Vivi
“You might be one of the five hundred from Provence by the way you speak. Sapristi! I swear I can not understand but a quarter of their jabber. Look out there, you young brat, you’re always bumping that basket around.” The soldier said this last to a boy, who, running and carrying his basket at the same time, flopped over on the ground, his head falling against the side of the basket and his whole face convulsed with laughter. It was Raoul, and as he was so often about the gate he knew all the soldiers and he was not in the least afraid of this one.
“What a funny man! Oh, dear! Oh, dear! I had a bet with Guy Soufflot that I would run into him and knock him over, just for the fun of seeing him tumble about like a rubber ball. What a funny man!” Raoul laughed up at Humphrey Trail as he spoke.
“Is th’ so, my young lad, is th’ so? I’ll teach tha better manners with a good stout stick, an’ tha do not stay tha chatter!” exclaimed Humphrey Trail, justly indignant at Raoul’s impudence. In his excitement he spoke in English entirely, so the boy, who did not understand a word of what he said, only laughed the harder.
“Oh, the funny fat man, and his funny way of speaking. Come here and listen to him!” he called to the Soufflot boy, who came running up to him. Raoul had arisen to his feet, putting his hand over his face as he rocked with laughter.
Humphrey made a dive at him and, catching him firmly by the arm, shook him until every tooth in his head rattled like a castanet.
“I’ll teach tha to know respect for tha elders,” Humphrey cried. At that moment some one spoke close beside him and, turning, he saw so strange a person that involuntarily he took his hands from Raoul’s shoulders and stared. The newcomer, a tall man, stood bare-headed in the sunshine, his red hair falling about his grave, beautiful face. It was Dian!
“Whatever the lad has done he is sorry for it, and he meant no harm. I can answer for him, I know him,” said Dian. As he spoke he turned his clear eyes full upon Raoul, who looked sheepish and embarrassed.
“He’s such a funny man,” he said half apologetically, reaching down and picking up his vegetable basket, a smile still lurking about his mouth.