The Brother replied by a yet more significant wink.
‘Well, what do you mean? Can’t you speak? Ah! there’s a king. That’s capital!—so I take your queen.’
The Brother laid down his cards, bent over the table, and whispered close to La Teuse’s face: ‘That hussy has been here.’
‘I know that well enough,’ answered La Teuse. ‘I saw her go with mademoiselle into the poultry-yard.’
At this he gave her a terrible look, and shook his fist in her face.
‘You saw her, and you let her come in! You ought to have called me, and we would have hung her up by the feet to a nail in your kitchen.’
But at this the old woman lost her temper, and, lowering her voice solely in order that she might not awaken Abbé Mouret, she replied: ‘Don’t you go talking about hanging people up in my kitchen! I certainly saw her, and I even kept my back turned when she went to join his reverence in the church when the catechising was over. But all that was no business of mine. I had my cooking to attend to! As for the girl herself, I detest her. But if his reverence wishes to see her—why, she is welcome to come whenever she pleases. I’d let her in myself!’
‘If you were to do that, La Teuse,’ retorted the Brother ragefully, ‘I would strangle you, that I would.’
But she laughed at him.
‘Don’t talk any of your nonsense to me, my man! Don’t you know that it is forbidden you to lay your hands upon a woman, just as it’s forbidden for a donkey to have anything to do with the Pater Noster? Just you try to strangle me and you’ll see what I’ll do! But do be quiet now, and let us finish the game. See, here’s another king.’