The
Marquis’ carriage heads out into the country. As he drives, our narrator gives
a description of the land. It’s parched and almost dead. All the crops are
slowly dying – like the poor people who farm them. The narrator takes this time
to explain why the village looks so crummy, as well. The Marquis has been
taxing his villagers so much that they don’t have the money to buy food or care
for their children.
In
the village, the Marquis pulls aside a man that he passed on the road. Understandably,
the guy’s a bit nervous. The Marquis isn’t exactly known for his generosity
around here. The Marquis demands to know what the guy was staring at when the
carriage passed him. The man says that he was staring at another man who was
riding below the carriage as a stowaway. The peasant describes the stowaway as
a tall, thin, white-faced man. Gabelle, the town tax collector and postmaster,
steps forward to take charge of a hunt for the mysterious man.
As
they’ve almost reached the Marquis’ country estate, a woman stops them on the
road. She’s poor and desperate. Her husband has just died, their farm yields no
money, and now her children are starving. She’d like money to build a small
tombstone for her husband. Without a headstone, no one will know where he was
buried. Any guesses as to what the Marquis will do? Exactly. He rides away
without listening to another word.
His
carriage pulls up at a magnificent country mansion (or chateau). As the Marquis
gets out, he asks if Monsieur Charles has arrived yet. Hang on a second…don’t
we already know a Charles? What’s going on here? Just wait…it’ll be clear in no
time at all.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment