4. A Story of Brigands

“Poor girl!” said the Envoy, “she must have regretted leaving her father and mother.” “The husband’s house was very beautiful, it was really superb; it was like a château or a palace, but a lonely palace. It was built in a forest so thick and dark that you could scarcely see the sky through the tops of the tall, bushy trees. There was no appearance of roads or even of paths anywhere around. The husband spent but little time at home with his wife. He would kiss her and say: ‘I will soon return, my dear wife,’ then depart with his companions, and be absent two, three, and even ten days at a time.”

“That was very bad,” said the Envoy.

“When he returned, he talked much more with his comrades than with his wife. He gave her all sorts of jewels and ornaments, it is true, but that did not satisfy her; she was not a coquette, she felt very unhappy, and little by little became very sad.

“She said to herself: ‘ Since my life is so sad, I wish I could die. I have no more hope.’ But we hold on to life after all. The proverb is indeed true, ‘Sorrow visits us very often, but death comes only once.’ One day, when she had been left all alone in the large, gloomy château, and in spite of the sad thoughts filling her mind, she felt very energetic and active, she said to herself:

“‘Why do I remain thus seated and motionless, awaiting death? Let me walk about a little. I shall find the end of my troubles in the garden as well as in a corner of this room.’

“And so, she ran out into the garden, which was like a narrow belt of flowers around the château, between its stone walls and the large forest. Everything was living and blooming in this little garden. ‘It isn’t such a good thing to die,’ she thought, looking at the flowers. ‘Ah! If only I were happy, I would rather live!’

“Then she wept, but while weeping, gathered a charming bouquet of lilies of the valley and wild roses, and seeing it so pretty and fragrant, ‘Where shall I put you, my poor bouquet? ’ she said to the flowers. ‘My large room is so desolate! You will no sooner be there than you will fade.’

“Then another idea came to her. ‘What if I should visit the other rooms; perhaps among the number I might find a small one that I should like.’

“No sooner said than done. She ran through many rooms. All were large, rich, and beautiful, but disagreeable.

“‘This isn’t the one, no, this isn’t the one I want,’ she thought, going from one to another.”

Here the Envoy placed his hand on the little girl’s mouth.

“Wait a little,” he said in a low tone.

“You thought you heard something?” asked Maroussia.

The Envoy knelt down and placed his ear on the ground.