（
护界仙王）（
盛世军婚）（
阳光大秦）（
唐砖）（
我的尤物老婆）
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a wind was running,that occasionally the poplars whitenedilame fleky was broken and blue among movinsunshine laythe level fields, and shadowsthe rye andthe distance, very blue, the cathedral bristled against the sky, and the housesthe citymetz clustered vaguely below, likill.
among the fieldsthe lime trees stood the barracks, upon bare, dry ground, a collectionround roofed hutscorrugated iron, where the soldiers’ nasturtiums climbe waractvegetable gardenthe side, with the soldiers’ yellowish lettucesrows, andthe back the big, hard drilling yard surroundeda wire fence.
at this timethe afternoon, the huts were deserted, all the beds pushed up, the soldiers were lounging about under the lime trees waiting for the calata benchthe shade that smelled sickly wit green, wrecked lime flowers were scatteredth was writing his weekly post cardhi waair, long, limber youth, goo sat very still indeed, tryingwrite his pos blue uniform, sagginghimhe sat bent over the card, disfigured his youthfu sunburnt hand waited motionless for the wordse.“dear mother” was allhascribbled mechanically:“many thanks for your letter with whatis all right with me.we are just offdrillthe fortifications ”herebroke off and sat suspended, obliviouseverything, heldsome definite suspense.
he looked againthcould write nthe knothis consciousnessword woul signed himself, and looked up,a man looksseeanyone has noticed himhis privacy.
there waelf conscious strainhis blue eyes, anallor about his mouth, where the young, fair moustach was almost girlishhis good looks andhe had somethingmilitary consciousness,ifbelievedthe discipline for himself, and found satisfactiondelivering himselfhi was alsraceyouthful swagger and daredevilry about his mouth and his limber body, but this wassuppression now.
he put the post cardthe pockethis tunic, and wentjoirouphis rades who were loungingthe shade, laughing and talkin daywas only stood nearthem for the warmthth his own consciousness something held him down.
presently they were summoneergeant came outtak watrongly built, rather heavy maead was thrust forward, sunittle between his powerful shoulders, and the strong jaw was pushedthe eyes were smouldering, the face hung slack and sodden with drink.
hegave his ordersbrutal, barking shouts, and the little pany moved forward, outthe wire fenced yardthe open road, marching rhythmically, raising th, onethe inner filefour deep, marchedthe airless ranks, half suffocated with heat and dustthe movinghis rades’ bodies,could see the small vines dustythe roadside, the poppies among the tares fluttering and blownpieces, the distant spacessky and fields all free with airhe was bounda very dark enclosureanxiety within himself.
he marched with his usual ease, being healthy and wel his body wentb spirit was clenche ever the few soldiers drew nearer and nearerthe town, ever the consciousnessthe youth became more gripped and separate, his body workeda kindmechanical intelligence, a mere presencemind.
they diverged from the high road and passedsingle file dowath amon was silent and green and mysterious, with shadowfoliage and long, green, undisturbe they came outthe sunshinea moatwater, which wound silently between the long, flowery grass,the footthe earthworks, that rosefrontterraces walled smooththe face, but all soft with long grassth daisies and lady’s slipper glimmered white and goldthe lush grass, preserved herethe intense peacethtrees stood rouuffmysterious wind made the flowers and the long grass that crested the earthworks above bow and shakewith signalsoning alarm.
the groupsoldiers stoodthe endthe moat,their light blue and scarlet uniforms, ver sergeant was giving them instructions, and his shout came sharp and alarmingthe intense, untouched stillnessth listened, findingdifficultmake the effortunderstanding.
thenwas over, and the men were movingmak the other sidethe moat the ramparts rose smooth and clearthe sun, sloping slightl the summit grass grew and tall daisies stood ledged high, like magic, against the dark greenthe tree top noisethe town, the runningtram cars, was heard distinctly, butseemed notperate this still place.
the waterthe moatsilence the practicthe soldiers toocaling ladder, and passing along the narrow ledgethe footthe earthworks, with the waterthe moat just behind him, triedgeixturethe slightly sloping walstood, small and isolated,the footthe wall, tryingget his ladde lastheld, and the clumsy, groping figurethe baggy blue uniform beganclamber up.the restthe soldiers stoodthe sergeant barked the clumsy blue figure clambered higherthe wal stood with his bowels turnedwater.
the figurethe climbing soldier scrambled outto the terraceabove, and moved, blue and distinct, among the bright gree officer shouted fro soldier tramped along, fixed the ladderanother spot, and carefully lowered himselftowatched the blind foot gropingspace for the ladder, andfelt the world fall away beneat figurethe soldier clung cringing against the facethe wall, cleaving, groping downwards like some unsure insect working its way lower and lower, fearing ever last, sweating and wittrained face, the figure had landed safely and turnedthe groutillhatiffness anlank, mechanical look, was something less than human.
bachmann stood there heavy and condemned, waiting for his own turnof the men wenteasily enough, and withou only showedcoulddone lightly, and made bachmann’s case mor onlycouldit lightly, like that.
his tur knew intuitively that nobody knewofficer just saw hima mechanica triedkeepup,carrythroughthe facnside gripped tight,yet under control,took the ladder and went along underplaced his ladder with quick success, and wild, quivering hope possesse blindlybegahe ladder was not very firm, andevery hitcreat, sick, melting feeling took hollunnlycould keep that griphimself,wouldknew this,agony.
whatcould not understand was the blind gushwhite hot fear, that came with great force whenever the ladder swerved, and which almost melted his belly and all his joints, and leftoncemelted all his joints and his belly,wa clung desperatelnew the fear,knew whatdid whencame,knewhad onlykeeir knew al, when the ladder swerved, and his foot missed, there was the great blastfear blowinghis heart and bowels, andwas melting weaker and weaker,a horrorfear and lackcontrol, meltingfall.
yetgroped slowly higher and higher, always staring upwards with desperate face, and always consciousthe spac allhim, body and soul, was growing hotfusio would haveletfor very relief’ his heart begaavreat, sickly swoop, rose, and again plungeda swooay against the wall inertif dead, inert,peace, save for one deep coreanxiety, which knew thatwas not all over, thatwas still highspace againstthe chief effortwill was gone.
there came into his consciousnesmall, foreig woke was it?then slowlyperate water had run downlay there, clinging, still with shame, half consciousthe echothe sergeant’s voice thundering fro waited,depthsshame beginningrecove had been shamed scouldon, for his fear for himselfshame was knownmuston.
slowlybegangrope for the rung above, whereat shock shook throug wrists were grasped from above,was being hauled outhimself up,to the saackwas dragged over the edgethe earthworksthe large hands, and landed therehis knees, grovellingthe grassrecover mandhimself,riseon his feet.
shame, blind, deep shame and ignominy overthrew his spirit and leftood there shrunk over himself, tryingobliterate himself.
then the presencethe officer who had hauled himmade itself felt upo heard the pantingthe elder man, and then the voice came downhis veins likierc shranktensionshame.
“putyour head eyes front,” shouted the enraged sergeant, and mechanically the soldier obeyed the mand, forcedlook into the eyethe officer violatedhardened himself with all his might from seeing it.the tearing noisethe sergeant’s voice continuedlacerate his body.
suddenlyset back his head, rigid, and his heart leapace had suddenly thrust itself close, all distorted and showing the teeth, the eyes smouldering int breaththe barking words washis nosestepped asid scream the face was uponraised his arm, involuntarily,selhorror went through him,he felt his forearm hit the facethe officeruta latter staggered, swerved back, and witurious cry, reeled backwards over the ramparts, his hands clutchingwaecondsilence, therashwater.
bachmann, rigid, looked outhis inner silence uponwere running.
“you’d better clear,” said one young, excited voicith immediate instinctive decisionstartedwalk away fromwent down the tree hidden paththe high road where the trams ranand fromhis heart waensevindication, o was leavingall, the military world,was walking away from it.
officershorseback rode sauntering down the street, soldiers passed alongto the bridge, bachmann crossed overthe town that heaped before him, rising from the flat, picturesque french houses down belowthe water’s edge,a jumbleroofs and chasmsstreets,the lovely dark cathedral with its myriad pinnacles making pointsthe sky.
he felt for the moment quitepeace, relieved froreaturned alongthe riverthe publi were the heaped, purple lilac trees upon the green grass, and wonderful the wallsthe horse chestnut trees, lighted likealtar with white flowersever went by, elegant and all coloured, women and girls saunteredthe chequerewas,walkeda vision, free.
m.pi.co
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