I A green and yellow parrot , which hung in a cage outside the door , kept repeating over and over : “ Allez vous-en !
Allez vous-en !
Sapristi !
That 's all right ! ”
He could speak a little Spanish , and also a language which
nobody 0
understood , unless it was the mocking-bird that hung on the other side of the door , whistling his fluty notes out upon the breeze with maddening persistence .
Mr. Pontellier 1
, unable to read
his 1
newspaper with any degree of comfort , arose with an expression and an exclamation of disgust .
He 1
walked down
the gallery 2
and across
the narrow “ bridges ” which connected
the Lebrun cottages 4
one with the other 3
.
He 1
had been seated before the door of
the main house 5
.
The parrot and the mockingbird were the property of
Madame Lebrun 6
, and they had the right to make all the noise they wished .
Mr. Pontellier 1
had the privilege of quitting
their 1
society when
they 1
ceased to be entertaining .
He 1
stopped before the door of
his 1
own cottage 7
, which was the fourth one from
the main building 5
and next to the last .
Seating
himself 1
in a wicker rocker which was
there 7
,
he 1
once more applied
himself 1
to the task of reading the newspaper .
The day was Sunday ; the paper was a day old .
The Sunday papers had not yet reached
Grand Isle 8
.
He 1
was already acquainted with the market reports , and
he 1
glanced restlessly over the editorials and bits of news which
he 1
had not had time to read before quitting
New Orleans 9
the day before .
Mr. Pontellier 1
wore eye-glasses .
He 1
was
a man of forty , of medium height and rather slender build 55
;
he 1
stooped a little .
His 1
hair was brown and straight , parted on one side .
His 1
beard was neatly and closely trimmed .
Once in a while
he 1
withdrew
his 1
glance from the newspaper and looked about
him 1
.
There was more noise than ever over at
the house 5
.
The main building 5
was called “
the house 5
, ” to distinguish
it 5
from
the cottages 4
.
The chattering and whistling birds were still at it .
Two young girls , the Farival twins 10
, were playing a duet from “ Zampa ” upon the piano .
Madame Lebrun 6
was bustling in and out , giving orders in a high key to
a yard-boy 11
whenever
she 6
got inside
the house 5
, and directions in an equally high voice to
a
dining-room 13
servant 12
whenever
she 6
got outside .
She 6
was
a fresh , pretty woman , clad always in white with elbow sleeves 56
.
Her 6
starched skirts crinkled as
she 6
came and went .
Farther down , before
one of the cottages 14
,
a lady in black 15
was walking demurely up and down , telling
her 15
beads .
A good many persons of the pension 16
had gone over to
the Cheniere Caminada 17
in
Beaudelet 's lugger 18
to hear mass .
Some young people 19
were out under the wateroaks playing croquet .
Mr. Pontellier 1
's two children 20
were
there 21
--
sturdy little fellows of four and five 20
.
A quadroon nurse 22
followed
them 20
about with a faraway , meditative air .
Mr. Pontellier 1
finally lit a cigar and began to smoke , letting the paper drag idly from
his 1
hand .
He 1
fixed
his 1
gaze upon a white sunshade that was advancing at snail 's pace from the beach .
He 1
could see it plainly between the gaunt trunks of the water-oaks and across the stretch of yellow camomile .
The gulf 23
looked far away , melting hazily into the blue of
the horizon 24
.
The sunshade continued to approach slowly .
Beneath its pink-lined shelter were
his 1
wife 25
,
Mrs. Pontellier 25
, and young
Robert Lebrun 26
.
When
they 27
reached
the cottage 7
,
the two 27
seated
themselves 27
with some appearance of fatigue upon the upper step of the porch , facing each other , each leaning against a supporting post .
“ What folly !
to bathe at such an hour in such heat ! ”
exclaimed
Mr. Pontellier 1
.
He 1
himself 1
had taken a plunge at daylight .
That was why the morning seemed long to
him 1
.
You 25
are burnt beyond recognition , ”
he 1
added , looking at
his 1
wife 25
as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage .
She 25
held up
her 25
hands , strong , shapely hands , and surveyed them critically , drawing up
her 25
fawn sleeves above the wrists .
Looking at them reminded
her 25
of
her 25
rings , which
she 25
had given to
her 25
husband 1
before leaving for
the beach 28
.
She 25
silently reached out to
him 1
, and
he 1
, understanding , took the rings from
his 1
vest pocket and dropped them into
her 25
open palm .
She 25
slipped them upon
her 25
fingers ; then clasping
her 25
knees ,
she 25
looked across at
Robert 26
and began to laugh .
The rings sparkled upon
her 25
fingers .
He 26
sent back an answering smile .
“ What is it ? ”
asked
Pontellier 1
, looking lazily and amused from
one 25
to
the other 26
.
It was some utter nonsense ; some adventure out there in the water , and
they 27
both tried to relate it at once .
It did not seem half so amusing when told .
They 27
realized this , and so did
Mr. Pontellier 1
.
He 1
yawned and stretched
himself 1
.
Then
he 1
got up , saying
he 1
had half a mind to go over to
Klein 30
's hotel 29
and play a game of billiards .
“ Come go along ,
Lebrun 26
, ”
he 1
proposed to
Robert 26
.
But
Robert 26
admitted quite frankly that
he 26
preferred to stay where
he 26
was and talk to
Mrs. Pontellier 25
.
“ Well , send
him 26
about
his 26
business when
he 26
bores
you 25
,
Edna 25
, ” instructed
her 25
husband 1
as
he 1
prepared to leave .
“ Here , take the umbrella , ”
she 25
exclaimed , holding it out to
him 1
.
He 1
accepted the sunshade , and lifting it over
his 1
head descended the steps and walked away .
“ Coming back to dinner ? ”
his 1
wife 25
called after
him 1
.
He 1
halted a moment and shrugged
his 1
shoulders .
He 1
felt in
his 1
vest pocket ; there was a ten-dollar bill there .
He 1
did not know ; perhaps
he 1
would return for the early dinner and perhaps
he 1
would not .
It all depended upon the company which
he 1
found over at
Klein 30
's 29
and the size of “ the game . ”
He 1
did not say this , but
she 25
understood it , and laughed , nodding good-by to
him 1
.
Both children 20
wanted to follow
their 20
father 1
when
they 20
saw
him 1
starting out .
He 1
kissed
them 20
and promised to bring
them 20
back bonbons and peanuts .
II
Mrs. Pontellier 25
's eyes were quick and bright ; they were a yellowish brown , about the color of
her 25
hair .
She 25
had a way of turning them swiftly upon an object and holding them there as if lost in some inward maze of contemplation or thought .
Her 25
eyebrows were a shade darker than
her 25
hair .
They were thick and almost horizontal , emphasizing the depth of
her 25
eyes .
She 25
was rather handsome than beautiful .
Her 25
face was captivating by reason of a certain frankness of expression and a contradictory subtle play of features .
Her 25
manner was engaging .
Robert 26
rolled a cigarette .
He 26
smoked cigarettes because
he 26
could not afford cigars ,
he 26
said .
He 26
had a cigar in
his 26
pocket which
Mr. Pontellier 1
had presented
him 26
with , and
he 26
was saving it for
his 26
after-dinner smoke .
This seemed quite proper and natural on
his 26
part .
In coloring
he 26
was not unlike
his 26
companion 26
.
A clean-shaved face made the resemblance more pronounced than it would otherwise have been .
There rested no shadow of care upon
his 26
open countenance .
His 26
eyes gathered in and reflected the light and languor of the summer day .
Mrs. Pontellier 25
reached over for a palm-leaf fan that lay on the porch and began to fan
herself 25
, while
Robert 26
sent between
his 26
lips light puffs from
his 26
cigarette .
They 27
chatted incessantly : about the things around
them 27
;
their 27
amusing adventure out in the water -- it had again assumed its entertaining aspect ; about the wind , the trees ,
the people who had gone to
the Cheniere 17
31
; about
the children playing croquet under the oaks 19
, and
the Farival twins 10
, who were now performing the overture to “ The Poet and the Peasant . ”
Robert 26
talked a good deal about
himself 26
.
He 26
was very young , and did not know any better .
Mrs. Pontellier 25
talked a little about
herself 25
for the same reason .
Each 32
was interested in what
the other 33
said .
Robert 26
spoke of
his 26
intention to go to
Mexico 34
in the autumn , where fortune awaited
him 26
.
He 26
was always intending to go to
Mexico 34
, but some way never got
there 34
.
Meanwhile
he 26
held on to
his 26
modest position in
a mercantile house in
New Orleans 9
35
, where an equal familiarity with English , French and Spanish gave
him 26
no small value as
a clerk 36
and
correspondent 37
.
He 26
was spending
his 26
summer vacation , as
he 26
always did , with
his 26
mother 6
at
Grand Isle 38
.
In former times , before
Robert 26
could remember , “
the house 5
” had been a summer luxury of
the Lebruns 39
.
Now , flanked by
its 5
dozen or more cottages 4
, which were always filled with
exclusive visitors from
the “ Quartier Francais , ” 41
40
it 5
enabled
Madame Lebrun 6
to maintain the easy and comfortable existence which appeared to be
her 6
birthright .
Mrs. Pontellier 25
talked about
her 25
father 42
's
Mississippi 43
plantation 44
and
her 25
girlhood home in
the old Kentucky bluegrass country 46
45
.
She 25
was
an American woman , with a small infusion of French which seemed to have been lost in dilution 57
.
She 25
read a letter from
her 25
sister , who was away in
the East 48
, and who had engaged
herself 47
to be married 47
.
Robert 26
was interested , and wanted to know what manner of
girls 49
the sisters 50
were , what
the father 42
was like , and how long
the mother 51
had been dead .
When
Mrs. Pontellier 25
folded the letter it was time for
her 25
to dress for the early dinner .
I 25
see
Leonce 1
is n't coming back , ”
she 25
said , with a glance in the direction whence
her 25
husband 1
had disappeared .
Robert 26
supposed
he 1
was not , as there were a good many
New Orleans 9
club 53
men 52
over at
Klein 30
's 29
.
When
Mrs. Pontellier 25
left
him 26
to enter
her 25
room 54
,
the young man 26
descended the steps and strolled over toward
the croquet players 19
, where , during the half-hour before dinner ,
he 26
amused
himself 26
with
the little Pontellier children , who were very fond of
him 26
20
.
III It was eleven o'clock that night when
Mr. Pontellier 1
returned from
Klein 30
's hotel 29
.
He 1
was in an excellent humor , in high spirits , and very talkative .
His 1
entrance awoke
his 1
wife 25
, who was in bed and fast asleep when
he 1
came in .
He 1
talked to
her 25
while
he 1
undressed , telling
her 25
anecdotes and bits of news and gossip that
he 1
had gathered during the day .
From
his 1
trousers pockets
he 1
took a fistful of crumpled bank notes and a good deal of silver coin , which
he 1
piled on the bureau indiscriminately with keys , knife , handkerchief , and whatever else happened to be in
his 1
pockets .
She 25
was overcome with sleep , and answered
him 1
with little half utterances .