Rising Action
And the meal concluded. They were finishing their coffee when a
chief of the gendarmes appeared upon the threshold.
He inquired:
"Is Maître Hauchecome of Breaute here?"
Maître Hauchecome, seated at the other end of the table, replied:
"Here I am."
And the officer resumed:
"Maître Hauchecome, will you have the goodness to accompany me to the mayor's
office? The mayor would like to talk to you."
The peasant, surprised and disturbed, swallowed at a draught his tiny glass of
brandy, rose and, even more bent than in the morning, for the first steps after
each rest were specially difficult, set out, repeating: "Here I am, here I am."
The mayor was awaiting him, seated on an armchair. He was the notary of the
vicinity, a stout, serious man with pompous phrases.
"Maître Hauchecome," said he, "you were seen this morning to pick up, on the
road to Benzeville, the pocketbook lost by Maître Houlbreque of Manneville."
Being accompanied to the mayor's office later leads to him being accused of finding the pocketbook and not returning it.