“At any rate, give me something to eat,” the workman said; but the other grew indignant:  “It only remains for us to feed you!  Ah! ah! ah! that is rather strong!” But Randel went on firmly:  “If you let me nearly die of hunger again, you will force me to commit a crime, and then, so much the worse for you other fat fellows.”

The Mayor had risen, and he repeated:  “Take him away immediately, or I shall end by getting angry.”

The two gendarmes thereupon seized the carpenter by the arms and dragged him out.  He allowed them to do it without resistance, passed through the village again, and found himself on the highroad once more; and when the men had accompanied him two hundred yards beyond the village, the brigadier said:  “Now off with you, and do not let me catch you about here again, for if I do you will know it.”

Randel went off without replying, or knowing where he was going.  He walked on for a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, so stupefied that he no longer thought of anything.  But suddenly, as he was passing a small house, where the window was half open, the smell of the soup and boiled meat stopped him suddenly in front of it, and hunger, fierce, devouring, maddening hunger seized him, and almost drove him against the walls of the house, like a wild beast.

He said aloud, in a grumbling voice:  “In heaven’s name! they must give me some, this time.”  And he began to knock at the door vigorously with his stick, and as nobody came he knocked louder and called out:  “He! he! you people in there, open the door!” And then, as nothing moved, he went up to the window, and pushed it open with his hand, and the close warm air of the kitchen, full of the smell of hot soup, meat and cabbage escaped into the cold, outer air, and with a bound the carpenter was in the house.  Two covers were laid on the table, and no doubt the proprietors of the house, on going to church, had left their dinner on the fire, their nice, Sunday boiled beef and vegetable soup, while there was a loaf of new bread on the chimney-piece, between two bottles which seemed full.

Randel seized the bread first of all, and broke it with as much violence as if he were strangling a man, and then he began to eat it voraciously, swallowing great mouthfuls quickly.  But almost immediately the smell of the meat attracted him to the fire-place, and having taken off the lid of the saucepan, he plunged a fork into it and brought out a large piece of beef tied with a string.  Then he took more cabbage, carrots and onions until his plate was full, and having put it onto the table, he sat down before it, cut the meat into four pieces, and dined as if he had been at home.  When he had eaten nearly all the meat besides a quantity of vegetables, he felt thirsty, and took one of the bottles off the mantel-piece.

Scarcely had he poured the liquor into his glass, than he saw it was brandy.  So much the better; it was warming and would instill some fire into his veins, and that would be all right, after being so cold; and he drank some.  He found it very good, certainly, for he had grown unaccustomed to it, and he poured himself out another glassful, which he drank at two gulps.  And then, almost immediately he felt quite merry and light-hearted from the effect of the alcohol, just as if some great happiness were flowing through his system.