Anthony Adverse I-III. [antikvár]

VOLUME IThe Roots of the TreeBOOK ONEIn which the Seed Falls in the Enchanted Forestt, V ii' i ,1VH 1 ( ,CHAPTER I THE COACHcBetween the villages of Aubiere and Romagnat in the ancient Province of Auvergne there is an old road that comes suddenly over the top of a high hill. To stand south of this ridge looking up at the highway flowing over the skyline is to receive one of those irrefutable impressions from landscape which requires more than a philosopher to explain. In this case it is undoubtedly, for some reason, one of exalted expectation.From the deep notch in the hillcrest where the road first appears, to the bottom of the valley below it, the fields seem to sweep down hastily for the express purpose of widening out and waiting by the way. From the low hills for a considerable distance about, the stone farm buildings all happen to face toward it, and although most of them have stood thus for centuries their expressions of curiosity remain unaltered.Somewhat to the east the hill of Gergovia thrusts its head into the sky, and continuously stares toward the notch as if speculating whether Celtic pedlars, Roman legionaries, Franks, crusaders, or cavaliers will raise the dust there.In fact in whatever direction a man may look in this particular vicinity his eyes are led inevitably by the seductive tracery of the sky-line to the most interesting point in all that countryside, the place where the road surmounts the hill. Almost anything might appear there suddenly against the empty sky, fix itself upon the memory, and then move on to an unknown destination.Perhaps the high hill of Gergovia where heroic events have