“But, yes! It was perfect!”
Then, pointing to the rain, and making a down-slanting movement with his great hands, he said again, very slowly and patiently:
“La pluie.”
“La pluie,” the young man repeated dutifully, and the peasant nodded vigorously, saying:
“Good, good. You are speaking very well. In a little time you will speak good French.” Then, pointing to the fields outside the train, he said gently:
“La terre.”
“La terre,” the young man answered.
“I tell you,” the girl cried angrily from her seat by the window, “he knows all these words. He speaks French very well. You are too stupid to understand him—that’s all.”
The old man made no reply to her, but sat looking at the young man with a kind, approving face. Then, more rapidly than before, and in succession, he pointed to the sun, the rain, the earth, saying:
“Le soleil… la pluie… la terre.”
The young man repeated the words after him, and the peasant nodded vigorously with satisfaction. Then, for a long time, no one spoke, there was no sound except for the uneven rackety-clack of the little train, and the girl continued to look sullenly out of the window. Outside, the rain fell across the fertile fields in long slanting lines.
Late in the afternoon the train stopped at a little station, and everyone rose to get out. This was as far as the train went: to reach Orléans it was necessary to change to another train.
The peasant, his wife and his daughter collected their bundles and got out of the train. On another track another little train was waiting, and the peasant pointed to this with his great, stiff finger, and said to the young man:
“Orléans. That’s your train there.”
The youth thanked him, and gave the old man the remainder of the packet of cigarettes. The peasant thanked him effusively and before they parted he again pointed rapidly towards the sun, the rain, and the earth, saying with a kind and friendly smile:
“Le soleil… la pluie… la terre.”
And the young man nodded to show that he understood, repeated what the old man had said. And the peasant shook his head with vigorous approval, saying:
