asking myself the question:" "Why has this water, once so plentiful, suddenly dried up in our hour of need?" "I once read in a Greek tragedy, a profane work of literature, that Thebes was struck by a calamitous plague because its king had committed some crimes." "And so I ask myself:" "Is there a criminal among us?" "It's quite possible, since many wicked crimes escape the justice of men, but the Good Lord knows all about them!" "So, if this criminal does exist, let me now appeal to him." "Let me say to him:" "My brother, there's no sin that cannot be forgiven, no crime that can't be atoned for by the most sincere repentance." "According to Jesus Christ himself, there will always be room in heaven for a repentant sinner." "So, whatever your offence, try to redeem yourself." "Repent and you shall be saved!" "And our spring will flow again as before." " Papet!" " Yes?" "He meant us." "He looked at me three times." "What could he know?" "He's only been here for a year." "Maybe somebody told him in confession." "It's possible Anglade did it." "He's so self-righteous that he's liable to confess other people's sins." " I'm worried about the girl." " So am I." "She seemed hostile to you." "She looked at me twice, as if to say "You're the criminal"." " No, she knows nothing." " Then why are you worried?" "I don't think she wants you." "Happy birthday!" "Happy birthday!" "Here's to our teacher's good health." "Here's to you!" " What did you think of that sermon?" " Nothing." "It's just a lot of talk." "I can't believe the spring dried up through an act of God." "He implied it was a criminal act." "He probably learnt about it through someone's confession." "What crime?" "If someone here was guilty, we'd all know about it." "I'm sure he had someone in mind." " Who?" " Yes, who?" " He looked at Ugolin a lot." " Especially when he mentioned plague." " I haven't got the plague!" " You shouldn't joke about such things." " You smelled the Pernod!" " No, I came on account of the water." " I've got something important to say." " To me?" "Yes." "You can bring our water back." "How can l?" "By coming to the procession." "Will you?" "If you refuse, our fountain will never flow again." "She's not a saint!" "An orphan's prayer soars heavenwards like a lark." "Our Lord will listen to her." "She's innocent." "If she prays for us, we're saved." "Manon, you must come and save our flowers!" "I won't pray for people who robbed my father." "I don't understand you." "They do." "They know why God is punishing them." "Do you know who the criminal is?" "There are two of them." "Them." "I've had enough of this nonsense." "I'm going home." "Come on, Galinette." " Your reaction might arouse suspicion..." " I don't care what you suspect." "My conscience is clear." "Let's go home!" " Come on!" " No." "I want to hear what she's got against me." "I can settle the whole matter." " How did they steal your father's water?" " She's imagining things." "It's true that her father's lack of water ruined him." "But for his fatal accident, he might have found it." "Since the two women were in trouble, we bought the farmstead..." "Partly because we liked it - that's true - but partly, too, to help them out." "Later on, purely by chance, we found the spring." "She calls that stealing her water." "Help thy neighbour - some joke!" "Let's go." "It's not true!" "He's lying!" "He knew that spring was on our land." "What really happened is that you deliberately blocked it up." " Why would they do that?" " To buy it cheap." "The dry land was worthless." " Those two murdered my father!" " That's not true!" "It's slander!" "I found that spring with my watch." "You and your mother saw me looking for it." " Tell the truth!" " In less than one hour?" "God said to Pascal:" ""You wouldn't look for me unless you'd already found me."" "To hell with Pascal!" "I only met him once." "He was so rude I slapped him." "You laugh, but it's true!" "She denies what she saw, but she believes what she didn't see." "Who saw us block that spring?" "You see!" "Who saw us block it up?" "I saw you." "Both of you." "Liar!" "What did you see?" "You don't know left from right!" "In the army, he failed every test." "He was so stupid they sent him home." "That was exactly what I wanted." "It wasn't easy, but I got away with it..." "Never mind that." "Tell us what you saw." "He saw nothing." "He dreamt it." "I never dream." "It was nine or ten years ago." " See how vague he is?" " Just after Bouffigue died." "I was hunting at Romarins." "The partridges were drinking from a puddle near the empty farm, so I went inside." "Charming behaviour!" "Stealing from a dead man's house!" "It was so I could shoot the partridges from an upstairs window." " First, I snoozed for a while." " I knew it: he was dreaming." "I wasn't dreaming!" "Suddenly, there was the sound of digging and it woke me up." "I saw them from the window - one digging and the other looking on." "I didn't dare move." "I saw the water gush out and then I saw them block the spring." "Why didn't you tell her father?" "It was none of my business, but now we're all being punished it is my business." "Suppose that what he's said is true..." "It's not, but let's just suppose it is..." "You know I'd give her everything:" "the spring, my flowers, my house, my money, the Soubeyran fortune and my life." "You know that." "I told you so in the hills." "I love you unbearably." "Listen..." "Please listen, Manon." "Ever since I saw you, ever since I spoke to you, food has been turning to sawdust in my mouth, sleep's been a torment..." "If you reject me, I'll die or go mad." "Shut up, you fool." "Let's go." "Just think how I feel." "I'm all mixed up, what with remorse for the harm I've done you and the happiness I want to offer you." "You must know how I'd slave for you!" " Oh, my love!" " Make him go away!" "Don't be a fool!" "Stand up!" "Manon, you must realise, I'm going to die for the love of you, and no-one cares!" "Galinette, come home!" "No!" "It's all your fault!" "I've lost everything because of you." "If only I'd known." "Galinette, my boy!" "I'm staying." "Since you're all against him, I'll defend him." "I don't see how you can." "You all know there was no spring at Romarins - just a puddle." "But I found the real spring." "You men, you're natives like me:" "tell him there was no spring." "Listen: anyone who knew there was one and didn't tell the hunchback is responsible for his death." " The old bastard!" " You knew!" "Of course." "We all knew." "But we didn't dare denounce them to protect an outsider." "They hated my grandmother and wanted revenge." "Who's your grandmother?" "Florette." "It's because she married a man from Crespin." "Florette was your grandmother?" "Then the hunchback was Florette's son?" "Papet says he wants to see you and the mayor." " Papet wants to see you both." " Me?" "He said to come quickly." " Where is he?" " At Romarins, waiting for you." "What can Cesar want?" "Put him on the table." "Put him here." "Go to the village and tell the woman to bring some candles from the church." "At least six big ones..." "And the linen sheet his grandmother wove..." "Pamphile, prepare the coffin." "You've got those oak boards in the attic... the ones I wanted for myself." "The ones you asked me to order." "Use them for him." "Can I ask you all to say he fell from a tree." "Keep the suicide secret until after the funeral." "Otherwise the priest won't want to bury him properly." "Now you can all go." " I'll stay with you." " There's no need to." "She should have married him anyhow and avenged herself by making his life hell on earth." "Papet, I can't go on living." "I don't care about the carnations;" "it's because of my love." "She'll never love me." "I suspected so because I've got an infection from her ribbon." "And when I told her I wanted to marry her, she spat at me in a fury." "Besides, she prefers the teacher." "When he talks to her, she lowers her eyes." "When he stops, she's eager for him to start again." "He doesn't even think about it, but takes it for granted." "He's a happy man, and I'm miserable." "I can't bear it any longer." "I'd like to kill him, but that would grieve her, so I won't deprive her of him." "I'm giving her my farm and what's hidden next to the fireplace." "You know where." "Don't make any trouble." "It's not her fault or yours: it's just fate." "Arrange a Mass for me." "I'll have to account for the spring up there." "Adieu, Papet." "I'm sorry to leave you, but I can't go on living." "Do you know?" "Yes." "What will you do?" "I don't know." "I won't go back to that house." "Too many bad memories." "I'd always think of his body on the tree... and his smell in the house." "Will you join the procession?" "If you're absolutely sure the water won't come back, you should go." "If your father could have brought back their spring, what would he have done?" "I think he'd have wanted their friendship." "If that's so, you must do likewise." " Do you think the procession will help?" " You never know." "We'll see if the fountain responds to our prayers." "If it does, I'll have to go to confession." "That's the trouble:" "if the water comes back, every fool might feel like you and I'll end up losing the election." "Miracles are very convincing." "Something's happening..." "Stop!" "It's gurgling!" "There's a gurgling in the pipe." "A miracle!" "On your knees!" "On your knees, everybody!" "It's not a miracle!" "It's just a coincidence." "I recognised your footsteps." "Your ears are sharp." "My hearing can't replace my eyesight, Cesar." "Belly dancing's all very well, but you made a mistake in going to North Africa." "I did?" "I say mistake, but it was almost a crime." "What mistake do you mean?" "When I was wounded, I was about to be promoted." "That's not what I meant." "I'm talking about the letter you received." " What letter?" " One that deserved an answer... but you failed to respond." "A letter from whom?" "You don't want to talk to me about it because you think I don't know." " I swear, Delphine." " Don't swear, you sinner!" "I'm sorry to be stirring up a bitter memory." "A bitter memory?" "Delphine, we're beside the church, in the presence of the cross." "I swear by that cross that I received no letter except from my father, Anglade and Castagne." "If that's the truth, it's tragic." "Why?" "Swear again that you're not lying to me." "I swear it." "Who wrote to me?" "Florette." "Florette Camoins?" "There was no other Florette." "Are you sure?" "I gave the letter to the postman." "I'd never have forgotten a letter from her." "I still have two faded notes she wrote me... and one of her combs." "That's it." "When I came back, she'd left the village." "She'd married that blacksmith from Crespin." "She already had a child." "Is it possible her letter didn't reach you?" "Over there we kept on moving around." "Sometimes we didn't get food or even ammunition." "It's definitely possible that letters got lost as well." "But if there'd been one from her" "I'd know it by heart." "If that's true, it's dreadful!" " Do you think she loved me?" " You old fool!" "She never admitted it... not even after what we did one night in Anglade's barn." "That's just the way she was." "But in her letter she wrote that she was pregnant." " What?" " Yes." "You'd been gone three weeks." "She said that if you wrote to promise her father to marry her, she'd wait for you." "She'd have shown your letter to everybody so that no-one would laugh at her." "Are you sure?" "The poor girl couldn't sleep." "She tried to get rid of the baby with magic potions." "She jumped from high rocks in the hills, but nothing worked." "She came to hate you." "She went to Aubagne, where she met that blacksmith from Crespin." "So she left the village and no-one ever knew when the child was born." "Was it alive?" "Yes, alive." "But a hunchback." "I hear Clairette coming for me." "Come on over, girl." "It's getting chilly." "I want to sit by the fireside." "Adieu, Cesar." "Don't worry." "I've never told anyone." "I'll pray for you." " What's wrong, Papet?" "Are you ill?" " No, no." "Don't stay out here." "Come inside." " Shall I call a doctor?" " No." " I could call through to Ombrees." " No." "I know what's wrong with me." "Lean on me." "I'll take you home." "My friend, I don't believe you're near death." "I believe I am." "I know I'm going to die tonight." "Why do you think so?" "I'll die because I don't want to live." "Let's get on with the confession." "You can see I need to confess." "Remember, suicide is a cardinal sin." "I've no need to kill myself." "I'll simply let myself go." "Please God, don't let her baby be a hunchback." "Dear little Manon," "I am leaving you my whole estate." "You may wonder why, but it's the truth." "The solicitor will give you all the documents." "It's because your father was my son, the Soubeyran I'd hoped for all my life." "I tormented him to death because I didn't know who he was." "If I'd told him about the spring, he'd still be playing his harmonica and you'd all be living in our family home." "No-one knows about it, but even so, I'm bitterly ashamed." "In the village, there's one person who'll tell you the truth." "It's Delphine, the old blind woman." "She'll explain how it's all because of Africa." "I don't deserve to kiss you and I never dared to speak to you, but maybe now you can forgive me and even pray for poor Ugolin and me." "Even I find myself a pitiable being." "I think it was because of spite that I never went near him." "I never heard his voice or saw his face or his eyes, which might have been like his mother's." "All I saw was his hump and the grief I caused him." "You'll understand why I want to die." "I'm so hounded by my miserable thoughts that even hell will be a blessed release." "I'm not afraid to see him up there, now he knows he's a Soubeyran and it's not my fault he's a hunchback." "He realises it was all a foolish mistake." "I'm sure he won't resent me, but will even defend me." "Farewell, my darling girl." "Your grandfather, Cesar Soubeyran."