After reading · Part II · Chapter 8

Part II · Chapter 8Through the Hungry Country

Summary

The Marquis travels through an impoverished countryside where taxes and dues consume the villagers’ labor. At a village fountain, a road-mender reports seeing a dust-covered man hanging beneath the carriage on its climb. The Marquis orders officials to find the stranger, but he has vanished.

A woman petitions the Marquis for a marker on her husband’s poor grave so it will not be lost; he drives on without helping. Reaching his château, he asks whether Monsieur Charles has arrived from England and learns he has not.

Who’s who

• The Marquis — Feudal lord travelling to his country estate.
• The road-mender — A villager who reports the hidden rider.
• The petitioning woman — A widow seeking only a grave marker.
• Monsieur Charles — The expected guest from England.