9．
“Have you put any salt in it?”
“Certainly not, ma’am,” answered Marie, amazed by the question. “You told me yourself that I was never to put salt in it.”
Upon this, Madame Duparc snatched up the saucepan without saying another word, turned to the cupboard, and stretched out her hand toward one of four salt-cellars which always stood there. Then she sprinkled salt into the saucepan—— or, if not salt something which she took for salt.
The hasty-pudding made, Marie poured it from the saucepan into a soup-plate which her mistress（女主人） held. Madame Duparc herself then took it to her father, Monsieur De Beaulieu. Then she and her daughter, and one of her sons, remained with the old man while he was eating his breakfast. Marie, left in the kitchen, prepared to clean the saucepan; but, before she could do so, she was suddenly called in two different directions by Madame De Beaulieu and Madame Duparc. The old lady wished to be taken to mass, and her mistress wanted to send her on a number of errands(差事). I
t was half-past eleven in the noon before she got back to the kitchen.
The first news that met her on her return was that Monsieur De Beaulieu had been suffering, ever since nine o’clock, from a violent attack of vomiting(呕吐) and colic(急性腹痛). Madame Duparc ordered her to help the old man to bed immediately; and inquired, when these directions had been followed, whether Marie felt capable of looking after him herself, or whether she would prefer that a nurse should be sent for. Being a kind-hearted, willing girl, always anxious to make herself useful, Marie replied that she would gladly undertake the nursing of the old man; and thereupon(于是) her bed was moved at once into Monsieur De Beaulieu’room.
Meanwhile Madame Duparc fetched from a neighboring apothecary’s one of the apprentices(学徒) of the shop to see her father. The apprentice was quite unfit to meet the emergency of the case, which was certainly serious enough to require the attention of his master, if not of a regularly qualified physician. Instead of applying and internal remedies(治疗), the apprentice stupidly tried blistering. This course of treatment proved utterly useless; but no better advice was called in. After he had suffered for hours without relief, Monsieur De Beaulieu began to sink rapidly toward the afternoon. At half-past five o’clock he had ceased to exist.
This shocking catastrophe, startling（令人吃惊的） and suspicious as it was, did not appear to disturb the nerves of Madame Duparc. She lost no time in sending for the nearest nurse to lay out the body of Monsieur De Beaulieu. On entering the chamber of death, the nurse found Marie there alone, praying by the old man’s bedside. “He died suddenly, did he not?” said the nurse.” Very suddenly,” answered Marie. “He was walking about only yesterday in perfect health.” Soon afterward the time came when it was customary to prepare supper. Marie went into the kitchen mechanically, to get the meal ready. Madame Duparc, her daughter, and her youngest son, sat down to it as usual. Madame De Beaulieu, overwhelmed by the dreadful death of her husband, was incapable of joining them.
When supper was over, Marie assisted the old lady to bed. Then, worn out though she was with fatigue, she went back to the nurse to keep her company in watching by the dead body. Monsieur De Beaulieu had been kind to Marie, and had spoken gratefully of the little attentions she had shown him. She remembered this tenderly now that he was no more; and she could not find it in her heart to leave a hired mourner to be the only watcher by his death-bed. All that night she remained in the room, entirely ignorant of what was passing the while in every other part of the house— her own little bedroom included, as a matter of course.
About seven o’clock the next morning, after sitting up all night, she went back again wearily to the kitchen to begin her day’s work. Her mistress joined her there, and saluted her instantly with a scolding.
“You are the most careless, slovenly(懒散的) girl I ever met with.” said Madame Duparc.” Look at your dress; how can you expect to be decent（得体的）on a Sunday, if you wear your best pair of pockets on week-days?”