6.
Encounter with the Bear.Like a hungry deer in winter, I hang around outside the house. It breathes out the life-giving odour that emanates from the hearths of country people. I recognize the smell of smoked lard soup which women from the Alsace also know how to make to perfection. Nourse is driven frantic by it. White foam flecks his open jaws, he scratches at the door with his front paws, tearing his claws in a frenzy of hunger. I come to a stop at the front door; it is massive, made of oak and quite plain. I take off my skis, put my rucksack and skis in the porch and allow myself a minute to get my breath back. I can hear voices, coughing, and the sound of laughter. Someone is singing. I know that song; it is La Délaissàdo, a song which tells about a shepherdess waiting up there abov
