the country doctor- 第10部分

〃Through　the　whole　of　one　winter　the　ex…mayor　got　into　the　way　of　explaining　to　our　citizens　that　a　good　road　for　wheeled　traffic　would　be　a　source　of　wealth　to　the　whole　country　round；　for　it　would　enable　every　one　to　do　a　trade　with　Grenoble；　he　held　forth　on　this　head　at　the　tavern　while　drinking　with　his　intimates。　When　the　Municipal　Council　had　authorized　the　making　of　the　road；　I　went　to　the　prefect　and　obtained　some　money　from　the　charitable　funds　at　the　disposal　of　the　department；　in　order　to　pay　for　the　hire　of　carts；　for　the　Commune　was　unable　to　undertake　the　transport　of　road　metal　for　lack　of　wheeled　conveyances。　The　ignorant　began　to　murmur　against　me；　and　to　say　that　I　wanted　to　bring　the　days　of　the　corvee　back　again；　this　made　me　anxious　to　finish　this　important　work；　that　they　might　speedily　appreciate　its　benefits。　With　this　end　in　view；　every　Sunday　during　my　first　year　of　office　I　drew　the　whole　population　of　the　township；　willing　or　unwilling；　up　on　to　the　mountain；　where　I　myself　had　traced　out　on　a　hard　bottom　the　road　between　our　village　and　the　highway　to　Grenoble。　Materials　for　making　it　were　fortunately　to　be　had　in　plenty　along　the　site。

〃The　tedious　enterprise　called　for　a　great　deal　of　patience　on　my　part。　Some　who　were　ignorant　of　the　law　would　refuse　at　times　to　give　their　contribution　of　labor；　others　again；　who　had　not　bread　to　eat；　really　could　not　afford　to　lose　a　day。　Corn　had　to　be　distributed　among　these　last；　and　the　others　must　be　soothed　with　friendly　words。　Yet　by　the　time　we　had　finished　two…thirds　of　the　road；　which　in　all　is　about　two　leagues　in　length；　the　people　had　so　thoroughly　recognized　its　advantages　that　the　remaining　third　was　accomplished　with　a　spirit　that　surprised　me。　I　added　to　the　future　wealth　of　the　Commune　by　planting　a　double　row　of　poplars　along　the　ditch　on　either　side　of　the　way。　The　trees　are　already　almost　worth　a　fortune；　and　they　make　our　road　look　like　a　king's　highway。　It　is　almost　always　dry；　by　reason　of　its　position；　and　it　was　so　well　made　that　the　annual　cost　of　maintaining　it　is　a　bare　two　hundred　francs。　I　must　show　it　to　you；　for　you　cannot　have　seen　it；　you　must　have　come　by　the　picturesque　way　along　the　valley　bottom；　a　road　which　the　people　decided　to　make　for　themselves　three　years　later；　so　as　to　connect　the　various　farms　that　were　made　there　at　that　time。　In　three　years　ideas　had　rooted　themselves　in　the　common　sense　of　this　township；　hitherto　so　lacking　in　intelligence　that　a　passing　traveler　would　perhaps　have　thought　it　hopeless　to　attempt　to　instil　them。　But　to　continue。

〃The　establishment　of　the　basket…maker　was　an　example　set　before　these　poverty…stricken　folk　that　they　might　profit　by　it。　And　if　the　road　was　to　be　a　direct　cause　of　the　future　wealth　of　the　canton；　all　the　primary　forms　of　industry　must　be　stimulated；　or　these　two　germs　of　a　better　state　of　things　would　come　to　nothing。　My　own　work　went　forward　by　slow　degrees；　as　I　helped　my　osier　farmer　and　wicker…worker　and　saw　to　the　making　of　the　road。

〃I　had　two　horses；　and　the　timber　merchant；　the　deputy…mayor；　had　three。　He　could　only　have　them　shod　whenever　he　went　over　to　Grenoble；　so　I　induced　a　farrier　to　take　up　his　abode　here；　and　undertook　to　find　him　plenty　of　work。　On　the　same　day　I　met　with　a　discharged　soldier；　who　had　nothing　but　his　pension　of　a　hundred　francs；　and　was　sufficiently　perplexed　about　his　future。　He　could　read　and　write；　so　I　engaged　him　as　secretary　to　the　mayor；　as　it　happened；　I　was　lucky　enough　to　find　a　wife　for　him；　and　his　dreams　of　happiness　were　fulfilled。

〃Both　of　these　new　families　needed　houses；　as　well　as　the　basket…maker　and　twenty…two　others　from　the　cretin　village；　soon　afterwards　twelve　more　households　were　established　in　the　place。　The　workers　in　each　of　these　families　were　at　once　producers　and　consumers。　They　were　masons；　carpenters；　joiners；　slaters；　blacksmiths；　and　glaziers；　and　there　was　work　enough　to　last　them　for　a　long　time；　for　had　they　not　their　own　houses　to　build　when　they　had　finished　those　for　other　people？　Seventy；　in　fact；　were　build　in　the　Commune　during　my　second　year　of　office。　One　form　of　production　demands　another。　The　additions　to　the　population　of　the　township　had　created　fresh　wants；　hitherto　unknown　among　these　dwellers　in　poverty。　The　wants　gave　rise　to　industries；　and　industries　to　trade；　and　the　gains　of　trade　raised　the　standard　of　comfort；　which　in　its　turn　gave　them　practical　ideas。

〃The　various　workmen　wished　to　buy　their　bread　ready　baked；　so　we　came　to　have　a　baker。　Buckwheat　could　no　longer　be　the　food　of　a　population　which；　awakened　from　its　lethargy；　had　become　essentially　active。　They　lived　on　buckwheat　when　I　first　came　among　them；　and　I　wished　to　effect　a　change　to　rye；　or　a　mixture　of　rye　and　wheat　in　the　first　instance；　and　finally　to　see　a　loaf　of　white　bread　even　in　the　poorest　household。　Intellectual　progress；　to　my　thinking；　was　entirely　dependent　on　a　general　improvement　in　the　conditions　of　life。　The　presence　of　a　butcher　in　the　district　says　as　much　for　its　intelligence　as　for　its　wealth。　The　worker　feeds　himself；　and　a　man　who　feeds　himself　thinks。　I　had　made　a　very　careful　study　of　the　soil；　for　I　foresaw　a　time　when　it　would　be　necessary　to　grow　wheat。　I　was　sure　of　launching　the　place　in　a　very　prosperous　agricultural　career；　and　of　doubling　the　population；　when　once　it　had　begun　to　work。　And　now　the　time　had　come。

〃M。　Gravier；　of　Grenoble；　owned　a　great　deal　of　land　in　the　commune；　which　brought　him　in　no　rent；　but　which　might　be　turned　into　corn…　growing　land。　He　is　the　head　of　a　department　in　the　Prefecture；　as　you　know。　It　was　a　kindness　for　his　own　countryside　quite　as　much　as　my　earnest　entreaties　that　won　him　over。　He　had　very　benevolently　yielded　to　my　importunities　on　former　occasions；　and　I　succeeded　in　making　it　clear　to　him　that　in　so　doing　he　had　wrought　unconsciously　for　his　own　benefit。　After　several　days　spent　in　pleadings；　consultation；　and　talk；　the　matter　was　thrashed　out。　I　undertook　to　guarantee　him　against　all　risks　in　the　undertaking；　from　which　his　wife；　a　woman　of　no　imagination；　sought　to　frighten　him。　He　agreed　to　build　four　farmhouses　with　a　hundred　acres　of　land　attached　to　each；　and　promised　to　advance　the　sums　required　to　pay　for　clearing　the　ground；　for　seeds；　ploughing　gear；　and　cattle；　and　for　making　occupation　roads。

〃I　myself　also　started　two　farms；　quite　as　much　for　the　sake　of　bringing　my　waste　land　into　cultivation　as　with　a　view　to　giving　an　object…lesson　in　the　use　of　modern　methods　in　agriculture。　In　six　weeks'　time　the　population　of　the　town　increased　to　three　hundred　people。　Homes　for　several　families　must　be　built　on　the　six　farms；　there　was　a　vast　quantity　of　land　to　be　broken　up；　the　work　called　for　laborers。　Wheelwrights；　drainmakers；　journeymen；　and　laborers　of　all　kinds　flocked　in。　The　road　to　Grenoble　was　covered　with　carts　that　came　and　went。　All　the　countryside　was　astir。　The　circulation　of　money　had　made　every　one　anxious　to　earn　it；　apathy　had　ceased；　the　place　had　awakened。

〃The　story　of　M。　Gravier；　one　of　those　who　did　so　much　for　this　canton；　can　be　concluded　in　a　few　words。　In　spite　of　cautious　misgivings；　not　unnatural　in　a　man　occupying　an　official　position　in　a　provincial　town；　he　advanced　more　than　forty　thousand　francs；　on　the　faith　of　my　promises；　without　knowing　whether　he　should　ever　see　them　back　again。　To…day　every　one　of　his　farms　is　let　for　a　thousand　francs。　His　tenants　have　thriven　so　well　that　each　of　them　owns　at　least　a　hundred　acres；　three　hundred　sheep；　twenty　cows；　ten　oxen；　and　five　horses；　and　employs　more　than　twenty　persons。

〃But　to　resume。　Our　farms　were　ready　by　the　end　of　the　fourth　year。　Our　wheat　harvest　seemed　miraculous　to　the　people　in　the　district；　heavy　as　the　first　crop　off　the　land　ought　to　be。　How　often　during　that　year　I　trembled　for　the　success　of　my　work！　Rain　or　drought　might　spoil　everything　by　diminishing　the　belief　in　me　that　was　already　felt。　When　we　began　to　grow　wheat；　it　necessitated　the　mill　that　you　have　seen；　which　brings　me　in　about　five　hundred　francs　a　year。　So　the　peasants　say　that　'there　is　luck　about　me'　（that　is　the　way　they　put　it）；　and　believe　in　me　as　they　believe　in　their　relics。　These　new　undertakingsthe　farms；　the　mill；　the　plantations；　and　the　roads　have　given　employment　to　all　the　various　kinds　of　workers　whom　I　had　called　in。　Although　the　buildings　fully　represent　the　value　of　the　sixty　thousand　francs　of　capital；　which　we　sunk　in　the　district；　the　outlay　was　more　than　returned　to　us　by　the　profits　on　the　sales　which　the　consumers　occasioned。　I　never　ceased　my　efforts　to　put　vigor　into　this　industrial　life　which　was　just　beginning。　A　nurseryman　took　my　advice　and　came　to　settle　in　the　place；　and　I　preached　wholesome　doctrine　to　the　poor　concerning　the　planting　of　fruit　trees；　in　order　that　some　day　they　should　obtain　a　monopoly　of　the　sale　of　fruit　in　Grenoble。

〃　'You　take　your　cheeses　there　as　it　is；'　I　used　to　tell　them；　'why　not　take　poultry；　eggs；　vegetables；　game；　hay　and　straw；　and　so　forth？'　All　my　counsels　were　a　source　of　fortune；　it　was　a　question　of　who　should　follow　them　first。　A　number　of　little　businesses　were　started；　th