large/9676/unhappy_far-off_things_1701_librivox_64kb_mp3/unhappyfaroffthings_04_dunsany_64kb_27
large/9676/unhappy_far-off_things_1701_librivox_64kb_mp3/unhappyfaroffthings_04_dunsany_64kb
English
9676
No one that is familiar with houses of fifty storeys, none even that has known palaces, will smile at this old man's efforts to tell of his high house, and to make me believe that it rose to two storeys high, as we stood together by that sad white mound. NO ONE THAT IS FAMILIAR WITH HOUSES OF FIFTY STORIES NONE EVEN THAT HAS KNOWN PALACES WILL SMILE AT THIS OLD MAN'S EFFORTS TO TELL OF HIS HIGH HOUSE AND TO MAKE ME BELIEVE THAT IT ROSE TO TWO STORIES HIGH AS WE STOOD TOGETHER BY THAT SAD WHITE MOUND
about uncertainly, when first I noticed him, as though he was not sure where he was. But now he stood quite still looking down at the mound. "Voilà ma maison," he said. He said no more than that: this astounding remark, this gesture that indicated such calamity, were quite simply made. There was nothing whatever of theatrical pose that we wrongly associate with the French, because they conceal their emotions less secretly than we; there were no tragic tones in his voice: only a trace of deep affection showed in one of the words he used. He spoke as a woman might say of her only child, "Look at _my_ baby." "Voilà ma maison," he said. I tried to say in his language what I felt; and after my attempt he spoke of his house. It was very old. Down underneath, he said, it dated from feudal times; though I did not quite make out whether all that lay under that mound had been so old or whether he only meant the cellars of his house. It was a fine high house, he said, as much as two storeys high. TTLE HIGHER THAN THE ROAD HE WAS WALKING ABOUT UNCERTAINLY WHEN I FIRST NOTICED HIM AS THOUGH HE WAS NOT SURE WHERE HE WAS BUT NOW HE STOOD QUITE STILL LOOKING DOWN AT THE MOUND VIOLA MA'AMAISON HE SAID HE SAID NO MORE THAN THAT THIS ASTOUNDING REMARK THIS GESTURE THAT INDICATED SUCH CALAMITY WERE QUITE SIMPLY MADE THERE WAS NOTHING WHATEVER OF THEATRICAL POSE THAT WE WRONGLY ASSOCIATE WITH THE FRENCH BECAUSE THEY CONCEALED THEIR EMOTIONS LESS SECRETLY THAN WE THERE WERE NO TRAGIC TONES IN HIS VOICE ONLY A TRACE OF DEEP AFFECTION SHOWED IN ONE OF THE WORDS HE USED HE SPOKE AS A WOMAN MIGHT SAY OF HER ONLY CHILD LOOK AT MY BABY VIOLA MAISON HE SAID I TRIED TO SAY IN HIS LANGUAGE WHAT I FELT AND AFTER MY ATTEMPT HE SPOKE OF HIS HOUSE IT WAS VERY OLD DOWN UNDERNEATH HE SAID IT DATED FROM FEUDAL TIMES THOUGH I DID NOT QUITE OUT WHETHER ALL THAT LAY UNDER THAT MOUND HAD BEEN SO OLD OR WHETHER HE ONLY MEANT THE CELLARS OF HIS HOUSE IT WAS A FINE HIGH HOUSE HE SAID AS MUCH AS TWO STORIES HIGH
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