"That is good!" said Burguet, rising. "Go and take a drink with thy
comrades. Be happy, and do not desert again."
He made as if he would follow Solomon's playing; but when the deserter
said, "I thank you, too, for her who is expecting me!" he looked at me
sideways, not knowing what to answer, so much was he moved. Then I
said to the conscript, "We are very glad that we have been of
assistance to you; go and drink the health of your advocate, and behave
yourself well."
He looked at us for a moment longer, as if he were unable to move; we
saw his thanks in his face, a thousand times better than he had been
able to utter them. At length he slowly went out, saluting us, and
Burguet finished his cup of coffee.
We meditated for some minutes upon what had passed. But soon the
thought of seeing my family seized me.
Burguet was like a soul in purgatory. Every minute he got up to look
on, as one or another played, with his hands crossed behind his back;
then he sat down with a melancholy look. I should have been very sorry
to plague him longer, and, as the clock struck eight, I bade him
good-evening, which evidently pleased him.
"Good-night, Moses," said he, leading me to the door. "My compliments
to Madame Sorle, and Madame Zeffen."
"Thank you! I shall not forget it."
I went, very glad to return home, where I arrived in a few minutes.
Sorle saw at once that I was in good spirits, for, meeting her at the
door of our little kitchen, I embraced her joyfully.
"It is all right, Sorle," said I, "all just right!"
"Yes," said she, "I see that it is all right!"
She laughed, and we went into the room where Zeffen was undressing
David. The poor little fellow, in his shirt, came and offered me his
cheek to kiss. Whenever I dined in the city, I used to bring him some
of the dessert, and, in spite of his sleepy eyes, he soon found his way
to my pockets.
You see, Fritz, what makes grandfathers happy is to find out how bright
and sensible their grandchildren are.
Even little Esdras, whom Sorle was rocking, understood at once that
something unusual was going on; he stretched out his little hands to
me, as if to say, "I like cake too!"
We were all of us very happy. At length, having sat down, I gave them
an account of the day, setting forth the eloquence of Burguet, and the
poor deserter's happiness. They all listened attentively. Safel,
seated on my knees, whispered to me, "We have sold three hundred
francs' worth of brandy!"
This news pleased me greatly: when one makes an outlay, he ought to
profit by it.
About ten o'clock, after Zeffen had wished us good-night, I went down
and shut the door, and put the key underneath for the sergeant, if he
should come in late.
While we were going to bed, Sorle repeated what Safel had said, adding
that we should be in easy circumstances when the blockade was over, and
that the Lord had helped us in the midst of great calamities.
We were happy and without fear of the future.