Cotentin

“ The Normans of the Cotentin were the purest men of their race. They kept up that connection with the ocean from which some other Normans revolted; and they were led from the land to the sea by the same inducement that had sent their ancestors out of Scania,—the inability to find food there. "The population," we are assured, "was teeming, the sterile land could not feed them, but the roaring surges surrounded them. All loved the sea, and upon, the waves, and beyond the waves, they were ever seeking their fortunes. ”

“ Observing the king with a group of his nobles seated humbly among the peasants’ panniers at the lower end of the church, Serlo heaved a deep sigh for the misery of the people and rose to speak.
The hearts of all the faithful, he said, should mourn for the distresses of the church and for the wretchedness of the people. The Cotentin was laid waste and depopulated. For lack of a governor all Normandy was a prey to thieves and robbers. The church of God, which ought to be a place of prayer, was now, for want of a righteous defender, turned into a storehouse for the peasants’ belongings. ”

“ One part of the duchy in short was altogether Romance in speech and manners, while more or less of Teutonic character still clave to the other.33 So now Teutonic Normandy rose against Duke William, and Romance Normandy was faithful to him. The nobles of the Bessin and Côtentin made league with William’s cousin Guy of Burgundy, meaning, as far as one can see, to make Guy Duke of Rouen and Evreux, and to have no lord at all for themselves. ”

“ Such was the origin of the Norman nobility, destined to become the patricians of the world. The cruelty with which the peasants were treated by the new nobles is a type of the system that ever was pursued by men of "the gentle Norman blood" toward a restless people. "The folk of Normandie" had no mercy on men who disputed, or even called in question, their right to unrestricted dominion.
The Cotentin was the most important part of Normandy,—was to Normandy what Normandy was to the rest of Europe. ”

“ The rocks and the valley between them are worthy of some better office than to watch over an uninteresting town which has neither ancient houses to show nor yet handsome modern streets. The chief church, though not insignificant, is French and not Norman, and so teaches the wrong lesson to an Englishman who begins his Côtentin studies at this point. But, four miles or so to the west, he will find a building which is French only if we are to apply that name to what runs every chance of being præ-Norman, the work of a day when Rolf and William Longsword had not yet dismembered the French duchy. ”

“ The Secessionists were our Danes, who, if they did not ravage our lands, cut up our commerce at a fearful rate, and not only found shelter and aid wherever the English flag flies in authority, but were furnished with ships by England and with men to work and to fight them, so that our last sea-fight was won over our old foe on that summer day when the Kearsarge sent the Alabama to look after the old Raven craft of the Northmen that may be lying under the old Norman waters, and did it, too, off the Cotentin shore, just where the conflict between Saxons and Normans began. ”

“ Poll amused itself by whistling and calling the dog, but after the first time Rover was not deceived, and merely [73] looked at the bird as if he wondered how it did it.
Mr. Cottenham always had plenty of anecdotes to tell the boys of his adventures in India, as he had been a keen sportsman and crack shot. He was now an officer in the local volunteers, and by far the best shot in the regiment.
“You promised once, sir,” said Steve, “to tell us an anecdote about a tiger-hunt you once had in India.”
“Did I?” replied Mr. Cottenham; “then I must keep my word. I shall never forget that adventure. ”

“ Mr. Cottenham enjoyed a joke as much as anyone, and nothing pleased him more than to turn a joke against those who tried to victimize others. He gave Alfred some nice jujubes, saying that that was the best form of strap-oil for taking. Then he got a small bottle, and put something into it which smelt like very strong onions, and to this he added some liquid like water, also with a very strong odour. Then all the liquid became milky. ”

“ No sooner had she gone than Cotter came into the room. He stood as if waiting for orders, his teeth chattering, his whole aspect one of ludicrous terror.
"Well, you blockhead," Flower cried, "why don't you speak? Why stand there in that ridiculous attitude? Anybody would think you a child frightened by a bogie. Where is your pluck, man? You used to have plenty of it."
"Never a man with more," Cotter said half defiantly. "But I have seen what I have seen and I know what I know, and I will never possess even the nerve of a rabbit. Oh, why didn't we leave well alone? ”

“ Cotoner stood in silent contemplation. Had the great artist really painted that? He did not see the master's hand. Although he was an unimportant painter, he had a good eye, and he saw in the canvas hesitancy, fear, awkwardness, the struggle with something unreal which was beyond his reach, which refused to enter the mold of form. He was struck by the lack of likeness, by the forced exaggeration of the strokes; the eyes unnaturally large, the tiny mouth, almost a point, the bright skin with its supernatural pallor. ”

“ Why, boys, you have not been eating and drinking while I have been talking. What has become of your appetites?”
Thus reminded, the boys did ample justice to the food, and after tea they went into Mr. Cottenham’s laboratory—that is, the room in which he made chemicals or did chemical experiments. Walter eagerly followed everything he said and did. Mr. Cottenham explained in a very clear way all the changes that took place. ”

“ Cottenham went to the door and watched the boys.
“Here’s the pigeon’s milk,” said Alfred, handing Cox the bottle.
Cox tore the paper off and saw the milky liquid, and eagerly pulled out the cork to smell it. It was so strong, that he jerked the contents over King’s coat.
“He laughs loudest who laughs last,” said Mr. Cottenham, smiling. “That joke has cost you threepence, at all events.” ”

“ Cottenham,” said the dean to Steve. “King, close the window, so that the bird cannot fly away.”
[89] Away ran Steve as fast as he could, and in less than five minutes he was at Mr. Cottenham’s.
“If you please, sir,” he exclaimed, breathless, “your parrot is in our school-room!”
“What, Steve,” said Mr. Cottenham, “is my Polly up there? I will come back with you at once and get it.”
[90] As they walked to the school, Steve related the amusing little scene with the dean. He could enjoy the joke now.
“I am very sorry, sir,” said Mr. Cottenham to the dean, “for the had behaviour of my parrot.” ”

“ Cotter could see a cow moose and her calf. And, high over his head, there passed presently a string of black duck. He could hear the strong beating of their wings.
Mr. Cotter was a practical man.
"Why the hell did he do it?" he mused. "He might have married, and wanted a real house in this paradise, and told me to go as far as I liked. He'd have asked us all up to stay—and now, my God! all it can ever be is a cage for a jail-bird."
When at last the cottage was in exquisite order, old Martha sent the others away and stayed on alone. In her room she had an elaborate calendar. ”

“ A lady entered, so the boys waited a few minutes while Mr. Cottenham attended to her. They looked at the parrot, who kept turning its [33] head, first to one side and then to the other, chuckling as it did so.
Mr. Cottenham told them to go into his parlour at the back of the shop; behind it was a large garden, which ran down to the river. The chemist was very fond of gardening; his garden was always neat and trim, and full of flowers, according to the season of the year. There was a door which opened from the parlour into the garden, and they could see a dog chained up. ”

“ She went to the chest and looked at its contents. “Why, it’s only clothes and bric-a-brac! There’s no silverware there.”
“No,” said Cotterell, smiling. “That is not my silver plate. I keep it better hid than that.”
“Oh, do let us dine off it to-night,” begged Miss Boothby. “I should dearly love to see it.”
Cotterell looked perplexed. “Why, I should like you to,” he answered. Then he glanced at the sun. “But the party waits. And it was my intention to dance a minuet on the lawn before my house while it was daylight. Come, friends, come along with me.” ”

“ Cotoner looked at her from his seat with chaste calmness, commenting tranquilly on her beauty, feeling above temptation. [Pg 98]
"It's she, you've caught her, Mariano. She has been a great woman."
Renovales appeared offended at this comment.
"She is," he said with a sort of hostility. "She is still."
Cotoner could not argue with his idol and he hastened to correct himself.
"She is a charming woman, very attractive, yes sir, and very stylish. They say she is talented and cannot bear to let men who worship her suffer. She has certainly enjoyed life." ”

“ A major of the new school backed this idea with enthusiasm, and he and Cottar accumulated a library of military works, and read and argued and disputed far into the nights. But the adjutant said the old thing: "Get to know your men, young un, and they 'll follow you anywhere. That 's all you want—know your men." Cottar thought he knew them fairly well at cricket and the regimental sports, but he never realised the true inwardness of them till he was sent off with a detachment of twenty to sit down in a mud fort near a rushing river which was spanned by a bridge of boats. ”

“ Cotterell, followed by the others, walked out on the pier.
“What do you want?” called out the buff-coated man. “This is Cotterell’s Island.”
“We know it is,” answered a man in the boat. “Who are you? You look like Sir Peter.”
“I don’t want any rebels from Barmouth landing here,” came the reply.
“There aren’t any rebels nowadays. We won the Revolution.”
“You shan’t have my silver plate.”
There were laughs from those in the boat. “We don’t want it. We’ve brought paper plates of our own.”
“Well,” said Cotterell, “this is most extraordinary!” He turned to his guests. “Shall I let them land?” ”

“ But Katheline said:
“Under Saturn, four and three mean misfortune. But under Venus, it is the marriage number. Cold arms! Cold knees! Heart of fire!”
Soetkin answered:
“It is wrong to talk in this way of these wicked pagan idols.”
But Katheline only crossed herself and said:
“Blessed be the grey horseman. Nele must have a husband—a handsome husband that carries a sword, a dusky husband with a shining face!”
“Yes,” cried Ulenspiegel, “a very fricassee of a husband, for whom I will make a sauce with my knife!” ”

“ My husband is a handsome man. A hairy man is he, hot with love. But his knees and his arms, they are cold!” And Soetkin looked at her sadly, wondering what new kind of madness this might be. But Katheline continued:
“Three times three are nine, the sacred number. He whose eyes glitter in the night like the eyes of a cat—he only it is that sees the mystery.”
One evening when Katheline was talking in this way, Soetkin made a gesture of misgiving. ”

“ The pompadour cotinga is entirely purple, except his wings, which are white, their four first feathers tipped with brown. The great coverts of the wings are stiff, narrow, and pointed, being shaped quite p. 156different from those of any other bird. When you are betwixt this bird and the sun in his flight, he appears uncommonly brilliant. He makes a hoarse noise, which sounds like “wallababa.” Hence his name amongst the Indians.
None of these three cotingas have a song. They feed on the hitia, siloabali, and bastard-siloabali seeds, the wild guava, the fig, and other fruit trees of the forest. ”

“ Sam Cotting, being himself of great local importance, had never regarded with favor the rivalry of the nabob, but he placed stools near the telephone booth for the three girls, who accepted the courtesy with a graciousness that ought to have disarmed the surly storekeeper. They could not fail to be amused at the interest they excited, and as they personally knew every one of the town people they pleasantly nodded to each arrival and inquired after their health and the welfare of their families. ”

“ Don’t see what the dickens Cotting kept him on for!”
“Well, he’s played a pretty fair game at times, Bill, you’ve got to say that for him. I suppose every fellow is likely to make mistakes——”
“Mistakes! He didn’t make any mistake; he just didn’t do anything—until it was too late. [254] Of course, the St. Matthew’s game doesn’t mean much to us, although they looked such a cocky lot I’d liked to have seen them beaten, but, if he does things like that in an unimportant game, he’s likely to do them when we’re playing Bursley, I guess. Best thing Cotting can do is drop him.” ”

“ At Damme Nele the unhappy lived alone with Katheline who still for love called the cold devil who never came.
“Ah!” she would say, “thou art rich, Hanske my darling, and mightest bring me back the seven hundred carolus. Then would Soetkin come back alive from limbo to this earth, and Claes would laugh in the sky: well canst thou do this. Take away the fire, the soul would fain come out; make a hole, the soul would fain come out.” ”

“ You see, Jim, we free-traders can only make a little while the nations are fighting. By this time three years Mr Cottier can talk all he's a mind."
I had never liked Mr Cottier, but I felt a sort of pity for him. Then I felt that perhaps the discipline would be the making of him, and that, if he kept steady, he might even rise in the Spanish Navy, since he was a man of education. Then I thought of poor Mrs Cottier at home, and I felt that her husband must be saved at all costs.
"Oh, Marah," I cried, "don't let him go like that. Go and buy him back. He doesn't deserve to end like that." ”