Wayfaring in France, from Auvergne to the Bay of Biscay (1913) (14579428070)

Identifier: wayfaringinfranc00barkuoft (find matches)
Title: Wayfaring in France, from Auvergne to the Bay of Biscay
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors: Barker, Edward Harrison, 1851-1919
Subjects: France -- Description and travel
Publisher: London, Macmillan
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN



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waslocked, and nobody responded to the noise I made.It took me half an hour to find the solitary at thefarther end of the village. He returned with meand, opening the door, we both entered the onlyroom of the cottage. It was shop, bedroom, andkitchen. There was a bed against the wall, andnear the window was a small stock of tobacco, snuff,and groceries all mixed up. My hosts back wasmuch bent and his face deeply furrowed. Hewore a shirt with a high collar, and a blue waistcoat.He was an honest, kindly man, and seemed to takepleasure in doing what he could for me apart fromthe thought of gaining by it. In the way of food he had only eggs, bread,cheese, and butter. It was decided that he shouldfry some eggs, He lighted some sticks upon thehearth, and there was soon a good blaze ; then helaid his great frying-pan upon it, resting the longhandle upon a chair. While the butter was melting,he opened a trap-door in the floor and went down aladder into his cellar. Presently he reappeared with
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A Peasant ok the Moors. TALK OVER THE WINE-BOTTLE 33 a litre of wine, and having set this before me, heproceeded to crack the eggs and empty them intothe frying-pan. As a cook he had no pretensions,but he knew how to fry eggs. When my meal wasready, and he had placed everything before me uponthe bare board, he sat at a little distance eating adry old crust with a piece of goat cheese. Thiswas his lunch. I insisted upon his sharing thewine with me, and this little attention made himthoroughly confiding and cheery. He was left a widower, he told me, with four chil-dren, at the age of thirty-eight, and he would not takea second wife because, his father having done so, heremembered the trials and tribulations of his ownchildhood which came of his having a mother whowas not a mother. He said to himself, My chil-dren shall not run the risk of going through what Iwent through. He toiled on alone, brought up hisfamily himself, added to his bit of land in course ofyears, and acquired other pro