Our house can be seen from that point, and one old woman pointed it out to the other, saying: 'See what a lot of money they have spent on the man who turned out Courtecuisse.' 'They ought to pay a man well when they set him to harass poor people as that man does,' answered the other.

'Well, it won't be for long,' said the first one; 'the thing is going to end soon.
We have a right to our wood.

The late Madame allowed us to take it.
That's thirty years ago, so the right is ours.' 'We'll see what we shall see next winter,' replied the second.

'My man has sworn the great oath that all the gendarmerie in the world sha'n't keep us from getting our wood; he says he means to get it himself, and if the worst happens so much the worse for them!' 'Good God!' cried the other; 'we can't die of cold, and we must bake bread to eat! They want for nothing, _those others_! the wife of that scoundrel of a Michaud will be taken care of, I warrant you!' And then, Madame, they said such horrible things of me and of you and of Monsieur le comte; and they finally declared that the farms would all be burned, and then the chateau." "Bah!" said Emile, "idle talk! They have been robbing the general, and they will not be allowed to rob him any longer.

These people are furious, that's the whole of it.