"WHIRLPOOL OF FATE" "Most of us associate heroism with bygone times or distant lands." "We are blind to the quiet courage and the abiding strength of those we see every day." "A canal, somewhere in France." "Gudule, a lonely girl." "Catherine Hessling." "Her uncle Jeff, a brute." "Pierre Philippe." "Marc Rosaërt, Gudule's father." "In a beautiful village, by the canal  was the house of a happy family." "Mr. Citroën himself would have envied" "Mr. Raynal's magnificent car." "Georges Térof." "Mme. Raynal's life was ruled by two principles:" "to respect conventions strictly and to avoid finding herself in the path of her husband's car." "Mme Fockenberghe" "Her son Georges had just finished his studies." "Harold Lewingston" "Gudule had a gift for making a good stew out of the most dubious ingredients." "From his earliest youth, Georges's father had a passion for botany." "The sky turned threatening." " Bring in the sails!" "Throughout the night, they dredged the canal." "As soon as his brother was buried, Uncle Jeff... proceeded to squander the inheritance." "That morning  Jeff was trying to recover from the previous night's excesses." " Uncle, there's a For Sale sign on the barge." " Don't worry." "She needed to be taught a lesson, and she got one." "Gudule decided to flee." "From his improvised observation post, "The Weasel," a poacher with a bright future watched over the countryside." "Maurice Touzé" " What are you doing up there?" " Hunting!" " Where are you going?" ""The Redhead" spent her life peeling stolen potatoes and smoking a pipe." "Occasionally, she read cards." "Henriette Moret" " Mother, I've finally found a servant girl." "The Weasel began Gudule's education." "Mr. Raynal, owner of a nearby mill, inspected the building every month to evaluate needed repairs." " A storm broke the window pane last Thursday." " The guardrail is solid..." "Everything's fine..." "Perfect." "Justin Crépoix, a rich farmer." "Pierre Champagne" " This isn't a dog, he's a bump on a log!" "I'll train him!" " Do you live at the Redhead's?" " She's your mother?" " I love you..." "a little... a lot..." " Be quiet, you idiot!" "Thus Gudule completed her education as a bohemian." "Gudule and the Weasel didn't hesitate to poach on Justin's property." " Weasel, help!" "Weasel!" " Just you wait, dirty brute!" "We'll see who has the last laugh!" "The town mechanic..." "Justin was looking for an audience to hear him brag about his stupid exploits." " Come on, buddy, I'll buy you a drink!" "That day, the manager of "The Good Spot" inn was suffering from a terrible toothache." "André Derain" "Meanwhile..." "At nightfall..." "Justin had the entire town for an audience." "The Weasel's revenge." " Someone has set Crépoix's hay on fire!" "News of the fire spread through town." " Mr. Justin, your bales are on fire!" "Thrilled to be of service to the firemen, Mr. Raynal immediately offered them the use of his car." "Naturally, his offer was rejected." "Full of wine and hatred, Justin assembled his forces in the blink of an eye." " The Gypsies are behind this!" "Let's set fire to their caravan!" " Go fetch some water..." " I played a nasty trick on them." "We'd better get out of here..." " What about the girl?" " We can't wait for her." "Let's go!" " You see, this burns as well as my hay." "All night, she ran like a hunted animal." "At dawn..." "Gudule didn't notice she was walking along a quarry." "The shock made her half-mad." "Georges discovered the poor girl and rescued her..." "Every day, he brought her something to eat." "That evening  Georges worried about the young girl, alone and without shelter in the rain." "He knew he couldn't fall asleep." "It was a torrential downpour." "The ceaseless rain and a light fever gave nightmares to Gudule." "Delirium." "By the morning, a radiant sun had wiped out all traces of the horrible night." " Run, fetch the doctor!" "Convalescence." "The shy young man suddenly began to talk without stopping." "But emotion made him clumsy and he couldn't express the feelings bursting in his heart." "As for Gudule, thinking of her wretched condition, she burst into tears." "The days passed..." "Uncle Jeff returned from his wandering." "Gudule was on her way to market..." " So, you don't say hello to your uncle?" " It's not much." " I need a lot more." "If I don't have it tomorrow, watch out!" "Gudule had resigned herself to sell her necklace, when..." " Give it back!" " Not before I get it fixed." " When you go to town, can you give the saddler the money I owe him?" " Gudule has errands to run, she'll take it to him." " Did you go by the saddler's?" "Summoned suddenly to Algeria on business, the Raynals packed in great haste." "But Georges wasn't on the trip." " You were paid, weren't you?" " No!" " Did Gudule pay the saddler, Mr. Georges?" " I have to tell him the truth." " I'm coming with you." " Why this sudden decision?" "Won't you regret it?" " Leave me alone!" " You're the cause of all my misfortunes." "I had but one friend, and now he thinks I'm a thief!" " Be careful, Georges!" " Mr. Raynal, they're killing your son!" "The next day..."