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| author | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-02-05 00:28:12 -0800 |
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| committer | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-02-05 00:28:12 -0800 |
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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1f8fef2 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50311 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50311) diff --git a/old/50311-0.txt b/old/50311-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index b8887f5..0000000 --- a/old/50311-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10530 +0,0 @@ -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 50311 *** - -MONT ORIOL - -OR - -A ROMANCE OF AUVERGNE - -_A NOVEL_ - -_By_ - -GUY DE MAUPASSANT - - -SAINT DUNSTAN SOCIETY - -Akron, Ohio - -1903 - - -[Illustration: "HE HAD THOUGHT WITH DEEP ANXIETY OF THIS CHILD, OF -WHICH HE WAS THE FATHER"] - - - -TABLE OF CONTENTS - - -CHAPTER I. -THE SPA - -CHAPTER II. -THE DISCOVERY - -CHAPTER III. -BARGAINING - -CHAPTER IV. -A TEST AND AN AVOWAL - -CHAPTER V. -DEVELOPMENTS - -CHAPTER VI. -ON THE BRINK - -CHAPTER VII. -ATTAINMENT - -CHAPTER VIII. -ORGANIZATION - -CHAPTER IX. -THE SPA AGAIN - -CHAPTER X. -GONTRAN'S CHOICE - -CHAPTER XI. -A MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING - -CHAPTER XII. -A BETROTHAL - -CHAPTER XIII. -PAUL CHANGES HIS MIND - -CHAPTER XIV. -CHRISTIANE'S VIA CRUCIS - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - -"HE HAD THOUGHT WITH DEEP ANXIETY OF THIS CHILD, OF WHICH HE WAS -THE FATHER" - -"SHE SPRANG WILDLY TO HER FEET. IT WAS HE!" - - - - -MONT ORIOL - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - -THE SPA - - -The first bathers, the early risers, who had already been at the water, -were walking slowly, in pairs or alone, under the huge trees along the -stream which rushes down the gorges of Enval. - -Others arrived from the village, and entered the establishment in -a hurried fashion. It was a spacious building, the ground floor -being reserved for thermal treatment, while the first story served -as a casino, _café_, and billiard-room. Since Doctor Bonnefille had -discovered in the heart of Enval the great spring, baptized by him the -Bonnefille Spring, some proprietors of the country and the surrounding -neighborhood, timid speculators, had decided to erect in the midst -of this superb glen of Auvergne, savage and gay withal, planted with -walnut and giant chestnut trees, a vast house for every kind of use, -serving equally for the purpose of cure and of pleasure, in which -mineral waters, douches, and baths were sold below, and beer, liqueurs, -and music above. - -A portion of the ravine along the stream had been inclosed, to -constitute the park indispensable to every spa; and three walks had -been made, one nearly straight, and the other two zigzag. At the end -of the first gushed out an artificial spring detached from the parent -spring, and bubbling into a great basin of cement, sheltered by a -straw roof, under the care of an impassive woman, whom everyone called -"Marie" in a familiar sort of way. This calm Auvergnat, who wore a -little cap always as white as snow, and a big apron, perfectly clean at -all times, which concealed her working-dress, rose up slowly as soon as -she saw a bather coming along the road in her direction. - -The bather would smile with a melancholy air, drink the water, and -return her the glass, saying, "Thanks, Marie." Then he would turn on -his heel and walk away. And Marie sat down again on her straw chair to -wait for the next comer. - -They were not, however, very numerous. The Enval station had just been -six years open for invalids, and scarcely could count more patients -at the end of these six years than it had at the start. About fifty -had come there, attracted more than anything else by the beauty of -the district, by the charm of this little village lost under enormous -trees, whose twisted trunks seemed as big as the houses, and by the -reputation of the gorges at the end of this strange glen which opened -on the great plain of Auvergne and ended abruptly at the foot of the -high mountain bristling with craters of unknown age--a savage and -magnificent crevasse, full of rocks fallen or threatening, from which -rushed a stream that cascaded over giant stones, forming a little lake -in front of each. - -This thermal station had been brought to birth as they all are, with -a pamphlet on the spring by Doctor Bonnefille. He opened with a -eulogistic description, in a majestic and sentimental style, of the -Alpine seductions of the neighborhood. He selected only adjectives -which convey a vague sense of delightfulness and enjoyment--those -which produce effect without committing the writer to any material -statement. All the surroundings were picturesque, filled with splendid -sites or landscapes whose graceful outlines aroused soft emotions. All -the promenades in the vicinity possessed a remarkable originality, -such as would strike the imagination of artists and tourists. Then -abruptly, without any transition, he plunged into the therapeutic -qualities of the Bonnefille Spring, bicarbonate, sodium, mixed, -lithineous, ferruginous, _et cetera, et cetera_, capable of curing -every disease. He had, moreover, enumerated them under this heading: -Chronic affections or acute specially associated with Enval. And the -list of affections associated with Enval was long--long and varied, -consoling for invalids of every kind. The pamphlet concluded with some -information of practical utility, the cost of lodgings, commodities, -and hotels--for three hotels had sprung up simultaneously with the -casino-medical establishment. These were the Hotel Splendid, quite new, -built on the slope of the glen looking down on the baths; the Thermal -Hotel, an old inn with a new coat of plaster; and the Hotel Vidaillet, -formed very simply by the purchase of three adjoining houses, which -had been altered so as to convert them into one. - -Then, all at once, two new doctors had installed themselves in the -locality one morning, without anyone well knowing how they came, for -at spas doctors seem to dart up out of the springs, like gas-jets. -These were Doctor Honorat, a native of Auvergne, and Doctor Latonne, -of Paris. A fierce antagonism soon burst out between Doctor Latonne -and Doctor Bonnefille, while Doctor Honorat, a big, clean-shaven man, -smiling and pliant, stretched forth his right hand to the first, -and his left hand to the second, and remained on good terms with -both. But Doctor Bonnefille was master of the situation, with his -title of Inspector of the Waters and of the thermal establishment of -Enval-les-Bains. - -This title was his strength and the establishment his chattel. There -he spent his days, and even his nights, it was said. A hundred times, -in the morning, he would go from his house which was quite near in -the village to his consultation-study fixed at the right-hand side -facing the entrance to the thermal baths. Lying in wait there, like a -spider in his web, he watched the comings and goings of the invalids, -inspecting his own patients with a severe eye and those of the other -doctors with a look of fury. He questioned everybody almost in the -style of a ship's captain, and he struck terror into newcomers, unless -it happened that he made them smile. - -This day, as he arrived with rapid steps, which made the big flaps of -his old frock coat fly up like a pair of wings, he was stopped suddenly -by a voice exclaiming: "Doctor!" - -He turned round. His thin face, full of big ugly wrinkles, and looking -quite black at the end with a grizzled beard rarely cut, made an effort -to smile; and he took off the tall silk hat, shabby, stained, and -greasy, that covered his thick pepper-and-salt head of hair--"pepper -and soiled, as his rival, Doctor Latonne, put it. Then he advanced a -step, made a bow, and murmured: - -"Good morning, Marquis--are you quite well this morning?" - -The Marquis de Ravenel, a little man well preserved, stretched out his -hand to the doctor, as he replied: - -"Very well, doctor, very well, or, at least, not ill. I am always -suffering from my kidneys; but indeed I am better, much better; and I -am as yet only at my tenth bath. Last year I did not obtain the effect -until the sixteenth, you recollect?" - -"Yes, perfectly." - -"But it is not about this I want to talk to you. My daughter has -arrived this morning, and I wish to have a chat with you about her case -first of all, because my son-in-law, William Andermatt, the banker----" - -"Yes, I know." - -"My son-in-law has a letter of recommendation addressed to Doctor -Latonne. As for me, I have no confidence except in you, and I beg -of you to have the kindness to come up to the hotel before--you -understand? I prefer to say things to you candidly. Are you free at the -present moment?" - -Doctor Bonnefille had put on his hat again, and looked excited and -troubled. He answered at once: - -"Yes, I shall be free immediately. Do you wish me to accompany you?" - -"Why, certainly." - -And, turning their backs on the establishment, they directed their -steps up a circular walk leading to the door of the Hotel Splendid, -built on the slope of the mountain so as to offer a view of it to -travelers. - -They made their way to the drawing-room in the first story adjoining -the apartments occupied by the Ravenel and Andermatt families, and -the Marquis left the doctor by himself while he went to look for his -daughter. - -He came back with her presently. She was a fair young woman, small, -pale, very pretty, whose features seemed like those of a child, while -her blue eyes, boldly fixed, cast on people a resolute look that gave -an alluring impression of firmness and a peculiar charm to this refined -and fascinating creature. There was not much the matter with her--vague -languors, sadnesses, bursts of tears without apparent cause, angry fits -for which there seemed no season, and lastly anæmia. She craved above -all for a child, which had been vainly looked forward to since her -marriage, more than two years before. - -Doctor Bonnefille declared that the waters of Enval would be effectual, -and proceeded forthwith to write a prescription. The doctor's -prescriptions had always the formidable aspect of an indictment. On -a big white sheet of paper such as schoolboys use, his directions -exhibited themselves in numerous paragraphs of two or three lines -each, in an irregular handwriting, bristling with letters resembling -spikes. And the potions, the pills, the powders, which were to be -taken fasting in the morning, at midday, and in the evening, followed -in ferocious-looking characters. One of these prescriptions might read: - - "Inasmuch as M. X. is affected with a chronic malady, - incurable and mortal, he will take, first, sulphate of - quinine, which will render him deaf, and will make him lose - his memory; secondly, bromide of potassium, which will - destroy his stomach, weaken all his faculties, cover him - with pimples, and make his breath foul; thirdly, salicylate - of soda, whose curative effects have not yet been proved, - but which seems to lead to a terrible and speedy death the - patient treated by this remedy. And concurrently, chloral, - which causes insanity, and belladonna, which attacks the - eyes; all vegetable solutions and all mineral compositions - which corrupt the blood, corrode the organs, consume the - bones, and destroy by medicine those whom disease has - spared." - -For a long time he went on writing on the front page and on the back, -then signed it just as a judge might have signed a death-sentence. - -The young woman, seated opposite to him, stared at him with an -inclination to laugh that made the corners of her lips rise up. - -When, with a low bow, he had taken himself off, she snatched up the -paper blackened with ink, rolled it up into a ball, and flung it into -the fire. Then, breaking into a hearty laugh, said: - -"Oh! father, where did you discover this fossil? Why, he looks for all -the world like an old-clothesman. Oh! how clever of you to dig up a -physician that might have lived before the Revolution! Oh! how funny he -is, aye, and dirty--ah, yes! dirty--I believe really he has stained my -penholder." - -The door opened, and M. Andermatt's voice was heard saying, "Come in, -doctor." - -And Doctor Latonne appeared. Erect, slender, circumspect, comparatively -young, attired in a fashionable morning-coat, and holding in his hand -the high silk hat which distinguishes the practicing doctor in the -greater part of the thermal stations of Auvergne, the physician from -Paris, without beard or mustache, resembled an actor who had retired -into the country. - -The Marquis, confounded, did not know what to say or do, while his -daughter put her handkerchief to her mouth to keep herself from -bursting out laughing in the newcomer's face. He bowed with an air of -self-confidence, and at a sign from the young woman took a seat. - -M. Andermatt, who followed him, minutely detailed for him his wife's -condition, her illnesses, together with their accompanying symptoms, -the opinions of the physicians consulted in Paris, and then his own -opinion based on special grounds which he explained in technical -language. - -He was a man still quite youthful, a Jew, who devoted himself to -financial transactions. He entered into all sorts of speculations, -and displayed in all matters of business a subtlety of intellect, -a rapidity of penetration, and a soundness of judgment that were -perfectly marvelous. A little too stout already for his figure, which -was not tall, chubby, bald, with an infantile expression, fat hands, -and short thighs, he looked much too greasy to be quite healthy, and -spoke with amazing facility. - -By means of tact he had been able to form an alliance with the daughter -of the Marquis de Ravenel with a view to extending his speculations -into a sphere to which he did not belong. The Marquis, besides, -possessed an income of about thirty thousand francs, and had only two -children; but, when M. Andermatt married, though scarcely thirty years -of age, he owned already five or six millions, and had sown enough -to bring him in a harvest of ten or twelve. M. de Ravenel, a man of -weak, irresolute, shifting, and undecided character, at first angrily -repulsed the overtures made to him with respect to this union, and was -indignant at the thought of seeing his daughter allied to an Israelite. -Then, after six months' resistance, he gave way, under the pressure -of accumulated wealth, on the condition that the children should be -brought up in the Catholic religion. - -But they waited for a long time and no offspring was yet announced. It -was then that the Marquis, enchanted for the past two years with the -waters of Enval, recalled to mind the fact that Doctor Bonnefille's -pamphlet also promised the cure for sterility. - -Accordingly, he sent for his daughter, whom his son-in-law accompanied, -in order to install her and to intrust her, acting on the advice of his -Paris physician, to the care of Doctor Latonne. Therefore, Andermatt, -since his arrival, had gone to look for this practitioner, and went on -enumerating the symptoms which presented themselves in his wife's case. -He finished by mentioning how much he had been pained at finding his -hopes of paternity unrealized. - -Doctor Latonne allowed him to go on to the end; then, turning toward -the young woman: "Have you anything to add, Madame?" - -She replied gravely: "No, Monsieur, nothing at all." - -He went on: "In that case, I will trouble you to take off your -traveling-dress and your corset, and to put on a simple white -dressing-gown, all white." - -She was astonished; he rapidly explained his system: "Good heavens, -Madame, it is very simple. Formerly, the belief was that all diseases -came from a poison in the blood or from an organic cause; to-day, we -simply assume that, in many cases, and, above all, in your particular -case, the uncertain ailments from which you suffer, and even certain -serious troubles, very serious, mortal, may proceed only from the -fact that some organ or other, having taken, under influences easy to -determine, an abnormal development, to the detriment of the neighboring -organs, destroys all the harmony, all the equilibrium of the human -body, modifies or arrests its functions, and obstructs the play of all -the other organs. A swelling of the stomach may be sufficient to make -us believe in a disease of the heart, which, impeded in its movements, -becomes violent, irregular, sometimes even intermittent. The dilatation -of the liver or of certain glands may cause ravages which unobservant -physicians attribute to a thousand different causes. Therefore, the -first thing that we should do is to ascertain whether all the organs -of a patient have their true compass and their normal position, for a -very little thing is enough to upset a person's health. I am going, -then, Madame, if you will allow me, to examine you with great care, and -to mark out on your dressing-gown the limits, the dimensions, and the -positions of your organs." - -He had put down his hat on a chair, and he spoke in a facile manner. -His large mouth, in opening and closing, made two deep hollows in his -shaven cheeks, which gave him a certain ecclesiastical air. - -Andermatt, delighted, exclaimed: "Capital, capital! That is very -clever, very ingenious, very new, very modern." - -"Very modern" in his mouth was the height of admiration. - -The young woman, highly amused, rose and passed into her own -apartment. She came back, after the lapse of a few minutes, in a white -dressing-gown. - -The physician made her lie down on a sofa, then, drawing from his -pocket a pencil with three points, a black, a red, and a blue, he -commenced to auscultate and to tap his new patient, riddling the -dressing-gown all over with little dots of color by way of noting each -observation. - -She resembled, after a quarter of an hour of this work, a map -indicating continents, seas, capes, rivers, kingdoms, and cities, -and bearing the names of all these terrestrial divisions, for the -doctor wrote on every line of demarcation two or three Latin words -intelligible to himself alone. - -Now, when he had listened to all the internal sounds in Madame -Andermatt's body, and tapped on all the parts of her person that were -irritated or hollow-sounding, he drew forth from his pocket a notebook -of red leather with gold threads to fasten it, divided in alphabetical -order, consulted the index, opened it, and wrote: "Observation -6347.--Madame A----, 21 years." - -Then, collecting from her head to her feet the colored notes on -her dressing-gown, and reading them as an Egyptologist deciphers -hieroglyphics, he entered them in the notebook. - -He observed, when he had finished: "Nothing disquieting, nothing -abnormal, save a slight, a very slight deviation, which some -thirty acidulated baths will cure. You will take furthermore three -half-glasses of water each morning before noon. Nothing else. I will -come back to see you in four or five days." Then he rose, bowed, and -went out with such promptitude that everyone remained stupefied at it. -This abrupt style of departure was a part of his mannerism, his tact, -his special stamp. He considered it very good form, and thought it made -a great impression on the patient. - -Madame Andermatt ran to look at herself in the glass, and, shaking all -over with a joyous burst of childlike laughter, said: - -"Oh! how amusing they are, how droll they are! Tell me, is there not -one more left of them? I want to see him immediately! Will, go and find -him for me! We must have the third one here--I want to see him." - -Her husband, surprised, asked: - -"How, a third, a third what?" - -The Marquis deemed it advisable to explain, while offering excuses, for -he was a little afraid of his son-in-law. He related, therefore, how -Doctor Bonnefille had come to see himself, and how he had introduced -him to Christiane, in order to ascertain his opinion, as he had great -confidence in the experience of the old physician, who was a native of -the district, and who had discovered the spring. - -Andermatt shrugged his shoulders, and declared that Doctor Latonne -alone would take care of his wife, so that the Marquis, very uneasy, -began to reflect on the best course to take in order to arrange matters -without offending his irascible physician. - -Christiane asked: "Is Gontran here?" This was her brother. - -Her father replied: "Yes, for the past four days, with a friend of his -of whom he has often spoken, M. Paul Bretigny. They are making a tour -together in Auvergne. They have come from Mont Doré and from Bourboule, -and will be setting out for Cantal at the end of next week." - -Then he asked the young woman whether she desired to rest till luncheon -after the night in the train; but she had slept perfectly in the -sleeping car, and only required an hour for her toilette, after which -she wished to visit the village and the establishment. - -Her father and her husband went back to their rooms to wait till she -was ready. She soon came out to call them, and they descended together. -She grew enthusiastic at first sight over the aspect of the village, -built in the middle of a wood in a deep valley, which seemed hemmed in -on every side by chestnut-trees lofty as mountains. These could be seen -everywhere, springing up just as they chanced to have shot forth here -and there in a century, in front of doorways, in the courtyards, in the -streets. Then, again, there were fountains everywhere made of a great -black stone standing upright pierced with a small aperture, through -which dashed a streamlet of clear water that whirled about in a circle -before it fell into the trough. A fresh odor of grass and of stables -floated over those masses of verdure; and they saw the peasant women -of Auvergne standing in front of their dwellings, spinning at their -distaffs with lively movements of their fingers the black wool attached -to their girdles. Their short petticoats showed their thin ankles -covered with blue stockings, and the bodies of their dresses fastened -over their shoulders with straps left exposed the linen sleeves of -their chemises, out of which stretched their hard, dry arms and bony -hands. - -But, suddenly, a queer lilting kind of music burst on the promenaders' -ears. It was like a barrel-organ with piping sounds, a barrel-organ -used up, broken-winded, invalided. - -Christiane exclaimed: "What is that?" - -Her father began to laugh: "It is the orchestra of the Casino. It takes -four of them to make that noise." - -And he led her up to a red bill affixed to a corner of a farmhouse, on -which appeared in black letters: - - CASINO OF ENVAL - - UNDER THE DIRECTION OF M. PETRUS MARTEL, - OF THE ODÉON. - - Saturday, 6th of July. - - GRAND CONCERT -organized by the _Maestro_, Saint Landri, second grand prize winner - at the Conservatoire - - The piano will be presided over by M. Javel, grand laureate of the - Conservatoire. - - Flute, M. Noirot, laureate of the Conservatoire. - - Double-bass, M. Nicordi, laureate of the Royal Academy of Brussels. - - After the Concert, grand representation of - _Lost in the Forest_, - a Comedy in one act, by M. Pointellet. - - Characters: - Pierre de Lapointe M. Petrus Martel, of the Odéon. - Oscar Léveillé M. Petitnivelle, of the Vaudeville. - Jean M. Lapalme, of the Grand Theater of Bordeaux. - Philippine Mademoiselle Odelin, of the Odéon. - - During the representation, the Orchestra will be likewise conducted - by the _Maestro,_ Saint Landri. - -Christiane read this aloud, laughed, and was astonished. - -Her father went on: "Oh! they will amuse you. Come and look at them." - -They turned to the right, and entered the park. The bathers promenaded -gravely, slowly, along the three walks. They drank their glasses of -water, and then went away. Some of them, seated on benches, traced -lines in the sand with the ends of their walking-sticks or their -umbrellas. They did not talk, seemed not to think, scarcely to live, -enervated, paralyzed by the _ennui_ of the thermal station. Only the -odd music of the orchestra broke the sweet silence as it leaped into -the air, coming one knew not whence, produced one knew not how, passing -under the foliage and appearing to stir up these melancholy walkers. - -A voice cried: "Christiane!" - -She turned round. It was her brother. He rushed toward her, embraced -her, and, having pressed Andermatt's hand, took his sister by the arm, -and drew her along with him, leaving his father and his brother-in-law -in the rear. - -They chatted. He was a tall, well-made young fellow, prone to laughter -like her, light-hearted as the Marquis, indifferent to events, but -always on the lookout for a thousand francs. - -"I thought you were asleep," said he. "But for that I would have come -to embrace you. And then Paul carried me off this morning to the -château of Tournoel." - -"Who is Paul? Oh, yes, your friend!" - -"Paul Bretigny. It is true you don't know him. He is taking a bath at -the present moment." - -"He is a patient, then?" - -"No, but he is curing himself, all the same. He is trying to get over a -love episode." - -"And so he's taking acidulated baths--they're called acidulated, are -they not?--in order to restore himself." - -"Yes. He's doing all I told him to do. Oh! he has been hit hard. He's -a violent youth, terrible, and has been at death's door. He wanted to -kill himself, too. It was an actress--a well-known actress. He was -madly in love with her. And then she was not faithful to him, do you -see? The result was a frightful drama. So I brought him away. He's -going on better now, but he's still thinking about it." - -She smiled for a moment, then, becoming grave, she returned: - -"It will amuse me to see him." - -For her, however, this thing, "Love," did not mean very much. She -sometimes bestowed a thought on it, just as you think, when you are -poor, now and then of a pearl necklace, of a diadem of brilliants, with -a desire awakened in you for this thing--possible though far away. This -fancy would come to her after reading some novel to kill time, without -attaching to it, beyond that, any special importance. She had never -dreamed about it much, having been born with a happy soul, tranquil and -contented, and, although now two years and a half married, she had not -yet awakened out of that sleep in which innocent young girls live, that -sleep of the heart, of the mind, and of the senses, which, with some -women, lasts until death. For her life was simple and good, without -complications. She had never looked for the causes or the hidden -meaning of things. She had lived on from day to day, slept soundly, -dressed with taste, laughed, and felt satisfied. What more could she -have asked for? - -When Andermatt had been introduced to her as her future husband, she -refused to wed him at first with a childish indignation at the idea of -becoming the wife of a Jew. Her father and her brother, sharing her -repugnance, replied with her and like her by formally declining the -offer. Andermatt disappeared, acted as if he were dead, but, at the end -of three months, had lent Gontran more than twenty thousand francs; and -the Marquis, for other reasons, was beginning to change his opinion. - -In the first place, he always on principle yielded when one persisted, -through sheer egotistical desire not to be disturbed. His daughter used -to say of him: "All papa's ideas are jumbled up together"; and this -was true. Without opinions, without beliefs, he had only enthusiasms, -which varied every moment. At one time, he would attach himself, with -a transitory and poetic exaltation, to the old traditions of his -race, and would long for a king, but an intellectual king, liberal, -enlightened, marching along with the age. At another time, after he -had read a book by Michelet or some democratic thinker, he would -become a passionate advocate of human equality, of modern ideas, of -the claims of the poor, the oppressed, and the suffering. He believed -in everything, just as each thing harmonized with his passing moods; -and, when his old friend, Madame Icardon, who, connected as she was -with many Israelites, desired the marriage of Christiane and Andermatt, -and began to preach in favor of it, she knew full well the kind of -arguments with which she should attack him. - -She pointed out to him that the Jewish race had arrived at the hour -of vengeance. It had been a race crushed down as the French people -had been before the Revolution, and was now going to oppress others -by the power of gold. The Marquis, devoid of religious faith, but -convinced that the idea of God was rather a legislative idea, which -had more effect in keeping the foolish, the ignorant, and the timid -in the right path than the simple notion of Justice, regarded dogmas -with a respectful indifference, and held in equal and sincere esteem -Confucius, Mohammed, and Jesus Christ. Accordingly, the fact that the -latter was crucified did not at all present itself as an original -wrongdoing but as a gross, political blunder. In consequence it only -required a few weeks to make him admire the toil, hidden, incessant, -and all-powerful, of the persecuted Jews everywhere. And, viewing -with different eyes their brilliant triumph, he looked upon it as -a just reparation for the indignities that so long had been heaped -upon them. He saw them masters of kings, who are the masters of the -people--sustaining thrones or allowing them to collapse, able to make -a nation bankrupt as one might a wine-merchant, proud in the presence -of princes who had grown humble, and casting their impure gold into -the half-open purses of the most Catholic sovereigns, who thanked them -by conferring on them titles of nobility and lines of railway. So he -consented to the marriage of William Andermatt with Christiane de -Ravenel. - -As for Christiane, under the unconscious pressure of Madame Icardon, -her mother's old companion, who had become her intimate adviser since -the Marquise's death, a pressure to which was added that of her father -and the interested indifference of her brother, she consented to marry -this big, overrich youth, who was not ugly but scarcely pleased her, -just as she would have consented to spend a summer in a disagreeable -country. - -She found him a good fellow, kind, not stupid, nice in intimate -relations; but she frequently laughed at him along with Gontran, whose -gratitude was of the perfidious order. - -He would say to her: "Your husband is rosier and balder than ever. He -looks like a sickly flower, or a sucking pig with its hair shaved off. -Where does he get these colors?" - -She would reply: "I assure you I have nothing to do with it. There are -days when I feel inclined to paste him on a box of sugar-plums." - -But they had arrived in front of the baths. Two men were seated on -straw chairs with their backs to the wall, smoking their pipes, one at -each side of the door. - -Said Gontran: "Look, here are two good types. Watch the fellow at the -right, the hunchback with the Greek cap! That's Père Printemps, an -ex-jailer from Riom, who has become the guardian, almost the manager, -of the Enval establishment. For him nothing is changed, and he governs -the invalids just as he did his prisoners in former days. The bathers -are always prisoners, their bathing-boxes are cells, the douche-room -a black-hole, and the place where Doctor Bonnefille practices his -stomach-washings with the aid of the Baraduc sounding-line a chamber -of mysterious torture. He does not salute any of the men on the -strength of the principle that all convicts are contemptible beings. -He treats women with much more consideration, upon my honor--a -consideration mingled with astonishment, for he had none of them under -his control in the prison of Riom. That retreat being destined for -males only, he has not yet got accustomed to talking to members of the -fair sex. The other fellow is the cashier. I defy you to make him write -your name. You are just going to see." - -And Gontran, addressing the man at the left, slowly said: - -"Monsieur Seminois, this is my sister, Madame Andermatt, who wants to -subscribe for a dozen baths." - -The cashier, very tall, very thin, with a poor appearance, rose up, -went into his office, which exactly faced the study of the medical -inspector, opened his book, and asked: - -"What name?" - -"Andermatt." - -"What did you say?" - -"Andermatt." - -"How do you spell it?" - -"A-n-d-e-r-m-a-t-t." - -"All right." - -And he slowly wrote it down. When he had finished, Gontran asked: - -"Would you kindly read over my sister's name?" - -"Yes, Monsieur! Madame Anterpat." - -Christiane laughed till the tears came into her eyes, paid for her -tickets, and then asked: - -"What is it that one hears up there?" - -Gontran took her arm in his. Two angry voices reached their ears on -the stairs. They went up, opened a door, and saw a large coffee-room -with a billiard table in the center. Two men in their shirt-sleeves at -opposite sides of the billiard-table, each with a cue in his hand, were -furiously abusing one another. - -"Eighteen!" - -"Seventeen!" - -"I tell you I'm eighteen." - -"That's not true--you're only seventeen!" - -It was the director of the Casino, M. Petrus Martel of the Odéon, who -was playing his ordinary game with the comedian of his company, M. -Lapalme of the Grand Theater of Bordeaux. - -Petrus Martel, whose stomach, stout and inactive, swayed underneath his -shirt above a pair of pantaloons fastened anyhow, after having been a -strolling player in various places, had undertaken the directorship -of the Casino of Enval, and spent his days in drinking the allowances -intended for the bathers. He wore an immense mustache like a dragoon, -which was steeped from morning till night in the froth of bocks and the -sticky syrup of liqueurs, and he had aroused in the old comedian whom -he had enlisted in his service an immoderate passion for billiards. - -As soon as they got up in the morning, they proceeded to play a game, -insulted and threatened one another, expunged the record, began over -again, scarcely gave themselves time for breakfast, and could not -tolerate two clients coming to drive them away from their green cloth. - -They soon put everyone to flight, and did not find this sort of -existence unpleasant, though Petrus Martel always found himself at the -end of the season in a bankrupt condition. - -The female attendant, overwhelmed, would have to look on all day at -this endless game, listen to the interminable discussion, and carry -from morning till night glasses of beer or half-glasses of brandy to -the two indefatigable players. - -But Gontran carried off his sister: "Come into the park. 'Tis fresher." - -At the end of the establishment they suddenly perceived the orchestra -under a Chinese _kiosque_. A fair-haired young man, frantically playing -the violin, was conducting with movements of his head. His hair was -shaking from one side to the other in the effort to keep time, and -his entire torso bent forward and rose up again, swaying from left to -right, like the stick of the leader of an orchestra. Facing him sat -three strange-looking musicians. This was the _maestro_, Saint Landri. - -He and his assistants--a pianist, whose instrument, mounted on -rollers, was wheeled each morning from the vestibule of the baths to -the _kiosque_; an enormous flautist, who presented the appearance -of sucking a match while tickling it with his big swollen fingers, -and a double-bass of consumptive aspect--produced with much fatigue -this perfect imitation of a bad barrel-organ, which had astonished -Christiane in the village street. - -As she stopped to look at them, a gentleman saluted her brother. - -"Good day, my dear Count." - -"Good day, doctor." - -And Gontran introduced them: "My sister--Doctor Honorat." - -She could scarcely restrain her merriment at the sight of this third -physician. The latter bowed and made some complimentary remark. - -"I hope that Madame is not an invalid?" - -"Yes--slightly." - -He did not go farther with the matter, and changed the subject. - -"You are aware, my dear Count, that you will shortly have one of the -most interesting spectacles that could await you on your arrival in -this district." - -"What is it, pray, doctor?" - -"Père Oriol is going to blast his hill. This is of no consequence to -you, but for us it is a big event." - -And he proceeded to explain. "Père Oriol--the richest peasant in this -part of the country--he is known to be worth over fifty thousand francs -a year--owns all the vineyards along the plain up to the outlet of -Enval. Now, just as you go out from the village at the division of the -valley, rises a little mountain, or rather a high knoll, and on this -knoll are the best vineyards of Père Oriol. In the midst of two of -them, facing the road, at two paces from the stream, stands a gigantic -stone, an elevation which has impeded the cultivation and put into the -shade one entire side of the field, on which it looks down. For six -years, Père Oriol has every week been announcing that he was going to -blast his hill; but he has never made up his mind about it. - -"Every time a country boy went to be a soldier, the old man would say -to him: 'When you're coming home on furlough, bring me some powder -for this rock of mine.' And all the young soldiers would bring back in -their knapsacks some powder that they stole for Père Oriol's rock. He -has a chest full of this powder, and yet the hill has not been blasted. -At last, for a week past, he has been noticed scooping out the stone, -with his son, big Jacques, surnamed Colosse, which in Auvergne is -pronounced 'Coloche.' This very morning they filled with powder the -empty belly of the enormous rock; then they stopped up the mouth of it, -only letting in the fuse bought at the tobacconist's. In two hours' -time they will set fire to it. Then, five or ten minutes afterward, it -will go off, for the end of the fuse is pretty long." - -Christiane was interested in this narrative, amused already at the idea -of this explosion, finding here again a childish sport that pleased her -simple heart. They had now reached the end of the park. - -"Where do you go now?" she said. - -Doctor Honorat replied: "To the End of the World, Madame; that is -to say, into a gorge that has no outlet and which is celebrated in -Auvergne. It is one of the loveliest natural curiosities in the -district." - -But a bell rang behind them. Gontran cried: - -"Look here! breakfast-time already!" - -They turned back. A tall, young man came up to meet them. - -Gontran said: "My dear Christiane, let me introduce to you M. Paul -Bretigny." Then, to his friend: "This is my sister, my dear boy." - -She thought him ugly. He had black hair, close-cropped and straight, -big, round eyes, with an expression that was almost hard, a head also -quite round, very strong, one of those heads that make you think -of cannon-balls, herculean shoulders; a rather savage expression, -heavy and brutish. But from his jacket, from his linen, from his skin -perhaps, came a very subtle perfume, with which the young woman was not -familiar, and she asked herself: - -"I wonder what odor that is?" - -He said to her: "You arrived this morning, Madame?" His voice was a -little hollow. - -She replied: "Yes, Monsieur." - -But Gontran saw the Marquis and Andermatt making signals to them to -come in quickly to breakfast. - -Doctor Honorat took leave of them, asking as he left whether they -really meant to go and see the hill blasted. Christiane declared that -she would go; and, leaning on her brother's arm, she murmured as she -dragged him along toward the hotel: - -"I am as hungry as a wolf. I shall be very much ashamed to eat as much -as I feel inclined before your friend." - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - -The Discovery - - -The breakfast was long, as the meals usually are at a _table d'hôte_. -Christiane, who was not familiar with all the faces of those present, -chatted with her father and her brother. Then she went up to her room -to take a rest till the time for blasting the rock. - -She was ready long before the hour fixed, and made the others start -along with her so that they might not miss the explosion. Just outside -the village, at the opening of the glen, stood, as they had heard, a -high knoll, almost a mountain, which they proceeded to climb under a -burning sun, following a little path through the vine-trees. When they -reached the summit the young woman uttered a cry of astonishment at the -sight of the immense horizon displayed before her eyes. In front of -her stretched a limitless plain, which immediately gave her soul the -sensation of an ocean. This plain, overhung by a veil of light blue -vapor, extended as far as the most distant mountain-ridges, which -were scarcely perceptible, some fifty or sixty kilometers away. And -under the transparent haze of delicate fineness, which floated above -this vast stretch, could be distinguished towns, villages, woods, vast -yellow squares of ripe crops, vast green squares of herbage, factories -with long, red chimneys and blackened steeples and sharp-pointed -structures, with the solidified lava of dead volcanoes. - -"Turn around," said her brother. - -She turned around. And behind she saw the mountain, the huge mountain -indented with craters. This was the entrance to the foundation on which -Enval stood, a great expanse of greenness in which one could scarcely -trace the hidden gash of the gorge. The trees in a waving mass scaled -the high slope as far as the first crater and shut out the view of -those beyond. But, as they were exactly on the line that separated -the plains from the mountain, the latter stretched to the left toward -Clermont-Ferrand, and, wandering away, unrolled over the blue sky their -strange mutilated tops, like monstrous blotches--extinct volcanoes, -dead volcanoes. And yonder--over yonder, between two peaks--could be -seen another, higher still, more distant still, round and majestic, and -bearing on its highest pinnacle something of fantastic shape resembling -a ruin. This was the Puy de Dome, the king of the mountains of -Auvergne, strong and unwieldy, wearing on its head, like a crown placed -thereon by the mightiest of peoples, the remains of a Roman temple. - -Christiane exclaimed: "Oh! how happy I shall be here!" - -And she felt herself happy already, penetrated by that sense of -well-being which takes possession of the flesh and the heart, makes you -breathe with ease, and renders you sprightly and active when you find -yourself in a spot which enchants your eyes, charms and cheers you, -seems to have been awaiting you, a spot for which you feel that you -were born. - -Some one called out to her: "Madame, Madame!" And, at some distance -away, she saw Doctor Honorat, recognizable by his big hat. He rushed -across to them, and conducted the family toward the opposite side of -the hill, over a grassy slope beside a grove of young trees, where -already some thirty persons were waiting, strangers and peasants -mingled together. - -Beneath their feet, the steep hillside descended toward the Riom road, -overshadowed by willows that sheltered the shallow river; and in the -midst of a vineyard at the edge of this stream rose a sharp-pointed -rock before which two men on bended knees seemed to be praying. This -was the scene of action. - -The Oriols, father and son, were attaching the fuse. On the road, a -crowd of curious spectators had stationed themselves, with a line of -people lower down in front, among whom village brats were scampering -about. - -Doctor Honorat chose a convenient place for Christiane to sit down, and -there she waited with a beating heart, as if she were going to see the -entire population blown up along with the rock. - -The Marquis, Andermatt, and Paul Bretigny lay down on the grass at the -young woman's side, while Gontran remained standing. He said, in a -bantering tone: - -"My dear doctor, you must be much less busy than your -brother-practitioners, who apparently have not an hour to spare to -attend this little _fête_?" - -Honorat replied in a good-humored tone: - -"I am not less busy; only my patients occupy less of my time. And again -I prefer to amuse my patients rather than to physic them." - -He had a quiet manner which greatly pleased Gontran. Other persons now -arrived, fellow-guests at the _table d'hôte_--the ladies Paille, two -widows, mother and daughter; the Monecus, father and daughter; and a -very small, fat, man, who was puffing like a boiler that had burst, -M. Aubry-Pasteur, an ex-engineer of mines, who had made a fortune in -Russia. - -M. Pasteur and the Marquis were on intimate terms. He seated himself -with much difficulty after some preparatory movements, circumspect and -cautious, which considerably amused Christiane. Gontran sauntered away -from them, in order to have a look at the other persons whom curiosity -had attracted toward the knoll. - -Paul Bretigny pointed out to Christiane Andermatt the views, of which -they could catch glimpses in the distance. First of all, Riom made -a red patch with its row of tiles along the plain; then Ennezat, -Maringues, Lezoux, a heap of villages scarcely distinguishable, which -only broke the wide expanse of verdure with a somber indentation here -and there, and, further down, away down below, at the base of the -mountains, he pretended that he could trace out Thiers. - -He said, in an animated fashion: "Look, look! Just in front of my -finger, exactly in front of my finger. For my part, I can see it quite -distinctly." - -She could see nothing, but she was not surprised at his power of -vision, for he looked like a bird of prey, with his round, piercing -eyes, which appeared to be as powerful as telescopes. He went on: - -"The Allier flows in front of us, in the middle of that plain, but it -is impossible to perceive it. It is very far off, thirty kilometers -from here." - -She scarcely took the trouble to glance toward the place which he -indicated, for she had riveted her eyes on the rock and given it -her entire attention. She was saying to herself that presently this -enormous stone would no longer exist, that it would disappear in -powder, and she felt herself seized with a vague pity for the stone, -the pity which a little girl would feel for a broken plaything. It had -been there so long, this stone; and then it was imposing--it had a -picturesque look. The two men, who had by this time risen, were heaping -up pebbles at the foot of it, and digging with the rapid movements of -peasants working hurriedly. - -The crowd gathered along the road, increasing every moment, had pushed -forward to get a better view. The brats brushed against the two -diggers, and kept rushing and capering round them like young animals -in a state of delight; and from the elevated point at which Christiane -was sitting, these people looked quite small, a crowd of insects, an -anthill in confusion. - -The buzz of voices ascended, now slight, scarcely noticeable, then more -lively, a confused mixture of cries and human movements, but scattered -through the air, evaporated already--a dust of sounds, as it were. On -the knoll likewise the crowd was swelling in numbers, incessantly -arriving from the village, and covering up the slope which looked down -on the condemned rock. - -They were distinguished from each other, as they gathered together, -according to their hotels, their classes, their castes. The most -clamorous portion of the assemblage was that of the actors and -musicians, presided over and generaled by the conductor, Petrus Martel -of the Odéon, who, under the circumstances, had given up his incessant -game of billiards. - -With a Panama flapping over his forehead, a black alpaca jacket -covering his shoulders and allowing his big stomach to protrude in -a semicircle, for he considered a waistcoat useless in the open -country, the actor, with his thick mustache, assumed the airs of a -commander-in-chief, and pointed out, explained, and criticised all the -movements of the two Oriols. His subordinates, the comedian Lapalme, -the young premier Petitnivelle, and the musicians, the _maestro_ Saint -Landri, the pianist Javel, the huge flautist Noirot, the double-bass -Nicordi, gathered round him to listen. In front of them were seated -three women, sheltered by three parasols, a white, a red, and a blue, -which, under the sun of two o'clock, formed a strange and dazzling -French flag. These were Mademoiselle Odelin, the young actress; her -mother,--a mother that she had hired out, as Gontran put it,--and the -female attendant of the coffee-room, three ladies who were habitual -companions. The arrangement of these three parasols so as to suit the -national colors was an invention of Petrus Martel, who, having noticed -at the commencement of the season the blue and the white in the hands -of the ladies Odelin, had made a present of the red to the coffee-room -attendant. - -Quite close to them, another group excited interest and observation, -that of the chefs and scullions of the hotels, to the number of -eight, for there was a war of rivalry between the kitchen-folk, who -had attired themselves in linen jackets to make an impression on -the bystanders, extending even to the scullery-maids. Standing all -in a group they let the crude light of day fall on their flat white -caps, presenting, at the same time, the appearance of fantastic -staff-officers of lancers and a deputation of cooks. - -The Marquis asked Doctor Honorat: "Where do all these people come from? -I never would have imagined Enval was so thickly populated!" - -"Oh! they come from all parts, from Chatel-Guyon, from Tournoel, -from La Roche-Pradière, from Saint-Hippolyte. For this affair has -been talked of a long time in the country, and then Père Oriol is a -celebrity, an important personage on account of his influence and his -wealth, besides a true Auvergnat, remaining still a peasant, working -himself, hoarding, piling up gold on gold, intelligent, full of ideas -and plans for his children's future." - -Gontran came back, excited, his eyes sparkling. - -He said, in a low tone: "Paul, Paul, pray come along with me; I'm going -to show you two pretty girls; yes, indeed, nice girls, you know!" - -The other raised his head, and replied: "My dear fellow, I'm in very -good quarters here; I'll not budge." - -"You're wrong. They are charming!" Then, in a louder tone: "But -the doctor is going to tell me who they are. Two little girls of -eighteen or nineteen, rustic ladies, oddly dressed, with black silk -dresses that have close-fitting sleeves, some kind of uniform dresses, -convent-gowns--two brunettes----" - -Doctor Honorat interrupted him: "That's enough. They are Père Oriol's -daughters, two pretty young girls indeed, educated at the Benedictine -Convent at Clermont, and sure to make very good matches. They are two -types, but simply types of our race, of the fine race of women of -Auvergne, Marquis. I will show you these two little lasses----" - -Gontran here slyly interposed: "You are the medical adviser of the -Oriol family, doctor?" - -The other appreciated this sly question, and simply responded with a -"By Jove, I am!" uttered in a tone of the utmost good-humor. - -The young man went on: "How did you come to win the confidence of this -rich patient?" - -"By ordering him to drink a great deal of good wine." And he told -a number of anecdotes about the Oriols. Moreover, he was distantly -related to them, and had known them for a considerable time. The old -fellow, the father, quite an original, was very proud of his wine; and -above all he had one vine-garden, the produce of which was reserved -for the use of the family, solely for the family and their guests. -In certain years they happened to empty the casks filled with the -growth of this aristocratic vineyard, but in other years they scarcely -succeeded in doing so. About the month of May or June, when the father -saw that it would be hard to drink all that was still left, he would -proceed to encourage his big son, Colosse, and would repeat: "Come on, -son, we must finish it." Then they would go on pouring down their -throats pints of red wine from morning till night. Twenty times during -every meal, the old chap would say in a grave tone, while he held the -jug over his son's glass: "We must finish it." And, as all this liquor -with its mixture of alcohol heated his blood and prevented him from -sleeping, he would rise up in the middle of the night, draw on his -breeches, light a lantern, wake up Colosse, and off they would go to -the cellar, after snatching a crust of bread each out of the cupboard, -in order to steep it in their glasses, filled up again and again out -of the same cask. Then, when they had swallowed so much wine that they -could feel it rolling about in their stomachs, the father would tap the -resounding wood of the cask to find out whether the level of the liquor -had gone down. - -The Marquis asked: "Are these the same people that are working at the -hillock?" - -"Yes, yes, exactly." - -Just at that moment the two men hurried off with giant strides from -the rock charged with powder, and all the crowd that surrounded them -down below began to run away like a retreating army. They fled in the -direction of Riom and Enval, leaving behind them by itself the huge -rock on the top of the hillock covered with thin grass and pebbles, -for it divided the vineyard into two sections, and its immediate -surroundings had not been grubbed up yet. - -The crowd assembled on the slope above, now as dense as that below, -waited in trembling expectancy; and the loud voice of Petrus Martel -exclaimed: - -"Attention! the fuse is lit!" - -Christiane shivered at the thought of what was about to happen, but the -doctor murmured behind her back: - -"Ho! if they left there all the fuse I saw them buying, we'll have ten -minutes of it!" - -All eyes were fixed on the stone, and suddenly a dog, a little black -dog, a kind of pug, was seen approaching it. He ran round it, began -smelling, and no doubt, discovered a suspicious odor, for he commenced -yelping as loudly as ever he could, his paws stiff, the hair on his -back standing on end, his tail sticking out, and his ears erect. - -A burst of laughter came from the spectators, a cruel burst of -laughter; people expressed a hope that he would not keep riveted to the -spot up to the time of the blast. Then voices called out to him to make -him come back; some men whistled to him; they tried to hit him with -stones to prevent him from going on the whole way. But the pug did not -budge an inch, and kept barking furiously at the rock. - -Christiane began to tremble. A horrible fear of seeing the animal -disemboweled took possession of her; all her enjoyment was at an end. -She cried repeatedly, with nerves unstrung, stammering, vibrating all -over with anguish: - -"Oh! good heavens! Oh! good heavens! it will be killed. I don't want to -look at it! I don't want to look at it! I will not wait to see it! Come -away!" - -Paul Bretigny, who had been sitting by her side, arose, and, without -saying one word, began to descend toward the hillock with all the -speed of which his long legs were capable. - -Cries of terror escaped from many lips; a panic agitated the crowd; and -the pug, seeing this big man coming toward him, took refuge behind the -rock. Paul pursued him; the dog ran off to the other side; and, for a -minute or two, they kept rushing round the stone, now to right, now -to left, as if they were playing a game of hide and seek. Seeing at -last that he could not overtake the animal, the young man proceeded to -reascend the slope, and the dog, seized once more with fury, renewed -his barking. - -Vociferations of anger greeted the return of the imprudent youth, who -was quite out of breath, for people do not forgive those who excite -terror in their breasts. Christiane was suffocating with emotion, her -two hands pressed against her palpitating heart. She had lost her head -so completely that she sobbed: "At least you are not hurt?" while -Gontran cried angrily: - -"He is mad, that idiot; he never does anything but tomfooleries of this -kind. I never met a greater donkey!" - -But the soil was now shaking; it rose in air. A formidable detonation -made the entire country all around vibrate, and for a full minute -thundered over the mountain, while all the echoes repeated it, like so -many cannon-shots. - -Christiane saw nothing but a shower of stones falling, and a high -column of light clay sinking in a heap. And immediately afterward the -crowd from above rushed down like a wave, uttering wild shouts. The -battalion of kitchen-drudges came racing down in the direction of the -knoll, leaving behind them the regiment of theatrical performers, who -descended more slowly, with Petrus Martel at their head. The three -parasols forming a tricolor were nearly carried away in this descent. - -And all ran, men, women, peasants, and villagers. They could be seen -falling, getting up again, starting on afresh, while in long procession -the two streams of people, which had till now been kept back by fear, -rolled along so as to knock against one another and get mixed up on the -very spot where the explosion had taken place. - -"Let us wait a while," said the Marquis, "till all this curiosity is -satisfied, so that we may go and look in our turn." - -The engineer, M. Aubry-Pasteur, who had just arisen with very great -difficulty, replied: - -"For my part, I am going back to the village by the footpaths. There is -nothing further to keep me here." - -He shook hands, bowed, and went away. - -Doctor Honorat had disappeared. The party talked about him, and the -Marquis said to his son: - -"You have only known him three days, and all the time you have been -laughing at him. You will end by offending him." - -But Gontran shrugged his shoulders: "Oh! he's a wise man, a good -sceptic, that doctor. I tell you in reply that he will not bother -himself. When we are both alone together, he laughs at all the world -and everything, commencing with his patients and his waters. I will -give you a free thermal course if you ever see him annoyed by my -nonsense." - -Meanwhile, there was considerable agitation further down around the -site of the vanished hillock. The enormous crowd, swelling, rising up, -and sinking down like billows, broke out into exclamations, manifestly -swayed by some emotion, some astonishing occurrence which nobody had -foreseen. Andermatt, ever eager and inquisitive, was repeating: - -"What is the matter with them now? What can be the matter with them?" - -Gontran announced that he was going to find out, and walked off. -Christiane, who had now sunk into a state of indifference, was -reflecting that if the igniting substance had been only a little -shorter, it would have been sufficient to have caused the death of -their foolish companion or led to his being mutilated by the blasting -of the rock, and all because she was afraid of a dog losing its life. -She could not help thinking that he must, indeed, be very violent and -passionate--this man--to expose himself to such a risk in this way -without any good reason for it--simply owing to the fact that a woman -who was a stranger to him had given expression to a desire. - -People could be observed running along the road toward the village. The -Marquis now asked, in his turn: "What is the matter with them?" And -Andermatt, unable to stand it any longer, began to run down the side of -the hill. Gontran, from below, made a sign to him to come on. - -Paul Bretigny asked: "Will you take my arm, Madame?" She took his arm, -which seemed to her as immovable as iron, and, as her feet glided -along the warm grass, she leaned on it as she would have leaned on a -baluster with a sense of absolute security. Gontran, who had just come -back after making inquiries, exclaimed: "It is a spring. The explosion -has made a spring gush out!" - -And they fell in with the crowd. Then, the two young men, Paul and -Gontran, moving on in front, scattered the spectators by jostling -against them, and without paying any heed to their gruntings, opened a -way for Christiane and her father. They walked through a chaos of sharp -stones, broken, and blackened with powder, and arrived in front of a -hole full of muddy water which bubbled up and then flowed away toward -the river over the feet of the bystanders. Andermatt was there already, -having effected a passage through the multitude by insinuating ways -peculiar to himself, as Gontran used to say, and was watching with rapt -attention the water escaping through the broken soil. - -Doctor Honorat, facing him at the opposite side of the hole, was -observing him with an air of mingled surprise and boredom. - -Andermatt said to him: "It might be desirable to taste it; it is -perhaps a mineral spring." - -The physician returned: "No doubt it is mineral. There are any number -of mineral waters here. There will soon be more springs than invalids." - -The other in reply said: "But it is necessary to taste it." - -The physician displayed little or no interest in the matter: "It is -necessary at least to wait till we see whether it is clean." - -And everyone wanted to see. Those in the second row pushed those in -front almost into the muddy water. A child fell in, and caused a -laugh. The Oriols, father and son, were there, contemplating gravely -this unexpected phenomenon, not knowing yet what they ought to think -about it. The father was a spare man, with a long, thin frame, and a -bony head--the hard head of a beardless peasant; and the son, taller -still, a giant, thin also, and wearing a mustache, had the look at the -same time of a trooper and a vinedresser. - -The bubblings of the water appeared to increase, its volume to grow -larger, and it was beginning to get clearer. A movement took place -among the people, and Doctor Latonne appeared with a glass in his hand. -He perspired, panted, and stood quite stupefied at the sight of his -brother-physician, Doctor Honorat, with one foot planted at the side of -the newly discovered spring, like a general who has been the first to -enter a fortress. - -He asked, breathlessly: "Have you tasted it?" - -"No, I am waiting to see whether 'tis clear." - -Then Doctor Latonne thrust his glass into it, and drank with that -solemnity of visage which experts assume when tasting wines. After -that, he exclaimed, "Excellent!" which in no way compromised him, and -extending the glass toward his rival said: "Do you wish to taste it?" - -But Doctor Honorat, decidedly, had no love for mineral waters, for he -smilingly replied: - -"Many thanks! 'Tis quite sufficient that you have appreciated it. I -know the taste of them." - -He did know the taste of them all, and he appreciated it, too, though -in quite a different fashion. Then, turning toward Père Oriol said: - -"'Tisn't as good as your excellent vine-growth." - -The old man was flattered. Christiane had seen enough, and wanted to -go away. Her brother and Paul once more forced a path for her through -the populace. She followed them, leaning on her father's arm. Suddenly -she slipped and was near falling, and glancing down at her feet she -saw that she had stepped on a piece of bleeding flesh, covered with -black hairs and sticky with mud. It was a portion of the pug-dog, who -had been mangled by the explosion and trampled underfoot by the crowd. -She felt a choking sensation, and was so much moved that she could not -restrain her tears. And she murmured, as she dried her eyes with her -handkerchief: "Poor little animal! poor little animal!" - -She wanted to know nothing more about it. She wished to go back, to -shut herself up in her room. That day, which had begun so pleasantly, -had ended sadly for her. Was it an omen? Her heart, shriveling up, beat -with violent palpitations. They were now alone on the road, and in -front of them they saw a tall hat and the two skirts of a frock-coat -flapping like wings. It was Doctor Bonnefille, who had been the last to -hear the news, and who was now rushing to the spot, glass in hand, like -Doctor Latonne. - -When he recognized the Marquis, he drew up. - -"What is this I hear, Marquis? They tell me it is a spring--a mineral -spring?" - -"Yes, my dear doctor." - -"Abundant?" - -"Why, yes." - -"Is it true that--that they are there?" - -Gontran replied with an air of gravity: "Why, yes, certainly; Doctor -Latonne has even made the analysis already." - -Then Doctor Bonnefille began to run, while Christiane, a little tickled -and enlivened by his face, said: - -"Well, no, I am not going back yet to the hotel. Let us go and sit down -in the park." - -Andermatt had remained at the site of the knoll, watching the flowing -of the water. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - -Bargaining - - -The _table d'hôte_ was noisy that evening at the Hotel Splendid. -The blasting of the hillock and the discovery of the new spring -gave a brisk impetus to conversation. The diners were not numerous, -however,--a score all told,--people usually taciturn and quiet, -patients who, after having vainly tried all the well-known waters, had -now turned to the new stations. At the end of the table occupied by -the Ravenels and the Andermatts were, first, the Monecus, a little man -with white hair and face and his daughter, a very pale, big girl, who -sometimes rose up and went out in the middle of a meal, leaving her -plate half full; fat M. Aubry-Pasteur, the ex-engineer; the Chaufours, -a family in black, who might be met every day in the walks of the -park behind a little vehicle which carried their deformed child, and -the ladies Paille, mother and daughter, both of them widows, big and -strong, strong everywhere, before and behind. "You may easily see," -said Gontran, "that they ate up their husbands; that's how their -stomachs got affected." It was, indeed, for a stomach affection that -they had come to the station. - -Further on, a man of extremely red complexion, brick-colored, M. -Riquier, whose digestion was also very indifferent, and then other -persons with bad complexions, travelers of that mute class who usually -enter the dining-rooms of hotels with slow steps, the wife in front, -the husband behind, bow as soon as they have passed the door, and then -take their seats with a timid and modest air. - -All the other end of the table was empty, although the plates and the -covers were laid there for the guests of the future. - -Andermatt talked in an animated fashion. He had spent the afternoon -chatting with Doctor Latonne, giving vent in a flood of words to vast -schemes with reference to Enval. The doctor had enumerated to him, with -burning conviction, the wonderful qualities of his water, far superior -to those of Chatel-Guyon, whose reputation nevertheless had been -definitely established for the last ten years. Then, at the right, they -had that hole of a place, Royat, at the height of success, and at the -left, that other hole, Chatel-Guyon, which had lately been set afloat. -What could they not do with Enval, if they knew how to set about it -properly? - -He said, addressing the engineer: "Yes, Monsieur, there's where it all -is, to know the way to set about it. It is all a matter of skill, of -tact, of opportunism, and of audacity. In order to establish a spa, -it is necessary to know how to launch it, nothing more, and in order -to launch it, it is necessary to interest the great medical body of -Paris in the matter. I, Monsieur, always succeed in what I undertake, -because I always seek the practical method, the only one that should -determine success in every particular case with which I occupy myself; -and, as long as I have not discovered it, I do nothing--I wait. It is -not enough to have the water, it is necessary to get people to drink -it; and to get people to drink it, it is not enough to get it cried up -as unrivaled in the newspapers and elsewhere; it is necessary to know -how to get this discreetly said by the only men who have influence on -the public that will drink it, on the invalids whom we require, on -the peculiarly credulous public that pays for drugs--in short, by the -physicians. You can only address a Court of Justice through the mouths -of advocates; it will only hear them, and understands only them. So you -can only address the patient through the doctors--he listens only to -them." - -The Marquis, who greatly admired the practical common sense of his -son-in-law, exclaimed: - -"Ah! how true this is! Apart from this, my dear boy, you are unique for -giving the right touch." - -Andermatt, who was excited, went on: "There is a fortune to be made -here. The country is admirable, the climate excellent. One thing -alone disturbs my mind--would we have water enough for a large -establishment?--for things that are only half done always miscarry. We -would require a very large establishment, and consequently a great deal -of water, enough of water to supply two hundred baths at the same time, -with a rapid and continuous current; and the new spring added to the -old one, would not supply fifty, whatever Doctor Latonne may say about -it----" - -M. Aubry-Pasteur interrupted him. "Oh! as for water, I will give you as -much as you want of it." - -Andermatt was stupefied. "You?" - -"Yes, I. That astonishes you? Let me explain myself. Last year, I -was here about the same time as this year, for I really find myself -improved by the Enval baths. Now one morning, I lay asleep in my -own room, when a stout gentleman arrived. He was the president of -the governing body of the establishment. He was in a state of great -agitation, and the cause of it was this: the Bonnefille Spring had -lowered so much that there were some apprehensions lest it might -entirely disappear. Knowing that I was a mining engineer, he had come -to ask me if I could not find a means of saving the establishment. - -"I accordingly set about studying the geological system of the country. -You know that in each stratum of the soil original disturbances have -led to different changes and conditions in the surface of the ground. -The question, therefore, was to discover how the mineral water came--by -what fissures--and what were the direction, the origin, and the nature -of these fissures. I first inspected the establishment with great care, -and, noticing in a corner an old disused pipe of a bath, I observed -that it was already almost stopped up with limestone. Now the water, by -depositing the salts which it contained on the coatings of the ducts, -had rapidly led to an obstruction of the passage. It would inevitably -happen likewise in the natural passages in the soil, this soil being -granitic. So it was that the Bonnefille Spring had stopped up. Nothing -more. It was necessary to get at it again farther on. - -"Most people would have searched above its original point of egress. As -for me, after a month of study, observation, and reasoning, I sought -for and found it fifty meters lower down. And this was the explanation -of the matter: I told you before that it was first necessary to -determine the origin, nature, and direction of the fissures in the -granite which enabled the water to spring forth. It was easy for me -to satisfy myself that these fissures ran from the plain toward the -mountain and not from the mountain toward the plain, inclined like a -roof undoubtedly, in consequence of a depression of this plain which -in breaking up had carried along with it the primitive buttresses of -the mountains. Accordingly, the water, in place of descending, rose up -again between the different interstices of the granitic layers. And I -then discovered the cause of this unexpected phenomenon. - -"Formerly the Limagne, that vast expanse of sandy and argillaceous -soil, of which you can scarcely see the limits, was on a level with -the first table-land of the mountains; but owing to the geological -character of its lower portions, it subsided, so as to tear away the -edge of the mountain, as I explained to you a moment ago. Now this -immense sinking produced, at the point of separating the earth and the -granite, an immense barrier of clay of great depth and impenetrable by -liquids. And this is what happens: The mineral water comes from the -beds of old volcanoes. That which comes from the greatest distance gets -cooled on its way, and rises up perfectly cold like ordinary springs; -that which comes from the volcanic beds that are nearer gushes up still -warm, at varying degrees of heat, according to the distance of the -subterranean fire. - -"Here is the course it pursues. It is expelled from some unknown -depths, up to the moment when it meets the clay barrier of the Limagne. -Not being able to pass through it, and pushed on by enormous pressure, -it seeks a vent. Finding then the inclined gaps of granite, it gets in -there, and reascends to the point at which they reach the level of the -soil. Then, resuming its original direction, it again proceeds to flow -toward the plain along the ordinary bed of the streams. I may add that -we do not see the hundredth part of the mineral waters of these glens. -We can only discover those whose point of egress is open. As for the -others, arriving as they do at the side of the fissures in the granite -under a thick layer of vegetable and cultivated soil, they are lost in -the earth, which absorbs them. - -"From this I draw the conclusion: first, that to have the water, it is -sufficient to search by following the inclination and the direction of -the superimposed strips of granite; secondly, that in order to preserve -it, it is enough to prevent the fissures from being stopped up by -calcareous deposits, that is to say, to maintain carefully the little -artificial wells by digging; thirdly, that in order to obtain the -adjoining spring, it is necessary to get at it by means of a practical -sounding as far as the same fissure of granite below, and not above, -it being well understood that you must place yourself at the side of -the barrier of clay which forces the waters to reascend. From this -point of view, the spring discovered to-day is admirably situated -only some meters away from this barrier. If you want to set up a new -establishment, it is here you should erect it." - -When he ceased speaking, there was an interval of silence. - -Andermatt, ravished, said merely: "That's it! When you see the curtain -drawn, the entire mystery vanishes. You are a most valuable man, M. -Aubry-Pasteur." - -Besides him, the Marquis and Paul Bretigny alone had understood what -he was talking about. Gontran had not heard a single word. The others, -with their ears and mouths open, while the engineer was talking, -were simply stupefied with amazement. The ladies Paille especially, -being very religious women, asked themselves if this explanation of a -phenomenon ordained by God and accomplished by mysterious means had -not in it something profane. The mother thought she ought to say: -"Providence is very wonderful." The ladies seated at the center of the -table conveyed their approval by nods of the head, disturbed also by -listening to these unintelligible remarks. - -M. Riquier, the brick-colored man, observed: "They may well come from -volcanoes or from the moon, these Enval waters--here have I been taking -them ten days, and as yet I experience no effect from them!" - -M. and Madame Chaufour protested in the name of their child, who was -beginning to move the right leg, a thing that had not happened during -the six years they had been nursing him. - -Riquier replied: "That proves, by Jove, that we have not the same -ailment; it doesn't prove that the Enval water cures affections of -the stomach." He seemed in a rage, exasperated by this fresh, useless -experiment. - -But M. Monecu also spoke in the name of his daughter, declaring that -for the last eight days she was beginning to be able to retain food -without being obliged to go out at every meal. And his big daughter -blushed, with her nose in her plate. The ladies Paille likewise thought -they had improved. - -Then Riquier was vexed, and abruptly turning toward the two women said: - -"Your stomachs are affected, Mesdames." - -They replied together: "Why, yes, Monsieur. We can digest nothing." - -He nearly leaped out of his chair, stammering: "You--you! Why, 'tis -enough to look at you. Your stomachs are affected, Mesdames. That is to -say, you eat too much." - -Madame Paille, the mother, became very angry, and she retorted: "As for -you, Monsieur, there is no doubt about it, you exhibit certainly the -appearance of persons whose stomachs are destroyed. It has been well -said that good stomachs make nice men." - -A very thin, old lady, whose name was not known, said authoritatively: -"I am sure everyone would find the waters of Enval better if the hotel -chef would only bear in mind a little that he is cooking for invalids. -Truly, he sends us up things that it is impossible to digest." - -And suddenly the entire table agreed on the point, and indignation -was expressed against the hotel-keeper, who served them with crayfish, -porksteaks, salt eels, cabbage, yes, cabbage and sausages, all the most -indigestible kinds of food in the world for persons for whom Doctors -Bonnefille, Latonne, and Honorat had prescribed only white meats, lean -and tender, fresh vegetables, and milk diet. - -Riquier was shaking with fury: "Why should not the physicians inspect -the table at thermal stations without leaving such an important thing -as the selection of nutriment to the judgment of a brute? Thus, every -day, they give us hard eggs, anchovies, and ham as side-dishes----" - -M. Monecu interrupted him: "Oh! excuse me! My daughter can digest -nothing well except ham, which, moreover has been prescribed for her by -Mas-Roussel and Remusot." - -Riquier exclaimed: "Ham! ham! why, that's poison, Monsieur." - -And an interminable argument arose, which each day was taken up afresh, -as to the classification of foods. Milk itself was discussed with -passionate warmth. Riquier could not drink a glass of claret and milk -without immediately suffering from indigestion. - -Aubry-Pasteur, in answer to his remarks, irritated in his turn, -observed that people questioned the properties of things which he -adored: - -"Why, gracious goodness, Monsieur, if you were attacked with dyspepsia -and I with gastralgia, we would require food as different as the glass -of the spectacles that suits short-sighted and long-sighted people, -both of whom, however, have diseased eyes." - -He added: "For my part I begin to choke when I swallow a glass of red -wine, and I believe there is nothing worse for man than wine. All -water-drinkers live a hundred years, while we----" - -Gontran replied with a laugh: "Faith, without wine and without -marriage, I would find life monotonous enough." - -The ladies Paille lowered their eyes. They drank a considerable -quantity of Bordeaux of the best quality without any water in it, and -their double widowhood seemed to indicate that they had applied the -same treatment to their husbands, the daughter being twenty-two and the -mother scarcely forty. - -But Andermatt, usually so chatty, remained taciturn and thoughtful. He -suddenly asked Gontran: "Do you know where the Oriols live?" - -"Yes, their house was pointed out to me a little while ago." - -"Could you bring me there after dinner?" - -"Certainly. It will even give me pleasure to accompany you. I shall not -be sorry to have another look at the two lassies." - -And, as soon as dinner was over, they went off, while Christiane, who -was tired, went up with the Marquis and Paul Bretigny to spend the rest -of the day in the drawing-room. - -It was still broad daylight, for they dine early at thermal stations. - -Andermatt took his brother-in-law's arm. - -"My dear Gontran, if this old man is reasonable, and if the analysis -realizes Doctor Latonne's expectations, I am probably going to try a -big stroke of business here--a spa. I am going to start a spa!" - -He stopped in the middle of the street, and seized his companion by -both sides of his jacket. - -"Ha! you don't understand, fellows like you, how amusing business is, -not the business of merchants or traders, but big undertakings such as -we go in for! Yes, my boy, when they are properly understood, we find -in them everything that men care for--they cover, at the same time, -politics, war, diplomacy, everything, everything! It is necessary to -be always searching, finding, inventing, to understand everything, to -foresee everything, to combine everything, to dare everything. The -great battle to-day is being fought by means of money. For my part, -I see in the hundred-sou pieces raw recruits in red breeches, in the -twenty-franc pieces very glittering lieutenants, captains in the notes -for a hundred francs, and in those for a thousand I see generals. And -I fight, by heavens! I fight from morning till night against all the -world, with all the world. And this is how to live, how to live on a -big scale, just as the mighty lived in days of yore. We are the mighty -of to-day--there you are--the only true mighty ones! - -"Stop, look at that village, that poor village! I will make a town -of it, yes, I will, a lovely town full of big hotels which will be -filled with visitors, with elevators, with servants, with carriages, -a crowd of rich folk served by a crowd of poor; and all this because -it pleased me one evening to fight with Royat, which is at the right, -with Chatel-Guyon, which is at the left, with Mont Doré, La Bourboule, -Châteauneuf, Saint Nectaire, which are behind us, with Vichy, which -is facing us. And I shall succeed because I have the means, the only -means. I have seen it in one glance, just as a great general sees the -weak side of an enemy. It is necessary too to know how to lead men, in -our line of business, both to carry them along with us and to subjugate -them. - -"Good God! life becomes amusing when you can do such things. I have now -three years of pleasure to look forward to with this town of mine. And -then see what a chance it is to find this engineer, who told us such -interesting things at dinner, most interesting things, my dear fellow. -It is as clear as day, my system. Thanks to it, I can smash the old -company, without even having any necessity of buying it up." - -He then resumed his walk, and they quietly went up the road to the left -in the direction of Chatel-Guyon. - -Gontran presently observed: "When I am walking by my brother-in-law's -side, I feel that the same noise disturbs his brain as that heard in -the gambling rooms at Monte Carlo--that noise of gold moved about, -shuffled, drawn away, raked off, lost or gained." - -Andermatt did, indeed, suggest the idea of a strange human machine, -constructed only for the purpose of calculating and debating about -money, and mentally manipulating it. Moreover, he exhibited much -vanity about his special knowledge of the world, and plumed himself on -his power of estimating at one glance of his eye the actual value of -anything whatever. Accordingly, he might be seen, wherever he happened -to be, every moment taking up an article, examining it, turning it -round, and declaring: "This is worth so much." - -His wife and his brother-in-law, diverted by this mania, used to -amuse themselves by deceiving him, exhibiting to him queer pieces -of furniture and asking him to estimate them; and when he remained -perplexed, at the sight of their unexpected finds, they would both -burst out laughing like fools. Sometimes also, in the street at Paris, -Gontran would stop in front of a warehouse and force him to make a -calculation of an entire shop-window, or perhaps of a horse with a -jolting vehicle, or else again of a luggage-van laden with household -goods. - -One evening, while seated at his sister's dinner-table before -fashionable guests, he called on William to tell him what would be the -approximate value of the Obelisk; then, when the other happened to name -some figure, he would put the same question as to the Solferino Bridge, -and the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile. And he gravely concluded: "You -might write a very interesting work on the valuation of the principal -monuments of the globe." Andermatt never got angry, and fell in with -all his pleasantries, like a superior man sure of himself. - -Gontran having asked one day: "And I--how much am I worth?" William -declined to answer; then, as his brother-in-law persisted, saying: -"Look here! If I should be captured by brigands, how much would you -give to release me?" he replied at last: "Well, well, my dear fellow, I -would give a bill." And his smile said so much that the other, a little -disconcerted, did not press the matter further. - -Andermatt, besides, was fond of artistic objects, and having fine -taste and appreciating such things thoroughly, he skillfully collected -them with that bloodhound's scent which he carried into all commercial -transactions. - -They had arrived in front of a house of a middle-class type. Gontran -stopped him and said: "Here it is." An iron knocker hung over a heavy -oaken door; they knocked, and a lean servant-maid came to open it. - -The banker asked: "Monsieur Oriol?" - -The woman said: "Come in." - -They entered a kitchen, a big farm-kitchen, in which a little fire was -still burning under a pot; then they were ushered into another part of -the house, where the Oriol family was assembled. - -The father was asleep, seated on one chair with his feet on another. -The son, with both elbows on the table, was reading the "Petit Journal" -with the spasmodic efforts of a feeble intellect always wandering; and -the two girls, in the recess of the same window, were working at the -same piece of tapestry, having begun it one at each end. - -They were the first to rise, both at the same moment, astonished at -this unexpected visit; then, big Jacques raised his head, a head -congested by the pressure of his brain; then, at last, Père Oriol waked -up, and took down his long legs from the second chair one after the -other. - -The room was bare, with whitewashed walls, a stone flooring, and -furniture consisting of straw seats, a mahogany chest of drawers, four -engravings by Epinal with glass over them, and big white curtains. -They were all staring at each other, and the servant-maid, with her -petticoat raised up to her knees, was waiting at the door, riveted to -the spot by curiosity. - -Andermatt introduced himself, mentioning his name as well as that of -his brother-in-law, Count de Ravenel, made a low bow to the two young -girls, bending his head with extreme politeness, and then calmly seated -himself, adding: - -"Monsieur Oriol, I came to talk to you about a matter of business. -Moreover, I will not take four roads to explain myself. See here. You -have just discovered a spring on your property. The analysis of this -water is to be made in a few days. If it is of no value, you will -understand that I will have nothing to do with it; if, on the contrary, -it fulfills my anticipations, I propose to buy from you this piece of -ground, and all the lands around it. Think on this. No other person -but myself could make you such an offer. The old company is nearly -bankrupt; it will not, therefore, have the least notion of building -a new establishment, and the ill success of this enterprise will not -encourage fresh attempts. Don't give me an answer to-day. Consult your -family. When the analysis is known you will fix your price. If it suits -me, I will say 'yes'; if it does not suit me, I will say 'no.' I never -haggle for my part." - -The peasant, a man of business in his own way, and sharp as anyone -could be, courteously replied that he would see about it, that he felt -honored, that he would think it over--and then he offered them a glass -of wine. - -Andermatt made no objection, and, as the day was declining, Oriol said -to his daughters, who had resumed their work, with their eyes lowered -over the piece of tapestry: "Let us have some light, girls." - -They both got up together, passed into an adjoining room, then came -back, one carrying two lighted wax-candles, the other four wineglasses -without stems, glasses such as the poor use. The wax-candles were fresh -looking and were garnished with red paper--placed, no doubt, by way of -ornament on the young girl's mantelpiece. - -Then, Colosse rose up; for only the male members of the family visited -the cellar. Andermatt had an idea. "It would give me great pleasure to -see your cellar. You are the principal vinedresser of the district, and -it must be a very fine one." - -Oriol, touched to the heart, hastened to conduct them, and, taking -up one of the wax-candles, led the way. They had to pass through the -kitchen again, then they got into a court where the remnant of daylight -that was left enabled them to discern empty casks standing on end, big -stones of giant granite in a corner pierced with a hole in the middle, -like the wheels of some antique car of colossal size, a dismounted -winepress with wooden screws, its brown divisions rendered smooth by -wear and tear, and glittering suddenly in the light thrown by the -candle on the shadows that surrounded it. Close to it, the working -implements of polished steel on the ground had the glitter of arms used -in warfare. All these things gradually grew more distinct, as the old -man drew nearer to them with the candle in his hand, making a shade of -the other. - -Already they got the smell of the wine, the pounded grapes drained dry. -They arrived in front of a door fastened with two locks. Oriol opened -it, and quickly raising the candle above his head vaguely pointed -toward a long succession of barrels standing in a row, and having on -their swelling flanks a second line of smaller casks. He showed them -first of all that this cellar, all on one floor, sank right into the -mountain, then he explained the contents of its different casks, the -ages, the nature of the various vine-crops, and their merits; then, -having reached the supply reserved for the family, he caressed the cask -with his hand just as one might rub the crupper of a favorite horse, -and in a proud tone said: - -"You are going to taste this. There's not a wine bottled equal to -it--not one, either at Bordeaux or elsewhere." - -For he possessed the intense passion of countrymen for wine kept in a -cask. - -Colosse followed him, carrying a jug, stooped down, turned the cock -of the funnel, while his father cautiously held the light for him, -as though he were accomplishing some difficult task requiring minute -attention. The candle's flame fell directly on their faces, the -father's head like that of an old attorney, and the son's like that of -a peasant soldier. - -Andermatt murmured in Gontran's ear: "Hey, what a fine Teniers!" - -The young man replied in a whisper: "I prefer the girls." - -Then they went back into the house. It was necessary, it seemed, to -drink this wine, to drink a great deal of it, in order to please the -two Oriols. - -The lassies had come across to the table where they continued their -work as if there had been no visitors. Gontran kept incessantly -staring at them, asking himself whether they were twins, so closely -did they resemble one another. One of them, however, was plumper and -smaller, while the other was more ladylike. Their hair, dark-brown -rather than black, drawn over their temples in smooth bands, gleamed -with every slight movement of their heads. They had the rather heavy -jaw and forehead peculiar to the people of Auvergne, cheek-bones -somewhat strongly marked, but charming mouths, ravishing eyes, with -brows of rare neatness, and delightfully fresh complexions. One felt, -on looking at them, that they had not been brought up in this house, -but in a select boarding-school, in the convent to which the daughters -of the aristocracy of Auvergne are sent, and that they had acquired -there the well-bred manners of cultivated young ladies. - -Meanwhile, Gontran, seized with disgust before this red glass in front -of him, pressed Andermatt's foot to induce him to leave. At length -he rose, and they both energetically grasped the hands of the two -peasants; then they bowed once more ceremoniously, the young girls each -responding with a slight nod, without again rising from their seats. - -As soon as they had reached the village, Andermatt began talking again. - -"Hey, my dear boy, what an odd family! How manifest here is the -transition from people in good society. A son's services are required -to cultivate the vine so as to save the wages of a laborer,--stupid -economy,--however, he discharges this function, and is one of -the people. As for the girls, they are like girls of the better -class--almost quite so already. Let them only make good matches, and -they would pass as well as any of the women of our own class, and even -much better than most of them. I am as much gratified at seeing these -people as a geologist would be at finding an animal of the tertiary -period." - -Gontran asked: "Which do you prefer?" - -"Which? How, which? Which what?" - -"Of the lassies?" - -"Oh! upon my honor, I haven't an idea on the subject. I have not looked -at them from the standpoint of comparison. But what difference can this -make to you? You have no intention to carry off one of them?" - -Gontran began to laugh: "Oh! no, but I am delighted to meet for once -fresh women, really fresh, fresh as women never are with us. I like -looking at them, just as you like looking at a Teniers. There is -nothing pleases me so much as looking at a pretty girl, no matter -where, no matter of what class. These are my objects of vertu. I -don't collect them, but I admire them--I admire them passionately, -artistically, my friend, in the spirit of a convinced and disinterested -artist. What would you have? I love this! By the bye, could you lend me -five thousand francs?" - -The other stopped, and murmured an "Again!" energetically. - -Gontran replied, with an air of simplicity: "Always!" Then they resumed -their walk. - -Andermatt then said: "What the devil do you do with the money?" - -"I spend it." - -"Yes, but you spend it to excess." - -"My dear friend, I like spending money as much as you like making it. -Do you understand?" - -"Very fine, but you don't make it." - -"That's true. I know it. One can't have everything. You know how to -make it, and, upon my word, you don't at all know how to spend it. -Money appears to you no use except to get interest on it. I, on the -other hand, don't know how to make it, but I know thoroughly how to -spend it. It procures me a thousand things of which you don't know the -name. We were cut out for brothers-in-law. We complete one another -admirably." - -Andermatt murmured: "What stuff! No, you sha'n't have five thousand -francs, but I'll lend you fifteen hundred francs, because--because in a -few days I shall, perhaps, have need of you." - -Gontran rejoined: "Then I accept them on account." The other gave him a -slap on the shoulder without saying anything by way of answer. - -They reached the park, which was illuminated with lamps hung to the -branches of the trees. The orchestra of the Casino was playing in slow -time a classical piece that seemed to stagger along, full of breaks and -silences, executed by the same four performers, exhausted with constant -playing, morning and evening, in this solitude for the benefit of the -leaves and the brook, with trying to produce the effect of twenty -instruments, and tired also of never being fully paid at the end of -the month. Petrus Martel always completed their remuneration, when it -fell short, with hampers of wine or pints of liqueurs which the bathers -might have left unconsumed. - -Amid the noise of the concert could also be distinguished that of the -billiard-table, the clicking of the balls and the voices calling out: -"Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two." - -Andermatt and Gontran went in. M. Aubry-Pasteur and Doctor Honorat, -by themselves, were drinking their coffee, at the side facing the -musicians. Petrus Martel and Lapalme were playing their game with -desperation; and the female attendant woke up to ask: - -"What do these gentlemen wish to take?" - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - -A Test and an Avowal - - -Père Oriol and his son had remained for a long time chatting after -the girls had gone to bed. Stirred up and excited by Andermatt's -proposal, they were considering how they could inflame his desire -more effectually without compromising their own interests. Like the -cautious, practically-minded peasants that they were, they weighed all -the chances carefully, understanding very clearly that in a country -in which mineral springs gushed out along all the streams, it was not -advisable to repel by an exaggerated demand this unexpected enthusiast, -the like of whom they might never find again. And at the same time it -would not do either to leave entirely in his hands this spring, which -might, some day, yield a flood of liquid money, Royat and Chatel-Guyon -serving as a precedent for them. - -Therefore, they asked themselves by what course of action they could -kindle into frenzy the banker's ardor; they conjured up combinations -of imaginary companies covering his offers, a succession of clumsy -schemes, the defects of which they felt, without succeeding in -inventing more ingenious ones. They slept badly; then, in the morning, -the father, having awakened first, thought in his own mind that the -spring might have disappeared during the night. It was possible, after -all, that it might have gone as it had come, and re-entered the earth, -so that it could not be brought back. He got up in a state of unrest, -seized with avaricious fear, shook his son, and told him about his -alarm; and big Colosse, dragging his legs out of his coarse sheets, -dressed himself in order to go out with his father, to make sure about -the matter. - -In any case, they would put the field and the spring in proper trim -themselves, would carry off the stones, and make it nice and clean, -like an animal that they wanted to sell. So they took their picks -and their spades, and started for the spot side by side with great, -swinging strides. - -They looked at nothing as they walked on, their minds being preoccupied -with the business, replying with only a single word to the "Good -morning" of the neighbors and friends whom they chanced to meet. When -they reached the Riom road they began to get agitated, peering into the -distance to see whether they could observe the water bubbling up and -glittering in the morning sun. The road was empty, white, and dusty, -the river running beside it sheltered by willow-trees. Beneath one of -the trees Oriol suddenly noticed two feet, then, having advanced three -steps further, he recognized Père Clovis seated at the edge of the -road, with his crutches lying beside him on the grass. - -This was an old paralytic, well known in the district, where for the -last ten years he had prowled about on his supports of stout oak, as he -said himself, like a poor man made of stone. - -Formerly a poacher in the woods and streams, often arrested and -imprisoned, he had got rheumatic pains by his long watchings stretched -on the moist grass and by his nocturnal fishings in the rivers, through -which he used to wade up to his middle in water. Now he whined, and -crawled about, like a crab that had lost its claws. He stumped along, -dragging his right leg after him like a piece of ragged cloth. But -the boys of the neighborhood, who used in foggy weather to run after -the girls or the hares, declared that they used to meet Père Clovis, -swift-footed as a stag, and supple as an adder, under the bushes and -in the glades, and that, in short, his rheumatism was only "a dodge on -the gendarmes." Colosse, especially, insisted on maintaining that he -had seen him, not once, but fifty times, straining his neck with his -crutches under his arms. - -And Père Oriol stopped in front of the old vagabond, his mind possessed -by an idea which as yet was undefined, for the brain works slowly -in the thick skulls of Auvergne. He said "Good morning" to him. The -other responded "Good morning." Then they spoke about the weather, the -ripening of the vine, and two or three other things; but, as Colosse -had gone ahead, his father with long steps hastened to overtake him. - -The spring was still flowing, clear by this time, and all the bottom of -the hole was red, a fine, dark red, which had arisen from an abundant -deposit of iron. The two men gazed at it with smiling faces, then they -proceeded to clear the soil that surrounded it, and to carry off the -stones of which they made a heap. And, having found the last remains of -the dead dog, they buried them with jocose remarks. But all of a sudden -Père Oriol let his spade fall. A roguish leer of delight and triumph -wrinkled the corners of his leathery lips and the edges of his cunning -eyes, and he said to his son: "Come on, till we see." - -The other obeyed. They got on the road once more, and retraced their -steps. Père Clovis was still toasting his limbs and his crutches in the -sun. - -Oriol, drawing up before him, asked: "Do you want to earn a -hundred-franc piece?" - -The other cautiously refrained from answering. - -The peasant said: "Hey! a hundred francs?" - -Thereupon the vagabond made up his mind, and murmured: "Of course, but -what am I asked to do?" - -"Well, father, here's what I want you to do." - -And he explained to the other at great length with tricky -circumlocutions, easily understood hints, and innumerable repetitions, -that, if he would consent to take a bath for an hour every day from ten -to eleven in a hole which they, Colosse and he, intended to dig at the -side of the spring, and to be cured at the end of a month, they would -give him a hundred francs in cash. - -The paralytic listened with a stupid air, and then said: "Since all the -drugs haven't been able to help me, 'tisn't your water that'll cure me." - -But Colosse suddenly got into a passion. "Come, my old play-actor, -you're talking rubbish. I know what your disease is--don't tell me -about it! What were you doing on Monday last in the Comberombe wood at -eleven o'clock at night?" - -The old fellow promptly answered: "That's not true." - -But Colosse, firing up: "Isn't it true, you old blackguard, that you -jumped over the ditch to Jean Cannezat and that you made your way along -the Paulin chasm?" - -The other energetically repeated: "It is not true!" - -"Isn't it true that I called out to you: 'Oho, Clovis, the gendarmes!' -and that you turned up the Moulinet road?" - -"No, it is not." - -Big Jacques, raging, almost menacing, exclaimed: "Ah! it's not true! -Well, old three paws, listen! The next time I see you there in the -wood at night or else in the water, I'll take a grip of you, as my -legs are rather longer than your own, and I'll tie you up to some -tree till morning, when we'll go and take you away, the whole village -together----" - -Père Oriol stopped his son; then, in a very wheedling tone: "Listen, -Clovis! you can easily do the thing. We prepare a bath for you, Coloche -and myself. You come there every day for a month. For that I give you, -not one hundred, but two hundred francs. And then, listen! if you're -cured at the end of the month, it will mean five hundred francs more. -Understand clearly, five hundred in ready money, and two hundred -more--that makes seven hundred. Therefore you get two hundred for -taking a bath for a month and five hundred more for the curing. And -listen again! Suppose the pains come back. If this happens you in the -autumn, there will be nothing more for us to do, for the water will -have none the less produced its effect!" - -The old fellow coolly replied: "In that case I'm quite willing. If it -won't succeed, we'll always see it." And the three men pressed one -another's hands to seal the bargain they had concluded. Then, the two -Oriols returned to their spring, in order to dig the bath for Père -Clovis. - -They had been working at it for a quarter of an hour, when they heard -voices on the road. It was Andermatt and Doctor Latonne. The two -peasants winked at one another, and ceased digging the soil. - -The banker came across to them, and grasped their hands; then the -entire four proceeded to fix their eyes on the water without uttering -a word. It stirred about like water set in movement above a big fire, -threw out bubbles and steam, then it flowed away in the direction of -the brook through a tiny gutter which it had already traced out. Oriol, -with a smile of pride on his lips, said suddenly: "Hey, that's iron, -isn't it?" - -In fact the bottom was now all red, and even the little pebbles which -it washed as it flowed along seemed covered with a sort of purple mold. - -Doctor Latonne replied: "Yes, but that is nothing to the purpose. We -would require to know its other qualities." - -The peasant observed: "Coloche and myself first drank a glass of it -yesterday evening, and it has already made our bodies feel fresh. Isn't -that true, son?" - -The big youth replied in a tone of conviction: "Sure enough, it was -very refreshing." - -Andermatt remained motionless, his feet on the edge of the hole. He -turned toward the physician: "We would want nearly six times this -volume of water for what I would wish to do, would we not?" - -"Yes, nearly." - -"Do you think that we'll be able to get it?" - -"Oh! as for me, I know nothing about it." - -"See here! The purchase of the grounds can only be definitely effected -after the soundings. It would be necessary, first of all, to have a -promise of sale drawn up by a notary, once the analysis is known, but -not to take effect unless the consecutive soundings give the results -hoped for." - -Père Oriol became restless. He did not understand. Andermatt thereupon -explained to him the insufficiency of only one spring, and demonstrated -to him that he could not purchase unless he found others. But he could -not search for these other springs till after the signature of a -promise of sale. - -The two peasants appeared forthwith to be convinced that their fields -contained as many springs as vine-stalks. It would be sufficient to dig -for them--they would see, they would see. - -Andermatt said simply: "Yes, we shall see." - -But Père Oriol dipped his fingers in the water, and remarked: "Why, -'tis hot enough to boil an egg, much hotter than the Bonnefille one!" - -Latonne in his turn steeped his fingers in it, and realized that this -was possible. - -The peasant went on: "And then it has more taste and a better taste; -it hasn't a false taste, like the other. Oh! this one, I'll answer for -it, is good! I know the waters of the country for the fifty years that -I've seen them flowing. I never seen a finer one than this, never, -never!" - -He remained silent for a few seconds, and then continued: "It is not -in order to puff the water that I say this!--certainly not. I would -like to make a trial of it before you, a fair trial, not what your -chemists make, but a trial of it on a person who has a disease. I'll -bet that it will cure a paralytic, this one, so hot is it and so good -to taste--I'll make a bet on it!" - -He appeared to be searching his brain, then cast a look at the tops -of the neighboring mountains to see whether he could discover the -paralytic that he required. Not having made the discovery, he lowered -his eyes to the road. - -Two hundred meters away from it, at the side of the road could be -distinguished the two inert legs of the vagabond, whose body was hidden -by the trunk of a willow tree. - -Oriol placed his hand on his forehead as a shade, and said -questioningly to his son: "That isn't Père Clovis over there still?" - -Colosse laughingly replied: "Yes, yes. 'Tis he--he doesn't go as quick -as a hare." - -Then Oriol stepped over to Andermatt's side, and with an air of serious -and deep conviction: "Look here, Monchieu! Listen to me. There's a -paralytic over yonder, who is well known to the doctor, a genuine one, -who hasn't been seen to make a single step for the last ten years. -Isn't that so, doctor?" - -Latonne returned: "Oh! if you cure that fellow, I would pay a franc a -glass for your water!" - -Then, turning toward Andermatt: "'Tis an old fellow suffering from -rheumatic gout with a sort of spasmodic contraction of the left leg and -a complete paralysis of the right; in fact, I believe, an incurable." - -Oriol had allowed him to talk; he resumed in a deliberate fashion: -"Well, doctor, would you like to make a trial of it on him for a month? -I don't say that it will succeed,--I say nothing on the matter,--I only -ask to have a trial made. Hold on! Coloche and myself are going to dig -a hole for the stones--well, we'll make a hole for Cloviche; he'll -remain an hour there every morning, and then we'll see--there!--we'll -see." - -The physician murmured: "You may try. I answer confidently that you -will not succeed." - -But Andermatt, beguiled by the prospect of an almost miraculous cure, -gladly fell in with the peasant's suggestion; and the entire four -directed their steps toward the vagabond, who, all this time, had been -lying motionless in the sun. The old poacher, understanding the dodge, -pretended to refuse, resisted for a long time, then allowed himself to -be persuaded, on the condition that Andermatt would give him two francs -a day for the hour which he would spend in the water. - -So the matter was settled. It was even decided that, as soon as the -hole was dug, Père Clovis should take his bath that very day. Andermatt -would supply him with clothes to dress himself afterward, and the two -Oriols would bring him a disused shepherd's hut, which was lying in -their yard, so that the invalid might shut himself in there, and change -his apparel. - -Then the banker and the physician returned to the village. When they -reached it, they parted, the doctor going to his own house for his -consultations, and Andermatt hurrying to attend on his wife, who had to -come to the establishment at half past nine o'clock. - -She appeared almost immediately, dressed from head to foot in -pink--with a pink hat, a pink parasol, and a pink complexion, she -looked like an aurora, and she descended the steps of the hotel to -avoid the turn of the road with the hopping movements of a bird, as it -goes from stone to stone, without opening its wing. As soon as she saw -her husband, she exclaimed: - -"Oh! what a pretty country it is! I am quite delighted with it." - -A few bathers wandering sadly through the little park in silence turned -round as she passed by, and Petrus Martel, who was smoking his pipe in -his shirt-sleeves at the window of the billiard-room, called to his -chum, Lapalme, sitting in a corner before a glass of white wine, and -said, smacking the roof of his mouth with his tongue: - -"Deuce take it, there's something sweet!" - -Christiane made her way into the establishment, bowed smilingly -toward the cashier, who sat at the left of the entrance-door, and -saluted the ex-jailer seated at the right with a "Good morning"; then, -holding out a ticket to a bath-attendant dressed like the girl in the -refreshment-room, followed her into a corridor facing the doors of the -bath-rooms. The lady was shown into one of them, rather large, with -bare walls, furnished with a chair, a glass, and a shoe-horn, while a -large oval orifice, coated, like the floor, with yellow cement, served -the purposes of a bath. - -The woman turned a cock like those used for making the street-gutters -flow, and the water gushed through a little round grated aperture at -the bottom of the bath so that it was soon full to the brim, and its -overflow was diverted through a furrow sunk into the wall. - -Christiane, having left her chambermaid at the hotel, declined the -attendant's services in undressing, and remained there alone, saying -that if she required anything, she would ring, and would do the same -when she wanted her linen. - -She slowly disrobed, watching as she did so the almost invisible -movement of the wave gently stirring on the clear surface of the basin. -When she had divested herself of all her clothing she dipped her foot -in, and the pleasant warm sensation mounted to her throat; then she -plunged into the tepid water first one leg, and after it the other, -and sat down in the midst of this caressing heat, in this transparent -bath, in this spring, which flowed over her, around her, covering her -body with tiny globules all along her legs, all along her arms, and -also all over her breasts. She noticed with surprise those particles of -air innumerable and minute which clothed her from head to foot with an -entire mail-suit of little pearls. And these pearls, so minute, flew -off incessantly from her white flesh, and evaporated on the surface of -the bath, driven on by others that sprung to life over her form. They -sprung up over her skin, like light fruits incapable of being grasped -yet charming, the fruits of this exquisite body rosy and fresh, which -had generated those pearls in the water. - -And Christiane felt herself so happy in it, so sweetly, so softly, so -deliciously caressed and clasped by the restless wave, the living wave, -the animated wave from the spring which gushed up from the depths of -the basin under her legs and fled through the little opening toward -the edge of the bath, that she would have liked to have remained there -forever, without moving, almost without thinking. The sensation of a -calm delight composed of rest and comfort, of tranquil dreamfulness, -of health, of discreet joy, and silent gaiety, entered into her with -the soothing warmth of this. And her spirit mused, vaguely lulled into -repose by the gurgling of the overflow which was escaping--dreamed -of what she would be doing by and by, of what she would be doing -to-morrow, of promenades, of her father, of her husband, of her -brother, and of that big boy who had made her feel slightly ill at ease -since the adventure of the dog. She did not care for persons of violent -tendencies. - -No desire agitated her soul, calm as her heart in this grateful moist -warmth, no desires save the shadowy hopes of a child, no desire of any -other life, of emotion, or passion. She felt that it was well with her, -and she was satisfied with the happiness of her lot. - -She was suddenly startled--the door flew open; it was the Auvergnat -carrying the linen. Twenty minutes had passed; it was already time -for her to be dressed. It was almost a pang, almost a calamity, this -awakening; she felt a longing to beg of the woman to give her a few -minutes more; then she reflected that every day she would find again -the same delight, and she regretfully left the bath to be wrapped in a -white dressing-gown whose scorching heat felt somewhat unpleasant. - -Just as she was going out, Doctor Bonnefille opened the door of his -consultation-room and invited her to enter, bowing ceremoniously. He -inquired about her health, felt her pulse, looked at her tongue, took -note of her appetite and her digestion, asked her how she slept, and -then accompanied her to the door, repeating: - -"Come, come, that's right, that's right. My respects, if you please, to -your father, one of the most distinguished men that I have met in my -career." - -At last, she got away, bored by these undesirable attentions, and at -the door she saw the Marquis chatting with Andermatt, Gontran, and Paul -Bretigny. Her husband, in whose head every new idea was continually -buzzing, like a fly in a bottle, was relating the story of the -paralytic, and wanted to go back to see whether the vagabond was taking -his bath. They were about to go with him to the spot in order to please -him. But Christiane very gently detained her brother, and, when they -were a short distance away from the others: - -"Tell me now! I wanted to talk to you about your friend; I must say I -don't much care for him. Explain to me exactly what he is like." - -And Gontran, who had known Paul for many years, told her about this -passionate nature, uncouth, sincere, and kindly by starts. He was, -according to Gontran, a clever young fellow, whose wild spirit -impetuously flung itself into every new idea. Yielding to every -impulse, unable to control or to direct his passions, or to fight -against his feelings with the aid of reason, or to govern his life -by a system based on settled convictions, he obeyed the promptings -of his heart, whether they were virtuous or vicious, the moment that -any desire, any thought, any emotion whatever, agitated his excitable -nature. - -He had already fought seven duels, as ready to insult people as to -become their friend. He had been madly in love with women of every -class, adored them with the same transports from the working-girl whom -he picked up in the corner of some store to the actress whom he carried -off, yes, carried off, on the night of a first performance, just as she -was stepping into a vehicle on her way home, bearing her away in his -arms in the midst of the astonished spectators, and pushing her into a -carriage, which disappeared at a gallop before anyone could follow it -or overtake it. - -And Gontran concluded: "There you are! He is a good fellow, but a fool; -very rich, moreover, and capable of anything, of anything at all, when -he loses his head." - -Christiane said: "What a strange perfume he carries about him! It is -rather nice. What is it?" - -Gontran answered: "I don't really know; he doesn't want to tell about -it. I believe it comes from Russia. 'Tis the actress, his actress, she -whom I cured him of this time, that gave it to him. Yes, indeed, it has -a very pleasant odor." - -They saw, on their way, a group of bathers and of peasants, for it was -the custom every morning before breakfast to take a turn along the -road. - -Christiane and Gontran joined the Marquis, Andermatt, and Paul, and -soon they beheld, in the place where the knoll had stood the day -before, a queer-looking human head covered with a ragged felt hat, and -wearing a big white beard, looking as if it had sprung up out of the -ground, the head of a decapitated man, as it were, growing there like a -plant. Around it, some vinedressers were looking on, amazed, impassive, -the peasantry of Auvergne not being scoffers, while three tall -gentlemen, visitors at second-class hotels, were laughing and joking. - -Oriol and his son stood there contemplating the vagabond, who was -steeped in his hole, sitting on a stone, with the water up to his -chin. He might have been taken for a desperate criminal of olden times -condemned to death for some unusual kind of sorcery; and he had not let -go his crutches, which were by his sides in the water. - -Andermatt kept repeating enthusiastically: "Bravo! bravo! there's an -example which all the people in the country suffering from rheumatic -pains should imitate." - -And, bending toward the old man, he shouted at him as if he were deaf: -"Do you feel well?" - -The other, who seemed completely stupefied by this boiling water, -replied: "It seems to me that I'm melting!" - -But Père Oriol exclaimed: "The hotter it is, the more good it will do -you." - -A voice behind the Marquis said: "What is that?" - -And M. Aubry-Pasteur, always puffing, stopped on his way back from his -daily walk. Then Andermatt explained his experiment in curing. But -the old man kept repeating: "Devil take it! how hot it is!" And he -wanted to get out, asking some one to help him up. The banker succeeded -eventually in calming him by promising him twenty sous more for each -bath. The spectators formed a circle round the hole, in which the -dirty, grayish rags were soaking wherewith this old body was covered. - -A voice said: "Nice meat for broth! I wouldn't care to make soup of it!" - -Another rejoined: "The meat would scarcely agree with me!" - -But the Marquis observed that the bubbles of carbonic acid seemed more -numerous, larger, and brighter in this new spring than in that of the -baths. - -The vagabond's rags were covered with them; and these bubbles rose to -the surface in such abundance that the water appeared to be crossed -by innumerable little chains, by an infinity of beads of exceedingly -small, round diamonds, the strong midday sun making them as clear as -brilliants. - -Then Aubry-Pasteur burst out laughing: "Egad," said he, "I must tell -you what they do at the establishment. You know they catch a spring -like a bird in a kind of snare, or rather in a bell. That's what they -call coaxing it. Now last year here is what happened to the spring -that supplies the baths. The carbonic acid, lighter than water, was -stored up to the top of the bell; then, when it was collected there in -a very large quantity, it was driven back into the ducts, reascended -in abundance into the baths, filled up the compartments, and all but -suffocated the invalids. We have had three accidents in the course -of three months. Then they consulted me again, and I invented a very -simple apparatus consisting of two pipes which led off separately -the liquid and the gas in the bell in order to combine them afresh -immediately under the bath, and thus to reconstitute the water in its -normal state while avoiding the dangerous excess of carbonic acid. But -my apparatus would have cost a thousand francs. Do you know what the -custodian does then? I give you a thousand guesses to find out. He -bores a hole in the bell to get rid of the gas, which flies out, you -understand, so that they sell you acidulated baths without any acid, or -so little acid that it is not worth much. Whereas here, why just look!" - -Everybody became indignant. They no longer laughed, and they cast -envious looks toward the paralytic. Every bather would gladly have -seized a pickax to make another hole beside that of the vagabond. But -Andermatt took the engineer's arm, and they went off chatting together. -From time to time Aubry-Pasteur stopped, made a show of drawing lines -with his walking-stick, indicating certain points, and the banker wrote -down notes in a memorandum-book. - -Christiane and Paul Bretigny entered into conversation. He told -her about his journey to Auvergne, and all that he had seen and -experienced. He loved the country, with those warm instincts of his, -with which always mingled an element of animality. He had a sensual -love of nature because it excited his blood, and made his nerves and -organs quiver. He said: "For my part, Madame, it seems to me as if -I were open, so that everything enters into me, everything passes -through me, makes me weep or gnash my teeth. Look here! when I cast a -glance at that hillside facing us, that vast expanse of green, that -race of trees clambering up the mountain, I feel the entire wood in my -eyes; it penetrates me, takes possession of me, runs through my whole -frame; and it seems to me also that I am devouring it, that it fills my -being--I become a wood myself!" - -He laughed, while he told her this, strained his big, round eyes, now -on the wood, now on Christiane; and she, surprised, astonished, but -easily impressed, felt herself devoured also, like the wood, by his -great avid glance. - -Paul went on: "And if you only knew what delights I owe to my -sense of smell. I drink in this air through my nostrils. I become -intoxicated with it; I live in it, and I feel that there is within it -everything--absolutely everything. What can be sweeter? It intoxicates -one more than wine; wine intoxicates the mind, but perfume intoxicates -the imagination. With perfume you taste the very essence, the pure -essence of things and of the universe--you taste the flowers, the -trees, the grass of the fields; you can even distinguish the soul of -the dwellings of olden days which sleep in the old furniture, the old -carpets, the old curtains. Listen! I am going to tell you something. - -"Did you notice, when first you came here, a delicious odor, to which -no other odor can be compared--so fine, so light, that it seems -almost--how shall I express it?--an immaterial odor? You find it -everywhere--you can seize it nowhere--you cannot discern where it comes -from. Never, never has anything more divine than it arisen in my -heart. Well, this is the odor of the vine in bloom. Ah! it has taken -me four days to discover it. And is it not charming to think, Madame, -that the vine-tree, which gives us wine, wine which only superior -spirits can understand and relish, gives us, too, the most delicate -and most exciting of perfumes, which only persons of the most refined -sensibility can discover? And then do you recognize also the powerful -smell of the chestnut-trees, the luscious savor of the acacias, the -aroma of the mountains, and the grass, whose scent is so sweet, so -sweet--sweeter than anyone imagines?" - -She listened to these words of his in amazement, not that they were -surprising so much as that they appeared so different in their -nature from everything encompassing her every day. Her mind remained -possessed, moved, and disturbed by them. - -He kept talking uninterruptedly in a voice somewhat hollow but full of -passion. - -"And again, just think, do you not feel in the air, along the roads, -when the day is hot, a slight savor of vanilla. Yes, am I not right? -Well, that is--that is--but I dare not tell it to you!" - -And now he broke into a great laugh, and waving his hand in front of -him all of a sudden said: "Look there!" - -A row of wagons laden with hay was coming up drawn by cows yoked in -pairs. The slow-footed beasts, with their heads hung down, bent by -the yoke, their horns fastened with pieces of wood, toiled painfully -along; and under their skin, as it rose up and down, the bones of their -legs could be seen moving. Before each team, a man in shirt-sleeves, -waistcoat, and black hat, was walking with a switch in his hand, -directing the pace of the animals. From time to time the driver would -turn round, and, without ever hitting, would barely touch the shoulder -or the forehead of a cow who would blink her big, wandering eyes, and -obey the motion of his arm. - -Christiane and Paul drew up to let them pass. - -He said to her: "Do you feel it?" - -She was amazed: "What then? That is the smell of the stable." - -"Yes, it is the smell of the stable; and all these cows going along the -roads--for they use no horses in this part of the country--scatter on -their way that odor of the stable, which, mingled with the fine dust, -gives to the wind a savor of vanilla." - -Christiane, somewhat disgusted, murmured: "Oh!" - -He went on: "Excuse me, at that moment, I was analyzing it like a -chemist. In any case, we are, Madame, in the most seductive country, -the most delightful, the most restful, that I have ever seen--a country -of the golden age. And the Limagne--oh! the Limagne! But I must not -talk to you about it; I want to show it to you. You shall see for -yourself." - -The Marquis and Gontran came up to them. The Marquis passed his arm -under that of his daughter, and, making her turn round and retrace her -steps, in order to get back to the hotel for breakfast, he said: - -"Listen, young people! this concerns you all three. William, who goes -mad when an idea comes into his head, dreams of nothing any longer but -of building this new town of his, and he wants to win over to him the -Oriol family. He is, therefore, anxious that Christiane should make -the acquaintance of the two young girls, in order to see if they are -'possible.' But it is not necessary that the father should suspect our -ruse. So I have got an idea; it is to organize a charitable _fête_. -You, my dear, must go and see the curé; you will together hunt up two -of his parishioners to make collections along with you. You understand -what people you will get him to nominate, and he will invite them on -his own responsibility. As for you, young men, you are going to get up -a _tombola_ at the Casino with the assistance of Petrus Martel with his -company and orchestra. And if the little Oriols are nice girls, as it -is said they have been well brought up at the convent, Christiane will -make a conquest of them." - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - -Developments - - -For eight days, Christiane wholly occupied herself with preparations -for this _fête_. The curé, indeed, was able to find no one among his -female parishioners except the Oriol girls who could be deemed worthy -of collecting along with the Marquis de Ravenel's daughter; and, happy -at having the opportunity of making himself prominent, he took all -the necessary steps, organized everything, regulated everything, and -himself invited the young girls, as if the idea had originated with him. - -The inhabitants were in a state of excitement, and the gloomy bathers, -finding a new topic of conversation, entertained one another at the -_table d'hôte_ with various estimates as to the possible receipts from -the two portions of the _fête_, the sacred and the profane. - -The day opened finely. It was admirable summer weather, warm and clear, -with bright sunshine in the open plain and a grateful shade under the -village trees. The mass was fixed for nine o'clock--a quick mass with -Church music. Christiane, who had arrived before the office, in order -to inspect the ornamentation of the church with garlands of flowers -that had been sent from Royat and Clermont-Ferrand, consented to walk -behind it. The curé, Abbé Litre, followed her accompanied by the Oriol -girls, and he introduced them to her. Christiane immediately invited -the young girls to luncheon. They accepted her invitation with blushes -and respectful bows. - -The faithful were now making their appearance. Christiane and her girls -sat down on three chairs of honor reserved for them at the side of the -choir, facing three other chairs, which were occupied by young lads -dressed in their Sunday clothes, sons of the mayor, of the deputy, and -of a municipal councilor, selected to accompany the lady-collectors and -to flatter the local authorities. Everything passed off well. - -The office was short. The collection realized one hundred and ten -francs, which, added to Andermatt's five hundred francs, the Marquis's -fifty francs, and a hundred francs contributed by Paul Bretigny, made a -total of seven hundred and sixty, an amount never before reached in the -parish of Enval. Then, after the conclusion of the ceremony, the Oriol -girls were brought to the hotel. They appeared to be a little abashed, -without any display of awkwardness, however, and scarcely uttered one -word, through modesty rather than through timidity. They sat down to -luncheon at the _table d'hôte_, and pleased the meal of all the men. - -The elder the more serious of the pair, the younger the more sprightly, -the elder better bred, in the common-place acceptation of the word, the -younger more pleasant, they yet resembled one another as closely as two -sisters possibly could. - -As soon as the meal was finished, they repaired to the Casino for the -lottery-drawing at the _tombola_, which was fixed for two o'clock. - -The park, already invaded by the mixed crowd of bathers and peasants, -presented the aspect of an outlandish _fête_. - -Under their Chinese _kiosque_ the musicians were executing a rural -symphony, a work composed by Saint Landri himself. Paul, who -accompanied Christiane, suddenly drew up: - -"Look here!" said he, "that's pretty! He has some talent, that chap! -With an orchestra, he could produce a fine effect." - -Then he asked: "Are you fond of music, Madame?" - -"Exceedingly." - -"As for me, it overwhelms me. When I am listening to a work that I -like, it seems to me first that the opening notes detach my skin from -my flesh, melt it, dissolve it, cause it to disappear, and leave me -like one flayed alive, under the combined attacks of the instruments. -And in fact it is on my nerves that the orchestra is playing, on my -nerves stripped bare, vibrating, trembling at every note. I hear it, -the music, not merely with my ears, but with all the sensibility of -my body quivering from head to foot. Nothing gives me such exquisite -pleasure, or rather such exquisite happiness." - -She smiled, and then said: "Your sensibilities are keen." - -"By Jove, they are! What is the good of living if one has not keen -sensibilities? I do not envy those people who wear over their hearts a -tortoise's shell or a hippopotamus's hide. Those alone are happy who -feel their sensations acutely, who receive them like shocks, and savor -them like dainty morsels. For it is necessary to reason out all our -emotions, joyous and sad, to be satiated with them, to be intoxicated -with them to the most intense degree of bliss or the most extreme pitch -of suffering." - -She raised her eyes to look up at his face, with that sense of -astonishment which she had experienced during the past eight days at -all the things that he said. Indeed, during these eight days, this new -friend--for, despite her repugnance toward him, on first acquaintance, -he had in this short interval become her friend--was every moment -shaking the tranquillity of her soul, and disturbing it as a pool of -water is disturbed by flinging stones into it. And he flung stones, big -stones, into this soul which had calmly slumbered until now. - -Christiane's father, like all fathers, had always treated her as a -little girl, to whom one ought not to say anything of a serious nature; -her brother made her laugh rather than reflect; her husband did not -consider it right for a man to speak of anything whatever to his wife -outside the interests of their common life; and so she had hitherto -lived perfectly contented, her mind steeped in a sweet torpor. - -This newcomer opened her intellect with ideas which fell upon it like -strokes of a hatchet. Moreover, he was one of those men who please -women, all women, by his very nature, by the vibrating acuteness of his -emotions. He knew how to talk to them, to tell them everything, and he -made them understand everything. Incapable of continuous effort but -extremely intelligent, always loving or hating passionately, speaking -of everything with the ingenious ardor of a man fanatically convinced, -variable as he was enthusiastic, he possessed to an excessive degree -the true feminine temperament, the credulity, the charm, the mobility, -the nervous sensibility of a woman, with the superior intellect, -active, comprehensive, and penetrating, of a man. - -Gontran came up to them in a hurry. "Come back," said he, "and give a -look at the Honorat family." - -They returned, and saw Doctor Honorat, accompanied by a fat, old woman -in a blue dress, whose head looked like a nursery-garden, for every -variety of plants and flowers were gathered together on her head. - -Christiane asked in astonishment: "This is his wife, then? But she is -fifteen years older than her husband." - -"Yes, she is sixty-five--an old midwife whom he fell in love with -between two confinements. This, however, is one of those households in -which they are nagging at one another from morning till night." - -They made their way toward the Casino, attracted by the exclamations -of the crowd. On a large table, in front of the establishment, were -displayed the lots of the _tombola_, which were drawn by Petrus -Martel, assisted by Mademoiselle Odelin of the Odéon, a very small -brunette, who also announced the numbers, with mountebank's tricks, -which greatly diverted the spectators. The Marquis, accompanied by the -Oriol girls and Andermatt, reappeared, and asked: "Are we to remain -here? It is very noisy." - -They accordingly resolved to take a walk halfway up the hill on the -road from Enval to La Roche-Pradière. In order to reach it, they first -ascended, one behind the other, a narrow path through vine-trees. -Christiane walked on in front with a light and rapid step. Since her -arrival in this neighborhood, she felt as if she existed in a new sort -of way, with an active sense of enjoyment and of vitality which she -had never known before. Perhaps, the baths, by improving her health, -and so ridding her of that slight disturbance of the vital organs -which annoyed and saddened her without any apparent cause, disposed -her to perceive and to relish everything more thoroughly. Perhaps she -simply felt herself animated, lashed by the presence and by the ardor -of spirit of that unknown youth who had taught her how to understand. -She drew a long, deep breath, as she thought of all he had said to her -about the perfumes that were scattered through the atmosphere. "It is -true," she mused, "that he has shown me how to feel the air." And she -found again all the odors, especially that of the vine, so light, so -delicate, so fleeting. - -She gained the level road, and they formed themselves into groups. -Andermatt and Louise Oriol, the elder girl, started first side by -side, chatting about the produce of lands in Auvergne. She knew, this -Auvergnat, true daughter of her sire, endowed with the hereditary -instinct, all the correct and practical details of agriculture, and she -spoke about them in her grave tone, in the ladylike fashion, and with -the careful pronunciation which they had taught her at the convent. -While listening to her, he cast a side glance at her, every now and -then, and thought this little girl quite charming with her gravity -of manner and her mind so full already of practical knowledge. He -occasionally repeated with some surprise: "What! is the land in the -Limagne worth so much as thirty thousand francs for each hectare?"[1] - -"Yes, Monsieur, when it is planted with beautiful apple-trees, which -supply dessert apples. It is our country which furnishes nearly all the -fruit used in Paris." - -Then, they turned back in order to make a more careful estimate of the -Limagne, for from the road they were pursuing they could see, as far as -their eyes could reach, the vast plain always covered with a light haze -of blue vapor. - -Christiane and Paul also halted in front of this immense veiled -tract of country, so agreeable to the eye that they would have liked -to remain there incessantly gazing at it. The road was bordered by -enormous walnut-trees, the dense shade of which made the skin feel a -refreshing sensation of coolness. It no longer ascended, but took a -winding course halfway up on the slope of the hillside adorned lower -down with a tapestry of vines, and then with short green herbage as -far as the crest, which at this point looked rather steep. - -Paul murmured: "Is it not lovely? Tell me, is it not lovely? And why -does this landscape move me? Yes, why? It diffuses a charm so profound, -so wide, that it penetrates to my very heart. It seems, as you gaze at -this plain, that thought opens its wings, does it not? And it flies -away, it soars, it passes on, it goes off there below, farther and -farther, toward all the countries seen in dreams which we shall never -see. Yes, see here, this is worthy of admiration because it is much -more like a thing we dream of than a thing that we have seen." - -She listened to him without saying anything, waiting, expectant, -gathering up each of his words; and she felt herself affected without -too well knowing how to explain her emotions. She caught glimpses, -indeed, of other countries, blue countries, rose-hued countries, -countries unlikely and marvelous, countries undiscoverable though ever -sought for, which make us look upon all others as commonplace. - -He went on: "Yes, it is lovely, because it is lovely. Other horizons -are more striking but less harmonious. Ah! Madame, beauty, harmonious -beauty! There is nothing but that in the world. Nothing exists but -beauty. But how few understand it! The line of a body, of a statue, -or of a mountain, the color of a painting or of that plain, the -inexpressible something of the 'Joconde,' a phrase that bites you to -the soul, that--nothing more--which makes an artist a creator just like -God, which, therefore, distinguishes him among men. Wait! I am going to -recite for you two stanzas of Baudelaire." - -And he declaimed: - -"Whether you come from heaven or hell I do - not care, -O Beauty, monster of splendor and terror, - yet sweet at the core, -As long as your eye, your smile, your feet - lay the infinite bare, -Unveiling a world of love that I never have - known before! - -"From Satan or God, what matter, whether - angel or siren you be, -What matter if you can give, enchanting, - velvet-eyed fay, -Rhythm, perfume, and light, and be - queen of the earth for me, -And make all things less hideous, and - the sad moments fly away." - -Christiane now was gazing at him, struck with wonder by his -lyricism, questioning him with her eyes, not comprehending well what -extraordinary meaning might be embodied in this poetry. He divined -her thoughts, and was irritated at not having communicated his own -enthusiasm to her, for he had recited those verses very effectively, -and he resumed, with a shade of disdain: - -"I am a fool to wish to force you to relish a poet of such subtle -inspiration. A day will come, I hope, when you will feel those things -just as I do. Women, endowed rather with intuition than comprehension, -do not seize the secret and veiled purposes of art in the same way as -if a sympathetic appeal had first been made to their minds." - -And, with a bow, he added: "I will strive, Madame, to make this -sympathetic appeal." - -She did not think him impertinent, but fantastic; and moreover she did -not seek any longer to understand, suddenly struck by a circumstance -which she had not previously noticed: he was very elegant, though he -was a little too tall and too strongly-built, with a gait so virile -that one could not immediately perceive the studied refinement of -his attire. And then his head had a certain brutishness about it, an -incompleteness, which gave to his entire person a somewhat heavy aspect -at first glance. But when one had got accustomed to his features, one -found in them some charm, a charm powerful and fierce, which at moments -became very pleasant according to the inflections of his voice, which -always seemed veiled. - -Christiane said to herself, as she observed for the first time what -attention he had paid to his external appearance from head to foot: -"Decidedly this is a man whose qualities must be discovered one by one." - -But here Gontran came rushing toward them. He exclaimed: "Sister, I -say, Christiane, wait!" And when he had overtaken them, he said to -them, still laughing: "Oh! just come and listen to the younger Oriol -girl! She is as droll as anything--she has wonderful wit. Papa has -succeeded in putting her at her ease, and she has been telling us the -most comical things in the world. Wait for them." - -And they awaited the Marquis, who presently appeared with the younger -of the two girls, Charlotte Oriol. She was relating with a childlike, -knowing liveliness some village tales, accounts of rustic simplicity -and roguery. And she imitated them with their slow movements, their -grave remarks, their "fouchtras," their innumerable "bougrres," -mimicking, in a fashion that made her pretty, sprightly face look -charming, all the changes of their physiognomies. Her bright eyes -sparkled; her rather large mouth was opened wide, displaying her white -teeth; her nose, a little tip-tilted, gave her a humorous look; and she -was fresh, with a flower's freshness that might make lips quiver with -desire. - -The Marquis, having spent nearly his entire life on his estate, in the -family château where Christiane and Gontran had been brought up in the -midst of rough, big Norman farmers who were occasionally invited to -dine there, in accordance with custom, and whose children, companions -of theirs from the period of their first communion, had been on terms -of familiarity with them, knew how to talk to this little girl, already -three-fourths a woman of the world, with a friendly candor which -awakened at once in her a gay and self-confident assurance. - -Andermatt and Louise returned after having walked as far as the -village, which they did not care to enter. And they all sat down at -the foot of a tree, on the grassy edge of a ditch. There they remained -for a long time pleasantly chatting about everything and nothing in a -torpor of languid ease. Now and then, a wagon would roll past, always -drawn by the two cows whose heads were bent and twisted by the yoke, -and always driven by a peasant with a shrunken frame and a big black -hat on his head, guiding the animals with the end of his thin switch in -the swaying style of the conductor of an orchestra. - -The man would take off his hat, bowing to the Oriol girls, and they -would reply with a familiar, "Good day," flung out by their fresh young -voices. - -Then, as the hour was growing late, they went back. As they drew near -the park, Charlotte Oriol exclaimed: "Oh! the boree! the boree!" In -fact, the boree was being danced to an old air well known in Auvergne. - -There they were, male and female peasants stepping out, hopping, making -courtesies,--turning and bowing to each other,--the women taking hold -of their petticoats and lifting them up with two fingers of each hand, -the men swinging their arms or holding them akimbo. The pleasant -monotonous air was also dancing in the fresh evening wind; it was -always the same refrain played in a very high note by the violin, and -taken up in concert by the other instruments, giving a more rattling -pace to the dance. And it was not unpleasant, this simple rustic music, -lively and artless, keeping time as it did with this shambling country -minuet. - -The bathers, too, made an attempt to dance. Petrus Martel went skipping -in front of little Odelin, who affected the style of a _danseuse_ -walking through a ballet, and the comic Lapalme mimicked a fantastic -step round the attendant at the Casino, who seemed agitated by -recollections of Bullier. - -But suddenly Gontran saw Doctor Honorat dancing away with all his heart -and all his limbs, and executing the classical boree like a true-blue -native of Auvergne. - -The orchestra became silent. All stopped. The doctor came over and -bowed to the Marquis. He was wiping his forehead and puffing. - -"'Tis good," said he, "to be young sometimes." - -Gontran laid his hand on the doctor's shoulder, and smiling with a -mischievous air: "You never told me you were married." - -The physician stopped wiping his face, and gravely responded: "Yes, I -am, and marred." - -"What do you say?" - -"I say, married and marred. Never commit that folly, young man." - -"Why?" - -"Why! See here! I have been married now for twenty years, and haven't -got used to it yet. Every evening, when I reach home, I say to myself, -'Hold hard! this old woman is still in my house! So then she'll never -go away?'" Everyone began to laugh, so serious and convinced was his -tone. - -But the bells of the hotel were ringing for dinner. The _fête_ was -over. Louise and Charlotte were accompanied back to their father's -house; and when their new friends had left them, they commenced talking -about them. Everyone thought them charming, Andermatt alone preferred -the elder girl. - -The Marquis said: "How pliant the feminine nature is! The mere vicinity -of the paternal gold, of which they do not even know the use, has made -ladies of these country girls." - -Christiane, having asked Paul Bretigny: "And you, which of them do you -prefer?" he murmured: - -"Oh! I? I have not even looked at them. It is not they whom I prefer." - -He had spoken in a very low voice; and she made no reply. - - -[Footnote 1: A hectare is about two acres and a half.] - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -On the Brink - - -The days that followed were charming for Christiane Andermatt. She -lived, light-hearted, her soul full of joy. The morning bath was her -first pleasure, a delicious pleasure that made the skin tingle, an -exquisite half hour in the warm, flowing water, which disposed her to -feel happy all day long. She was, indeed, happy in all her thoughts -and in all her desires. The affection with which she felt herself -surrounded and penetrated, the intoxication of youthful life throbbing -in her veins, and then again this new environment, this superb country, -made for daydreams and repose, wide and odorous, enveloping her like -a great caress of nature, awakened in her fresh emotions. Everything -that approached, everything that touched her, continued this sensation -of the morning, this sensation of a tepid bath, of a great bath of -happiness wherein she plunged herself body and soul. - -Andermatt, who had to leave Enval for a fortnight or perhaps a month, -had gone back to Paris, having previously reminded his wife to take -good care that the paralytic should not discontinue his course of -treatment. So each day, before breakfast, Christiane, her father, her -brother, and Paul, went to look at what Gontran called "the poor man's -soup." Other bathers came there also, and they formed a circular group -around the hole, while chatting with the vagabond. - -He was not better able to walk, he declared, but he had a feeling as if -his legs were covered with ants; and he told how these ants ran up and -down, climbing as far as his thighs, and then going back again to the -tips of his toes. And even at night he felt these insects tickling and -biting him, so that he was deprived of sleep. - -All the visitors and the peasants, divided into two camps, that of the -believers and that of the sceptics, were interested in this cure. - -After breakfast, Christiane often went to look for the Oriol girls, so -that they might take a walk with her. They were the only members of her -own sex at the station to whom she could talk or with whom she could -have friendly relations, sharing a little of her confidence and asking -in return for some feminine sympathy. She had at once taken a liking -for the grave common sense allied with amiability which the elder girl -exhibited and still more for the spirit of sly humor possessed by -the younger; and it was less to please her husband than for her own -amusement that she now sought the friendship of the two sisters. - -They used to set forth on excursions sometimes in a landau, an old -traveling landau with six seats, got from a livery-man at Riom, and at -other times on foot. They were especially fond of a little wild valley -near Chatel-Guyon, leading toward the hermitage of Sans-Souci. Along -the narrow road, which they slowly traversed, under the pine-trees, -on the bank of the little river, they would saunter in pairs, each -pair chatting together. At every stage along their track, where it -was necessary to cross the stream, Paul and Gontran, standing on -stepping-stones in the water, seized the women each with one arm, and -carried them over with a jump, so as to deposit them at the opposite -side. And each of these fordings changed the order of the pedestrians. -Christiane went from one to another, but found the opportunity of -remaining a little while alone with Paul Bretigny either in front or in -the rear. - -He had no longer the same ways while in her company as in the first -days of their acquaintanceship; he was less disposed to laugh, less -abrupt in manner, less like a comrade, but more respectful and -attentive. Their conversations, however, assumed a tone of intimacy, -and the things that concerned the heart held in them the foremost -place. He talked to her about sentiment and love, like a man well -versed in such subjects, who had sounded the depths of women's -tenderness, and who owed to them as much happiness as suffering. - -She, ravished and rather touched, urged him on to confidences with an -ardent and artful curiosity. All that she knew of him awakened in her -a keen desire to learn more, to penetrate in thought into one of those -male existences of which she had got glimpses out of books, one of -those existences full of tempests and mysteries of love. Yielding to -her importunities, he told her each day a little more about his life, -his adventures, and his griefs, with a warmth of language which his -burning memories sometimes rendered impassioned, and which the desire -to please made also seductive. He opened to her gaze a world till now -unknown to her, found eloquent words to express the subtleties of -desire and expectation, the ravages of growing hopes, the religion of -flowers and bits of ribbons, all the little objects treasured up as -sacred, the enervating effect of sudden doubts, the anguish of alarming -conjectures, the tortures of jealousy, and the inexpressible frenzy of -the first kiss. - -And he knew how to describe all these things in a very seemly fashion, -veiled, poetic, and captivating. Like all men who are perpetually -haunted by desire and thoughts about woman he spoke discreetly of those -whom he had loved with a fever that throbbed within him still. He -recalled a thousand romantic incidents calculated to move the heart, a -thousand delicate circumstances calculated to make tears gather in the -eyes, and all those sweet futilities of gallantry which render amorous -relationships between persons of refined souls and cultivated minds the -most beautiful and most entrancing experiences that can be conceived. - -All these disturbing and familiar chats, renewed each day and each -day more prolonged, fell on Christiane's soul like grains cast into -the earth. And the charm of this country spread wide around her, the -odorous air, that blue Limagne, so vast that it seemed to make the -spirit expand, those extinguished volcanoes on the mountain, furnaces -of the antique world serving now only to warm springs for invalids, -the cool shades, the rippling music of the streams as they rushed -over the stones--all this, too, penetrated the heart and the flesh of -the young woman, penetrated them and softened them like a soft shower -of warm rain on soil that is yet virgin, a rain that will cause to -bourgeon and blossom in it the flowers of which it had received the -seed. - -She was quite conscious that this youth was paying court to her -a little, that he thought her pretty, even more than pretty; and -the desire to please him spontaneously suggested to her a thousand -inventions, at the same time designing and simple, to fascinate him and -to make a conquest of him. - -When he looked moved, she would abruptly leave him; when she -anticipated some tender allusion on his lips, she would cast toward -him, ere the words were finished, one of those swift, unfathomable -glances which pierce men's hearts like fire. She would greet him with -soft utterances, gentle movements of her head, dreamy gestures with her -hands, or sad looks quickly changed into smiles, as if to show him, -even when no words had been exchanged between them, that his efforts -had not been in vain. - -What did she desire? Nothing. What did she expect from all this? -Nothing. - -She amused herself with this solely because she was a woman, because -she did not perceive the danger of it, because, without foreseeing -anything, she wished to find out what he would do. - -And then she had suddenly developed that native coquetry which lies -hidden in the veins of all feminine beings. The slumbering, innocent -child of yesterday had unexpectedly waked up, subtle and keen-witted, -when facing this man who talked to her unceasingly about love. She -divined the agitation that swept across his mind when he was by her -side, she saw the increasing emotion that his face expressed, and she -understood all the different intonations of his voice with that special -intuition possessed by women who feel themselves solicited to love. - -Other men had ere now paid attentions to her in the fashionable world -without getting anything from her in return save the mockery of a -playful young woman. Their commonplace flatteries diverted her; their -looks of melancholy love filled her with merriment; and to all their -manifestations of passion she responded only with derisive laughter. -In the case of this man, however, she felt herself suddenly confronted -with a seductive and dangerous adversary; and she had been changed into -one of those clever creatures, instinctively clear-sighted, armed with -audacity and coolness, who, so long as their hearts remain untrammeled, -watch for, surprise, and draw men into the invisible net of sentiment. - -As for him, he had, at first, thought her rather silly. Accustomed to -women versed in intrigues, exercised in love just as an old soldier -is in military maneuvers, skilled in all the wiles of gallantry and -tenderness, he considered this simple heart commonplace, and treated it -with a light disdain. - -But, little by little, her ingenuousness had amused him, and then -fascinated him; and yielding to his impressionable nature, he had begun -to make her the object of his affectionate attentions. He knew full -well that the best way to excite a pure soul was to talk incessantly -about love, while exhibiting the appearance of thinking about others; -and accordingly, humoring in a crafty fashion the dainty curiosity -which he had aroused in her, he proceeded, under the pretense of -confiding his secrets to her, to teach her what passion really meant, -under the shadow of the wood. - -He, too, found this play amusing, showed her, by all the little -gallantries that men know how to display, the growing pleasure that -he found in her society, and assumed the attitude of a lover without -suspecting that he would become one in reality. And all this came about -as naturally in the course of their protracted walks as it does to take -a bath on a warm day, when you find yourself at the side of a river. - -But, from the first moment when Christiane began to indulge in -coquetry, from the time when she resorted to all the native skill of -woman in beguiling men, when she conceived the thought of bringing this -slave of passion to his knees, in the same way that she would have -undertaken to win a game at croquet, he allowed himself to yield, this -candid libertine, to the attack of this simpleton, and began to love -her. - -And now he became awkward, restless, nervous, and she treated him -as a cat does a mouse. With another woman he would not have been -embarrassed; he would have spoken out; he would have conquered by his -irresistible ardor; with her he did not dare, so different did she seem -from all those whom he had known. The others, in short, were women -already singed by life, to whom everything might be said, with whom -one could venture on the boldest appeals, murmuring close to their lips -the trembling words which set the blood aflame. He knew his power, -he felt that he was bound to triumph when he was able to communicate -freely to the soul, the heart, the senses of her whom he loved, the -impetuous desire by which he was ravaged. - -With Christiane, he imagined himself by the side of a young girl, -so great a novice did he consider her; and all his resources seemed -paralyzed. And then he cared for her in a new sort of way, partly as -a man cares for a child, and partly as he does for his betrothed. He -desired her; and yet he was afraid of touching her, of soiling her, -of withering her bloom. He had no longing to clasp her tightly in -his arms, such as he had felt toward others, but rather to fall on -his knees, to kiss her robe, and to touch gently with his lips, with -an infinitely chaste and tender slowness, the little hairs about her -temples, the corners of her mouth, and her eyes, her closed eyes, -whose blue he could feel glancing out toward him, the charming glance -awakened under the drooping lids. He would have liked to protect her -against everyone and against everything, not to let her be elbowed by -common people, gaze at ugly people, or go near unclean people. He would -have liked to carry away the dirt of the street over which she walked, -the pebbles on the roads, the brambles and the branches in the wood, -to make all things easy and delicious around her, and to carry her -always, so that she should never walk. And he felt annoyed because she -had to talk to the other guests at the hotel, to eat the same food at -the _table d'hôte_, and submit to all the disagreeable and inevitable -little things that belong to everyday existence. - -He knew not what to say to her so much were his thoughts absorbed -by her; and his powerlessness to express the state of his heart, to -accomplish any of the things that he wished to do, to testify to her -the imperious need of devoting himself to her which burned in his -veins, gave him some of the aspects of a chained wild beast, and, at -the same time, made him feel a strange desire to break into sobs. - -All this she perceived without completely understanding it, and felt -amused by it with the malicious enjoyment of a coquette. When they had -lingered behind the others, and she felt from his look that he was -about to say something disquieting, she would abruptly begin to run, -in order to overtake her father, and, when she got up to him, would -exclaim: "Suppose we make a four-cornered game." - -Four-cornered games served generally for the termination of the -excursions. They looked out for a glade at the end of a wider road than -usual, and they began to play like boys out for a walk. - -The Oriol girls and Gontran himself took great delight in this -amusement, which satisfied that incessant longing to run that is to be -found in all young creatures. Paul Bretigny alone grumbled, beset by -other thoughts; then, growing animated by degrees he would join in the -game with more desperation than any of the others, in order to catch -Christiane, to touch her, to place his hand abruptly on her shoulder or -on her corsage. - -The Marquis, whose indifferent and listless nature yielded in -everything, as long as his rest was not disturbed, sat down at the -foot of a tree, and watched his boarding-school at play, as he said. He -thought this quiet life very agreeable, and the entire world perfect. - -However, Paul's behavior soon alarmed Christiane. One day she even -got afraid of him. One morning, they went with Gontran to the most -remote part of the oddly-shaped gap which is called the End of the -World. The gorge, becoming more and more narrow and winding, sank -into the mountain. They climbed over enormous rocks; they crossed the -little river by means of stepping-stones, and, having wheeled round -a lofty crag more than fifty meters in height which entirely blocked -up the cleft of the ravine, they found themselves in a kind of trench -encompassed between two gigantic walls, bare as far as their summits, -which were covered with trees and with verdure. - -The stream formed a wide lake of bowl-like shape, and truly it was a -wild-looking chasm, strange and unexpected, such as one meets more -frequently in narratives than in nature. Now, on this day, Paul, gazing -at the projections of the rocky eminence which barred them out from -the road at the right where all pedestrians were compelled to halt, -remarked that it bore traces of having been scaled. He said: "Why, we -can go on farther." - -Then, having clambered up the first ledge, not without difficulty, he -exclaimed: "Oh! this is charming! a little grove in the water--come on, -then!" - -And, leaning backward, he drew Christiane up by the two hands, -while Gontran, feeling his way, planted his feet on all the slight -projections of the rock. The soil which had drifted down from the -summit had formed on this ledge a savage and bushy garden, in which the -stream ran across the roots. Another step, a little farther on, formed -a new barrier of this granite corridor. They climbed it, too,--then a -third; and they found themselves at the foot of an impassable wall from -which fell, straight and clear, a cascade twenty meters high into a -deep basin hollowed out by it, and buried under bindweeds and branches. - -The cleft of the mountain had become so narrow that the two men, -clinging on by their hands, could touch its sides. Nothing further -could be seen, save a line of sky; nothing could be heard save the -murmur of the water. It might have been taken for one of those -undiscoverable retreats in which the Latin poets were wont to conceal -the antique nymphs. It seemed to Christiane as if she had just intruded -on the chamber of a fay. - -Paul Bretigny said nothing. Gontran exclaimed: "Oh! how nice it would -be if a woman white and rosy-red were bathing in that water!" - -They returned. The first two shelves were as easy to descend, but the -third frightened Christiane, so high and straight was it, without -any visible steps. Bretigny let himself slip down the rock; then, -stretching out his two arms toward her, "Jump," said he. - -She would not venture. Not that she was afraid of falling, but she felt -afraid of him, afraid above all of his eyes. He gazed at her with the -avidity of a famished beast, with a passion which had grown ferocious; -and his two hands extended toward her had such an imperious attraction -for her that she was suddenly terrified and seized with a mad longing -to shriek, to run away, to climb up the mountain perpendicularly to -escape this irresistible appeal. - -Her brother standing up behind her, cried: "Go on then!" and pushed her -forward. Feeling herself falling she shut her eyes, and, caught in a -gentle but powerful clasp, she felt, without seeing it, all the huge -body of the young man, whose panting warm breath passed over her face. -Then, she found herself on her feet once more, smiling, now that her -terror had vanished, while Gontran descended in his turn. - -This emotion having rendered her prudent, she took care, for some days, -not to be alone with Bretigny, who now seemed to be prowling round her -like the wolf in the fable round a lamb. - -But a grand excursion had been planned. They were to carry provisions -in the landau with six seats, and go to dine with the Oriol girls on -the border of the little lake of Tazenat, which in the language of the -country was called the "gour" of Tazenat, and then return at night by -moonlight. Accordingly, they started one afternoon of a day of burning -heat, under a devouring sun, which made the granite of the mountain as -hot as the floor of an oven. - -The carriage ascended the mountain-side drawn by three horses, blowing, -and covered with sweat. The coachman was nodding on his seat, his head -hanging down; and at the side of the road ran legions of green lizards. -The heated atmosphere seemed filled with an invisible and oppressive -dust of fire. Sometimes it seemed hard, unyielding, dense, as they -passed through it, sometimes it stirred about and sent across their -faces ardent breaths of flame in which floated an odor of resin in the -midst of the long pine-wood. - -Nobody in the carriage uttered a word. The three ladies, at the lower -end, closed their dazzled eyes, which they shaded with their red -parasols. The Marquis and Gontran, their foreheads wrapped round with -handkerchiefs, had fallen asleep. Paul was looking toward Christiane, -who was also watching him from under her lowered eyelids. And the -landau, sending up a column of smoking white dust, kept always toiling -up this interminable ascent. - -When it had reached the plateau, the coachman straightened himself -up, the horses broke into a trot; and they drove through a beautiful, -undulating country, thickly-wooded, cultivated, studded with villages -and solitary houses here and there. In the distance, at the left, -could be seen the great truncated summits of the volcanoes. The lake -of Tazenat, which they were going to see, had been formed by the last -crater in the mountain chain of Auvergne. After they had been driving -for three hours, Paul said suddenly: "Look here, the lava-currents!" - -Brown rocks, fantastically twisted, made cracks in the soil at the -border of the road. At the right could be seen a mountain, snub-nosed -in appearance, whose wide summit had a flat and hollow look. They took -a path, which seemed to pass into it through a triangular cutting; and -Christiane, who was standing erect, discovered all at once, in the -midst of a vast deep crater, a lovely lake, bright and round, like a -silver coin. The steep slopes of the mountain, wooded at the right and -bare at the left, sank toward the water, which they surrounded with -a high inclosure, regular in shape. And this placid water, level and -glittering, like the surface of a medal, reflected the trees on one -side, and on the other the barren slope, with a clearness so complete -that the edges escaped one's attention, and the only thing one saw -in this funnel, in whose center the blue sky was mirrored, was a -transparent, bottomless opening, which seemed to pass right through the -earth, pierced from end to end up to the other firmament. - -The carriage could go no farther. They got down, and took a path -through the wooded side winding round the lake, under the trees, -halfway up the declivity of the mountain. This track, along which only -the woodcutters passed, was as green as a prairie; and, through the -branches, they could see the opposite side, and the water glittering at -the bottom of this mountain-lake. - -Then they reached, through an opening in the wood, the very edge of the -water, where they sat down upon a sloping carpet of grass, overshadowed -by oak-trees. - -They all stretched themselves on the green turf with sensuous and -exquisite delight. The men rolled themselves about in it, plunged their -hands into it; while the women, softly lying down on their sides, -placed their cheeks close to it, as if to seek there a refreshing -caress. - -After the heat of the road, it was one of those sweet sensations so -deep and so grateful that they almost amount to pure happiness. - -Then once more the Marquis went to sleep; Gontran speedily followed his -example. Paul began chatting with Christiane and the two young girls. -About what? About nothing in particular. From time to time, one of them -gave utterance to some phrase; another replied after a minute's pause, -and the lingering words seemed torpid in their mouths like the thoughts -within their minds. - -But, the coachman having brought across to them the hamper which -contained the provisions, the Oriol girls, accustomed to domestic -duties in their own house, and still clinging to their active habits, -quickly proceeded to unpack it, and to prepare the dinner, of which the -party would by and by partake on the grass. - -Paul lay on his back beside Christiane, who was in a reverie. And he -murmured, in so low a tone that she scarcely heard him, so low that his -words just grazed her ear, like those confused sounds that are borne on -by the wind: "These are the best days of my life." - -Why did these vague words move her even to the bottom of her heart? Why -did she feel herself suddenly touched by an emotion such as she had -never experienced before? - -She was gazing through the trees at a tiny house, a hut for persons -engaged in hunting and fishing, so narrow that it could barely contain -one small apartment. Paul followed the direction of her glance, and -said: - -"Have you ever thought, Madame, what days passed together in a hut like -that might be for two persons who loved one another to distraction? -They would be alone in the world, truly alone, face to face! And, -if such a thing were possible, ought not one be ready to give up -everything in order to realize it, so rare, unseizable, and short-lived -is happiness? Do we find it in our everyday life? What more depressing -than to rise up without any ardent hope, to go through the same duties -dispassionately, to drink in moderation, to eat with discretion, and to -sleep tranquilly like a mere animal?" - -She kept, all the time, staring at the little house; and her heart -swelled up, as if she were going to burst into tears; for, in one flash -of thought, she divined intoxicating joys, of whose existence she had -no conception till that moment. - -Indeed, she was thinking how sweet it would be for two to be together -in this tiny abode hidden under the trees, facing that plaything of -a lake, that jewel of a lake, true mirror of love! One might feel -happy with nobody near, without a neighbor, without one sound of life, -alone with a lover, who would pass his hours kneeling at the feet of -the adored one, looking up at her, while her gaze wandered toward the -blue wave, and whispering tender words in her ear, while he kissed the -tips of her fingers. They would live there, amid the silence, beneath -the trees, at the bottom of that crater, which would hold all their -passion, like the limpid, unfathomable water, in the embrace of its -firm and regular inclosure, with no other horizon for their eyes save -the round line of the mountain's sides, with no other horizon for their -thoughts save the bliss of loving one another, with no other horizon -for their desires save kisses lingering and endless. - -Were there, then, people on the earth who could enjoy days like this? -Yes, undoubtedly! And why not? Why had she not sooner known that such -joys exist? - -The girls announced that dinner was ready. It was six o'clock already. -They roused up the Marquis and Gontran in order that they might squat -in Turkish fashion a short distance off, with the plates glistening -beside them in the grass. The two sisters kept waiting on them, and the -heedless men did not gainsay them. They ate at their leisure, flinging -the cast-off pieces and the bones of the chickens into the water. They -had brought champagne with them; the sudden noise of the first cork -jumping up produced a surprising effect on everyone, so unusual did it -appear in this solitary spot. - -The day was declining; the air became impregnated with a delicious -coolness. As the evening stole on, a strange melancholy fell on the -water that lay sleeping at the bottom of the crater. Just as the sun -was about to disappear, the western sky burst out into flame, and the -lake suddenly assumed the aspect of a basin of fire. Then, when the -sun had gone to rest, the horizon becoming red like a brasier on the -point of being extinguished, the lake looked like a basin of blood. And -suddenly above the crest of mountain, the moon nearly at its full rose -up all pale in the still, cloudless firmament. Then, as the shadows -gradually spread over the earth, it ascended glittering and round -above the crater which was round also. It looked as if it were going -to let itself drop down into the chasm; and when it had risen far up -into the sky, the lake had the aspect of a basin of silver. Then, on -its surface, motionless all day long, trembling movements could now be -seen sometimes slow and sometimes rapid. It seemed as if some spirits -skimming just above the water were drawing across it invisible veils. - -It was the big fish at the bottom, the venerable carp and the voracious -pike, who had come up to enjoy themselves in the moonlight. - -The Oriol girls had put back all the plates, dishes, and bottles into -the hamper, which the coachman came to take away. They rose up to go. - -As they were passing into the path under the trees, where rays of light -fell, like a silver shower, through the leaves and glittered on the -grass, Christiane, who was following the others with Paul in the rear, -suddenly heard a panting voice saying close to her ear: "I love you!--I -love you!--I love you!" - -Her heart began to beat so wildly that she was near sinking to the -ground, and felt as if she could not move her limbs. Still she walked -on, like one distraught, ready to turn round, her arms hanging wide -and her lips tightly drawn. He had by this time caught the edge of the -little shawl which she had drawn over her shoulders, and was kissing it -frantically. She continued walking with such tottering steps that she -no longer could feel the soil beneath her feet. - -And now she emerged from under the canopy of trees, and finding herself -in the full glare of the moonlight, she got the better of her agitation -with a desperate effort; but, before stepping into the landau and -losing sight of the lake, she half turned round to throw a long kiss -with both hands toward the water, which likewise embraced the man who -was following her. - -On the return journey, she remained inert both in soul and body, dizzy, -cramped up, as if after a fall; and, the moment they reached the hotel, -she quickly rushed up to her own apartment, where she locked herself -in. Even when the door was bolted and the key turned in the lock, she -pressed her hand on it again, so much did she feel herself pursued and -desired. Then she remained trembling in the middle of the room, which -was nearly quite dark and had an empty look. The wax-candle placed on -the table cast on the walls the quivering shadows of the furniture and -of the curtains. Christiane sank into an armchair. All her thoughts -were rushing, leaping, flying away from her so that she found it -impossible to seize them, to hold them, to link them together. She felt -now ready to weep, without well knowing why, broken-hearted, wretched, -abandoned, in this empty room, lost in existence, just as in a forest. -Where was she going, what would she do? - -Breathing with difficulty, she rose up, flung open the window and the -shutters in front of it, and leaned on her elbows over the balcony. -The air was refreshing. In the depths of the sky, wide and empty, too, -the distant moon, solitary and sad, having ascended now into the blue -heights of night, cast forth a hard, cold luster on the trees and on -the mountains. - -The entire country lay asleep. Only the light strain of Saint Landri's -violin, which he played till a late hour every night, broke the deep -silence of the valley with its melancholy music. Christiane scarcely -heard it. It ceased, then began again--the shrill and dolorous cry of -the thin fiddlestrings. - -And that moon lost in a desert sky, that feeble sound lost in the -silent night, filled her heart with such a sense of solitude that she -burst into sobs. She trembled and quivered to the very marrow of her -bones, shaken by anguish and by the shuddering sensations of people -attacked by some formidable malady; for suddenly it dawned upon her -mind that she, too, was all alone in existence. - -She had never realized this until to-day, and now she felt it so -vividly in the distress of her soul that she imagined she was going mad. - -She had a father! a brother! a husband! She loved them still, and -they loved her. And here she was all at once separated from them, she -had become a stranger to them as if she scarcely knew them. The calm -affection of her father, the friendly companionship of her brother, the -cold tenderness of her husband, appeared to her nothing any longer, -nothing any longer. Her husband! This, her husband, the rosy-cheeked -man who was accustomed to say to her in a careless tone, "Are you -going far, dear, this morning?" She belonged to him, to this man, body -and soul, by the mere force of a contract. Was this possible? Ah! how -lonely and lost she felt herself! She closed her eyes to look into her -own mind, into the lowest depths of her thoughts. - -And she could see, as she evoked them out of her inner consciousness -the faces of all those who lived around her--her father, careless and -tranquil, happy as long as nobody disturbed his repose; her brother, -scoffing and sceptical; her husband moving about, his head full of -figures, and with the announcement on his lips, "I have just done a -fine stroke of business!" when he should have said, "I love you!" - -Another man had murmured that word a little while ago, and it was still -vibrating in her ear and in her heart. She could see him also, this -other man, devouring her with his fixed look; and, if he had been near -her at that moment, she would have flung herself into his arms! - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - -Attainment - - -Christiane, who had not gone to sleep till a very late hour, awoke as -soon as the sun cast a flood of red light into her room through the -window which she had left wide open. She glanced at her watch--it was -five o'clock--and remained lying on her back deliciously in the warmth -of the bed. It seemed to her, so active and full of joy did her soul -feel, that a happiness, a great happiness, had come to her during the -night. What was it? She sought to find out what it was; she sought -to find out what was this new source of happiness which had thus -penetrated her with delight. All her sadness of the night before had -vanished, melted away, during sleep. - -So Paul Bretigny loved her! How different he appeared to her from the -first day! In spite of all the efforts of her memory, she could not -bring back her first impression of him; she could not even recall to -her mind the man introduced to her by her brother. He whom she knew -to-day had retained nothing of the other, neither the face nor the -bearing--nothing--for his first image had passed, little by little, -day by day, through all the slow modifications which take place in the -soul with regard to a being who from a mere acquaintance has come to -be a familiar friend and a beloved object. You take possession of him -hour by hour without suspecting it; possession of his movements, of his -attitudes, of his physical and moral characteristics. He enters into -you, into your eyes and your heart, by his voice, by all his gestures, -by what he says and by what he thinks. You absorb him; you comprehend -him; you divine him in all the meanings of his smiles and of his words; -it seems at last that he belongs entirely to you, so much do you love, -unconsciously still, all that is his and all that comes from him. - -Then, too, it is impossible to remember what this being was like--to -your indifferent eyes--when first he presented himself to your gaze. -So then Paul Bretigny loved her! Christiane experienced from this -discovery neither fear nor anguish, but a profound tenderness, an -immense joy, new and exquisite, of being loved--of knowing that she was -loved. - -She was, however, a little disturbed as to the attitude that he would -assume toward her and that she should preserve toward him. But, as it -was a matter of delicacy for her conscience even to think of these -things, she ceased to think about them, trusting to her own tact and -ingenuity to direct the course of events. - -She descended at the usual hour, and found Paul smoking a cigarette -before the door of the hotel. He bowed respectfully to her: - -"Good day, Madame. You feel well this morning?" - -"Very well, Monsieur. I slept very soundly." - -And she put out her hand to him, fearing lest he might hold it in his -too long. But he scarcely pressed it; and they began quietly chatting -as if they had forgotten one another. - -And the day passed off without anything being done by him to recall -his ardent avowal of the night before. He remained, on the days that -followed, quite as discreet and calm; and she placed confidence in him. -He realized, she thought, that he would wound her by becoming bolder; -and she hoped, she firmly believed, that they might be able to stop at -this delightful halting-place of tenderness, where they could love, -while looking into the depths of one another's eyes, without remorse, -inasmuch as they would be free from defilement. Nevertheless, she was -careful never to wander out with him alone. - -Now, one evening, the Saturday of the same week in which they had -visited the lake of Tazenat, as they were returning to the hotel about -ten o'clock,--the Marquis, Christiane, and Paul,--for they had left -Gontran playing _écarté_ with Aubrey and Riquier and Doctor Honorat in -the great hall of the Casino, Bretigny exclaimed, as he watched the -moon shining through the branches: - -"How nice it would be to go and see the ruins of Tournoel on a night -like this!" - -At this thought alone, Christiane was filled with emotion, the moon and -ruins having on her the same influence which they have on the souls of -all women. - -She pressed the Marquis's hands. "Oh! father dear, would you mind going -there?" - -He hesitated, being exceedingly anxious to go to bed. - -She insisted: "Just think a moment, how beautiful Tournoel is even by -day! You said yourself that you had never seen a ruin so picturesque, -with that great tower above the château. What must it be at night!" - -At last he consented: "Well, then, let us go! But we'll only look at it -for five minutes, and then come back immediately. For my part, I want -to be in bed at eleven o'clock." - -"Yes, we will come back immediately. It takes only twenty minutes to -get there." - -They set out all three, Christiane leaning on her father's arm, and -Paul walking by her side. - -He spoke of his travels in Switzerland, in Italy, in Sicily. He told -what his impressions were in the presence of certain phenomena, his -enthusiasm on seeing the summit of Monte Rosa, when the sun, rising on -the horizon of this row of icy peaks, this congealed world of eternal -snows, cast on each of those lofty mountain-tops a dazzling white -radiance, and illumined them, like the pale beacon-lights that must -shine down upon the kingdoms of the dead. Then he spoke of his emotion -on the edge of the monstrous crater of Etna, when he felt himself, an -imperceptible mite, many meters above the cloud line, having nothing -any longer around him save the sea and the sky, the blue sea beneath, -the blue sky above, and leaning over this dreadful chasm of the earth, -whose breath stifled him. He enlarged the objects which he described -in order to excite the young woman; and, as she listened, she panted -with visions she conjured up, by a flight of imagination, of those -wonderful things that he had seen. - -Suddenly, at a turn of the road, they discovered Tournoel. The ancient -château, standing on a mountain peak, overlooked by its high and narrow -tower, letting in the light through its chinks, and dismantled by time -and by the wars of bygone days, traced, upon a sky of phantoms, its -huge silhouette of a fantastic manor-house. - -They stopped, all three surprised. The Marquis said, at length: -"Indeed, it is impressive--like a dream of Gustave Doré realized. Let -us sit down for five minutes." - -And he sat down on the sloping grass. - -But Christiane, wild with enthusiasm, exclaimed: "Oh! father, let us go -on farther! It is so beautiful! so beautiful! Let us walk to the foot, -I beg of you!" - -This time the Marquis refused: "No, my darling, I have walked enough; I -can't go any farther. If you want to see it more closely, go on there -with M. Bretigny. I will wait here for you." - -Paul asked: "Will you come, Madame?" - -She hesitated, seized by two apprehensions, that of finding herself -alone with him, and that of wounding an honest man by having the -appearance of suspecting him. - -The Marquis repeated: "Go on! Go on! I will wait for you." - -Then she took it for granted that her father would remain within reach -of their voices, and she said resolutely: "Let us go on, Monsieur." - -But scarcely had she walked on for some minutes when she felt herself -possessed by a poignant emotion, by a vague, mysterious fear--fear -of the ruin, fear of the night, fear of this man. Suddenly she felt -her legs trembling under her, just as she felt the other night by the -lake of Tazenat; they refused to bear her any further, bent under her, -appeared to be sinking into the soil, where her feet remained fixed -when she strove to raise them. - -A large chestnut-tree, planted close to the path they had been -pursuing, sheltered one side of a meadow. Christiane, out of breath -just as if she had been running, let herself sink against the trunk. -And she stammered: "I shall remain here--we can see very well." - -Paul sat down beside her. She heard his heart beating with great -emotional throbs. He said, after a brief silence: "Do you believe that -we have had a previous life?" - -She murmured, without having well understood his question: "I don't -know. I have never thought on it." - -He went on: "But I believe it--at moments--or rather I feel it. As -being is composed of a soul and a body, which seem distinct, but are, -without doubt, only one whole of the same nature, it must reappear when -the elements which have originally formed it find themselves together -for the second time. It is not the same individual assuredly, but it is -the same man who comes back when a body like the previous form finds -itself inhabited by a soul like that which animated him formerly. Well, -I, to-night, feel sure, Madame, that I lived in that château, that I -possessed it, that I fought there, that I defended it. I recognized -it--it was mine, I am certain of it! And I am also certain that I -loved there a woman who resembled you, and who, like you, bore the -name of Christiane. I am so certain of it that I seem to see you still -calling me from the top of that tower. - -"Search your memory! recall it to your mind! There is a wood at the -back, which descends into a deep valley. We have often walked there. -You had light robes in the summer evenings, and I wore heavy armor, -which clanked beneath the trees. You do not recollect? Look back, -then, Christiane! Why, your name is as familiar to me as those we hear -in childhood! Were we to inspect carefully all the stones of this -fortress, we should find it there carved by my hand in days of yore! I -declare to you that I recognize my dwelling-place, my country, just as -I recognized you, you, the first time I saw you!" - -He spoke in an exalted tone of conviction, poetically intoxicated by -contact with this woman, and by the night, by the moon, and by the ruin. - -He abruptly flung himself on his knees before Christiane, and, in a -trembling voice said: "Let me adore you still since I have found you -again! Here have I been searching for you a long time!" - -She wanted to rise and to go away, to join her father, but she had -not the strength; she had not the courage, held back, paralyzed by a -burning desire to listen to him still, to hear those ravishing words -entering her heart. She felt herself carried away in a dream, in the -dream always hoped for, so sweet, so poetic, full of rays of moonlight -and days of love. - -He had seized her hands, and was kissing the ends of her finger-nails, -murmuring: - -"Christiane--Christiane--take me--kill me! I love you, Christiane!" - -She felt him quivering, shuddering at her feet. And now he kissed her -knees, while his chest heaved with sobs. She was afraid that he was -going mad, and started up to make her escape. But he had risen more -quickly, and seizing her in his arms he pressed his mouth against hers. - -Then, without a cry, without revolt, without resistance, she let -herself sink back on the grass, as if this caress, by breaking her -will, had crushed her physical power to struggle. And he possessed her -with as much ease as if he were culling a ripe fruit. - -But scarcely had he loosened his clasp when she rose up distracted, and -rushed away shuddering and icy-cold all of a sudden, like one who had -just fallen into the water. He overtook her with a few strides, and -caught her by the arm, whispering: "Christiane, Christiane! Be on your -guard with your father!" - -She walked on without answering, without turning round, going straight -before her with stiff, jerky steps. He followed her now without -venturing to speak to her. - -As soon as the Marquis saw them, he rose up: "Hurry," said he; "I was -beginning to get cold. These things are very fine to look at, but bad -for one undergoing thermal treatment!" - -Christiane pressed herself close to her father's side, as if to appeal -to him for protection and take refuge in his tenderness. - -As soon as she had re-entered her apartment, she undressed herself in -a few seconds and buried herself in her bed, hiding her head under -the clothes; then she wept. She wept with her face pressed against the -pillow for a long, long time, inert, annihilated. She did not think, -she did not suffer, she did not regret. She wept without thinking, -without reflecting, without knowing why. She wept instinctively as -one sings when one feels gay. Then, when her tears were exhausted, -overwhelmed, paralyzed with sobbing, she fell asleep from fatigue and -lassitude. - -She was awakened by light taps at the door of her room, which looked -out on the drawing-room. It was broad daylight, as it was nine o'clock. - -"Come in," she cried. - -And her husband presented himself, joyous, animated, wearing a -traveling-cap and carrying by his side his little money-bag, which he -was never without while on a journey. - -He exclaimed: "What? You were sleeping still, my dear! And I had to -awaken you. There you are! I arrived without announcing myself. I hope -you are going on well. It is superb weather in Paris." - -And having taken off his cap, he advanced to embrace her. She drew -herself away toward the wall, seized by a wild fear, by a nervous dread -of this little man, with his smug, rosy countenance, who had stretched -out his lips toward her. - -Then, abruptly, she offered him her forehead, while she closed her -eyes. He planted there a chaste kiss, and asked: "Will you allow me to -wash in your dressing-room? As no one attended on me to-day, my room -was not prepared." - -She stammered: "Why, certainly." - -And he disappeared through a door at the end of the bed. - -She heard him moving about, splashing, snorting; then he cried: "What -news here? For my part, I have splendid news. The analysis of the water -has given unexpected results. We can cure at least three times more -patients than they can at Royat. It is superb!" - -She was sitting in the bed, suffocating, her brain overwrought by this -unforeseen return, which hurt her like a physical pain and gripped her -like a pang of remorse. He reappeared, self-satisfied, spreading around -him a strong odor of verbena. Then he sat down familiarly at the foot -of the bed, and asked: - -"And the paralytic? How is he going on? Is he beginning to walk? It is -not possible that he is not cured with what we found in the water!" - -She had forgotten all about it for several days, and she faltered: -"Why, I--I believe he is beginning to walk better. Besides, I have not -seen him this week. I--I am a little unwell." - -He looked at her with interest, and returned: "It is true, you are a -little pale. All the same, it becomes you very well. You look charming -thus--quite charming." - -And he drew nearer, and bending toward her was about to pass one arm -into the bed under her waist. - -But she made such a backward movement of terror that he remained -stupefied, with his hands extended and his mouth held toward her. Then -he asked: "What's the matter with you nowadays? One cannot touch you -any longer. I assure you I do not intend to hurt you." - -And he pressed close to her eagerly, with a glow of sudden desire in -his eyes. Then she stammered: - -"No--let me be--let me be! The fact is, I believe--I believe I am -pregnant!" - -She had said this, maddened by the mental agony she was enduring, -without thinking about her words, to avoid his touch, just as she would -have said: "I have leprosy, or the plague." - -He grew pale in his turn, moved by a profound joy; and he merely -murmured: "Already!" He yearned now to embrace her a long time, softly, -tenderly, as a happy and grateful father. Then, he was seized with -uneasiness. - -"Is it possible?--What?--Are you sure?--So soon?" - -She replied: "Yes--it is possible!" - -Then he jumped about the room, and rubbing his hands, exclaimed: -"Christi! Christi! What a happy day!" - -There was another tap at the door. Andermatt opened it, and a -chambermaid said to him: "Doctor Latonne would like to speak to -Monsieur immediately." - -"All right. Bring him into our drawing-room. I am going there." - -He hurried away to the adjoining apartment. The doctor presently -appeared. His face had a solemn look, and his manner was starched and -cold. He bowed, touched the hand which the banker, a little surprised, -held toward him, took a seat, and explained in the tone of a second in -an affair of honor: - -"A very disagreeable matter has arisen with reference to me, my dear -Monsieur, and, in order to explain my conduct, I must give you an -account of it. When you did me the honor to call me in to see Madame -Andermatt, I hastened to come at the appointed hour; now it has -transpired that, a few minutes before me, my brother-physician, the -medical inspector, who, no doubt, inspires more confidence in the lady, -had been sent for, owing to the attentions of the Marquis de Ravenel. - -"The result of this is that, having been the second to see her I create -the impression of having taken by a trick from Doctor Bonnefille a -patient who already belonged to him--I create the impression of having -committed an indelicate act, one unbecoming and unjustifiable from one -member of the profession toward another. Now it is necessary for us -to carry, Monsieur, into the exercise of our art certain precautions -and unusual tact in order to avoid every collision which might lead -to grave consequences. Doctor Bonnefille, having been apprised of my -visit here, believing me capable of this want of delicacy, appearances -being in fact against me, has spoken about me in such terms that, were -it not for his age, I would have found myself compelled to demand an -explanation from him. There remains for me only one thing to do, in -order to exculpate myself in his eyes, and in the eyes of the entire -medical body of the country, and that is to cease, to my great regret, -to give my professional attentions to your wife, and to make the entire -truth about this matter known, begging of you in the meantime to accept -my excuses." - -Andermatt replied with embarrassment: - -"I understand perfectly well, doctor, the difficult situation in which -you find yourself. The fault is not mine or my wife's, but that of my -father-in-law, who called in M. Bonnefille without giving us notice. -Could I not go to look for your brother-doctor, and tell him?----" - -Doctor Latonne interrupted him: "It is useless, my dear Monsieur. There -is here a question of dignity and professional honor, which I am bound -to respect before everything, and, in spite of my lively regrets----" - -Andermatt, in his turn, interrupted him. The rich man, the man who -pays, who buys a prescription for five, ten, twenty, or forty francs, -as he does a box of matches for three sous, to whom everything should -belong by the power of his purse, and who only appreciates beings and -objects in virtue of an assimilation of their value with that of money, -of a relation, rapid and direct, established between coined metal and -everything else in the world, was irritated at the presumption of this -vendor of remedies on paper. He said in a stiff tone: - -"Be it so, doctor. Let us stop where we are. But I trust for your own -sake that this step may not have a damaging influence on your career. -We shall see, indeed, which of us two shall have the most to suffer -from your decision." - -The physician, offended, rose up and bowing with the utmost politeness, -said: "I have no doubt, Monsieur, it is I who will suffer. That which I -have done to-day is very painful to me from every point of view. But I -never hesitate between my interests and my conscience." - -And he went out. As he emerged through the open door, he knocked -against the Marquis, who was entering, with a letter in his hand. And -M. de Ravenel exclaimed, as soon as he was alone with his son-in-law: -"Look here, my dear fellow! this is a very troublesome thing, which -has happened me through your fault. Doctor Bonnefille, hurt by the -circumstance that you sent for his brother-physician to see Christiane, -has written me a note couched in very dry language informing me that I -cannot count any longer on his professional services." - -Thereupon, Andermatt got quite annoyed. He walked up and down, -excited himself by talking, gesticulated, full of harmless and noisy -anger, that kind of anger which is never taken seriously. He went on -arguing in a loud voice. Whose fault was it, after all? That of the -Marquis alone, who had called in that pack-ass Bonnefille without -giving any notice of the fact to him, though he had, thanks to his -Paris physician, been informed as to the relative value of the three -charlatans at Enval! And then what business had the Marquis to consult -a doctor, behind the back of the husband, the husband who was the only -judge, the only person responsible for his wife's health? In short, it -was the same thing day after day with everything! People did nothing -but stupid things around him, nothing but stupid things! He repeated it -incessantly; but he was only crying in the desert, nobody understood, -nobody put faith in his experience, until it was too late. - -And he said, "My physician," "My experience," with the authoritative -tone of a man who has possession of unique things. In his mouth the -possessive pronouns had the sonorous ring of metals. And when he -pronounced the words "My wife," one felt very clearly that the Marquis -had no longer any rights with regard to his daughter since Andermatt -had married her, to marry and to buy having the same meaning in the -latter's mind. - -Gontran came in, at the most lively stage of the discussion, and seated -himself in an armchair with a smile of gaiety on his lips. He said -nothing, but listened, exceedingly amused. When the banker stopped -talking, having fairly exhausted his breath, his brother-in-law raised -his hand, exclaiming: - -"I request permission to speak. Here are both of you without -physicians, isn't that so? Well, I propose my candidate, Doctor -Honorat, the only one who has formed an exact and unshaken opinion on -the water of Enval. He makes people drink it, but he would not drink -it himself for all the world. Do you wish me to go and look for him? I -will take the negotiations on myself." - -It was the only thing to do, and they begged of Gontran to send for him -immediately. The Marquis, filled with anxiety at the idea of a change -of regimen and of nursing wanted to know immediately the opinion of -this new physician; and Andermatt desired no less eagerly to consult -him on Christiane's behalf. - -She heard their voices through the door without listening to their -words or understanding what they were talking about. As soon as -her husband had left her, she had risen from the bed, as if from a -dangerous spot, and hurriedly dressed herself, without the assistance -of the chambermaid, shaken by all these occurrences. - -The world appeared to her to have changed around her, her former life -seemed to have vanished since last night, and people themselves looked -quite different. - -The voice of Andermatt was raised once more: "Hallo, my dear Bretigny, -how are you getting on?" - -He no longer used the word "Monsieur." Another voice could be heard -saying in reply: "Why, quite well, my dear Andermatt. You only arrived, -I suppose, this morning?" - -Christiane, who was in the act of raising her hair over her temples, -stopped with a choking sensation, her arms in the air. Through the -partition, she fancied she could see them grasping one another's hands. -She sat down, no longer able to hold herself erect; and her hair, -rolling down, fell over her shoulders. - -It was Paul who was speaking now, and she shivered from head to foot at -every word that came from his mouth. Each word, whose meaning she did -not seize, fell and sounded on her heart like a hammer striking a bell. - -Suddenly, she articulated in almost a loud tone: "But I love him!--I -love him!" as though she were affirming something new and surprising, -which saved her, which consoled her, which proclaimed her innocence -before the tribunal of her conscience. A sudden energy made her rise -up; in one second, her resolution was taken. And she proceeded to -rearrange her hair, murmuring: "I have a lover, that is all. I have -a lover." Then, in order to fortify herself still more, in order to -get rid of all mental distress, she determined there and then, with a -burning faith, to love him to distraction, to give up to him her life, -her happiness, to sacrifice everything for him, in accordance with -the moral exaltation of hearts conquered but still scrupulous, that -believe themselves to be purified by devotedness and sincerity. - -And, from behind the wall which separated them, she threw out kisses -to him. It was over; she abandoned herself to him, without reserve, as -she might have offered herself to a god. The child already coquettish -and artful, but still timid, still trembling, had suddenly died within -her; and the woman was born, ready for passion, the woman resolute, -tenacious, announced only up to this time by the energy hidden in her -blue eye, which gave an air of courage and almost of bravado to her -dainty white face. - -She heard the door opening, and did not turn round, divining that it -was her husband, without seeing him, as though a new sense, almost an -instinct, had just been generated in her also. - -He asked: "Will you be soon ready? We are all going presently to the -paralytic's bath, to see if he is really getting better." - -She replied calmly: "Yes, my dear Will, in five minutes." - -But Gontran, returning to the drawing-room, was calling back Andermatt. - -"Just imagine," said he; "I met that idiot Honorat in the park, and -he, too, refuses to attend you for fear of the others. He talks of -professional etiquette, deference, usages. One would imagine that -he creates the impression of--in short, he is a fool, like his two -brother-physicians. Certainly, I thought he was less of an ape than -that." - -The Marquis remained overwhelmed. The idea of taking the waters without -a physician, of bathing for five minutes longer than necessary, of -drinking one glass less than he ought, tortured him with apprehension, -for he believed all the doses, the hours, and the phases of the -treatment, to be regulated by a law of nature, which had made provision -for invalids in causing the flow of those mineral springs, all whose -mysterious secrets the doctors knew, like priests inspired and learned. - -He exclaimed: "So then we must die here--we may perish like dogs, -without any of these gentlemen putting himself about!" - -And rage took possession of him, the rage egotistical and unreasoning -of a man whose health is endangered. - -"Have they any right to do this, since they pay for a license like -grocers, these blackguards? We ought to have the power of forcing them -to attend people, as trains can be forced to take all passengers. I am -going to write to the newspapers to draw attention to the matter." - -He walked about, in a state of excitement; and he went on, turning -toward his son: - -"Listen! It will be necessary to send for one to Royat or Clermont. We -can't remain in this state." - -Gontran replied, laughing: "But those of Clermont and of Royat are -not well acquainted with the liquid of Enval, which has not the same -special action as their water on the digestive system and on the -circulatory apparatus. And then, be sure, they won't come any more than -the others in order to avoid the appearance of taking the bread out of -their brother-doctors' mouths." - -The Marquis, quite scared, faltered: "But what, then, is to become of -us?" - -Andermatt snatched up his hat, saying: "Let me settle it, and -I'll answer for it that we'll have the entire three of them this -evening--you understand clearly, the--entire--three--at our knees. Let -us go now and see the paralytic." - -He cried: "Are you ready, Christiane?" - -She appeared at the door, very pale, with a look of determination. -Having embraced her father and her brother, she turned toward Paul, and -extended her hand toward him. He took it, with downcast eyes, quivering -with emotion. As the Marquis, Andermatt, and Gontran had gone on -before, chatting, and without minding them, she said, in a firm voice, -fixing on the young man a tender and decided glance: - -"I belong to you, body and soul. Do with me henceforth what you -please." Then she walked on, without giving him an opportunity of -replying. - -As they drew near the Oriols' spring, they perceived, like an enormous -mushroom, the hat of Père Clovis, who was sleeping beneath the rays of -the sun, in the warm water at the bottom of the hole. He now spent the -entire morning there, having got accustomed to this boiling water which -made him, he said, more lively than a yearling. - -Andermatt woke him up: "Well, my fine fellow, you are going on better?" - -When he had recognized his patron, the old fellow made a grimace of -satisfaction: "Yes, yes, I am going on--I am going on as well as you -please." - -"Are you beginning to walk?" - -"Like a rabbit, Mochieu--like a rabbit. I will dance a boree with my -sweetheart on the first Sunday of the month." - -Andermatt felt his heart beating; he repeated: "It is true, then, that -you are walking?" - -Père Clovis ceased jesting. "Oh! not very much, not very much. No -matter--I'm getting on--I'm getting on!" - -Then the banker wanted to see at once how the vagabond walked. He kept -rushing about the hole, got agitated, gave orders, as if he were going -to float again a ship that had foundered. - -"Look here, Gontran! you take the right arm. You, Bretigny, -the left arm. I am going to keep up his back. Come on! -together!--one--two--three! My dear father-in-law, draw the leg toward -you--no, the other, the one that's in the water. Quick, pray! I can't -hold out longer. There we are--one, two--there!--ouf!" - -They had put the old trickster sitting on the ground; and he allowed -them to do it with a jeering look, without in any way assisting their -efforts. - -Then they raised him up again, and set him on his legs, giving him -his crutches, which he used like walking-sticks; and he began to step -out, bent double, dragging his feet after him, whining and blowing. He -advanced in the fashion of a slug, and left behind him a long trail of -water on the white dust of the road. - -Andermatt, in a state of enthusiasm, clapped his hands, crying out -as people do at theaters when applauding the actors: "Bravo, bravo, -admirable, bravo!!!" - -Then, as the old fellow seemed exhausted, he rushed forward to hold him -up, seized him in his arms, although his clothes were streaming, and he -kept repeating: - -"Enough, don't fatigue yourself! We are going to put you back into your -bath." - -And Père Clovis was plunged once more into his hole by the four men who -caught him by his four limbs and carried him carefully like a fragile -and precious object. - -Then, the paralytic observed in a tone of conviction: "It is good -water, all the same, good water that hasn't an equal. It is worth a -treasure, water like that!" - -Andermatt turned round suddenly toward his father-in-law: "Don't keep -breakfast waiting for me. I am going to the Oriols', and I don't know -when I'll be free. It is necessary not to let these things drag!" - -And he set forth in a hurry, almost running, and twirling his stick -about like a man bewitched. - -The others sat down under the willows, at the side of the road, -opposite Père Clovis's hole. - -Christiane, at Paul's side, saw in front of her the high knoll from -which she had seen the rock blown up. - -She had been up there that day, scarcely a month ago. She had been -sitting on that russet grass. One month! Only one month! She recalled -the most trifling details, the tricolored parasols, the scullions, -the slightest things said by each of them! And the dog, the poor dog -crushed by the explosion! And that big youth, then a stranger to her, -who had rushed forward at one word uttered by her lips in order to -save the animal. To-day, he was her lover! her lover! So then she had -a lover! She was his mistress--his mistress! She repeated this word -in the recesses of her consciousness--his mistress! What a strange -word! This man, sitting by her side, whose hand she saw tearing up -one by one blades of grass, close to her dress, which he was seeking -to touch, this man was now bound to her flesh and to his heart, by -that mysterious chain, buried in secrecy and mystery, which nature has -stretched between woman and man. - -With that voice of thought, that mute voice which seems to speak so -loudly in the silence of troubled souls, she incessantly repeated -to herself: "I am his mistress! his mistress!" How strange, how -unforeseen, a thing this was! - -"Do I love him?" She cast a rapid glance at him. Their eyes met, and -she felt herself so much caressed by the passionate look with which he -covered her, that she trembled from head to foot. She felt a longing -now, a wild, irresistible longing, to take that hand which was toying -with the grass, and to press it very tightly in order to convey to -him all that may be said by a clasp. She let her own hand slip along -her dress down to the grass, then laid it there motionless, with the -fingers spread wide. Then she saw the other come softly toward it like -an amorous animal seeking his companion. It came nearer and nearer; -and their little fingers touched. They grazed one another at the ends -gently, barely, lost one another and found one another again, like lips -meeting. But this imperceptible caress, this slight contact entered -into her being so violently that she felt herself growing faint as if -he were once more straining her between his arms. - -And she suddenly understood how a woman can belong to some man, how -she no longer is anything under the love that possesses her, how that -other being takes her body and soul, flesh, thought, will, blood, -nerves,--all, all, all that is in her,--just as a huge bird of prey -with large wings swoops down on a wren. - -The Marquis and Gontran talked about the future station, themselves -won over by Will's enthusiasm. And they spoke of the banker's merits, -the clearness of his mind, the sureness of his judgment, the certainty -of his system of speculation, the boldness of his operations, and the -regularity of his character. Father-in-law and brother-in-law, in the -face of this probable success, of which they felt certain, were in -agreement, and congratulated one another on this alliance. - -Christiane and Paul did not seem to hear, so much occupied were they -with each other. - -The Marquis said to his daughter: "Hey! darling, you may perhaps one -day be one of the richest women in France, and people will talk of you -as they do about the Rothschilds. Will has truly a remarkable, very -remarkable--a great intelligence." - -But a morose and whimsical jealousy entered all at once into Paul's -heart. - -"Let me alone now," said he, "I know it, the intelligence of all those -engaged in stirring up business. They have only one thing in their -heads--money! All the thoughts that we bestow on beautiful things, -all the actions that we waste on our caprices, all the hours which we -fling away for our distractions, all the strength that we squander -on our pleasures, all the ardor and the power which love, divine -love, takes from us, they employ in seeking for gold, in thinking of -gold, in amassing gold! The man of intelligence lives for all the -great disinterested tendernesses, the arts, love, science, travels, -books; and, if he seeks money, it is because this facilitates the -true pleasures of intellect and even the happiness of the heart! But -they--they have nothing in their minds or their hearts but this ignoble -taste for traffic! They resemble men of worth, these skimmers of life, -just as much as the picture-dealer resembles the painter, as the -publisher resembles the writer, as the theatrical manager resembles the -dramatic poet." - -He suddenly became silent, realizing that he had allowed himself to be -carried away, and in a calmer voice he went on: "I don't say that of -Andermatt, whom I consider a charming man. I like him a great deal, -because he is a hundred times superior to all the others." - -Christiane had withdrawn her hand. Paul once more stopped talking. -Gontran began to laugh; and, in his malicious voice, with which he -ventured to say everything, in his hours of mocking and raillery: - -"In any case, my dear fellow, these men have one rare merit: that is, -to marry our sisters and to have rich daughters, who become our wives." - -The Marquis, annoyed, rose up: "Oh! Gontran, you are perfectly -revolting." - -Paul thereupon turned toward Christiane, and murmured: "Would -they know how to die for one woman, or even to give her all their -fortune--all--without keeping anything?" - -This meant so clearly: "All I have is yours, including my life," that -she was touched, and she adopted this device in order to take his -hands in hers: - -"Rise, and lift me up. I am benumbed from not moving." - -He stood erect, seized her by the wrists, and drawing her up placed her -standing on the edge of the road close to his side. She saw his mouth -articulating the words, "I love you," and she quickly turned aside, -to avoid saying to him in reply three words which rose to her lips in -spite of her, in a burst of passion which was drawing her toward him. - -They returned to the hotel. The hour for the bath was passed. They -awaited the breakfast-bell. It rang, but Andermatt did not make his -appearance. After taking another turn in the park, they resolved to sit -down to table. The meal, although a long one, was finished before the -return of the banker. They went back to sit down under the trees. And -the hours stole by, one after another; the sun glided over the leaves, -bending toward the mountains; the day was ebbing toward its close; and -yet Will did not present himself. - -All at once, they saw him. He was walking quickly, his hat in his hand, -wiping his forehead, his necktie on one side, his waistcoat half open, -as if after a journey, after a struggle, after a terrible and prolonged -effort. - -As soon as he beheld his father-in-law, he exclaimed: "Victory! 'tis -done! But what a day, my friends! Ah! the old fox, what trouble he gave -me!" - -And immediately he explained the steps he had taken and the obstacles -he had met with. - -Père Oriol had, at first, shown himself so unreasonable that Andermatt -was breaking off the negotiations and going away. Then the peasant -called him back. The old man pretended that he would not sell his -lands but would assign them to the Company with the right to resume -possession of them in case of ill success. In case of success, he -demanded half the profits. - -The banker had to demonstrate to him, with figures on paper and -tracings to indicate the different bits of land, that the fields all -together would not be worth more than forty-five thousand francs at the -present hour, while the expenses of the Company would mount up at one -swoop to a million. - -But the Auvergnat replied that he expected to benefit by the enormously -increased value that would be given to his property by the erection -of the establishment and hotels, and to draw his interest in the -undertaking in accordance with the acquired value and not the previous -value. - -Andermatt had then to represent to him that the risks should be -proportionate with the possible gains, and to terrify him with the -apprehension of the loss. - -They accordingly arrived at this agreement: Père Oriol was to assign -to the Company all the grounds stretching as far as the banks of the -stream, that is to say, all those in which it appeared possible to find -mineral water, and in addition the top of the knoll, in order to erect -there a casino and a hotel, and some vine-plots on the slope which -should be divided into lots and offered to the leading physicians of -Paris. - -The peasant, in return for this apportionment valued at two hundred and -fifty thousand francs, that is, at about four times its value, would -participate to the extent of a quarter in the profits of the Company. -As there was very much more land, which he did not part with, round -the future establishment, he was sure, in case of success, to realize -a fortune by selling on reasonable terms these grounds, which would -constitute, he said, the dowry of his daughters. - -As soon as these conditions had been arrived at, Will had to carry -the father and the son with him to the notary's office in order to -have a promise of sale drawn up defeasible in the event of their not -finding the necessary water. And the drawing up of the agreement, -the discussion of every point, the indefinite repetition of the same -arguments, the eternal commencement over again of the same contentions, -had lasted all the afternoon. - -At last the matter was concluded. The banker had got his station. But -he repeated, devoured by a regret: "It will be necessary for me to -confine myself to the water without thinking of the questions about the -land. He has been cunning, the old ape." - -Then he added: "Bah! I'll buy up the old Company, and it is on that -I may speculate! No matter--it is necessary that I should start this -evening again for Paris." - -The Marquis, astounded, cried out: "What? This evening?" - -"Why, yes, my dear father-in-law, in order to get the definitive -instrument prepared, while M. Aubry-Pasteur will be making excavations. -It is necessary also that I should make arrangements to commence the -works in a fortnight. I haven't an hour to lose. With regard to this, -I must inform you that you are to constitute a portion of my board -of directors in which I will need a strong majority. I give you ten -shares. To you, Gontran, also I give ten shares." - -Gontran began to laugh: "Many thanks, my dear fellow. I sell them back -to you. That makes five thousand francs you owe me." - -But Andermatt no longer felt in a mood for joking, when dealing with -business of so much importance. He resumed dryly: "If you are not -serious, I will address myself to another person." - -Gontran ceased laughing: "No, no, my good friend, you know that I have -cleared off everything with you." - -The banker turned toward Paul: "My dear Monsieur, will you render me a -friendly service, that is, to accept also ten shares with the rank of -director?" - -Paul, with a bow, replied: "You will permit me, Monsieur, not to accept -this graceful offer, but to put a hundred thousand francs into the -undertaking, which I consider a superb one. So then it is I who have to -ask for a favor from you." - -William, ravished, seized his hands. This confidence had conquered him. -Besides he always experienced an irresistible desire to embrace persons -who brought him money for his enterprises. - -But Christiane crimsoned to her temples, pained, bruised. It seemed to -her that she had just been bought and sold. If he had not loved her, -would Paul have offered these hundred thousand francs to her husband? -No, undoubtedly! He should not, at least, have entered into this -transaction in her presence. - -The dinner-bell rang. They re-entered the hotel. As soon as they were -seated at table, Madame Paille, the mother, asked Andermatt: - -"So you are going to set up another establishment?" - -The news had already gone through the entire district, was known to -everyone, it put the bathers into a state of commotion. - -William replied: "Good heavens, yes! The existing one is too defective!" - -And turning round to M. Aubry-Pasteur: "You will excuse me, dear -Monsieur, for speaking to you at dinner of a step which I wished -to take with regard to you; but I am starting again for Paris, and -time presses on me terribly. Will you consent to direct the work of -excavation, in order to find a volume of superior water?" - -The engineer, feeling flattered, accepted the office. In five minutes -everything had been discussed and settled with the clearness and -precision which Andermatt imported into all matters of business. Then -they talked about the paralytic. He had been seen crossing the park in -the afternoon with only one walking-stick, although that morning he -had used two. The banker kept repeating: "This is a miracle, a real -miracle. His cure proceeds with giant strides!" - -Paul, to please the husband, rejoined: "It is Père Clovis himself who -walks with giant strides." - -A laugh of approval ran round the table. Every eye was fixed on Will; -every mouth complimented him. - -The waiters of the restaurant made it their business to serve him the -first, with a respectful deference, which disappeared from their faces -as soon as they passed the dishes to the next guest. - -One of them presented to him a card on a plate. He took it up, and read -it, half aloud: - - "Doctor Latonne of Paris would be happy if M. Andermatt - would be kind enough to give him an interview of a few - seconds before his departure." - -"Tell him in reply that I have no time, but that I will be back in -eight or ten days." - -At the same moment, a box of flowers sent by Doctor Honorat was -presented to Christiane. - -Gontran laughed: "Père Bonnefille is a bad third," said he. - -The dinner was nearly over. Andermatt was informed that his landau was -waiting for him. He went up to look for his little bag; and when he -came down again he saw half the village gathered in front of the door. - -Petrus Martel came to grasp his hand, with the familiarity of a -strolling actor, and murmured in his ear: "I shall have a proposal to -make to you--something stunning--with reference to your undertaking." - -Suddenly, Doctor Bonnefille appeared, hurrying in his usual fashion. He -passed quite close to Will, and bowing very low to him as he would do -to the Marquis, he said to him: - -"A pleasant journey, Baron." - -"That settles it!" murmured Gontran. - -Andermatt, triumphant, swelling with joy and pride, pressed the hands -extended toward him, thanked them, and kept repeating: _"Au revoir!"_ - -He was nearly forgetting to embrace his wife, so much was he thinking -about other things. This indifference was a relief to her, and, when -she saw the landau moving away on the darkening road, as the horses -broke into a quick trot, it seemed to her that she had nothing more to -fear from anyone for the rest of her life. - -She spent the whole evening seated in front of the hotel, between her -father and Paul Bretigny, Gontran having gone to the Casino, where he -went every evening. - -She did not want either to walk or to talk, and remained motionless, -her hands clasped over her knees, her eyes lost in the darkness, -languid and weak, a little restless and yet happy, scarcely thinking, -not even dreaming, now and then struggling against a vague remorse, -which she thrust away from her, always repeating to herself, "I love -him! I love him!" - -She went up to her apartment at an early hour, in order to be alone -and to think. Seated in the depths of an armchair and covered with a -dressing-gown which floated around her, she gazed at the stars through -the window, which was left open; and in the frame of that window she -evoked every minute the image of him who had conquered her. She saw -him, kind, gentle, and powerful--so strong and so yielding in her -presence. This man had taken herself to himself,--she felt it,--taken -her forever. She was alone no longer; they were two, whose two hearts -would henceforth form but one heart, whose two souls would henceforth -form but one soul. Where was he? She knew not; but she knew full well -that he was dreaming of her, just as she was thinking of him. At each -throb of her heart she believed she heard another throb answering -somewhere. She felt a desire wandering round her and fanning her cheek -like a bird's wing. She felt it entering through that open window, this -desire coming from him, this burning desire, which entreated her in the -silence of the night. - -How good it was, how sweet and refreshing to be loved! What joy to -think of some one, with a longing in your eyes to weep, to weep with -tenderness, and a longing also to open your arms, even without seeing -him, in order to invite him to come, to stretch one's arms toward the -image that presents itself, toward that kiss which your lover casts -unceasingly from far or near, in the fever of his waiting. - -And she stretched toward the stars her two white arms in the sleeves of -her dressing-gown. Suddenly she uttered a cry. A great black shadow, -striding over her balcony, had sprung up into her window. - -She sprang wildly to her feet! It was he! And, without even reflecting -that somebody might see them, she threw herself upon his breast. - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - -Organization - - -The absence of Andermatt was prolonged. M. Aubry-Pasteur got the soil -dug up. He found, in addition, four springs, which supplied the new -Company with more than twice as much water as they required. The entire -district, driven crazy by these searches, by these discoveries, by the -great news which circulated everywhere, by the prospects of a brilliant -future, became agitated and enthusiastic, talked of nothing else, and -thought of nothing else. The Marquis and Gontran themselves spent their -days hanging round the workmen, who were boring through the veins of -granite; and they listened with increasing interest to the explanations -and the lectures of the engineer on the geological character of -Auvergne. And Paul and Christiane loved one another freely, tranquilly, -in absolute security, without anyone suspecting anything, without -anyone thinking even of spying on them, for the attention, the -curiosity, and the zeal of all around them were absorbed in the future -station. - -Christiane acted like a young girl under the intoxication of a first -love. The first draught, the first kiss, had burned, had stunned her. -She had swallowed the second very quickly, and had found it better, and -now again and again she raised the intoxicating cup to her lips. - -Since the night when Paul had broken into her apartment, she no longer -took any heed of what was happening in the world. For her, time, -events, beings, no longer had any existence; there was nothing else in -life save one man, he whom she loved. Henceforth, her eyes saw only -him, her mind thought only of him, her hopes were fixed on him alone. -She lived, went from place to place, ate, dressed herself, seemed to -listen and to reply, without consciousness or thought about what she -was doing. No disquietude haunted her, for no misfortune could have -fallen on her. She had become insensible to everything. No physical -pain could have taken hold of her flesh, as love alone could, so as -to make her shudder. No moral suffering could have taken hold of -her soul, paralyzed by happiness. Moreover, he, loving her with the -self-abandonment which he displayed in all his attachments, excited the -young woman's tenderness to distraction. - -Often, toward evening, when he knew that the Marquis and Gontran had -gone to the springs, he would say, "Come and look at our heaven." He -called a cluster of pine-trees growing on the hillside above even the -gorges their heaven. They ascended to this spot through a little wood, -along a steep path, to climb which took away Christiane's breath. As -their time was limited, they proceeded rapidly, and, in order that she -might not be too much fatigued, he put his arm round her waist and -lifted her up. Placing one hand on his shoulder, she let herself be -borne along; and, from time to time, she would throw herself on his -neck and place her mouth against his lips. As they mounted higher, the -air became keener; and, when they reached the cluster of pine-trees, -the odor of the balsam refreshed them like a breath of the sea. - -They sat down under the shadowy trees, she on a grassy knoll, and he -lower down, at her feet. The wind in the stems sang that sweet chant of -the pine-trees which is like a wail of sorrow; and the immense Limagne, -with its unseen backgrounds steeped in fog, gave them a sensation -exactly like that of the ocean. Yes, the sea was there in front of -them, down below. They could have no doubt of it, for they felt its -breath fanning their faces. - -He talked to her in the coaxing tone that one uses toward a child. - -"Give me your fingers and let me eat them--they are my bonbons, mine!" - -He put them one after the other into his mouth, and seemed to be -tasting them with gluttonous delight. - -"Oh! how nice they are!--especially the little one. I have never eaten -anything better than the little one." - -Then he threw himself on his knees, placed his elbows on Christiane's -lap, and murmured: - -"'Liane,' are you looking at me?" He called her Liane because she -entwined herself around him in order to embrace him the more closely, -as a plant clings around a tree. "Look at me. I am going to enter your -soul." - -And they exchanged that immovable, persistent glance, which seems truly -to make two beings mingle with one another! - -"We can only love thoroughly by thus possessing one another," he said. -"All the other things of love are but foul pleasures." - -And, face to face, their breaths blending into one, they sought to see -one another's images in the depths of their eyes. - -He murmured: "I love you, Liane. I see your adored heart." - -She replied: "I, too, Paul, see your heart!" - -And, indeed, they did see one another even to the depths of their -hearts and souls, for there was no longer in their hearts and souls -anything but a mad transport of love for one another. - -He said: "Liane, your eye is like the sky. It is blue, with so many -reflections, with so much clearness. It seems to me that I see swallows -passing through them--these, no doubt, must be your thoughts." - -And when they had thus contemplated one another for a long, long time, -they drew nearer still to one another, and embraced softly with little -jerks, gazing once more into each other's eyes between each kiss. -Sometimes he would take her in his arms, and carry her, while he ran -along the stream, which glided toward the gorges of Enval, before -dashing itself into them. It was a narrow glen, where meadows and woods -alternated. Paul rushed over the grass, and now and then he would raise -her up high with his powerful wrists, and exclaim: "Liane, let us fly -away." And with this yearning to fly away, love, their impassioned -love, filled them, harassing, incessant, sorrowful. And everything -around them whetted this desire of their souls, the light atmosphere--a -bird's atmosphere, he said--and the vast blue horizon, in which they -both would fain have taken wing, holding each other by the hand, so -as to disappear above the boundless plain when the night spread its -shadows across it. They would have flown thus across the hazy evening -sky, never to return. Where would they have gone? They knew not; but -what a glorious dream! When he had got out of breath from running while -carrying her in this way, he placed her sitting on a rock in order -to kneel down before her; and, kissing her ankles, he adored her, -murmuring infantile and tender words. - -Had they been lovers in a city, their passion, no doubt, would have -been different, more prudent, more sensual, less ethereal, and less -romantic. But there, in that green country, whose horizon widened the -flights of the soul, alone, without anything to distract them, to -attenuate their instinct of awakened love, they had suddenly plunged -into a passionately poetic attachment made up of ecstasy and frenzy. -The surrounding scenery, the balmy air, the woods, the sweet perfume -of the fields, played for them all day and all night the music of -their love--music which excited them even to madness, as the sound of -tambourines and of shrill flutes drives to acts of savage unreason the -dervish who whirls round with fixed intent. - -One evening, as they were returning to the hotel for dinner, the -Marquis said to them, suddenly: "Andermatt is coming back in four -days. Matters are all arranged. We are to leave the day after his -return. We have been here a long time. We must not prolong mineral -water seasons too much." - -They were as much taken by surprise as if they had heard the end of the -world announced, and during the meal neither of them uttered a word, so -much were they thinking with astonishment of what was about to happen. -So then they would, in a few days, be separated and would no longer -be able to see one another freely. That appeared so impossible and so -extraordinary to them that they could not realize it. - -Andermatt did, in fact, come back at the end of the week. He had -telegraphed in order that two landaus might be sent on to him to meet -the first train. - -Christiane, who had not slept, tormented as she was by a strange and -new emotion, a sort of fear of her husband, a fear mingled with anger, -with inexplicable contempt, and a desire to set him at defiance, had -risen at daybreak, and was awaiting him. He appeared in the first -carriage, accompanied by three gentlemen well attired but modest in -demeanor. The second landau contained four others, who seemed persons -of rank somewhat inferior to the first. The Marquis and Gontran were -astonished. The latter asked: "Who are these people?" - -Andermatt replied: "My shareholders. We are going to establish -the Company this very day, and to nominate the board of directors -immediately." - -He embraced his wife without speaking to her, and almost without -looking at her, so preoccupied was he; and, turning toward the seven -gentlemen, who were standing behind him, silent and respectful: - -"Go and have breakfast, and take a walk," said he. "We'll meet again -here at twelve o'clock." - -They went off without saying anything, like soldiers obeying orders, -and mounting the steps of the hotel one after another, they went in. -Gontran, who had been watching them as they disappeared from view, -asked in a very serious tone: - -"Where did you find them, these 'supers' of yours?" - -The banker smiled: "They are very well-to-do men, moneyed men, -capitalists." - -And, after a pause, he added, with a more significant smile: "They busy -themselves about my affairs." - -Then he repaired to the notary's office to read over again the -documents, of which he had sent the originals, all prepared, some days -before. There he found Doctor Latonne, with whom, moreover, he had been -in correspondence, and they chatted for a long time in low tones, in a -corner of the office, while the clerks' pens ran along the paper, with -the buzzing noise of insects. - -The meeting to establish the Company was fixed for two o'clock. The -notary's study had been fitted up as if for a concert. Two rows -of chairs were placed for the shareholders in front of the table, -where Maître Alain was to take his seat beside his principal clerk. -Maître Alain had put on his official garment in consideration of -the importance of the business in hand. He was a very small man, a -stuttering ball of white flesh. - -Andermatt entered just as it struck two, accompanied by the Marquis, -his brother-in-law, and Bretigny, and followed by the seven gentlemen, -whom Gontran described as "supers." He had the air of a general. -Père Oriol also made his appearance with Colosse by his side. He -seemed uneasy, distrustful, as people always are when about to sign a -document. The last to arrive was Doctor Latonne. He had made his peace -with Andermatt by a complete submission preceded by excuses skillfully -turned, and followed by an offer of his services without any reserve or -restrictions. - -Thereupon, the banker, feeling that he had Latonne in his power, -promised him the post he longed for, of medical inspector of the new -establishment. - -When everyone was in the room, a profound silence reigned. The notary -addressed the meeting: "Gentlemen, take your seats." He gave utterance -to a few words more, which nobody could hear in the confusion caused by -the moving about of the chairs. - -Andermatt lifted up a chair, and placed it in front of his army, in -order to keep his eye on all his supporters; then, when he was seated, -he said: - -"Messieurs, I need not enter into any explanations with you as to -the motive that brings us together. We are going, first of all, to -establish the new Company in which you have consented to become -shareholders. It is my duty, however, to apprise you of a few details, -which have caused us a little embarrassment. I have found it necessary, -before even entering on the undertaking at all, to assure myself that -we could obtain the required authority for the creation of a new -establishment of public utility. This assurance I have got. What -remains to be done with respect to this, I will make it my business -to do. I have the Minister's promise. But another point demands my -attention. We are going, Messieurs, to enter on a struggle with the -old Company of the Enval waters. We shall come forth victorious in -this struggle, victorious and enriched, you may be certain; but, just -as in the days of old, a war cry was necessary for the combatants, we, -combatants in the modern battle, require a name for our station, a name -sonorous, attractive, well fashioned for advertising purposes, which -strikes the ear like the note of a clarion, and penetrates the ear like -a flash of lightning. Now, Messieurs, we are in Enval, and we can not -unbaptize this district. One resource only is left to us. To designate -our establishment, our establishment alone, by a new appellation. - -"Here is what I propose to you: If our bathhouse is to be at the foot -of the knoll, of which M. Oriol, here present, is the proprietor, our -future Casino will be erected on the summit of this same knoll. We may, -therefore, say that this knoll, this mountain--for it is a mountain, a -little mountain--furnishes the site of our establishment, inasmuch as -we have the foot and the top of it. Is it not, therefore, natural to -call our baths the Baths of Mont Oriol, and to attach to this station, -which will become one of the most important in the entire world, the -name of the original proprietor? Render to Cæsar what belongs to Cæsar. - -"And observe, Messieurs, that this is an excellent vocable. People will -talk of 'the Mont Oriol' as they talk of 'the Mont Doré.' It fixes -itself on the eye and in the ear; we can see it well; we can hear it -well; it abides in us--Mont Oriol!--Mont Oriol!--The baths of Mont -Oriol!" - -And Andermatt made this word ring, flung it out like a ball, listening -to the echo of it. He went on, repeating imaginary dialogues: "'You are -going to the baths of Mont Oriol?' - -"'Yes, Madame. People say they are perfect, these waters of Mont Oriol.' - -"'Excellent, indeed. Besides, Mont Oriol is a delightful district.'" - -And he smiled, assumed the air of people chatting to one another, -altered his voice to indicate when the lady was speaking, saluted with -the hand when representing the gentleman. - -Then he resumed, in his natural voice: "Has anyone an objection to -offer?" - -The shareholders answered in chorus: "No, none." - -All the "supers" applauded. Père Oriol, moved, flattered, conquered, -overcome by the deep-rooted pride of an upstart peasant, began to smile -while he twisted his hat about between his hands, and he made a sign -of assent with his head in spite of him, a movement which revealed his -satisfaction, and which Andermatt observed without pretending to see -it. Colosse remained impassive, but was quite as much satisfied as his -father. - -Then Andermatt said to the notary: "Kindly read the instrument whereby -the Company is incorporated, Maître Alain." - -And he resumed his seat. The notary said to his clerk: "Go on, -Marinet." - -Marinet, a wretched consumptive creature, coughed, and with the -intonations of a preacher, and an attempt at declamation, began to -enumerate the statutes relating to the incorporation of an anonymous -Company, called the Company of the Thermal Establishment of Mont Oriol -at Enval with a capital of two millions. - -Père Oriol interrupted him: "A moment, a moment," said he. And he -drew forth from his pocket a few sheets of greasy paper, which during -the past eight days had passed through the hands of all the notaries -and all the men of business of the department. It was a copy of the -statutes which his son and himself by this time were beginning to know -by heart. Then, he slowly fixed his spectacles on his nose, raised -up his head, looked out for the exact point where he could easily -distinguish the letters, and said in a tone of command: - -"Go on from that place, Marinet." - -Colosse, having got close to his chair, also kept his eye on the paper -along with his father. - -And Marinet commenced over again. Then old Oriol, bewildered by the -double task of listening and reading at the same time, tortured by the -apprehension of a word being changed, beset also by the desire to see -whether Andermatt was making some sign to the notary, did not allow -a single line to be got through without stopping ten times the clerk -whose elocutionary efforts he interrupted. - -He kept repeating: "What did you say? What did you say there? I didn't -understand--not so quick!" - -Then turning aside a little toward his son: "What place is he at, -Coloche?" - -Coloche, more self-controlled, replied: "It's all right, father--let -him go on--it's all right." - -The peasant was still distrustful. With the end of his crooked finger -he went on tracing on the paper the words as they were read out, -muttering them between his lips; but he could not fix his attention -at the same time on both matters. When he listened, he did not read, -and he did not hear when he was reading. And he puffed as if he had -been climbing a mountain; he perspired as if he had been digging his -vine-fields under a midday sun, and from time to time, he asked for a -few minutes' rest to wipe his forehead and to take breath, like a man -fighting a duel. - -Andermatt, losing patience, stamped with his foot on the ground. -Gontran, having noticed on a table the "Moniteur du Puy-de-Dome," had -taken it up and was running his eye over it, and Paul, astride on his -chair, with downcast eyes and an anxious heart, was reflecting that -this little man, rosy and corpulent, sitting in front of him, was going -to carry off, next day, the woman whom he loved with all his soul, -Christiane, his Christiane, his fair Christiane, who was his, his -entirely, nothing to anyone save him. And he asked himself whether he -was not going to carry her off this very evening. - -The seven gentlemen remained serious and tranquil. - -At the end of an hour, it was finished. The deed was signed. The notary -made out certificates for the payments on the shares. On being appealed -to, the cashier, M. Abraham Levy, declared that he had received the -necessary deposits. Then the company, from that moment legally -constituted, was announced to be gathered together in general assembly, -all the shareholders being in attendance, for the appointment of a -board of directors and the election of their chairman. - -All the votes with the exception of two, were recorded in favor of -Andermatt's election to the post of chairman. The two dissentients--the -old peasant and his son--had nominated Oriol. Bretigny was appointed -commissioner of superintendence. Then, the Board, consisting of MM. -Andermatt, the Marquis and the Count de Ravenel, Bretigny, the Oriols, -father and son, Doctor Latonne, Abraham Levy, and Simon Zidler, begged -of the remaining shareholders to withdraw, as well as the notary and -his clerk, in order that they, as the governing body, might determine -on the first resolutions, and settle the most important points. - -Andermatt rose up again: "Messieurs, we are entering on the vital -question, that of success, which we must win at any cost. - -"It is with mineral waters as with everything. It is necessary to get -them talked about a great deal, and continually, so that invalids may -drink them. - -"The great modern question, Messieurs, is that of advertising. It is -the god of commerce and of contemporary industry. Without advertising -there is no security. The art of advertising, moreover, is difficult, -complicated, and demands a considerable amount of tact. The first -persons who resorted to this new expedient employed it rudely, -attracting attention by noise, by beating the big drum, and letting off -cannon-shots. Mangin, Messieurs, was only a forerunner. To-day, clamor -is regarded with suspicion, showy placards cause a smile, the crying -out of names in the streets awakens distrust rather than curiosity. And -yet it is necessary to attract public attention, and after having fixed -it, it is necessary to produce conviction. The art, therefore, consists -in discovering the means, the only means which can succeed, having in -our possession something that we desire to sell. We, Messieurs, for our -part, desire to sell water. It is by the physicians that we are to get -the better of the invalids. - -"The most celebrated physicians, Messieurs, are men like ourselves--who -have weaknesses like us. I do not mean to convey that we can corrupt -them. The reputation of the illustrious masters, whose assistance we -require, places them above all suspicion of venality. But what man -is there that cannot be won over by going properly to work with him? -There are also women who cannot be purchased. These it is necessary to -fascinate. - -"Here, then, Messieurs, is the proposition which I am going to make to -you, after having discussed it at great length with Doctor Latonne: - -"We have, in the first place, classified in three leading groups the -maladies submitted for our treatment. These are, first, rheumatism in -all its forms, skin-disease, arthritis, gout, and so forth; secondly, -affections of the stomach, of the intestines and of the liver; thirdly, -all the disorders arising from disturbed circulation, for it is -indisputable that our acidulated baths have an admirable effect on the -circulation. - -"Moreover, Messieurs, the marvelous cure of Père Clovis promises us -miracles. Accordingly, when we have to deal with maladies which these -waters are calculated to cure, we are about to make to the principal -physicians who attend patients for such diseases the following -proposition: 'Messieurs,' we shall say to them, 'come and see, come and -see with your own eyes; follow your patients; we offer you hospitality. -The country is magnificent; you require a rest after your severe labors -during the winter--come! And come not to our houses, worthy professors, -but to your own, for we offer you a cottage, which will belong to you, -if you choose, on exceptional conditions.'" - -Andermatt took breath, and went on in a more subdued tone: - -"Here is how I have tried to work out this idea. We have selected six -lots of land of a thousand meters each. On each of these six lots, -the Bernese 'Chalets Mobiles' Company undertakes to fix one of their -model buildings. We shall place gratuitously these dwellings, as -elegant as they are comfortable, at the disposal of our physicians. -If they are pleased with them, they need only buy the houses from -the Bernese Company; as for the grounds, we shall assign them to the -physicians, who are to pay us back--in invalids. Therefore, Messieurs, -we obtain these multiplied advantages of covering our property with -charming villas which cost us nothing, of attracting thither the -leading physicians of the world and their legion of clients, and above -all of convincing the eminent doctors who will very rapidly become -proprietors in the district of the efficacy of our waters. As to all -the negotiations necessary to bring about these results I take them -upon myself, Messieurs; and I will do so, not as a speculator but as a -man of the world." - -Père Oriol interrupted him. The parsimony which he shared with the -peasantry of Auvergne made him object to this gratuitous assignment of -land. - -Andermatt was inspired with a burst of eloquence. He compared the -agriculturist on a large scale who casts his seed in handfuls into the -teeming soil with the rapacious peasant who counts the grains and never -gets more than half a harvest. - -Then, as Oriol, annoyed by this language, persisted in his objections, -the banker made his board divide, and shut the old man's mouth with six -votes against two. - -He next opened a large morocco portfolio and took out of it plans -of the new establishment--the hotel and the Casino--as well as the -estimates, and the most economical methods of procuring materials, -which had been all prepared by the contractors, so that they might be -approved of and signed before the end of the meeting. The works should -be commenced by the beginning of the week after next. - -The two Oriols alone wanted to investigate and discuss matters. But -Andermatt, becoming irritated, said to them: "Did I ask you for money? -No! Then give me peace! And, if you are not satisfied, we'll take -another division on it." - -Thereupon, they signed along with the remaining members of the Board; -and the meeting terminated. - -All the inhabitants of the place were waiting to see them going out, so -intense was the excitement. The people bowed respectfully to them. As -the two peasants were about to return home, Andermatt said to them: - -"Do not forget that we are all dining together at the hotel. And bring -your girls; I have brought them presents from Paris." - -They were to meet at seven o'clock in the drawing-room of the Hotel -Splendid. - -It was a magnificent dinner to which the banker had invited the -principal bathers and the authorities of the village. Christiane, who -was the hostess, had the curé at her right, and the mayor at her left. - -The conversation was all about the future establishment and the -prospects of the district. The two Oriol girls had found under their -napkins two caskets containing two bracelets of pearls and emeralds, -and wild with delight, they talked as they had never done before, with -Gontran sitting between them. The elder girl herself laughed with all -her heart at the jokes of the young man, who became animated, while he -talked to them, and in his own mind formed about them those masculine -judgments, those judgments daring and secret, which are generated in -the flesh and in the mind, at the sight of every pretty woman. - -Paul did not eat, and did not open his lips. It seemed to him that -his life was going to end to-night. Suddenly he remembered that just -a month had glided away, day by day, since the open-air dinner by the -lake of Tazenat. He had in his soul that vague sense of pain caused -rather by presentiments than by grief, known to lovers alone, that -sense of pain which makes the heart so heavy, the nerves so vibrating -that the slightest noise makes us pant, and the mind so wretchedly sad -that everything we hear assumes a somber hue so as to correspond with -the fixed idea. - -As soon as they had quitted the table, he went to join Christiane in -the drawing-room. - -"I must see you this evening," he said, "presently, immediately, since -I no longer can tell when we may be able to meet. Are you aware that it -is just a month to-day?" - -She replied: "I know it." - -He went on: "Listen! I am going to wait for you on the road to La Roche -Pradière, in front of the village, close to the chestnut-trees. Nobody -will notice your absence at the time. Come quickly in order to bid me -adieu, since to-morrow we part." - -She murmured: "I'll be there in a quarter of an hour." - -And he went out to avoid being in the midst of this crowd which -exasperated him. - -He took the path through the vineyards which they had followed one -day--the day when they had gazed together at the Limagne for the first -time. And soon he was on the highroad. He was alone, and he felt alone, -alone in the world. The immense, invisible plain increased still more -this sense of isolation. He stopped in the very spot where they had -seated themselves on the occasion when he recited Baudelaire's lines -on Beauty. How far away it was already! And, hour by hour, he retraced -in his memory all that had since taken place. Never had he been so -happy, never! Never had he loved so distractedly, and at the same time -so chastely, so devotedly. And he recalled that evening by the "gour" -of Tazenat, only a month from to-day--the cool wood mellowed with a -pale luster, the little lake of silver, and the big fishes that skimmed -along its surface; and their return, when he saw her walking in front -of him with light and shadow falling on her in turn, the moon's rays -playing on her hair, on her shoulders, and on her arms through the -leaves of the trees. These were the sweetest hours he had tasted in his -life. He turned round to ascertain whether she might not have arrived. -He did not see her, but he perceived the moon, which appeared at the -horizon. The same moon which had risen for his first declaration of -love had risen now for his first adieu. - -A shiver ran through his body, an icy shiver. The autumn had come--the -autumn that precedes the winter. He had not till now felt this first -touch of cold, which pierced his frame suddenly like a menace of -misfortune. - -The white road, full of dust, stretched in front of him, like a river -between its banks. A form at that moment rose up at the turn of -the road. He recognized her at once; and he waited for her without -flinching, trembling with the mysterious bliss of feeling her drawing -near, of seeing her coming toward him, for him. - -She walked with lingering steps, without venturing to call out to him, -uneasy at not finding him yet, for he remained concealed under a tree, -and disturbed by the deep silence, by the clear solitude of the earth -and sky. And, before her, her shadow advanced, black and gigantic, some -distance away from her, appearing to carry toward him something of her, -before herself. - -Christiane stopped, and the shadow remained also motionless, lying -down, fallen on the road. - -Paul quickly took a few steps forward as far as the place where the -form of the head rounded itself on her path. Then, as if he wanted to -lose no portion of her, he sank on his knees, and prostrating himself, -placed his mouth on the edge of the dark silhouette. Just as a thirsty -dog drinks crawling on his belly in a spring he began to kiss the dust -passionately, following the outlines of the beloved shadow. In this -way, he moved toward her on his hands and knees, covering with caresses -the lines of her body, as if to gather up with his lips the obscure -image, dear because it was hers, that lay spread along the ground. - -She, surprised, a little frightened even, waited till he was at her -feet before she had the courage to speak to him; then, when he had -lifted up his head, still remaining on his knees, but now straining her -with both arms, she asked: - -"What is the matter with you, to-night?" - -He replied: "Liane, I am going to lose you." - -She thrust all her fingers into the thick hair of her lover, and, -bending down, held back his forehead in order to kiss his eyes. - -"Why lose me?" said she, smiling, full of confidence. - -"Because we are going to separate to-morrow." - -"We separate? For a very short time, darling." - -"One never knows. We shall not again find days like those that we -passed here." - -"We shall have others which will be as lovely." - -She raised him up, drew him under the tree, where he had been awaiting -her, made him sit down close to her, but lower down, so that she might -have her hand constantly in his hair; and she talked in a serious -strain, like a thoughtful, ardent, and resolute woman, who loves, who -has already provided against everything, who instinctively knows what -must be done, who has made up her mind for everything. - -"Listen, my darling. I am very free at Paris. William never bothers -himself about me. His business concerns are enough for him. Therefore, -as you are not married, I will go to see you. I will go to see you -every day, sometimes in the morning before breakfast, sometimes in the -evening, on account of the servants, who might chatter if I went out at -the same hour. We can meet as often as here, even more than here, for -we shall not have to fear inquisitive persons." - -But he repeated with his head on her knees, and her waist tightly -clasped: "Liane, Liane, I am going to lose you!" - -She became impatient at this unreasonable grief, at this childish grief -in this vigorous frame, while she, so fragile compared with him, was -yet so sure of herself, so sure that nothing could part them. - -He murmured: "If you wished it, Liane, we might fly off together, we -might go far away, into a beautiful country full of flowers where we -could love one another. Say, do you wish that we should go off together -this evening--are you willing?" - -But she shrugged her shoulders, a little nervous, a little -dissatisfied, at his not having listened to her, for this was not the -time for dreams and soft puerilities. It was necessary now for them to -show themselves energetic and prudent, and to find out a way in which -they could continue to love one another without rousing suspicion. - -She said in reply: "Listen, darling! we must thoroughly understand our -position, and commit no mistakes or imprudences. First of all, are you -sure about your servants? The thing to be most feared is lest some one -should give information or write an anonymous letter to my husband. Of -his own accord, he will guess nothing. I know William well." - -This name, twice repeated, all at once had an irritating effect on -Paul's nerves. He said: "Oh! don't speak to me about him this evening." - -She was astonished: "Why? It is quite necessary, however. Oh! I assure -you that he has scarcely anything to do with me." - -She had divined his thoughts. An obscure jealousy, as yet unconscious, -was awakened within him. And suddenly, sinking on his knees and seizing -her hands: - -"Listen, Liane! What terms are you on with him?" - -"Why--why--very good!" - -"Yes, I know. But listen--understand me clearly. He is--he is your -husband, in fact--and--and--you don't know how much I have been -brooding over this for some time past--how much it torments, tortures -me. You know what I mean. Tell me!" - -She hesitated a few seconds, then in a flash she realized his entire -meaning, and with an outburst of indignant candor: - -"Oh! my darling!--can you--can you think such a thing? Oh! I am -yours--do you understand?--yours alone--since I love you--oh! Paul!" - -He let his head sink on the young woman's lap, and in a very soft -voice, said: - -"But!--after all, Liane, you know he is your husband. What will you do? -Have you thought of that? Tell me! What will you do this evening or -to-morrow? For you cannot--always, always say 'No' to him!" - -She murmured, speaking also in a very low tone: "I have pretended to -be _enceinte_, and--and that is enough for him. Oh! there is scarcely -anything between us--Come! say no more about this, my darling. You -don't know how this wounds me. Trust me, since I love you!" - -He did not move, breathing hard and kissing her dress, while she -caressed his face with her amorous, dainty Fingers. - -But, all of a sudden, she said: "We must go back, for they will notice -that we are both absent." - -They embraced each other, clinging for a long time to one another in a -clasp that might well have crushed their bones. - -Then she rushed away so as to be back first and to enter the hotel -quickly, while he watched her departing and vanishing from his sight, -oppressed with sadness, as if all his happiness and all his hopes had -taken flight along with her. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - -The Spa Again - - -The station of Enval could hardly be recognized on the first of July -of the following year. On the summit of the knoll, standing between -the two outlets of the valley, rose a building in the Moorish style of -architecture, bearing on its front the word "Casino" in letters of gold. - -A little wood had been utilized for the purpose of creating a small -park on the slope facing the Limagne. Lower down, among the vines, six -chalets here and there showed their _façades_ of polished wood. On the -slope facing the south, an immense structure was visible at a distance -to travelers, who perceived it on their way from Riom. - -This was the Grand Hotel of Mont Oriol. And exactly below it, at the -very foot of the hill, a square house, simpler and more spacious, -surrounded by a garden, through which ran the rivulet which flowed down -from the gorges, offered to invalids the miraculous cure promised by a -pamphlet of Doctor Latonne. On the _façade_ could be read: "Thermal -baths of Mont Oriol." Then, on the right wing, in smaller letters: -"Hydropathy.--Stomach-washing.--Piscina with running water." And, on -the left wing: "Medical institute of automatic gymnastics." - -All this was white, with a fresh whiteness, shining and crude. Workmen -were still occupied in completing it--house-painters, plumbers, and -laborers employed in digging, although the establishment had already -been a month open. - -Its success, moreover, had since the start, surpassed the hopes of -its founders. Three great physicians, three celebrities, Professor -Mas-Roussel, Professor Cloche, and Professor Remusot, had taken the new -station under their patronage, and consented to sojourn for sometime in -the villas of the Bernese "Chalets Mobiles" Company, placed at their -disposal by the Board intrusted with the management of the waters. - -Under their influence a crowd of invalids flocked to the place. The -Grand Hotel of Mont Oriol was full. - -Although the baths had commenced working since the first days of June, -the official opening of the station had been postponed till the first -of July, in order to attract a great number of people. The _fête_ was -to commence at three o'clock with the ceremony of blessing the springs; -and in the evening, a magnificent performance, followed by fireworks -and a ball, would bring together all the bathers of the place, as well -as those of the adjoining stations, and the principal inhabitants of -Clermont-Ferrand and Riom. - -The Casino on the summit of the hill was hidden from view by the flags. -Nothing could be seen any longer but blue, red, white, yellow, a kind -of dense and palpitating cloud; while from the tops of the gigantic -masts planted along the walks in the park, huge oriflammes curled -themselves in the blue sky with serpentine windings. - -M. Petrus Martel, who had been appointed conductor of this new Casino, -seemed to think that under this cloud of flags he had become the -all-powerful captain of some fantastic ship; and he gave orders to the -white-aproned waiters with the resounding and terrible voice which -admirals need in order to exercise command under fire. His vibrating -words, borne on by the wind, were heard even in the village. - -Andermatt, out of breath already, appeared on the terrace. Petrus -Martel advanced to meet him and bowed to him in a lordly fashion. - -"Everything is going on well?" inquired the banker. - -"Everything is going on well, my dear President." - -"If anyone wants me, I am to be found in the medical inspector's study. -We have a meeting this morning." - -And he went down the hill again. In front of the door of the thermal -establishment, the overseer and the cashier, carried off also from the -other Company, which had become the rival Company, but doomed without -a possible contest, rushed forward to meet their master. The ex-jailer -made a military salute. The other bent his head like a poor person -receiving alms. Andermatt asked: - -"Is the inspector here?" - -The overseer replied: "Yes, Monsieur le President, all the gentlemen -have arrived." - -The banker passed through the vestibule, in the midst of bathers and -respectful waiters, turned to the right, opened a door, and found in a -spacious apartment of serious aspect, full of books and busts of men of -science, all the members of the Board at present in Enval assembled: -his father-in-law the Marquis, and his brother-in-law Gontran, the -Oriols, father and son, who had almost been transformed into gentlemen -wearing frock-coats of such length that--with their own tallness, they -looked like advertisements for a mourning-warehouse--Paul Bretigny, and -Doctor Latonne. - -After some rapid hand-shaking, they took their seats, and Andermatt -commenced to address them: - -"It remains for us to regulate an important matter, the naming of -the springs. On this subject I differ entirely in opinion from the -inspector. The doctor proposes to give to our three principal springs -the names of the three leaders of the medical profession who are -here. Assuredly, there would in this be a flattery which might touch -them and win them over to us still more. But be sure, Messieurs, that -it would alienate from us forever those among their distinguished -professional brethren who have not yet responded to our invitation, and -whom we should convince, at the cost of our best efforts and of every -sacrifice, of the sovereign efficacy of our waters. Yes, Messieurs, -human nature is unchangeable; it is necessary to know it and to -make use of it. Never would Professors Plantureau, De Larenard, and -Pascalis, to refer only to these three specialists in affections of the -stomach and intestines, send their patients to be cured by the water -of the Mas-Roussel Spring, the Cloche Spring, or the Remusot Spring. -For these patients and the entire public would in that case be somewhat -disposed to believe that it was by Professors Remusot, Cloche, and -Mas-Roussel that our water and all its therapeutic properties had been -discovered. There is no doubt, Messieurs, that the name of Gubler, with -which the original spring at Chatel-Guyon was baptized, for a long time -prejudiced against these waters, to-day in a prosperous condition, a -section, at least, of the great physicians, who might have patronized -it from the start. - -"I accordingly propose to give quite simply the name of my wife to the -spring first discovered and the names of the Mademoiselles Oriol to -the other two. We shall thus have the Christiane, the Louise, and the -Charlotte Springs. This suits very well; it is very nice. What do you -say to it?" - -His suggestion was adopted even by Doctor Latonne, who added: "We might -then beg of MM. Mas-Roussel, Cloche, and Remusot to be godfathers and -to offer their arms to the godmothers." - -"Excellent, excellent," said Andermatt. "I am hurrying to meet them. -And they will consent. I may answer for them--they will consent. Let -us, therefore, reassemble at three o'clock in the church where the -procession is to be formed." - -And he went off at a running pace. The Marquis and Gontran followed him -almost immediately. The Oriols, father and son, with tall hats on their -heads, hastened to walk in their turn side by side, grave looking and -all in black, on the white road; and Doctor Latonne said to Paul, who -had only arrived the previous evening, to be present at the _fête:_ - -"I have detained you, Monsieur, in order to show you a thing from which -I expect marvelous results. It is my medical institute of automatic -gymnastics." - -He took him by the arm, and led him in. But they had scarcely reached -the vestibule when a waiter at the baths stopped the doctor: - -"M. Riquier is waiting for his wash." - -Doctor Latonne had, last year, spoken disparagingly of the stomach -washings, extolled and practiced by Doctor Bonnefille, in the -establishment of which he was inspector. But time had modified his -opinion, and the Baraduc probe had become the great instrument of -torture of the new inspector, who plunged it with an infantile delight -into every gullet. - -He inquired of Paul Bretigny: "Have you ever seen this little -operation?" - -The other replied: "No, never." - -"Come on then, my dear fellow--it is very curious." - -They entered the shower-bath room, where M. Riquier, the brick-colored -man, who was this year trying the newly discovered springs, as he had -tried, every summer, every fresh station, was waiting in a wooden -armchair. - -Like some executed criminal of olden times, he was squeezed and choked -up in a kind of straight waistcoat of oilcloth, which was intended to -preserve his clothes from stains and splashes; and he had the wretched, -restless, and pained look of patients on whom a surgeon is about to -operate. - -As soon as the doctor appeared, the waiter took up a long tube, which -had three divisions near the middle, and which had the appearance of -a thin serpent with a double tail. Then the man fixed one of the -ends to the extremity of a little cock communicating with the spring. -The second was let fall into a glass receiver, into which would be -presently discharged the liquids rejected by the patient's stomach; and -the medical inspector, seizing with a steady hand the third arm of this -conduit-pipe, drew it, with an air of amiability, toward M. Riquier's -jaw, passed it into his mouth, and guiding it dexterously, slipped -it into his throat, driving it in more and more with the thumb and -index-finger, in a gracious and benevolent fashion, repeating: - -"Very good! very good! very good! That will do, that will do; that will -do; that will do exactly!" - -M. Riquier, with staring eyes, purple cheeks, lips covered with foam, -panted for breath, gasped as if he were suffocating, and had agonizing -fits of coughing; and, clutching the arms of the chair, he made -terrible efforts to get rid of that beastly india-rubber which was -penetrating into his body. - -When he had swallowed about a foot and a half of it, the doctor said: -"We are at the bottom. Turn it on!" - -The attendant thereupon turned on the cock, and soon the patient's -stomach became visibly swollen, having been filled up gradually with -the warm water of the spring. - -"Cough," said the physician, "cough, in order to facilitate the -descent." - -In place of coughing, the poor man had a rattling in the throat, and -shaken with convulsions, he looked as if his eyes were going to jump -out of his head. - -Then suddenly a light gurgling could be heard on the ground close to -the armchair. The spout of the tube with the two passages had at last -begun to work; and the stomach now emptied itself into this glass -receiver where the doctor searched eagerly for the indications of -catarrh and the recognizable traces of imperfect digestion. - -"You are not to eat any more green peas," said he, "or salad. Oh! no -salad! You cannot digest it at all. No more strawberries either! I have -already repeated to you ten times, no strawberries!" - -M. Riquier seemed raging with anger. He excited himself now without -being able to utter a word on account of this tube, which stopped up -his throat. But when, the washing having been finished, the doctor had -delicately drawn out the probe from his interior, he exclaimed: - -"Is it my fault if I am eating every day filth that ruins my health? -Isn't it you that should watch the meals supplied by your hotel-keeper? -I have come to your new cook-shop because they used to poison me at -the old one with abominable food, and I am worse than ever in your big -barrack of a Mont Oriol inn, upon my honor!" - -The doctor had to appease him, and promised over and over again to have -the invalids' food at the _table d'hôte_ submitted beforehand to his -inspection. Then, he took Paul Bretigny's arm again, and said as he led -him away: - -"Here are the extremely rational principles on which I have established -my special treatment by the self-moving gymnastics, which we are -going to inspect. You know my system of organometric medicine, don't -you? I maintain that a great portion of our maladies entirely proceed -from the excessive development of some one organ which encroaches on -a neighboring organ, impedes its functions, and, in a little while, -destroys the general harmony of the body, whence arise the most serious -disturbances. - -"Now, the exercise is, along with the shower-bath and the thermal -treatment, one of the most powerful means of restoring the equilibrium -and bringing back the encroaching parts to their normal proportions. - -"But how are we to determine the man to make the exercise? There is -not merely the act of walking, of mounting on horseback, of swimming -or rowing--a considerable physical effort. There is also and above -all a moral effort. It is the mind which determines, draws along, and -sustains the body. The men of energy are men of movement. Now energy is -in the soul and not in the muscles. The body obeys the vigorous will. - -"It is not necessary to think, my dear friend, of giving courage to -the cowardly or resolution to the weak. But we can do something else, -we can do more--we can suppress mental energy, suppress moral effort -and leave only physical subsisting. This moral effort, I replace with -advantage by a foreign and purely mechanical force. Do you understand? -No, not very well. Let us go in." - -He opened a door leading into a large apartment, in which were ranged -fantastic looking instruments, big armchairs with wooden legs, horses -made of rough deal, articulated boards, and movable bars stretched -in front of chairs fixed in the ground. And all these objects were -connected with complicated machinery, which was set in motion by -turning handles. - -The doctor went on: "Look here. We have four principal kinds of -exercise. These are walking, equitation, swimming, and rowing. Each of -these exercises develops different members, acts in a special fashion. -Now, we have them here--the entire four--produced by artificial means. -All you have to do is to let yourself act, while thinking of nothing, -and you can run, mount on horseback, swim, or row for an hour, without -the mind taking any part--the slightest part in the world--in this -entirely muscular work." - -At that moment, M. Aubry-Pasteur entered, followed by a man whose -tucked-up sleeves displayed the vigorous biceps on each arm. The -engineer was as fat as ever. He was walking with his legs spread Wide -apart and his arms held out from his body, While he panted for breath. - -The doctor said: "You will understand by looking on at it yourself." - -And addressing his patient: "Well, my dear Monsieur, what are we going -to do to-day? Walking or equitation?" - -M. Aubry-Pasteur, who pressed Paul's hand, replied: "I would like a -little walking seated; that fatigues me less." - -M. Latonne continued: "We have, in fact, walking seated and walking -erect. Walking erect, while more efficacious, is rather painful. I -procure it by means of pedals on which you mount and which set your -legs in motion while you maintain your equilibrium by clinging to -rings fastened to the wall. But here is an example of walking while -seated." - -The engineer had fallen back into a rocking armchair, and he placed his -legs in the wooden legs with movable joints attached to this seat. His -thighs, calves, and ankles were strapped down in such a way that he was -unable to make any voluntary movement; then, the man with the tucked-up -sleeves, seizing the handle, turned it round with all his strength. The -armchair, at first, swayed to and fro like a hammock; then, suddenly, -the patient's legs went out, stretching forward and bending back, -advancing and returning, with extreme speed. - -"He is running," said the doctor, who then gave the order: "Quietly! Go -at a walking pace." - -The man, turning the handle more slowly, caused the fat engineer to -do the sitting walk in a more moderate fashion, which ludicrously -distorted all the movements of his body. - -Two other patients next made their appearance, both of them enormous, -and followed also by two attendants with naked arms. - -They were hoisted upon wooden horses, which, set in motion, began -immediately to jump along the room, shaking their riders in an -abominable manner. - -"Gallop!" cried the doctor. And the artificial animals, rushing like -waves and capsizing like ships, fatigued the two patients so much that -they began to scream out together in a panting and pitiful tone: - -"Enough! enough! I can't stand it any longer! Enough!" - -The physician said in a tone of command: "Stop!" He then added: "Take -breath for a little while. You will go on again in five minutes." - -Paul Bretigny, who was choking with suppressed laughter, drew attention -to the fact that the riders were not warm, while the handle-turners -were perspiring. - -"If you inverted the rôles," said he, "would it not be better?" - -The doctor gravely replied: "Oh! not at all, my dear friend. We must -not confound exercise and fatigue. The movement of the man who is -turning the wheel is injurious, while the movement of the walker or the -rider is beneficial." - -But Paul noticed a lady's saddle. - -"Yes," said the physician; "the evening is reserved for the other sex. -The men are no longer admitted after twelve o'clock. Come, then, and -look at the dry swimming." - -A system of movable little boards screwed together at their ends and at -their centers, stretched out in lozenge-shape or closing into squares, -like that children's game which carries along soldiers who are spurred -on, permitted three swimmers to be garroted and mangled at the same -time. - -The doctor said: "I need not extol to you the benefits of dry -swimming, which does not moisten the body except by perspiration, and -consequently does not expose our imaginary bather to any danger of -rheumatism." - -But a waiter, with a card in his hand, came to look for the doctor. - -"The Duc de Ramas, my dear friend. I must leave you. Excuse me." - -Paul, left there alone, turned round. The two cavaliers were trotting -afresh. M. Aubry-Pasteur was walking still; and the three natives of -Auvergne, with their arms all but broken and their backs cracking with -thus shaking the patients on whom they were operating, were quite out -of breath. They looked as if they were grinding coffee. - -When he had reached the open air, Bretigny saw Doctor Honorat watching, -along with his wife, the preparations for the _fête_. They began to -chat, gazing at the flags which crowned the hill with a kind of halo. - -"Is it at the church the procession is to be formed?" the physician -asked his wife. - -"It is at the church." - -"At three o'clock?" - -"At three o'clock." - -"The professors will be there?" - -"Yes, they will accompany the lady-sponsors." - -The next persons to stop were the ladies Paille. Then, came the -Monecus, father and daughter. But as he was going to breakfast alone -with his friend Gontran at the Casino Café, he slowly made his way up -to it. Paul, who had arrived the night before, had not had an interview -with his comrade for the past month; and he was longing to tell him -many boulevard stories--stories about gay women and houses of pleasure. - -They remained chattering away till half past two when Petrus Martel -came to inform them that people were on their way to the church. - -"Let us go and look for Christiane," said Gontran. - -"Let us go," returned Paul. - -They found her standing on the steps of the new hotel. She had the -hollow cheeks and the swarthy complexion of pregnant women; and her -figure indicated a near accouchement. - -"I was waiting for you," she said. "William is gone on before us. He -has so many things to do to-day." - -She cast toward Paul Bretigny a glance full of tenderness, and took his -arm. They went quietly on their way, avoiding the stones. - -She kept repeating: "How heavy I am! How heavy I am! I am no longer -able to walk. I am so much afraid of falling!" - -He did not reply, and carefully held her up, without seeking to meet -her eyes which she turned toward him incessantly. - -In front of the church, a dense crowd was awaiting them. - -Andermatt cried: "At last! at last! Come, make haste. See, this is the -order: two choir-boys, two chanters in surplices, the cross, the holy -water, the priest, then Christiane with Professor Cloche, Mademoiselle -Louise with Professor Remusot, and Mademoiselle Charlotte with -Professor Mas-Roussel. Next come the members of the Board, the medical -body, then the public. This is understood. Forward!" - -The ecclesiastical staff thereupon left the church, taking their places -at the head of the procession. Then a tall gentleman with white hair -brushed back over his ears, the typical "scientist," in accordance with -the academic form, approached Madame Andermatt, and saluted her with a -low bow. - -When he had straightened himself up again, with his head uncovered, in -order to display his beautiful, scientific head, and his hat resting -on his thigh with an imposing air as if he had learned to walk at the -Comédie Française, and to show the people his rosette of officer of the -Legion of Honor, too big for a modest man. - -He began to talk: "Your husband, Madame, has been speaking to me -about you just now, and about your condition which gives rise to some -affectionate disquietude. He has told me about your doubts and your -hesitations as to the probable moment of your delivery." - -She reddened to the temples, and she murmured: "Yes, I believed that I -would be a mother a very long time before the event. Now I can't tell -either--I can't tell either----" - -She faltered in a state of utter confusion. - -A voice from behind them said: "This station has a very great future -before it. I have already obtained surprising effects." - -It was Professor Remusot addressing his companion, Louise Oriol. This -gentleman was small, with yellow, unkempt hair, and a frock-coat badly -cut, the dirty look of a slovenly savant. - -Professor Mas-Roussel, who gave his arm to Charlotte Oriol, was a -handsome physician, without beard or mustache, smiling, well-groomed, -hardly turning gray as yet, a little fleshy, and, with his smooth, -clean-shaven face, resembling neither a priest nor an actor, as was the -case with Doctor Latonne. - -Next came the members of the Board, with Andermatt at their head, and -the tall hats of old Oriol and his son towering above them. - -Behind them came another row of tall hats, the medical body of Enval, -among whom Doctor Bonnefille was not included, his place, indeed, being -taken by two new physicians, Doctor Black, a very short old man almost -a dwarf, whose excessive piety had surprised the whole district since -the day of his arrival; then a very good-looking young fellow, very -much given to flirtation, and wearing a small hat, Doctor Mazelli, an -Italian attached to the person of the Duc de Ramas--others said, to the -person of the Duchesse. - -And behind them could be seen the public, a flood of people--bathers, -peasants, and inhabitants of the adjoining towns. - -The ceremony of blessing the springs was very short. The Abbé Litre -sprinkled them one after the other with holy water, which made Doctor -Honorat say that he was going to give them new properties with chloride -of sodium. Then all the persons specially invited entered the large -reading-room, where a collation had been served. - -Paul said to Gontran: "How pretty the little Oriol girls have become!" - -"They are charming, my dear fellow." - -"You have not seen M. le President?" suddenly inquired the ex-jailer -overseer. - -"Yes, he is over there, in the corner." - -"Père Clovis is gathering a big crowd in front of the door." - -Already, while moving in the direction of the springs for the purpose -of having them blessed, the entire procession had filed off in front of -the old invalid, cured the year before, and now again more paralyzed -than ever. He would stop the visitors on the road and the last-comers -as a matter of choice, in order to tell them his story: - -"These waters here, you see, are no good--they cure, 'tis true, but you -relapse again afterward, and after this relapse you're half a corpse. -As for me, my legs were better before, and here I am now with my arms -gone in consequence of the cure. And my legs, they're iron, but iron -that you have to cut before it bends." - -Andermatt, filled with vexation, had tried to prosecute him in a court -of justice and to get him sent to jail for having depreciated the -waters of Mont Oriol and having attempted extortion. But he had not -succeeded in obtaining a conviction or in shutting the old fellow's -mouth. - -The moment he was informed that the old vagabond was babbling before -the door of the establishment, he rushed out to make Clovis keep silent. - -At the side of the highroad, in the center of an excited crowd, he -heard angry voices. People pressed forward to listen and to see. Some -ladies asked: "What is this?" Some men replied: "'Tis an invalid, whom -the waters here have finished." Others believed that an infant had just -been squashed. It was also said that a poor woman had got an attack of -epilepsy. - -Andermatt broke through the crowd, as he knew how to do, by violently -pushing his little round stomach between the stomachs of other people. -"It proves," Gontran remarked, "the superiority of balls to points." - -Père Clovis, sitting on the ditch, whined about his pains, recounted -his sufferings in a sniveling tone, while standing in front of him, -and separating him from the public, the Oriols, father and son, -exasperated, were hurling insults and threats at him as loudly as ever -they could. - -"That's not true," cried Colosse. "This fellow is a liar, a sham, a -poacher, who runs all night through the wood." - -But the old fellow, without getting excited, kept reiterating in a -high, piercing voice which was heard above the vociferations of the two -Oriols: "They've killed me, my good monchieus, they've killed me with -their water. They bathed me in it by force last year. And here I am at -this moment--here I am!" - -Andermatt imposed silence on all, and stooping toward the impotent man, -said to him, looking into the depths of his eyes: "If you are worse, it -is your own fault, mind. If you listen to me, I undertake to cure you, -I do, with fifteen or twenty baths at most. Come and look me up at the -establishment in an hour, when the people have all gone away, my good -father. In the meantime, hold your tongue." - -The old fellow had understood. He became silent, then, after a pause, -he answered: "I'm always willing to give it a fair trial. You'll see." - -Andermatt caught the two Oriols by the arms and quickly dragged them -away; while Père Clovis remained stretched on the grass between his -crutches, at the side of the road, blinking his eyes under the rays of -the sun. - -The puzzled crowd kept pressing round him. Some gentlemen questioned -him, but he did not reply, as though he had not heard or understood; -and as this curiosity, futile just now, ended by fatiguing him, he -began to sing, bareheaded, in a voice as false as it was shrill, an -interminable ditty in an unintelligible dialect. - -The crowd ebbed away gradually. Only a few children remained standing -a long time in front of him, with their fingers in their noses, -contemplating him. - -Christiane, exceedingly tired, had gone in to take a rest. Paul and -Gontran walked about through the new park in the midst of the visitors. -Suddenly they saw the company of players, who had also deserted the old -Casino, to attach themselves to the growing fortunes of the new. - -Mademoiselle Odelin, who had become quite fashionable, was leaning -as she walked on the arm of her mother, who had assumed an air of -importance. M. Petitnivelle, of the Vaudeville, appeared very attentive -to these ladies, who followed M. Lapalme of the Grand Theater of -Bordeaux, arguing with the musicians just as of old, the _maestro_ -Saint Landri, the pianist Javel, the flautist Noirot, and the -double-bass Nicordi. - -On perceiving Paul and Gontran, Saint Landri rushed toward them. He -had, during the winter, got a very small musical composition performed -in a very small out-of-the-way theater; but the newspapers had spoken -of him with a certain favor, and he now treated Massenet, Beyer, and -Gounod contemptuously. - -He stretched forth both hands with an outburst of friendly regard, -and immediately proceeded to repeat what he had been saying to those -gentlemen of the orchestra over whom he was the conductor. - -"Yes, my dear friend, it is finished, finished, finished, the hackneyed -style of the old school. The melodists have had their day. This is -what people cannot understand. Music is a new art, melody is its first -lisping. The ignorant ear loves the burden of a song. It takes a -child's pleasure, a savage's pleasure in it. I may add that the ears -of the people or of the ingenuous public, the simple ears, will always -love little songs, airs, in a word. It is an amusement similar to that -in which the frequenters of _café_ concerts indulge. I am going to -make use of a comparison in order to make myself understood. The eye -of the rustic loves crude colors and glaring pictures; the eye of the -intelligent representative of the middle class who is not artistic -loves shades benevolently pretentious and affecting subjects; but the -artistic eye, the refined eye, loves, understands, and distinguishes -the imperceptible modulations of a single tone, the mysterious -harmonies of light touches invisible to most people. - -"It is the same with literature. Doorkeepers like romances of -adventure, the middle class like novels which appeal to the feelings; -while the real lovers of literature care only for the artistic books -which are incomprehensible to the others. When an ordinary citizen -talks music to me I feel a longing to kill him. And when it is at the -opera, I ask him: 'Are you capable of telling me whether the third -violin has made a false note in the overture of the third act? No. Then -be silent. You have no ear. The man who does not understand, at the -same time, the whole and all the instruments separately in an orchestra -has no ear, and is no musician. There you are! Good night!'" - -He turned round on his heel, and resumed: "For an artist all music is -in a chord. Ah! my friend, certain chords madden me, cause a flood of -inexpressible happiness to penetrate all my flesh. I have to-day an ear -so well exercised, so finished, so matured, that I end by liking even -certain false chords, just like a virtuoso whose fully-developed taste -amounts to a form of depravity. I am beginning to be a vitiated person -who seeks for extreme sensations of hearing. Yes, my friends, certain -false notes. What delights! What perverse and profound delights! How -this moves, how it shakes the nerves! how it scratches the ear--how it -scratches! how it scratches!" - -He rubbed his hands together rapturously, and he hummed: "You shall -hear my opera--my opera--my opera. You shall hear my opera." - -Gontran said: "You are composing an opera?" - -"Yes, I have finished it." But the commanding voice of Petrus Martel -resounded: - -"You understand perfectly! A yellow rocket, and off you go!" - -He was giving orders for the fireworks. They joined him, and he -explained his arrangements by showing with his outstretched arm, as -if he were threatening a hostile fleet, stakes of white wood on the -mountain above the gorge, on the opposite side of the valley. - -"It is over there that they are to be shot out. I told my pyrotechnist -to be at his post at half past eight. The very moment the spectacle is -over, I will give the signal from here by a yellow rocket, and then he -will illuminate the opening piece." - -The Marquis made his appearance: "I am going to drink a glass of -water," he said. - -Paul and Gontran accompanied him, and again descended the hill. On -reaching the establishment, they saw Père Clovis, who had got there, -sustained by the two Oriols, followed by Andermatt and by the doctor, -and making, every time he trailed his legs on the ground, contortions -suggestive of extreme pain. - -"Let us go in," said Gontran, "this will be funny." - -The paralytic was placed sitting in an armchair. Then Andermatt said to -him: "Here is what I propose, old cheat that you are. You are going to -be cured immediately by taking two baths a day. And the moment you walk -you'll have two hundred francs." - -The paralytic began to groan: "My legs, they are iron, my good -Monchieu!" - -Andermatt made him hold his tongue, and went on: "Now, listen! You -shall again have two hundred francs every year up to the time of your -death--you understand--up to the time of your death, if you continue to -experience the salutary effect of our waters." - -The old fellow was in a state of perplexity. The continuous cure was -opposed to his plan of action. He asked in a hesitating tone: "But -when--when it is closed up--this box of yours--if this should take hold -of me again--I can do nothing then--I--seeing that it will be shut -up--your water----" - -Doctor Latonne interrupted him, and, turning toward Andermatt, said: -"Excellent! excellent! We'll cure him every year. This will be -even better, and will show the necessity of annual treatment, the -indispensability of returning hither. Excellent--this is perfectly -clear!" - -But the old man repeated afresh: "It will not suit this time, my good -Monchieu. My legs, they're iron, iron in bars." - -A new idea sprang up in the doctor's mind: "If I got him to try a -course of seated walking," he said, "I might hasten the effect of the -waters considerably. It is an experiment worth trying." - -"Excellent idea," returned Andermatt, adding: "Now, Père Clovis, take -yourself off, and don't forget our agreement." - -The old fellow went away still groaning; and, when evening came on, -all the directors of Mont Oriol came back to dine, for the theatrical -representation was announced to take place at half past seven. - -The great hall of the new Casino was the place where they were to dine. -It was capable of holding a thousand persons. - -At seven o'clock the visitors who had not numbered seats presented -themselves. At half past seven the hall was filled, and the curtain was -raised for the performance of a vaudeville in two acts, which preceded -Saint Landri's operetta, interpreted by vocalists from Vichy, who had -given their services for the occasion. - -Christiane in the front row, between her brother and her husband, -suffered a great deal from the heat. Every moment she repeated: "I feel -quite exhausted! I feel quite exhausted!" - -After the vaudeville, as the operetta was opening, she was becoming -ill, and turning round to her husband, said: "My dear Will, I shall -have to leave. I am suffocating!" - -The banker was annoyed. He was desirous above everything in the world -that this _fête_ should be a success, from start to finish, without a -single hitch. He replied: - -"Make every effort to hold out. I beg of you to do so! Your departure -would upset everything. You would have to pass through the entire hall!" - -But Gontran, who was sitting along with Paul behind her, had overheard. -He leaned toward his sister: "You are too warm?" said he. - -"Yes, I am suffocating." - -"Good. Stay! You are going to have a laugh." - -There was a window near. He slipped toward it, got upon a chair, and -jumped out without attracting hardly any notice. Then he entered the -_café_, which was perfectly empty, stretched his hand out under the -bar where he had seen Petrus Martel conceal the signal-rocket, and, -having filched it, he ran off to hide himself under a group of trees, -and then set it on fire. The swift yellow sheaf flew up toward the -clouds, describing a curve, and casting across the sky a long shower -of flame-drops. Almost instantaneously a terrible detonation burst -forth over the neighboring mountain, and a cluster of stars sent flying -sparks through the darkness of the night. - -Somebody exclaimed in the hall where the spectators were gathered, and -where at the moment Saint Landri's chords were quivering: "They're -letting off the fireworks!" - -The spectators who were nearest to the door abruptly rose to their feet -to make sure about it, and went out with light steps. All the rest -turned their eyes toward the windows, but saw nothing, for they were -looking at the Limagne. People kept asking: "Is it true? Is it true?" - -The impatient assembly got excited, hungering above everything for -simple amusements. A voice from outside announced: "It is true! The -firework's are let off!" - -Then, in a second everyone in the hall was standing up. They rushed -toward the door; they jostled against each other; they yelled at those -who obstructed their egress: "Hurry on! hurry on!" - -The entire audience, in a short time, had emerged into the park. Saint -Landri alone, in a state of exasperation continued beating time in -front of his distracted orchestra. Meanwhile, fiery suns succeeded -Roman candles in the midst of detonations. - -Suddenly, a formidable voice sent forth thrice this wild exclamation: -"Stop, in God's name! Stop, in God's name! Stop, in God's name!" - -And, as an immense Bengal fire next illuminated the mountain and -lighted up in red to the right and blue to the left, the enormous rocks -and trees, Petrus Martel could be seen standing on one of the vases of -imitation marble that decorated the terrace of the Casino, bareheaded, -with his arms in the air, gesticulating and howling. - -Then, the great illumination being extinguished, nothing could be seen -any longer save the real stars. But immediately another rocket shot up, -and Petrus Martel, jumping on the ground, exclaimed: "What a disaster! -what a disaster! My God, what a disaster!" - -And he passed through the crowd with tragic gestures, with blows of his -fist in the empty air, furious stampings of his feet, always repeating: -"What a disaster! My God, what a disaster!" - -Christiane had taken Paul's arm to get a seat in the open air, and kept -looking with delight at the rockets which ascended into the sky. - -Her brother came up to her suddenly, and said: "Hey, is it a success? -Do you think it is funny?" - -She murmured: "What, it is you?" - -"Why, yes, it is I. Is it good, hey?" - -She began to laugh, finding it really amusing. But Andermatt arrived in -a state of great mental distress. He did not understand how such a blow -could have come. The rocket had been stolen from the bar to give the -signal agreed upon. Such an infamy could only have been perpetrated by -some emissary of the old Company, some agent of Doctor Bonnefille! - -And he repeated: "'Tis maddening, positively maddening. Here are -fireworks worth two thousand three hundred francs destroyed, entirely -destroyed!" - -Gontran replied: "No, my dear fellow, on a proper calculation, the loss -does not mount up to more than a quarter; let us put it at a third, if -you like; say seven hundred and sixty-six francs. Your guests will, -therefore, have enjoyed fifteen hundred and thirty-four francs' worth -of rockets. This truly is not bad." - -The banker's anger turned against his brother-in-law. He caught him -roughly by the arm: "Gontran, I want to talk seriously to you. Since I -have a hold of you, let us take a turn in the walks. Besides, I have -five minutes to spare." - -Then, turning toward Christiane: "I place you in charge of our friend -Bretigny, my dear; but don't remain a long time out--take care of -yourself. You might catch cold, you know. Be careful! be careful!" - -She murmured: "Never fear, dear." - -So Andermatt carried off Gontran. When they were alone, at a little -distance from the crowd, the banker stopped: "My dear fellow, 'tis -about your financial position that I want to talk." - -"About my financial position?" - -"Yes, you know it well, your financial position." - -"No. But you ought to know it for me, since you lent money to me." - -"Well, yes, I do know it, and 'tis for that reason I want to talk to -you." - -"It seems to me, to say the least of it, that the moment is ill -chosen--in the midst of a display of fireworks!" - -"The moment, on the contrary, is very well chosen. I am not talking to -you in the midst of a display of fireworks, but before a ball." - -"Before a ball? I don't understand." - -"Well, you are going to understand. Here is your position: you have -nothing except debts; and you'll never have anything but debts." - -Gontran gravely replied: "You tell me that a little bluntly." - -"Yes, because it is necessary. Listen to me! You have eaten up the -share which came to you as a fortune from your mother. Let us say no -more about that." - -"Let us say no more about it." - -"As for your father, he possesses a yearly income of thirty thousand -francs, say, a capital of about eight hundred thousand francs. Your -share, later on, will, therefore, be four hundred thousand francs. Now -you owe me--me, personally--one hundred and ninety thousand francs. You -owe money besides to usurers." - -Gontran muttered in a haughty tone: "Say, to Jews." - -"Be it so, to Jews, although among the number there is a churchwarden -from Saint Sulpice who made use of a priest as an intermediary between -himself and you--but I will not cavil about such trifles. You owe, -then, to various usurers, Israelites or Catholics, nearly as much. Let -us put it at a hundred and fifty thousand at the lowest estimate. This -makes a total of three hundred and forty thousand francs, on which you -are paying interest, always borrowing, except with regard to mine, -which you do not pay." - -"That's right," said Gontran. - -"So then, you have nothing more left." - -"Nothing, indeed--except my brother-in-law." - -"Except your brother-in-law, who has had enough of lending money to -you." - -"What then?" - -"What then, my dear fellow? The poorest peasant living in one of these -huts is richer than you." - -"Exactly--and next?" - -"Next--next--? If your father were to die tomorrow, you would no longer -have any resource to get bread--to get bread, mind you--except to take -a post as a clerk in my house. And this again would only be a means of -disguising the pension which I should be allowing you." - -Gontran, in a tone of irritation, said: "My dear William, these things -bore me. I know them, besides, just as well as you do, and, I repeat, -the moment is ill chosen to remind me about them--with--with so little -diplomacy." - -"Allow me, let me finish. You can only extricate yourself from it by a -marriage. Now, you are a wretched match, in spite of your name, which -sounds well without being illustrious. In short, it is not one of those -which an heiress, even a Jewish one, buys with a fortune. Therefore, we -must find you a wife acceptable and rich--which is not very easy----" - -Gontran interrupted him: "Give her name at once--that is the best way." - -"Be it so--one of Père Oriol's daughters, whichever you prefer. And -this is why I wanted to talk to you before the ball." - -"And now explain yourself at greater length," returned Gontran, coldly. - -"It is very simple. You see the success I have obtained at the start -with this station. Now if I had in my hands, or rather if we had in our -hands all the land which this cunning peasant has kept for himself, -I could turn it into gold. To speak only of the vineyards which lie -between the establishment and the hotel and between the hotel and the -Casino, I would pay a million francs for them to-morrow--I, Andermatt. -Now, these vineyards and others all round the knoll will be the dowries -of these girls. The father told me so again a short time since, not -without an object, perhaps. Well, if you were willing, we could do a -big stroke of business there, the two of us." - -Gontran muttered, with a thoughtful air: "'Tis possible. I'll think -over it." - -"Do think over it, my dear boy, and don't forget that I never speak of -things that are not very sure, or without having given matters every -consideration, and realized all the possible consequences and all the -decided advantages." - -But Gontran, lifting up his arm, as if he had suddenly forgotten all -that his brother-in-law had been saying to him: "Look! How beautiful -that is!" - -The bunch of rockets flamed up, in imitation of a burning palace on -which a blazing flag had inscribed on it "Mont Oriol" in letters of -fire perfectly red and, right opposite to it, above the plain, the -moon, red also, seemed to have come out to contemplate this spectacle. -Then, when the palace, after it had been burning for some minutes, -exploded like a ship which is blown up, flinging toward the wide -heavens fantastic stars which burst in their turn, the moon remained -all alone, calm and round, on the horizon. - -The public applauded wildly, exclaiming: "Hurrah! Bravo! bravo!" - -Andermatt, all of a sudden, said: "Let us go and open the ball, my dear -boy. Are you willing to dance the first quadrille face to face with me?" - -"Why, certainly, my dear brother-in-law." - -"Who have you thought of asking to dance with you? As for me, I have -bespoken the Duchesse de Ramas." - -Gontran answered in a tone of indifference: "I will ask Charlotte -Oriol." - -They reascended. As they passed in front of the spot where Christiane -was resting with Paul Bretigny, they did not notice the pair. William -murmured: "She has followed my advice. She went home to go to bed. She -was quite tired out to-day." And he advanced toward the ballroom which -the attendants had been getting ready during the fireworks. - -But Christiane had not returned to her room, as her husband supposed. -As soon as she realized that she was alone with Paul she said to him in -a very low tone, while she pressed his hand: - -"So then you came. I was waiting for you for the past month. Every -morning I kept asking myself, 'Shall I see him to-day?' and every night -I kept saying to myself, 'It will be to-morrow then.' Why have you -delayed so long, my love?" - -He replied with some embarrassment: "I had matters to engage my -attention--business." - -She leaned toward him, murmuring: "It was not right to leave me here -alone with them, especially in my state." - -He moved his chair a little away from her. - -"Be careful! We might be seen. These rockets light up the whole country -around." - -She scarcely bestowed a thought on it; she said: "I love you so much!" -Then, with sudden starts of joy: "Ah! how happy I feel, how happy I -feel at finding that we are once more together, here! Are you thinking -about it? What joy, Paul! How we are going to love one another again!" - -She sighed, and her voice was so weak that it seemed a mere breath. - -"I feel a foolish longing to embrace you, but it is -foolish--there!--foolish. It is such a long time since I saw you!" - -Then, suddenly, with the fierce energy of an impassioned woman, to whom -everything should give way: "Listen! I want--you understand--I want to -go with you immediately to the place where we said adieu to one another -last year! You remember well, on the road from La Roche Pradière?" - -He replied, stupefied: "But this is senseless! You cannot walk farther. -You have been standing all day. This is senseless; I will not allow it." - -She had risen to her feet, and she said: "I am determined on it! If you -do not accompany me, I'll go alone!" - -And pointing out to him the moon which had risen: "See here! It was an -evening just like this! Do you remember how you kissed my shadow?" - -He held her back: "Christiane--listen--this is ridiculous--Christiane!" - -She did not reply, and walked toward the descent leading to the -vineyards. He knew that calm will which nothing could divert from its -purpose, the graceful obstinacy of these blue eyes, of that little -forehead of a fair woman that could not be stopped; and he took her arm -to sustain her on her way. - -"Supposing we are seen, Christiane?" - -"You did not say that to me last year. And then, everyone is at the -_fête_. We'll be back before our absence can be noticed." - -It was soon necessary to ascend by the stony path. She panted, leaning -with her whole weight on him, and at every step she said: - -"It is good, it is good, to suffer thus!" - -He stopped, wishing to bring her back. But she would not listen to him. - -"No, no. I am happy. You don't understand this, you. Listen! I feel -it leaping in me--our child--your child--what happiness. Give me your -hand." - -She did not realize that he--this man--was one of the race of lovers -who are not of the race of fathers. Since he discovered that she was -pregnant, he kept away from her, and was disgusted with her, in spite -of himself. He had often in bygone days said that a woman who has -performed the function of reproduction is no longer worthy of love. -What raised him to a high pitch of tenderness was that soaring of two -hearts toward an inaccessible ideal, that entwining of two souls which -are immaterial--all those artificial and unreal elements which poets -have associated with this passion. In the physical woman he adored -the Venus whose sacred side must always preserve the pure form of -sterility. The idea of a little creature which owed its birth to him, a -human larva stirring in that body defiled by it and already grown ugly, -inspired him with an almost unconquerable repugnance. Maternity had -made this woman a brute. She was no longer the exceptional being adored -and dreamed about, but the animal that reproduces its species. And even -a material disgust was mingled in him with these loathings of his mind. - -How could she have felt or divined this--she whom each movement of the -child she yearned for attached the more closely to her lover? This man -whom she adored, whom she had every day loved a little more since the -moment of their first kiss, had not only penetrated to the bottom of -her heart, but had given her the proof that he had also entered into -the very depths of her flesh, that he had sown his own life there, that -he was going to come forth from her, again becoming quite small. Yes, -she carried him there under her crossed hands, himself, her good, her -dear, her tenderly beloved one, springing up again in her womb by the -mystery of nature. And she loved him doubly, now that she had him in -two forms--the big, and the little one as yet unknown, the one whom she -saw, touched, embraced, and could hear speaking to her, and the one -whom she could up to this only feel stirring under her skin. They had -by this time reached the road. - -"You were waiting for me over there that evening," said she. And she -held her lips out to him. - -He kissed them, without replying, with a cold kiss. - -She murmured for the second time: "Do you remember how you embraced me -on the ground. We were like this--look!" - -And in the hope that he would begin it all over again she commenced -running to get some distance away from him. Then she stopped, out of -breath, and waited, standing in the middle of the road. But the moon, -which lengthened out her profile on the ground, traced there the -protuberance of her swollen figure. And Paul, beholding at his feet -the shadow of her pregnancy, remained unmoved at sight of it, wounded -in his poetic sense with shame, exasperated that she was not able to -share his feelings or divine his thoughts, that she had not sufficient -coquetry, tact, and feminine delicacy to understand all the shade -which give such a different complexion to circumstances; and he said to -her with impatience in his voice: - -"Look here, Christiane! This child's play is ridiculous." - -She came back to him moved, saddened, with outstretched arms, and, -flinging herself on his breast: - -"Ah! you love me less. I feel it! I am sure of it!" - -He took pity on her, and, encircling her head with his arms, he -imprinted two long sweet kisses on her eyes. - -Then in silence they retraced their steps. He could find nothing to say -to her; and, as she leaned on him, exhausted by fatigue, he quickened -his pace so that he might no longer feel against his side the touch of -this enlarged figure. When they were near the hotel, they separated, -and she went up to her own apartment. - -The orchestra at the Casino was playing dance-music; and Paul went to -look at the ball. It was a waltz; and they were all waltzing--Doctor -Latonne with the younger Madame Paille, Andermatt with Louise Oriol, -handsome Doctor Mazelli with the Duchesse de Ramas, and Gontran with -Charlotte Oriol. He was whispering in her ear in that tender fashion -which denotes a courtship begun; and she was smiling behind her fan, -blushing, and apparently delighted. - -Paul heard a voice saying behind him: "Look here! look here at M. de -Ravenel whispering gallantries to my fair patient." - -He added, after a pause: "And there is a pearl, good, gay, simple, -devoted, upright, you know, an excellent creature. She is worth ten -of the elder sister. I have known them since their childhood--these -little girls. And yet the father prefers the elder one, because -she is more--more like him--more of a peasant--less upright--more -thrifty--more cunning--and more--more jealous. Ah! she is a good girl, -all the same. I would not like to say anything bad of her; but, in -spite of myself, I compare them, you understand--and, after having -compared them, I judge them--there you are!" - -The waltz was coming to an end; Gontran went to join his friend, and, -perceiving the doctor: - -"Ah! tell me now--there appears to me to be a remarkable increase in -the medical body at Enval. We have a Doctor Mazelli who waltzes to -perfection and an old little Doctor Black who seems on very good terms -with Heaven." - -But Doctor Honorat was discreet. He did not like to sit in judgment on -his professional brethren. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - -Gontran's Choice - - -The burning question now was that of the physicians at Enval. They had -suddenly made themselves the masters of the district, and absorbed all -the attention and all the enthusiasm of the inhabitants. Formerly the -springs flowed under the authority of Doctor Bonnefille alone, in the -midst of the harmless animosities of restless Doctor Latonne and placid -Doctor Honorat. - -Now, it was a very different thing. Since the success planned during -the winter by Andermatt had quite taken definite shape, thanks to the -powerful co-operation of Professors Cloche, Mas-Roussel, and Remusot, -who had each brought there a contingent of two or three hundred -patients at least, Doctor Latonne, inspector of the new establishment, -had become a big personage, specially patronized by Professor -Mas-Roussel, whose pupil he had been, and whose deportment and gestures -he imitated. - -Doctor Bonnefille was scarcely ever talked about any longer. Furious, -exasperated, railing against Mont Oriol, the old physician remained the -whole day in the old establishment with a few old patients who had kept -faithful to him. - -In the minds of some invalids, indeed, he was the only person that -understood the true properties of the waters; he possessed, so to -speak, their secret, since he had officially administered them from the -time the station was first established. - -Doctor Honorat barely managed to retain his practice among the natives -of Auvergne. With the moderate income he derived from this source he -contented himself, keeping on good terms with everybody, and consoled -himself by much preferring cards and wine to medicine. He did not, -however, go quite so far as to love his professional brethren. - -Doctor Latonne would, therefore, have continued to be the great -soothsayer of Mont Oriol, if one morning there had not appeared a very -small man, nearly a dwarf, whose big head sunk between his shoulders, -big round eyes, and big hands combined to produce a very odd-looking -individual. This new physician, M. Black, introduced into the district -by Professor Remusot immediately excited attention by his excessive -devotion. Nearly every morning, between two visits, he went into a -church for a few minutes, and he received communion nearly every -Sunday. The curé soon got him some patients, old maids, poor people -whom he attended for nothing, pious ladies who asked the advice of -their spiritual director before calling on a man of science, whose -sentiments, reserve, and professional modesty, they wished to know -before everything else. - -Then, one day, the arrival of the Princess de Maldebourg, an old -German Highness, was announced--a very fervent Catholic, who on the -very evening when she first appeared in the district, sent for Doctor -Black on the recommendation of a Roman cardinal. From that moment he -was the fashion. It was good taste, good form, the correct thing, to -be attended by him. He was the only doctor, it was said, who was a -perfect gentleman--the only one in whom a woman could repose absolute -confidence. - -And from morning till evening this little man with the bulldog's head, -who always spoke in a subdued tone in every corner with everybody, -might be seen rushing from one hotel to the other. He appeared to have -important secrets to confide or to receive, for he could constantly be -met holding long mysterious conferences in the lobbies with the masters -of the hotels, with his patients' chambermaids, with anyone who was -brought into contact with the invalids. As soon as he saw any lady of -his acquaintance in the street, he went straight up to her with his -short, quick step, and immediately began to mumble fresh and minute -directions, after the fashion of a priest at confession. - -The old women especially adored him. He would listen to their -stories to the end without interrupting them, took note of all their -observations, all their questions, and all their wishes. - -He increased or diminished each day the proportion of water to be -consumed by his patients, which made them feel perfect confidence in -the care taken of them by him. - -"We stopped yesterday at two glasses and three-quarters," he would -say; "well, to-day we shall only take two glasses and a half, and -to-morrow three glasses. Don't forget! To-morrow, three glasses. I am -very, very particular about it!" - -And all the patients were convinced that he was very particular about -it, indeed. - -In order not to forget these figures and fractions of figures, he -wrote them down in a memorandum-book, in order that he might never -make a mistake. For the patient does not pardon a mistake of a single -half-glass. He regulated and modified with equal minuteness the -duration of the daily baths in virtue of principles known only to -himself. - -Doctor Latonne, jealous and exasperated, disdainfully shrugged his -shoulders, and declared: "This is a swindler!" His hatred against -Doctor Black had even led him occasionally to run down the mineral -waters. "Since we can scarcely tell how they act, it is quite -impossible to prescribe every day modifications of the dose, which -any therapeutic law cannot regulate. Proceedings of this kind do the -greatest injury to medicine." - -Doctor Honorat contented himself with smiling. He always took care to -forget, five minutes after a consultation, the number of glasses which -he had ordered. "Two more or less," said he to Gontran in his hours of -gaiety, "there is only the spring to take notice of it; and yet this -scarcely incommodes it!" The only wicked pleasantry that he permitted -himself on his religious brother-physician consisted in describing -him as "the doctor of the Holy Sitting-Bath." His jealousy was of the -prudent, sly, and tranquil kind. - -He added sometimes: "Oh, as for him, he knows the patient thoroughly; -and this is often better than to know the disease!" - -But lo! there arrived one morning at the hotel of Mont Oriol a noble -Spanish family, the Duke and Duchess of Ramas-Aldavarra, who brought -with her her own physician, an Italian, Doctor Mazelli from Milan. He -was a man of thirty, a tall, thin, very handsome young fellow, wearing -only mustaches. From the first evening, he made a conquest of the -_table d'hôte_, for the Duke, a melancholy man, attacked with monstrous -obesity, had a horror of isolation, and desired to take his meals in -the same dining-room as the other patients. Doctor Mazelli already knew -by their names almost all the frequenters of the hotel; he had a kindly -word for every man, a compliment for every woman, a smile even for -every servant. - -Placed at the right-hand side of the Duchess, a beautiful woman of -between thirty-five and forty, with a pale complexion, black eyes, -blue-black hair, he would say to her as each dish came round: - -"Very little," or else, "No, not this," or else, "Yes, take some of -that." And he would himself pour out the liquid which she was to drink -with very great care, measuring exactly the proportions of wine and -water which he mingled. - -He also regulated the Duke's food, but with visible carelessness. The -patient, however, took no heed of his advice, devoured everything with -bestial voracity, drank at every meal two decanters of pure wine, then -went tumbling about in a chaise for air in front of the hotel, and -began whining with pain and groaning over his bad digestion. - -After the first dinner, Doctor Mazelli, who had judged and weighed all -around him with a single glance, went to join Gontran, who was smoking -a cigar on the terrace of the Casino, told his name, and began to chat. -At the end of an hour, they were on intimate terms. Next day, he got -himself introduced to Christiane just as she was leaving the bath, -won her good-will after ten minutes' conversation, and brought her -that very day into contact with the Duchess, who no longer cared for -solitude. - -He kept watch over everything in the abode of the Spaniards, gave -excellent advice to the chef about cooking, excellent hints to the -chambermaid on the hygiene of the head in order to preserve in her -mistress's hair its luster, its superb shade, and its abundance, very -useful information to the coachman about veterinary medicine; and he -knew how to make the hours swift and light, to invent distractions, -and to pick up in the hotels casual acquaintances but always prudently -chosen. - -The Duchess said to Christiane, when speaking of him: "He is a -wonderful man, dear Madame. He knows everything; he does everything. It -is to him that I owe my figure." - -"How, your figure?" - -"Yes, I was beginning to grow fat, and he saved me with his regimen and -his liqueurs." - -Moreover, Mazelli knew how to make medicine itself interesting; he -spoke about it with such ease, with such gaiety, and with a sort -of light scepticism which helped to convince his listeners of his -superiority. - -"'Tis very simple," said he; "I don't believe in remedies--or rather I -hardly believe in them. The old-fashioned medicine started with this -principle--that there is a remedy for everything. God, they believe, -in His divine bounty, has created drugs for all maladies, only He -has left to men, through malice, perhaps, the trouble of discovering -these drugs. Now, men have discovered an incalculable number of them -without ever knowing exactly what disease each of them is suited -for. In reality there are no remedies; there are only maladies. When -a malady declares itself, it is necessary to interrupt its course, -according to some, to precipitate it, according to others, by some -means or another. Each school extols its own method. In the same case, -we see the most antagonistic systems employed, and the most opposed -kinds of medicine--ice by one and extreme heat by the other, dieting by -this doctor and forced nourishment by that. I am not speaking of the -innumerable poisonous products extracted from minerals or vegetables, -which chemistry procures for us. All this acts, 'tis true, but nobody -knows how. Sometimes it succeeds, and sometimes it kills." - -And, with much liveliness, he pointed out the impossibility of -certainty, the absence of all scientific basis as long as organic -chemistry, biological chemistry had not become the starting-point of a -new medicine. He related anecdotes, monstrous errors of the greatest -physicians, and proved the insanity and the falsity of their pretended -science. - -"Make the body discharge its functions," said he. "Make the skin, the -muscles, all the organs, and, above all, the stomach, which is the -foster-father of the entire machine, its regulator and life-warehouse, -discharge their functions." - -He asserted that, if he liked, by nothing save regimen, he could make -people gay or sad, capable of physical work or intellectual work, -according to the nature of the diet which he imposed on them. He could -even act on the faculties of the brain, on the memory, the imagination, -on all the manifestations of intelligence. And he ended jocosely with -these words: - -"For my part, I nurse my patients with massage and curaçoa." - -He attributed marvelous results to massage, and spoke of the Dutchman -Hamstrang as of a god performing miracles. Then, showing his delicate -white hands: - -"With those, you might resuscitate the dead." - -And the Duchess added: "The fact is that he performs massage to -perfection." - -He also lauded alcoholic beverages, in small proportions to excite -the stomach at certain moments; and he composed mixtures, cleverly -prepared, which the Duchess had to drink, at fixed hours, either before -or after her meals. - -He might have been seen each morning entering the Casino Café about -half past nine and asking for his bottles. They were brought to him -fastened with little silver locks of which he had the key. He would -pour out a little of one, a little of another, slowly into a very -pretty blue glass, which a very correct footman held up respectfully. - -Then the doctor would give directions: "See! Bring this to the Duchess -in her bath, to drink it, before she dresses herself, when coming out -of the water." - -And when anyone asked him through curiosity: "What have you put into -it?" he would answer: "Nothing but refined aniseed-cordial, very pure -curaçoa, and excellent bitters." - -This handsome doctor, in a few days, became the center of attraction -for all the invalids. And every sort of device was resorted to, in -order to attract a few opinions from him. - -When he was passing along through the walks in the park, at the hour -of promenade, one heard nothing but that exclamation of "Doctor" on -all the chairs where sat the beautiful women, the young women, who -were resting themselves a little between two glasses of the Christiane -Spring. Then, when he stopped with a smile on his lip, they would draw -him aside for some minutes into the little path beside the river. -At first, they talked about one thing or another; then discreetly, -skillfully, coquettishly, they came to the question of health, but in -an indifferent fashion as if they were touching on sundry topics. - -For this medical man was not at the disposal of the public. He was not -paid by them, and people could not get him to visit them at their own -houses. He belonged to the Duchess, only to the Duchess. This situation -even stimulated people's efforts, and provoked their desires. And, as -it was whispered positively that the Duchess was jealous, very jealous, -there was a desperate struggle between all these ladies to get advice -from the handsome Italian doctor. He gave it without forcing them to -entreat him very strenuously. - -Then, among the women whom he had favored with his advice arose an -interchange of intimate confidences, in order to give clear proof of -his solicitude. - -"Oh! my dear, he asked me questions--but such questions!" - -"Very indiscreet?" - -"Oh! indiscreet! Say frightful. I actually did not know what answers to -give him. He wanted to know things--but such things!" - -"It was the same way with me. He questioned me a great deal about my -husband!" - -"And me, also--together with details so--so personal! These questions -are very embarrassing. However, we understand perfectly well that it is -necessary to ask them." - -"Oh! of course. Health depends on these minute details. As for me, he -promised to perform massage on me at Paris this winter. I have great -need of it to supplement the treatment here." - -"Tell me, my dear, what do you intend to do in return? He cannot take -fees." - -"Good heavens! my idea was to present him with a scarf-pin. He must be -fond of them, for he has already two or three very nice ones." - -"Oh! how you embarrass me! The same notion was in my head. In that case -I'll give him a ring." - -And they concocted surprises in order to please him, thought of -ingenious presents in order to touch him, graceful pleasantries in -order to fascinate him. He became the "talk of the day," the great -subject of conversation, the sole object of public attention, till the -news spread that Count Gontran de Ravenel was paying his addresses to -Charlotte Oriol with a view to marrying her. And this at once led to a -fresh outburst of deafening clamor in Enval. - -Since the evening when he had opened with her the inaugural ball at -the Casino, Gontran had tied himself to the young girl's skirts. He -publicly showed her all those little attentions of men who want to -please without hiding their object; and their ordinary relations -assumed at the same time a character of gallantry, playful and natural, -which seemed likely to lead to love. - -They saw one another nearly every day, for the two girls had conceived -feelings of strong friendship toward Christiane, into which, no -doubt, there entered a considerable element of gratified vanity. -Gontran suddenly showed a disposition to remain constantly at his -sister's side; and he began to organize parties for the morning and -entertainments for the evening, which greatly astonished Christiane and -Paul. Then they noticed that he was devoting himself to Charlotte; he -gaily teased her, paid her compliments without appearing to do so, and -manifested toward her in a thousand ways that tender care which tends -to unite two beings in bonds of affection. The young girl, already -accustomed to the free and familiar manners of this gay Parisian youth, -did not at first see anything remarkable in these attentions; and, -abandoning herself to the impulses of her honest and confiding heart, -she began to laugh and enjoy herself with him as she might have done -with a brother. - -Now, she had returned home with her elder sister, after an evening -party at which Gontran had several times attempted to kiss her in -consequence of forfeits due by her in a game of "fly-pigeon," when -Louise, who had appeared anxious and nervous for some time past, said -to her in an abrupt tone: - -"You would do well to be a little careful about your deportment. M. -Gontran is not a suitable companion for you." - -"Not a suitable companion? What has he done?" - -"You know well what I mean--don't play the ninny! In the way you're -going on, you would soon compromise yourself; and if you don't know how -to watch over your conduct, it is my business to see after it." - -Charlotte, confused, and filled with shame, faltered: "But I don't -know--I assure you--I have seen nothing----" - -Her sister sharply interrupted her: "Listen! Things must not go on this -way. If he wants to marry you, it is for papa--for papa to consider the -matter and to give an answer; but, if he only wants to trifle with you, -he must desist at once!" - -Then, suddenly, Charlotte got annoyed without knowing why or with what. -She was indignant at her sister having taken it on herself to direct -her actions and to reprimand her; and, in a trembling voice, and with -tears in her eyes, she told her that she should not have interfered in -what did not concern her. She stammered in her exasperation, divining -by a vague but unerring instinct the jealousy that had been aroused in -the embittered heart of Louise. - -They parted without embracing one another, and Charlotte wept when she -got into bed, as she thought over things that she had never foreseen or -suspected. - -Gradually her tears ceased to flow, and she began to reflect. It was -true, nevertheless, that Gontran's demeanor toward her had altered. -She had enjoyed his acquaintance hitherto without understanding him. -She understood him now. At every turn he kept repeating to her pretty -compliments full of delicate flattery. On one occasion he had kissed -her hand. What were his intentions? She pleased him, but to what -extent? Was it possible by any chance that he desired to marry her? And -all at once she imagined that she could hear somewhere in the air, in -the silent night through whose empty spaces her dreams were flitting, a -voice exclaiming, "Comtesse de Ravenel." - -The emotion was so vivid that she sat up in the bed; then, with her -naked feet, she felt for her slippers under the chair over which -she had thrown her clothes, and she went to open the window without -consciousness of what she was doing, in order to find space for her -hopes. She could hear what they were saying in the room below stairs, -and Colosse's voice was raised: "Let it alone! let it alone! There will -be time enough to see to it. Father will arrange that. There is no harm -up to this. 'Tis father that will do the thing." - -She noticed that the window in front of the house, just below that at -which she was standing, was still lighted up. She asked herself: "Who -is there now? What are they talking about?" A shadow passed over the -luminous wall. It was her sister. So then, she had not yet gone to bed. -Why? But the light was presently extinguished; and Charlotte began to -think about other things that were agitating her heart. - -She could not go to sleep now. Did he love her? Oh! no; not yet. But he -might love her, since she had caught his fancy. And if he came to love -her much, desperately, as people love in society, he would certainly -marry her. - -Born in a house of vinedressers, she had preserved, although educated -in the young ladies' convent at Clermont, the modesty and humility of a -peasant girl. She used to think that she might marry a notary, perhaps, -or a barrister or a doctor; but the ambition to become a real lady of -high social position, with a title of nobility attached to her name had -never entered her mind. Even when she had just finished the perusal of -some love-story, and was musing over the glimpse presented to her of -such a charming prospect for a few minutes, it would speedily Vanish -from her soul just as chimeras vanish. Now, here was this unforeseen, -inconceivable thing, which had been suddenly conjured up by some words -of her sister, apparently drawing near her after the fashion of a -ship's sail driven onward by the wind. - -Every time she drew breath, she kept repeating with her lips: -"Comtesse de Ravenel." And the shades of her dark eyelashes, as they -closed in the night, were illuminated with visions. She saw beautiful -drawing-rooms brilliantly lighted up, beautiful women greeting her with -smiles, beautiful carriages waiting before the steps of a château, and -grand servants in livery bowing as she passed. - -She felt heated in her bed; her heart was beating. She rose up a second -time in order to drink a glass of water, and to remain standing in her -bare feet for a few moments on the cold floor of her apartment. - -Then, somewhat calmed, she ended by falling asleep. But she awakened at -dawn, so much had the agitation of her heart passed into her veins. - -She felt ashamed of her little room with its white walls, washed -with water by a rustic glazier, her poor cotton curtains, and some -straw-chairs which never quitted their place at the two corners of her -chest of drawers. - -She realized that she was a peasant in the midst of these rude articles -of furniture which bespoke her origin. She felt herself lowly, unworthy -of this handsome, mocking young fellow, whose fair hair and laughing -face had floated before her eyes, had disappeared from her vision and -then come back, had gradually engrossed her thoughts, and had already -found a place in her heart. - -Then she jumped out of bed and ran to look for her glass, her little -toilette-glass, as large as the center of a plate; after that, she got -into bed again, her mirror between her hands; and she looked at her -face surrounded by her hair which hung loose on the white background of -the pillow. - -Presently she laid down on the bedclothes the little piece of glass -which reflected her lineaments, and she thought how difficult it would -be for such an alliance to take place, so great was the distance -between them. Thereupon a feeling of vexation seized her by the throat. -But immediately afterward she gazed at her image, once more smiling at -herself in order to look nice, and, as she considered herself pretty, -the difficulties disappeared. - -When she went down to breakfast, her sister, who wore a look of -irritation, asked her: - -"What do you propose to do to-day?" - -Charlotte replied unhesitatingly: "Are we not going in the carriage to -Royat with Madame Andermatt?" - -Louise returned: "You are going alone, then; but you might do something -better, after what I said to you last night." - -The younger sister interrupted her: "I don't ask for your advice--mind -your own business!" - -And they did not speak to one another again. - -Père Oriol and Jacques came in, and took their seats at the table. The -old man asked almost immediately: "What are you doing to-day, girls?" - -Charlotte said without giving her sister time to answer: "As for me, I -am going to Royat with Madame Andermatt." - -The two men eyed her with an air of satisfaction; and the father -muttered with that engaging smile which he could put on when discussing -any business of a profitable character: "That's good! that's good!" - -She was more surprised at this secret complacency which she observed in -their entire bearing than at the visible anger of Louise; and she asked -herself, in a somewhat disturbed frame of mind: "Can they have been -talking this over all together?" - -As soon as the meal was over, she went up again to her room, put on her -hat, seized her parasol, threw a light cloak over her arm, and she went -off in the direction of the hotel, for they were to start at half past -one. - -Christiane expressed her astonishment at finding that Louise had not -come. - -Charlotte felt herself flushing as she replied: "She is a little -fatigued; I believe she has a headache." - -And they stepped into the landau, the big landau with six seats, which -they always used. The Marquis and his daughter remained at the lower -end, while the Oriol girl found herself seated at the opposite side -between the two young men. - -They passed in front of Tournoel; they proceeded along the foot of -the mountain, by a beautiful winding road, under the walnut and -chestnut-trees. Charlotte several times felt conscious that Gontran was -pressing close up to her, but was too prudent to take offense at it. -As he sat at her right-hand side, he spoke with his face close to her -cheek; and she did not venture to turn round to answer him, through -fear of touching his mouth, which she felt already on her lips, and -also through fear of his eyes, whose glance would have unnerved her. - -He whispered in her ear gallant absurdities, laughable fooleries, -agreeable and well-turned compliments. - -Christiane scarcely uttered a word, heavy and sick from her pregnancy. -And Paul appeared sad, preoccupied. The Marquis alone chatted without -unrest or anxiety, in the sprightly, graceful style of a selfish old -nobleman. - -They got down at the park of Royat to listen to the music, and Gontran, -offering Charlotte his arm, set forth with her in front. The army of -bathers, on the chairs, around the kiosk, where the leader of the -orchestra was keeping time with the brass instruments and the violins, -watched the promenaders filing past. The women exhibited their dresses -by stretching out their legs as far as the bars of the chairs in -front of them, and their dainty summer head-gear made them look more -fascinating. - -Charlotte and Gontran sauntered through the midst of the people who -occupied the seats, looking out for faces of a comic type to find -materials for their pleasantries. - -Every moment he heard some one saying behind them: "Look there! what a -pretty girl!" He felt flattered, and asked himself whether they took -her for his sister, his wife, or his mistress. - -Christiane, seated between her father and Paul, saw them passing -several times, and thinking they exhibited too much youthful frivolity, -she called them over to her to soberize them. But they paid no -attention to her, and went on vagabondizing through the crowd, enjoying -themselves with their whole hearts. - -She said in a whisper to Paul Bretigny: "He will finish by compromising -her. It will be necessary that we should speak to him this evening when -he comes back." - -Paul replied: "I had already thought about it. You are quite right." - -They went to dine in one of the restaurants of Clermont-Ferrand, those -of Royat being no good, according to the Marquis, who was a gourmand, -and they returned at nightfall. - -Charlotte had become serious, Gontran having strongly pressed her hand, -while presenting her gloves to her, before she quitted the table. Her -young girl's conscience was suddenly troubled. This was an avowal! an -advance! an impropriety! What ought she to do? Speak to him? but about -what? To be offended would be ridiculous. There was need of so much -tact in these circumstances. But by doing nothing, by saying nothing, -she produced the impression of accepting his advances, of becoming his -accomplice, of answering "yes" to this pressure of the hand. - -And she weighed the situation, accusing herself of having been too gay -and too familiar at Royat, thinking just now that her sister was right, -that she was compromised, lost! The carriage rolled along the road. -Paul and Gontran smoked in silence; the Marquis slept; Christiane gazed -at the stars; and Charlotte found it hard to keep back her tears--for -she had swallowed three glasses of champagne. - -When they had got back, Christiane said to her father: "As it is dark, -you have to see this young girl home." - -The Marquis, without delay, offered her his arm, and went off with her. - -Paul laid his hands on Gontran's shoulders, and whispered in his ear: -"Come and have five minutes' talk with your sister and myself." - -And they went up to the little drawing-room communicating with the -apartments of Andermatt and his wife. - -When they were seated, Christiane said: "Listen! M. Paul and I want to -give you a good lecture." - -"A good lecture! But about what? I'm as wise as an image for want of -opportunities." - -"Don't trifle! You are doing a very imprudent and very dangerous thing -without thinking on it. You are compromising this young girl." - -He appeared much astonished. "Who is that? Charlotte?" - -"Yes, Charlotte!" - -"I'm compromising Charlotte?--I?" - -"Yes, you are compromising her. Everyone here is talking about it, and -this evening again in the park at Royat you have been very--very light. -Isn't that so, Bretigny?" - -Paul answered: "Yes, Madame, I entirely share your sentiments." - -Gontran turned his chair around, bestrode it like a horse, took a fresh -cigar, lighted it, then burst out laughing. - -"Ha! so then I am compromising Charlotte Oriol?" - -He waited a few seconds to see the effect of his words, then added: -"And who told you I did not intend to marry her?" - -Christiane gave a start of amazement. - -"Marry her? You? Why, you're mad!" - -"Why so?" - -"That--that little peasant girl!" - -"Tra! la! la! Prejudices! Is it from your husband you learned them?" - -As she made no response to this direct argument, he went on, putting -both questions and answers himself: - -"Is she pretty?--Yes! Is she well educated?--Yes! And more ingenuous, -more simple, and more honest than girls in good society. She knows as -much as another, for she can speak both English and the language of -Auvergne--that makes two foreign languages. She will be as rich as any -heiress of the Faubourg Saint-Germain--as it was formerly called (they -are now going to christen it Faubourg Sainte-Deche)--and finally, if -she is a peasant's daughter, she'll be only all the more healthy to -present me with fine children. Enough!" - -As he had always the appearance of laughing and jesting, Christiane -asked hesitatingly: "Come! are you speaking seriously?" - -"Faith, I am! She is charming, this little girl! She has a good heart -and a pretty face, a genial character and a good temper, rosy cheeks, -bright eyes, white teeth, ruby lips, and flowing tresses, glossy, -thick, and full of soft folds. And then her vinedressing father will be -as rich as Croesus, thanks to your husband, my dear sister. What more -do you want? The daughter of a peasant! Well, is not the daughter of a -peasant as good as any of those money-lenders' daughters who pay such -high prices for dukes with doubtful titles, or any of the daughters -born of aristocratic prostitution whom the Empire has given us, or any -of the daughters with double sires whom we meet in society? Why, if I -did marry this girl I should be doing the first wise and rational act -of my life!" - -Christiane reflected, then, all of a sudden, convinced, overcome, -delighted, she exclaimed: - -"Why, all you have said is true! It is quite true, quite right! So then -you are going to marry her, my little Gontran?" - -It was he who now sought to moderate her ardor. "Not so quick--not so -quick--let me reflect in my turn. I only declare that, if I did marry -her, I would be doing the first wise and rational act of my life. That -does not go so far as saying that I will marry her; but I am thinking -over it; I am studying her, I am paying her a little attention to see -if I can like her sufficiently. In short, I don't answer 'yes' or 'no,' -but it is nearer to 'yes' than to 'no.'" - -Christiane turned toward Paul: "What do you think of it, Monsieur -Bretigny?" - -She called him at one time Monsieur Bretigny, and at another time -Bretigny only. - -He, always fascinated by the things in which he imagined he saw an -element of greatness, by unequal matches which seemed to him to exhibit -generosity, by all the sentimental parade in which the human heart -masks itself, replied: "For my part I think he is right in this. If he -likes her, let him marry her; he could not find better." - -But, the Marquis and Andermatt having returned, they had to talk about -other subjects; and the two young men went to the Casino to see whether -the gaming-room was still open. - -From that day forth Christiane and Paul appeared to favor Gontran's -open courtship of Charlotte. - -The young girl was more frequently invited to the hotel by Christiane, -and was treated in fact as if she were already a member of the family. -She saw all this clearly, understood it, and was quite delighted at -it. Her little head throbbed like a drum, and went building fantastic -castles in Spain. Gontran, in the meantime had said nothing definite -to her; but his demeanor, all his words, the tone that he assumed with -her, his more serious air of gallantry, the caress of his glance seemed -every day to keep repeating to her: "I have chosen you; you are to be -my wife." - -And the tone of sweet affection, of discreet self-surrender, of chaste -reserve which she now adopted toward him, seemed to give this answer: -"I know it, and I'll say 'yes' whenever you ask for my hand." - -In the young girl's family, the matter was discussed in confidential -whispers. Louise scarcely opened her lips now except to annoy her with -hurtful allusions, with sharp and sarcastic remarks. Père Oriol and -Jacques appeared to be content. - -She did not ask herself, all the same, whether she loved this -good-looking suitor, whose wife she was, no doubt, destined to become. -She liked him, she was constantly thinking about him; she considered -him handsome, witty, elegant--she was speculating, above all, on what -she would do when she was married to him. - -In Enval people had forgotten the malignant rivalries of the physicians -and the proprietors of springs, the theories as to the supposed -attachment of the Duchess de Ramas for her doctor, all the scandals -that flow along with the waters of thermal stations, in order to occupy -their minds entirely with this extraordinary circumstance--that Count -Gontran de Ravenel was going to marry the younger of the Oriol girls. - -When Gontran thought the moment had arrived, taking Andermatt by the -arm, one morning, as they were rising from the breakfast-table, he said -to him: "My dear fellow, strike while the iron is hot! Here is the -exact state of affairs: The little one is waiting for me to propose, -without my having committed myself at all; but, you may be quite -certain she will not refuse me. It is necessary to sound her father -about it in such a way as to promote, at the same time, your interests -and mine." - -Andermatt replied: "Make your mind easy. I'll take that on myself. I am -going to sound him this very day without compromising you and without -thrusting you forward; and when the situation is perfectly clear, I'll -talk about it." - -"Capital!" - -Then, after a few moments' silence, Gontran added: "Hold on! This is -perhaps my last day of bachelorhood. I am going on to Royat, where I -saw some acquaintances of mine the other day. I'll be back to-night, -and I'll tap at your door to know the result." - -He saddled his horse, and proceeded along by the mountain, inhaling the -pure, genial air, and sometimes starting into a gallop to feel the keen -caress of the breeze brushing the fresh skin of his cheek and tickling -his mustache. - -The evening-party at Royat was a jolly affair. He met some of his -friends there who had brought girls along with them. They lingered a -long time at supper; he returned home at a very late hour. Everyone -had gone to bed in the hotel of Mont Oriol when Gontran went to tap at -Andermatt's door. There was no answer at first; then, as the knocking -became much louder, a hoarse voice, the voice of one disturbed while -asleep, grunted from within: - -"Who's there?" - -"'Tis I, Gontran." - -"Wait--I'm opening the door." - -Andermatt appeared in his nightshirt, with puffed-up face, bristling -chin, and a silk handkerchief tied round his head. Then he got back -into bed, sat down in it, and with his hands stretched over the sheets: - -"Well, my dear fellow, this won't do me. Here is how matters stand: -I have sounded this old fox Oriol, without mentioning you, referring -merely to a certain friend of mine--I have perhaps allowed him to -suppose that the person I meant was Paul Bretigny--as a suitable match -for one of his daughters, and I asked what dowry he would give her. He -answered me by asking in his turn what were the young man's means; and -I fixed the amount at three hundred thousand francs with expectations." - -"But I have nothing," muttered Gontran. - -"I am lending you the money, my dear fellow. If we work this business -between us, your lands would yield me enough to reimburse me." - -Gontran sneered: "All right. I'll have the woman and you the money." - -But Andermatt got quite annoyed. "If I am to interest myself in your -affairs in order that you might insult me, there's an end of it--let us -say no more about it!" - -Gontran apologized: "Don't get vexed, my dear fellow, and excuse me! -I know that you are a very honest man of irreproachable loyalty in -matters of business. I would not ask you for the price of a drink if I -were your coachman; but I would intrust my fortune to you if I were a -millionaire." - -William, less excited, rejoined: "We'll return presently to that -subject. Let us first dispose of the principal question. The old man -was not taken in by my wiles, and said to me in reply: 'It depends -on which of them is the girl you're talking about. If 'tis Louise, -the elder one, here's her dowry.' And he enumerated for me all the -lands that are around the establishment, those which are between the -baths and the hotel and between the hotel and the Casino, all those, -in short, which are indispensable to us, those which have for me an -inestimable value. He gives, on the contrary, to the younger girl the -other side of the mountain, which will be worth as much money later on, -no doubt, but which is worth nothing to me. I tried in every possible -way to make him modify their partition and invert the lots. I was only -knocking my head against the obstinacy of a mule. He will not change; -he has fixed his resolution. Reflect--what do you think of it?" - -Gontran, much troubled, much perplexed, replied: "What do you think -of it yourself? Do you believe that he was thinking of me in thus -distributing the shares in the land?" - -"I haven't a doubt of it. The clown said to himself: 'As he likes -the younger one, let us take care of the bag.' He hopes to give -you his daughter while keeping his best lands. And again perhaps -his object is to give the advantage to the elder girl. He prefers -her--who knows?--she is more like himself--she is more cunning--more -artful--more practical. I believe she is a strapping lass, this -one--for my part, if I were in your place, I would change my stick from -one shoulder to the other." - -But Gontran, stunned, began muttering: "The devil! the devil! the -devil! And Charlotte's lands--you don't want them?" - -Andermatt exclaimed: "I--no--a thousand times, no! I want those which -are close to my baths, my hotel, and my Casino. It is very simple, I -wouldn't give anything for the others, which could only be sold, at a -later period, in small lots to private individuals." - -Gontran kept still repeating: "The devil! the devil! the devil! here's -a plaguy business! So then you advise me?" - -"I don't advise you at all. I think you would do well to reflect before -deciding between the two sisters." - -"Yes--yes--that's true--I will reflect--I am going to sleep first--that -brings counsel." - -He rose up; Andermatt held him back. - -"Excuse me, my dear boy!--a word or two on another matter. I may not -appear to understand, but I understand very well the allusions with -which you sting me incessantly, and I don't want any more of them. -You reproach me with being a Jew--that is to say, with making money, -with being avaricious, with being a speculator, so as to come close to -sheer swindling. Now, my friend, I spend my life in lending you this -money that I make--not without trouble--or rather in giving it to you. -However, let that be! But there is one point that I don't admit! No, -I am not avaricious. The proof of it is that I have made presents to -your sister, presents of twenty thousand francs at a time, that I gave -your father a Theodore Rousseau worth ten thousand francs, to which he -took a fancy, and that I presented you, when you were coming here, with -the horse on which you rode a little while ago to Royat. In what then -am I avaricious? In not letting myself be robbed. And we are all like -that among my race, and we are right, Monsieur. I want to say it to -you once for all. We are regarded as misers because we know the exact -value of things. For you a piano is a piano, a chair is a chair, a pair -of trousers is a pair of trousers. For us also, but it represents, at -the same time, a value, a mercantile value appreciable and precise, -which a practical man should estimate with a single glance, not through -stinginess, but in order not to countenance fraud. What would you say -if a tobacconist asked you four sous for a postage-stamp or for a box -of wax-matches? You would go to look for a policeman, Monsieur, for -one sou, yes, for one sou--so indignant would you be! And that because -you knew, by chance, the value of these two articles. Well, as for -me, I know the value of all salable articles; and that indignation -which would take possession of you, if you were asked four sous for -a postage-stamp, I experience when I am asked twenty francs for an -umbrella which is worth fifteen! I protest against the established -theft, ceaseless and abominable, of merchants, servants, and coachmen. -I protest against the commercial dishonesty of all your race which -despises us. I give the price of a drink which I am bound to give for a -service rendered, and not that which as the result of a whim you fling -away without knowing why, and which ranges from five to a hundred sous -according to the caprice of your temper! Do you understand?" - -Gontran had risen by this time, and smiling with that refined irony -which came happily from his lips: - -"Yes, my dear fellow, I understand, and you are perfectly right, and -so much the more right because my grandfather, the old Marquis de -Ravenel, scarcely left anything to my poor father in consequence of the -bad habit which he had of never picking up the change handed to him -by the shopkeepers when he was paying for any article whatsoever. He -thought that unworthy of a gentleman, and always gave the round sum and -the entire coin." - -And Gontran went out with a self-satisfied air. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - -A Mutual Understanding - - -They were just ready to go in to dinner, on the following day, in the -private dining-room of the Andermatt and Ravenel families, when Gontran -opened the door announcing the "Mesdemoiselles Oriol." - -They entered, with an air of constraint, pushed forward by Gontran, who -laughed while he explained: - -"Here they are! I have carried them both off through the middle of the -street. Moreover, it excited public attention. I brought them here by -force to you because I want to explain myself to Madame Louise, and -could not do so in the open air." - -He took from them their hats and their parasols, which they were still -carrying, as they had been on their way back from a promenade, made -them sit down, embraced his sister, pressed the hands of his father, -of his brother-in-law, and of Paul, and then, approaching Louise Oriol -once more, said: - -"Here now, Mademoiselle, kindly tell me what you have against me for -some time past?" - -She seemed scared, like a bird caught in a net, and carried away by the -hunter. - -"Why, nothing, Monsieur, nothing at all! What has made you believe -that?" - -"Oh! everything, Mademoiselle, everything at all! You no longer come -here--you no longer come in the Noah's Ark [so he had baptized the big -landau]. You assume a harsh tone whenever I meet you and when I speak -to you." - -"Why, no, Monsieur, I assure you!" - -"Why, yes, Mam'zelle, I declare to you! In any case, I don't want this -to continue, and I am going to make peace with you this very day. Oh! -you know I am obstinate. There's no use in your looking black at me. -I'll know easily how to get the better of your hoity-toity airs, and -make you be nice toward your sister, who is an angel of grace." - -It was announced that dinner was ready; and they made their way to -the dining-room. Gontran took Louise's arm in his. He was exceedingly -attentive to her and to her sister, dividing his compliments between -them with admirable tact, and remarking to the younger girl: "As for -you, you are a comrade of ours--I am going to neglect you for a few -days. One goes to less expense for friends than for strangers, you are -aware." - -And he said to the elder: "As for you, I want to bewitch you, -Mademoiselle, and I warn you as a loyal foe! I will even make love to -you. Ha! you are blushing--that's a good sign. You'll see that I am -very nice, when I take pains about it. Isn't that so, Mademoiselle -Charlotte?" - -And they were both, indeed, blushing, and Louise stammered with her -serious air: "Oh! Monsieur, how foolish you are!" - -He replied: "Bah! you will hear many things said by others by and by in -society, when you are married, which will not be long. 'Tis then they -will really pay you compliments." - -Christiane and Paul Bretigny expressed their approval of his action in -having brought back Louise Oriol; the Marquis smiled, amused by these -childish affectations. Andermatt was thinking: "He's no fool, the sly -dog." And Gontran, irritated by the part which he was compelled to -play, drawn by his senses toward Charlotte and by his interests toward -Louise, muttered between his teeth with a sly smile in her direction: -"Ah! your rascal of a father thought to play a trick upon me; but I am -going to carry it with a high hand over you, my lassie, and you will -see whether I won't go about it the right way!" - -And he compared the two, inspecting them one after the other. -Certainly, he liked the younger more; she was more amusing, more -lively, with her nose tilted slightly, her bright eyes, her straight -forehead, and her beautiful teeth a little too prominent in a mouth -which was somewhat too wide. - -However, the other was pretty, too, colder, less gay. She would never -be lively or charming in the intimate relations of life; but when at -the opening of a ball "the Comtesse de Ravenel" would be announced, she -could carry her title well--better perhaps than her younger sister, -when she got a little accustomed to it, and had mingled with persons -of high birth. No matter; he was annoyed. He was full of spite against -the father and the brother also, and he promised himself that he would -pay them off afterward for his mischance when he was the master. When -they returned to the drawing-room, he got Louise to read the cards, as -she was skilled in foretelling the future. The Marquis, Andermatt, and -Charlotte listened attentively, attracted, in spite of themselves, by -the mystery of the unknown, by the possibility of the improbable, by -that invincible credulity with reference to the marvelous which haunts -man, and often disturbs the strongest minds in the presence of the -silly inventions of charlatans. - -Paul and Christiane chatted in the recess of an open window. For some -time past she had been miserable, feeling that she was no longer loved -in the same fashion; and their misunderstanding as lovers was every day -accentuated by their mutual error. She had suspected this unfortunate -state of things for the first time on the evening of the _fête_ when -she brought Paul along the road. But while she understood that he had -no longer the same tenderness in his look, the same caress in his -voice, the same passionate anxiety about her as in the days of their -early love, she had not been able to divine the cause of this change. - -It had existed for a long time now, ever since the day when she -had said to him with a look of happiness on reaching their daily -meeting-place: "You know, I believe I am really _enceinte_." He had -felt at that moment an unpleasant little shiver running all over his -skin. Then at each of their meetings she would talk to him about her -condition, which made her heart dance with joy; but this preoccupation -with a matter which he regarded as vexatious, ugly, and unclean clashed -with his devoted exaltation about the idol that he had adored. At a -later stage, when he saw her altered, thin, her cheeks hollow, her -complexion yellow, he thought that she might have spared him that -spectacle, and might have vanished for a few months from his sight, to -reappear afterward fresher and prettier than ever, thus knowing how to -make him forget this accident, or perhaps knowing how to unite to her -coquettish fascinations as a mistress, another charm, the thoughtful -reserve of a young mother, who only allows her baby to be seen at a -distance covered up in red ribbons. - -She had, besides, a rare opportunity of displaying that tact which -he expected of her by spending the summer apart from him at Mont -Oriol, and leaving him in Paris so that he might not see her robbed -of her freshness and beauty. He had fondly hoped that she might have -understood him. - -But, immediately on reaching Auvergne, she had appealed to him in -incessant and despairing letters so numerous and so urgent that he had -come to her through weakness, through pity. And now she was boring him -to death with her ungracious and lugubrious tenderness; and he felt an -extreme longing to get away from her, to see no more of her, to listen -no longer to her talk about love, so irritating and out of place. He -would have liked to tell her plainly all that he had in his mind, -to point out to her how unskillful and foolish she showed herself; -but he could not bring himself to do this, and he dared not take his -departure. As a result he could not restrain himself from testifying -his impatience with her in bitter and hurtful words. - -She was stung by them the more because, every day more ill, more heavy, -tormented by all the sufferings of pregnant women, she had more need -than ever of being consoled, fondled, encompassed with affection. She -loved him with that utter abandonment of body and soul, of her entire -being, which sometimes renders love a sacrifice without reservations -and without bounds. She no longer looked upon herself as his mistress, -but as his wife, his companion, his devotee, his worshiper, his -prostrate slave, his chattel. For her there seemed no further need of -any gallantry, coquetry, constant desire to please, or fresh indulgence -between them, since she belonged to him entirely, since they were -linked together by that chain so sweet and so strong--the child which -would soon be born. When they were alone at the window, she renewed her -tender lamentation: "Paul, my dear Paul, tell me, do you love me as -much as ever?" - -"Yes, certainly! Come now, you keep repeating this every day--it will -end by becoming monotonous." - -"Pardon me. It is because I find it impossible to believe it any -longer, and I want you to reassure me; I want to hear you saying it to -me forever that word which is so sweet; and, as you don't repeat it to -me so often as you used to do, I am compelled to ask for it, to implore -it, to beg for it from you." - -"Well, yes, I love you! But let us talk of something else, I entreat of -you." - -"Ah! how hard you are!" - -"Why, no! I am not hard. Only--only you do not understand--you do not -understand that----" - -"Oh! yes! I understand well that you no longer love me. If you knew how -I am suffering!" - -"Come, Christiane, I beg of you not to make me nervous. If you knew -yourself how awkward what you are now doing is!" - -"Ah! if you loved me, you would not talk to me in this way." - -"But, deuce take it! if I did not love you, I would not have come." - -"Listen. You belong to me now. You are mine; I am yours. There is -between us that tie of a budding life which nothing can break; but will -you promise me that, if one day, you should come to love me no more, -you will tell me so?" - -"Yes, I do promise you." - -"You swear it to me?" - -"I swear it to you." - -"But then, all the same, we would remain friends, would we not?" - -"Certainly, let us remain friends." - -"On the day when you no longer regard me with love you'll come to find -me and you'll say to me: 'My little Christiane, I am very fond of -you, but it is not the same thing any more. Let us be friends, there! -nothing but friends.'" - -"That is understood; I promise it to you." - -"You swear it to me?" - -"I swear it to you." - -"No matter, it would cause me great grief. How you adored me last -year!" - -A voice called out behind them: "The Duchess de Ramas-Aldavarra." - -She had come as a neighbor, for Christiane held receptions each day -for the principal bathers, just as princes hold receptions in their -kingdoms. - -Doctor Mazelli followed the lovely Spaniard with a smiling and -submissive air. The two women pressed one another's hands, sat down, -and commenced to chat. - -Andermatt called Paul across to him: "My dear friend come here! -Mademoiselle Oriol reads the cards splendidly; she has told me some -astonishing things!" - -He took Paul by the arm, and added: "What an odd being you are! At -Paris, we never saw you, even once a month, in spite of the entreaties -of my wife. Here it required fifteen letters to get you to come. And -since you have come, one would think you are losing a million a day, -you look so disconsolate. Come, are you hearing any matter that ruffles -you? We might be able to assist you. You should tell us about it." - -"Nothing at all, my dear fellow. If I haven't visited you more -frequently in Paris--'tis because at Paris, you understand----" - -"Perfectly--I grasp your meaning. But here, at least, you ought to be -in good spirits. I am preparing for you two or three _fêtes_, which -will, I am sure, be very successful." - -"Madame Barre and Professor Cloche" were announced. He entered with his -daughter, a young widow, red-haired and bold-faced. Then, almost in the -same breath, the manservant called out: "Professor Mas-Roussel." - -His wife accompanied him, pale, worn, with flat headbands drawn over -her temples. - -Professor Remusot had left the day before, after having, it was said, -purchased his chalet on exceptionally favorable conditions. - -The two other doctors would have liked to know what these conditions -were, but Andermatt merely said in reply to them: "Oh! we have made -little advantageous arrangements for everybody. If you desired to -follow his example, we might see our way to a mutual understanding--we -might see our way. When you have made up your mind, you can let me -know, and then we'll talk about it." - -Doctor Latonne appeared in his turn, then Doctor Honorat, without his -wife, whom he did not bring with him. A din of voices now filled the -drawing-room, the loud buzz of conversation. Gontran never left Louise -Oriol's side, put his head over her shoulder in addressing her, and -said with a laugh every now and again to whoever was passing near him: -"This is an enemy of whom I am making a conquest." - -Mazelli took a seat beside Professor Cloche's daughter. For some days -he had been constantly following her about; and she had received his -advances with provoking audacity. - -The Duchess, who kept him well in view, appeared irritated and -trembling. Suddenly she rose, crossed the drawing-room, and interrupted -her doctor's confidential chat with the pretty red-haired widow, -saying: "Come, Mazelli, we are going to retire. I feel rather ill at -ease." - -As soon as they had gone out, Christiane drew close to Paul's side, -and said to him: "Poor woman! she must suffer so much!" - -He asked heedlessly: "Who, pray?" - -"The Duchess! You don't see how jealous she is." - -He replied abruptly: "If you begin to groan over everything you can lay -hold of now, you'll have no end of weeping." - -She turned away, ready, indeed, to shed tears, so cruel did she find -him, and, sitting down near Charlotte Oriol, who was all alone in a -dazed condition, unable to comprehend the meaning of Gontran's conduct, -she said to the young girl, without letting the latter realize what her -words conveyed: "There are days when one would like to be dead." - -Andermatt, in the midst of the doctors, was relating the extraordinary -case of Père Clovis, whose legs were beginning to come to life again. -He appeared so thoroughly convinced that nobody could doubt his good -faith. - -Since he had seen through the trick of the peasants and the paralytic, -understood that he had let himself be duped and persuaded, the year -before, through the sheer desire to believe in the efficacy of the -waters with which he had been bitten, since, above all, he had not been -able to free himself, without paying, from the formidable complaints -of the old man, he had converted it into a strong advertisement, and -worked it wonderfully well. - -Mazelli had just come back, after having accompanied his patient to her -own apartments. - -Gontran caught hold of his arm: "Tell me your opinion, my good doctor. -Which of the Oriol girls do you prefer?" - -The handsome physician whispered in his ear: "The younger one, to love; -the elder one, to marry." - -"Look at that! We are exactly of the same way of thinking. I am -delighted at it!" - -Then, going over to his sister, who was still talking to Charlotte: -"You are not aware of it? I have made up my mind that we are to visit -the Puy de la Nugère on Thursday. It is the finest crater of the chain. -Everyone consents. It is a settled thing." - -Christiane murmured with an air of indifference: "I consent to anything -you like." - -But Professor Cloche, followed by his daughter, was about to take his -leave, and Mazelli, offering to see them home, started off behind the -young widow. In five minutes, everyone had left, for Christiane went -to bed at eleven o'clock. The Marquis, Paul, and Gontran accompanied -the Oriol girls. Gontran and Louise walked in front, and Bretigny, some -paces behind them, felt Charlotte's arm trembling a little as it leaned -on his. - -They separated with the agreement: "On Thursday at eleven for breakfast -at the hotel!" - -On their way back they met Andermatt, detained in a corner of the park -by Professor Mas-Roussel, who was saying to him: "Well, if it does not -put you about, I'll come and have a chat with you to-morrow morning -about that little business of the chalet." - -William joined the young men to go in with them, and, drawing himself -up to his brother-in-law's ear, said: "My best compliments, my dear -boy! You have acted your part admirably." - -Gontran, for the past two years, had been harassed by pecuniary -embarrassments which had spoiled his existence. So long as he was -spending the share which came to him from his mother, he had allowed -his life to pass in that carelessness and indifference which he -inherited from his father, in the midst of those young men, rich, -_blasé_, and corrupted, whose doings we read about every morning in the -newspapers, who belong to the world of fashion but mingle in it very -little, preferring the society of women of easy virtue and purchasable -hearts. - -There were a dozen of them in the same set, who were to be found every -night at the same _café_ on the boulevard between midnight and three -o'clock in the morning. Very well dressed, always in black coats and -white waistcoats, wearing shirt-buttons worth twenty louis changed -every month, and bought in one of the principal jewelers' shops, -they lived careless of everything, save amusing themselves, picking -up women, making them a subject of talk, and getting money by every -possible means. - -As the only things they had any knowledge of were the scandals of the -night before, the echoes of alcoves and stables, duels and stories -about gambling transactions, the entire horizon of their thoughts was -shut in by these barriers. They had had all the women who were for sale -in the market of gallantry, had passed them through their hands, given -them up, exchanged them with one another, and talked among themselves -as to their erotic qualities as they might have talked about the -qualities of race-horses. They also associated with people of rank -whose voluptuous habits excited comment and whose women nearly all -kept up intrigues which were matters of notoriety, under the eyes of -husbands indifferent or averted or closed or devoid of perception; and -they passed judgment on these women as on the others, forming much the -same estimate about them, save that they made a slight distinction on -the grounds of birth and social position. - -By dint of resorting to dodges to get the money necessary for the life -which they led, outwitting usurers, borrowing on all sides, putting -off tradesmen, laughing in the faces of their tailors when presented -with a big bill every six months, listening to girls telling about the -infamies they perpetrated in order to gratify their feminine greed, -seeing systematic cheating at clubs, knowing and feeling that they -were individually robbed by everyone, by servants, merchants, keepers -of big restaurants and others, becoming acquainted with certain sharp -practices and shady transactions in which they themselves had a hand in -order to knock out a few louis, their moral sense had become blunted, -used up, and their sole point of honor consisted in fighting duels when -they realized that they were suspected of all the things of which they -were either capable or actually guilty. - -Everyone of these young _roués_, after some years of this existence, -ended with a rich marriage, or a scandal, or a suicide, or a mysterious -disappearance as complete as death. But they put their principal -reliance on the rich marriage. Some trusted to their families to -procure such a thing for them; others looked out themselves for it -without letting it be noticed; and they had lists of heiresses just -as people have lists of houses for sale. They kept their eyes fixed -especially on the exotics, the Americans of the north and of the south, -whom they dazzled by their "chic," by their reputation as fast men, by -talk about their successes, and by the elegance of their persons. And -their tradesmen also placed reliance on the rich marriage. - -But this hunt after the girl with a fortune was bound to be protracted. -In any case it involved inquiries, the trouble of winning a female -heart, fatigues, visits, all that exercise of energy of which Gontran, -careless by nature, remained utterly incapable. For a long time -past, he had been saying to himself, feeling each day more keenly -the unpleasantness of impecuniosity: "I must, for all that, think -over it." But he did not think over it, and so he found nothing. He -had been reduced to the ingenious pursuit of paltry sums, to all the -questionable steps of people at the end of their resources, and, to -crown all, to long sojourns in the family, when Andermatt had suddenly -suggested to him the idea of marrying one of the Oriol girls. - -He had, at first, said nothing through prudence, although the young -girl appeared to him, at first blush, too much beneath him for him to -consent to such an unequal match. But a few minutes' reflection had -very speedily modified his view; and he forthwith made up his mind -to make love to her in a bantering sort of way--the love-making of a -spa--which would not compromise him, and would permit him to back out -of it. - -Thoroughly acquainted with his brother-in-law's character, he knew that -this proposition must have been cogitated for a long time, and weighed -and matured by him--that she meant to him a valuable prize such as it -would be hard to find elsewhere. - -It would cost him no trouble but that of stooping down and picking up -a pretty girl, for he liked the younger sister very much, and he had -often said to himself that she would be nice to associate with later -on. He had accordingly selected Charlotte Oriol; and in a little time -would have brought matters to the point when a regular proposal might -have been made to her. - -Now, as the father was bestowing on his other daughter the dowry -coveted by Andermatt, Gontran had either to renounce this union or -turn round to the elder sister. He felt intense dissatisfaction with -this state of affairs and he had been thinking in his first moments of -vexation of sending his brother-in-law to the devil and remaining a -bachelor until a fresh opportunity arose. But just at that very time -he found himself quite cleaned out, so that he had to ask, for his -play at the Casino, a sum of twenty-five louis from Paul, after many -similar loans, which he had never paid back. And again, he would have -to look for a rich wife, find her, and captivate her, while without any -change of place, with only a few days of attention and gallantry, he -could capture the elder of the Oriol girls just as he had been able to -make a conquest of the younger. In this way he would make sure in his -brother-in-law of a banker whom he might render always responsible, on -whom he might cast endless reproaches, and whose cash-box would always -be open for him. - -As for his wife, he could bring her to Paris, and there introduce her -into society as the daughter of Andermatt's partner. Moreover, she bore -the name of the spa, to which he would never bring her back! Never! -never! in virtue of the natural law that streams do not return to their -sources. She had a nice face and figure, sufficiently distinguished -already to become entirely so, sufficiently intelligent to understand -the ways of society, to hold her own in it, to make a good show in -it, and even to do him honor. People would say: "This joker here has -married a lovely girl, at whom he looks as if he were not making a bad -joke of it." And he would not make a bad joke of it, in fact, for he -counted on resuming by her side his bachelor existence with the money -in his pockets. - -So he turned toward Louise Oriol, and, taking advantage of the jealousy -awakened in the skittish heart of the young girl, without being aware -of it, had excited in her a coquetry which had hitherto slumbered, and -a vague desire to take away from her sister this handsome lover whom -people addressed as "Monsieur le Comte." - -She had not said this in her own mind. She had neither thought it out -nor contrived it, being surprised at their being thrown together and -going off in one another's company. But when she saw him assiduous -and gallant toward her, she felt from his demeanor, from his glances, -and his entire attitude, that he was not enamored of Charlotte, and -without trying to see beyond that, she was in a happy, joyous, almost -triumphant frame of mind as she lay down to sleep. - -They hesitated for a long time on the following Thursday before -starting for the Puy de la Nugère. The gloomy sky and the heavy -atmosphere made them anticipate rain. But Gontran insisted so strongly -on going that he carried the waverers along with him. The breakfast -was a melancholy affair. Christiane and Paul had quarreled the night -before, without apparent cause. Andermatt was afraid that Gontran's -marriage might not take place, for Père Oriol had, that very morning, -spoken of him in equivocal terms. Gontran, on being informed of this, -got angry and made up his mind that he would succeed. Charlotte, -foreseeing her sister's triumph, without at all understanding this -transfer of Gontran's affections, strongly desired to remain in the -village. With some difficulty they prevailed on her to come. - -Accordingly the Noah's Ark carried its full number of ordinary -passengers in the direction of the high plateau which looks down on -Volvic. Louise Oriol, suddenly becoming loquacious, acted as their -guide along the road. She explained how the stone of Volvic, which -is nothing else but the lava-current of the surrounding peaks, had -helped to build all the churches and all the houses in the district--a -circumstance which gives to the towns in Auvergne the dark and -charred-looking aspect that they present. - -She pointed out the yards where this stone was cut, showed them the -molten rock that was worked as a quarry, from which was extracted the -rough lava, and made them view with admiration, standing on a hilltop -and bending over Volvic, the immense black Virgin who protects the -town. Then they ascended toward the upper plateau, embossed with -extinct volcanoes. The horses went at a walking pace over the long and -toilsome road. Their path was bordered with beautiful green woods, and -nobody talked any longer. - -Christiane was thinking about Tazenat. It was the same carriage; -they were the same persons; but their hearts were no longer the -same. Everything seemed as it had been--and yet? and yet? What then -had happened? Almost nothing. A little love the more on her part! A -little love the less on his! Almost nothing--the invisible rent which -weariness makes in an intimate attachment--oh! almost nothing--and the -look in the changed eyes, because the same eyes no longer saw the same -faces in the same way. What is this but a look? Almost nothing! - -The coachman drew up, and said: "It is here, at the right, through that -path in the wood. You have only to follow it in order to get there." - -All descended, save the Marquis, who thought the weather too warm. -Louise and Gontran went on in front, and Charlotte remained behind with -Paul and Christiane, who found difficulty in walking. The path appeared -to them long, right through the wood; then they reached a crest covered -with tall grass which led by a steep ascent to the sides of the old -crater. Louise and Gontran, halting when they got to the top, both -looking tall and slender, had the appearance of standing in the clouds. -When the others had come up with them, Paul Bretigny's enthusiastic -soul was inflamed with poetic rapture. - -Around them, behind them, to right, to left, they were surrounded by -strange cones, decapitated, some shooting forth, others crushed into a -mass, but all preserving their fantastic physiognomy of dead volcanoes. -These heavy fragments of mountains with flat summits rose from south to -west along an immense plateau of desolate appearance, which, itself a -thousand meters above the Limagne, looked down upon it, as far as the -eye could reach, toward the east and the north, on to the invisible -horizon, always veiled, always blue. - -The Puy de Dome, at the right, towered above all its fellows, with from -seventy to eighty craters now gone to sleep. Further on were the Puy de -Gravenoire, the Puy de Crouel, the Puy de la Pedge, the Puy de Sault, -the Puy de Noschamps, the Puy de la Vache. Nearer, were the Puy de -Come, the Puy de Jumes, the Puy de Tressoux, the Puy de Louchadière--a -vast cemetery of volcanoes. - -The young men gazed at the scene in amazement. At their feet opened -the first crater of La Nugère, a deep grassy basin at the bottom of -which could be seen three enormous blocks of brown lava, lifted up with -the monster's last puff and then sunk once more into his throat as he -expired, remaining there from century to century forever. - -Gontran exclaimed: "As for me, I am going down to the bottom. I want -to see how they give up the ghost--creatures of this sort. Come along, -Mesdemoiselles, for a little run down the slope." And seizing Louise's -arm, he dragged her after him. Charlotte followed them, running after -them. Then, all of a sudden, she stopped, watched them as they flew -along, jumping with their arms linked, and, turning back abruptly, she -reascended toward Christiane and Paul, who were seated on the grass -at the top of the declivity. When she reached them, she fell upon her -knees, and, hiding her face in the young girl's robe she wore, she -burst out sobbing. - -Christiane, who understood what was the matter, and whom all the -sorrows of others had, for some time past, pierced like wounds -inflicted upon herself, flung her arms around the girl's neck, and, -moved also by her tears, murmured: "Poor little thing! poor little -thing!" The girl kept crying incessantly, and with her hands dropping -listlessly to the ground, she tore up the grass unconscious of what she -was doing. - -Bretigny had risen up in order to avoid the appearance of having -observed her, but this misery endured by a young girl, this distress -of an innocent creature, filled him suddenly with indignation against -Gontran. He, whom Christiane's deep anguish only exasperated, was -touched to the bottom of his heart by a girl's first disillusion. - -He came back, and kneeling down in his turn, in order to speak to her, -said: "Come, calm yourself, I beg of you. They are going to return -presently. They must not see you crying." - -She sprang to her feet, scared by this idea that her sister might find -her with tears in her eyes. Her throat remained choking with sobs, -which she held back, which she swallowed down, which she sent back -into her heart, filling it with more poignant grief. She faltered: -"Yes--yes--it is over--it is nothing--it is over. Look here! It cannot -be noticed now. Isn't that so? It cannot be noticed now." - -Christiane wiped her cheeks with her handkerchief, then passed it also -across her own. She said to Paul: - -"Go, pray, and see what they are doing. We cannot see them any longer. -They have disappeared under the blocks of lava. I will look after this -little one, and console her." - -Bretigny had again stood up, and in a trembling voice, said: "I am -going there--and I'll bring them back, but it will be my affair--your -brother--this very day--and he shall give me an explanation of his -unjustifiable conduct, after what he said to us the other day." He -began to descend, running toward the center of the crater. - -Gontran, hurrying Louise along, had pulled her with all his strength -over the steep side of the chasm, in order to hold her up, to sustain -her, to put her out of breath, to make her dizzy, and to frighten her. -She, carried along by his wild rush, attempted to stop him, gasping: -"Oh! not so quickly--I'm going to fall--why, you're mad--I'm going to -fall!" - -They knocked against the blocks of lava, and remained standing up, both -breathless. Then they walked round the crater staring at the big gaps -which formed below a kind of cavern, with a double outlet. - -When at the end of its life, the volcano had cast out this last -mouthful of foam, unable to shoot it up to the sky as in former times, -he had spat it forth, so that, thick and half-cooled, it fixed itself -upon his dying lips. - -"We must enter under there," said Gontran. And he pushed the young -girl before him. Then, when they were in the grotto, he said: "Well, -Mademoiselle, this is the moment to make a declaration to you." - -She was stupefied: "A declaration--to me!" - -"Why, yes, in four words--I find you charming!" - -"It is to my sister you should say that!" - -"Oh! you know well that I am not making a declaration to your sister." - -"Come, now!" - -"Look here! you would not be a woman if you did not understand that I -have paid attentions to her to see what you would think of it!--and -what looks you gave me on account of it. Why, you looked daggers at me! -Oh! I'm quite satisfied. So then I have tried to prove to you, by all -the consideration in my power, how much I thought about you." - -Nobody had ever before talked to her in this way. She felt confused and -delighted, her heart full of joy and pride. He went on: "I know well -that I have been nasty toward your little sister. So much the worse. -She is not deceived by it, never fear. You see how she remained on the -hillside, how she was not inclined to follow us. Oh! she understands! -she understands!" - -He had caught hold of one of Louise Oriol's hands, and he kissed the -ends of her fingers softly, gallantly, murmuring: "How nice you are! -How nice you are!" - -She, leaning against the wall of lava, heard his heart beating with -emotion without uttering a word. The thought, the sole thought, which -floated in her agitated mind, was one of triumph; she had got the -better of her sister! But a shadow appeared at the entrance to the -grotto. Paul Bretigny was looking at them. Gontran, in a natural -fashion, let fall the little hand which he had been raising to his -lips, and said: "Hallo! you here? Are you alone?" - -"Yes. We were surprised to see you disappearing down here." - -"Oh! well, let us go back. We were looking at this. Isn't it rather -curious?" - -Louise, flushed up to her temples, went out first, and began to -reascend the slope, followed by the two young men, who were talking -behind in a low tone. - -Christiane and Charlotte saw them approaching, and awaited them with -clasped hands. - -They went back to the carriage in which the Marquis had remained, and -the Noah's Ark set out again for Enval. - -Suddenly, in the midst of a little forest of pine-trees the landau -stopped, and the coachman began to swear. An old dead ass blocked the -way. - -Everyone wanted to look at it, and they got down off the carriage. He -lay stretched on the blackened dust, himself discolored, and so lean -that his worn skin at the places where the bones projected seemed as if -it would have been burst through if the animal had not breathed forth -his last sigh. The entire carcass outlined itself under the gnawed -hair of his sides, and his head looked enormous--a poor-looking head, -with the eyes closed, tranquil now on its bed of broken stones, so -tranquil, so calm in death, that it appeared happy and surprised at -this new-found rest. His big ears, now relaxed, lay like rags. Two raw -wounds on his knees told how often he had fallen that very day before -sinking down for the last time; and another wound on the side showed -the place where his master, for years and years, had been pricking him -with an iron spike attached to the end of a stick, to hasten his slow -pace. - -The coachman, having caught its hind legs, dragged it toward a ditch, -and the neck was strained as if the dead brute were going to bray once -more, to give vent to a last complaint. When this was done, the man, -in a rage, muttered: "What brutes, to leave this in the middle of the -road!" - -No other person had said a word; they again stepped into the carriage. -Christiane, heartbroken, crushed, saw all the miserable life of this -animal ended thus at the side of the road: the merry little donkey -with his big head, in which glittered a pair of big eyes, comical and -good-tempered, with his rough hair and his long ears, gamboling about, -still free, close to his mother's legs; then the first cart; the first -uphill journey; the first blows; and, after that, the ceaseless and -terrible walking along interminable roads, the overpowering heat of the -sun, and nothing for food save a little straw, a little hay, or some -branches, while all along the hard roads there was the temptation of -the green meadows. - -And then, again, as age came upon him, the iron spike replacing the -pliant switch; and the frightful martyrdom of the animal, worn out, -bereft of breath, bruised, always dragging after it excessive loads, -and suffering in all its limbs, in all its old body, shabby as a -beggar's cart. And then the death, the beneficent death, three paces -away from the grass of the ditch, to which a man, passing by, drags it -with oaths, in order to clear the road. - -Christiane, for the first time, understood the wretchedness of enslaved -creatures; and death appeared to her also a very good thing at times. - -Suddenly they passed by a little cart, which a man nearly naked, a -woman in tatters, and a lean dog were dragging along, exhausted by -fatigue. The occupants of the carriage noticed that they were sweating -and panting. The dog, with his tongue out, fleshless and mangy, was -fastened between the wheels. There were in this cart pieces of wood -picked up everywhere, stolen, no doubt, roots, stumps, broken branches, -which seemed to hide other things; then over these branches rags, and -on these rags a child, nothing but a head starting out through gray old -scraps of cloth, a round ball with two eyes, a nose, and a mouth! - -This was a family, a human family! The ass had succumbed to fatigue, -and the man, without pity for his dead servant, without pushing it even -into the rut, had left it in the open road, in front of any vehicles -which might be coming up. Then, yoking himself in his turn with his -wife in the empty shafts, they proceeded to drag it along as the beast -had dragged it a short time before. They were going on. Where? To do -what? Had they even a few sous? That cart--would they be dragging it -forever, not being in a position to buy another animal? What would they -live on? Where would they stop? They would probably die as their donkey -had died. - -Were they married, these beggars, or merely living together? And their -child would do the same as they did, this little brute as yet unformed, -concealed under sordid wrappings. Christiane was thinking on all these -things; and new sensations rose up in the depths of her pitying soul. -She had a glimpse of the misery of the poor. - -Gontran said, all of a sudden: "I don't know why, but I would think -it a delicious thing if we were all to dine together this evening at -the Café Anglais. It would give me pleasure to have a look at the -boulevard." - -And the Marquis muttered: "Bah! we are well enough here. The new hotel -is much better than the old one." - -They passed in front of Tournoel. A recollection of the spot -made Christiane's heart palpitate, as she recognized a certain -chestnut-tree. She glanced toward Paul, who had closed his eyes, so -that he did not see her meek, appealing face. - -Soon they perceived two men before the carriage, two vinedressers -returning from work carrying their rakes on their shoulders, and -walking with the long, weary steps of laborers. The Oriol girls -reddened to their very temples. It was their father and their brother, -who had gone back to their vine-lands as in former times, and passed -their days sweating over the soil which they had enriched, and bent -double, with their buttocks in the air, kept toiling at it from morning -until evening, while the fine frock-coats, carefully folded up, were at -rest in the chest of drawers, and the tall hats in a press. - -The two peasants bowed with a friendly smile, while everyone in the -landau waved a hand in response to their "Good evening." - -When they got back, just as Gontran was stepping out of the Ark to go -up to the Casino, Bretigny accompanied him, and stopping on the first -steps, said: - -"Listen, my friend! What you're doing is not right, and I've promised -your sister to speak to you about it." - -"To speak about what?" - -"About the way you have been acting during the last few days." - -Gontran had resumed his impertinent air. - -"Acting? Toward whom?" - -"Toward this girl whom you are meanly jilting." - -"Do you think so?" - -"Yes, I do think so--and I am right in thinking so." - -"Bah! you are becoming very scrupulous on the subject of jilting." - -"Ah, my friend, 'tis not a question of a loose woman here, but of a -young girl." - -"I know that perfectly; therefore, I have not seduced her. The -difference is very marked." - -They went on walking together side by side. Gontran's demeanor -exasperated Paul, who replied: - -"If I were not your friend, I would say some very severe things to you." - -"And for my part I would not permit you to say them." - -"Look here, listen to me, my friend! This young girl excites my pity. -She was weeping a little while ago." - -"Bah! she was weeping! Why, that's a compliment to me!" - -"Come, don't trifle! What do you mean to do?" - -"I? Nothing!" - -"Just consider! You have gone so far with her that you have compromised -her. The other day you told your sister and me that you were thinking -of marrying her." - -Gontran stopped in his walk, and in that mocking tone through which a -menace showed itself: - -"My sister and you would do better not to bother yourselves about -other people's love affairs. I told you that this girl pleases me well -enough, and that if I happened to marry her, I would be doing a wise -and reasonable act. That's all. Now it turns out that to-day I like the -elder girl better. I have changed my mind. That's a thing that happens -to everyone." - -Then, looking him full in the face: "What is it that you do yourself -when you cease to care about a woman? Do you look after her?" - -Paul Bretigny, astonished, sought to penetrate the profound meaning, -the hidden sense, of these words. A little feverishness also mounted -into his brain. He said in a violent tone: - -"I tell you again this is not a question of a hussy or a married woman, -but of a young girl whom you have deceived, if not by promises, at -least by your advances. That is not, mark you, the part of a man of -honor!--or of an honest man!" - -Gontran, pale, his voice quivering, interrupted him: "Hold your tongue! -You have already said too much--and I have listened to too much of -this. In my turn, if I were not your friend I--I might show you that I -have a short temper. Another word, and there is an end of everything -between us forever!" - -Then, slowly weighing his words, and flinging them in Paul's face, -he said: "I have no explanations to offer you--I might rather have -to demand them from you. There is a certain kind of indelicacy of -which it is not the part of a man of honor or of an honest man to be -guilty--which might take many forms--from which friendship ought to -keep certain people--and which love does not excuse." - -All of a sudden, changing his tone, and almost jesting, he added: - -"As for this little Charlotte, if she excites your pity, and if you -like her, take her, and marry her. Marriage is often a solution of -difficult cases. It is a solution, and a stronghold, in which one may -barricade himself against desperate obstacles. She is pretty and rich! -It would be very desirable for you to finish with an accident like -this!--it would be amusing for us to marry here, the same day, for -I certainly will marry the elder one. I tell it to you as a secret, -and don't repeat it as yet. Now don't forget that you have less right -than anyone else yourself ever to talk about integrity in matters of -sentiment, and scruples of affection. And now go and look after your -own affairs. I am going to look after mine. Good night!" - -And suddenly turning off in another direction, he went down toward the -village. Paul Bretigny, with doubts in his mind and uneasiness in his -heart, returned with lingering steps to the hotel of Mont Oriol. - -He tried to understand thoroughly, to recall each word, in order to -determine its meaning, and he was amazed at the secret byways, shameful -and unfit to be spoken of, which may be hidden in certain souls. - -When Christiane asked him: "What reply did you get from Gontran?" - -He faltered: "My God! he--he prefers the elder, just now. I believe he -even intends to marry her--and in answer to my rather sharp reproaches -he shut my mouth by allusions that are--disquieting to both of us." - -Christiane sank into a chair, murmuring: "Oh! my God! my God!" - -But, as Gontran had just come in, for the bell had rung for dinner, he -kissed her gaily on the forehead, asking: "Well, little sister, how do -you feel now? You are not too tired?" - -Then he pressed Paul's hand, and, turning toward Andermatt, who had -come in after him: - -"I say, pearl of brothers-in-law, of husbands, and of friends, can you -tell me exactly what an old ass dead on a road is worth?" - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - -A Betrothal - - -Andermatt and Doctor Latonne were walking in front of the Casino on a -terrace adorned with vases made of imitation marble. - -"He no longer salutes me," the doctor was saying, referring to his -brother-physician Bonnefille. "He is over there in his pit, like a -wild-boar. I believe he would poison our springs, if he could!" - -Andermatt, with his hands behind his back and his hat--a small round -hat of gray felt--thrown back over his neck, so as to let the baldness -above his forehead be seen, was deeply plunged in thought. At length he -said: - -"Oh! in three months the Company will have knuckled under. We might -buy it over at ten thousand francs. It is that wretched Bonnefille who -is exciting them against me, and who makes them fancy that I will give -way. But he is mistaken." - -The new inspector returned: "You are aware that they have shut up their -Casino since yesterday. They have no one any longer." - -"Yes, I am aware of it; but we have not enough of people here -ourselves. They stick in too much at the hotels; and people get bored -in the hotels, my dear fellow. It is necessary to amuse the bathers, -to distract them, to make them think the season too short. Those -staying at our Mont Oriol hotel come every evening, because they are -quite near, but the others hesitate and remain in their abodes. It is -a question of routes--nothing else. Success always depends on certain -imperceptible causes which we ought to know how to discover. It is -necessary that the routes leading to a place of recreation should be a -source of recreation in themselves, the commencement of the pleasure -which one will be enjoying presently. - -"The ways which lead to this place are bad, stony, hard; they cause -fatigue. When a route which goes to any place, to which one has a -vague desire of paying a visit, is pleasant, wide, and full of shade -in the daytime, easy and not too steep at night, one selects it -naturally in preference to others. If you knew how the body preserves -the recollection of a thousand things which the mind has not taken -the trouble to retain! I believe this is how the memory of animals is -constructed. Have you felt too hot when repairing to such a place? Have -you tired your feet on badly broken stones? Have you found an ascent -too rough, even while you were thinking of something else? If so, you -will experience invincible repugnance to revisiting that spot. You were -chatting with a friend; you took no notice of the slight annoyances of -the journey; you were looking at nothing, remarking notice; but your -legs, your muscles, your lungs, your whole body have not forgotten, -and they say to the mind, when it wants to take them along the same -route: 'No, I won't go; I have suffered too much there.' And the mind -yields to this refusal without disputing it, submitting to this mute -language of the companions who carry it along. - -"So then, we want fine pathways, which comes back to saying that I -require the bits of ground belonging to that donkey of a Père Oriol. -But patience! Ha! with reference to that point, Mas-Roussel has become -the proprietor of his own chalet on the same conditions as Remusot. -It is a trifling sacrifice for which he will amply indemnify us. Try, -therefore, to find out exactly what are Cloche's intentions." - -"He'll do just the same thing as the others," said the physician. "But -there is something else, of which I have been thinking for the last few -days, and which we have completely forgotten--it is the meteorological -bulletin." - -"What meteorological bulletin?" - -"In the big Parisian newspapers. It is indispensable, this is! It is -necessary that the temperature of a thermal station should be better, -less variable, more uniformly mild than that of the neighboring and -rival stations. You subscribe to the meteorological bulletin in the -leading organs of opinion, and I will send every evening by telegraph -the atmospheric situation. I will do it in such a way that the average -arrived at when the year is at an end may be higher than the best -mean temperatures of the surrounding stations. The first thing that -meets our eyes when we open the big newspapers are the temperatures -of Vichy, of Royat, of Mont Doré, of Chatel-Guyon, and other -places during the summer season, and, during the winter season, the -temperatures of Cannes, Mentone, Nice, Saint Raphael. It is necessary -that the weather should always be hot and always fine in these places, -in order that the Parisian might say: 'Christi! how lucky the people -are who go down there!'" - -Andermatt exclaimed: "Upon my honor, you're right. Why have I never -thought of that? I will attend to it this very day. With regard to -useful things, have you written to Professors Larenard and Pascalis? -There are two men I would like very much to have here." - -"Unapproachable, my dear President--unless--unless they are satisfied -of themselves after many trials that our waters are of a superior -character. But, as far as they are concerned, you will accomplish -nothing by persuasion--by anticipation." - -They passed by Paul and Gontran, who had come to take coffee after -luncheon. Other bathers made their appearance, especially men, for the -women, on rising from the table, always went up to their rooms for an -hour or two. Petrus Martel was looking after his waiters, and crying -out: "A kummel, a nip of brandy, a glass of aniseed cordial," in the -same rolling, deep voice which he would assume an hour later while -conducting rehearsals, and giving the keynote to the young _première_. - -Andermatt stopped a few moments for a short chat with the two young -men; then he resumed his promenade by the side of the inspector. - -Gontran, with legs crossed and folded arms, lolling in his chair, with -the nape of his neck against the back of it, and his eyes and his -cigar facing the sky, was puffing in a state of absolute contentment. - -Suddenly, he asked: "Would you mind taking a turn, presently, in the -valley of Sans-Souci? The girls will be there." - -Paul hesitated; then, after some reflection: "Yes, I am quite willing." -Then he added: "Is your affair progressing?" - -"Egad, it is! Oh! I have a hold of her. She won't escape me now." - -Gontran had, by this time, taken his friend into his confidence, and -told him, day by day, how he was going on and how much ground he -had gained. He even got him to be present, as a confederate, at his -appointments, for he had managed to obtain appointments with Louise -Oriol by a little bit of ingenuity. - -After their promenade at the Puy de la Nugère, Christiane put an end to -these excursions by not going out at all, and so rendered it more and -more difficult for the lovers to meet. Her brother, put out at first by -this attitude on her part, bethought him of some means of extricating -himself from this predicament. Accustomed to Parisian morals, according -to which women are regarded by men of his stamp as game, the chase of -which is often no easy one, he had in former days made use of many -artifices in order to gain access to those for whom he had conceived a -passion. He knew better than anyone else how to make use of pimps, to -discover those who were accommodating through interested motives, and -to determine with a single glance the men or women who were disposed to -aid him in his designs. - -The unconscious support of Christiane having suddenly been withdrawn -from him, he had looked about him for the requisite connecting link, -the "pliant nature," as he expressed it himself, whereby he could -replace his sister; and his choice speedily fixed itself on Doctor -Honorat's wife. Many reasons pointed at her as a suitable person. In -the first place, her husband, closely associated with the Oriols, -had been for the past twenty years attending this family. He had -been present at the birth of the children, had dined with them every -Sunday, and had entertained them at his own table every Tuesday. His -wife, a fat old woman of the lower-middle class, trying to pass as a -lady, full of pretension, easy to overcome through her vanity, was -sure to lend both hands to every desire of the Comte de Ravenel, whose -brother-in-law owned the establishment of Mont Oriol. - -Besides, Gontran, who was a good judge of a go-between, had satisfied -himself that this woman was naturally well adapted for the part, by -merely seeing her walking through the street. - -"She has the physique," was his reflection, "and when one has the -physique for an employment, one has the soul required for it, too!" - -Accordingly, he made his way into her abode, one day, after having -accompanied her husband to his own door. He sat down, chatted, -complimented the lady, and, when the dinner-bell rang, he said, as he -rose up: "You have a very savory smell here. You cook better than they -do at the hotel." - -Madame Honorat, swelling with pride, faltered: "Good heavens! if I -might make so bold--if I might make so bold, Monsieur le Comte, as----" - -"If you might make so bold as what, dear Madame?" - -"As to ask you to share our humble meal." - -"Faith--faith, I would say 'yes.'" - -The doctor, ill at ease, muttered: "But we have nothing, nothing--soup, -a joint of beef, and a chicken, that's all!" - -Gontran laughed: "That's quite enough for me. I accept the invitation." - -And he dined at the Honorat household. The fat woman rose up, went to -take the dishes out of the servant-maid's hands, in order that the -latter might not spill the sauce over the tablecloth, and, in spite of -her husband's impatience, insisted on attending at table herself. - -The Comte congratulated her on the excellence of the cooking, on the -good house she kept, on her attention to the duties of hospitality, and -he left her inflamed with enthusiasm. - -He returned to leave his card, accepted a fresh invitation, and -thenceforth made his way constantly to Madame Honorat's house, to which -the Oriol girls had paid visits frequently also for many years as -neighbors and friends. - -So then he spent hours there, in the midst of the three ladies, -attentive to both sisters, but accentuating clearly, from day to day, -his marked preference for Louise. - -The jealousy that had sprung up between the girls since the time -when he had begun to make love to Charlotte had assumed an aspect of -spiteful hostility on the side of the elder girl and of disdain on the -side of the younger. Louise, with her reserved air, imported into her -reticences and her demure ways in Gontran's society much more coquetry -and encouragement than the other had formerly shown with all her free -and joyous unconstraint. Charlotte, wounded to the quick, concealed -through pride the pain that she endured, pretended not to see or hear -anything of what was happening around her, and continued her visits -to Madame Honorat's house with a beautiful appearance of indifference -to all these lovers' meetings. She would not remain behind at her own -abode lest people might think that her heart was sore, that she was -weeping, that she was making way for her sister. - -Gontran, too proud of his achievement to throw a veil over it, could -not keep himself from talking about it to Paul. And Paul, thinking it -amusing, began to laugh. He had, besides, since the first equivocal -remarks of his friend, resolved not to interfere in his affairs, and he -often asked himself with uneasiness: "Can it be possible that he knows -something about Christiane and me?" - -He knew Gontran too well not to believe him capable of shutting his -eyes to an intrigue on the part of his sister. But then, why did he -not let it be understood sooner that he guessed it or was aware of -it? Gontran was, in fact, one of those in whose opinion every woman -in society ought to have a lover or lovers, one of those for whom the -family is merely a society of mutual help, for whom morality is an -attitude that is indispensable in order to veil the different appetites -which nature has implanted in us, and for whom worldly honor is a front -behind which amiable vices should be hidden. Moreover, if he had egged -on his dear sister to marry Andermatt was it not with the vague, if not -clearly-defined, idea that this Jew might be utilized, in every way, -by all the family?--and he would probably have despised Christiane for -being faithful to this husband of convenience, of utility, just as much -as he would have despised himself for not borrowing freely from his -brother-in-law's purse. - -Paul pondered over all this, and it disturbed his modern Don Quixote's -soul, which, in any event, was disposed toward compromise. He had, -therefore, become very reserved with this enigmatic friend of his. -When, accordingly, Gontran told him the use that he was making of -Madame Honorat, Bretigny burst out laughing; and he had even, for some -time past, allowed himself to be brought to that lady's house, and -found great pleasure in chatting with Charlotte there. - -The doctor's wife lent herself, with the best grace in the world, -to the part she was made to play, and offered them tea about five -o'clock, like the Parisian ladies, with little cakes manufactured by -her own hands. On the first occasion when Paul made his way into this -household, she welcomed him as if he were an old friend, made him sit -down, removed his hat herself, in spite of his protests, and placed it -beside the clock upon the mantelpiece. Then, eager, bustling, going -from one to the other, tremendously big and fat, she asked: - -"Do you feel inclined for a little dinner?" - -Gontran told funny stories, joked, and laughed quite at his ease. Then, -he took Louise into the recess of a window under the troubled eyes of -Charlotte. - -Madame Honorat, who sat chatting with Paul, said to him in a maternal -tone: - -"These dear children, they come here to have a few minutes' -conversation with one another. 'Tis very innocent--isn't it, Monsieur -Bretigny?" - -"Oh! very innocent, Madame!" - -When he came the next time, she familiarly addressed him as "Monsieur -Paul," treating him more or less as a crony. - -And from that time forth, Gontran told him, with a sort of teasing -liveliness, all about the complaisant behavior of the doctor's wife, to -whom he had said, the evening before: "Why do you never go out for a -walk along the Sans-Souci road?" - -"But we will go, M. le Comte--we will go." - -"Say, to-morrow about three o'clock." - -"To-morrow, about three o'clock, M. le Comte." - -And Gontran explained to Paul: "You understand that in this -drawing-room, I cannot say anything of a very confidential nature to -the elder girl before the younger. But in the wood I can go on before -or remain behind with Louise. So then you will come?" - -"Yes, I have no objection." - -"Let us go on then." - -And they rose up, and set forth at a leisurely pace along the highroad; -then, having passed through La Roche Pradière, they turned to the left -and descended into the wooded glen in the midst of tangled brushwood. -When they had passed the little river, they sat down at the side of the -path and waited. - -The three ladies soon arrived, walking in single file, Louise in front, -and Madame Honorat in the rear. They exhibited surprise on both sides -at having met in this way. Gontran exclaimed: "Well, now, what a good -idea this was of yours to come along here!" - -The doctor's wife replied: "Yes, the idea was mine." - -They continued their walk. Louise and Gontran gradually quickened -their steps, went on in advance, and rambled so far together that they -disappeared from view at a turn of the narrow path. - -The fat lady, who was breathing hard, murmured, as she cast an -indulgent eye in their direction: "Bah! they're young--they have legs. -As for me, I can't keep up with them." - -Charlotte exclaimed: "Wait! I'm going to call them back!" - -She was rushing away. The doctor's wife held her back: "Don't interfere -with them, child, if they want to chat! It would not be nice to disturb -them. They will come back all right by themselves." - -And she sat down on the grass, under the shade of a pine-tree, fanning -herself with her pocket-handkerchief. Charlotte cast a look of distress -toward Paul, a look imploring and sorrowful. - -He understood, and said: "Well, Mademoiselle, we are going to let -Madame take a rest, and we'll both go and overtake your sister." - -She answered impetuously: "Oh, yes, Monsieur." - -Madame Honorat made no objection: "Go, my children, go. As for me, I'll -wait for you here. Don't be too long." - -And they started off in their turn. They walked quickly at first, as -they could see no sign of the two others, and hoped to come up with -them; then, after a few minutes, it struck them that Louise and -Gontran might have turned off to the right or to the left through the -wood, and Charlotte began to call them in a trembling and undecided -voice. There was no response. She exclaimed: "Oh! good heavens, where -can they be?" - -Paul felt himself overcome once more by that profound pity, by that -sympathetic tenderness toward her which had previously taken possession -of him on the edge of the crater of La Nugère. - -He did not know what to say to this afflicted young creature. He felt -a longing, a paternal and passionate longing to take her in his arms, -to embrace her, to find sweet and consoling words with which to soothe -her. But what words? - -She looked about on every side, searched the branches with wild -glances, listening to the faintest sounds, murmuring: "I think that -they are here--No, there--Do you hear nothing?" - -"No, Mademoiselle, I don't hear anything. The best thing we can do is -to wait here." - -"Oh! heavens, no. We must find them!" - -He hesitated for a few seconds, and then said to her in a low tone: -"This, then, causes you much pain?" - -She raised toward his her eyes, in which there was a look of wild -alarm, while the gathering tears filled them with a transparent watery -mist, as yet held back by the lids, over which drooped the long, brown -lashes. She strove to speak, but could not, and did not venture to open -her lips. But her heart swollen, choked with grief, was yearning to -pour itself out. - -He went on: "So then you loved him very much. He is not worthy of your -love. Take heart!" - -She could not restrain herself any longer, and hiding with her hands -the tears that now gushed forth from her eyes, she sobbed: "No!--no!--I -do not love him--he--it is too base to have acted as he did. He made a -tool of me--it is too base--too cowardly--but, all the same, it does -pain me--a great deal--for it is hard--very hard--oh! yes. But what -grieves me most is that my sister--my sister does not care for me any -longer--she who has been even more wicked than he was! I feel that -she no longer cares for me--not a bit--that she hates me--I have only -her--I have no one else--and I, I have done nothing!" - -He only saw her ear and her neck with its young flesh sinking into -the collar of her dress under the light material she wore till it was -lost in the curves of her bust. And he felt himself overpowered with -compassion, with sympathy, carried away by that impetuous desire of -self-devotion which got the better of him every time that a woman -touched his heart. And that heart of his, responsive to outbursts of -enthusiasm, was excited by this innocent sorrow, agitating, ingenuous, -and cruelly charming. - -He stretched forth his hand toward her with an unstudied movement such -as one might use in order to caress, to calm a child, and he drew it -round her waist from behind over her shoulder. Then he felt her heart -beaming with rapid throbs, as he might have heard the little heart of -a bird that he had caught. And this beating, continuous, precipitate, -sent a thrill all over his arm into his heart, accelerating its -movements. And he felt those quick heart-beats coming from her and -penetrating him through his flesh, his muscles, and his nerves, so that -between them there was now only one heart wounded by the same pain, -agitated by the same palpitation, living the same life, like clocks -connected by a string at some distance from one another and made to -keep time together second by second. - -But suddenly she uncovered her flushed face, still tear-dimmed, quickly -wiped it, and said: - -"Come, I ought not to have spoken to you about this. I am foolish. Let -us go back at once to Madame Honorat, and forget. Do you promise me?" - -"I do promise you." - -She gave him her hand. "I have confidence in you. I believe you are -very honest!" - -They turned back. He lifted her up in crossing the stream, just as he -had lifted up Christiane, the year before. How often had he passed -along this path with her in the days when he adored her! He reflected, -wondering at his own changed feelings: "How short a time this passion -lasted!" - -Charlotte, laying a finger on his arm, murmured: "Madame Honorat is -asleep. Let us sit down without making a noise." - -Madame Honorat was, indeed, slumbering, with her back to a pine-tree, -her handkerchief over her face and her hands crossed over her stomach. -They seated themselves a few paces away from her, and refrained from -speaking in order not to awaken her. Then the stillness of the wood -was so profound that it became as painful to them as actual suffering. -Nothing could be heard save the water gurgling over the stones, a -little lower down, then those imperceptible quiverings of insects -passing by, those light buzzings of flies or of other living creatures -whose movements made the dead leaves flutter. - -Where then were Louise and Gontran? What were they doing? All at once, -the sound of their voices reached them from a distance. They were -returning. Madame Honorat woke up and looked astonished. - -"What! you are here again! I did not notice you coming back. And the -others, have you found them?" - -Paul replied: "There they are! They are coming." - -They recognized Gontran's laughter. This laughter relieved Charlotte -from a crushing weight, which had oppressed her mind--she could not -have explained why. - -They were soon able to distinguish the pair. Gontran had almost broken -into a running pace, dragging by the arm the young girl, who was quite -flushed. And, even before they had come up, so great a hurry was he in -to tell his story, he shouted: - -"You don't know what we surprised. I give you a thousand guesses to -discover it! The handsome Doctor Mazelli along with the daughter of -the illustrious Professor Cloche, as Will would say, the pretty widow -with the red hair. Oh! yes, indeed--surprised, you understand? He was -embracing her, the scamp. Oh! yes--oh! yes." - -Madame Honorat, at this immoderate display of gaiety, made a dignified -movement: - -"Oh! M. le Comte, think of these young ladies!" - -Gontran made a respectful obeisance. - -"You are perfectly right, dear Madame, to recall me to the proprieties. -All your inspirations are excellent." - -Then, in order that they might not be all seen going back together, the -two young men bowed to the ladies, and returned through the wood to the -village. - -"Well?" asked Paul. - -"Well, I told her that I adored her and that I would be delighted to -marry her." - -"And she said?" - -"She said, with charming discretion, 'That concerns my father. It is to -him that I will give my answer.'" - -"So then you are going to----" - -"To intrust my ambassador Andermatt at once with the official -application. And if the old boor makes any row about it, I'll -compromise his daughter with a splash." - -And, as Andermatt was again engaged in conversation with Doctor Latonne -on the terrace of the Casino, Gontran stopped here, and immediately -made his brother-in-law acquainted with the situation. - -Paul went off along the road to Riom. He wanted to be alone so much -did he find himself invaded by that agitation of the entire mind and -body into which every meeting with a woman casts a man who is on the -point of falling in love. For some time past he had felt, without -quite realizing it, the penetrating and youthful fascination of this -forsaken girl. He found her so nice, so good, so simple, so upright, -so innocent, that from the first he had been moved by compassion for -her, by that tender compassion with which the sorrows of women always -inspire us. Then, when he had seen her frequently, he had allowed to -bud forth in his heart that grain, that tiny grain, of tenderness -which they sow in us so quickly, and which grows to such a height. And -now, for the last hour especially, he was beginning to feel himself -possessed, to feel within him that constant presence of the absent -which is the first sign of love. He proceeded along the road, haunted -by the remembrance of her glance, by the sound of her voice, by the way -in which she smiled or wept, by the gait with which she walked, even by -the color and the flutter of her dress. And he said to himself: - -"I believe I am bitten. I know it. It is annoying, this! The best -thing, perhaps, would be to go back to Paris. Deuce take it, it is a -young girl! However, I can't make her my mistress." - -Then, he began dreaming about it, just as he had dreamed about -Christiane, the year before. How different was this one, too, from -all the women he had hitherto known, born and brought up in the city, -different even from those young maidens sophisticated from their -childhood by the coquetry of their mothers or the coquetry which shows -itself in the streets. There was in her none of the artificiality of -the woman prepared for seduction, nothing studied in her words, nothing -conventional in her actions, nothing deceitful in her looks. Not only -was she a being fresh and pure, but she came of a primitive race; she -was a true daughter of the soil at the moment when she was about to be -transformed into a woman of the city. - -And he felt himself stirred up, pleading for her against that vague -resistance which still struggled in his breast. The forms of heroines -in sentimental novels passed before his mind's eye--the creations of -Walter Scott, of Dickens, and of George Sand, exciting the more his -imagination, always goaded by ideal pictures of women. - -Gontran passed judgment on him thus: "Paul! he is a pack-horse with a -Cupid on his back. When he flings one on the ground, another jumps up -in its place." But Bretigny saw that night was falling. He had been a -long time walking. He returned to the village. - -As he was passing in front of the new baths, he saw Andermatt and the -two Oriols surveying and measuring the vinefields; and he knew from -their gestures that they were disputing in an excited fashion. - -An hour afterward, Will, entering the drawing-room, where the entire -family had assembled, said to the Marquis: "My dear father-in-law, I -have to inform you that your son Gontran is going to marry, in six -weeks or two months, Mademoiselle Louise Oriol." - -M. de Ravenel was startled: "Gontran? You say?" - -"I say that he is going to marry in six weeks or two months, with your -consent, Mademoiselle Louise Oriol, who will be very rich." - -Thereupon the Marquis said simply: "Good heavens! if he likes it, I -have no objection." - -And the banker related how he had dealt with the old countryman. As -soon as he had learned from the Comte that the young girl would -consent, he wanted to obtain, at one interview, the vinedresser's -assent without giving him time to prepare any of his dodges. He -accordingly hurried to Oriol's house, and found him making up his -accounts with great difficulty, assisted by Colosse, who was adding -figures together with his fingers. - -Seating himself: "I would like to drink of your excellent wine," said -he. - -When big Colosse had returned with the glasses and the jug brimming -over, he asked whether Mademoiselle Louise had come home; then he -begged of them to send for her. When she stood facing him, he rose, -and, making her a low bow: - -"Mademoiselle, will you regard me at this moment as a friend to whom -one may say everything? Is it not so? Well, I am charged with a very -delicate mission with reference to you. My brother-in-law, Comte -Raoul-Olivier-Gontran de Ravenel, is smitten with you--a thing for -which I commend him--and he has commissioned me to ask you, in the -presence of your family, whether you will consent to become his wife." - -Taken by surprise in this way, she turned toward her father her eyes, -which betrayed her confusion. And Père Oriol, scared, looked at his -son, his usual counselor, while Colosse looked at Andermatt, who went -on, with a certain amount of pomposity: - -"You understand, Mademoiselle, that I am only intrusted with this -mission on the terms of an immediate reply being given to my -brother-in-law. He is quite conscious of the fact that you may not care -for him, and in that case he will quit this neighborhood to-morrow, -never to come back to it again. I am aware, besides, that you know him -sufficiently to say to me, a simple intermediary, 'I consent,' or 'I do -not consent.'" - -She hung down her head, and, blushing, but resolute, she faltered: "I -consent, Monsieur." - -Then she fled so quickly that she knocked herself against the door as -she went out. - -Thereupon, Andermatt sat down, and, pouring out a glass of wine after -the fashion of peasants: - -"Now we are going to talk about business," said he. - -And, without admitting the possibility even of hesitation, he attacked -the question of the dowry, relying on the declarations made to him by -the vinedresser three months before. He estimated at three hundred -thousand francs, in addition to expectations, the actual fortune of -Gontran, and he let it be understood that if a man like the Comte de -Ravenel consented to ask for the hand of Oriol's daughter, a very -charming young lady in other respects, it was unquestionable that the -girl's family were bound to show their appreciation of this honor by a -sacrifice of money. - -Then the countryman, much disconcerted, but flattered--almost disarmed, -tried to make a fight for his property. The discussion was a long one. -An admission on Andermatt's part had, however, rendered it easy from -the start: - -"We don't ask for ready money nor for bills--nothing but the lands, -those which you have already indicated as forming Mademoiselle Louise's -dowry, in addition to some others which I am going to point you." - -The prospect of not having to pay money, that money slowly heaped -together, brought into the house franc after franc, sou after sou, -that good money, white or yellow, worn by the hands, the purses, the -pockets, the tables of _cafés_, the deep drawers of old presses, -that money in whose ring was told the history of so many troubles, -cares, fatigues, labors, so sweet to the heart, to the eyes, to the -fingers of the peasant, dearer than the cow, than the vine, than the -field, than the house, that money harder to part with sometimes than -life itself--the prospect of not seeing it go with the girl brought -on immediately a great calm, a desire to conciliate, a secret but -restrained joy, in the souls of the father and the son. - -They continued the discussion, however, in order to keep a few more -acres of soil. On the table was spread out a minute plan of Mont Oriol; -and they marked one by one with a cross the portions assigned to -Louise. It took an hour for Andermatt to secure the last two pieces. -Then, in order that there might not be any deceit on one side or the -other, they went over all the places on the plan. After that, they -identified carefully all the slices designated by crosses, and marked -them afresh. - -But Andermatt got uneasy, suspecting that the two Oriols were capable -of denying, at their next interview, a part of the grants to which they -had consented and would seek to take back ends of vinefields, corners -useful for his project; and he thought of a practical and certain means -of giving definiteness to the agreement. - -An idea crossed his mind, made him smile at first, then appeared to him -excellent, although singular. - -"If you like," said he, "we'll write it all out, so as not to forget it -later on." - -And as they were entering the village, he stopped before a -tobacconist's shop to buy two stamped sheets of paper. He knew that -the list of lands drawn up on these leaves with their legal aspect -would take an almost inviolable character in the peasant's eyes, for -these leaves would represent the law, always invisible and menacing, -vindicated by gendarmes, fines, and imprisonment. - -Then he wrote on one sheet and copied on the other: - - "In pursuance of the promise of marriage exchanged between - Comte Gontran de Ravenel and Mademoiselle Louise Oriol, M. - Oriol, Senior, surrenders as a dowry to his daughter the - lands designated below----" - -And he enumerated them minutely, with the figures attached to them in -the register of lands for the district. - -Then, having dated and signed the document, he made Père Oriol affix -his signature, after the latter had exacted in turn a written statement -of the intended husband's fortune, and he went back to the hotel with -the document in his pocket. - -Everyone laughed at his narrative and Gontran most of all. Then the -Marquis said to his son with a lofty air of dignity: "We shall both go -this evening to pay a visit to this family, and I shall myself renew -the application previously made by my son-in-law in order that it may -be more regular." - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - -Paul Changes His Mind - - -Gontran made an admirable _fiancé_, as courteous as he was assiduous. -With the aid of Andermatt's purse, he made presents to everyone; and -he constantly visited the young girl, either at her own house, or that -of Madame Honorat. Paul nearly always accompanied him now, in order to -have the opportunity of meeting Charlotte, saying to himself, after -each visit, that he would see her no more. - -She had bravely resigned herself to her sister's marriage, and she -referred to it with apparent unconcern, as if it did not cause her the -slightest anxiety. Her character alone seemed a little altered, more -sedate, less open. While Gontran was talking soft nothings to Louise in -a half-whisper in a corner, Bretigny conversed with her in a serious -fashion, and allowed himself to be slowly vanquished, allowed this -fresh love to inundate his soul like a flowing tide. He knew what was -happening to him, and gave himself up to it, thinking: "Bah! when the -moment arrives. I will make my escape--that's all." - -When he left her, he would go up to see Christiane, who now lay from -morning till night stretched on a long chair. At the door, he could not -help feeling nervous and irritated, prepared beforehand for those light -quarrels to which weariness gives birth. All that she said, all that -she was thinking of, annoyed him, even ere she had opened her lips. Her -appearance of suffering, her resigned attitude, her looks of reproach -and of supplication, made words of anger rise to his lips, which he -repressed through good-breeding; and, even when by her side, he kept -before his mind the constant memory, the fixed image, of the young girl -whom he had just quitted. - -As Christiane, tormented with seeing so little of him, overwhelmed -him with questions as to how he spent his days, he invented stories, -to which she listened attentively, seeking to find out whether he was -thinking of some other woman. The powerlessness which she felt in -herself to keep a hold on this man, the powerlessness to pour into -him a little of that love with which she was tortured, the physical -powerlessness to fascinate him still, to give herself to him, to win -him back by caresses, since she could not regain him by the tender -intimacies of love, made her suspect the worst, without knowing on what -to fix her fears. - -She vaguely realized that some danger was lowering over her, some great -unknown danger. And she was filled with undefined jealousy, jealousy of -everything--of women whom she saw passing by her window, and whom she -thought charming, without even having any proof that Bretigny had ever -spoken to them. - -She asked of him: "Have you noticed a very pretty woman, a brunette, -rather tall, whom I saw a little while ago, and who must have arrived -here within the past few days?" - -When he replied, "No, I don't know her," she at once jumped to the -conclusion that he was lying, turned pale, and went on: "But it is not -possible that you have not seen her. She appears to me very beautiful." - -He was astonished at her persistency. "I assure you I have not seen -her. I'll try to come across her." - -She thought: "Surely it must be she!" She felt persuaded, too, on -certain days, that he was hiding some intrigue in the locality, that -he had sent for his mistress, an actress perhaps. And she questioned -everybody, her father, her brother, and her husband, about all the -women young and desirable, whom they observed in the neighborhood of -Enval. If only she could have walked about, and seen for herself, she -might have reassured herself a little; but the almost complete loss -of motion which her condition forced upon her now made her endure an -intolerable martyrdom. - -When she spoke to Paul, the tone of her voice alone revealed her -anguish, and intensified his nervous impatience with this love, which -for him was at an end. He could no longer talk quietly about anything -with her save the approaching marriage of Gontran, a subject which -enabled him to pronounce Charlotte's name, and to give vent to his -thoughts aloud about the young girl. And it was a mysterious source of -delight to him even to hear Christiane articulating that name, praising -the grace and all the qualities of this little maiden, compassionating -her, regretting that her brother should have sacrificed her, and -expressing a desire that some man, some noble heart, should appreciate -her, love her, and marry her. - -He said: "Oh! yes, Gontran acted foolishly there. She is perfectly -charming, that young girl." - -Christiane, without any misgiving, echoed: "Perfectly charming. She is -a pearl! a piece of perfection!" - -Never had she thought that a man like Paul could love a little maid -like this, or that he would be likely to marry her. She had no -apprehensions save of his mistresses. And it was a singular phenomenon -of the heart that praise of Charlotte from Christiane's lips assumed in -his eyes an extreme value, excited his love, whetted his desire, and -surrounded the young girl with an irresistible attraction. - -Now, one day, when he called at Madame Honorat's house to meet there -the Oriol girls, they found Doctor Mazelli installed there as if he was -at home. He stretched forth both hands to the two young men, with that -Italian smile of his, which seemed to give away his entire heart with -every word and every movement. - -Gontran and he were linked by a friendship at once familiar and futile, -made up of secret affinities, of hidden likenesses, of a sort of -confederacy of instincts, rather than any real affection or confidence. - -The Comte asked: "What about your little blonde of the Sans-Souci wood?" - -The Italian smiled: "Bah! we are on terms of indifference toward one -another. She is one of those women who offer everything and give -nothing." - -And they began to chat. The handsome physician performed certain -offices for the young girls, especially for Charlotte. When addressing -women, he manifested a perpetual adoration in his voice, his gestures, -and his looks. His entire person, from head to foot, said to them, -"I love you" with an eloquence in his attitude which never failed to -win their favor. He displayed the graces of an actress, the light -pirouettes of a _danseuse_, the supple movements of a juggler, -an entire science of seduction natural and acquired, of which he -constantly made use. - -Paul, when returning to the hotel with Gontran, exclaimed in a tone of -sullen vexation: "What does this charlatan come to that house for?" - -The Comte replied quietly: "How can you ever tell when dealing with -such adventurers? These sort of people slip in everywhere. This -fellow must be tired of his vagabond existence, and of giving way to -every caprice of his Spaniard, of whom he is rather the valet than -the physician--and perhaps something more. He is looking about him. -Professor Cloche's daughter was a good catch--he has failed with her, -he says. The second of the Oriol girls would not be less valuable -to him. He is making the attempt, feeling his way, smelling about, -sounding. He would become co-proprietor of the waters, would try to -knock over that idiot, Latonne, would in any case get an excellent -practice here every summer for himself, which would last him over the -winter. Faith! this is his plan exactly--no doubt of it!" - -A dull rage, a jealous animosity, was aroused in Paul's heart. A -voice exclaimed: "Hey! hey!" It was Mazelli, who had overtaken them. -Bretigny said to him, with aggressive irony: "Where are you rushing -so quickly, doctor? One would say that you were pursuing fortune." -The Italian smiled, and, without stopping, but skipping backward, he -plunged, with a mimic's graceful movement, his hands into his two -pockets, quickly turned them out and showed them, both empty, holding -them wide between two fingers by the ends of the seams. Then he said: -"I have not got hold of it yet." And, turning on his toes, he rushed -away like a man in a great hurry. - -They found him again several times, on the following days, at Doctor -Honorat's house, where he made himself useful to the three ladies by a -thousand graceful little services, by the same clever tactics which he -had no doubt adopted when dealing with the Duchess. He knew how to do -everything to perfection, from paying compliments to making macaroni. -He was, moreover, an excellent cook, and protecting himself from stains -by means of a servant's blue apron, and wearing a chef's cap made of -paper on his head, while he sang Neapolitan ditties in Italian, he did -the work of a scullion, without appearing a bit ridiculous, amusing and -fascinating everybody, down to the half-witted housekeeper, who said of -him: "He is a marvel!" - -His plans were soon obvious, and Paul no longer had any doubt that he -was trying to get Charlotte to fall in love with him. He seemed to be -succeeding in this. He was so profuse of flattery, so eager, so artful -in striving to please, that the young girl's face had, when she looked -at him, that air of contentment which indicates that the heart is -gratified. - -Paul, in his turn, without being even able to account to himself for -his conduct, assumed the attitude of a lover, and set himself up as -a rival. When he saw the doctor with Charlotte, he would come on the -scene, and, with his more direct manner, exert himself to win the young -girl's affections. He showed himself straightforward and sympathetic, -fraternal, devoted, repeating to her, with the sincerity of a friend, -in a tone so frank that one could scarcely see in it an avowal of love: -"I am very fond of you; cheer up!" - -Mazelli, astonished at this unexpected rivalry, had recourse to all -his powers of captivation; and, when Bretigny, bitten with jealousy, -that naïve jealousy which takes possession of a man when he is dealing -with any woman, even without being in love with her, provided only he -has taken a fancy to her--when, filled with this natural violence, he -became aggressive and haughty, the other, more pliant, always master -of himself, replied with sly allusions, witticisms, well-turned and -mocking compliments. - -It was a daily warfare which they both waged fiercely, without either -of them perhaps having a well-defined object in view. They did not want -to give way, like two dogs who have gained a grip of the same quarry. - -Charlotte had recovered her good humor, but along with it she now -exhibited a more biting waggery, a certain sphinx-like attitude, -less candor in her smile and in her glance. One would have said that -Gontran's desertion had educated her, prepared her for possible -deceptions, disciplined, and armed her. - -She played off her two admirers against one another in a sly and -dexterous fashion, saying to each of them what she thought necessary, -without letting the one fall foul of the other, without ever letting -the one suppose that she preferred the other, laughing slightly at each -of them in turn in the presence of his rival, leaving them an equal -match without appearing even to take either of them seriously. But all -this was done simply, in the manner of a schoolgirl rather than in that -of a coquette, with that mischievous air exhibited by young girls which -sometimes renders them irresistible. - -Mazelli, however, seemed suddenly to be having the advantage. He had -apparently become more intimate with her, as if a secret understanding -had been established between them. While talking to her, he played -lightly with her parasol and with one of the ribbons of her dress, -which appeared to Paul, as it were, an act of moral possession, and -exasperated him so much that he longed to box the Italian's ears. - -But, one day, at Père Oriol's house, while Bretigny was chatting with -Louise and Gontran, and, at the same time, keeping his eye fixed on -Mazelli, who was telling Charlotte in a subdued voice some things that -made her smile, he suddenly saw her blush with such an appearance of -embarrassment as to leave no doubt for one moment on his mind that the -other had spoken of love. She had cast down her eyes, and ceased to -smile, but still continued listening; and Paul, who felt disposed to -make a scene, said to Gontran: "Will you have the goodness to come out -with me for five minutes?" - -The Comte made his excuses to his betrothed, and followed his friend. - -When they were in the street, Paul exclaimed: "My dear fellow, this -wretched Italian must, at any cost, be prevented from inveigling this -girl, who is defenseless against him." - -"What do you wish me to do?" - -"To warn her of the fact that he is an adventurer." - -"Hey, my dear boy, those things are no concern of mine." - -"After all, she is to be your sister-in-law." - -"Yes, but there is nothing to show me conclusively that Mazelli has -guilty designs upon her. He exhibits the same gallantry toward all -women, and he has never said or done anything improper." - -"Well, if you don't want to take it on yourself, I'll do it, although -it concerns me less assuredly than it does you." - -"So then you are in love with Charlotte?" - -"I? No--but I see clearly through this blackguard's game." - -"My dear fellow, you are mixing yourself up in matters of a delicate -nature, and--unless you are in love with Charlotte----" - -"No--I am not in love with her--but I am hunting down imposters, that's -what I mean!" - -"May I ask what you intend to do?" - -"To thrash this beggar." - -"Good! the best way to make her fall in love with him. You fight with -him, and whether he wounds you, or you wound him, he will become a hero -in her eyes." - -"What would you do then?" - -"In your place?" - -"In my place." - -"I would speak to the girl as a friend. She has great confidence -in you. Well, I would say to her simply in a few words what these -hangers-on of society are. You know very well how to say these things. -You possess an eloquent tongue. And I would make her understand, -first, why he is attached to the Spaniard; secondly, why he attempted -to lay siege to Professor Cloche's daughter; thirdly, why, not having -succeeded in this effort, he is striving, in the last place, to make a -conquest of Mademoiselle Charlotte Oriol." - -"Why do you not do that, yourself, who will be her brother-in-law?" - -"Because--because--on account of what passed between us--come! I can't." - -"That's quite right. I am going to speak to her." - -"Do you want me to procure for you a private conversation with her -immediately?" - -"Why, yes, assuredly." - -"Good! Walk about for ten minutes. I am going to carry off Louise and -Mazelli, and, when you come back, you will find the other alone." - -Paul Bretigny rambled along the side of the Enval gorges, thinking over -the best way of opening this difficult conversation. - -He found Charlotte Oriol alone, indeed, on his return, in the cold, -whitewashed parlor of the paternal abode; and he said to her, as he sat -down beside her: "It is I, Mademoiselle, who asked Gontran to procure -me this interview with you." - -She looked at him with her clear eyes: "Why, pray?" - -"Oh! it is not to pay you insipid compliments in the Italian fashion. -It is to speak to you as a friend--as a very devoted friend, who owes -you good advice." - -"Tell me what it is." - -He took up the subject in a roundabout style, dwelt upon his own -experience, and upon her inexperience, so as to lead gradually by -discreet but explicit phrases to a reference to those adventurers who -are everywhere going in quest of fortune, taking advantage with their -professional skill of every ingenuous and good-natured being, man or -woman, whose purses or hearts they explored. - -She turned rather pale as she listened to him. - -Then she said: "I understand and I don't understand. You are speaking -of some one--of whom?" - -"I am speaking of Doctor Mazelli." - -Then, she lowered her eyes, and remained a few seconds without -replying; after this, in a hesitating voice: "You are so frank that I -will be the same with you. Since--since my sister's marriage has been -arranged, I have become a little less--a little less stupid! Well, I -had already suspected what you tell me--and I used to feel amused of my -own accord at seeing him coming." - -She raised her face to his as she spoke, and in her smile, in her arch -look, in her little _retroussé_ nose, in the moist and glittering -brilliancy of her teeth which showed themselves between her lips, so -much open-hearted gracefulness, sly gaiety, and charming frolicsomeness -appeared that Bretigny felt himself drawn toward her by one of those -tumultuous transports which flung him distracted with passion at the -feet of the woman who was his latest love. And his heart exulted with -joy because Mazelli had not been preferred to him. So then he had -triumphed. - -He asked: "You do not love him, then?" - -"Whom? Mazelli?" - -"Yes." - -She looked at him with such a pained expression in her eyes that he -felt thrown off his balance, and stammered, in a supplicating voice: -"What?--you don't love--anyone?" - -She replied, with a downward glance: "I don't know--I love people who -love me." - -He seized the young girl's two hands, all at once, and kissing them -wildly in one of those moments of impulse in which the head loses its -controlling power, and the words which rise to the lips come from the -excited flesh rather than the wandering mind, he faltered: - -"I!--I love you, my little Charlotte; yes, I love you!" - -She quickly drew away one of her hands, and placed it on his mouth, -murmuring: "Be silent!--be silent, I beg of you! It would cause me too -much pain if this were another falsehood." - -She stood erect; he rose up, caught her in his arms, and embraced her -passionately. - -A sudden noise parted them; Père Oriol had just come in, and he was -gazing at them, quite scared. Then, he cried: "Ah! bougrrre! ah! -bougrrre! ah! bougrrre of a savage!" - -Charlotte had rushed out, and the two men remained face to face. -After some seconds of agitation, Paul made an attempt to explain his -position. - -"My God! Monsieur--I have conducted myself--it is true--like a----" - -But the old man would not listen to him. Anger, furious anger, had -taken possession of him, and he advanced toward Bretigny, with clenched -fists, repeating: - -"Ah! bougrrre of a savage----" - -Then, when they were nose to nose, he seized Paul by the collar with -his knotted peasant's hands. - -But the other, as tall, and strong with that superior strength acquired -by the practice of athletics, freed himself with a single push from the -countryman's grip, and, pushing him up against the wall: - -"Listen, Père Oriol, this is not a matter for us to fight about, but to -settle quietly. It is true, I was embracing your daughter. I swear to -you that this is the first time--and I swear to you, too, that I desire -to marry her." - -The old man, whose physical excitement had subsided under the assault -of his adversary, but whose anger had not yet been calmed, stuttered: - -"Ha! that's how it is! You want to steal my daughter; you want my -money. Bougrrre of a deceiver!" - -Thereupon, he allowed all that was on his mind to escape from him in a -heap of grumbling words. He found no consolation for the dowry promised -with his elder girl, for his vinelands going into the hands of these -Parisians. He now had his suspicions as to Gontran's want of money, -Andermatt's craft, and, without forgetting the unexpected fortune -which the banker brought him, he vented his bile and his secret rancor -against those mischievous people who did not let him sleep any longer -in peace. - -One would have thought that his family and his friends were coming -every night to plunder him, to rob him of everything, his lands, his -springs, and his daughters. And he cast these reproaches into Paul's -face, accusing him also of wanting to get hold of his property, of -being a rogue, and of taking Charlotte in order to have his lands. - -The other, soon losing all patience, shouted under his very nose: "Why, -I am richer than you, you infernally currish old donkey. I would bring -you money." - -The old man listened in silence to these words, incredulous but -vigilant, and then, in a milder tone, he renewed his complaints. - -Paul then answered him and entered into explanations; and, believing -that an obligation was imposed on him, owing to the circumstances under -which he had been surprised, and for which he was solely responsible, -he proposed to marry the girl without asking for any dowry. - -Père Oriol shook his head and his ears, heard Paul reiterating his -statements, but was unable to understand. To him this young man seemed -still a pauper, a penniless wretch. - -And, when Bretigny, exasperated, yelled, in his teeth: "Why, you old -rascal, I have an income of more than a hundred and twenty thousand -francs a year--do you understand?--three millions," the other suddenly -asked: "Will you write that down on a piece of paper?" - -"Yes, I will write it down!" - -"And you'll sign it?" - -"Yes, I will sign it." - -"On a sheet of notary's paper?" - -"Yes, certainly--on a sheet of notary's paper!" - -Thereupon, he rose up, opened a press, took out of it two leaves marked -with the Government stamp, and, seeking for the undertaking which -Andermatt, a few days before, had required from him, he drew up an odd -promise of marriage, in which it was made a condition that the _fiancé_ -vouched for his being worth three millions; and, at the end of it -Bretigny affixed his signature. - -When Paul found himself in the open air once more, he felt as if the -earth no longer turned round in the same way. So then, he was engaged, -in spite of himself, in spite of her, by one of those accidents, by one -of those tricks of circumstance, which shut out from you every point of -escape. He muttered: "What madness!" Then he reflected: "Bah! I could -not have found better perhaps in all the world!" - -And in his secret heart he rejoiced at this snare of destiny. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - -Christiane's Via Crucis - - -The dawn of the following day brought bad news to Andermatt. He learned -on his arrival at the bath-establishment that M. Aubry-Pasteur had died -during the night from an attack of apoplexy at the Hotel Splendid. - -In addition to the fact that the deceased was very useful to him on -account of his vast scientific attainments, disinterested zeal, and -attachment to the Mont Oriol station, which, in some measure, he looked -upon as a daughter, it was much to be regretted that a patient who had -come there to fight against a tendency toward congestion should have -died exactly in this fashion, in the midst of his treatment, in the -very height of the season, at the very moment when the rising spa was -beginning to prove a success. - -The banker, exceedingly annoyed, walked up and down in the study of the -absent inspector, thinking of some device whereby this misfortune might -be attributed to some other cause, such as an accident, a fall, a -want of prudence, the rupture of an artery; and he impatiently awaited -Doctor Latonne's arrival in order that the decease might be ingeniously -certified without awakening any suspicion as to the initial cause of -the fatality. - -All at once, the medical inspector appeared on the scene, his face pale -and indicative of extreme agitation; and, as soon as he had passed -through the door, he asked: "Have you heard the lamentable news?" - -"Yes, the death of M. Aubry-Pasteur." - -"No, no, the flight of Doctor Mazelli with Professor Cloche's daughter." - -Andermatt felt a shiver running along his skin. - -"What? you tell me----" - -"Oh! my dear manager, it is a frightful catastrophe, a crash!" - -He sat down and wiped his forehead; then he related the facts as he -got them from Petrus Martel, who had learned them directly through the -professor's valet. - -Mazelli had paid very marked attentions to the pretty red-haired -widow, a coarse coquette, a wanton, whose first husband had succumbed -to consumption, brought on, it was said, by excessive devotion to his -matrimonial duties. But M. Cloche, having discovered the projects of -the Italian physician, and not desiring this adventurer as a second -son-in-law, violently turned him out of doors on surprising him -kneeling at the widow's feet. - -Mazelli, having been sent out by the door, soon re-entered through the -window by the silken ladder of lovers. Two versions of the affair -were current. According to the first, he had rendered the professor's -daughter mad with love and jealousy; according to the second, he had -continued to see her secretly, while pretending to be devoting his -attention to another woman; and ascertaining finally through his -mistress that the professor remained inflexible, he had carried her -off, the same night, rendering a marriage inevitable, in consequence of -this scandal. - -Doctor Latonne rose up and, leaning his back against the mantelpiece, -while Andermatt, astounded, continued walking up and down, he exclaimed: - -"A physician, Monsieur, a physician to do such a thing!--a doctor of -medicine!--what an absence of character!" - -Andermatt, completely crushed, appreciated the consequences, classified -them, and weighed them, as one does a sum in addition. They were: -"First, the disagreeable report spreading over the neighboring spas -and all the way to Paris. If, however, they went the right way about -it, perhaps they could make use of this elopement as an advertisement. -A fortnight's echoes well written and prominently printed in the -newspapers would strongly attract attention to Mont Oriol. Secondly: -Professor Cloche's departure an irreparable loss. Thirdly: The -departure of the Duchess and the Duke de Ramas-Aldavarra, a second -inevitable loss without possible compensation. In short, Doctor Latonne -was right. It was a frightful catastrophe." - -Then, the banker, turning toward the physician: "You ought to go at -once to the Hotel Splendid, and draw up the certificate of the death of -Aubry-Pasteur in such a way that no one could suspect it to be a case -of congestion." - -Doctor Latonne put on his hat; then just as he was leaving: "Ha! -another rumor which is circulating! Is it true that your friend Paul -Bretigny is going to marry Charlotte Oriol?" - -Andermatt gave a start of astonishment. - -"Bretigny? Come-now!--who told you that?" - -"Why, as in the other case, Petrus Martel, who had it from Père Oriol -himself." - -"From Père Oriol?" - -"Yes, from Père Oriol, who declared that his future son-in-law -possessed a fortune of three millions." - -William did not know what to think. He muttered: "In point of fact, it -is possible. He has been rather hot on her for some time past! But in -that case the whole knoll is ours--the whole knoll! Oh! I must make -certain of this immediately." And he went out after the doctor in order -to meet Paul before breakfast. - -As he was entering the hotel, he was informed that his wife had several -times asked to see him. He found her still in bed, chatting with her -father and with her brother, who was looking through the newspapers -with a rapid and wandering glance. She felt poorly, very poorly, -restless. She was afraid, without knowing why. And then an idea had -come to her, and had for some days been growing stronger in her brain, -as usually happens with pregnant women. She wanted to consult Doctor -Black. From the effect of hearing around her some jokes at Doctor -Latonne's expense, she had lost all confidence in him, and she wanted -another opinion, that of Doctor Black, whose success was constantly -increasing. Fears, all the fears, all the hauntings, by which women -toward the close of pregnancy are besieged, now tortured her from -morning until night. Since the night before, in consequence of a dream, -she imagined that the Cæsarian operation might be necessary. And she -was present in thought at this operation performed on herself. She saw -herself lying on her back in a bed covered with blood, while something -red was being taken away, which did not move, which did not cry, and -which was dead! And for ten minutes she shut her eyes, in order to -witness this over again, to be present once more at her horrible and -painful punishment. She had, therefore, become impressed with the -notion that Doctor Black alone could tell her the truth, and she wanted -him at once; she required him to examine her immediately, immediately, -immediately! Andermatt, greatly agitated, did not know what answer to -give her. - -"But my dear child, it is difficult, having regard to my relations -with Latonne it is even impossible. Listen! an idea occurs to me: I -will look up Professor Mas-Roussel, who is a hundred times better than -Black. He will not refuse to come when I ask him." - -But she persisted. She wanted Black, and no one else. She required to -see him with his big bulldog's head beside her. It was a longing, a -wild, superstitious desire. She considered it necessary for him to see -her. - -Then William attempted to change the current of her thoughts: - -"You haven't heard how that intriguer Mazelli carried off Professor -Cloche's daughter the other night. They are gone away; nobody can tell -where they levanted to. There's a nice story for you!" - -She was propped up on her pillow, her eyes strained with grief, and she -faltered: "Oh! the poor Duchess--the poor woman--how I pity her!" Her -heart had long since learned to understand that other woman's heart, -bruised and impassioned! She suffered from the same malady and wept the -same tears. But she resumed: "Listen, Will! Go and find M. Black for -me. I know I shall die unless he comes!" - -Andermatt caught her hand, and tenderly kissed it: - -"Come, my little Christiane, be reasonable--understand." - -He saw her eyes filled with tears, and, turning toward the Marquis: - -"It is you that ought to do this, my dear father-in-law. As for me, I -can't do it. Black comes here every day about one o'clock to see the -Princess de Maldebourg. Stop him in the passage, and send him in to -your daughter. You can easily wait an hour, can you not, Christiane?" - -She consented to wait an hour, but refused to get up to breakfast with -the men, who passed alone into the dining-room. - -Paul was there already. Andermatt, when he saw him, exclaimed: "Ah! -tell me now, what is it I have been told a little while ago? You are -going to marry Charlotte Oriol? It is not true, is it?" - -The young man replied in a low tone, casting a restless look toward the -closed door: "Good God! it is true!" Nobody having been sure of it till -now, the three stared at him in amazement. - -William asked: "What came over you? With your fortune, to marry--to -embarrass yourself with one woman, when you have the whole of them? -And then, after all, the family leaves something to be desired in the -matter of refinement. It is all very well for Gontran, who hasn't a -sou!" - -Bretigny began to laugh: "My father made a fortune out of flour; he was -then a miller on a large scale. If you had known him, you might have -said he lacked refinement. As for the young girl----" - -Andermatt interrupted him: "Oh! perfect--charming--perfect--and you -know--she will be as rich as yourself--if not more so. I answer for -it--I--I answer for it!" - -Gontran murmured: "Yes, this marriage interferes with nothing, and -covers retreats. Only he was wrong in not giving us notice beforehand. -How the devil was this business managed, my friend?" - -Thereupon, Paul related all that had occurred with some slight -modifications. He told about his hesitation, which he exaggerated, -and his sudden determination on discovering from the young girl's own -lips that she loved him. He described the unexpected entrance of Père -Oriol, their quarrel, which he enlarged upon, the countryman's doubts -concerning his fortune, and the incident of the stamped paper drawn by -the old man out of the press. - -Andermatt, laughing till the tears ran down his face, hit the table -with his fist: "Ha! he did that over again, the stamped paper touch! -It's my invention, that is!" - -But Paul stammered, reddening a little: "Pray don't let your wife know -about it yet. Owing to the terms which we are on at present, it is -more suitable that I should announce it to her myself." - -Gontran eyed his friend with an odd, good-humored smile, which seemed -to say: "This is quite right, all this, quite right! That's the way -things ought to end, without noise, without scandals, without any -dramatic situations." - -He suggested: "If you like, my dear Paul, we'll go together, after -dinner, when she's up, and you will inform her of your decision." - -Their eyes met, fixed, full of unfathomable thoughts, then looked in -another direction. And Paul replied with an air of indifference: - -"Yes, willingly. We'll talk about this presently." - -A waiter from the hotel came to inform them that Doctor Black had just -arrived for his visit to the Princess; and the Marquis forthwith went -out to catch him in the passage. He explained the situation to the -doctor, his son-in-law's embarrassment and his daughter's earnest wish, -and he brought him in without resistance. - -As soon as the little man with the big head had entered Christiane's -apartment, she said: "Papa, leave us alone!" And the Marquis withdrew. - -Thereupon, she enumerated her disquietudes, her terrors, her -nightmares, in a low, sweet voice, as though she were at confession. -And the physician listened to her like a priest, covering her sometimes -with his big round eyes, showed his attention by a little nod of the -head, murmured a "That's it," which seemed to mean, "I know your case -at the end of my fingers, and I will cure you whenever I like." - -When she had finished speaking, he began in his turn to question her -with extreme minuteness of detail about her life, her habits, her -course of diet, her treatment. At one moment he appeared to express -approval with a gesture, at another to convey blame with an "Oh!" full -of reservations. When she came to her great fear that the child was -misplaced, he rose up, and with an ecclesiastical modesty, lightly -passed his hand over the counterpane, and then remarked, "No, it's all -right." - -And she felt a longing to embrace him. What a good man this physician -was! - -He sat down at the table, took a sheet of paper, and wrote out the -prescription. It was long, very long. Then he came back close to the -bed, and, in an altered tone, clearly indicating that he had finished -his professional and sacred duty, he began to chat. He had a deep, -unctuous voice, the powerful voice of a thickset dwarf, and there -were hidden questions in his most ordinary phrases. He talked about -everything. Gontran's marriage seemed to interest him considerably. -Then, with his ugly smile like that of an ill-shaped being: - -"I have said nothing yet to you about M. Bretigny's marriage, although -it cannot be a secret, for Père Oriol has told it to everybody." - -A kind of fainting fit took possession of her, commencing at the end -of her fingers, then invading her entire body--her arms, her breast, -her stomach, her legs. She did not, however, quite understand; but a -horrible fear of not learning the truth suddenly restored her powers -of observation, and she faltered: "Ha! Père Oriol has told it to -everybody?" - -"Yes, yes. He was speaking to myself about it less than ten minutes -ago. It appears that M. Bretigny is very rich, and that he has been in -love with little Charlotte for some time past. Moreover, it is Madame -Honorat who made these two matches. She lent her hands and her house -for the meetings of the young people." - -Christiane had closed her eyes. She had lost consciousness. In answer -to the doctor's call, a chambermaid rushed in; then appeared the -Marquis, Andermatt, and Gontran, who went to search for vinegar, -ether, ice, twenty different things all equally useless. Suddenly, the -young woman moved, opened her eyes, lifted up her arms, and uttered a -heartrending cry, writhing in the bed. She tried to speak, and in a -broken voice said: - -"Oh! what pain I feel--my God!--what pain I feel--in my back--something -is tearing me--Oh! my God!" And she broke out into fresh shrieks. - -The symptoms of confinement were speedily recognized. Then Andermatt -rushed off to find Doctor Latonne, and came upon him finishing his meal. - -"Come on quickly--my wife has met with a mishap--hurry on!" Then he -made use of a little deception, telling how Doctor Black had been found -in the hotel at the moment of the first pains. Doctor Black himself -confirmed this falsehood by saying to his brother-physician: - -"I had just come to visit the Princess when I was informed that Madame -Andermatt was taken ill. I hurried to her. It was time!" - -But William, in a state of great excitement, his heart beating, his -soul filled with alarm was all at once seized with doubts as to the -competency of the two professional men, and he started off afresh, -bareheaded, in order to run in the direction of Professor Mas-Roussel's -house, and to entreat him to come. The professor consented to do so -at once, buttoned on his frock-coat with the mechanical movement of a -physician going out to pay a visit, and set forth with great, rapid -strides, the eager strides of an eminent man whose presence may save a -life. - -When he arrived on the scene, the two other doctors, full of deference, -consulted him with an air of humility, repeating together or nearly at -the same time: - -"Here is what has occurred, dear master. Don't you think, dear master? -Isn't there reason to believe, dear master?" - -Andermatt, in his turn, driven crazy with anguish at the moanings of -his wife, harassed M. Mas-Roussel with questions, and also addressed -him as "dear master" with wide-open mouth. - -Christiane, almost naked in the presence of these men, no longer saw, -noticed, or understood anything. She was suffering so dreadfully that -everything else had vanished from her consciousness. It seemed to her -that they were drawing from the tops of her hips along her side and her -back a long saw, with blunt teeth, which was mangling her bones and -muscles slowly and in an irregular fashion, with shakings, stoppages, -and renewals of the operation, which became every moment more and more -frightful. - -When this torture abated for a few seconds, when the rendings of her -body allowed her reason to come back, one thought then fixed itself -in her soul, more cruel, more keen, more terrible, than her physical -pain: "He was in love with another woman, and was going to marry her!" - -And, in order to get rid of this pang, which was eating into her brain, -she struggled to bring on once more the atrocious torment of her -flesh; she shook her sides; she strained her back; and when the crisis -returned again, she had, at least, lost all capacity for thought. - -For fifteen hours she endured this martyrdom, so much bruised by -suffering and despair that she longed to die, and strove to die in -those spasms in which she writhed. - -But, after a convulsion longer and more violent than the rest, it -seemed to her that everything inside her body suddenly escaped from -her. It was over; her pangs were assuaged, like the waves of the sea, -when they are calmed; and the relief which she experienced was so -intense that, for a time, even her grief became numbed. They spoke to -her. She answered in a voice very weak, very low. - -Suddenly, Andermatt stooped down, his face toward hers, and he said: -"She will live--she is almost at the end of it. It is a girl!" - -Christiane was only able to articulate: "Ah! my God!" - -So then she had a child, a living child, who would grow big--a child of -Paul! She felt a desire to cry out, all this fresh misfortune crushed -her heart. She had a daughter. She did not want it! She would not look -at it! She would never touch it! - -They had laid her down again on the bed, taken care of her, tenderly -embraced her. Who had done this? No doubt, her father and her husband. -She could not tell. But he--where was he? What was he doing? How happy -she would have felt at that moment, if only he still loved her! - -The hours dragged along, following each other without any distinction -between day and night so far as she was concerned, for she felt only -this one thought burning into her soul: he loved another woman. - -Then she said to herself all of a sudden: "What if it were false? Why -should I not have known about his marriage sooner than this doctor?" -After that, came the reflection that it had been kept hidden from her. -Paul had taken care that she should not hear about it. - -She glanced around her room to see who was there. A woman whom she did -not know was keeping watch by her side, a woman of the people. She did -not venture to question her. From whom, then, could she make inquiries -about this matter? - -The door was suddenly pushed open. Her husband entered on the tips of -his toes. Seeing that her eyes were open, he came over to her. - -"Are you better?" - -"Yes, thanks." - -"You frightened us very much since yesterday. But there is an end of -the danger! By the bye, I am quite embarrassed about your case. I -telegraphed to our friend, Madame Icardon, who was to have come to stay -with you during your confinement, informing her about your premature -illness, and imploring her to hasten down here. She is with her nephew, -who has an attack of scarlet fever. You cannot, however, remain -without anyone near you, without some woman who is a little--a little -suitable for the purpose. Accordingly, a lady from the neighborhood has -offered to nurse you, and to keep you company every day, and, faith, I -have accepted the offer. It is Madame Honorat." - -Christiane suddenly remembered Doctor Black's words. A start of fear -shook her; and she groaned: "Oh! no--no--not she!" - -William did not understand, and went on: "Listen, I know well that she -is very common; but your brother has a great esteem for her; she has -been of great service to him; and then it has been thrown out that she -was originally a midwife, whom Honorat made the acquaintance of while -attending a patient. If you take a strong dislike to her, I will send -her away the next day. Let us try her at any rate. Let her come once or -twice." - -She remained silent, thinking. A craving to know, to know everything, -entered into her, so violent that the hope of making this woman chatter -freely, of tearing from her one by one the words that would rend her -own heart, now filled her with a yearning to reply: "Go, go, and look -for her immediately--immediately. Go, pray!" - -And to this irresistible desire to know was also superadded a strange -longing to suffer more intensely, to roll herself about in her misery, -as she might have rolled herself on thorns, the mysterious longing, -morbid and feverish, of a martyr calling for fresh pain. - -So she faltered: "Yes, I have no objection. Bring me Madame Honorat." - -Then, suddenly, she felt that she could not wait any longer without -making sure, quite sure, of this treason; and she asked William in a -voice weak as a breath: - -"Is it true that M. Bretigny is getting married?" - -He replied calmly: "Yes, it is true. We would have told you before this -if we could have talked with you." - -She continued: "With Charlotte?" - -"With Charlotte." - -Now William had also a fixed idea himself which from this time forth -never left him--his daughter, as yet barely alive, whom every moment -he was going to look at. He felt indignant because Christiane's first -words were not to ask for the baby; and in a tone of gentle reproach: -"Well, look here! you have not yet inquired about the little one. You -are aware that she is going on very well?" - -She trembled as if he had touched a living wound; but it was necessary -for her to pass through all the stations of this Calvary. - -"Bring her here," she said. - -He vanished to the foot of the bed behind the curtain, then he came -back, his face lighted up with pride and happiness, and holding in his -hands, in an awkward fashion, a bundle of white linen. - -He laid it down on the embroidered pillow close to the head of -Christiane, who was choking with emotion, and he said: "Look here, see -how lovely she is!" - -She looked. He opened with two of his fingers the fine lace with which -was hidden from view a little red face, so small, so red, with closed -eyes, and mouth constantly moving. - -And she thought, as she leaned over this beginning of being: "This is -my daughter--Paul's daughter. Here then is what made me suffer so much. -This--this--this is my daughter!" - -Her repugnance toward the child, whose birth had so fiercely torn her -poor heart and her tender woman's body had, all at once, disappeared; -she now contemplated it with ardent and sorrowing curiosity, with -profound astonishment, the astonishment of a being who sees her -firstborn come forth from her. - -Andermatt was waiting for her to caress it passionately. He was -surprised and shocked, and asked: "Are you not going to kiss it?" - -She stooped quite gently toward this little red forehead; and in -proportion as she drew her lips closer to it, she felt them drawn, -called by it. And when she had placed them upon it, when she touched -it, a little moist, a little warm, warm with her own life, it seemed -to her that she could not withdraw her lips from that infantile flesh, -that she would leave them there forever. - -Something grazed her cheek; it was her husband's beard as he bent -forward to kiss her. And when he had pressed her a long time against -himself with a grateful tenderness, he wanted, in his turn, to kiss his -daughter, and with his outstretched mouth he gave it very soft little -strokes on the nose. - -Christiane, her heart shriveled up by this caress, gazed at both of -them there by her side, at her daughter and at him--him! - -He soon wanted to carry the infant back to its cradle. - -"No," said she, "let me have it a few minutes longer, that I may feel -it close to my face. Don't speak to me any more--don't move--leave us -alone, and wait." - -She passed one of her arms over the body hidden under the -swaddling-clothes, put her forehead close to the little grinning face, -shut her eyes, and no longer stirred, or thought about anything. - -But, at the end of a few minutes, William softly touched her on the -shoulder: "Come, my darling, you must be reasonable! No emotions, you -know, no emotions!" - -Thereupon, he bore away their little daughter, while the mother's eyes -followed the child till it had disappeared behind the curtain of the -bed. - -After that, he came back to her: "Then it is understood that I am to -bring Madame Honorat to you to-morrow morning, to keep you company?" - -She replied in a firm tone: "Yes, my dear, you may send her to -me--to-morrow morning." - -And she stretched herself out in the bed, fatigued, worn out, perhaps a -little less unhappy. - -Her father and her brother came to see her in the evening, and told -her news about the locality--the precipitate departure of Professor -Cloche in search of his daughter, and the conjectures with reference to -the Duchess de Ramas, who was no longer to be seen, and who was also -supposed to have started on Mazelli's track. Gontran laughed at these -adventures, and drew a comic moral from the occurrences: - -"The history of those spas is incredible. They are the only fairylands -left upon the earth! In two months more things happen in them than in -the rest of the universe during the remainder of the year. One might -say with truth that the springs are not mineralized but bewitched. And -it is everywhere the same, at Aix, Royat, Vichy, Luchon, and also at -the sea-baths, at Dieppe, Étretat, Trouville, Biarritz, Cannes, and -Nice. You meet there specimens of all kinds of people, of every social -grade--admirable adventures, a mixture of races and people not to be -found elsewhere, and marvelous incidents. Women play pranks there with -facility and charming promptitude. At Paris one resists temptation--at -the waters one falls; there you are! Some men find fortune at them, -like Andermatt; others find death, like Aubry-Pasteur; others find -worse even than that--and get married there--like myself and Paul. -Isn't it queer and funny, this sort of thing? You have heard about -Paul's intended marriage--have you not?" - -She murmured: "Yes; William told me about it a little while ago." - -Gontran went on: "He is right, quite right. She is a peasant's -daughter. Well, what of that? She is better than an adventurer's -daughter or a daughter who's too short. I knew Paul. He would have -ended by marrying a street-walker, provided she resisted him for six -months. And to resist him it needed a jade or an innocent. He has -lighted on the innocent. So much the better for him!" - -Christiane listened, and every word, entering through her ears, went -straight to her heart, and inflicted on her pain, horrible pain. - -Closing her eyes, she said: "I am very tired. I would like to have a -little rest." - -They embraced her and went out. - -She could not sleep, so wakeful was her mind, active and racked with -harrowing thoughts. That idea that he no longer loved her at all became -so intolerable that, were it not for the presence of this woman, this -nurse nodding asleep in the armchair, she would have got up, opened -the window, and flung herself out on the steps of the hotel. A very -thin ray of moonlight penetrated through an opening in the curtains, -and formed a round bright spot on the floor. She observed it; and in a -moment a crowd of memories rushed together into her brain: the lake, -the wood, that first "I love you," scarcely heard, so agitating, at -Tournoel, and all their caresses, in the evening, beside the shadowy -paths, and the road from La Roche Pradière. - -Suddenly, she saw this white road, on a night when the heavens were -filled with stars, and he, Paul, with his arm round a woman's waist, -kissing her at every step they walked. It was Charlotte! He pressed -her against him, smiled as he knew how to smile, murmured in her ear -sweet words, such as he knew how to utter, then flung himself on his -knees and kissed the ground in front of her, just as he had kissed it -in front of herself! It was so hard, so hard for her to bear, that -turning round and hiding her face in the pillow, she burst out sobbing. -She almost shrieked, so much did despair rend her soul. Every beat of -her heart, which jumped into her throat, which throbbed in her temples, -sent forth from her one word--"Paul--Paul--Paul"--endlessly re-echoed. -She stopped up her ears with her hands in order to hear nothing more, -plunged her head under the sheets; but then his name sounded in the -depths of her bosom with every pant of her tormented heart. - -The nurse, waking up, asked of her: "Are you worse, Madame?" - -Christiane turned round, her face covered with tears, and murmured: -"No, I was asleep--I was dreaming--I was frightened." - -Then, she begged of her to light two wax-candles, so that the ray of -moonlight might be no longer visible. Toward morning, however, she -slumbered. - -She had been asleep for a few hours when Andermatt came in, bringing -with him Madame Honorat. The fat lady, immediately adopting a familiar -tone, questioned her like a doctor; then, satisfied with her answers, -said: "Come, come! you're going on very nicely!" Then she took off her -hat, her gloves, and her shawl, and, addressing the nurse: "You may go, -my girl. You will come when we ring for you." - -Christiane, already inflamed with dislike to the woman, said to her -husband: "Give me my daughter for a little while." - -As on the previous day, William carried the child to her, tenderly -embracing it as he did so, and placed it upon the pillow. And, as on -the previous day, too, when she felt close to her cheek, through the -wrappings, the heat of this little stranger's body, imprisoned in -linen, she was suddenly penetrated with a grateful sense of peace. - -Then, all at once, the baby began to cry, screaming out in a shrill and -piercing voice. "She wants nursing," said Andermatt. - -He rang, and the wet-nurse appeared, a big red woman, with a mouth -like an ogress, full of large, shining teeth, which almost terrified -Christiane. And from the open body of her dress she drew forth a -breast, soft and heavy with milk. And when Christiane beheld her -daughter drinking, she felt a longing to snatch away and take back the -baby, moved by a certain sense of jealousy. Madame Honorat now gave -directions to the wet-nurse, who went off, carrying the baby in her -arms. Andermatt, in his turn, went out, and the two women were left -alone together. - -Christiane did not know how to speak of what tortured her soul, -trembling lest she might give way to too much emotion, lose her head, -burst into tears, and betray herself. But Madame Honorat began to -babble of her own accord, without having been asked a single question. -When she had related all the scandalous stories that were circulating -through the neighborhood, she came to the Oriol family: "They are good -people," said she, "very good people. If you had known the mother, what -a worthy, brave woman she was! She was worth ten women, Madame. The -girls take after her, for that matter." - -Then, as she was passing on to another topic, Christiane asked: "Which -of the two do you prefer, Louise or Charlotte?" - -"Oh! for my own part, Madame, I prefer Louise, your brother's intended -wife; she is more sensible, more steady. She is a woman of order. But -my husband likes the other better. Men you know, have tastes different -from ours." - -She ceased speaking. Christiane, whose strength was giving way, -faltered: "My brother has often met his betrothed at your house." - -"Oh! yes, Madame--I believe really every day. Everything was brought -about at my house, everything! As for me, I let them talk, these young -people, I understood the thing thoroughly. But what truly gave me -pleasure was when I saw that M. Paul was getting smitten by the younger -one." - -Then, Christiane, in an almost inaudible voice: "Is he deeply in love -with her?" - -"Ah! Madame, is he in love with her? He had lost his head about her -some time since. And then, when the Italian--he who ran off with -Doctor Cloche's daughter--kept hanging about the girl a little, it -was something worth seeing and watching--I thought they were going to -fight! Ah! if you had seen M. Paul's eyes. And he looked upon her as -if she were a holy Virgin, nothing less--it's a pleasant thing to see -people so much in love as that!" - -Thereupon, Christiane asked her about all that had taken place in her -presence, about all they had said, about all they had done, about their -promenades in the glen of Sans-Souci, where he had so often told her -of his love for her. She put unexpected questions, which astonished -the fat lady, about matters that nobody would have dreamed of, for she -was constantly making comparisons; she recalled a thousand details of -what had occurred the year before, all Paul's delicate gallantries, -his thoughtfulness about her, his ingenious devices to please her, all -that display of charming attentions and tender anxieties which on the -part of a man show an imperious desire to win a woman's affections; and -she wanted to find out whether he had manifested the same affectionate -interest toward the other, whether he had commenced afresh this siege -of a soul with the same ardor, with the same enthusiasm, with the same -irresistible passion. - -And every time she recognized a little circumstance, a little trait, -one of those nothings which cause such exquisite bliss, one of those -disquieting surprises which cause the heart to beat fast, and of which -Paul was so prodigal when he loved, Christiane, as she lay prostrate in -the bed, gave utterance to a little "Ah!" expressive of keen suffering. - -Amazed at this strange exclamation, Madame Honorat declared more -emphatically: "Why, yes. 'Tis as I tell you, exactly as I tell you. I -never saw a man so much in love!" - -"Has he recited verses to her?" - -"I believe so indeed, Madame, and very pretty ones, too!" - -And, when they had relapsed into silence, nothing more could be heard -save the monotonous and soothing song of the nurse as she rocked the -baby to sleep in the adjoining room. - -Steps were drawing near in the corridor outside. Doctors Mas-Roussel -and Latonne had come to visit their patient. They found her agitated, -not quite so well as she had been on the previous day. - -When they had left, Andermatt opened the door again, and without coming -in: "Doctor Black would like to see you. Will you see him?" - -She exclaimed, as she raised herself up in the bed: "No--no--I will -not--no!" - -William came over to her, looking quite astounded: "But listen to me -now--it would only be right--it is his due--you ought to!" - -She looked, with her wide-open eyes and quivering lips, as if she had -lost her reason. She kept repeating in a piercing voice, so loud that -it must have penetrated through the walls: "No!--no!--never!" And then, -no longer knowing what she said, and pointing with outstretched arm -toward Madame Honorat, who was standing in the center of the apartment: - -"I do not want her either!--send her away!--I don't want to see -her!--send her away!" - -Then he rushed to his wife's side, took her in his arms, and kissed her -on the forehead: "My little Christiane, be calm! What is the matter -with you?--come now, be calm!" - -She had by this time lost the power of raising her voice. The tears -gushed from her eyes. - -"Send them all away," said she, "and remain alone with me!" - -He went across, in a distracted frame of mind, to the doctor's wife, -and gently pushing her toward the door: "Leave us for a few minutes, -pray. It is the fever--the milk-fever. I will calm her. I will look for -you again by and by." - -When he came back to the bedside Christiane was lying down, weeping -quietly, without moving in any way, quite prostrated. - -And then, for the first time in his life, he, too, began to weep. - -In fact, the milk-fever had broken out during the night, and delirium -supervened. After some hours of extreme excitement, the recently -delivered woman suddenly began to speak. - -The Marquis and Andermatt, who had resolved to remain near her, and -who passed the time playing cards, counting the tricks in hushed tones, -imagined that she was calling them, and, rising up, approached the -bed. She did not see them; she did not recognize them. Intensely pale, -on her white pillow, with her fair tresses hanging loose over her -shoulders, she was gazing, with her clear blue eyes, into that unknown, -mysterious, and fantastic world, in which dwell the insane. - -Her hands, stretched over the bedclothes, stirred now and then, -agitated by rapid and involuntary movements, tremblings, and starts. - -She did not, at first, appear to be talking to anyone, but to be -seeing things and telling what she saw. And the things she said seemed -disconnected, incomprehensible. She found a rock too high to jump off. -She was afraid of a sprain, and then she was not on intimate terms -enough with the man who reached out his arms toward her. Then she spoke -about perfumes. She was apparently trying to remember some forgotten -phrases. "What can be sweeter? This intoxicates one like wine--wine -intoxicates the mind, but perfume intoxicates the imagination. With -perfume you taste the very essence, the pure essence of things and -of the universe--you taste the flowers--the trees--the grass of the -fields--you can even distinguish the soul of the dwellings of olden -days which sleeps in the old furniture, the old carpets, and the old -curtains." Then her face contracted as if she had undergone a long -spell of fatigue. She was ascending a hillside slowly, heavily, and was -saying to some one: "Oh! carry me once more, I beg of you. I am going -to die here! I can walk no farther. Carry me as you did above the -gorges. Do you remember?--how you loved me!" - -Then she uttered a cry of anguish--a look of horror came into her -eyes. She saw in front of her a dead animal, and she was imploring -to have it taken away without giving her pain. The Marquis said in a -whisper to his son-in-law: "She is thinking about an ass that we came -across on our way back from La Nugère." And now she was addressing this -dead beast, consoling it, telling it that she, too, was very unhappy, -because she had been abandoned. - -Then, on a sudden, she refused to do something required of her. She -cried: "Oh! no, not that! Oh! it is you, you who want me to drag this -cart!" - -Then she panted, as if indeed she were dragging a vehicle along. She -wept, moaned, uttered exclamations, and always, during a period of half -an hour, she was climbing up this hillside, dragging after her with -horrible efforts the ass's cart, beyond a doubt. - -And some one was harshly beating her, for she said: "Oh! how you hurt -me! At least, don't beat me! I will walk--but don't beat me any more, I -entreat you! I'll do whatever you wish, but don't beat me any more!" - -Then her anguish gradually abated, and all she did was to go on quietly -talking in her incoherent fashion till daybreak. After that, she became -drowsy, and ended by going to sleep. - -Until the following day, however, her mental powers remained torpid, -somewhat wavering, fleeting. She could not immediately find the words -she wanted, and fatigued herself terribly in searching for them. But, -after a night of rest, she completely regained possession of herself. - -Nevertheless, she felt changed, as if this crisis had transformed her -soul. She suffered less and thought more. The dreadful occurrences, -really so recent, seemed to her to have receded into a past already -far off; and she regarded them with a clearness of conception with -which her mind had never been illuminated before. This light, which -had suddenly dawned on her brain, and which comes to certain beings in -certain hours of suffering, showed her life, men, things, the entire -earth and all that it contains as she had never seen them before. - -Then, more than on the evening when she had felt herself so much -alone in the universe in her room, after her return from the lake of -Tazenat, she looked upon herself as utterly abandoned in existence. She -realized that all human beings walk along side by side in the midst of -circumstances without anything ever truly uniting two persons together. -She learned from the treason of him in whom she had reposed her entire -confidence that the others, all the others, would never again be to her -anything but indifferent neighbors in that journey short or long, sad -or gay, that followed to-morrows no one could foresee. - -She comprehended that even in the clasp of this man's arms, when she -believed that she was intermingling with him, entering into him, when -she believed that their flesh and their souls had become only one flesh -and one soul, they had only drawn a little nearer to one another, so as -to bring into contact the impenetrable envelopes in which mysterious -nature has isolated and shut up each human creature. And she saw as -well that nobody has ever been able, or ever will be able, to break -through that invisible barrier which places living beings as far from -each other as the stars of heaven. She divined the impotent effort, -ceaseless since the first days of the world, the indefatigable effort -of men and women to tear off the sheath in which their souls forever -imprisoned, forever solitary, are struggling--an effort of arms, of -lips, of eyes, of mouths, of trembling, naked flesh, an effort of love, -which exhausts itself in kisses, to finish only by giving life to some -other forlorn being. - -Then an uncontrollable desire to gaze on her daughter took possession -of her. She asked for it, and when it was brought to her, she begged to -have it stripped, for as yet she only knew its face. - -The wet-nurse thereupon unfastened the swaddling-clothes, and -discovered the poor little body of the newborn infant agitated by those -vague movements which life puts into these rough sketches of humanity. -Christiane touched it with a timid, trembling hand, then wanted to kiss -the stomach, the back, the legs, the feet, and then she stared at the -child full of fantastic thoughts. - -Two beings came together, loved one another with rapturous passion; -and from their embrace, this being was born. It was he and she -intermingled; until the death of this little child, it was he and she, -living again both together; it was a little of him, and a little of -her, with an unknown something which would make it different from them. -It reproduced them both in the form of its body as well as in that of -its mind, in its features, its gestures, its eyes, its movements, its -tastes, its passions, even in the sound of its voice and its gait in -walking, and yet it would be a new being! - -They were separated now--he and she--forever! Never again would their -eyes blend in one of those outbursts of love which make the human race -indestructible. And pressing the child against her heart, she murmured: -"Adieu! adieu!" It was to him that she was saying "adieu" in her baby's -ear, the brave and sorrowing "adieu" of a woman who would yet have much -to suffer, always, it might be, but who would know how to hide her -tears. - -"Ha! ha!" cried William through the half-open door. "I catch you there! -Will you be good enough to give me back my daughter?" - -Running toward the bed, he seized the little one in his hands already -practiced in the art of handling it, and lifting it over his head, -he went on repeating: "Good day, Mademoiselle Andermatt--good day, -Mademoiselle Andermatt." - -Christiane was thinking: "Here, then, is my husband!" - -And she contemplated him, with eyes as astonished as if they were -beholding him for the first, time. This was he, the man who ought to -be, according to human ideas of religion, of society, the other half -of her--more than that, her master, the master of her days and of her -nights, of her heart and of her body! She felt almost a desire to -smile, so strange did this appear to her at the moment, for between her -and him no bond could ever exist, none of those bonds alas! so quickly -broken, but which seem eternal, ineffably sweet, almost divine. - -No remorse even came to her for having deceived him, for having -betrayed him. She was surprised at this, and asked herself why it was. -Why? No doubt, there was too great a difference between them, they were -too far removed from one another, of races too widely dissimilar. He -did not understand her at all; she did not understand him at all. And -yet he was good, devoted, complaisant. - -But only perhaps beings of the same shape, of the same nature, of the -same moral essence can feel themselves attached to one another by the -sacred bond of voluntary duty. - -They dressed the baby again. William sat down. - -"Listen, my darling," said he; "I don't venture to announce Doctor -Black's visit to you, since you have been so nice toward myself. There -is, however, one person whom I would very much like you to see--I mean -Doctor Bonnefille." - -Then, for the first time, she laughed, with a colorless sort of laugh, -which fixed itself on her lips, without going near her heart; and she -asked: - -"Doctor Bonnefille! what a miracle! So then you are reconciled?" - -"Why, yes! Listen! I am going to tell you, as a secret, a great bit -of news. I have just bought up the old establishment. I have all the -district now. Hey! what a victory. That poor Doctor Bonnefille knew -it before anybody, be it understood. So then he has been sly. He came -every day to obtain information as to how you were, leaving his card -with a word of sympathy written on it. For my part, I responded to -these advances with a single visit; and at present we are on excellent -terms." - -"Let him come," said Christiane, "whenever he likes. I will be glad to -see him." - -"Good. Thank you. I'll bring him here to you tomorrow morning. I need -scarcely tell you that Paul is constantly asking me to convey to you a -thousand compliments from him, and he inquires a great deal about the -little one. He is very anxious to see her." - -In spite of her resolutions she felt a sense of oppression. She was -able, however, to say: "You will thank him on my behalf." - -Andermatt rejoined: "He was very uneasy to learn whether you had been -told about his intended marriage. I informed him that you had; then he -asked me several times what you thought about it." - -She exerted her strength to the utmost, and felt able to murmur: "You -will tell him that I entirely approve of it." - -William, with cruel persistency, went on: "He wishes also to know for -certain what name you mean to call your daughter. I told him we were -hesitating between Marguerite and Genevieve." - -"I have changed my mind," said she. "I intend to call her Arlette." - -Formerly, in the early days of her pregnancy, she had discussed with -Paul the name which they ought to select whether for a son or for -a daughter; and for a daughter they had remained undecided between -Genevieve and Marguerite. She no longer wanted these two names. - -William repeated: "Arlette! Arlette! That's a very nice name--you are -right. For my part, I would have liked to call her Christiane, like -you. I adore that name--Christiane!" - -She sighed deeply: "Oh! it forebodes too much suffering to bear the -name of the Crucified." - -He reddened, never having dreamed of this comparison, and rising up: -"Besides, Arlette is very nice. By-bye, my darling." - -As soon as he had left the room, she called the wet-nurse, and directed -her for the future to place the cradle beside the bed. - -When the little couch in the form of a wherry, always rocking, and -carrying its white curtain like a sail on its mast of twisted copper, -had been rolled close to the big bed, Christiane stretched out her -hand to the sleeping infant, and she said in a very hushed voice: "Go -by-bye, my baby! You will never find anyone who will love you as much -as I." - -She passed the next few days in a state of tranquil melancholy, -thinking a great deal, building up within herself a resisting soul, an -energetic heart, in order to resume her life again in a few weeks. Her -chief occupation now consisted in gazing into the eyes of her child, -seeking to surprise in them a first look, but only seeing there two -little bluish caverns invariably turned toward the sunlight coming in -through the window. - -And she experienced a feeling of profound sadness as she reflected -that these eyes now closed in sleep would look out on the world, as -she herself had looked on it, through the illusion of those secret -dreamings which make the souls of young women trustful and joyous. -They would love all that she had loved, the beautiful bright days, the -flowers, the wood, and alas! living beings too! They would, no doubt, -love a man! They would carry in their depths his image, well known, -cherished, would see it when he would be far away, would be inflamed on -seeing him again. And then--and then they would learn to weep! Tears, -horrible tears, would flow over these little cheeks. And the frightful -sufferings of love betrayed would render them unrecognizable, those -poor wandering eyes which would be blue. - -And she wildly embraced the child, saying to it: "Love me alone, my -child!" - -At length, one day, Professor Mas-Roussel, who came every morning to -see her, declared: "You can soon get up for a little, Madame." - -Andermatt, when the physician had left, said to his wife: "It is very -unfortunate that you are not quite well, for we have a very interesting -experiment to-day at the establishment. Doctor Latonne has performed -a real miracle with Père Clovis by subjecting him to his system of -self-moving gymnastics. Just imagine! This old vagabond is now able to -walk as well as anyone. The progress of the cure, moreover, is manifest -after each exhibition!" - -To please him, she asked: "And are you going to have a public -exhibition?" - -"Yes, and no. We are having an exhibition before the medical men and a -few friends." - -"At what hour?" - -"Three o'clock." - -"Will M. Bretigny be there?" - -"Yes, yes. He promised me that he would come to it. From a medical -point of view, it is exceedingly curious." - -"Well," she said, "as I'll just have risen myself at that time, you -will ask M. Bretigny to come and see me. He will keep me company while -you are looking at the experiment." - -"Yes, my darling." - -"You won't forget?" - -"No, no. Make your mind easy." - -And he went off in search of those who were to witness the exhibition. - -After having been imposed upon by the Oriols at the time of the first -treatment of the paralytic, he had in his turn imposed upon the -credulity of invalids--so easy to get the better of, when it is a -question of curing. And now he imposed upon himself with the farce of -this cure, talking about it so frequently, with so much ardor and such -an air of conviction that it would have been hard to determine whether -he believed or disbelieved in it. - -About three o'clock, all the persons whom he had induced to -attend found themselves gathered together before the door of the -establishment, expecting Père Clovis's arrival. He made his appearance, -leaning on two walking-sticks, always dragging his legs after him, and -bowing politely to everyone as he passed. - -The two Oriols followed him, together with the two young girls. Paul -and Gontran accompanied their intended wives. - -In the great hall where the articulated instruments were fixed, Doctor -Latonne was waiting, and killed time by chatting with Andermatt and -Doctor Honorat. - -When he saw Père Clovis, a smile of delight passed over his -clean-shaven lips. He asked: "Well! how are we going on to-day?" - -"Oh! all right, all right." - -Petrus Martel and Saint Landri presented themselves. They wanted to -satisfy their minds. The first believed; the second doubted. Behind -them, people saw with astonishment Doctor Bonnefille coming up, -saluting his rival, and extending his hand toward Andermatt. Doctor -Black was the last to arrive. - -"Well, Messieurs and Mesdemoiselles," said Doctor Latonne, as he bowed -to Louise and Charlotte Oriol, "you are going to witness a very curious -phenomenon. Observe first, before the experiment, this worthy fellow -walking a little, but very little. Can you walk without your sticks, -Père Clovis?" - -"Oh! no, Mochieu!" - -"Good, then let us begin." - -The old fellow was hoisted on the armchair; his legs were strapped to -the movable feet of the sitting-machine; then, at the command of the -inspector: "Go quietly!" the attendant, with bare arms, turned the -handle. - -Thereupon, the right knee of the vagabond was seen rising up, -stretching out, bending, then moving forward again; after that, the -left knee did the same; and Père Clovis, seized with a sudden delight, -began to laugh, while he repeated with his head and his long, white -beard all the movements imposed on his legs. - -The four physicians and Andermatt, stooping over him, examined him with -the gravity of augurs, while Colosse exchanged sly winks with the old -chap. - -As the door had been left open, other persons kept constantly crowding -in, and convinced and anxious bathers pressed forward to behold the -experiment. - -"Quicker!" said Doctor Latonne; and, in obedience to his command, -the man who worked the handle turned it with greater energy. The old -fellow's legs began to go at a running pace, and he, seized with -irresistible gaiety, like a child being tickled, laughed as loudly -as ever he could, moving his head about wildly. And, in the midst of -his peals of laughter, he kept repeating: "What a _rigolo!_ what a -_rigolo!_" having, no doubt, picked up this word from the mouth of some -foreigner. - -Colosse, in his turn, broke out, and, stamping on the ground with -his foot and striking his thighs with his hands, he exclaimed: "Ha! -bougrrre of a Cloviche! bougrrre of a Cloviche!" - -"Enough!" was the inspector's next command. - -The vagabond was unfastened, and the physicians drew apart in order to -verify the result. - -Then Père Clovis was seen rising from the armchair, stepping on the -ground, and walking. He proceeded with short steps, it was true, quite -bent, and grimacing from fatigue at every effort, but still he walked! - -Doctor Bonnefille was the first to declare: "This is quite a remarkable -case!" Doctor Black immediately improved upon his brother-physician. -Doctor Honorat, alone, said nothing. - -Gontran whispered in Paul's ear: "I don't understand. Look at their -heads. Are they dupes or humbugs?" - -But Andermatt was speaking. He told the history of this cure since the -first day, the relapse, and the final recovery which was declared to -be settled and absolute. - -He gaily added: "If our patient goes back a little every winter, we'll -cure him again every summer." - -Then he pompously eulogized the waters of Mont Oriol, extolled their -properties, all their properties: - -"For my own part," said he; "I have had a proof of their efficacy in -the case of a being who is very dear to me; and, if my family is not -extinct, it is to Mont Oriol that I will owe it." - -But, all at once, he had a flash of recollection. He had promised -his wife a visit from Paul Bretigny. He was filled with regret for -his forgetfulness, as he was most anxious to gratify her every wish. -Accordingly he glanced around him, espied Paul, and coming up to him: -"My dear friend, I completely forgot to tell you that Christiane is -expecting you at this moment." - -Bretigny said falteringly: "Me--at this moment?" - -"Yes, she has got up to-day; and she desires to see you before anyone. -Hurry then as quickly as possible, and excuse me." - -Paul directed his steps toward the hotel, his heart throbbing with -emotion. On his way he met the Marquis de Ravenel, who said to him: - -"My daughter is up, and is surprised at not having seen you yet." - -He halted, however, on the first steps of the staircase in order to -consider what he would say to her. How would she receive him? Would she -be alone? If she spoke about his marriage, what reply should he make? - -Since he had heard of her confinement, he could not think about her -without groaning, so uneasy did he feel; and the thought of their first -meeting, every time it floated through his mind, made him suddenly -redden or grow pale with anguish. He had also thought with deep anxiety -of this unknown child, of which he was the father; and he remained -harassed by a desire to see it, mingled with a dread of looking at it. -He felt himself sunk in one of those moral foulnesses which stain a -man's conscience up to the hour of his death. But he feared above all -the glance of this woman, for whom his love had been so fierce and so -short-lived. - -Would she meet him with reproaches, with tears, or with disdain? Would -she receive him, only to drive him away? - -And what attitude ought he to assume toward her? Humble, crushed, -suppliant, or cold? Should he explain himself or should he listen -without replying? Ought he to sit down or to remain standing? - -And when the child was shown to him, what should he do? What should he -say? With what feeling should he appear to be agitated? - -Before the door he stopped again, and at the moment when he was on the -point of ringing, he noticed that his hand was trembling. However, he -placed his finger on the little ivory button, and he heard the sound of -the electric bell coming from the interior of the apartment. - -A female servant opened the door, and admitted him. And, at the -drawing-room door, he saw Christiane, at the end of the second room, -lying on her long chair with her eyes fixed upon him. - -These two rooms seemed to him interminable as he was passing through -them. He felt himself tottering. He was afraid of knocking against the -seats, and he did not venture to look down toward his feet in order to -avoid lowering his eyes. She did not make a single gesture, or utter a -single word. She waited till he was close beside her. Her right hand -remained stretched out over her robe and her left leaned over the side -of the cradle, covered all round with its curtains. - -When he was three paces away from her he stopped, not knowing what best -to do. The chambermaid had closed the door after him. - -They were alone! - -Then, he felt a longing to sink upon his knees, and implore her pardon. -But she slowly raised the hand which had rested on her robe, and, -extending it slightly toward him, said, "Good day," in a grave tone. - -He did not venture to touch her fingers, which, however, he brushed -with his lips, while he bowed to her. - -She added: "Sit down." And he sat down on a lower chair, close to her -feet. - -He felt that he ought to speak, but he could not find a word or -an idea, and he dared not even look at her. However, he ended by -stammering out: "Your husband forgot to let me know that you were -waiting for me; but for that, I would have come sooner." - -She replied: "Oh! it matters little, since we were bound to see one -another again--a little sooner--a little later!" - -As she added nothing more, he hastened to say in an inquiring tone: "I -hope you are getting on well by this time?" - -"Thanks. As well as one can get on, after such shocks!" - -She was very pale and thin, but prettier than before her confinement. -Her eyes especially had gained a depth of expression which he had never -seen in them before. They seemed to have acquired a darker shade, a -blue less clear, less transparent, more intense. Her hands were so -white that their flesh looked like that of a corpse. - -She went on: "Those are hours very hard to live through. But, when one -has suffered thus, one feels strong till the end of one's days." - -Much affected, he murmured: "Yes; they are terrible experiences!" - -She repeated, like an echo: "Terrible." - -For some moments there had been light movements in the cradle--the all -but imperceptible sounds of an infant awakening from sleep. Bretigny -could not longer avert his gaze, preyed upon by a melancholy, morbid -yearning which gradually grew stronger, tortured by the desire to -behold what lived within there. - -Then he observed that the curtains of the tiny bed were fastened from -top to bottom with the gold pins which Christiane was accustomed to -wear in her corsage. Often had he amused himself in bygone days by -taking them out and pinning them again on the shoulders of his beloved, -those fine pins with crescent-shaped heads. He understood what she -meant; and a poignant emotion seized him, made him feel shriveled up -before this barrier of golden spikes which forever separated him from -this child. - -A little cry, a shrill plaint arose in this white prison. Christiane -quickly rocked the wherry, and in a rather abrupt tone: - -"I must ask your pardon for allowing you so little time; but I must -look after my daughter." - -He rose, and once more kissed the hand which she extended toward him; -and, as he was on the point of leaving, she said: - -"I pray that you may be happy." - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Mont Oriol or A Romance of Auvergne, by -Guy de Maupassant - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 50311 *** diff --git a/old/50311-h/50311-h.htm b/old/50311-h/50311-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 6b0b7a6..0000000 --- a/old/50311-h/50311-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10690 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Mont Oriol, or A Romance of Auvergne, by Guy de Maupassant. - </title> - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -.p2 {margin-top: 2em;} -.p4 {margin-top: 4em;} -.p6 {margin-top: 6em;} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; - clear: both; -} - -hr.tb {width: 45%;} -hr.chap {width: 65%} -hr.full {width: 95%;} - -hr.r5 {width: 5%; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em;} -hr.r65 {width: 65%; margin-top: 3em; margin-bottom: 3em;} - -table { - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; -} - - .tdl {text-align: left;} - .tdr {text-align: right;} - .tdc {text-align: center;} - -a:link {color: #800000; text-decoration: none; } - -v:link {color: #800000; text-decoration: none; } - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.cap {text-align: center; - font-size: 0.7em; - font-family: arial;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -.figleft { - float: left; - clear: left; - margin-left: 0; - margin-bottom: 1em; - margin-top: 1em; - margin-right: 1em; - padding: 0; - text-align: center; -} - -.figright { - float: right; - clear: right; - margin-left: 1em; - margin-bottom: - 1em; - margin-top: 1em; - margin-right: 0; - padding: 0; - text-align: center; -} - -/* Footnotes */ -.footnotes {border: dashed 1px;} - -.footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} - -.footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;} - -.fnanchor { - vertical-align: super; - font-size: .8em; - text-decoration: - none; -} - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 50311 ***</div> - - - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="500" alt="" /> -</div> -<h1>MONT ORIOL</h1> - -<h4>OR</h4> - -<h2>A ROMANCE OF AUVERGNE</h2> - -<h4><i>A NOVEL</i></h4> - -<h3><i>By</i></h3> - -<h2>GUY DE MAUPASSANT</h2> - - -<h5>SAINT DUNSTAN SOCIETY</h5> - -<h5>Akron, Ohio</h5> - -<h5>1903</h5> - -<hr class="full" /> -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a id="monto001"></a> -<img src="images/mont_o_001.jpg" width="500" alt="" /> -<p class="cap">"HE HAD THOUGHT WITH DEEP ANXIETY OF THIS CHILD, OF WHICH HE WAS -THE FATHER"</p> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<h4>TABLE OF CONTENTS</h4> - - -<p class="center" style="font-size: 0.8em;"> -<a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.</a><br /> -THE SPA<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.</a><br /> -THE DISCOVERY<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.</a><br /> -BARGAINING<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.</a><br /> -A TEST AND AN AVOWAL<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.</a><br /> -DEVELOPMENTS<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.</a><br /> -ON THE BRINK<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.</a><br /> -ATTAINMENT<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.</a><br /> -ORGANIZATION<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.</a><br /> -THE SPA AGAIN<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.</a><br /> -GONTRAN'S CHOICE<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.</a><br /> -A MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII.</a><br /> -A BETROTHAL<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII.</a><br /> -PAUL CHANGES HIS MIND<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV.</a><br /> -CHRISTIANE'S VIA CRUCIS<br /> -</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> -<p class="caption" style="font-size: 0.8em;">ILLUSTRATIONS</p> - -<p style="font-size: 0.8em;"><a href="#monto001">"HE HAD THOUGHT WITH DEEP ANXIETY OF THIS CHILD, OF WHICH HE WAS -THE FATHER"</a></p> - -<p style="font-size: 0.8em;"><a href="#monto002">"SHE SPRANG WILDLY TO HER FEET. IT WAS HE!"</a></p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h3>MONT ORIOL</h3> - - - -<hr class="tb" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.</a></h5> - - -<h4>THE SPA</h4> - - -<p>The first bathers, the early risers, who had already been at the water, -were walking slowly, in pairs or alone, under the huge trees along the -stream which rushes down the gorges of Enval.</p> - -<p>Others arrived from the village, and entered the establishment in -a hurried fashion. It was a spacious building, the ground floor -being reserved for thermal treatment, while the first story served -as a casino, <i>café</i>, and billiard-room. Since Doctor Bonnefille had -discovered in the heart of Enval the great spring, baptized by him the -Bonnefille Spring, some proprietors of the country and the surrounding -neighborhood, timid speculators, had decided to erect in the midst -of this superb glen of Auvergne, savage and gay withal, planted with -walnut and giant chestnut trees, a vast house for every kind of use, -serving equally for the purpose of cure and of pleasure, in which -mineral waters, douches, and baths were sold below, and beer, liqueurs, -and music above.</p> - -<p>A portion of the ravine along the stream had been inclosed, to -constitute the park indispensable to every spa; and three walks had -been made, one nearly straight, and the other two zigzag. At the end -of the first gushed out an artificial spring detached from the parent -spring, and bubbling into a great basin of cement, sheltered by a -straw roof, under the care of an impassive woman, whom everyone called -"Marie" in a familiar sort of way. This calm Auvergnat, who wore a -little cap always as white as snow, and a big apron, perfectly clean at -all times, which concealed her working-dress, rose up slowly as soon as -she saw a bather coming along the road in her direction.</p> - -<p>The bather would smile with a melancholy air, drink the water, and -return her the glass, saying, "Thanks, Marie." Then he would turn on -his heel and walk away. And Marie sat down again on her straw chair to -wait for the next comer.</p> - -<p>They were not, however, very numerous. The Enval station had just been -six years open for invalids, and scarcely could count more patients -at the end of these six years than it had at the start. About fifty -had come there, attracted more than anything else by the beauty of -the district, by the charm of this little village lost under enormous -trees, whose twisted trunks seemed as big as the houses, and by the -reputation of the gorges at the end of this strange glen which opened -on the great plain of Auvergne and ended abruptly at the foot of the -high mountain bristling with craters of unknown age—a savage and -magnificent crevasse, full of rocks fallen or threatening, from which -rushed a stream that cascaded over giant stones, forming a little lake -in front of each.</p> - -<p>This thermal station had been brought to birth as they all are, with -a pamphlet on the spring by Doctor Bonnefille. He opened with a -eulogistic description, in a majestic and sentimental style, of the -Alpine seductions of the neighborhood. He selected only adjectives -which convey a vague sense of delightfulness and enjoyment—those -which produce effect without committing the writer to any material -statement. All the surroundings were picturesque, filled with splendid -sites or landscapes whose graceful outlines aroused soft emotions. All -the promenades in the vicinity possessed a remarkable originality, -such as would strike the imagination of artists and tourists. Then -abruptly, without any transition, he plunged into the therapeutic -qualities of the Bonnefille Spring, bicarbonate, sodium, mixed, -lithineous, ferruginous, <i>et cetera, et cetera</i>, capable of curing -every disease. He had, moreover, enumerated them under this heading: -Chronic affections or acute specially associated with Enval. And the -list of affections associated with Enval was long—long and varied, -consoling for invalids of every kind. The pamphlet concluded with some -information of practical utility, the cost of lodgings, commodities, -and hotels—for three hotels had sprung up simultaneously with the -casino-medical establishment. These were the Hotel Splendid, quite new, -built on the slope of the glen looking down on the baths; the Thermal -Hotel, an old inn with a new coat of plaster; and the Hotel Vidaillet, -formed very simply by the purchase of three adjoining houses, which -had been altered so as to convert them into one.</p> - -<p>Then, all at once, two new doctors had installed themselves in the -locality one morning, without anyone well knowing how they came, for -at spas doctors seem to dart up out of the springs, like gas-jets. -These were Doctor Honorat, a native of Auvergne, and Doctor Latonne, -of Paris. A fierce antagonism soon burst out between Doctor Latonne -and Doctor Bonnefille, while Doctor Honorat, a big, clean-shaven man, -smiling and pliant, stretched forth his right hand to the first, -and his left hand to the second, and remained on good terms with -both. But Doctor Bonnefille was master of the situation, with his -title of Inspector of the Waters and of the thermal establishment of -Enval-les-Bains.</p> - -<p>This title was his strength and the establishment his chattel. There -he spent his days, and even his nights, it was said. A hundred times, -in the morning, he would go from his house which was quite near in -the village to his consultation-study fixed at the right-hand side -facing the entrance to the thermal baths. Lying in wait there, like a -spider in his web, he watched the comings and goings of the invalids, -inspecting his own patients with a severe eye and those of the other -doctors with a look of fury. He questioned everybody almost in the -style of a ship's captain, and he struck terror into newcomers, unless -it happened that he made them smile.</p> - -<p>This day, as he arrived with rapid steps, which made the big flaps of -his old frock coat fly up like a pair of wings, he was stopped suddenly -by a voice exclaiming: "Doctor!"</p> - -<p>He turned round. His thin face, full of big ugly wrinkles, and looking -quite black at the end with a grizzled beard rarely cut, made an effort -to smile; and he took off the tall silk hat, shabby, stained, and -greasy, that covered his thick pepper-and-salt head of hair—"pepper -and soiled, as his rival, Doctor Latonne, put it. Then he advanced a -step, made a bow, and murmured:</p> - -<p>"Good morning, Marquis—are you quite well this morning?"</p> - -<p>The Marquis de Ravenel, a little man well preserved, stretched out his -hand to the doctor, as he replied:</p> - -<p>"Very well, doctor, very well, or, at least, not ill. I am always -suffering from my kidneys; but indeed I am better, much better; and I -am as yet only at my tenth bath. Last year I did not obtain the effect -until the sixteenth, you recollect?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, perfectly."</p> - -<p>"But it is not about this I want to talk to you. My daughter has -arrived this morning, and I wish to have a chat with you about her case -first of all, because my son-in-law, William Andermatt, the banker——"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I know."</p> - -<p>"My son-in-law has a letter of recommendation addressed to Doctor -Latonne. As for me, I have no confidence except in you, and I beg -of you to have the kindness to come up to the hotel before—you -understand? I prefer to say things to you candidly. Are you free at the -present moment?"</p> - -<p>Doctor Bonnefille had put on his hat again, and looked excited and -troubled. He answered at once:</p> - -<p>"Yes, I shall be free immediately. Do you wish me to accompany you?"</p> - -<p>"Why, certainly."</p> - -<p>And, turning their backs on the establishment, they directed their -steps up a circular walk leading to the door of the Hotel Splendid, -built on the slope of the mountain so as to offer a view of it to -travelers.</p> - -<p>They made their way to the drawing-room in the first story adjoining -the apartments occupied by the Ravenel and Andermatt families, and -the Marquis left the doctor by himself while he went to look for his -daughter.</p> - -<p>He came back with her presently. She was a fair young woman, small, -pale, very pretty, whose features seemed like those of a child, while -her blue eyes, boldly fixed, cast on people a resolute look that gave -an alluring impression of firmness and a peculiar charm to this refined -and fascinating creature. There was not much the matter with her—vague -languors, sadnesses, bursts of tears without apparent cause, angry fits -for which there seemed no season, and lastly anæmia. She craved above -all for a child, which had been vainly looked forward to since her -marriage, more than two years before.</p> - -<p>Doctor Bonnefille declared that the waters of Enval would be effectual, -and proceeded forthwith to write a prescription. The doctor's -prescriptions had always the formidable aspect of an indictment. On -a big white sheet of paper such as schoolboys use, his directions -exhibited themselves in numerous paragraphs of two or three lines -each, in an irregular handwriting, bristling with letters resembling -spikes. And the potions, the pills, the powders, which were to be -taken fasting in the morning, at midday, and in the evening, followed -in ferocious-looking characters. One of these prescriptions might read:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"Inasmuch as M. X. is affected with a chronic malady, -incurable and mortal, he will take, first, sulphate of -quinine, which will render him deaf, and will make him lose -his memory; secondly, bromide of potassium, which will -destroy his stomach, weaken all his faculties, cover him -with pimples, and make his breath foul; thirdly, salicylate -of soda, whose curative effects have not yet been proved, -but which seems to lead to a terrible and speedy death the -patient treated by this remedy. And concurrently, chloral, -which causes insanity, and belladonna, which attacks the -eyes; all vegetable solutions and all mineral compositions -which corrupt the blood, corrode the organs, consume the -bones, and destroy by medicine those whom disease has -spared."</p></blockquote> - -<p>For a long time he went on writing on the front page and on the back, -then signed it just as a judge might have signed a death-sentence.</p> - -<p>The young woman, seated opposite to him, stared at him with an -inclination to laugh that made the corners of her lips rise up.</p> - -<p>When, with a low bow, he had taken himself off, she snatched up the -paper blackened with ink, rolled it up into a ball, and flung it into -the fire. Then, breaking into a hearty laugh, said:</p> - -<p>"Oh! father, where did you discover this fossil? Why, he looks for all -the world like an old-clothesman. Oh! how clever of you to dig up a -physician that might have lived before the Revolution! Oh! how funny he -is, aye, and dirty—ah, yes! dirty—I believe really he has stained my -penholder."</p> - -<p>The door opened, and M. Andermatt's voice was heard saying, "Come in, -doctor."</p> - -<p>And Doctor Latonne appeared. Erect, slender, circumspect, comparatively -young, attired in a fashionable morning-coat, and holding in his hand -the high silk hat which distinguishes the practicing doctor in the -greater part of the thermal stations of Auvergne, the physician from -Paris, without beard or mustache, resembled an actor who had retired -into the country.</p> - -<p>The Marquis, confounded, did not know what to say or do, while his -daughter put her handkerchief to her mouth to keep herself from -bursting out laughing in the newcomer's face. He bowed with an air of -self-confidence, and at a sign from the young woman took a seat.</p> - -<p>M. Andermatt, who followed him, minutely detailed for him his wife's -condition, her illnesses, together with their accompanying symptoms, -the opinions of the physicians consulted in Paris, and then his own -opinion based on special grounds which he explained in technical -language.</p> - -<p>He was a man still quite youthful, a Jew, who devoted himself to -financial transactions. He entered into all sorts of speculations, -and displayed in all matters of business a subtlety of intellect, -a rapidity of penetration, and a soundness of judgment that were -perfectly marvelous. A little too stout already for his figure, which -was not tall, chubby, bald, with an infantile expression, fat hands, -and short thighs, he looked much too greasy to be quite healthy, and -spoke with amazing facility.</p> - -<p>By means of tact he had been able to form an alliance with the daughter -of the Marquis de Ravenel with a view to extending his speculations -into a sphere to which he did not belong. The Marquis, besides, -possessed an income of about thirty thousand francs, and had only two -children; but, when M. Andermatt married, though scarcely thirty years -of age, he owned already five or six millions, and had sown enough -to bring him in a harvest of ten or twelve. M. de Ravenel, a man of -weak, irresolute, shifting, and undecided character, at first angrily -repulsed the overtures made to him with respect to this union, and was -indignant at the thought of seeing his daughter allied to an Israelite. -Then, after six months' resistance, he gave way, under the pressure -of accumulated wealth, on the condition that the children should be -brought up in the Catholic religion.</p> - -<p>But they waited for a long time and no offspring was yet announced. It -was then that the Marquis, enchanted for the past two years with the -waters of Enval, recalled to mind the fact that Doctor Bonnefille's -pamphlet also promised the cure for sterility.</p> - -<p>Accordingly, he sent for his daughter, whom his son-in-law accompanied, -in order to install her and to intrust her, acting on the advice of his -Paris physician, to the care of Doctor Latonne. Therefore, Andermatt, -since his arrival, had gone to look for this practitioner, and went on -enumerating the symptoms which presented themselves in his wife's case. -He finished by mentioning how much he had been pained at finding his -hopes of paternity unrealized.</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne allowed him to go on to the end; then, turning toward -the young woman: "Have you anything to add, Madame?"</p> - -<p>She replied gravely: "No, Monsieur, nothing at all."</p> - -<p>He went on: "In that case, I will trouble you to take off your -traveling-dress and your corset, and to put on a simple white -dressing-gown, all white."</p> - -<p>She was astonished; he rapidly explained his system: "Good heavens, -Madame, it is very simple. Formerly, the belief was that all diseases -came from a poison in the blood or from an organic cause; to-day, we -simply assume that, in many cases, and, above all, in your particular -case, the uncertain ailments from which you suffer, and even certain -serious troubles, very serious, mortal, may proceed only from the -fact that some organ or other, having taken, under influences easy to -determine, an abnormal development, to the detriment of the neighboring -organs, destroys all the harmony, all the equilibrium of the human -body, modifies or arrests its functions, and obstructs the play of all -the other organs. A swelling of the stomach may be sufficient to make -us believe in a disease of the heart, which, impeded in its movements, -becomes violent, irregular, sometimes even intermittent. The dilatation -of the liver or of certain glands may cause ravages which unobservant -physicians attribute to a thousand different causes. Therefore, the -first thing that we should do is to ascertain whether all the organs -of a patient have their true compass and their normal position, for a -very little thing is enough to upset a person's health. I am going, -then, Madame, if you will allow me, to examine you with great care, and -to mark out on your dressing-gown the limits, the dimensions, and the -positions of your organs."</p> - -<p>He had put down his hat on a chair, and he spoke in a facile manner. -His large mouth, in opening and closing, made two deep hollows in his -shaven cheeks, which gave him a certain ecclesiastical air.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, delighted, exclaimed: "Capital, capital! That is very -clever, very ingenious, very new, very modern."</p> - -<p>"Very modern" in his mouth was the height of admiration.</p> - -<p>The young woman, highly amused, rose and passed into her own -apartment. She came back, after the lapse of a few minutes, in a white -dressing-gown.</p> - -<p>The physician made her lie down on a sofa, then, drawing from his -pocket a pencil with three points, a black, a red, and a blue, he -commenced to auscultate and to tap his new patient, riddling the -dressing-gown all over with little dots of color by way of noting each -observation.</p> - -<p>She resembled, after a quarter of an hour of this work, a map -indicating continents, seas, capes, rivers, kingdoms, and cities, -and bearing the names of all these terrestrial divisions, for the -doctor wrote on every line of demarcation two or three Latin words -intelligible to himself alone.</p> - -<p>Now, when he had listened to all the internal sounds in Madame -Andermatt's body, and tapped on all the parts of her person that were -irritated or hollow-sounding, he drew forth from his pocket a notebook -of red leather with gold threads to fasten it, divided in alphabetical -order, consulted the index, opened it, and wrote: "Observation -6347.—Madame A——, 21 years."</p> - -<p>Then, collecting from her head to her feet the colored notes on -her dressing-gown, and reading them as an Egyptologist deciphers -hieroglyphics, he entered them in the notebook.</p> - -<p>He observed, when he had finished: "Nothing disquieting, nothing -abnormal, save a slight, a very slight deviation, which some -thirty acidulated baths will cure. You will take furthermore three -half-glasses of water each morning before noon. Nothing else. I will -come back to see you in four or five days." Then he rose, bowed, and -went out with such promptitude that everyone remained stupefied at it. -This abrupt style of departure was a part of his mannerism, his tact, -his special stamp. He considered it very good form, and thought it made -a great impression on the patient.</p> - -<p>Madame Andermatt ran to look at herself in the glass, and, shaking all -over with a joyous burst of childlike laughter, said:</p> - -<p>"Oh! how amusing they are, how droll they are! Tell me, is there not -one more left of them? I want to see him immediately! Will, go and find -him for me! We must have the third one here—I want to see him."</p> - -<p>Her husband, surprised, asked:</p> - -<p>"How, a third, a third what?"</p> - -<p>The Marquis deemed it advisable to explain, while offering excuses, for -he was a little afraid of his son-in-law. He related, therefore, how -Doctor Bonnefille had come to see himself, and how he had introduced -him to Christiane, in order to ascertain his opinion, as he had great -confidence in the experience of the old physician, who was a native of -the district, and who had discovered the spring.</p> - -<p>Andermatt shrugged his shoulders, and declared that Doctor Latonne -alone would take care of his wife, so that the Marquis, very uneasy, -began to reflect on the best course to take in order to arrange matters -without offending his irascible physician.</p> - -<p>Christiane asked: "Is Gontran here?" This was her brother.</p> - -<p>Her father replied: "Yes, for the past four days, with a friend of his -of whom he has often spoken, M. Paul Bretigny. They are making a tour -together in Auvergne. They have come from Mont Doré and from Bourboule, -and will be setting out for Cantal at the end of next week."</p> - -<p>Then he asked the young woman whether she desired to rest till luncheon -after the night in the train; but she had slept perfectly in the -sleeping car, and only required an hour for her toilette, after which -she wished to visit the village and the establishment.</p> - -<p>Her father and her husband went back to their rooms to wait till she -was ready. She soon came out to call them, and they descended together. -She grew enthusiastic at first sight over the aspect of the village, -built in the middle of a wood in a deep valley, which seemed hemmed in -on every side by chestnut-trees lofty as mountains. These could be seen -everywhere, springing up just as they chanced to have shot forth here -and there in a century, in front of doorways, in the courtyards, in the -streets. Then, again, there were fountains everywhere made of a great -black stone standing upright pierced with a small aperture, through -which dashed a streamlet of clear water that whirled about in a circle -before it fell into the trough. A fresh odor of grass and of stables -floated over those masses of verdure; and they saw the peasant women -of Auvergne standing in front of their dwellings, spinning at their -distaffs with lively movements of their fingers the black wool attached -to their girdles. Their short petticoats showed their thin ankles -covered with blue stockings, and the bodies of their dresses fastened -over their shoulders with straps left exposed the linen sleeves of -their chemises, out of which stretched their hard, dry arms and bony -hands.</p> - -<p>But, suddenly, a queer lilting kind of music burst on the promenaders' -ears. It was like a barrel-organ with piping sounds, a barrel-organ -used up, broken-winded, invalided.</p> - -<p>Christiane exclaimed: "What is that?"</p> - -<p>Her father began to laugh: "It is the orchestra of the Casino. It takes -four of them to make that noise."</p> - -<p>And he led her up to a red bill affixed to a corner of a farmhouse, on -which appeared in black letters:</p> - -<p class="center" style="margin-top: 2em;"> -CASINO OF ENVAL<br /> -<br /> -UNDER THE DIRECTION OF M. PETRUS MARTEL,<br /> -OF THE ODÉON.<br /> -<br /> -Saturday, 6th of July.<br /> -<br /> -GRAND CONCERT<br /> -organized by the <i>Maestro</i>, Saint Landri, second grand prize winner at<br /> -the Conservatoire.<br /> -<br /> -The piano will be presided over by M. Javel, grand laureate of the<br /> -Conservatoire.<br /> -<br /> -Flute, M. Noirot, laureate of the Conservatoire.<br /> -<br /> -Double-bass, M. Nicordi, laureate of the Royal Academy of Brussels.<br /> -<br /> -After the Concert, grand representation of<br /> -<i>Lost in the Forest</i>,<br /> -a Comedy in one act, by M. Pointellet.<br /> -<br /> -Characters:</p> -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left">Pierre de Lapointe </td><td align="left">M. Petrus Martel, of the Odéon.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Oscar Léveillé</td><td align="left">M. Petitnivelle, of the Vaudeville.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Jean</td><td align="left">M. Lapalme, of the Grand Theater of Bordeaux.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Philippine</td><td align="left">Mademoiselle Odelin, of the Odéon.</td></tr> -</table></div> -<p class="center"> -During the representation, the Orchestra will be likewise conducted<br /> -by the <i>Maestro,</i> Saint Landri.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="p2">Christiane read this aloud, laughed, and was astonished.</p> - -<p>Her father went on: "Oh! they will amuse you. Come and look at them."</p> - -<p>They turned to the right, and entered the park. The bathers promenaded -gravely, slowly, along the three walks. They drank their glasses of -water, and then went away. Some of them, seated on benches, traced -lines in the sand with the ends of their walking-sticks or their -umbrellas. They did not talk, seemed not to think, scarcely to live, -enervated, paralyzed by the <i>ennui</i> of the thermal station. Only the -odd music of the orchestra broke the sweet silence as it leaped into -the air, coming one knew not whence, produced one knew not how, passing -under the foliage and appearing to stir up these melancholy walkers.</p> - -<p>A voice cried: "Christiane!"</p> - -<p>She turned round. It was her brother. He rushed toward her, embraced -her, and, having pressed Andermatt's hand, took his sister by the arm, -and drew her along with him, leaving his father and his brother-in-law -in the rear.</p> - -<p>They chatted. He was a tall, well-made young fellow, prone to laughter -like her, light-hearted as the Marquis, indifferent to events, but -always on the lookout for a thousand francs.</p> - -<p>"I thought you were asleep," said he. "But for that I would have come -to embrace you. And then Paul carried me off this morning to the -château of Tournoel."</p> - -<p>"Who is Paul? Oh, yes, your friend!"</p> - -<p>"Paul Bretigny. It is true you don't know him. He is taking a bath at -the present moment."</p> - -<p>"He is a patient, then?"</p> - -<p>"No, but he is curing himself, all the same. He is trying to get over a -love episode."</p> - -<p>"And so he's taking acidulated baths—they're called acidulated, are -they not?—in order to restore himself."</p> - -<p>"Yes. He's doing all I told him to do. Oh! he has been hit hard. He's -a violent youth, terrible, and has been at death's door. He wanted to -kill himself, too. It was an actress—a well-known actress. He was -madly in love with her. And then she was not faithful to him, do you -see? The result was a frightful drama. So I brought him away. He's -going on better now, but he's still thinking about it."</p> - -<p>She smiled for a moment, then, becoming grave, she returned:</p> - -<p>"It will amuse me to see him."</p> - -<p>For her, however, this thing, "Love," did not mean very much. She -sometimes bestowed a thought on it, just as you think, when you are -poor, now and then of a pearl necklace, of a diadem of brilliants, with -a desire awakened in you for this thing—possible though far away. This -fancy would come to her after reading some novel to kill time, without -attaching to it, beyond that, any special importance. She had never -dreamed about it much, having been born with a happy soul, tranquil and -contented, and, although now two years and a half married, she had not -yet awakened out of that sleep in which innocent young girls live, that -sleep of the heart, of the mind, and of the senses, which, with some -women, lasts until death. For her life was simple and good, without -complications. She had never looked for the causes or the hidden -meaning of things. She had lived on from day to day, slept soundly, -dressed with taste, laughed, and felt satisfied. What more could she -have asked for?</p> - -<p>When Andermatt had been introduced to her as her future husband, she -refused to wed him at first with a childish indignation at the idea of -becoming the wife of a Jew. Her father and her brother, sharing her -repugnance, replied with her and like her by formally declining the -offer. Andermatt disappeared, acted as if he were dead, but, at the end -of three months, had lent Gontran more than twenty thousand francs; and -the Marquis, for other reasons, was beginning to change his opinion.</p> - -<p>In the first place, he always on principle yielded when one persisted, -through sheer egotistical desire not to be disturbed. His daughter used -to say of him: "All papa's ideas are jumbled up together"; and this -was true. Without opinions, without beliefs, he had only enthusiasms, -which varied every moment. At one time, he would attach himself, with -a transitory and poetic exaltation, to the old traditions of his -race, and would long for a king, but an intellectual king, liberal, -enlightened, marching along with the age. At another time, after he -had read a book by Michelet or some democratic thinker, he would -become a passionate advocate of human equality, of modern ideas, of -the claims of the poor, the oppressed, and the suffering. He believed -in everything, just as each thing harmonized with his passing moods; -and, when his old friend, Madame Icardon, who, connected as she was -with many Israelites, desired the marriage of Christiane and Andermatt, -and began to preach in favor of it, she knew full well the kind of -arguments with which she should attack him.</p> - -<p>She pointed out to him that the Jewish race had arrived at the hour -of vengeance. It had been a race crushed down as the French people -had been before the Revolution, and was now going to oppress others -by the power of gold. The Marquis, devoid of religious faith, but -convinced that the idea of God was rather a legislative idea, which -had more effect in keeping the foolish, the ignorant, and the timid -in the right path than the simple notion of Justice, regarded dogmas -with a respectful indifference, and held in equal and sincere esteem -Confucius, Mohammed, and Jesus Christ. Accordingly, the fact that the -latter was crucified did not at all present itself as an original -wrongdoing but as a gross, political blunder. In consequence it only -required a few weeks to make him admire the toil, hidden, incessant, -and all-powerful, of the persecuted Jews everywhere. And, viewing -with different eyes their brilliant triumph, he looked upon it as -a just reparation for the indignities that so long had been heaped -upon them. He saw them masters of kings, who are the masters of the -people—sustaining thrones or allowing them to collapse, able to make -a nation bankrupt as one might a wine-merchant, proud in the presence -of princes who had grown humble, and casting their impure gold into -the half-open purses of the most Catholic sovereigns, who thanked them -by conferring on them titles of nobility and lines of railway. So he -consented to the marriage of William Andermatt with Christiane de -Ravenel.</p> - -<p>As for Christiane, under the unconscious pressure of Madame Icardon, -her mother's old companion, who had become her intimate adviser since -the Marquise's death, a pressure to which was added that of her father -and the interested indifference of her brother, she consented to marry -this big, overrich youth, who was not ugly but scarcely pleased her, -just as she would have consented to spend a summer in a disagreeable -country.</p> - -<p>She found him a good fellow, kind, not stupid, nice in intimate -relations; but she frequently laughed at him along with Gontran, whose -gratitude was of the perfidious order.</p> - -<p>He would say to her: "Your husband is rosier and balder than ever. He -looks like a sickly flower, or a sucking pig with its hair shaved off. -Where does he get these colors?"</p> - -<p>She would reply: "I assure you I have nothing to do with it. There are -days when I feel inclined to paste him on a box of sugar-plums."</p> - -<p>But they had arrived in front of the baths. Two men were seated on -straw chairs with their backs to the wall, smoking their pipes, one at -each side of the door.</p> - -<p>Said Gontran: "Look, here are two good types. Watch the fellow at the -right, the hunchback with the Greek cap! That's Père Printemps, an -ex-jailer from Riom, who has become the guardian, almost the manager, -of the Enval establishment. For him nothing is changed, and he governs -the invalids just as he did his prisoners in former days. The bathers -are always prisoners, their bathing-boxes are cells, the douche-room -a black-hole, and the place where Doctor Bonnefille practices his -stomach-washings with the aid of the Baraduc sounding-line a chamber -of mysterious torture. He does not salute any of the men on the -strength of the principle that all convicts are contemptible beings. -He treats women with much more consideration, upon my honor—a -consideration mingled with astonishment, for he had none of them under -his control in the prison of Riom. That retreat being destined for -males only, he has not yet got accustomed to talking to members of the -fair sex. The other fellow is the cashier. I defy you to make him write -your name. You are just going to see."</p> - -<p>And Gontran, addressing the man at the left, slowly said:</p> - -<p>"Monsieur Seminois, this is my sister, Madame Andermatt, who wants to -subscribe for a dozen baths."</p> - -<p>The cashier, very tall, very thin, with a poor appearance, rose up, -went into his office, which exactly faced the study of the medical -inspector, opened his book, and asked:</p> - -<p>"What name?"</p> - -<p>"Andermatt."</p> - -<p>"What did you say?"</p> - -<p>"Andermatt."</p> - -<p>"How do you spell it?"</p> - -<p>"A-n-d-e-r-m-a-t-t."</p> - -<p>"All right."</p> - -<p>And he slowly wrote it down. When he had finished, Gontran asked:</p> - -<p>"Would you kindly read over my sister's name?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, Monsieur! Madame Anterpat."</p> - -<p>Christiane laughed till the tears came into her eyes, paid for her -tickets, and then asked:</p> - -<p>"What is it that one hears up there?"</p> - -<p>Gontran took her arm in his. Two angry voices reached their ears on -the stairs. They went up, opened a door, and saw a large coffee-room -with a billiard table in the center. Two men in their shirt-sleeves at -opposite sides of the billiard-table, each with a cue in his hand, were -furiously abusing one another.</p> - -<p>"Eighteen!"</p> - -<p>"Seventeen!"</p> - -<p>"I tell you I'm eighteen."</p> - -<p>"That's not true—you're only seventeen!"</p> - -<p>It was the director of the Casino, M. Petrus Martel of the Odéon, who -was playing his ordinary game with the comedian of his company, M. -Lapalme of the Grand Theater of Bordeaux.</p> - -<p>Petrus Martel, whose stomach, stout and inactive, swayed underneath his -shirt above a pair of pantaloons fastened anyhow, after having been a -strolling player in various places, had undertaken the directorship -of the Casino of Enval, and spent his days in drinking the allowances -intended for the bathers. He wore an immense mustache like a dragoon, -which was steeped from morning till night in the froth of bocks and the -sticky syrup of liqueurs, and he had aroused in the old comedian whom -he had enlisted in his service an immoderate passion for billiards.</p> - -<p>As soon as they got up in the morning, they proceeded to play a game, -insulted and threatened one another, expunged the record, began over -again, scarcely gave themselves time for breakfast, and could not -tolerate two clients coming to drive them away from their green cloth.</p> - -<p>They soon put everyone to flight, and did not find this sort of -existence unpleasant, though Petrus Martel always found himself at the -end of the season in a bankrupt condition.</p> - -<p>The female attendant, overwhelmed, would have to look on all day at -this endless game, listen to the interminable discussion, and carry -from morning till night glasses of beer or half-glasses of brandy to -the two indefatigable players.</p> - -<p>But Gontran carried off his sister: "Come into the park. 'Tis fresher."</p> - -<p>At the end of the establishment they suddenly perceived the orchestra -under a Chinese <i>kiosque</i>. A fair-haired young man, frantically playing -the violin, was conducting with movements of his head. His hair was -shaking from one side to the other in the effort to keep time, and -his entire torso bent forward and rose up again, swaying from left to -right, like the stick of the leader of an orchestra. Facing him sat -three strange-looking musicians. This was the <i>maestro</i>, Saint Landri.</p> - -<p>He and his assistants—a pianist, whose instrument, mounted on -rollers, was wheeled each morning from the vestibule of the baths to -the <i>kiosque</i>; an enormous flautist, who presented the appearance -of sucking a match while tickling it with his big swollen fingers, -and a double-bass of consumptive aspect—produced with much fatigue -this perfect imitation of a bad barrel-organ, which had astonished -Christiane in the village street.</p> - -<p>As she stopped to look at them, a gentleman saluted her brother.</p> - -<p>"Good day, my dear Count."</p> - -<p>"Good day, doctor."</p> - -<p>And Gontran introduced them: "My sister—Doctor Honorat."</p> - -<p>She could scarcely restrain her merriment at the sight of this third -physician. The latter bowed and made some complimentary remark.</p> - -<p>"I hope that Madame is not an invalid?"</p> - -<p>"Yes—slightly."</p> - -<p>He did not go farther with the matter, and changed the subject.</p> - -<p>"You are aware, my dear Count, that you will shortly have one of the -most interesting spectacles that could await you on your arrival in -this district."</p> - -<p>"What is it, pray, doctor?"</p> - -<p>"Père Oriol is going to blast his hill. This is of no consequence to -you, but for us it is a big event."</p> - -<p>And he proceeded to explain. "Père Oriol—the richest peasant in this -part of the country—he is known to be worth over fifty thousand francs -a year—owns all the vineyards along the plain up to the outlet of -Enval. Now, just as you go out from the village at the division of the -valley, rises a little mountain, or rather a high knoll, and on this -knoll are the best vineyards of Père Oriol. In the midst of two of -them, facing the road, at two paces from the stream, stands a gigantic -stone, an elevation which has impeded the cultivation and put into the -shade one entire side of the field, on which it looks down. For six -years, Père Oriol has every week been announcing that he was going to -blast his hill; but he has never made up his mind about it.</p> - -<p>"Every time a country boy went to be a soldier, the old man would say -to him: 'When you're coming home on furlough, bring me some powder -for this rock of mine.' And all the young soldiers would bring back in -their knapsacks some powder that they stole for Père Oriol's rock. He -has a chest full of this powder, and yet the hill has not been blasted. -At last, for a week past, he has been noticed scooping out the stone, -with his son, big Jacques, surnamed Colosse, which in Auvergne is -pronounced 'Coloche.' This very morning they filled with powder the -empty belly of the enormous rock; then they stopped up the mouth of it, -only letting in the fuse bought at the tobacconist's. In two hours' -time they will set fire to it. Then, five or ten minutes afterward, it -will go off, for the end of the fuse is pretty long."</p> - -<p>Christiane was interested in this narrative, amused already at the idea -of this explosion, finding here again a childish sport that pleased her -simple heart. They had now reached the end of the park.</p> - -<p>"Where do you go now?" she said.</p> - -<p>Doctor Honorat replied: "To the End of the World, Madame; that is -to say, into a gorge that has no outlet and which is celebrated in -Auvergne. It is one of the loveliest natural curiosities in the -district."</p> - -<p>But a bell rang behind them. Gontran cried:</p> - -<p>"Look here! breakfast-time already!"</p> - -<p>They turned back. A tall, young man came up to meet them.</p> - -<p>Gontran said: "My dear Christiane, let me introduce to you M. Paul -Bretigny." Then, to his friend: "This is my sister, my dear boy."</p> - -<p>She thought him ugly. He had black hair, close-cropped and straight, -big, round eyes, with an expression that was almost hard, a head also -quite round, very strong, one of those heads that make you think -of cannon-balls, herculean shoulders; a rather savage expression, -heavy and brutish. But from his jacket, from his linen, from his skin -perhaps, came a very subtle perfume, with which the young woman was not -familiar, and she asked herself:</p> - -<p>"I wonder what odor that is?"</p> - -<p>He said to her: "You arrived this morning, Madame?" His voice was a -little hollow.</p> - -<p>She replied: "Yes, Monsieur."</p> - -<p>But Gontran saw the Marquis and Andermatt making signals to them to -come in quickly to breakfast.</p> - -<p>Doctor Honorat took leave of them, asking as he left whether they -really meant to go and see the hill blasted. Christiane declared that -she would go; and, leaning on her brother's arm, she murmured as she -dragged him along toward the hotel:</p> - -<p>"I am as hungry as a wolf. I shall be very much ashamed to eat as much -as I feel inclined before your friend."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.</a></h5> - - -<h4>THE DISCOVERY</h4> - - -<p>The breakfast was long, as the meals usually are at a <i>table d'hôte</i>. -Christiane, who was not familiar with all the faces of those present, -chatted with her father and her brother. Then she went up to her room -to take a rest till the time for blasting the rock.</p> - -<p>She was ready long before the hour fixed, and made the others start -along with her so that they might not miss the explosion. Just outside -the village, at the opening of the glen, stood, as they had heard, a -high knoll, almost a mountain, which they proceeded to climb under a -burning sun, following a little path through the vine-trees. When they -reached the summit the young woman uttered a cry of astonishment at the -sight of the immense horizon displayed before her eyes. In front of -her stretched a limitless plain, which immediately gave her soul the -sensation of an ocean. This plain, overhung by a veil of light blue -vapor, extended as far as the most distant mountain-ridges, which -were scarcely perceptible, some fifty or sixty kilometers away. And -under the transparent haze of delicate fineness, which floated above -this vast stretch, could be distinguished towns, villages, woods, vast -yellow squares of ripe crops, vast green squares of herbage, factories -with long, red chimneys and blackened steeples and sharp-pointed -structures, with the solidified lava of dead volcanoes.</p> - -<p>"Turn around," said her brother.</p> - -<p>She turned around. And behind she saw the mountain, the huge mountain -indented with craters. This was the entrance to the foundation on which -Enval stood, a great expanse of greenness in which one could scarcely -trace the hidden gash of the gorge. The trees in a waving mass scaled -the high slope as far as the first crater and shut out the view of -those beyond. But, as they were exactly on the line that separated -the plains from the mountain, the latter stretched to the left toward -Clermont-Ferrand, and, wandering away, unrolled over the blue sky their -strange mutilated tops, like monstrous blotches—extinct volcanoes, -dead volcanoes. And yonder—over yonder, between two peaks—could be -seen another, higher still, more distant still, round and majestic, and -bearing on its highest pinnacle something of fantastic shape resembling -a ruin. This was the Puy de Dome, the king of the mountains of -Auvergne, strong and unwieldy, wearing on its head, like a crown placed -thereon by the mightiest of peoples, the remains of a Roman temple.</p> - -<p>Christiane exclaimed: "Oh! how happy I shall be here!"</p> - -<p>And she felt herself happy already, penetrated by that sense of -well-being which takes possession of the flesh and the heart, makes you -breathe with ease, and renders you sprightly and active when you find -yourself in a spot which enchants your eyes, charms and cheers you, -seems to have been awaiting you, a spot for which you feel that you -were born.</p> - -<p>Some one called out to her: "Madame, Madame!" And, at some distance -away, she saw Doctor Honorat, recognizable by his big hat. He rushed -across to them, and conducted the family toward the opposite side of -the hill, over a grassy slope beside a grove of young trees, where -already some thirty persons were waiting, strangers and peasants -mingled together.</p> - -<p>Beneath their feet, the steep hillside descended toward the Riom road, -overshadowed by willows that sheltered the shallow river; and in the -midst of a vineyard at the edge of this stream rose a sharp-pointed -rock before which two men on bended knees seemed to be praying. This -was the scene of action.</p> - -<p>The Oriols, father and son, were attaching the fuse. On the road, a -crowd of curious spectators had stationed themselves, with a line of -people lower down in front, among whom village brats were scampering -about.</p> - -<p>Doctor Honorat chose a convenient place for Christiane to sit down, and -there she waited with a beating heart, as if she were going to see the -entire population blown up along with the rock.</p> - -<p>The Marquis, Andermatt, and Paul Bretigny lay down on the grass at the -young woman's side, while Gontran remained standing. He said, in a -bantering tone:</p> - -<p>"My dear doctor, you must be much less busy than your -brother-practitioners, who apparently have not an hour to spare to -attend this little <i>fête</i>?"</p> - -<p>Honorat replied in a good-humored tone:</p> - -<p>"I am not less busy; only my patients occupy less of my time. And again -I prefer to amuse my patients rather than to physic them."</p> - -<p>He had a quiet manner which greatly pleased Gontran. Other persons now -arrived, fellow-guests at the <i>table d'hôte</i>—the ladies Paille, two -widows, mother and daughter; the Monecus, father and daughter; and a -very small, fat, man, who was puffing like a boiler that had burst, -M. Aubry-Pasteur, an ex-engineer of mines, who had made a fortune in -Russia.</p> - -<p>M. Pasteur and the Marquis were on intimate terms. He seated himself -with much difficulty after some preparatory movements, circumspect and -cautious, which considerably amused Christiane. Gontran sauntered away -from them, in order to have a look at the other persons whom curiosity -had attracted toward the knoll.</p> - -<p>Paul Bretigny pointed out to Christiane Andermatt the views, of which -they could catch glimpses in the distance. First of all, Riom made -a red patch with its row of tiles along the plain; then Ennezat, -Maringues, Lezoux, a heap of villages scarcely distinguishable, which -only broke the wide expanse of verdure with a somber indentation here -and there, and, further down, away down below, at the base of the -mountains, he pretended that he could trace out Thiers.</p> - -<p>He said, in an animated fashion: "Look, look! Just in front of my -finger, exactly in front of my finger. For my part, I can see it quite -distinctly."</p> - -<p>She could see nothing, but she was not surprised at his power of -vision, for he looked like a bird of prey, with his round, piercing -eyes, which appeared to be as powerful as telescopes. He went on:</p> - -<p>"The Allier flows in front of us, in the middle of that plain, but it -is impossible to perceive it. It is very far off, thirty kilometers -from here."</p> - -<p>She scarcely took the trouble to glance toward the place which he -indicated, for she had riveted her eyes on the rock and given it -her entire attention. She was saying to herself that presently this -enormous stone would no longer exist, that it would disappear in -powder, and she felt herself seized with a vague pity for the stone, -the pity which a little girl would feel for a broken plaything. It had -been there so long, this stone; and then it was imposing—it had a -picturesque look. The two men, who had by this time risen, were heaping -up pebbles at the foot of it, and digging with the rapid movements of -peasants working hurriedly.</p> - -<p>The crowd gathered along the road, increasing every moment, had pushed -forward to get a better view. The brats brushed against the two -diggers, and kept rushing and capering round them like young animals -in a state of delight; and from the elevated point at which Christiane -was sitting, these people looked quite small, a crowd of insects, an -anthill in confusion.</p> - -<p>The buzz of voices ascended, now slight, scarcely noticeable, then more -lively, a confused mixture of cries and human movements, but scattered -through the air, evaporated already—a dust of sounds, as it were. On -the knoll likewise the crowd was swelling in numbers, incessantly -arriving from the village, and covering up the slope which looked down -on the condemned rock.</p> - -<p>They were distinguished from each other, as they gathered together, -according to their hotels, their classes, their castes. The most -clamorous portion of the assemblage was that of the actors and -musicians, presided over and generaled by the conductor, Petrus Martel -of the Odéon, who, under the circumstances, had given up his incessant -game of billiards.</p> - -<p>With a Panama flapping over his forehead, a black alpaca jacket -covering his shoulders and allowing his big stomach to protrude in -a semicircle, for he considered a waistcoat useless in the open -country, the actor, with his thick mustache, assumed the airs of a -commander-in-chief, and pointed out, explained, and criticised all the -movements of the two Oriols. His subordinates, the comedian Lapalme, -the young premier Petitnivelle, and the musicians, the <i>maestro</i> Saint -Landri, the pianist Javel, the huge flautist Noirot, the double-bass -Nicordi, gathered round him to listen. In front of them were seated -three women, sheltered by three parasols, a white, a red, and a blue, -which, under the sun of two o'clock, formed a strange and dazzling -French flag. These were Mademoiselle Odelin, the young actress; her -mother,—a mother that she had hired out, as Gontran put it,—and the -female attendant of the coffee-room, three ladies who were habitual -companions. The arrangement of these three parasols so as to suit the -national colors was an invention of Petrus Martel, who, having noticed -at the commencement of the season the blue and the white in the hands -of the ladies Odelin, had made a present of the red to the coffee-room -attendant.</p> - -<p>Quite close to them, another group excited interest and observation, -that of the chefs and scullions of the hotels, to the number of -eight, for there was a war of rivalry between the kitchen-folk, who -had attired themselves in linen jackets to make an impression on -the bystanders, extending even to the scullery-maids. Standing all -in a group they let the crude light of day fall on their flat white -caps, presenting, at the same time, the appearance of fantastic -staff-officers of lancers and a deputation of cooks.</p> - -<p>The Marquis asked Doctor Honorat: "Where do all these people come from? -I never would have imagined Enval was so thickly populated!"</p> - -<p>"Oh! they come from all parts, from Chatel-Guyon, from Tournoel, -from La Roche-Pradière, from Saint-Hippolyte. For this affair has -been talked of a long time in the country, and then Père Oriol is a -celebrity, an important personage on account of his influence and his -wealth, besides a true Auvergnat, remaining still a peasant, working -himself, hoarding, piling up gold on gold, intelligent, full of ideas -and plans for his children's future."</p> - -<p>Gontran came back, excited, his eyes sparkling.</p> - -<p>He said, in a low tone: "Paul, Paul, pray come along with me; I'm going -to show you two pretty girls; yes, indeed, nice girls, you know!"</p> - -<p>The other raised his head, and replied: "My dear fellow, I'm in very -good quarters here; I'll not budge."</p> - -<p>"You're wrong. They are charming!" Then, in a louder tone: "But -the doctor is going to tell me who they are. Two little girls of -eighteen or nineteen, rustic ladies, oddly dressed, with black silk -dresses that have close-fitting sleeves, some kind of uniform dresses, -convent-gowns—two brunettes——"</p> - -<p>Doctor Honorat interrupted him: "That's enough. They are Père Oriol's -daughters, two pretty young girls indeed, educated at the Benedictine -Convent at Clermont, and sure to make very good matches. They are two -types, but simply types of our race, of the fine race of women of -Auvergne, Marquis. I will show you these two little lasses——"</p> - -<p>Gontran here slyly interposed: "You are the medical adviser of the -Oriol family, doctor?"</p> - -<p>The other appreciated this sly question, and simply responded with a -"By Jove, I am!" uttered in a tone of the utmost good-humor.</p> - -<p>The young man went on: "How did you come to win the confidence of this -rich patient?"</p> - -<p>"By ordering him to drink a great deal of good wine." And he told -a number of anecdotes about the Oriols. Moreover, he was distantly -related to them, and had known them for a considerable time. The old -fellow, the father, quite an original, was very proud of his wine; and -above all he had one vine-garden, the produce of which was reserved -for the use of the family, solely for the family and their guests. -In certain years they happened to empty the casks filled with the -growth of this aristocratic vineyard, but in other years they scarcely -succeeded in doing so. About the month of May or June, when the father -saw that it would be hard to drink all that was still left, he would -proceed to encourage his big son, Colosse, and would repeat: "Come on, -son, we must finish it." Then they would go on pouring down their -throats pints of red wine from morning till night. Twenty times during -every meal, the old chap would say in a grave tone, while he held the -jug over his son's glass: "We must finish it." And, as all this liquor -with its mixture of alcohol heated his blood and prevented him from -sleeping, he would rise up in the middle of the night, draw on his -breeches, light a lantern, wake up Colosse, and off they would go to -the cellar, after snatching a crust of bread each out of the cupboard, -in order to steep it in their glasses, filled up again and again out -of the same cask. Then, when they had swallowed so much wine that they -could feel it rolling about in their stomachs, the father would tap the -resounding wood of the cask to find out whether the level of the liquor -had gone down.</p> - -<p>The Marquis asked: "Are these the same people that are working at the -hillock?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes, exactly."</p> - -<p>Just at that moment the two men hurried off with giant strides from -the rock charged with powder, and all the crowd that surrounded them -down below began to run away like a retreating army. They fled in the -direction of Riom and Enval, leaving behind them by itself the huge -rock on the top of the hillock covered with thin grass and pebbles, -for it divided the vineyard into two sections, and its immediate -surroundings had not been grubbed up yet.</p> - -<p>The crowd assembled on the slope above, now as dense as that below, -waited in trembling expectancy; and the loud voice of Petrus Martel -exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"Attention! the fuse is lit!"</p> - -<p>Christiane shivered at the thought of what was about to happen, but the -doctor murmured behind her back:</p> - -<p>"Ho! if they left there all the fuse I saw them buying, we'll have ten -minutes of it!"</p> - -<p>All eyes were fixed on the stone, and suddenly a dog, a little black -dog, a kind of pug, was seen approaching it. He ran round it, began -smelling, and no doubt, discovered a suspicious odor, for he commenced -yelping as loudly as ever he could, his paws stiff, the hair on his -back standing on end, his tail sticking out, and his ears erect.</p> - -<p>A burst of laughter came from the spectators, a cruel burst of -laughter; people expressed a hope that he would not keep riveted to the -spot up to the time of the blast. Then voices called out to him to make -him come back; some men whistled to him; they tried to hit him with -stones to prevent him from going on the whole way. But the pug did not -budge an inch, and kept barking furiously at the rock.</p> - -<p>Christiane began to tremble. A horrible fear of seeing the animal -disemboweled took possession of her; all her enjoyment was at an end. -She cried repeatedly, with nerves unstrung, stammering, vibrating all -over with anguish:</p> - -<p>"Oh! good heavens! Oh! good heavens! it will be killed. I don't want to -look at it! I don't want to look at it! I will not wait to see it! Come -away!"</p> - -<p>Paul Bretigny, who had been sitting by her side, arose, and, without -saying one word, began to descend toward the hillock with all the -speed of which his long legs were capable.</p> - -<p>Cries of terror escaped from many lips; a panic agitated the crowd; and -the pug, seeing this big man coming toward him, took refuge behind the -rock. Paul pursued him; the dog ran off to the other side; and, for a -minute or two, they kept rushing round the stone, now to right, now -to left, as if they were playing a game of hide and seek. Seeing at -last that he could not overtake the animal, the young man proceeded to -reascend the slope, and the dog, seized once more with fury, renewed -his barking.</p> - -<p>Vociferations of anger greeted the return of the imprudent youth, who -was quite out of breath, for people do not forgive those who excite -terror in their breasts. Christiane was suffocating with emotion, her -two hands pressed against her palpitating heart. She had lost her head -so completely that she sobbed: "At least you are not hurt?" while -Gontran cried angrily:</p> - -<p>"He is mad, that idiot; he never does anything but tomfooleries of this -kind. I never met a greater donkey!"</p> - -<p>But the soil was now shaking; it rose in air. A formidable detonation -made the entire country all around vibrate, and for a full minute -thundered over the mountain, while all the echoes repeated it, like so -many cannon-shots.</p> - -<p>Christiane saw nothing but a shower of stones falling, and a high -column of light clay sinking in a heap. And immediately afterward the -crowd from above rushed down like a wave, uttering wild shouts. The -battalion of kitchen-drudges came racing down in the direction of the -knoll, leaving behind them the regiment of theatrical performers, who -descended more slowly, with Petrus Martel at their head. The three -parasols forming a tricolor were nearly carried away in this descent.</p> - -<p>And all ran, men, women, peasants, and villagers. They could be seen -falling, getting up again, starting on afresh, while in long procession -the two streams of people, which had till now been kept back by fear, -rolled along so as to knock against one another and get mixed up on the -very spot where the explosion had taken place.</p> - -<p>"Let us wait a while," said the Marquis, "till all this curiosity is -satisfied, so that we may go and look in our turn."</p> - -<p>The engineer, M. Aubry-Pasteur, who had just arisen with very great -difficulty, replied:</p> - -<p>"For my part, I am going back to the village by the footpaths. There is -nothing further to keep me here."</p> - -<p>He shook hands, bowed, and went away.</p> - -<p>Doctor Honorat had disappeared. The party talked about him, and the -Marquis said to his son:</p> - -<p>"You have only known him three days, and all the time you have been -laughing at him. You will end by offending him."</p> - -<p>But Gontran shrugged his shoulders: "Oh! he's a wise man, a good -sceptic, that doctor. I tell you in reply that he will not bother -himself. When we are both alone together, he laughs at all the world -and everything, commencing with his patients and his waters. I will -give you a free thermal course if you ever see him annoyed by my -nonsense."</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, there was considerable agitation further down around the -site of the vanished hillock. The enormous crowd, swelling, rising up, -and sinking down like billows, broke out into exclamations, manifestly -swayed by some emotion, some astonishing occurrence which nobody had -foreseen. Andermatt, ever eager and inquisitive, was repeating:</p> - -<p>"What is the matter with them now? What can be the matter with them?"</p> - -<p>Gontran announced that he was going to find out, and walked off. -Christiane, who had now sunk into a state of indifference, was -reflecting that if the igniting substance had been only a little -shorter, it would have been sufficient to have caused the death of -their foolish companion or led to his being mutilated by the blasting -of the rock, and all because she was afraid of a dog losing its life. -She could not help thinking that he must, indeed, be very violent and -passionate—this man—to expose himself to such a risk in this way -without any good reason for it—simply owing to the fact that a woman -who was a stranger to him had given expression to a desire.</p> - -<p>People could be observed running along the road toward the village. The -Marquis now asked, in his turn: "What is the matter with them?" And -Andermatt, unable to stand it any longer, began to run down the side of -the hill. Gontran, from below, made a sign to him to come on.</p> - -<p>Paul Bretigny asked: "Will you take my arm, Madame?" She took his arm, -which seemed to her as immovable as iron, and, as her feet glided -along the warm grass, she leaned on it as she would have leaned on a -baluster with a sense of absolute security. Gontran, who had just come -back after making inquiries, exclaimed: "It is a spring. The explosion -has made a spring gush out!"</p> - -<p>And they fell in with the crowd. Then, the two young men, Paul and -Gontran, moving on in front, scattered the spectators by jostling -against them, and without paying any heed to their gruntings, opened a -way for Christiane and her father. They walked through a chaos of sharp -stones, broken, and blackened with powder, and arrived in front of a -hole full of muddy water which bubbled up and then flowed away toward -the river over the feet of the bystanders. Andermatt was there already, -having effected a passage through the multitude by insinuating ways -peculiar to himself, as Gontran used to say, and was watching with rapt -attention the water escaping through the broken soil.</p> - -<p>Doctor Honorat, facing him at the opposite side of the hole, was -observing him with an air of mingled surprise and boredom.</p> - -<p>Andermatt said to him: "It might be desirable to taste it; it is -perhaps a mineral spring."</p> - -<p>The physician returned: "No doubt it is mineral. There are any number -of mineral waters here. There will soon be more springs than invalids."</p> - -<p>The other in reply said: "But it is necessary to taste it."</p> - -<p>The physician displayed little or no interest in the matter: "It is -necessary at least to wait till we see whether it is clean."</p> - -<p>And everyone wanted to see. Those in the second row pushed those in -front almost into the muddy water. A child fell in, and caused a -laugh. The Oriols, father and son, were there, contemplating gravely -this unexpected phenomenon, not knowing yet what they ought to think -about it. The father was a spare man, with a long, thin frame, and a -bony head—the hard head of a beardless peasant; and the son, taller -still, a giant, thin also, and wearing a mustache, had the look at the -same time of a trooper and a vinedresser.</p> - -<p>The bubblings of the water appeared to increase, its volume to grow -larger, and it was beginning to get clearer. A movement took place -among the people, and Doctor Latonne appeared with a glass in his hand. -He perspired, panted, and stood quite stupefied at the sight of his -brother-physician, Doctor Honorat, with one foot planted at the side of -the newly discovered spring, like a general who has been the first to -enter a fortress.</p> - -<p>He asked, breathlessly: "Have you tasted it?"</p> - -<p>"No, I am waiting to see whether 'tis clear."</p> - -<p>Then Doctor Latonne thrust his glass into it, and drank with that -solemnity of visage which experts assume when tasting wines. After -that, he exclaimed, "Excellent!" which in no way compromised him, and -extending the glass toward his rival said: "Do you wish to taste it?"</p> - -<p>But Doctor Honorat, decidedly, had no love for mineral waters, for he -smilingly replied:</p> - -<p>"Many thanks! 'Tis quite sufficient that you have appreciated it. I -know the taste of them."</p> - -<p>He did know the taste of them all, and he appreciated it, too, though -in quite a different fashion. Then, turning toward Père Oriol said:</p> - -<p>"'Tisn't as good as your excellent vine-growth."</p> - -<p>The old man was flattered. Christiane had seen enough, and wanted to -go away. Her brother and Paul once more forced a path for her through -the populace. She followed them, leaning on her father's arm. Suddenly -she slipped and was near falling, and glancing down at her feet she -saw that she had stepped on a piece of bleeding flesh, covered with -black hairs and sticky with mud. It was a portion of the pug-dog, who -had been mangled by the explosion and trampled underfoot by the crowd. -She felt a choking sensation, and was so much moved that she could not -restrain her tears. And she murmured, as she dried her eyes with her -handkerchief: "Poor little animal! poor little animal!"</p> - -<p>She wanted to know nothing more about it. She wished to go back, to -shut herself up in her room. That day, which had begun so pleasantly, -had ended sadly for her. Was it an omen? Her heart, shriveling up, beat -with violent palpitations. They were now alone on the road, and in -front of them they saw a tall hat and the two skirts of a frock-coat -flapping like wings. It was Doctor Bonnefille, who had been the last to -hear the news, and who was now rushing to the spot, glass in hand, like -Doctor Latonne.</p> - -<p>When he recognized the Marquis, he drew up.</p> - -<p>"What is this I hear, Marquis? They tell me it is a spring—a mineral -spring?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, my dear doctor."</p> - -<p>"Abundant?"</p> - -<p>"Why, yes."</p> - -<p>"Is it true that—that they are there?"</p> - -<p>Gontran replied with an air of gravity: "Why, yes, certainly; Doctor -Latonne has even made the analysis already."</p> - -<p>Then Doctor Bonnefille began to run, while Christiane, a little tickled -and enlivened by his face, said:</p> - -<p>"Well, no, I am not going back yet to the hotel. Let us go and sit down -in the park."</p> - -<p>Andermatt had remained at the site of the knoll, watching the flowing -of the water.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.</a></h5> - - -<h4>BARGAINING</h4> - - -<p>The <i>table d'hôte</i> was noisy that evening at the Hotel Splendid. -The blasting of the hillock and the discovery of the new spring -gave a brisk impetus to conversation. The diners were not numerous, -however,—a score all told,—people usually taciturn and quiet, -patients who, after having vainly tried all the well-known waters, had -now turned to the new stations. At the end of the table occupied by -the Ravenels and the Andermatts were, first, the Monecus, a little man -with white hair and face and his daughter, a very pale, big girl, who -sometimes rose up and went out in the middle of a meal, leaving her -plate half full; fat M. Aubry-Pasteur, the ex-engineer; the Chaufours, -a family in black, who might be met every day in the walks of the -park behind a little vehicle which carried their deformed child, and -the ladies Paille, mother and daughter, both of them widows, big and -strong, strong everywhere, before and behind. "You may easily see," -said Gontran, "that they ate up their husbands; that's how their -stomachs got affected." It was, indeed, for a stomach affection that -they had come to the station.</p> - -<p>Further on, a man of extremely red complexion, brick-colored, M. -Riquier, whose digestion was also very indifferent, and then other -persons with bad complexions, travelers of that mute class who usually -enter the dining-rooms of hotels with slow steps, the wife in front, -the husband behind, bow as soon as they have passed the door, and then -take their seats with a timid and modest air.</p> - -<p>All the other end of the table was empty, although the plates and the -covers were laid there for the guests of the future.</p> - -<p>Andermatt talked in an animated fashion. He had spent the afternoon -chatting with Doctor Latonne, giving vent in a flood of words to vast -schemes with reference to Enval. The doctor had enumerated to him, with -burning conviction, the wonderful qualities of his water, far superior -to those of Chatel-Guyon, whose reputation nevertheless had been -definitely established for the last ten years. Then, at the right, they -had that hole of a place, Royat, at the height of success, and at the -left, that other hole, Chatel-Guyon, which had lately been set afloat. -What could they not do with Enval, if they knew how to set about it -properly?</p> - -<p>He said, addressing the engineer: "Yes, Monsieur, there's where it all -is, to know the way to set about it. It is all a matter of skill, of -tact, of opportunism, and of audacity. In order to establish a spa, -it is necessary to know how to launch it, nothing more, and in order -to launch it, it is necessary to interest the great medical body of -Paris in the matter. I, Monsieur, always succeed in what I undertake, -because I always seek the practical method, the only one that should -determine success in every particular case with which I occupy myself; -and, as long as I have not discovered it, I do nothing—I wait. It is -not enough to have the water, it is necessary to get people to drink -it; and to get people to drink it, it is not enough to get it cried up -as unrivaled in the newspapers and elsewhere; it is necessary to know -how to get this discreetly said by the only men who have influence on -the public that will drink it, on the invalids whom we require, on -the peculiarly credulous public that pays for drugs—in short, by the -physicians. You can only address a Court of Justice through the mouths -of advocates; it will only hear them, and understands only them. So you -can only address the patient through the doctors—he listens only to -them."</p> - -<p>The Marquis, who greatly admired the practical common sense of his -son-in-law, exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"Ah! how true this is! Apart from this, my dear boy, you are unique for -giving the right touch."</p> - -<p>Andermatt, who was excited, went on: "There is a fortune to be made -here. The country is admirable, the climate excellent. One thing -alone disturbs my mind—would we have water enough for a large -establishment?—for things that are only half done always miscarry. We -would require a very large establishment, and consequently a great deal -of water, enough of water to supply two hundred baths at the same time, -with a rapid and continuous current; and the new spring added to the -old one, would not supply fifty, whatever Doctor Latonne may say about -it——"</p> - -<p>M. Aubry-Pasteur interrupted him. "Oh! as for water, I will give you as -much as you want of it."</p> - -<p>Andermatt was stupefied. "You?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I. That astonishes you? Let me explain myself. Last year, I -was here about the same time as this year, for I really find myself -improved by the Enval baths. Now one morning, I lay asleep in my -own room, when a stout gentleman arrived. He was the president of -the governing body of the establishment. He was in a state of great -agitation, and the cause of it was this: the Bonnefille Spring had -lowered so much that there were some apprehensions lest it might -entirely disappear. Knowing that I was a mining engineer, he had come -to ask me if I could not find a means of saving the establishment.</p> - -<p>"I accordingly set about studying the geological system of the country. -You know that in each stratum of the soil original disturbances have -led to different changes and conditions in the surface of the ground. -The question, therefore, was to discover how the mineral water came—by -what fissures—and what were the direction, the origin, and the nature -of these fissures. I first inspected the establishment with great care, -and, noticing in a corner an old disused pipe of a bath, I observed -that it was already almost stopped up with limestone. Now the water, by -depositing the salts which it contained on the coatings of the ducts, -had rapidly led to an obstruction of the passage. It would inevitably -happen likewise in the natural passages in the soil, this soil being -granitic. So it was that the Bonnefille Spring had stopped up. Nothing -more. It was necessary to get at it again farther on.</p> - -<p>"Most people would have searched above its original point of egress. As -for me, after a month of study, observation, and reasoning, I sought -for and found it fifty meters lower down. And this was the explanation -of the matter: I told you before that it was first necessary to -determine the origin, nature, and direction of the fissures in the -granite which enabled the water to spring forth. It was easy for me -to satisfy myself that these fissures ran from the plain toward the -mountain and not from the mountain toward the plain, inclined like a -roof undoubtedly, in consequence of a depression of this plain which -in breaking up had carried along with it the primitive buttresses of -the mountains. Accordingly, the water, in place of descending, rose up -again between the different interstices of the granitic layers. And I -then discovered the cause of this unexpected phenomenon.</p> - -<p>"Formerly the Limagne, that vast expanse of sandy and argillaceous -soil, of which you can scarcely see the limits, was on a level with -the first table-land of the mountains; but owing to the geological -character of its lower portions, it subsided, so as to tear away the -edge of the mountain, as I explained to you a moment ago. Now this -immense sinking produced, at the point of separating the earth and the -granite, an immense barrier of clay of great depth and impenetrable by -liquids. And this is what happens: The mineral water comes from the -beds of old volcanoes. That which comes from the greatest distance gets -cooled on its way, and rises up perfectly cold like ordinary springs; -that which comes from the volcanic beds that are nearer gushes up still -warm, at varying degrees of heat, according to the distance of the -subterranean fire.</p> - -<p>"Here is the course it pursues. It is expelled from some unknown -depths, up to the moment when it meets the clay barrier of the Limagne. -Not being able to pass through it, and pushed on by enormous pressure, -it seeks a vent. Finding then the inclined gaps of granite, it gets in -there, and reascends to the point at which they reach the level of the -soil. Then, resuming its original direction, it again proceeds to flow -toward the plain along the ordinary bed of the streams. I may add that -we do not see the hundredth part of the mineral waters of these glens. -We can only discover those whose point of egress is open. As for the -others, arriving as they do at the side of the fissures in the granite -under a thick layer of vegetable and cultivated soil, they are lost in -the earth, which absorbs them.</p> - -<p>"From this I draw the conclusion: first, that to have the water, it is -sufficient to search by following the inclination and the direction of -the superimposed strips of granite; secondly, that in order to preserve -it, it is enough to prevent the fissures from being stopped up by -calcareous deposits, that is to say, to maintain carefully the little -artificial wells by digging; thirdly, that in order to obtain the -adjoining spring, it is necessary to get at it by means of a practical -sounding as far as the same fissure of granite below, and not above, -it being well understood that you must place yourself at the side of -the barrier of clay which forces the waters to reascend. From this -point of view, the spring discovered to-day is admirably situated -only some meters away from this barrier. If you want to set up a new -establishment, it is here you should erect it."</p> - -<p>When he ceased speaking, there was an interval of silence.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, ravished, said merely: "That's it! When you see the curtain -drawn, the entire mystery vanishes. You are a most valuable man, M. -Aubry-Pasteur."</p> - -<p>Besides him, the Marquis and Paul Bretigny alone had understood what -he was talking about. Gontran had not heard a single word. The others, -with their ears and mouths open, while the engineer was talking, -were simply stupefied with amazement. The ladies Paille especially, -being very religious women, asked themselves if this explanation of a -phenomenon ordained by God and accomplished by mysterious means had -not in it something profane. The mother thought she ought to say: -"Providence is very wonderful." The ladies seated at the center of the -table conveyed their approval by nods of the head, disturbed also by -listening to these unintelligible remarks.</p> - -<p>M. Riquier, the brick-colored man, observed: "They may well come from -volcanoes or from the moon, these Enval waters—here have I been taking -them ten days, and as yet I experience no effect from them!"</p> - -<p>M. and Madame Chaufour protested in the name of their child, who was -beginning to move the right leg, a thing that had not happened during -the six years they had been nursing him.</p> - -<p>Riquier replied: "That proves, by Jove, that we have not the same -ailment; it doesn't prove that the Enval water cures affections of -the stomach." He seemed in a rage, exasperated by this fresh, useless -experiment.</p> - -<p>But M. Monecu also spoke in the name of his daughter, declaring that -for the last eight days she was beginning to be able to retain food -without being obliged to go out at every meal. And his big daughter -blushed, with her nose in her plate. The ladies Paille likewise thought -they had improved.</p> - -<p>Then Riquier was vexed, and abruptly turning toward the two women said:</p> - -<p>"Your stomachs are affected, Mesdames."</p> - -<p>They replied together: "Why, yes, Monsieur. We can digest nothing."</p> - -<p>He nearly leaped out of his chair, stammering: "You—you! Why, 'tis -enough to look at you. Your stomachs are affected, Mesdames. That is to -say, you eat too much."</p> - -<p>Madame Paille, the mother, became very angry, and she retorted: "As for -you, Monsieur, there is no doubt about it, you exhibit certainly the -appearance of persons whose stomachs are destroyed. It has been well -said that good stomachs make nice men."</p> - -<p>A very thin, old lady, whose name was not known, said authoritatively: -"I am sure everyone would find the waters of Enval better if the hotel -chef would only bear in mind a little that he is cooking for invalids. -Truly, he sends us up things that it is impossible to digest."</p> - -<p>And suddenly the entire table agreed on the point, and indignation -was expressed against the hotel-keeper, who served them with crayfish, -porksteaks, salt eels, cabbage, yes, cabbage and sausages, all the most -indigestible kinds of food in the world for persons for whom Doctors -Bonnefille, Latonne, and Honorat had prescribed only white meats, lean -and tender, fresh vegetables, and milk diet.</p> - -<p>Riquier was shaking with fury: "Why should not the physicians inspect -the table at thermal stations without leaving such an important thing -as the selection of nutriment to the judgment of a brute? Thus, every -day, they give us hard eggs, anchovies, and ham as side-dishes——"</p> - -<p>M. Monecu interrupted him: "Oh! excuse me! My daughter can digest -nothing well except ham, which, moreover has been prescribed for her by -Mas-Roussel and Remusot."</p> - -<p>Riquier exclaimed: "Ham! ham! why, that's poison, Monsieur."</p> - -<p>And an interminable argument arose, which each day was taken up afresh, -as to the classification of foods. Milk itself was discussed with -passionate warmth. Riquier could not drink a glass of claret and milk -without immediately suffering from indigestion.</p> - -<p>Aubry-Pasteur, in answer to his remarks, irritated in his turn, -observed that people questioned the properties of things which he -adored:</p> - -<p>"Why, gracious goodness, Monsieur, if you were attacked with dyspepsia -and I with gastralgia, we would require food as different as the glass -of the spectacles that suits short-sighted and long-sighted people, -both of whom, however, have diseased eyes."</p> - -<p>He added: "For my part I begin to choke when I swallow a glass of red -wine, and I believe there is nothing worse for man than wine. All -water-drinkers live a hundred years, while we——"</p> - -<p>Gontran replied with a laugh: "Faith, without wine and without -marriage, I would find life monotonous enough."</p> - -<p>The ladies Paille lowered their eyes. They drank a considerable -quantity of Bordeaux of the best quality without any water in it, and -their double widowhood seemed to indicate that they had applied the -same treatment to their husbands, the daughter being twenty-two and the -mother scarcely forty.</p> - -<p>But Andermatt, usually so chatty, remained taciturn and thoughtful. He -suddenly asked Gontran: "Do you know where the Oriols live?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, their house was pointed out to me a little while ago."</p> - -<p>"Could you bring me there after dinner?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly. It will even give me pleasure to accompany you. I shall not -be sorry to have another look at the two lassies."</p> - -<p>And, as soon as dinner was over, they went off, while Christiane, who -was tired, went up with the Marquis and Paul Bretigny to spend the rest -of the day in the drawing-room.</p> - -<p>It was still broad daylight, for they dine early at thermal stations.</p> - -<p>Andermatt took his brother-in-law's arm.</p> - -<p>"My dear Gontran, if this old man is reasonable, and if the analysis -realizes Doctor Latonne's expectations, I am probably going to try a -big stroke of business here—a spa. I am going to start a spa!"</p> - -<p>He stopped in the middle of the street, and seized his companion by -both sides of his jacket.</p> - -<p>"Ha! you don't understand, fellows like you, how amusing business is, -not the business of merchants or traders, but big undertakings such as -we go in for! Yes, my boy, when they are properly understood, we find -in them everything that men care for—they cover, at the same time, -politics, war, diplomacy, everything, everything! It is necessary to -be always searching, finding, inventing, to understand everything, to -foresee everything, to combine everything, to dare everything. The -great battle to-day is being fought by means of money. For my part, -I see in the hundred-sou pieces raw recruits in red breeches, in the -twenty-franc pieces very glittering lieutenants, captains in the notes -for a hundred francs, and in those for a thousand I see generals. And -I fight, by heavens! I fight from morning till night against all the -world, with all the world. And this is how to live, how to live on a -big scale, just as the mighty lived in days of yore. We are the mighty -of to-day—there you are—the only true mighty ones!</p> - -<p>"Stop, look at that village, that poor village! I will make a town -of it, yes, I will, a lovely town full of big hotels which will be -filled with visitors, with elevators, with servants, with carriages, -a crowd of rich folk served by a crowd of poor; and all this because -it pleased me one evening to fight with Royat, which is at the right, -with Chatel-Guyon, which is at the left, with Mont Doré, La Bourboule, -Châteauneuf, Saint Nectaire, which are behind us, with Vichy, which -is facing us. And I shall succeed because I have the means, the only -means. I have seen it in one glance, just as a great general sees the -weak side of an enemy. It is necessary too to know how to lead men, in -our line of business, both to carry them along with us and to subjugate -them.</p> - -<p>"Good God! life becomes amusing when you can do such things. I have now -three years of pleasure to look forward to with this town of mine. And -then see what a chance it is to find this engineer, who told us such -interesting things at dinner, most interesting things, my dear fellow. -It is as clear as day, my system. Thanks to it, I can smash the old -company, without even having any necessity of buying it up."</p> - -<p>He then resumed his walk, and they quietly went up the road to the left -in the direction of Chatel-Guyon.</p> - -<p>Gontran presently observed: "When I am walking by my brother-in-law's -side, I feel that the same noise disturbs his brain as that heard in -the gambling rooms at Monte Carlo—that noise of gold moved about, -shuffled, drawn away, raked off, lost or gained."</p> - -<p>Andermatt did, indeed, suggest the idea of a strange human machine, -constructed only for the purpose of calculating and debating about -money, and mentally manipulating it. Moreover, he exhibited much -vanity about his special knowledge of the world, and plumed himself on -his power of estimating at one glance of his eye the actual value of -anything whatever. Accordingly, he might be seen, wherever he happened -to be, every moment taking up an article, examining it, turning it -round, and declaring: "This is worth so much."</p> - -<p>His wife and his brother-in-law, diverted by this mania, used to -amuse themselves by deceiving him, exhibiting to him queer pieces -of furniture and asking him to estimate them; and when he remained -perplexed, at the sight of their unexpected finds, they would both -burst out laughing like fools. Sometimes also, in the street at Paris, -Gontran would stop in front of a warehouse and force him to make a -calculation of an entire shop-window, or perhaps of a horse with a -jolting vehicle, or else again of a luggage-van laden with household -goods.</p> - -<p>One evening, while seated at his sister's dinner-table before -fashionable guests, he called on William to tell him what would be the -approximate value of the Obelisk; then, when the other happened to name -some figure, he would put the same question as to the Solferino Bridge, -and the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile. And he gravely concluded: "You -might write a very interesting work on the valuation of the principal -monuments of the globe." Andermatt never got angry, and fell in with -all his pleasantries, like a superior man sure of himself.</p> - -<p>Gontran having asked one day: "And I—how much am I worth?" William -declined to answer; then, as his brother-in-law persisted, saying: -"Look here! If I should be captured by brigands, how much would you -give to release me?" he replied at last: "Well, well, my dear fellow, I -would give a bill." And his smile said so much that the other, a little -disconcerted, did not press the matter further.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, besides, was fond of artistic objects, and having fine -taste and appreciating such things thoroughly, he skillfully collected -them with that bloodhound's scent which he carried into all commercial -transactions.</p> - -<p>They had arrived in front of a house of a middle-class type. Gontran -stopped him and said: "Here it is." An iron knocker hung over a heavy -oaken door; they knocked, and a lean servant-maid came to open it.</p> - -<p>The banker asked: "Monsieur Oriol?"</p> - -<p>The woman said: "Come in."</p> - -<p>They entered a kitchen, a big farm-kitchen, in which a little fire was -still burning under a pot; then they were ushered into another part of -the house, where the Oriol family was assembled.</p> - -<p>The father was asleep, seated on one chair with his feet on another. -The son, with both elbows on the table, was reading the "Petit Journal" -with the spasmodic efforts of a feeble intellect always wandering; and -the two girls, in the recess of the same window, were working at the -same piece of tapestry, having begun it one at each end.</p> - -<p>They were the first to rise, both at the same moment, astonished at -this unexpected visit; then, big Jacques raised his head, a head -congested by the pressure of his brain; then, at last, Père Oriol waked -up, and took down his long legs from the second chair one after the -other.</p> - -<p>The room was bare, with whitewashed walls, a stone flooring, and -furniture consisting of straw seats, a mahogany chest of drawers, four -engravings by Epinal with glass over them, and big white curtains. -They were all staring at each other, and the servant-maid, with her -petticoat raised up to her knees, was waiting at the door, riveted to -the spot by curiosity.</p> - -<p>Andermatt introduced himself, mentioning his name as well as that of -his brother-in-law, Count de Ravenel, made a low bow to the two young -girls, bending his head with extreme politeness, and then calmly seated -himself, adding:</p> - -<p>"Monsieur Oriol, I came to talk to you about a matter of business. -Moreover, I will not take four roads to explain myself. See here. You -have just discovered a spring on your property. The analysis of this -water is to be made in a few days. If it is of no value, you will -understand that I will have nothing to do with it; if, on the contrary, -it fulfills my anticipations, I propose to buy from you this piece of -ground, and all the lands around it. Think on this. No other person -but myself could make you such an offer. The old company is nearly -bankrupt; it will not, therefore, have the least notion of building -a new establishment, and the ill success of this enterprise will not -encourage fresh attempts. Don't give me an answer to-day. Consult your -family. When the analysis is known you will fix your price. If it suits -me, I will say 'yes'; if it does not suit me, I will say 'no.' I never -haggle for my part."</p> - -<p>The peasant, a man of business in his own way, and sharp as anyone -could be, courteously replied that he would see about it, that he felt -honored, that he would think it over—and then he offered them a glass -of wine.</p> - -<p>Andermatt made no objection, and, as the day was declining, Oriol said -to his daughters, who had resumed their work, with their eyes lowered -over the piece of tapestry: "Let us have some light, girls."</p> - -<p>They both got up together, passed into an adjoining room, then came -back, one carrying two lighted wax-candles, the other four wineglasses -without stems, glasses such as the poor use. The wax-candles were fresh -looking and were garnished with red paper—placed, no doubt, by way of -ornament on the young girl's mantelpiece.</p> - -<p>Then, Colosse rose up; for only the male members of the family visited -the cellar. Andermatt had an idea. "It would give me great pleasure to -see your cellar. You are the principal vinedresser of the district, and -it must be a very fine one."</p> - -<p>Oriol, touched to the heart, hastened to conduct them, and, taking -up one of the wax-candles, led the way. They had to pass through the -kitchen again, then they got into a court where the remnant of daylight -that was left enabled them to discern empty casks standing on end, big -stones of giant granite in a corner pierced with a hole in the middle, -like the wheels of some antique car of colossal size, a dismounted -winepress with wooden screws, its brown divisions rendered smooth by -wear and tear, and glittering suddenly in the light thrown by the -candle on the shadows that surrounded it. Close to it, the working -implements of polished steel on the ground had the glitter of arms used -in warfare. All these things gradually grew more distinct, as the old -man drew nearer to them with the candle in his hand, making a shade of -the other.</p> - -<p>Already they got the smell of the wine, the pounded grapes drained dry. -They arrived in front of a door fastened with two locks. Oriol opened -it, and quickly raising the candle above his head vaguely pointed -toward a long succession of barrels standing in a row, and having on -their swelling flanks a second line of smaller casks. He showed them -first of all that this cellar, all on one floor, sank right into the -mountain, then he explained the contents of its different casks, the -ages, the nature of the various vine-crops, and their merits; then, -having reached the supply reserved for the family, he caressed the cask -with his hand just as one might rub the crupper of a favorite horse, -and in a proud tone said:</p> - -<p>"You are going to taste this. There's not a wine bottled equal to -it—not one, either at Bordeaux or elsewhere."</p> - -<p>For he possessed the intense passion of countrymen for wine kept in a -cask.</p> - -<p>Colosse followed him, carrying a jug, stooped down, turned the cock -of the funnel, while his father cautiously held the light for him, -as though he were accomplishing some difficult task requiring minute -attention. The candle's flame fell directly on their faces, the -father's head like that of an old attorney, and the son's like that of -a peasant soldier.</p> - -<p>Andermatt murmured in Gontran's ear: "Hey, what a fine Teniers!"</p> - -<p>The young man replied in a whisper: "I prefer the girls."</p> - -<p>Then they went back into the house. It was necessary, it seemed, to -drink this wine, to drink a great deal of it, in order to please the -two Oriols.</p> - -<p>The lassies had come across to the table where they continued their -work as if there had been no visitors. Gontran kept incessantly -staring at them, asking himself whether they were twins, so closely -did they resemble one another. One of them, however, was plumper and -smaller, while the other was more ladylike. Their hair, dark-brown -rather than black, drawn over their temples in smooth bands, gleamed -with every slight movement of their heads. They had the rather heavy -jaw and forehead peculiar to the people of Auvergne, cheek-bones -somewhat strongly marked, but charming mouths, ravishing eyes, with -brows of rare neatness, and delightfully fresh complexions. One felt, -on looking at them, that they had not been brought up in this house, -but in a select boarding-school, in the convent to which the daughters -of the aristocracy of Auvergne are sent, and that they had acquired -there the well-bred manners of cultivated young ladies.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, Gontran, seized with disgust before this red glass in front -of him, pressed Andermatt's foot to induce him to leave. At length -he rose, and they both energetically grasped the hands of the two -peasants; then they bowed once more ceremoniously, the young girls each -responding with a slight nod, without again rising from their seats.</p> - -<p>As soon as they had reached the village, Andermatt began talking again.</p> - -<p>"Hey, my dear boy, what an odd family! How manifest here is the -transition from people in good society. A son's services are required -to cultivate the vine so as to save the wages of a laborer,—stupid -economy,—however, he discharges this function, and is one of -the people. As for the girls, they are like girls of the better -class—almost quite so already. Let them only make good matches, and -they would pass as well as any of the women of our own class, and even -much better than most of them. I am as much gratified at seeing these -people as a geologist would be at finding an animal of the tertiary -period."</p> - -<p>Gontran asked: "Which do you prefer?"</p> - -<p>"Which? How, which? Which what?"</p> - -<p>"Of the lassies?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! upon my honor, I haven't an idea on the subject. I have not looked -at them from the standpoint of comparison. But what difference can this -make to you? You have no intention to carry off one of them?"</p> - -<p>Gontran began to laugh: "Oh! no, but I am delighted to meet for once -fresh women, really fresh, fresh as women never are with us. I like -looking at them, just as you like looking at a Teniers. There is -nothing pleases me so much as looking at a pretty girl, no matter -where, no matter of what class. These are my objects of vertu. I -don't collect them, but I admire them—I admire them passionately, -artistically, my friend, in the spirit of a convinced and disinterested -artist. What would you have? I love this! By the bye, could you lend me -five thousand francs?"</p> - -<p>The other stopped, and murmured an "Again!" energetically.</p> - -<p>Gontran replied, with an air of simplicity: "Always!" Then they resumed -their walk.</p> - -<p>Andermatt then said: "What the devil do you do with the money?"</p> - -<p>"I spend it."</p> - -<p>"Yes, but you spend it to excess."</p> - -<p>"My dear friend, I like spending money as much as you like making it. -Do you understand?"</p> - -<p>"Very fine, but you don't make it."</p> - -<p>"That's true. I know it. One can't have everything. You know how to -make it, and, upon my word, you don't at all know how to spend it. -Money appears to you no use except to get interest on it. I, on the -other hand, don't know how to make it, but I know thoroughly how to -spend it. It procures me a thousand things of which you don't know the -name. We were cut out for brothers-in-law. We complete one another -admirably."</p> - -<p>Andermatt murmured: "What stuff! No, you sha'n't have five thousand -francs, but I'll lend you fifteen hundred francs, because—because in a -few days I shall, perhaps, have need of you."</p> - -<p>Gontran rejoined: "Then I accept them on account." The other gave him a -slap on the shoulder without saying anything by way of answer.</p> - -<p>They reached the park, which was illuminated with lamps hung to the -branches of the trees. The orchestra of the Casino was playing in slow -time a classical piece that seemed to stagger along, full of breaks and -silences, executed by the same four performers, exhausted with constant -playing, morning and evening, in this solitude for the benefit of the -leaves and the brook, with trying to produce the effect of twenty -instruments, and tired also of never being fully paid at the end of -the month. Petrus Martel always completed their remuneration, when it -fell short, with hampers of wine or pints of liqueurs which the bathers -might have left unconsumed.</p> - -<p>Amid the noise of the concert could also be distinguished that of the -billiard-table, the clicking of the balls and the voices calling out: -"Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two."</p> - -<p>Andermatt and Gontran went in. M. Aubry-Pasteur and Doctor Honorat, -by themselves, were drinking their coffee, at the side facing the -musicians. Petrus Martel and Lapalme were playing their game with -desperation; and the female attendant woke up to ask:</p> - -<p>"What do these gentlemen wish to take?"</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.</a></h5> - - -<h4>A TEST AND AN AVOWAL</h4> - - -<p>Père Oriol and his son had remained for a long time chatting after -the girls had gone to bed. Stirred up and excited by Andermatt's -proposal, they were considering how they could inflame his desire -more effectually without compromising their own interests. Like the -cautious, practically-minded peasants that they were, they weighed all -the chances carefully, understanding very clearly that in a country -in which mineral springs gushed out along all the streams, it was not -advisable to repel by an exaggerated demand this unexpected enthusiast, -the like of whom they might never find again. And at the same time it -would not do either to leave entirely in his hands this spring, which -might, some day, yield a flood of liquid money, Royat and Chatel-Guyon -serving as a precedent for them.</p> - -<p>Therefore, they asked themselves by what course of action they could -kindle into frenzy the banker's ardor; they conjured up combinations -of imaginary companies covering his offers, a succession of clumsy -schemes, the defects of which they felt, without succeeding in -inventing more ingenious ones. They slept badly; then, in the morning, -the father, having awakened first, thought in his own mind that the -spring might have disappeared during the night. It was possible, after -all, that it might have gone as it had come, and re-entered the earth, -so that it could not be brought back. He got up in a state of unrest, -seized with avaricious fear, shook his son, and told him about his -alarm; and big Colosse, dragging his legs out of his coarse sheets, -dressed himself in order to go out with his father, to make sure about -the matter.</p> - -<p>In any case, they would put the field and the spring in proper trim -themselves, would carry off the stones, and make it nice and clean, -like an animal that they wanted to sell. So they took their picks -and their spades, and started for the spot side by side with great, -swinging strides.</p> - -<p>They looked at nothing as they walked on, their minds being preoccupied -with the business, replying with only a single word to the "Good -morning" of the neighbors and friends whom they chanced to meet. When -they reached the Riom road they began to get agitated, peering into the -distance to see whether they could observe the water bubbling up and -glittering in the morning sun. The road was empty, white, and dusty, -the river running beside it sheltered by willow-trees. Beneath one of -the trees Oriol suddenly noticed two feet, then, having advanced three -steps further, he recognized Père Clovis seated at the edge of the -road, with his crutches lying beside him on the grass.</p> - -<p>This was an old paralytic, well known in the district, where for the -last ten years he had prowled about on his supports of stout oak, as he -said himself, like a poor man made of stone.</p> - -<p>Formerly a poacher in the woods and streams, often arrested and -imprisoned, he had got rheumatic pains by his long watchings stretched -on the moist grass and by his nocturnal fishings in the rivers, through -which he used to wade up to his middle in water. Now he whined, and -crawled about, like a crab that had lost its claws. He stumped along, -dragging his right leg after him like a piece of ragged cloth. But -the boys of the neighborhood, who used in foggy weather to run after -the girls or the hares, declared that they used to meet Père Clovis, -swift-footed as a stag, and supple as an adder, under the bushes and -in the glades, and that, in short, his rheumatism was only "a dodge on -the gendarmes." Colosse, especially, insisted on maintaining that he -had seen him, not once, but fifty times, straining his neck with his -crutches under his arms.</p> - -<p>And Père Oriol stopped in front of the old vagabond, his mind possessed -by an idea which as yet was undefined, for the brain works slowly -in the thick skulls of Auvergne. He said "Good morning" to him. The -other responded "Good morning." Then they spoke about the weather, the -ripening of the vine, and two or three other things; but, as Colosse -had gone ahead, his father with long steps hastened to overtake him.</p> - -<p>The spring was still flowing, clear by this time, and all the bottom of -the hole was red, a fine, dark red, which had arisen from an abundant -deposit of iron. The two men gazed at it with smiling faces, then they -proceeded to clear the soil that surrounded it, and to carry off the -stones of which they made a heap. And, having found the last remains of -the dead dog, they buried them with jocose remarks. But all of a sudden -Père Oriol let his spade fall. A roguish leer of delight and triumph -wrinkled the corners of his leathery lips and the edges of his cunning -eyes, and he said to his son: "Come on, till we see."</p> - -<p>The other obeyed. They got on the road once more, and retraced their -steps. Père Clovis was still toasting his limbs and his crutches in the -sun.</p> - -<p>Oriol, drawing up before him, asked: "Do you want to earn a -hundred-franc piece?"</p> - -<p>The other cautiously refrained from answering.</p> - -<p>The peasant said: "Hey! a hundred francs?"</p> - -<p>Thereupon the vagabond made up his mind, and murmured: "Of course, but -what am I asked to do?"</p> - -<p>"Well, father, here's what I want you to do."</p> - -<p>And he explained to the other at great length with tricky -circumlocutions, easily understood hints, and innumerable repetitions, -that, if he would consent to take a bath for an hour every day from ten -to eleven in a hole which they, Colosse and he, intended to dig at the -side of the spring, and to be cured at the end of a month, they would -give him a hundred francs in cash.</p> - -<p>The paralytic listened with a stupid air, and then said: "Since all the -drugs haven't been able to help me, 'tisn't your water that'll cure me."</p> - -<p>But Colosse suddenly got into a passion. "Come, my old play-actor, -you're talking rubbish. I know what your disease is—don't tell me -about it! What were you doing on Monday last in the Comberombe wood at -eleven o'clock at night?"</p> - -<p>The old fellow promptly answered: "That's not true."</p> - -<p>But Colosse, firing up: "Isn't it true, you old blackguard, that you -jumped over the ditch to Jean Cannezat and that you made your way along -the Paulin chasm?"</p> - -<p>The other energetically repeated: "It is not true!"</p> - -<p>"Isn't it true that I called out to you: 'Oho, Clovis, the gendarmes!' -and that you turned up the Moulinet road?"</p> - -<p>"No, it is not."</p> - -<p>Big Jacques, raging, almost menacing, exclaimed: "Ah! it's not true! -Well, old three paws, listen! The next time I see you there in the -wood at night or else in the water, I'll take a grip of you, as my -legs are rather longer than your own, and I'll tie you up to some -tree till morning, when we'll go and take you away, the whole village -together——"</p> - -<p>Père Oriol stopped his son; then, in a very wheedling tone: "Listen, -Clovis! you can easily do the thing. We prepare a bath for you, Coloche -and myself. You come there every day for a month. For that I give you, -not one hundred, but two hundred francs. And then, listen! if you're -cured at the end of the month, it will mean five hundred francs more. -Understand clearly, five hundred in ready money, and two hundred -more—that makes seven hundred. Therefore you get two hundred for -taking a bath for a month and five hundred more for the curing. And -listen again! Suppose the pains come back. If this happens you in the -autumn, there will be nothing more for us to do, for the water will -have none the less produced its effect!"</p> - -<p>The old fellow coolly replied: "In that case I'm quite willing. If it -won't succeed, we'll always see it." And the three men pressed one -another's hands to seal the bargain they had concluded. Then, the two -Oriols returned to their spring, in order to dig the bath for Père -Clovis.</p> - -<p>They had been working at it for a quarter of an hour, when they heard -voices on the road. It was Andermatt and Doctor Latonne. The two -peasants winked at one another, and ceased digging the soil.</p> - -<p>The banker came across to them, and grasped their hands; then the -entire four proceeded to fix their eyes on the water without uttering -a word. It stirred about like water set in movement above a big fire, -threw out bubbles and steam, then it flowed away in the direction of -the brook through a tiny gutter which it had already traced out. Oriol, -with a smile of pride on his lips, said suddenly: "Hey, that's iron, -isn't it?"</p> - -<p>In fact the bottom was now all red, and even the little pebbles which -it washed as it flowed along seemed covered with a sort of purple mold.</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne replied: "Yes, but that is nothing to the purpose. We -would require to know its other qualities."</p> - -<p>The peasant observed: "Coloche and myself first drank a glass of it -yesterday evening, and it has already made our bodies feel fresh. Isn't -that true, son?"</p> - -<p>The big youth replied in a tone of conviction: "Sure enough, it was -very refreshing."</p> - -<p>Andermatt remained motionless, his feet on the edge of the hole. He -turned toward the physician: "We would want nearly six times this -volume of water for what I would wish to do, would we not?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, nearly."</p> - -<p>"Do you think that we'll be able to get it?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! as for me, I know nothing about it."</p> - -<p>"See here! The purchase of the grounds can only be definitely effected -after the soundings. It would be necessary, first of all, to have a -promise of sale drawn up by a notary, once the analysis is known, but -not to take effect unless the consecutive soundings give the results -hoped for."</p> - -<p>Père Oriol became restless. He did not understand. Andermatt thereupon -explained to him the insufficiency of only one spring, and demonstrated -to him that he could not purchase unless he found others. But he could -not search for these other springs till after the signature of a -promise of sale.</p> - -<p>The two peasants appeared forthwith to be convinced that their fields -contained as many springs as vine-stalks. It would be sufficient to dig -for them—they would see, they would see.</p> - -<p>Andermatt said simply: "Yes, we shall see."</p> - -<p>But Père Oriol dipped his fingers in the water, and remarked: "Why, -'tis hot enough to boil an egg, much hotter than the Bonnefille one!"</p> - -<p>Latonne in his turn steeped his fingers in it, and realized that this -was possible.</p> - -<p>The peasant went on: "And then it has more taste and a better taste; -it hasn't a false taste, like the other. Oh! this one, I'll answer for -it, is good! I know the waters of the country for the fifty years that -I've seen them flowing. I never seen a finer one than this, never, -never!"</p> - -<p>He remained silent for a few seconds, and then continued: "It is not -in order to puff the water that I say this!—certainly not. I would -like to make a trial of it before you, a fair trial, not what your -chemists make, but a trial of it on a person who has a disease. I'll -bet that it will cure a paralytic, this one, so hot is it and so good -to taste—I'll make a bet on it!"</p> - -<p>He appeared to be searching his brain, then cast a look at the tops -of the neighboring mountains to see whether he could discover the -paralytic that he required. Not having made the discovery, he lowered -his eyes to the road.</p> - -<p>Two hundred meters away from it, at the side of the road could be -distinguished the two inert legs of the vagabond, whose body was hidden -by the trunk of a willow tree.</p> - -<p>Oriol placed his hand on his forehead as a shade, and said -questioningly to his son: "That isn't Père Clovis over there still?"</p> - -<p>Colosse laughingly replied: "Yes, yes. 'Tis he—he doesn't go as quick -as a hare."</p> - -<p>Then Oriol stepped over to Andermatt's side, and with an air of serious -and deep conviction: "Look here, Monchieu! Listen to me. There's a -paralytic over yonder, who is well known to the doctor, a genuine one, -who hasn't been seen to make a single step for the last ten years. -Isn't that so, doctor?"</p> - -<p>Latonne returned: "Oh! if you cure that fellow, I would pay a franc a -glass for your water!"</p> - -<p>Then, turning toward Andermatt: "'Tis an old fellow suffering from -rheumatic gout with a sort of spasmodic contraction of the left leg and -a complete paralysis of the right; in fact, I believe, an incurable."</p> - -<p>Oriol had allowed him to talk; he resumed in a deliberate fashion: -"Well, doctor, would you like to make a trial of it on him for a month? -I don't say that it will succeed,—I say nothing on the matter,—I only -ask to have a trial made. Hold on! Coloche and myself are going to dig -a hole for the stones—well, we'll make a hole for Cloviche; he'll -remain an hour there every morning, and then we'll see—there!—we'll -see."</p> - -<p>The physician murmured: "You may try. I answer confidently that you -will not succeed."</p> - -<p>But Andermatt, beguiled by the prospect of an almost miraculous cure, -gladly fell in with the peasant's suggestion; and the entire four -directed their steps toward the vagabond, who, all this time, had been -lying motionless in the sun. The old poacher, understanding the dodge, -pretended to refuse, resisted for a long time, then allowed himself to -be persuaded, on the condition that Andermatt would give him two francs -a day for the hour which he would spend in the water.</p> - -<p>So the matter was settled. It was even decided that, as soon as the -hole was dug, Père Clovis should take his bath that very day. Andermatt -would supply him with clothes to dress himself afterward, and the two -Oriols would bring him a disused shepherd's hut, which was lying in -their yard, so that the invalid might shut himself in there, and change -his apparel.</p> - -<p>Then the banker and the physician returned to the village. When they -reached it, they parted, the doctor going to his own house for his -consultations, and Andermatt hurrying to attend on his wife, who had to -come to the establishment at half past nine o'clock.</p> - -<p>She appeared almost immediately, dressed from head to foot in -pink—with a pink hat, a pink parasol, and a pink complexion, she -looked like an aurora, and she descended the steps of the hotel to -avoid the turn of the road with the hopping movements of a bird, as it -goes from stone to stone, without opening its wing. As soon as she saw -her husband, she exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"Oh! what a pretty country it is! I am quite delighted with it."</p> - -<p>A few bathers wandering sadly through the little park in silence turned -round as she passed by, and Petrus Martel, who was smoking his pipe in -his shirt-sleeves at the window of the billiard-room, called to his -chum, Lapalme, sitting in a corner before a glass of white wine, and -said, smacking the roof of his mouth with his tongue:</p> - -<p>"Deuce take it, there's something sweet!"</p> - -<p>Christiane made her way into the establishment, bowed smilingly -toward the cashier, who sat at the left of the entrance-door, and -saluted the ex-jailer seated at the right with a "Good morning"; then, -holding out a ticket to a bath-attendant dressed like the girl in the -refreshment-room, followed her into a corridor facing the doors of the -bath-rooms. The lady was shown into one of them, rather large, with -bare walls, furnished with a chair, a glass, and a shoe-horn, while a -large oval orifice, coated, like the floor, with yellow cement, served -the purposes of a bath.</p> - -<p>The woman turned a cock like those used for making the street-gutters -flow, and the water gushed through a little round grated aperture at -the bottom of the bath so that it was soon full to the brim, and its -overflow was diverted through a furrow sunk into the wall.</p> - -<p>Christiane, having left her chambermaid at the hotel, declined the -attendant's services in undressing, and remained there alone, saying -that if she required anything, she would ring, and would do the same -when she wanted her linen.</p> - -<p>She slowly disrobed, watching as she did so the almost invisible -movement of the wave gently stirring on the clear surface of the basin. -When she had divested herself of all her clothing she dipped her foot -in, and the pleasant warm sensation mounted to her throat; then she -plunged into the tepid water first one leg, and after it the other, -and sat down in the midst of this caressing heat, in this transparent -bath, in this spring, which flowed over her, around her, covering her -body with tiny globules all along her legs, all along her arms, and -also all over her breasts. She noticed with surprise those particles of -air innumerable and minute which clothed her from head to foot with an -entire mail-suit of little pearls. And these pearls, so minute, flew -off incessantly from her white flesh, and evaporated on the surface of -the bath, driven on by others that sprung to life over her form. They -sprung up over her skin, like light fruits incapable of being grasped -yet charming, the fruits of this exquisite body rosy and fresh, which -had generated those pearls in the water.</p> - -<p>And Christiane felt herself so happy in it, so sweetly, so softly, so -deliciously caressed and clasped by the restless wave, the living wave, -the animated wave from the spring which gushed up from the depths of -the basin under her legs and fled through the little opening toward -the edge of the bath, that she would have liked to have remained there -forever, without moving, almost without thinking. The sensation of a -calm delight composed of rest and comfort, of tranquil dreamfulness, -of health, of discreet joy, and silent gaiety, entered into her with -the soothing warmth of this. And her spirit mused, vaguely lulled into -repose by the gurgling of the overflow which was escaping—dreamed -of what she would be doing by and by, of what she would be doing -to-morrow, of promenades, of her father, of her husband, of her -brother, and of that big boy who had made her feel slightly ill at ease -since the adventure of the dog. She did not care for persons of violent -tendencies.</p> - -<p>No desire agitated her soul, calm as her heart in this grateful moist -warmth, no desires save the shadowy hopes of a child, no desire of any -other life, of emotion, or passion. She felt that it was well with her, -and she was satisfied with the happiness of her lot.</p> - -<p>She was suddenly startled—the door flew open; it was the Auvergnat -carrying the linen. Twenty minutes had passed; it was already time -for her to be dressed. It was almost a pang, almost a calamity, this -awakening; she felt a longing to beg of the woman to give her a few -minutes more; then she reflected that every day she would find again -the same delight, and she regretfully left the bath to be wrapped in a -white dressing-gown whose scorching heat felt somewhat unpleasant.</p> - -<p>Just as she was going out, Doctor Bonnefille opened the door of his -consultation-room and invited her to enter, bowing ceremoniously. He -inquired about her health, felt her pulse, looked at her tongue, took -note of her appetite and her digestion, asked her how she slept, and -then accompanied her to the door, repeating:</p> - -<p>"Come, come, that's right, that's right. My respects, if you please, to -your father, one of the most distinguished men that I have met in my -career."</p> - -<p>At last, she got away, bored by these undesirable attentions, and at -the door she saw the Marquis chatting with Andermatt, Gontran, and Paul -Bretigny. Her husband, in whose head every new idea was continually -buzzing, like a fly in a bottle, was relating the story of the -paralytic, and wanted to go back to see whether the vagabond was taking -his bath. They were about to go with him to the spot in order to please -him. But Christiane very gently detained her brother, and, when they -were a short distance away from the others:</p> - -<p>"Tell me now! I wanted to talk to you about your friend; I must say I -don't much care for him. Explain to me exactly what he is like."</p> - -<p>And Gontran, who had known Paul for many years, told her about this -passionate nature, uncouth, sincere, and kindly by starts. He was, -according to Gontran, a clever young fellow, whose wild spirit -impetuously flung itself into every new idea. Yielding to every -impulse, unable to control or to direct his passions, or to fight -against his feelings with the aid of reason, or to govern his life -by a system based on settled convictions, he obeyed the promptings -of his heart, whether they were virtuous or vicious, the moment that -any desire, any thought, any emotion whatever, agitated his excitable -nature.</p> - -<p>He had already fought seven duels, as ready to insult people as to -become their friend. He had been madly in love with women of every -class, adored them with the same transports from the working-girl whom -he picked up in the corner of some store to the actress whom he carried -off, yes, carried off, on the night of a first performance, just as she -was stepping into a vehicle on her way home, bearing her away in his -arms in the midst of the astonished spectators, and pushing her into a -carriage, which disappeared at a gallop before anyone could follow it -or overtake it.</p> - -<p>And Gontran concluded: "There you are! He is a good fellow, but a fool; -very rich, moreover, and capable of anything, of anything at all, when -he loses his head."</p> - -<p>Christiane said: "What a strange perfume he carries about him! It is -rather nice. What is it?"</p> - -<p>Gontran answered: "I don't really know; he doesn't want to tell about -it. I believe it comes from Russia. 'Tis the actress, his actress, she -whom I cured him of this time, that gave it to him. Yes, indeed, it has -a very pleasant odor."</p> - -<p>They saw, on their way, a group of bathers and of peasants, for it was -the custom every morning before breakfast to take a turn along the -road.</p> - -<p>Christiane and Gontran joined the Marquis, Andermatt, and Paul, and -soon they beheld, in the place where the knoll had stood the day -before, a queer-looking human head covered with a ragged felt hat, and -wearing a big white beard, looking as if it had sprung up out of the -ground, the head of a decapitated man, as it were, growing there like a -plant. Around it, some vinedressers were looking on, amazed, impassive, -the peasantry of Auvergne not being scoffers, while three tall -gentlemen, visitors at second-class hotels, were laughing and joking.</p> - -<p>Oriol and his son stood there contemplating the vagabond, who was -steeped in his hole, sitting on a stone, with the water up to his -chin. He might have been taken for a desperate criminal of olden times -condemned to death for some unusual kind of sorcery; and he had not let -go his crutches, which were by his sides in the water.</p> - -<p>Andermatt kept repeating enthusiastically: "Bravo! bravo! there's an -example which all the people in the country suffering from rheumatic -pains should imitate."</p> - -<p>And, bending toward the old man, he shouted at him as if he were deaf: -"Do you feel well?"</p> - -<p>The other, who seemed completely stupefied by this boiling water, -replied: "It seems to me that I'm melting!"</p> - -<p>But Père Oriol exclaimed: "The hotter it is, the more good it will do -you."</p> - -<p>A voice behind the Marquis said: "What is that?"</p> - -<p>And M. Aubry-Pasteur, always puffing, stopped on his way back from his -daily walk. Then Andermatt explained his experiment in curing. But -the old man kept repeating: "Devil take it! how hot it is!" And he -wanted to get out, asking some one to help him up. The banker succeeded -eventually in calming him by promising him twenty sous more for each -bath. The spectators formed a circle round the hole, in which the -dirty, grayish rags were soaking wherewith this old body was covered.</p> - -<p>A voice said: "Nice meat for broth! I wouldn't care to make soup of it!"</p> - -<p>Another rejoined: "The meat would scarcely agree with me!"</p> - -<p>But the Marquis observed that the bubbles of carbonic acid seemed more -numerous, larger, and brighter in this new spring than in that of the -baths.</p> - -<p>The vagabond's rags were covered with them; and these bubbles rose to -the surface in such abundance that the water appeared to be crossed -by innumerable little chains, by an infinity of beads of exceedingly -small, round diamonds, the strong midday sun making them as clear as -brilliants.</p> - -<p>Then Aubry-Pasteur burst out laughing: "Egad," said he, "I must tell -you what they do at the establishment. You know they catch a spring -like a bird in a kind of snare, or rather in a bell. That's what they -call coaxing it. Now last year here is what happened to the spring -that supplies the baths. The carbonic acid, lighter than water, was -stored up to the top of the bell; then, when it was collected there in -a very large quantity, it was driven back into the ducts, reascended -in abundance into the baths, filled up the compartments, and all but -suffocated the invalids. We have had three accidents in the course -of three months. Then they consulted me again, and I invented a very -simple apparatus consisting of two pipes which led off separately -the liquid and the gas in the bell in order to combine them afresh -immediately under the bath, and thus to reconstitute the water in its -normal state while avoiding the dangerous excess of carbonic acid. But -my apparatus would have cost a thousand francs. Do you know what the -custodian does then? I give you a thousand guesses to find out. He -bores a hole in the bell to get rid of the gas, which flies out, you -understand, so that they sell you acidulated baths without any acid, or -so little acid that it is not worth much. Whereas here, why just look!"</p> - -<p>Everybody became indignant. They no longer laughed, and they cast -envious looks toward the paralytic. Every bather would gladly have -seized a pickax to make another hole beside that of the vagabond. But -Andermatt took the engineer's arm, and they went off chatting together. -From time to time Aubry-Pasteur stopped, made a show of drawing lines -with his walking-stick, indicating certain points, and the banker wrote -down notes in a memorandum-book.</p> - -<p>Christiane and Paul Bretigny entered into conversation. He told -her about his journey to Auvergne, and all that he had seen and -experienced. He loved the country, with those warm instincts of his, -with which always mingled an element of animality. He had a sensual -love of nature because it excited his blood, and made his nerves and -organs quiver. He said: "For my part, Madame, it seems to me as if -I were open, so that everything enters into me, everything passes -through me, makes me weep or gnash my teeth. Look here! when I cast a -glance at that hillside facing us, that vast expanse of green, that -race of trees clambering up the mountain, I feel the entire wood in my -eyes; it penetrates me, takes possession of me, runs through my whole -frame; and it seems to me also that I am devouring it, that it fills my -being—I become a wood myself!"</p> - -<p>He laughed, while he told her this, strained his big, round eyes, now -on the wood, now on Christiane; and she, surprised, astonished, but -easily impressed, felt herself devoured also, like the wood, by his -great avid glance.</p> - -<p>Paul went on: "And if you only knew what delights I owe to my -sense of smell. I drink in this air through my nostrils. I become -intoxicated with it; I live in it, and I feel that there is within it -everything—absolutely everything. What can be sweeter? It intoxicates -one more than wine; wine intoxicates the mind, but perfume intoxicates -the imagination. With perfume you taste the very essence, the pure -essence of things and of the universe—you taste the flowers, the -trees, the grass of the fields; you can even distinguish the soul of -the dwellings of olden days which sleep in the old furniture, the old -carpets, the old curtains. Listen! I am going to tell you something.</p> - -<p>"Did you notice, when first you came here, a delicious odor, to which -no other odor can be compared—so fine, so light, that it seems -almost—how shall I express it?—an immaterial odor? You find it -everywhere—you can seize it nowhere—you cannot discern where it comes -from. Never, never has anything more divine than it arisen in my -heart. Well, this is the odor of the vine in bloom. Ah! it has taken -me four days to discover it. And is it not charming to think, Madame, -that the vine-tree, which gives us wine, wine which only superior -spirits can understand and relish, gives us, too, the most delicate -and most exciting of perfumes, which only persons of the most refined -sensibility can discover? And then do you recognize also the powerful -smell of the chestnut-trees, the luscious savor of the acacias, the -aroma of the mountains, and the grass, whose scent is so sweet, so -sweet—sweeter than anyone imagines?"</p> - -<p>She listened to these words of his in amazement, not that they were -surprising so much as that they appeared so different in their -nature from everything encompassing her every day. Her mind remained -possessed, moved, and disturbed by them.</p> - -<p>He kept talking uninterruptedly in a voice somewhat hollow but full of -passion.</p> - -<p>"And again, just think, do you not feel in the air, along the roads, -when the day is hot, a slight savor of vanilla. Yes, am I not right? -Well, that is—that is—but I dare not tell it to you!"</p> - -<p>And now he broke into a great laugh, and waving his hand in front of -him all of a sudden said: "Look there!"</p> - -<p>A row of wagons laden with hay was coming up drawn by cows yoked in -pairs. The slow-footed beasts, with their heads hung down, bent by -the yoke, their horns fastened with pieces of wood, toiled painfully -along; and under their skin, as it rose up and down, the bones of their -legs could be seen moving. Before each team, a man in shirt-sleeves, -waistcoat, and black hat, was walking with a switch in his hand, -directing the pace of the animals. From time to time the driver would -turn round, and, without ever hitting, would barely touch the shoulder -or the forehead of a cow who would blink her big, wandering eyes, and -obey the motion of his arm.</p> - -<p>Christiane and Paul drew up to let them pass.</p> - -<p>He said to her: "Do you feel it?"</p> - -<p>She was amazed: "What then? That is the smell of the stable."</p> - -<p>"Yes, it is the smell of the stable; and all these cows going along the -roads—for they use no horses in this part of the country—scatter on -their way that odor of the stable, which, mingled with the fine dust, -gives to the wind a savor of vanilla."</p> - -<p>Christiane, somewhat disgusted, murmured: "Oh!"</p> - -<p>He went on: "Excuse me, at that moment, I was analyzing it like a -chemist. In any case, we are, Madame, in the most seductive country, -the most delightful, the most restful, that I have ever seen—a country -of the golden age. And the Limagne—oh! the Limagne! But I must not -talk to you about it; I want to show it to you. You shall see for -yourself."</p> - -<p>The Marquis and Gontran came up to them. The Marquis passed his arm -under that of his daughter, and, making her turn round and retrace her -steps, in order to get back to the hotel for breakfast, he said:</p> - -<p>"Listen, young people! this concerns you all three. William, who goes -mad when an idea comes into his head, dreams of nothing any longer but -of building this new town of his, and he wants to win over to him the -Oriol family. He is, therefore, anxious that Christiane should make -the acquaintance of the two young girls, in order to see if they are -'possible.' But it is not necessary that the father should suspect our -ruse. So I have got an idea; it is to organize a charitable <i>fête</i>. -You, my dear, must go and see the curé; you will together hunt up two -of his parishioners to make collections along with you. You understand -what people you will get him to nominate, and he will invite them on -his own responsibility. As for you, young men, you are going to get up -a <i>tombola</i> at the Casino with the assistance of Petrus Martel with his -company and orchestra. And if the little Oriols are nice girls, as it -is said they have been well brought up at the convent, Christiane will -make a conquest of them."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.</a></h5> - - -<h4>DEVELOPMENTS</h4> - - -<p>For eight days, Christiane wholly occupied herself with preparations -for this <i>fête</i>. The curé, indeed, was able to find no one among his -female parishioners except the Oriol girls who could be deemed worthy -of collecting along with the Marquis de Ravenel's daughter; and, happy -at having the opportunity of making himself prominent, he took all -the necessary steps, organized everything, regulated everything, and -himself invited the young girls, as if the idea had originated with him.</p> - -<p>The inhabitants were in a state of excitement, and the gloomy bathers, -finding a new topic of conversation, entertained one another at the -<i>table d'hôte</i> with various estimates as to the possible receipts from -the two portions of the <i>fête</i>, the sacred and the profane.</p> - -<p>The day opened finely. It was admirable summer weather, warm and clear, -with bright sunshine in the open plain and a grateful shade under the -village trees. The mass was fixed for nine o'clock—a quick mass with -Church music. Christiane, who had arrived before the office, in order -to inspect the ornamentation of the church with garlands of flowers -that had been sent from Royat and Clermont-Ferrand, consented to walk -behind it. The curé, Abbé Litre, followed her accompanied by the Oriol -girls, and he introduced them to her. Christiane immediately invited -the young girls to luncheon. They accepted her invitation with blushes -and respectful bows.</p> - -<p>The faithful were now making their appearance. Christiane and her girls -sat down on three chairs of honor reserved for them at the side of the -choir, facing three other chairs, which were occupied by young lads -dressed in their Sunday clothes, sons of the mayor, of the deputy, and -of a municipal councilor, selected to accompany the lady-collectors and -to flatter the local authorities. Everything passed off well.</p> - -<p>The office was short. The collection realized one hundred and ten -francs, which, added to Andermatt's five hundred francs, the Marquis's -fifty francs, and a hundred francs contributed by Paul Bretigny, made a -total of seven hundred and sixty, an amount never before reached in the -parish of Enval. Then, after the conclusion of the ceremony, the Oriol -girls were brought to the hotel. They appeared to be a little abashed, -without any display of awkwardness, however, and scarcely uttered one -word, through modesty rather than through timidity. They sat down to -luncheon at the <i>table d'hôte</i>, and pleased the meal of all the men.</p> - -<p>The elder the more serious of the pair, the younger the more sprightly, -the elder better bred, in the common-place acceptation of the word, the -younger more pleasant, they yet resembled one another as closely as two -sisters possibly could.</p> - -<p>As soon as the meal was finished, they repaired to the Casino for the -lottery-drawing at the <i>tombola</i>, which was fixed for two o'clock.</p> - -<p>The park, already invaded by the mixed crowd of bathers and peasants, -presented the aspect of an outlandish <i>fête</i>.</p> - -<p>Under their Chinese <i>kiosque</i> the musicians were executing a rural -symphony, a work composed by Saint Landri himself. Paul, who -accompanied Christiane, suddenly drew up:</p> - -<p>"Look here!" said he, "that's pretty! He has some talent, that chap! -With an orchestra, he could produce a fine effect."</p> - -<p>Then he asked: "Are you fond of music, Madame?"</p> - -<p>"Exceedingly."</p> - -<p>"As for me, it overwhelms me. When I am listening to a work that I -like, it seems to me first that the opening notes detach my skin from -my flesh, melt it, dissolve it, cause it to disappear, and leave me -like one flayed alive, under the combined attacks of the instruments. -And in fact it is on my nerves that the orchestra is playing, on my -nerves stripped bare, vibrating, trembling at every note. I hear it, -the music, not merely with my ears, but with all the sensibility of -my body quivering from head to foot. Nothing gives me such exquisite -pleasure, or rather such exquisite happiness."</p> - -<p>She smiled, and then said: "Your sensibilities are keen."</p> - -<p>"By Jove, they are! What is the good of living if one has not keen -sensibilities? I do not envy those people who wear over their hearts a -tortoise's shell or a hippopotamus's hide. Those alone are happy who -feel their sensations acutely, who receive them like shocks, and savor -them like dainty morsels. For it is necessary to reason out all our -emotions, joyous and sad, to be satiated with them, to be intoxicated -with them to the most intense degree of bliss or the most extreme pitch -of suffering."</p> - -<p>She raised her eyes to look up at his face, with that sense of -astonishment which she had experienced during the past eight days at -all the things that he said. Indeed, during these eight days, this new -friend—for, despite her repugnance toward him, on first acquaintance, -he had in this short interval become her friend—was every moment -shaking the tranquillity of her soul, and disturbing it as a pool of -water is disturbed by flinging stones into it. And he flung stones, big -stones, into this soul which had calmly slumbered until now.</p> - -<p>Christiane's father, like all fathers, had always treated her as a -little girl, to whom one ought not to say anything of a serious nature; -her brother made her laugh rather than reflect; her husband did not -consider it right for a man to speak of anything whatever to his wife -outside the interests of their common life; and so she had hitherto -lived perfectly contented, her mind steeped in a sweet torpor.</p> - -<p>This newcomer opened her intellect with ideas which fell upon it like -strokes of a hatchet. Moreover, he was one of those men who please -women, all women, by his very nature, by the vibrating acuteness of his -emotions. He knew how to talk to them, to tell them everything, and he -made them understand everything. Incapable of continuous effort but -extremely intelligent, always loving or hating passionately, speaking -of everything with the ingenious ardor of a man fanatically convinced, -variable as he was enthusiastic, he possessed to an excessive degree -the true feminine temperament, the credulity, the charm, the mobility, -the nervous sensibility of a woman, with the superior intellect, -active, comprehensive, and penetrating, of a man.</p> - -<p>Gontran came up to them in a hurry. "Come back," said he, "and give a -look at the Honorat family."</p> - -<p>They returned, and saw Doctor Honorat, accompanied by a fat, old woman -in a blue dress, whose head looked like a nursery-garden, for every -variety of plants and flowers were gathered together on her head.</p> - -<p>Christiane asked in astonishment: "This is his wife, then? But she is -fifteen years older than her husband."</p> - -<p>"Yes, she is sixty-five—an old midwife whom he fell in love with -between two confinements. This, however, is one of those households in -which they are nagging at one another from morning till night."</p> - -<p>They made their way toward the Casino, attracted by the exclamations -of the crowd. On a large table, in front of the establishment, were -displayed the lots of the <i>tombola</i>, which were drawn by Petrus -Martel, assisted by Mademoiselle Odelin of the Odéon, a very small -brunette, who also announced the numbers, with mountebank's tricks, -which greatly diverted the spectators. The Marquis, accompanied by the -Oriol girls and Andermatt, reappeared, and asked: "Are we to remain -here? It is very noisy."</p> - -<p>They accordingly resolved to take a walk halfway up the hill on the -road from Enval to La Roche-Pradière. In order to reach it, they first -ascended, one behind the other, a narrow path through vine-trees. -Christiane walked on in front with a light and rapid step. Since her -arrival in this neighborhood, she felt as if she existed in a new sort -of way, with an active sense of enjoyment and of vitality which she -had never known before. Perhaps, the baths, by improving her health, -and so ridding her of that slight disturbance of the vital organs -which annoyed and saddened her without any apparent cause, disposed -her to perceive and to relish everything more thoroughly. Perhaps she -simply felt herself animated, lashed by the presence and by the ardor -of spirit of that unknown youth who had taught her how to understand. -She drew a long, deep breath, as she thought of all he had said to her -about the perfumes that were scattered through the atmosphere. "It is -true," she mused, "that he has shown me how to feel the air." And she -found again all the odors, especially that of the vine, so light, so -delicate, so fleeting.</p> - -<p>She gained the level road, and they formed themselves into groups. -Andermatt and Louise Oriol, the elder girl, started first side by -side, chatting about the produce of lands in Auvergne. She knew, this -Auvergnat, true daughter of her sire, endowed with the hereditary -instinct, all the correct and practical details of agriculture, and she -spoke about them in her grave tone, in the ladylike fashion, and with -the careful pronunciation which they had taught her at the convent. -While listening to her, he cast a side glance at her, every now and -then, and thought this little girl quite charming with her gravity -of manner and her mind so full already of practical knowledge. He -occasionally repeated with some surprise: "What! is the land in the -Limagne worth so much as thirty thousand francs for each hectare?"<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - -<p>"Yes, Monsieur, when it is planted with beautiful apple-trees, which -supply dessert apples. It is our country which furnishes nearly all the -fruit used in Paris."</p> - -<p>Then, they turned back in order to make a more careful estimate of the -Limagne, for from the road they were pursuing they could see, as far as -their eyes could reach, the vast plain always covered with a light haze -of blue vapor.</p> - -<p>Christiane and Paul also halted in front of this immense veiled -tract of country, so agreeable to the eye that they would have liked -to remain there incessantly gazing at it. The road was bordered by -enormous walnut-trees, the dense shade of which made the skin feel a -refreshing sensation of coolness. It no longer ascended, but took a -winding course halfway up on the slope of the hillside adorned lower -down with a tapestry of vines, and then with short green herbage as -far as the crest, which at this point looked rather steep.</p> - -<p>Paul murmured: "Is it not lovely? Tell me, is it not lovely? And why -does this landscape move me? Yes, why? It diffuses a charm so profound, -so wide, that it penetrates to my very heart. It seems, as you gaze at -this plain, that thought opens its wings, does it not? And it flies -away, it soars, it passes on, it goes off there below, farther and -farther, toward all the countries seen in dreams which we shall never -see. Yes, see here, this is worthy of admiration because it is much -more like a thing we dream of than a thing that we have seen."</p> - -<p>She listened to him without saying anything, waiting, expectant, -gathering up each of his words; and she felt herself affected without -too well knowing how to explain her emotions. She caught glimpses, -indeed, of other countries, blue countries, rose-hued countries, -countries unlikely and marvelous, countries undiscoverable though ever -sought for, which make us look upon all others as commonplace.</p> - -<p>He went on: "Yes, it is lovely, because it is lovely. Other horizons -are more striking but less harmonious. Ah! Madame, beauty, harmonious -beauty! There is nothing but that in the world. Nothing exists but -beauty. But how few understand it! The line of a body, of a statue, -or of a mountain, the color of a painting or of that plain, the -inexpressible something of the 'Joconde,' a phrase that bites you to -the soul, that—nothing more—which makes an artist a creator just like -God, which, therefore, distinguishes him among men. Wait! I am going to -recite for you two stanzas of Baudelaire."</p> - -<p>And he declaimed:</p> - -<p> -"Whether you come from heaven or hell I do<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">not care,</span><br /> -O Beauty, monster of splendor and terror,<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">yet sweet at the core,</span><br /> -As long as your eye, your smile, your feet<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">lay the infinite bare,</span><br /> -Unveiling a world of love that I never have<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">known before!</span><br /> -<br /> -"From Satan or God, what matter, whether<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">angel or siren you be,</span><br /> -What matter if you can give, enchanting,<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">velvet-eyed fay,</span><br /> -Rhythm, perfume, and light, and be<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">queen of the earth for me,</span><br /> -And make all things less hideous, and<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">the sad moments fly away."</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>Christiane now was gazing at him, struck with wonder by his -lyricism, questioning him with her eyes, not comprehending well what -extraordinary meaning might be embodied in this poetry. He divined -her thoughts, and was irritated at not having communicated his own -enthusiasm to her, for he had recited those verses very effectively, -and he resumed, with a shade of disdain:</p> - -<p>"I am a fool to wish to force you to relish a poet of such subtle -inspiration. A day will come, I hope, when you will feel those things -just as I do. Women, endowed rather with intuition than comprehension, -do not seize the secret and veiled purposes of art in the same way as -if a sympathetic appeal had first been made to their minds."</p> - -<p>And, with a bow, he added: "I will strive, Madame, to make this -sympathetic appeal."</p> - -<p>She did not think him impertinent, but fantastic; and moreover she did -not seek any longer to understand, suddenly struck by a circumstance -which she had not previously noticed: he was very elegant, though he -was a little too tall and too strongly-built, with a gait so virile -that one could not immediately perceive the studied refinement of -his attire. And then his head had a certain brutishness about it, an -incompleteness, which gave to his entire person a somewhat heavy aspect -at first glance. But when one had got accustomed to his features, one -found in them some charm, a charm powerful and fierce, which at moments -became very pleasant according to the inflections of his voice, which -always seemed veiled.</p> - -<p>Christiane said to herself, as she observed for the first time what -attention he had paid to his external appearance from head to foot: -"Decidedly this is a man whose qualities must be discovered one by one."</p> - -<p>But here Gontran came rushing toward them. He exclaimed: "Sister, I -say, Christiane, wait!" And when he had overtaken them, he said to -them, still laughing: "Oh! just come and listen to the younger Oriol -girl! She is as droll as anything—she has wonderful wit. Papa has -succeeded in putting her at her ease, and she has been telling us the -most comical things in the world. Wait for them."</p> - -<p>And they awaited the Marquis, who presently appeared with the younger -of the two girls, Charlotte Oriol. She was relating with a childlike, -knowing liveliness some village tales, accounts of rustic simplicity -and roguery. And she imitated them with their slow movements, their -grave remarks, their "fouchtras," their innumerable "bougrres," -mimicking, in a fashion that made her pretty, sprightly face look -charming, all the changes of their physiognomies. Her bright eyes -sparkled; her rather large mouth was opened wide, displaying her white -teeth; her nose, a little tip-tilted, gave her a humorous look; and she -was fresh, with a flower's freshness that might make lips quiver with -desire.</p> - -<p>The Marquis, having spent nearly his entire life on his estate, in the -family château where Christiane and Gontran had been brought up in the -midst of rough, big Norman farmers who were occasionally invited to -dine there, in accordance with custom, and whose children, companions -of theirs from the period of their first communion, had been on terms -of familiarity with them, knew how to talk to this little girl, already -three-fourths a woman of the world, with a friendly candor which -awakened at once in her a gay and self-confident assurance.</p> - -<p>Andermatt and Louise returned after having walked as far as the -village, which they did not care to enter. And they all sat down at -the foot of a tree, on the grassy edge of a ditch. There they remained -for a long time pleasantly chatting about everything and nothing in a -torpor of languid ease. Now and then, a wagon would roll past, always -drawn by the two cows whose heads were bent and twisted by the yoke, -and always driven by a peasant with a shrunken frame and a big black -hat on his head, guiding the animals with the end of his thin switch in -the swaying style of the conductor of an orchestra.</p> - -<p>The man would take off his hat, bowing to the Oriol girls, and they -would reply with a familiar, "Good day," flung out by their fresh young -voices.</p> - -<p>Then, as the hour was growing late, they went back. As they drew near -the park, Charlotte Oriol exclaimed: "Oh! the boree! the boree!" In -fact, the boree was being danced to an old air well known in Auvergne.</p> - -<p>There they were, male and female peasants stepping out, hopping, making -courtesies,—turning and bowing to each other,—the women taking hold -of their petticoats and lifting them up with two fingers of each hand, -the men swinging their arms or holding them akimbo. The pleasant -monotonous air was also dancing in the fresh evening wind; it was -always the same refrain played in a very high note by the violin, and -taken up in concert by the other instruments, giving a more rattling -pace to the dance. And it was not unpleasant, this simple rustic music, -lively and artless, keeping time as it did with this shambling country -minuet.</p> - -<p>The bathers, too, made an attempt to dance. Petrus Martel went skipping -in front of little Odelin, who affected the style of a <i>danseuse</i> -walking through a ballet, and the comic Lapalme mimicked a fantastic -step round the attendant at the Casino, who seemed agitated by -recollections of Bullier.</p> - -<p>But suddenly Gontran saw Doctor Honorat dancing away with all his heart -and all his limbs, and executing the classical boree like a true-blue -native of Auvergne.</p> - -<p>The orchestra became silent. All stopped. The doctor came over and -bowed to the Marquis. He was wiping his forehead and puffing.</p> - -<p>"'Tis good," said he, "to be young sometimes."</p> - -<p>Gontran laid his hand on the doctor's shoulder, and smiling with a -mischievous air: "You never told me you were married."</p> - -<p>The physician stopped wiping his face, and gravely responded: "Yes, I -am, and marred."</p> - -<p>"What do you say?"</p> - -<p>"I say, married and marred. Never commit that folly, young man."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"Why! See here! I have been married now for twenty years, and haven't -got used to it yet. Every evening, when I reach home, I say to myself, -'Hold hard! this old woman is still in my house! So then she'll never -go away?'" Everyone began to laugh, so serious and convinced was his -tone.</p> - -<p>But the bells of the hotel were ringing for dinner. The <i>fête</i> was -over. Louise and Charlotte were accompanied back to their father's -house; and when their new friends had left them, they commenced talking -about them. Everyone thought them charming, Andermatt alone preferred -the elder girl.</p> - -<p>The Marquis said: "How pliant the feminine nature is! The mere vicinity -of the paternal gold, of which they do not even know the use, has made -ladies of these country girls."</p> - -<p>Christiane, having asked Paul Bretigny: "And you, which of them do you -prefer?" he murmured:</p> - -<p>"Oh! I? I have not even looked at them. It is not they whom I prefer."</p> - -<p>He had spoken in a very low voice; and she made no reply.</p> - - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> A hectare is about two acres and a half.</p></div> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.</a></h5> - -<h4>ON THE BRINK</h4> - - -<p>The days that followed were charming for Christiane Andermatt. She -lived, light-hearted, her soul full of joy. The morning bath was her -first pleasure, a delicious pleasure that made the skin tingle, an -exquisite half hour in the warm, flowing water, which disposed her to -feel happy all day long. She was, indeed, happy in all her thoughts -and in all her desires. The affection with which she felt herself -surrounded and penetrated, the intoxication of youthful life throbbing -in her veins, and then again this new environment, this superb country, -made for daydreams and repose, wide and odorous, enveloping her like -a great caress of nature, awakened in her fresh emotions. Everything -that approached, everything that touched her, continued this sensation -of the morning, this sensation of a tepid bath, of a great bath of -happiness wherein she plunged herself body and soul.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, who had to leave Enval for a fortnight or perhaps a month, -had gone back to Paris, having previously reminded his wife to take -good care that the paralytic should not discontinue his course of -treatment. So each day, before breakfast, Christiane, her father, her -brother, and Paul, went to look at what Gontran called "the poor man's -soup." Other bathers came there also, and they formed a circular group -around the hole, while chatting with the vagabond.</p> - -<p>He was not better able to walk, he declared, but he had a feeling as if -his legs were covered with ants; and he told how these ants ran up and -down, climbing as far as his thighs, and then going back again to the -tips of his toes. And even at night he felt these insects tickling and -biting him, so that he was deprived of sleep.</p> - -<p>All the visitors and the peasants, divided into two camps, that of the -believers and that of the sceptics, were interested in this cure.</p> - -<p>After breakfast, Christiane often went to look for the Oriol girls, so -that they might take a walk with her. They were the only members of her -own sex at the station to whom she could talk or with whom she could -have friendly relations, sharing a little of her confidence and asking -in return for some feminine sympathy. She had at once taken a liking -for the grave common sense allied with amiability which the elder girl -exhibited and still more for the spirit of sly humor possessed by -the younger; and it was less to please her husband than for her own -amusement that she now sought the friendship of the two sisters.</p> - -<p>They used to set forth on excursions sometimes in a landau, an old -traveling landau with six seats, got from a livery-man at Riom, and at -other times on foot. They were especially fond of a little wild valley -near Chatel-Guyon, leading toward the hermitage of Sans-Souci. Along -the narrow road, which they slowly traversed, under the pine-trees, -on the bank of the little river, they would saunter in pairs, each -pair chatting together. At every stage along their track, where it -was necessary to cross the stream, Paul and Gontran, standing on -stepping-stones in the water, seized the women each with one arm, and -carried them over with a jump, so as to deposit them at the opposite -side. And each of these fordings changed the order of the pedestrians. -Christiane went from one to another, but found the opportunity of -remaining a little while alone with Paul Bretigny either in front or in -the rear.</p> - -<p>He had no longer the same ways while in her company as in the first -days of their acquaintanceship; he was less disposed to laugh, less -abrupt in manner, less like a comrade, but more respectful and -attentive. Their conversations, however, assumed a tone of intimacy, -and the things that concerned the heart held in them the foremost -place. He talked to her about sentiment and love, like a man well -versed in such subjects, who had sounded the depths of women's -tenderness, and who owed to them as much happiness as suffering.</p> - -<p>She, ravished and rather touched, urged him on to confidences with an -ardent and artful curiosity. All that she knew of him awakened in her -a keen desire to learn more, to penetrate in thought into one of those -male existences of which she had got glimpses out of books, one of -those existences full of tempests and mysteries of love. Yielding to -her importunities, he told her each day a little more about his life, -his adventures, and his griefs, with a warmth of language which his -burning memories sometimes rendered impassioned, and which the desire -to please made also seductive. He opened to her gaze a world till now -unknown to her, found eloquent words to express the subtleties of -desire and expectation, the ravages of growing hopes, the religion of -flowers and bits of ribbons, all the little objects treasured up as -sacred, the enervating effect of sudden doubts, the anguish of alarming -conjectures, the tortures of jealousy, and the inexpressible frenzy of -the first kiss.</p> - -<p>And he knew how to describe all these things in a very seemly fashion, -veiled, poetic, and captivating. Like all men who are perpetually -haunted by desire and thoughts about woman he spoke discreetly of those -whom he had loved with a fever that throbbed within him still. He -recalled a thousand romantic incidents calculated to move the heart, a -thousand delicate circumstances calculated to make tears gather in the -eyes, and all those sweet futilities of gallantry which render amorous -relationships between persons of refined souls and cultivated minds the -most beautiful and most entrancing experiences that can be conceived.</p> - -<p>All these disturbing and familiar chats, renewed each day and each -day more prolonged, fell on Christiane's soul like grains cast into -the earth. And the charm of this country spread wide around her, the -odorous air, that blue Limagne, so vast that it seemed to make the -spirit expand, those extinguished volcanoes on the mountain, furnaces -of the antique world serving now only to warm springs for invalids, -the cool shades, the rippling music of the streams as they rushed -over the stones—all this, too, penetrated the heart and the flesh of -the young woman, penetrated them and softened them like a soft shower -of warm rain on soil that is yet virgin, a rain that will cause to -bourgeon and blossom in it the flowers of which it had received the -seed.</p> - -<p>She was quite conscious that this youth was paying court to her -a little, that he thought her pretty, even more than pretty; and -the desire to please him spontaneously suggested to her a thousand -inventions, at the same time designing and simple, to fascinate him and -to make a conquest of him.</p> - -<p>When he looked moved, she would abruptly leave him; when she -anticipated some tender allusion on his lips, she would cast toward -him, ere the words were finished, one of those swift, unfathomable -glances which pierce men's hearts like fire. She would greet him with -soft utterances, gentle movements of her head, dreamy gestures with her -hands, or sad looks quickly changed into smiles, as if to show him, -even when no words had been exchanged between them, that his efforts -had not been in vain.</p> - -<p>What did she desire? Nothing. What did she expect from all this? -Nothing.</p> - -<p>She amused herself with this solely because she was a woman, because -she did not perceive the danger of it, because, without foreseeing -anything, she wished to find out what he would do.</p> - -<p>And then she had suddenly developed that native coquetry which lies -hidden in the veins of all feminine beings. The slumbering, innocent -child of yesterday had unexpectedly waked up, subtle and keen-witted, -when facing this man who talked to her unceasingly about love. She -divined the agitation that swept across his mind when he was by her -side, she saw the increasing emotion that his face expressed, and she -understood all the different intonations of his voice with that special -intuition possessed by women who feel themselves solicited to love.</p> - -<p>Other men had ere now paid attentions to her in the fashionable world -without getting anything from her in return save the mockery of a -playful young woman. Their commonplace flatteries diverted her; their -looks of melancholy love filled her with merriment; and to all their -manifestations of passion she responded only with derisive laughter. -In the case of this man, however, she felt herself suddenly confronted -with a seductive and dangerous adversary; and she had been changed into -one of those clever creatures, instinctively clear-sighted, armed with -audacity and coolness, who, so long as their hearts remain untrammeled, -watch for, surprise, and draw men into the invisible net of sentiment.</p> - -<p>As for him, he had, at first, thought her rather silly. Accustomed to -women versed in intrigues, exercised in love just as an old soldier -is in military maneuvers, skilled in all the wiles of gallantry and -tenderness, he considered this simple heart commonplace, and treated it -with a light disdain.</p> - -<p>But, little by little, her ingenuousness had amused him, and then -fascinated him; and yielding to his impressionable nature, he had begun -to make her the object of his affectionate attentions. He knew full -well that the best way to excite a pure soul was to talk incessantly -about love, while exhibiting the appearance of thinking about others; -and accordingly, humoring in a crafty fashion the dainty curiosity -which he had aroused in her, he proceeded, under the pretense of -confiding his secrets to her, to teach her what passion really meant, -under the shadow of the wood.</p> - -<p>He, too, found this play amusing, showed her, by all the little -gallantries that men know how to display, the growing pleasure that -he found in her society, and assumed the attitude of a lover without -suspecting that he would become one in reality. And all this came about -as naturally in the course of their protracted walks as it does to take -a bath on a warm day, when you find yourself at the side of a river.</p> - -<p>But, from the first moment when Christiane began to indulge in -coquetry, from the time when she resorted to all the native skill of -woman in beguiling men, when she conceived the thought of bringing this -slave of passion to his knees, in the same way that she would have -undertaken to win a game at croquet, he allowed himself to yield, this -candid libertine, to the attack of this simpleton, and began to love -her.</p> - -<p>And now he became awkward, restless, nervous, and she treated him -as a cat does a mouse. With another woman he would not have been -embarrassed; he would have spoken out; he would have conquered by his -irresistible ardor; with her he did not dare, so different did she seem -from all those whom he had known. The others, in short, were women -already singed by life, to whom everything might be said, with whom -one could venture on the boldest appeals, murmuring close to their lips -the trembling words which set the blood aflame. He knew his power, -he felt that he was bound to triumph when he was able to communicate -freely to the soul, the heart, the senses of her whom he loved, the -impetuous desire by which he was ravaged.</p> - -<p>With Christiane, he imagined himself by the side of a young girl, -so great a novice did he consider her; and all his resources seemed -paralyzed. And then he cared for her in a new sort of way, partly as -a man cares for a child, and partly as he does for his betrothed. He -desired her; and yet he was afraid of touching her, of soiling her, -of withering her bloom. He had no longing to clasp her tightly in -his arms, such as he had felt toward others, but rather to fall on -his knees, to kiss her robe, and to touch gently with his lips, with -an infinitely chaste and tender slowness, the little hairs about her -temples, the corners of her mouth, and her eyes, her closed eyes, -whose blue he could feel glancing out toward him, the charming glance -awakened under the drooping lids. He would have liked to protect her -against everyone and against everything, not to let her be elbowed by -common people, gaze at ugly people, or go near unclean people. He would -have liked to carry away the dirt of the street over which she walked, -the pebbles on the roads, the brambles and the branches in the wood, -to make all things easy and delicious around her, and to carry her -always, so that she should never walk. And he felt annoyed because she -had to talk to the other guests at the hotel, to eat the same food at -the <i>table d'hôte</i>, and submit to all the disagreeable and inevitable -little things that belong to everyday existence.</p> - -<p>He knew not what to say to her so much were his thoughts absorbed -by her; and his powerlessness to express the state of his heart, to -accomplish any of the things that he wished to do, to testify to her -the imperious need of devoting himself to her which burned in his -veins, gave him some of the aspects of a chained wild beast, and, at -the same time, made him feel a strange desire to break into sobs.</p> - -<p>All this she perceived without completely understanding it, and felt -amused by it with the malicious enjoyment of a coquette. When they had -lingered behind the others, and she felt from his look that he was -about to say something disquieting, she would abruptly begin to run, -in order to overtake her father, and, when she got up to him, would -exclaim: "Suppose we make a four-cornered game."</p> - -<p>Four-cornered games served generally for the termination of the -excursions. They looked out for a glade at the end of a wider road than -usual, and they began to play like boys out for a walk.</p> - -<p>The Oriol girls and Gontran himself took great delight in this -amusement, which satisfied that incessant longing to run that is to be -found in all young creatures. Paul Bretigny alone grumbled, beset by -other thoughts; then, growing animated by degrees he would join in the -game with more desperation than any of the others, in order to catch -Christiane, to touch her, to place his hand abruptly on her shoulder or -on her corsage.</p> - -<p>The Marquis, whose indifferent and listless nature yielded in -everything, as long as his rest was not disturbed, sat down at the -foot of a tree, and watched his boarding-school at play, as he said. He -thought this quiet life very agreeable, and the entire world perfect.</p> - -<p>However, Paul's behavior soon alarmed Christiane. One day she even -got afraid of him. One morning, they went with Gontran to the most -remote part of the oddly-shaped gap which is called the End of the -World. The gorge, becoming more and more narrow and winding, sank -into the mountain. They climbed over enormous rocks; they crossed the -little river by means of stepping-stones, and, having wheeled round -a lofty crag more than fifty meters in height which entirely blocked -up the cleft of the ravine, they found themselves in a kind of trench -encompassed between two gigantic walls, bare as far as their summits, -which were covered with trees and with verdure.</p> - -<p>The stream formed a wide lake of bowl-like shape, and truly it was a -wild-looking chasm, strange and unexpected, such as one meets more -frequently in narratives than in nature. Now, on this day, Paul, gazing -at the projections of the rocky eminence which barred them out from -the road at the right where all pedestrians were compelled to halt, -remarked that it bore traces of having been scaled. He said: "Why, we -can go on farther."</p> - -<p>Then, having clambered up the first ledge, not without difficulty, he -exclaimed: "Oh! this is charming! a little grove in the water—come on, -then!"</p> - -<p>And, leaning backward, he drew Christiane up by the two hands, -while Gontran, feeling his way, planted his feet on all the slight -projections of the rock. The soil which had drifted down from the -summit had formed on this ledge a savage and bushy garden, in which the -stream ran across the roots. Another step, a little farther on, formed -a new barrier of this granite corridor. They climbed it, too,—then a -third; and they found themselves at the foot of an impassable wall from -which fell, straight and clear, a cascade twenty meters high into a -deep basin hollowed out by it, and buried under bindweeds and branches.</p> - -<p>The cleft of the mountain had become so narrow that the two men, -clinging on by their hands, could touch its sides. Nothing further -could be seen, save a line of sky; nothing could be heard save the -murmur of the water. It might have been taken for one of those -undiscoverable retreats in which the Latin poets were wont to conceal -the antique nymphs. It seemed to Christiane as if she had just intruded -on the chamber of a fay.</p> - -<p>Paul Bretigny said nothing. Gontran exclaimed: "Oh! how nice it would -be if a woman white and rosy-red were bathing in that water!"</p> - -<p>They returned. The first two shelves were as easy to descend, but the -third frightened Christiane, so high and straight was it, without -any visible steps. Bretigny let himself slip down the rock; then, -stretching out his two arms toward her, "Jump," said he.</p> - -<p>She would not venture. Not that she was afraid of falling, but she felt -afraid of him, afraid above all of his eyes. He gazed at her with the -avidity of a famished beast, with a passion which had grown ferocious; -and his two hands extended toward her had such an imperious attraction -for her that she was suddenly terrified and seized with a mad longing -to shriek, to run away, to climb up the mountain perpendicularly to -escape this irresistible appeal.</p> - -<p>Her brother standing up behind her, cried: "Go on then!" and pushed her -forward. Feeling herself falling she shut her eyes, and, caught in a -gentle but powerful clasp, she felt, without seeing it, all the huge -body of the young man, whose panting warm breath passed over her face. -Then, she found herself on her feet once more, smiling, now that her -terror had vanished, while Gontran descended in his turn.</p> - -<p>This emotion having rendered her prudent, she took care, for some days, -not to be alone with Bretigny, who now seemed to be prowling round her -like the wolf in the fable round a lamb.</p> - -<p>But a grand excursion had been planned. They were to carry provisions -in the landau with six seats, and go to dine with the Oriol girls on -the border of the little lake of Tazenat, which in the language of the -country was called the "gour" of Tazenat, and then return at night by -moonlight. Accordingly, they started one afternoon of a day of burning -heat, under a devouring sun, which made the granite of the mountain as -hot as the floor of an oven.</p> - -<p>The carriage ascended the mountain-side drawn by three horses, blowing, -and covered with sweat. The coachman was nodding on his seat, his head -hanging down; and at the side of the road ran legions of green lizards. -The heated atmosphere seemed filled with an invisible and oppressive -dust of fire. Sometimes it seemed hard, unyielding, dense, as they -passed through it, sometimes it stirred about and sent across their -faces ardent breaths of flame in which floated an odor of resin in the -midst of the long pine-wood.</p> - -<p>Nobody in the carriage uttered a word. The three ladies, at the lower -end, closed their dazzled eyes, which they shaded with their red -parasols. The Marquis and Gontran, their foreheads wrapped round with -handkerchiefs, had fallen asleep. Paul was looking toward Christiane, -who was also watching him from under her lowered eyelids. And the -landau, sending up a column of smoking white dust, kept always toiling -up this interminable ascent.</p> - -<p>When it had reached the plateau, the coachman straightened himself -up, the horses broke into a trot; and they drove through a beautiful, -undulating country, thickly-wooded, cultivated, studded with villages -and solitary houses here and there. In the distance, at the left, -could be seen the great truncated summits of the volcanoes. The lake -of Tazenat, which they were going to see, had been formed by the last -crater in the mountain chain of Auvergne. After they had been driving -for three hours, Paul said suddenly: "Look here, the lava-currents!"</p> - -<p>Brown rocks, fantastically twisted, made cracks in the soil at the -border of the road. At the right could be seen a mountain, snub-nosed -in appearance, whose wide summit had a flat and hollow look. They took -a path, which seemed to pass into it through a triangular cutting; and -Christiane, who was standing erect, discovered all at once, in the -midst of a vast deep crater, a lovely lake, bright and round, like a -silver coin. The steep slopes of the mountain, wooded at the right and -bare at the left, sank toward the water, which they surrounded with -a high inclosure, regular in shape. And this placid water, level and -glittering, like the surface of a medal, reflected the trees on one -side, and on the other the barren slope, with a clearness so complete -that the edges escaped one's attention, and the only thing one saw -in this funnel, in whose center the blue sky was mirrored, was a -transparent, bottomless opening, which seemed to pass right through the -earth, pierced from end to end up to the other firmament.</p> - -<p>The carriage could go no farther. They got down, and took a path -through the wooded side winding round the lake, under the trees, -halfway up the declivity of the mountain. This track, along which only -the woodcutters passed, was as green as a prairie; and, through the -branches, they could see the opposite side, and the water glittering at -the bottom of this mountain-lake.</p> - -<p>Then they reached, through an opening in the wood, the very edge of the -water, where they sat down upon a sloping carpet of grass, overshadowed -by oak-trees.</p> - -<p>They all stretched themselves on the green turf with sensuous and -exquisite delight. The men rolled themselves about in it, plunged their -hands into it; while the women, softly lying down on their sides, -placed their cheeks close to it, as if to seek there a refreshing -caress.</p> - -<p>After the heat of the road, it was one of those sweet sensations so -deep and so grateful that they almost amount to pure happiness.</p> - -<p>Then once more the Marquis went to sleep; Gontran speedily followed his -example. Paul began chatting with Christiane and the two young girls. -About what? About nothing in particular. From time to time, one of them -gave utterance to some phrase; another replied after a minute's pause, -and the lingering words seemed torpid in their mouths like the thoughts -within their minds.</p> - -<p>But, the coachman having brought across to them the hamper which -contained the provisions, the Oriol girls, accustomed to domestic -duties in their own house, and still clinging to their active habits, -quickly proceeded to unpack it, and to prepare the dinner, of which the -party would by and by partake on the grass.</p> - -<p>Paul lay on his back beside Christiane, who was in a reverie. And he -murmured, in so low a tone that she scarcely heard him, so low that his -words just grazed her ear, like those confused sounds that are borne on -by the wind: "These are the best days of my life."</p> - -<p>Why did these vague words move her even to the bottom of her heart? Why -did she feel herself suddenly touched by an emotion such as she had -never experienced before?</p> - -<p>She was gazing through the trees at a tiny house, a hut for persons -engaged in hunting and fishing, so narrow that it could barely contain -one small apartment. Paul followed the direction of her glance, and -said:</p> - -<p>"Have you ever thought, Madame, what days passed together in a hut like -that might be for two persons who loved one another to distraction? -They would be alone in the world, truly alone, face to face! And, -if such a thing were possible, ought not one be ready to give up -everything in order to realize it, so rare, unseizable, and short-lived -is happiness? Do we find it in our everyday life? What more depressing -than to rise up without any ardent hope, to go through the same duties -dispassionately, to drink in moderation, to eat with discretion, and to -sleep tranquilly like a mere animal?"</p> - -<p>She kept, all the time, staring at the little house; and her heart -swelled up, as if she were going to burst into tears; for, in one flash -of thought, she divined intoxicating joys, of whose existence she had -no conception till that moment.</p> - -<p>Indeed, she was thinking how sweet it would be for two to be together -in this tiny abode hidden under the trees, facing that plaything of -a lake, that jewel of a lake, true mirror of love! One might feel -happy with nobody near, without a neighbor, without one sound of life, -alone with a lover, who would pass his hours kneeling at the feet of -the adored one, looking up at her, while her gaze wandered toward the -blue wave, and whispering tender words in her ear, while he kissed the -tips of her fingers. They would live there, amid the silence, beneath -the trees, at the bottom of that crater, which would hold all their -passion, like the limpid, unfathomable water, in the embrace of its -firm and regular inclosure, with no other horizon for their eyes save -the round line of the mountain's sides, with no other horizon for their -thoughts save the bliss of loving one another, with no other horizon -for their desires save kisses lingering and endless.</p> - -<p>Were there, then, people on the earth who could enjoy days like this? -Yes, undoubtedly! And why not? Why had she not sooner known that such -joys exist?</p> - -<p>The girls announced that dinner was ready. It was six o'clock already. -They roused up the Marquis and Gontran in order that they might squat -in Turkish fashion a short distance off, with the plates glistening -beside them in the grass. The two sisters kept waiting on them, and the -heedless men did not gainsay them. They ate at their leisure, flinging -the cast-off pieces and the bones of the chickens into the water. They -had brought champagne with them; the sudden noise of the first cork -jumping up produced a surprising effect on everyone, so unusual did it -appear in this solitary spot.</p> - -<p>The day was declining; the air became impregnated with a delicious -coolness. As the evening stole on, a strange melancholy fell on the -water that lay sleeping at the bottom of the crater. Just as the sun -was about to disappear, the western sky burst out into flame, and the -lake suddenly assumed the aspect of a basin of fire. Then, when the -sun had gone to rest, the horizon becoming red like a brasier on the -point of being extinguished, the lake looked like a basin of blood. And -suddenly above the crest of mountain, the moon nearly at its full rose -up all pale in the still, cloudless firmament. Then, as the shadows -gradually spread over the earth, it ascended glittering and round -above the crater which was round also. It looked as if it were going -to let itself drop down into the chasm; and when it had risen far up -into the sky, the lake had the aspect of a basin of silver. Then, on -its surface, motionless all day long, trembling movements could now be -seen sometimes slow and sometimes rapid. It seemed as if some spirits -skimming just above the water were drawing across it invisible veils.</p> - -<p>It was the big fish at the bottom, the venerable carp and the voracious -pike, who had come up to enjoy themselves in the moonlight.</p> - -<p>The Oriol girls had put back all the plates, dishes, and bottles into -the hamper, which the coachman came to take away. They rose up to go.</p> - -<p>As they were passing into the path under the trees, where rays of light -fell, like a silver shower, through the leaves and glittered on the -grass, Christiane, who was following the others with Paul in the rear, -suddenly heard a panting voice saying close to her ear: "I love you!—I -love you!—I love you!"</p> - -<p>Her heart began to beat so wildly that she was near sinking to the -ground, and felt as if she could not move her limbs. Still she walked -on, like one distraught, ready to turn round, her arms hanging wide -and her lips tightly drawn. He had by this time caught the edge of the -little shawl which she had drawn over her shoulders, and was kissing it -frantically. She continued walking with such tottering steps that she -no longer could feel the soil beneath her feet.</p> - -<p>And now she emerged from under the canopy of trees, and finding herself -in the full glare of the moonlight, she got the better of her agitation -with a desperate effort; but, before stepping into the landau and -losing sight of the lake, she half turned round to throw a long kiss -with both hands toward the water, which likewise embraced the man who -was following her.</p> - -<p>On the return journey, she remained inert both in soul and body, dizzy, -cramped up, as if after a fall; and, the moment they reached the hotel, -she quickly rushed up to her own apartment, where she locked herself -in. Even when the door was bolted and the key turned in the lock, she -pressed her hand on it again, so much did she feel herself pursued and -desired. Then she remained trembling in the middle of the room, which -was nearly quite dark and had an empty look. The wax-candle placed on -the table cast on the walls the quivering shadows of the furniture and -of the curtains. Christiane sank into an armchair. All her thoughts -were rushing, leaping, flying away from her so that she found it -impossible to seize them, to hold them, to link them together. She felt -now ready to weep, without well knowing why, broken-hearted, wretched, -abandoned, in this empty room, lost in existence, just as in a forest. -Where was she going, what would she do?</p> - -<p>Breathing with difficulty, she rose up, flung open the window and the -shutters in front of it, and leaned on her elbows over the balcony. -The air was refreshing. In the depths of the sky, wide and empty, too, -the distant moon, solitary and sad, having ascended now into the blue -heights of night, cast forth a hard, cold luster on the trees and on -the mountains.</p> - -<p>The entire country lay asleep. Only the light strain of Saint Landri's -violin, which he played till a late hour every night, broke the deep -silence of the valley with its melancholy music. Christiane scarcely -heard it. It ceased, then began again—the shrill and dolorous cry of -the thin fiddlestrings.</p> - -<p>And that moon lost in a desert sky, that feeble sound lost in the -silent night, filled her heart with such a sense of solitude that she -burst into sobs. She trembled and quivered to the very marrow of her -bones, shaken by anguish and by the shuddering sensations of people -attacked by some formidable malady; for suddenly it dawned upon her -mind that she, too, was all alone in existence.</p> - -<p>She had never realized this until to-day, and now she felt it so -vividly in the distress of her soul that she imagined she was going mad.</p> - -<p>She had a father! a brother! a husband! She loved them still, and -they loved her. And here she was all at once separated from them, she -had become a stranger to them as if she scarcely knew them. The calm -affection of her father, the friendly companionship of her brother, the -cold tenderness of her husband, appeared to her nothing any longer, -nothing any longer. Her husband! This, her husband, the rosy-cheeked -man who was accustomed to say to her in a careless tone, "Are you -going far, dear, this morning?" She belonged to him, to this man, body -and soul, by the mere force of a contract. Was this possible? Ah! how -lonely and lost she felt herself! She closed her eyes to look into her -own mind, into the lowest depths of her thoughts.</p> - -<p>And she could see, as she evoked them out of her inner consciousness -the faces of all those who lived around her—her father, careless and -tranquil, happy as long as nobody disturbed his repose; her brother, -scoffing and sceptical; her husband moving about, his head full of -figures, and with the announcement on his lips, "I have just done a -fine stroke of business!" when he should have said, "I love you!"</p> - -<p>Another man had murmured that word a little while ago, and it was still -vibrating in her ear and in her heart. She could see him also, this -other man, devouring her with his fixed look; and, if he had been near -her at that moment, she would have flung herself into his arms!</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.</a></h5> - - -<h4>ATTAINMENT</h4> - - -<p>Christiane, who had not gone to sleep till a very late hour, awoke as -soon as the sun cast a flood of red light into her room through the -window which she had left wide open. She glanced at her watch—it was -five o'clock—and remained lying on her back deliciously in the warmth -of the bed. It seemed to her, so active and full of joy did her soul -feel, that a happiness, a great happiness, had come to her during the -night. What was it? She sought to find out what it was; she sought -to find out what was this new source of happiness which had thus -penetrated her with delight. All her sadness of the night before had -vanished, melted away, during sleep.</p> - -<p>So Paul Bretigny loved her! How different he appeared to her from the -first day! In spite of all the efforts of her memory, she could not -bring back her first impression of him; she could not even recall to -her mind the man introduced to her by her brother. He whom she knew -to-day had retained nothing of the other, neither the face nor the -bearing—nothing—for his first image had passed, little by little, -day by day, through all the slow modifications which take place in the -soul with regard to a being who from a mere acquaintance has come to -be a familiar friend and a beloved object. You take possession of him -hour by hour without suspecting it; possession of his movements, of his -attitudes, of his physical and moral characteristics. He enters into -you, into your eyes and your heart, by his voice, by all his gestures, -by what he says and by what he thinks. You absorb him; you comprehend -him; you divine him in all the meanings of his smiles and of his words; -it seems at last that he belongs entirely to you, so much do you love, -unconsciously still, all that is his and all that comes from him.</p> - -<p>Then, too, it is impossible to remember what this being was like—to -your indifferent eyes—when first he presented himself to your gaze. -So then Paul Bretigny loved her! Christiane experienced from this -discovery neither fear nor anguish, but a profound tenderness, an -immense joy, new and exquisite, of being loved—of knowing that she was -loved.</p> - -<p>She was, however, a little disturbed as to the attitude that he would -assume toward her and that she should preserve toward him. But, as it -was a matter of delicacy for her conscience even to think of these -things, she ceased to think about them, trusting to her own tact and -ingenuity to direct the course of events.</p> - -<p>She descended at the usual hour, and found Paul smoking a cigarette -before the door of the hotel. He bowed respectfully to her:</p> - -<p>"Good day, Madame. You feel well this morning?"</p> - -<p>"Very well, Monsieur. I slept very soundly."</p> - -<p>And she put out her hand to him, fearing lest he might hold it in his -too long. But he scarcely pressed it; and they began quietly chatting -as if they had forgotten one another.</p> - -<p>And the day passed off without anything being done by him to recall -his ardent avowal of the night before. He remained, on the days that -followed, quite as discreet and calm; and she placed confidence in him. -He realized, she thought, that he would wound her by becoming bolder; -and she hoped, she firmly believed, that they might be able to stop at -this delightful halting-place of tenderness, where they could love, -while looking into the depths of one another's eyes, without remorse, -inasmuch as they would be free from defilement. Nevertheless, she was -careful never to wander out with him alone.</p> - -<p>Now, one evening, the Saturday of the same week in which they had -visited the lake of Tazenat, as they were returning to the hotel about -ten o'clock,—the Marquis, Christiane, and Paul,—for they had left -Gontran playing <i>écarté</i> with Aubrey and Riquier and Doctor Honorat in -the great hall of the Casino, Bretigny exclaimed, as he watched the -moon shining through the branches:</p> - -<p>"How nice it would be to go and see the ruins of Tournoel on a night -like this!"</p> - -<p>At this thought alone, Christiane was filled with emotion, the moon and -ruins having on her the same influence which they have on the souls of -all women.</p> - -<p>She pressed the Marquis's hands. "Oh! father dear, would you mind going -there?"</p> - -<p>He hesitated, being exceedingly anxious to go to bed.</p> - -<p>She insisted: "Just think a moment, how beautiful Tournoel is even by -day! You said yourself that you had never seen a ruin so picturesque, -with that great tower above the château. What must it be at night!"</p> - -<p>At last he consented: "Well, then, let us go! But we'll only look at it -for five minutes, and then come back immediately. For my part, I want -to be in bed at eleven o'clock."</p> - -<p>"Yes, we will come back immediately. It takes only twenty minutes to -get there."</p> - -<p>They set out all three, Christiane leaning on her father's arm, and -Paul walking by her side.</p> - -<p>He spoke of his travels in Switzerland, in Italy, in Sicily. He told -what his impressions were in the presence of certain phenomena, his -enthusiasm on seeing the summit of Monte Rosa, when the sun, rising on -the horizon of this row of icy peaks, this congealed world of eternal -snows, cast on each of those lofty mountain-tops a dazzling white -radiance, and illumined them, like the pale beacon-lights that must -shine down upon the kingdoms of the dead. Then he spoke of his emotion -on the edge of the monstrous crater of Etna, when he felt himself, an -imperceptible mite, many meters above the cloud line, having nothing -any longer around him save the sea and the sky, the blue sea beneath, -the blue sky above, and leaning over this dreadful chasm of the earth, -whose breath stifled him. He enlarged the objects which he described -in order to excite the young woman; and, as she listened, she panted -with visions she conjured up, by a flight of imagination, of those -wonderful things that he had seen.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, at a turn of the road, they discovered Tournoel. The ancient -château, standing on a mountain peak, overlooked by its high and narrow -tower, letting in the light through its chinks, and dismantled by time -and by the wars of bygone days, traced, upon a sky of phantoms, its -huge silhouette of a fantastic manor-house.</p> - -<p>They stopped, all three surprised. The Marquis said, at length: -"Indeed, it is impressive—like a dream of Gustave Doré realized. Let -us sit down for five minutes."</p> - -<p>And he sat down on the sloping grass.</p> - -<p>But Christiane, wild with enthusiasm, exclaimed: "Oh! father, let us go -on farther! It is so beautiful! so beautiful! Let us walk to the foot, -I beg of you!"</p> - -<p>This time the Marquis refused: "No, my darling, I have walked enough; I -can't go any farther. If you want to see it more closely, go on there -with M. Bretigny. I will wait here for you."</p> - -<p>Paul asked: "Will you come, Madame?"</p> - -<p>She hesitated, seized by two apprehensions, that of finding herself -alone with him, and that of wounding an honest man by having the -appearance of suspecting him.</p> - -<p>The Marquis repeated: "Go on! Go on! I will wait for you."</p> - -<p>Then she took it for granted that her father would remain within reach -of their voices, and she said resolutely: "Let us go on, Monsieur."</p> - -<p>But scarcely had she walked on for some minutes when she felt herself -possessed by a poignant emotion, by a vague, mysterious fear—fear -of the ruin, fear of the night, fear of this man. Suddenly she felt -her legs trembling under her, just as she felt the other night by the -lake of Tazenat; they refused to bear her any further, bent under her, -appeared to be sinking into the soil, where her feet remained fixed -when she strove to raise them.</p> - -<p>A large chestnut-tree, planted close to the path they had been -pursuing, sheltered one side of a meadow. Christiane, out of breath -just as if she had been running, let herself sink against the trunk. -And she stammered: "I shall remain here—we can see very well."</p> - -<p>Paul sat down beside her. She heard his heart beating with great -emotional throbs. He said, after a brief silence: "Do you believe that -we have had a previous life?"</p> - -<p>She murmured, without having well understood his question: "I don't -know. I have never thought on it."</p> - -<p>He went on: "But I believe it—at moments—or rather I feel it. As -being is composed of a soul and a body, which seem distinct, but are, -without doubt, only one whole of the same nature, it must reappear when -the elements which have originally formed it find themselves together -for the second time. It is not the same individual assuredly, but it is -the same man who comes back when a body like the previous form finds -itself inhabited by a soul like that which animated him formerly. Well, -I, to-night, feel sure, Madame, that I lived in that château, that I -possessed it, that I fought there, that I defended it. I recognized -it—it was mine, I am certain of it! And I am also certain that I -loved there a woman who resembled you, and who, like you, bore the -name of Christiane. I am so certain of it that I seem to see you still -calling me from the top of that tower.</p> - -<p>"Search your memory! recall it to your mind! There is a wood at the -back, which descends into a deep valley. We have often walked there. -You had light robes in the summer evenings, and I wore heavy armor, -which clanked beneath the trees. You do not recollect? Look back, -then, Christiane! Why, your name is as familiar to me as those we hear -in childhood! Were we to inspect carefully all the stones of this -fortress, we should find it there carved by my hand in days of yore! I -declare to you that I recognize my dwelling-place, my country, just as -I recognized you, you, the first time I saw you!"</p> - -<p>He spoke in an exalted tone of conviction, poetically intoxicated by -contact with this woman, and by the night, by the moon, and by the ruin.</p> - -<p>He abruptly flung himself on his knees before Christiane, and, in a -trembling voice said: "Let me adore you still since I have found you -again! Here have I been searching for you a long time!"</p> - -<p>She wanted to rise and to go away, to join her father, but she had -not the strength; she had not the courage, held back, paralyzed by a -burning desire to listen to him still, to hear those ravishing words -entering her heart. She felt herself carried away in a dream, in the -dream always hoped for, so sweet, so poetic, full of rays of moonlight -and days of love.</p> - -<p>He had seized her hands, and was kissing the ends of her finger-nails, -murmuring:</p> - -<p>"Christiane—Christiane—take me—kill me! I love you, Christiane!"</p> - -<p>She felt him quivering, shuddering at her feet. And now he kissed her -knees, while his chest heaved with sobs. She was afraid that he was -going mad, and started up to make her escape. But he had risen more -quickly, and seizing her in his arms he pressed his mouth against hers.</p> - -<p>Then, without a cry, without revolt, without resistance, she let -herself sink back on the grass, as if this caress, by breaking her -will, had crushed her physical power to struggle. And he possessed her -with as much ease as if he were culling a ripe fruit.</p> - -<p>But scarcely had he loosened his clasp when she rose up distracted, and -rushed away shuddering and icy-cold all of a sudden, like one who had -just fallen into the water. He overtook her with a few strides, and -caught her by the arm, whispering: "Christiane, Christiane! Be on your -guard with your father!"</p> - -<p>She walked on without answering, without turning round, going straight -before her with stiff, jerky steps. He followed her now without -venturing to speak to her.</p> - -<p>As soon as the Marquis saw them, he rose up: "Hurry," said he; "I was -beginning to get cold. These things are very fine to look at, but bad -for one undergoing thermal treatment!"</p> - -<p>Christiane pressed herself close to her father's side, as if to appeal -to him for protection and take refuge in his tenderness.</p> - -<p>As soon as she had re-entered her apartment, she undressed herself in -a few seconds and buried herself in her bed, hiding her head under -the clothes; then she wept. She wept with her face pressed against the -pillow for a long, long time, inert, annihilated. She did not think, -she did not suffer, she did not regret. She wept without thinking, -without reflecting, without knowing why. She wept instinctively as -one sings when one feels gay. Then, when her tears were exhausted, -overwhelmed, paralyzed with sobbing, she fell asleep from fatigue and -lassitude.</p> - -<p>She was awakened by light taps at the door of her room, which looked -out on the drawing-room. It was broad daylight, as it was nine o'clock.</p> - -<p>"Come in," she cried.</p> - -<p>And her husband presented himself, joyous, animated, wearing a -traveling-cap and carrying by his side his little money-bag, which he -was never without while on a journey.</p> - -<p>He exclaimed: "What? You were sleeping still, my dear! And I had to -awaken you. There you are! I arrived without announcing myself. I hope -you are going on well. It is superb weather in Paris."</p> - -<p>And having taken off his cap, he advanced to embrace her. She drew -herself away toward the wall, seized by a wild fear, by a nervous dread -of this little man, with his smug, rosy countenance, who had stretched -out his lips toward her.</p> - -<p>Then, abruptly, she offered him her forehead, while she closed her -eyes. He planted there a chaste kiss, and asked: "Will you allow me to -wash in your dressing-room? As no one attended on me to-day, my room -was not prepared."</p> - -<p>She stammered: "Why, certainly."</p> - -<p>And he disappeared through a door at the end of the bed.</p> - -<p>She heard him moving about, splashing, snorting; then he cried: "What -news here? For my part, I have splendid news. The analysis of the water -has given unexpected results. We can cure at least three times more -patients than they can at Royat. It is superb!"</p> - -<p>She was sitting in the bed, suffocating, her brain overwrought by this -unforeseen return, which hurt her like a physical pain and gripped her -like a pang of remorse. He reappeared, self-satisfied, spreading around -him a strong odor of verbena. Then he sat down familiarly at the foot -of the bed, and asked:</p> - -<p>"And the paralytic? How is he going on? Is he beginning to walk? It is -not possible that he is not cured with what we found in the water!"</p> - -<p>She had forgotten all about it for several days, and she faltered: -"Why, I—I believe he is beginning to walk better. Besides, I have not -seen him this week. I—I am a little unwell."</p> - -<p>He looked at her with interest, and returned: "It is true, you are a -little pale. All the same, it becomes you very well. You look charming -thus—quite charming."</p> - -<p>And he drew nearer, and bending toward her was about to pass one arm -into the bed under her waist.</p> - -<p>But she made such a backward movement of terror that he remained -stupefied, with his hands extended and his mouth held toward her. Then -he asked: "What's the matter with you nowadays? One cannot touch you -any longer. I assure you I do not intend to hurt you."</p> - -<p>And he pressed close to her eagerly, with a glow of sudden desire in -his eyes. Then she stammered:</p> - -<p>"No—let me be—let me be! The fact is, I believe—I believe I am -pregnant!"</p> - -<p>She had said this, maddened by the mental agony she was enduring, -without thinking about her words, to avoid his touch, just as she would -have said: "I have leprosy, or the plague."</p> - -<p>He grew pale in his turn, moved by a profound joy; and he merely -murmured: "Already!" He yearned now to embrace her a long time, softly, -tenderly, as a happy and grateful father. Then, he was seized with -uneasiness.</p> - -<p>"Is it possible?—What?—Are you sure?—So soon?"</p> - -<p>She replied: "Yes—it is possible!"</p> - -<p>Then he jumped about the room, and rubbing his hands, exclaimed: -"Christi! Christi! What a happy day!"</p> - -<p>There was another tap at the door. Andermatt opened it, and a -chambermaid said to him: "Doctor Latonne would like to speak to -Monsieur immediately."</p> - -<p>"All right. Bring him into our drawing-room. I am going there."</p> - -<p>He hurried away to the adjoining apartment. The doctor presently -appeared. His face had a solemn look, and his manner was starched and -cold. He bowed, touched the hand which the banker, a little surprised, -held toward him, took a seat, and explained in the tone of a second in -an affair of honor:</p> - -<p>"A very disagreeable matter has arisen with reference to me, my dear -Monsieur, and, in order to explain my conduct, I must give you an -account of it. When you did me the honor to call me in to see Madame -Andermatt, I hastened to come at the appointed hour; now it has -transpired that, a few minutes before me, my brother-physician, the -medical inspector, who, no doubt, inspires more confidence in the lady, -had been sent for, owing to the attentions of the Marquis de Ravenel.</p> - -<p>"The result of this is that, having been the second to see her I create -the impression of having taken by a trick from Doctor Bonnefille a -patient who already belonged to him—I create the impression of having -committed an indelicate act, one unbecoming and unjustifiable from one -member of the profession toward another. Now it is necessary for us -to carry, Monsieur, into the exercise of our art certain precautions -and unusual tact in order to avoid every collision which might lead -to grave consequences. Doctor Bonnefille, having been apprised of my -visit here, believing me capable of this want of delicacy, appearances -being in fact against me, has spoken about me in such terms that, were -it not for his age, I would have found myself compelled to demand an -explanation from him. There remains for me only one thing to do, in -order to exculpate myself in his eyes, and in the eyes of the entire -medical body of the country, and that is to cease, to my great regret, -to give my professional attentions to your wife, and to make the entire -truth about this matter known, begging of you in the meantime to accept -my excuses."</p> - -<p>Andermatt replied with embarrassment:</p> - -<p>"I understand perfectly well, doctor, the difficult situation in which -you find yourself. The fault is not mine or my wife's, but that of my -father-in-law, who called in M. Bonnefille without giving us notice. -Could I not go to look for your brother-doctor, and tell him?——"</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne interrupted him: "It is useless, my dear Monsieur. There -is here a question of dignity and professional honor, which I am bound -to respect before everything, and, in spite of my lively regrets——"</p> - -<p>Andermatt, in his turn, interrupted him. The rich man, the man who -pays, who buys a prescription for five, ten, twenty, or forty francs, -as he does a box of matches for three sous, to whom everything should -belong by the power of his purse, and who only appreciates beings and -objects in virtue of an assimilation of their value with that of money, -of a relation, rapid and direct, established between coined metal and -everything else in the world, was irritated at the presumption of this -vendor of remedies on paper. He said in a stiff tone:</p> - -<p>"Be it so, doctor. Let us stop where we are. But I trust for your own -sake that this step may not have a damaging influence on your career. -We shall see, indeed, which of us two shall have the most to suffer -from your decision."</p> - -<p>The physician, offended, rose up and bowing with the utmost politeness, -said: "I have no doubt, Monsieur, it is I who will suffer. That which I -have done to-day is very painful to me from every point of view. But I -never hesitate between my interests and my conscience."</p> - -<p>And he went out. As he emerged through the open door, he knocked -against the Marquis, who was entering, with a letter in his hand. And -M. de Ravenel exclaimed, as soon as he was alone with his son-in-law: -"Look here, my dear fellow! this is a very troublesome thing, which -has happened me through your fault. Doctor Bonnefille, hurt by the -circumstance that you sent for his brother-physician to see Christiane, -has written me a note couched in very dry language informing me that I -cannot count any longer on his professional services."</p> - -<p>Thereupon, Andermatt got quite annoyed. He walked up and down, -excited himself by talking, gesticulated, full of harmless and noisy -anger, that kind of anger which is never taken seriously. He went on -arguing in a loud voice. Whose fault was it, after all? That of the -Marquis alone, who had called in that pack-ass Bonnefille without -giving any notice of the fact to him, though he had, thanks to his -Paris physician, been informed as to the relative value of the three -charlatans at Enval! And then what business had the Marquis to consult -a doctor, behind the back of the husband, the husband who was the only -judge, the only person responsible for his wife's health? In short, it -was the same thing day after day with everything! People did nothing -but stupid things around him, nothing but stupid things! He repeated it -incessantly; but he was only crying in the desert, nobody understood, -nobody put faith in his experience, until it was too late.</p> - -<p>And he said, "My physician," "My experience," with the authoritative -tone of a man who has possession of unique things. In his mouth the -possessive pronouns had the sonorous ring of metals. And when he -pronounced the words "My wife," one felt very clearly that the Marquis -had no longer any rights with regard to his daughter since Andermatt -had married her, to marry and to buy having the same meaning in the -latter's mind.</p> - -<p>Gontran came in, at the most lively stage of the discussion, and seated -himself in an armchair with a smile of gaiety on his lips. He said -nothing, but listened, exceedingly amused. When the banker stopped -talking, having fairly exhausted his breath, his brother-in-law raised -his hand, exclaiming:</p> - -<p>"I request permission to speak. Here are both of you without -physicians, isn't that so? Well, I propose my candidate, Doctor -Honorat, the only one who has formed an exact and unshaken opinion on -the water of Enval. He makes people drink it, but he would not drink -it himself for all the world. Do you wish me to go and look for him? I -will take the negotiations on myself."</p> - -<p>It was the only thing to do, and they begged of Gontran to send for him -immediately. The Marquis, filled with anxiety at the idea of a change -of regimen and of nursing wanted to know immediately the opinion of -this new physician; and Andermatt desired no less eagerly to consult -him on Christiane's behalf.</p> - -<p>She heard their voices through the door without listening to their -words or understanding what they were talking about. As soon as -her husband had left her, she had risen from the bed, as if from a -dangerous spot, and hurriedly dressed herself, without the assistance -of the chambermaid, shaken by all these occurrences.</p> - -<p>The world appeared to her to have changed around her, her former life -seemed to have vanished since last night, and people themselves looked -quite different.</p> - -<p>The voice of Andermatt was raised once more: "Hallo, my dear Bretigny, -how are you getting on?"</p> - -<p>He no longer used the word "Monsieur." Another voice could be heard -saying in reply: "Why, quite well, my dear Andermatt. You only arrived, -I suppose, this morning?"</p> - -<p>Christiane, who was in the act of raising her hair over her temples, -stopped with a choking sensation, her arms in the air. Through the -partition, she fancied she could see them grasping one another's hands. -She sat down, no longer able to hold herself erect; and her hair, -rolling down, fell over her shoulders.</p> - -<p>It was Paul who was speaking now, and she shivered from head to foot at -every word that came from his mouth. Each word, whose meaning she did -not seize, fell and sounded on her heart like a hammer striking a bell.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, she articulated in almost a loud tone: "But I love him!—I -love him!" as though she were affirming something new and surprising, -which saved her, which consoled her, which proclaimed her innocence -before the tribunal of her conscience. A sudden energy made her rise -up; in one second, her resolution was taken. And she proceeded to -rearrange her hair, murmuring: "I have a lover, that is all. I have -a lover." Then, in order to fortify herself still more, in order to -get rid of all mental distress, she determined there and then, with a -burning faith, to love him to distraction, to give up to him her life, -her happiness, to sacrifice everything for him, in accordance with -the moral exaltation of hearts conquered but still scrupulous, that -believe themselves to be purified by devotedness and sincerity.</p> - -<p>And, from behind the wall which separated them, she threw out kisses -to him. It was over; she abandoned herself to him, without reserve, as -she might have offered herself to a god. The child already coquettish -and artful, but still timid, still trembling, had suddenly died within -her; and the woman was born, ready for passion, the woman resolute, -tenacious, announced only up to this time by the energy hidden in her -blue eye, which gave an air of courage and almost of bravado to her -dainty white face.</p> - -<p>She heard the door opening, and did not turn round, divining that it -was her husband, without seeing him, as though a new sense, almost an -instinct, had just been generated in her also.</p> - -<p>He asked: "Will you be soon ready? We are all going presently to the -paralytic's bath, to see if he is really getting better."</p> - -<p>She replied calmly: "Yes, my dear Will, in five minutes."</p> - -<p>But Gontran, returning to the drawing-room, was calling back Andermatt.</p> - -<p>"Just imagine," said he; "I met that idiot Honorat in the park, and -he, too, refuses to attend you for fear of the others. He talks of -professional etiquette, deference, usages. One would imagine that -he creates the impression of—in short, he is a fool, like his two -brother-physicians. Certainly, I thought he was less of an ape than -that."</p> - -<p>The Marquis remained overwhelmed. The idea of taking the waters without -a physician, of bathing for five minutes longer than necessary, of -drinking one glass less than he ought, tortured him with apprehension, -for he believed all the doses, the hours, and the phases of the -treatment, to be regulated by a law of nature, which had made provision -for invalids in causing the flow of those mineral springs, all whose -mysterious secrets the doctors knew, like priests inspired and learned.</p> - -<p>He exclaimed: "So then we must die here—we may perish like dogs, -without any of these gentlemen putting himself about!"</p> - -<p>And rage took possession of him, the rage egotistical and unreasoning -of a man whose health is endangered.</p> - -<p>"Have they any right to do this, since they pay for a license like -grocers, these blackguards? We ought to have the power of forcing them -to attend people, as trains can be forced to take all passengers. I am -going to write to the newspapers to draw attention to the matter."</p> - -<p>He walked about, in a state of excitement; and he went on, turning -toward his son:</p> - -<p>"Listen! It will be necessary to send for one to Royat or Clermont. We -can't remain in this state."</p> - -<p>Gontran replied, laughing: "But those of Clermont and of Royat are -not well acquainted with the liquid of Enval, which has not the same -special action as their water on the digestive system and on the -circulatory apparatus. And then, be sure, they won't come any more than -the others in order to avoid the appearance of taking the bread out of -their brother-doctors' mouths."</p> - -<p>The Marquis, quite scared, faltered: "But what, then, is to become of -us?"</p> - -<p>Andermatt snatched up his hat, saying: "Let me settle it, and -I'll answer for it that we'll have the entire three of them this -evening—you understand clearly, the—entire—three—at our knees. Let -us go now and see the paralytic."</p> - -<p>He cried: "Are you ready, Christiane?"</p> - -<p>She appeared at the door, very pale, with a look of determination. -Having embraced her father and her brother, she turned toward Paul, and -extended her hand toward him. He took it, with downcast eyes, quivering -with emotion. As the Marquis, Andermatt, and Gontran had gone on -before, chatting, and without minding them, she said, in a firm voice, -fixing on the young man a tender and decided glance:</p> - -<p>"I belong to you, body and soul. Do with me henceforth what you -please." Then she walked on, without giving him an opportunity of -replying.</p> - -<p>As they drew near the Oriols' spring, they perceived, like an enormous -mushroom, the hat of Père Clovis, who was sleeping beneath the rays of -the sun, in the warm water at the bottom of the hole. He now spent the -entire morning there, having got accustomed to this boiling water which -made him, he said, more lively than a yearling.</p> - -<p>Andermatt woke him up: "Well, my fine fellow, you are going on better?"</p> - -<p>When he had recognized his patron, the old fellow made a grimace of -satisfaction: "Yes, yes, I am going on—I am going on as well as you -please."</p> - -<p>"Are you beginning to walk?"</p> - -<p>"Like a rabbit, Mochieu—like a rabbit. I will dance a boree with my -sweetheart on the first Sunday of the month."</p> - -<p>Andermatt felt his heart beating; he repeated: "It is true, then, that -you are walking?"</p> - -<p>Père Clovis ceased jesting. "Oh! not very much, not very much. No -matter—I'm getting on—I'm getting on!"</p> - -<p>Then the banker wanted to see at once how the vagabond walked. He kept -rushing about the hole, got agitated, gave orders, as if he were going -to float again a ship that had foundered.</p> - -<p>"Look here, Gontran! you take the right arm. You, Bretigny, -the left arm. I am going to keep up his back. Come on! -together!—one—two—three! My dear father-in-law, draw the leg toward -you—no, the other, the one that's in the water. Quick, pray! I can't -hold out longer. There we are—one, two—there!—ouf!"</p> - -<p>They had put the old trickster sitting on the ground; and he allowed -them to do it with a jeering look, without in any way assisting their -efforts.</p> - -<p>Then they raised him up again, and set him on his legs, giving him -his crutches, which he used like walking-sticks; and he began to step -out, bent double, dragging his feet after him, whining and blowing. He -advanced in the fashion of a slug, and left behind him a long trail of -water on the white dust of the road.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, in a state of enthusiasm, clapped his hands, crying out -as people do at theaters when applauding the actors: "Bravo, bravo, -admirable, bravo!!!"</p> - -<p>Then, as the old fellow seemed exhausted, he rushed forward to hold him -up, seized him in his arms, although his clothes were streaming, and he -kept repeating:</p> - -<p>"Enough, don't fatigue yourself! We are going to put you back into your -bath."</p> - -<p>And Père Clovis was plunged once more into his hole by the four men who -caught him by his four limbs and carried him carefully like a fragile -and precious object.</p> - -<p>Then, the paralytic observed in a tone of conviction: "It is good -water, all the same, good water that hasn't an equal. It is worth a -treasure, water like that!"</p> - -<p>Andermatt turned round suddenly toward his father-in-law: "Don't keep -breakfast waiting for me. I am going to the Oriols', and I don't know -when I'll be free. It is necessary not to let these things drag!"</p> - -<p>And he set forth in a hurry, almost running, and twirling his stick -about like a man bewitched.</p> - -<p>The others sat down under the willows, at the side of the road, -opposite Père Clovis's hole.</p> - -<p>Christiane, at Paul's side, saw in front of her the high knoll from -which she had seen the rock blown up.</p> - -<p>She had been up there that day, scarcely a month ago. She had been -sitting on that russet grass. One month! Only one month! She recalled -the most trifling details, the tricolored parasols, the scullions, -the slightest things said by each of them! And the dog, the poor dog -crushed by the explosion! And that big youth, then a stranger to her, -who had rushed forward at one word uttered by her lips in order to -save the animal. To-day, he was her lover! her lover! So then she had -a lover! She was his mistress—his mistress! She repeated this word -in the recesses of her consciousness—his mistress! What a strange -word! This man, sitting by her side, whose hand she saw tearing up -one by one blades of grass, close to her dress, which he was seeking -to touch, this man was now bound to her flesh and to his heart, by -that mysterious chain, buried in secrecy and mystery, which nature has -stretched between woman and man.</p> - -<p>With that voice of thought, that mute voice which seems to speak so -loudly in the silence of troubled souls, she incessantly repeated -to herself: "I am his mistress! his mistress!" How strange, how -unforeseen, a thing this was!</p> - -<p>"Do I love him?" She cast a rapid glance at him. Their eyes met, and -she felt herself so much caressed by the passionate look with which he -covered her, that she trembled from head to foot. She felt a longing -now, a wild, irresistible longing, to take that hand which was toying -with the grass, and to press it very tightly in order to convey to -him all that may be said by a clasp. She let her own hand slip along -her dress down to the grass, then laid it there motionless, with the -fingers spread wide. Then she saw the other come softly toward it like -an amorous animal seeking his companion. It came nearer and nearer; -and their little fingers touched. They grazed one another at the ends -gently, barely, lost one another and found one another again, like lips -meeting. But this imperceptible caress, this slight contact entered -into her being so violently that she felt herself growing faint as if -he were once more straining her between his arms.</p> - -<p>And she suddenly understood how a woman can belong to some man, how -she no longer is anything under the love that possesses her, how that -other being takes her body and soul, flesh, thought, will, blood, -nerves,—all, all, all that is in her,—just as a huge bird of prey -with large wings swoops down on a wren.</p> - -<p>The Marquis and Gontran talked about the future station, themselves -won over by Will's enthusiasm. And they spoke of the banker's merits, -the clearness of his mind, the sureness of his judgment, the certainty -of his system of speculation, the boldness of his operations, and the -regularity of his character. Father-in-law and brother-in-law, in the -face of this probable success, of which they felt certain, were in -agreement, and congratulated one another on this alliance.</p> - -<p>Christiane and Paul did not seem to hear, so much occupied were they -with each other.</p> - -<p>The Marquis said to his daughter: "Hey! darling, you may perhaps one -day be one of the richest women in France, and people will talk of you -as they do about the Rothschilds. Will has truly a remarkable, very -remarkable—a great intelligence."</p> - -<p>But a morose and whimsical jealousy entered all at once into Paul's -heart.</p> - -<p>"Let me alone now," said he, "I know it, the intelligence of all those -engaged in stirring up business. They have only one thing in their -heads—money! All the thoughts that we bestow on beautiful things, -all the actions that we waste on our caprices, all the hours which we -fling away for our distractions, all the strength that we squander -on our pleasures, all the ardor and the power which love, divine -love, takes from us, they employ in seeking for gold, in thinking of -gold, in amassing gold! The man of intelligence lives for all the -great disinterested tendernesses, the arts, love, science, travels, -books; and, if he seeks money, it is because this facilitates the -true pleasures of intellect and even the happiness of the heart! But -they—they have nothing in their minds or their hearts but this ignoble -taste for traffic! They resemble men of worth, these skimmers of life, -just as much as the picture-dealer resembles the painter, as the -publisher resembles the writer, as the theatrical manager resembles the -dramatic poet."</p> - -<p>He suddenly became silent, realizing that he had allowed himself to be -carried away, and in a calmer voice he went on: "I don't say that of -Andermatt, whom I consider a charming man. I like him a great deal, -because he is a hundred times superior to all the others."</p> - -<p>Christiane had withdrawn her hand. Paul once more stopped talking. -Gontran began to laugh; and, in his malicious voice, with which he -ventured to say everything, in his hours of mocking and raillery:</p> - -<p>"In any case, my dear fellow, these men have one rare merit: that is, -to marry our sisters and to have rich daughters, who become our wives."</p> - -<p>The Marquis, annoyed, rose up: "Oh! Gontran, you are perfectly -revolting."</p> - -<p>Paul thereupon turned toward Christiane, and murmured: "Would -they know how to die for one woman, or even to give her all their -fortune—all—without keeping anything?"</p> - -<p>This meant so clearly: "All I have is yours, including my life," that -she was touched, and she adopted this device in order to take his -hands in hers:</p> - -<p>"Rise, and lift me up. I am benumbed from not moving."</p> - -<p>He stood erect, seized her by the wrists, and drawing her up placed her -standing on the edge of the road close to his side. She saw his mouth -articulating the words, "I love you," and she quickly turned aside, -to avoid saying to him in reply three words which rose to her lips in -spite of her, in a burst of passion which was drawing her toward him.</p> - -<p>They returned to the hotel. The hour for the bath was passed. They -awaited the breakfast-bell. It rang, but Andermatt did not make his -appearance. After taking another turn in the park, they resolved to sit -down to table. The meal, although a long one, was finished before the -return of the banker. They went back to sit down under the trees. And -the hours stole by, one after another; the sun glided over the leaves, -bending toward the mountains; the day was ebbing toward its close; and -yet Will did not present himself.</p> - -<p>All at once, they saw him. He was walking quickly, his hat in his hand, -wiping his forehead, his necktie on one side, his waistcoat half open, -as if after a journey, after a struggle, after a terrible and prolonged -effort.</p> - -<p>As soon as he beheld his father-in-law, he exclaimed: "Victory! 'tis -done! But what a day, my friends! Ah! the old fox, what trouble he gave -me!"</p> - -<p>And immediately he explained the steps he had taken and the obstacles -he had met with.</p> - -<p>Père Oriol had, at first, shown himself so unreasonable that Andermatt -was breaking off the negotiations and going away. Then the peasant -called him back. The old man pretended that he would not sell his -lands but would assign them to the Company with the right to resume -possession of them in case of ill success. In case of success, he -demanded half the profits.</p> - -<p>The banker had to demonstrate to him, with figures on paper and -tracings to indicate the different bits of land, that the fields all -together would not be worth more than forty-five thousand francs at the -present hour, while the expenses of the Company would mount up at one -swoop to a million.</p> - -<p>But the Auvergnat replied that he expected to benefit by the enormously -increased value that would be given to his property by the erection -of the establishment and hotels, and to draw his interest in the -undertaking in accordance with the acquired value and not the previous -value.</p> - -<p>Andermatt had then to represent to him that the risks should be -proportionate with the possible gains, and to terrify him with the -apprehension of the loss.</p> - -<p>They accordingly arrived at this agreement: Père Oriol was to assign -to the Company all the grounds stretching as far as the banks of the -stream, that is to say, all those in which it appeared possible to find -mineral water, and in addition the top of the knoll, in order to erect -there a casino and a hotel, and some vine-plots on the slope which -should be divided into lots and offered to the leading physicians of -Paris.</p> - -<p>The peasant, in return for this apportionment valued at two hundred and -fifty thousand francs, that is, at about four times its value, would -participate to the extent of a quarter in the profits of the Company. -As there was very much more land, which he did not part with, round -the future establishment, he was sure, in case of success, to realize -a fortune by selling on reasonable terms these grounds, which would -constitute, he said, the dowry of his daughters.</p> - -<p>As soon as these conditions had been arrived at, Will had to carry -the father and the son with him to the notary's office in order to -have a promise of sale drawn up defeasible in the event of their not -finding the necessary water. And the drawing up of the agreement, -the discussion of every point, the indefinite repetition of the same -arguments, the eternal commencement over again of the same contentions, -had lasted all the afternoon.</p> - -<p>At last the matter was concluded. The banker had got his station. But -he repeated, devoured by a regret: "It will be necessary for me to -confine myself to the water without thinking of the questions about the -land. He has been cunning, the old ape."</p> - -<p>Then he added: "Bah! I'll buy up the old Company, and it is on that -I may speculate! No matter—it is necessary that I should start this -evening again for Paris."</p> - -<p>The Marquis, astounded, cried out: "What? This evening?"</p> - -<p>"Why, yes, my dear father-in-law, in order to get the definitive -instrument prepared, while M. Aubry-Pasteur will be making excavations. -It is necessary also that I should make arrangements to commence the -works in a fortnight. I haven't an hour to lose. With regard to this, -I must inform you that you are to constitute a portion of my board -of directors in which I will need a strong majority. I give you ten -shares. To you, Gontran, also I give ten shares."</p> - -<p>Gontran began to laugh: "Many thanks, my dear fellow. I sell them back -to you. That makes five thousand francs you owe me."</p> - -<p>But Andermatt no longer felt in a mood for joking, when dealing with -business of so much importance. He resumed dryly: "If you are not -serious, I will address myself to another person."</p> - -<p>Gontran ceased laughing: "No, no, my good friend, you know that I have -cleared off everything with you."</p> - -<p>The banker turned toward Paul: "My dear Monsieur, will you render me a -friendly service, that is, to accept also ten shares with the rank of -director?"</p> - -<p>Paul, with a bow, replied: "You will permit me, Monsieur, not to accept -this graceful offer, but to put a hundred thousand francs into the -undertaking, which I consider a superb one. So then it is I who have to -ask for a favor from you."</p> - -<p>William, ravished, seized his hands. This confidence had conquered him. -Besides he always experienced an irresistible desire to embrace persons -who brought him money for his enterprises.</p> - -<p>But Christiane crimsoned to her temples, pained, bruised. It seemed to -her that she had just been bought and sold. If he had not loved her, -would Paul have offered these hundred thousand francs to her husband? -No, undoubtedly! He should not, at least, have entered into this -transaction in her presence.</p> - -<p>The dinner-bell rang. They re-entered the hotel. As soon as they were -seated at table, Madame Paille, the mother, asked Andermatt:</p> - -<p>"So you are going to set up another establishment?"</p> - -<p>The news had already gone through the entire district, was known to -everyone, it put the bathers into a state of commotion.</p> - -<p>William replied: "Good heavens, yes! The existing one is too defective!"</p> - -<p>And turning round to M. Aubry-Pasteur: "You will excuse me, dear -Monsieur, for speaking to you at dinner of a step which I wished -to take with regard to you; but I am starting again for Paris, and -time presses on me terribly. Will you consent to direct the work of -excavation, in order to find a volume of superior water?"</p> - -<p>The engineer, feeling flattered, accepted the office. In five minutes -everything had been discussed and settled with the clearness and -precision which Andermatt imported into all matters of business. Then -they talked about the paralytic. He had been seen crossing the park in -the afternoon with only one walking-stick, although that morning he -had used two. The banker kept repeating: "This is a miracle, a real -miracle. His cure proceeds with giant strides!"</p> - -<p>Paul, to please the husband, rejoined: "It is Père Clovis himself who -walks with giant strides."</p> - -<p>A laugh of approval ran round the table. Every eye was fixed on Will; -every mouth complimented him.</p> - -<p>The waiters of the restaurant made it their business to serve him the -first, with a respectful deference, which disappeared from their faces -as soon as they passed the dishes to the next guest.</p> - -<p>One of them presented to him a card on a plate. He took it up, and read -it, half aloud:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"Doctor Latonne of Paris would be happy if M. Andermatt -would be kind enough to give him an interview of a few -seconds before his departure."</p></blockquote> - -<p>"Tell him in reply that I have no time, but that I will be back in -eight or ten days."</p> - -<p>At the same moment, a box of flowers sent by Doctor Honorat was -presented to Christiane.</p> - -<p>Gontran laughed: "Père Bonnefille is a bad third," said he.</p> - -<p>The dinner was nearly over. Andermatt was informed that his landau was -waiting for him. He went up to look for his little bag; and when he -came down again he saw half the village gathered in front of the door.</p> - -<p>Petrus Martel came to grasp his hand, with the familiarity of a -strolling actor, and murmured in his ear: "I shall have a proposal to -make to you—something stunning—with reference to your undertaking."</p> - -<p>Suddenly, Doctor Bonnefille appeared, hurrying in his usual fashion. He -passed quite close to Will, and bowing very low to him as he would do -to the Marquis, he said to him:</p> - -<p>"A pleasant journey, Baron."</p> - -<p>"That settles it!" murmured Gontran.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, triumphant, swelling with joy and pride, pressed the hands -extended toward him, thanked them, and kept repeating: <i>"Au revoir!"</i></p> - -<p>He was nearly forgetting to embrace his wife, so much was he thinking -about other things. This indifference was a relief to her, and, when -she saw the landau moving away on the darkening road, as the horses -broke into a quick trot, it seemed to her that she had nothing more to -fear from anyone for the rest of her life.</p> - -<p>She spent the whole evening seated in front of the hotel, between her -father and Paul Bretigny, Gontran having gone to the Casino, where he -went every evening.</p> - -<p>She did not want either to walk or to talk, and remained motionless, -her hands clasped over her knees, her eyes lost in the darkness, -languid and weak, a little restless and yet happy, scarcely thinking, -not even dreaming, now and then struggling against a vague remorse, -which she thrust away from her, always repeating to herself, "I love -him! I love him!"</p> - -<p>She went up to her apartment at an early hour, in order to be alone -and to think. Seated in the depths of an armchair and covered with a -dressing-gown which floated around her, she gazed at the stars through -the window, which was left open; and in the frame of that window she -evoked every minute the image of him who had conquered her. She saw -him, kind, gentle, and powerful—so strong and so yielding in her -presence. This man had taken herself to himself,—she felt it,—taken -her forever. She was alone no longer; they were two, whose two hearts -would henceforth form but one heart, whose two souls would henceforth -form but one soul. Where was he? She knew not; but she knew full well -that he was dreaming of her, just as she was thinking of him. At each -throb of her heart she believed she heard another throb answering -somewhere. She felt a desire wandering round her and fanning her cheek -like a bird's wing. She felt it entering through that open window, this -desire coming from him, this burning desire, which entreated her in the -silence of the night.</p> - -<p>How good it was, how sweet and refreshing to be loved! What joy to -think of some one, with a longing in your eyes to weep, to weep with -tenderness, and a longing also to open your arms, even without seeing -him, in order to invite him to come, to stretch one's arms toward the -image that presents itself, toward that kiss which your lover casts -unceasingly from far or near, in the fever of his waiting.</p> - -<p>And she stretched toward the stars her two white arms in the sleeves of -her dressing-gown. Suddenly she uttered a cry. A great black shadow, -striding over her balcony, had sprung up into her window.</p> - -<p>She sprang wildly to her feet! It was he! And, without even reflecting -that somebody might see them, she threw herself upon his breast.</p> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a id="monto002"></a> -<img src="images/mont_o_002.jpg" width="500" alt="" /> -<p class="cap">"SHE SPRANG WILDLY TO HER FEET. IT WAS HE!"</p> -</div> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.</a></h5> - - -<h4>ORGANIZATION</h4> - - -<p>The absence of Andermatt was prolonged. M. Aubry-Pasteur got the soil -dug up. He found, in addition, four springs, which supplied the new -Company with more than twice as much water as they required. The entire -district, driven crazy by these searches, by these discoveries, by the -great news which circulated everywhere, by the prospects of a brilliant -future, became agitated and enthusiastic, talked of nothing else, and -thought of nothing else. The Marquis and Gontran themselves spent their -days hanging round the workmen, who were boring through the veins of -granite; and they listened with increasing interest to the explanations -and the lectures of the engineer on the geological character of -Auvergne. And Paul and Christiane loved one another freely, tranquilly, -in absolute security, without anyone suspecting anything, without -anyone thinking even of spying on them, for the attention, the -curiosity, and the zeal of all around them were absorbed in the future -station.</p> - -<p>Christiane acted like a young girl under the intoxication of a first -love. The first draught, the first kiss, had burned, had stunned her. -She had swallowed the second very quickly, and had found it better, and -now again and again she raised the intoxicating cup to her lips.</p> - -<p>Since the night when Paul had broken into her apartment, she no longer -took any heed of what was happening in the world. For her, time, -events, beings, no longer had any existence; there was nothing else in -life save one man, he whom she loved. Henceforth, her eyes saw only -him, her mind thought only of him, her hopes were fixed on him alone. -She lived, went from place to place, ate, dressed herself, seemed to -listen and to reply, without consciousness or thought about what she -was doing. No disquietude haunted her, for no misfortune could have -fallen on her. She had become insensible to everything. No physical -pain could have taken hold of her flesh, as love alone could, so as -to make her shudder. No moral suffering could have taken hold of -her soul, paralyzed by happiness. Moreover, he, loving her with the -self-abandonment which he displayed in all his attachments, excited the -young woman's tenderness to distraction.</p> - -<p>Often, toward evening, when he knew that the Marquis and Gontran had -gone to the springs, he would say, "Come and look at our heaven." He -called a cluster of pine-trees growing on the hillside above even the -gorges their heaven. They ascended to this spot through a little wood, -along a steep path, to climb which took away Christiane's breath. As -their time was limited, they proceeded rapidly, and, in order that she -might not be too much fatigued, he put his arm round her waist and -lifted her up. Placing one hand on his shoulder, she let herself be -borne along; and, from time to time, she would throw herself on his -neck and place her mouth against his lips. As they mounted higher, the -air became keener; and, when they reached the cluster of pine-trees, -the odor of the balsam refreshed them like a breath of the sea.</p> - -<p>They sat down under the shadowy trees, she on a grassy knoll, and he -lower down, at her feet. The wind in the stems sang that sweet chant of -the pine-trees which is like a wail of sorrow; and the immense Limagne, -with its unseen backgrounds steeped in fog, gave them a sensation -exactly like that of the ocean. Yes, the sea was there in front of -them, down below. They could have no doubt of it, for they felt its -breath fanning their faces.</p> - -<p>He talked to her in the coaxing tone that one uses toward a child.</p> - -<p>"Give me your fingers and let me eat them—they are my bonbons, mine!"</p> - -<p>He put them one after the other into his mouth, and seemed to be -tasting them with gluttonous delight.</p> - -<p>"Oh! how nice they are!—especially the little one. I have never eaten -anything better than the little one."</p> - -<p>Then he threw himself on his knees, placed his elbows on Christiane's -lap, and murmured:</p> - -<p>"'Liane,' are you looking at me?" He called her Liane because she -entwined herself around him in order to embrace him the more closely, -as a plant clings around a tree. "Look at me. I am going to enter your -soul."</p> - -<p>And they exchanged that immovable, persistent glance, which seems truly -to make two beings mingle with one another!</p> - -<p>"We can only love thoroughly by thus possessing one another," he said. -"All the other things of love are but foul pleasures."</p> - -<p>And, face to face, their breaths blending into one, they sought to see -one another's images in the depths of their eyes.</p> - -<p>He murmured: "I love you, Liane. I see your adored heart."</p> - -<p>She replied: "I, too, Paul, see your heart!"</p> - -<p>And, indeed, they did see one another even to the depths of their -hearts and souls, for there was no longer in their hearts and souls -anything but a mad transport of love for one another.</p> - -<p>He said: "Liane, your eye is like the sky. It is blue, with so many -reflections, with so much clearness. It seems to me that I see swallows -passing through them—these, no doubt, must be your thoughts."</p> - -<p>And when they had thus contemplated one another for a long, long time, -they drew nearer still to one another, and embraced softly with little -jerks, gazing once more into each other's eyes between each kiss. -Sometimes he would take her in his arms, and carry her, while he ran -along the stream, which glided toward the gorges of Enval, before -dashing itself into them. It was a narrow glen, where meadows and woods -alternated. Paul rushed over the grass, and now and then he would raise -her up high with his powerful wrists, and exclaim: "Liane, let us fly -away." And with this yearning to fly away, love, their impassioned -love, filled them, harassing, incessant, sorrowful. And everything -around them whetted this desire of their souls, the light atmosphere—a -bird's atmosphere, he said—and the vast blue horizon, in which they -both would fain have taken wing, holding each other by the hand, so -as to disappear above the boundless plain when the night spread its -shadows across it. They would have flown thus across the hazy evening -sky, never to return. Where would they have gone? They knew not; but -what a glorious dream! When he had got out of breath from running while -carrying her in this way, he placed her sitting on a rock in order -to kneel down before her; and, kissing her ankles, he adored her, -murmuring infantile and tender words.</p> - -<p>Had they been lovers in a city, their passion, no doubt, would have -been different, more prudent, more sensual, less ethereal, and less -romantic. But there, in that green country, whose horizon widened the -flights of the soul, alone, without anything to distract them, to -attenuate their instinct of awakened love, they had suddenly plunged -into a passionately poetic attachment made up of ecstasy and frenzy. -The surrounding scenery, the balmy air, the woods, the sweet perfume -of the fields, played for them all day and all night the music of -their love—music which excited them even to madness, as the sound of -tambourines and of shrill flutes drives to acts of savage unreason the -dervish who whirls round with fixed intent.</p> - -<p>One evening, as they were returning to the hotel for dinner, the -Marquis said to them, suddenly: "Andermatt is coming back in four -days. Matters are all arranged. We are to leave the day after his -return. We have been here a long time. We must not prolong mineral -water seasons too much."</p> - -<p>They were as much taken by surprise as if they had heard the end of the -world announced, and during the meal neither of them uttered a word, so -much were they thinking with astonishment of what was about to happen. -So then they would, in a few days, be separated and would no longer -be able to see one another freely. That appeared so impossible and so -extraordinary to them that they could not realize it.</p> - -<p>Andermatt did, in fact, come back at the end of the week. He had -telegraphed in order that two landaus might be sent on to him to meet -the first train.</p> - -<p>Christiane, who had not slept, tormented as she was by a strange and -new emotion, a sort of fear of her husband, a fear mingled with anger, -with inexplicable contempt, and a desire to set him at defiance, had -risen at daybreak, and was awaiting him. He appeared in the first -carriage, accompanied by three gentlemen well attired but modest in -demeanor. The second landau contained four others, who seemed persons -of rank somewhat inferior to the first. The Marquis and Gontran were -astonished. The latter asked: "Who are these people?"</p> - -<p>Andermatt replied: "My shareholders. We are going to establish -the Company this very day, and to nominate the board of directors -immediately."</p> - -<p>He embraced his wife without speaking to her, and almost without -looking at her, so preoccupied was he; and, turning toward the seven -gentlemen, who were standing behind him, silent and respectful:</p> - -<p>"Go and have breakfast, and take a walk," said he. "We'll meet again -here at twelve o'clock."</p> - -<p>They went off without saying anything, like soldiers obeying orders, -and mounting the steps of the hotel one after another, they went in. -Gontran, who had been watching them as they disappeared from view, -asked in a very serious tone:</p> - -<p>"Where did you find them, these 'supers' of yours?"</p> - -<p>The banker smiled: "They are very well-to-do men, moneyed men, -capitalists."</p> - -<p>And, after a pause, he added, with a more significant smile: "They busy -themselves about my affairs."</p> - -<p>Then he repaired to the notary's office to read over again the -documents, of which he had sent the originals, all prepared, some days -before. There he found Doctor Latonne, with whom, moreover, he had been -in correspondence, and they chatted for a long time in low tones, in a -corner of the office, while the clerks' pens ran along the paper, with -the buzzing noise of insects.</p> - -<p>The meeting to establish the Company was fixed for two o'clock. The -notary's study had been fitted up as if for a concert. Two rows -of chairs were placed for the shareholders in front of the table, -where Maître Alain was to take his seat beside his principal clerk. -Maître Alain had put on his official garment in consideration of -the importance of the business in hand. He was a very small man, a -stuttering ball of white flesh.</p> - -<p>Andermatt entered just as it struck two, accompanied by the Marquis, -his brother-in-law, and Bretigny, and followed by the seven gentlemen, -whom Gontran described as "supers." He had the air of a general. -Père Oriol also made his appearance with Colosse by his side. He -seemed uneasy, distrustful, as people always are when about to sign a -document. The last to arrive was Doctor Latonne. He had made his peace -with Andermatt by a complete submission preceded by excuses skillfully -turned, and followed by an offer of his services without any reserve or -restrictions.</p> - -<p>Thereupon, the banker, feeling that he had Latonne in his power, -promised him the post he longed for, of medical inspector of the new -establishment.</p> - -<p>When everyone was in the room, a profound silence reigned. The notary -addressed the meeting: "Gentlemen, take your seats." He gave utterance -to a few words more, which nobody could hear in the confusion caused by -the moving about of the chairs.</p> - -<p>Andermatt lifted up a chair, and placed it in front of his army, in -order to keep his eye on all his supporters; then, when he was seated, -he said:</p> - -<p>"Messieurs, I need not enter into any explanations with you as to -the motive that brings us together. We are going, first of all, to -establish the new Company in which you have consented to become -shareholders. It is my duty, however, to apprise you of a few details, -which have caused us a little embarrassment. I have found it necessary, -before even entering on the undertaking at all, to assure myself that -we could obtain the required authority for the creation of a new -establishment of public utility. This assurance I have got. What -remains to be done with respect to this, I will make it my business -to do. I have the Minister's promise. But another point demands my -attention. We are going, Messieurs, to enter on a struggle with the -old Company of the Enval waters. We shall come forth victorious in -this struggle, victorious and enriched, you may be certain; but, just -as in the days of old, a war cry was necessary for the combatants, we, -combatants in the modern battle, require a name for our station, a name -sonorous, attractive, well fashioned for advertising purposes, which -strikes the ear like the note of a clarion, and penetrates the ear like -a flash of lightning. Now, Messieurs, we are in Enval, and we can not -unbaptize this district. One resource only is left to us. To designate -our establishment, our establishment alone, by a new appellation.</p> - -<p>"Here is what I propose to you: If our bathhouse is to be at the foot -of the knoll, of which M. Oriol, here present, is the proprietor, our -future Casino will be erected on the summit of this same knoll. We may, -therefore, say that this knoll, this mountain—for it is a mountain, a -little mountain—furnishes the site of our establishment, inasmuch as -we have the foot and the top of it. Is it not, therefore, natural to -call our baths the Baths of Mont Oriol, and to attach to this station, -which will become one of the most important in the entire world, the -name of the original proprietor? Render to Cæsar what belongs to Cæsar.</p> - -<p>"And observe, Messieurs, that this is an excellent vocable. People will -talk of 'the Mont Oriol' as they talk of 'the Mont Doré.' It fixes -itself on the eye and in the ear; we can see it well; we can hear it -well; it abides in us—Mont Oriol!—Mont Oriol!—The baths of Mont -Oriol!"</p> - -<p>And Andermatt made this word ring, flung it out like a ball, listening -to the echo of it. He went on, repeating imaginary dialogues: "'You are -going to the baths of Mont Oriol?'</p> - -<p>"'Yes, Madame. People say they are perfect, these waters of Mont Oriol.'</p> - -<p>"'Excellent, indeed. Besides, Mont Oriol is a delightful district.'"</p> - -<p>And he smiled, assumed the air of people chatting to one another, -altered his voice to indicate when the lady was speaking, saluted with -the hand when representing the gentleman.</p> - -<p>Then he resumed, in his natural voice: "Has anyone an objection to -offer?"</p> - -<p>The shareholders answered in chorus: "No, none."</p> - -<p>All the "supers" applauded. Père Oriol, moved, flattered, conquered, -overcome by the deep-rooted pride of an upstart peasant, began to smile -while he twisted his hat about between his hands, and he made a sign -of assent with his head in spite of him, a movement which revealed his -satisfaction, and which Andermatt observed without pretending to see -it. Colosse remained impassive, but was quite as much satisfied as his -father.</p> - -<p>Then Andermatt said to the notary: "Kindly read the instrument whereby -the Company is incorporated, Maître Alain."</p> - -<p>And he resumed his seat. The notary said to his clerk: "Go on, -Marinet."</p> - -<p>Marinet, a wretched consumptive creature, coughed, and with the -intonations of a preacher, and an attempt at declamation, began to -enumerate the statutes relating to the incorporation of an anonymous -Company, called the Company of the Thermal Establishment of Mont Oriol -at Enval with a capital of two millions.</p> - -<p>Père Oriol interrupted him: "A moment, a moment," said he. And he -drew forth from his pocket a few sheets of greasy paper, which during -the past eight days had passed through the hands of all the notaries -and all the men of business of the department. It was a copy of the -statutes which his son and himself by this time were beginning to know -by heart. Then, he slowly fixed his spectacles on his nose, raised -up his head, looked out for the exact point where he could easily -distinguish the letters, and said in a tone of command:</p> - -<p>"Go on from that place, Marinet."</p> - -<p>Colosse, having got close to his chair, also kept his eye on the paper -along with his father.</p> - -<p>And Marinet commenced over again. Then old Oriol, bewildered by the -double task of listening and reading at the same time, tortured by the -apprehension of a word being changed, beset also by the desire to see -whether Andermatt was making some sign to the notary, did not allow -a single line to be got through without stopping ten times the clerk -whose elocutionary efforts he interrupted.</p> - -<p>He kept repeating: "What did you say? What did you say there? I didn't -understand—not so quick!"</p> - -<p>Then turning aside a little toward his son: "What place is he at, -Coloche?"</p> - -<p>Coloche, more self-controlled, replied: "It's all right, father—let -him go on—it's all right."</p> - -<p>The peasant was still distrustful. With the end of his crooked finger -he went on tracing on the paper the words as they were read out, -muttering them between his lips; but he could not fix his attention -at the same time on both matters. When he listened, he did not read, -and he did not hear when he was reading. And he puffed as if he had -been climbing a mountain; he perspired as if he had been digging his -vine-fields under a midday sun, and from time to time, he asked for a -few minutes' rest to wipe his forehead and to take breath, like a man -fighting a duel.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, losing patience, stamped with his foot on the ground. -Gontran, having noticed on a table the "Moniteur du Puy-de-Dome," had -taken it up and was running his eye over it, and Paul, astride on his -chair, with downcast eyes and an anxious heart, was reflecting that -this little man, rosy and corpulent, sitting in front of him, was going -to carry off, next day, the woman whom he loved with all his soul, -Christiane, his Christiane, his fair Christiane, who was his, his -entirely, nothing to anyone save him. And he asked himself whether he -was not going to carry her off this very evening.</p> - -<p>The seven gentlemen remained serious and tranquil.</p> - -<p>At the end of an hour, it was finished. The deed was signed. The notary -made out certificates for the payments on the shares. On being appealed -to, the cashier, M. Abraham Levy, declared that he had received the -necessary deposits. Then the company, from that moment legally -constituted, was announced to be gathered together in general assembly, -all the shareholders being in attendance, for the appointment of a -board of directors and the election of their chairman.</p> - -<p>All the votes with the exception of two, were recorded in favor of -Andermatt's election to the post of chairman. The two dissentients—the -old peasant and his son—had nominated Oriol. Bretigny was appointed -commissioner of superintendence. Then, the Board, consisting of MM. -Andermatt, the Marquis and the Count de Ravenel, Bretigny, the Oriols, -father and son, Doctor Latonne, Abraham Levy, and Simon Zidler, begged -of the remaining shareholders to withdraw, as well as the notary and -his clerk, in order that they, as the governing body, might determine -on the first resolutions, and settle the most important points.</p> - -<p>Andermatt rose up again: "Messieurs, we are entering on the vital -question, that of success, which we must win at any cost.</p> - -<p>"It is with mineral waters as with everything. It is necessary to get -them talked about a great deal, and continually, so that invalids may -drink them.</p> - -<p>"The great modern question, Messieurs, is that of advertising. It is -the god of commerce and of contemporary industry. Without advertising -there is no security. The art of advertising, moreover, is difficult, -complicated, and demands a considerable amount of tact. The first -persons who resorted to this new expedient employed it rudely, -attracting attention by noise, by beating the big drum, and letting off -cannon-shots. Mangin, Messieurs, was only a forerunner. To-day, clamor -is regarded with suspicion, showy placards cause a smile, the crying -out of names in the streets awakens distrust rather than curiosity. And -yet it is necessary to attract public attention, and after having fixed -it, it is necessary to produce conviction. The art, therefore, consists -in discovering the means, the only means which can succeed, having in -our possession something that we desire to sell. We, Messieurs, for our -part, desire to sell water. It is by the physicians that we are to get -the better of the invalids.</p> - -<p>"The most celebrated physicians, Messieurs, are men like ourselves—who -have weaknesses like us. I do not mean to convey that we can corrupt -them. The reputation of the illustrious masters, whose assistance we -require, places them above all suspicion of venality. But what man -is there that cannot be won over by going properly to work with him? -There are also women who cannot be purchased. These it is necessary to -fascinate.</p> - -<p>"Here, then, Messieurs, is the proposition which I am going to make to -you, after having discussed it at great length with Doctor Latonne:</p> - -<p>"We have, in the first place, classified in three leading groups the -maladies submitted for our treatment. These are, first, rheumatism in -all its forms, skin-disease, arthritis, gout, and so forth; secondly, -affections of the stomach, of the intestines and of the liver; thirdly, -all the disorders arising from disturbed circulation, for it is -indisputable that our acidulated baths have an admirable effect on the -circulation.</p> - -<p>"Moreover, Messieurs, the marvelous cure of Père Clovis promises us -miracles. Accordingly, when we have to deal with maladies which these -waters are calculated to cure, we are about to make to the principal -physicians who attend patients for such diseases the following -proposition: 'Messieurs,' we shall say to them, 'come and see, come and -see with your own eyes; follow your patients; we offer you hospitality. -The country is magnificent; you require a rest after your severe labors -during the winter—come! And come not to our houses, worthy professors, -but to your own, for we offer you a cottage, which will belong to you, -if you choose, on exceptional conditions.'"</p> - -<p>Andermatt took breath, and went on in a more subdued tone:</p> - -<p>"Here is how I have tried to work out this idea. We have selected six -lots of land of a thousand meters each. On each of these six lots, -the Bernese 'Chalets Mobiles' Company undertakes to fix one of their -model buildings. We shall place gratuitously these dwellings, as -elegant as they are comfortable, at the disposal of our physicians. -If they are pleased with them, they need only buy the houses from -the Bernese Company; as for the grounds, we shall assign them to the -physicians, who are to pay us back—in invalids. Therefore, Messieurs, -we obtain these multiplied advantages of covering our property with -charming villas which cost us nothing, of attracting thither the -leading physicians of the world and their legion of clients, and above -all of convincing the eminent doctors who will very rapidly become -proprietors in the district of the efficacy of our waters. As to all -the negotiations necessary to bring about these results I take them -upon myself, Messieurs; and I will do so, not as a speculator but as a -man of the world."</p> - -<p>Père Oriol interrupted him. The parsimony which he shared with the -peasantry of Auvergne made him object to this gratuitous assignment of -land.</p> - -<p>Andermatt was inspired with a burst of eloquence. He compared the -agriculturist on a large scale who casts his seed in handfuls into the -teeming soil with the rapacious peasant who counts the grains and never -gets more than half a harvest.</p> - -<p>Then, as Oriol, annoyed by this language, persisted in his objections, -the banker made his board divide, and shut the old man's mouth with six -votes against two.</p> - -<p>He next opened a large morocco portfolio and took out of it plans -of the new establishment—the hotel and the Casino—as well as the -estimates, and the most economical methods of procuring materials, -which had been all prepared by the contractors, so that they might be -approved of and signed before the end of the meeting. The works should -be commenced by the beginning of the week after next.</p> - -<p>The two Oriols alone wanted to investigate and discuss matters. But -Andermatt, becoming irritated, said to them: "Did I ask you for money? -No! Then give me peace! And, if you are not satisfied, we'll take -another division on it."</p> - -<p>Thereupon, they signed along with the remaining members of the Board; -and the meeting terminated.</p> - -<p>All the inhabitants of the place were waiting to see them going out, so -intense was the excitement. The people bowed respectfully to them. As -the two peasants were about to return home, Andermatt said to them:</p> - -<p>"Do not forget that we are all dining together at the hotel. And bring -your girls; I have brought them presents from Paris."</p> - -<p>They were to meet at seven o'clock in the drawing-room of the Hotel -Splendid.</p> - -<p>It was a magnificent dinner to which the banker had invited the -principal bathers and the authorities of the village. Christiane, who -was the hostess, had the curé at her right, and the mayor at her left.</p> - -<p>The conversation was all about the future establishment and the -prospects of the district. The two Oriol girls had found under their -napkins two caskets containing two bracelets of pearls and emeralds, -and wild with delight, they talked as they had never done before, with -Gontran sitting between them. The elder girl herself laughed with all -her heart at the jokes of the young man, who became animated, while he -talked to them, and in his own mind formed about them those masculine -judgments, those judgments daring and secret, which are generated in -the flesh and in the mind, at the sight of every pretty woman.</p> - -<p>Paul did not eat, and did not open his lips. It seemed to him that -his life was going to end to-night. Suddenly he remembered that just -a month had glided away, day by day, since the open-air dinner by the -lake of Tazenat. He had in his soul that vague sense of pain caused -rather by presentiments than by grief, known to lovers alone, that -sense of pain which makes the heart so heavy, the nerves so vibrating -that the slightest noise makes us pant, and the mind so wretchedly sad -that everything we hear assumes a somber hue so as to correspond with -the fixed idea.</p> - -<p>As soon as they had quitted the table, he went to join Christiane in -the drawing-room.</p> - -<p>"I must see you this evening," he said, "presently, immediately, since -I no longer can tell when we may be able to meet. Are you aware that it -is just a month to-day?"</p> - -<p>She replied: "I know it."</p> - -<p>He went on: "Listen! I am going to wait for you on the road to La Roche -Pradière, in front of the village, close to the chestnut-trees. Nobody -will notice your absence at the time. Come quickly in order to bid me -adieu, since to-morrow we part."</p> - -<p>She murmured: "I'll be there in a quarter of an hour."</p> - -<p>And he went out to avoid being in the midst of this crowd which -exasperated him.</p> - -<p>He took the path through the vineyards which they had followed one -day—the day when they had gazed together at the Limagne for the first -time. And soon he was on the highroad. He was alone, and he felt alone, -alone in the world. The immense, invisible plain increased still more -this sense of isolation. He stopped in the very spot where they had -seated themselves on the occasion when he recited Baudelaire's lines -on Beauty. How far away it was already! And, hour by hour, he retraced -in his memory all that had since taken place. Never had he been so -happy, never! Never had he loved so distractedly, and at the same time -so chastely, so devotedly. And he recalled that evening by the "gour" -of Tazenat, only a month from to-day—the cool wood mellowed with a -pale luster, the little lake of silver, and the big fishes that skimmed -along its surface; and their return, when he saw her walking in front -of him with light and shadow falling on her in turn, the moon's rays -playing on her hair, on her shoulders, and on her arms through the -leaves of the trees. These were the sweetest hours he had tasted in his -life. He turned round to ascertain whether she might not have arrived. -He did not see her, but he perceived the moon, which appeared at the -horizon. The same moon which had risen for his first declaration of -love had risen now for his first adieu.</p> - -<p>A shiver ran through his body, an icy shiver. The autumn had come—the -autumn that precedes the winter. He had not till now felt this first -touch of cold, which pierced his frame suddenly like a menace of -misfortune.</p> - -<p>The white road, full of dust, stretched in front of him, like a river -between its banks. A form at that moment rose up at the turn of -the road. He recognized her at once; and he waited for her without -flinching, trembling with the mysterious bliss of feeling her drawing -near, of seeing her coming toward him, for him.</p> - -<p>She walked with lingering steps, without venturing to call out to him, -uneasy at not finding him yet, for he remained concealed under a tree, -and disturbed by the deep silence, by the clear solitude of the earth -and sky. And, before her, her shadow advanced, black and gigantic, some -distance away from her, appearing to carry toward him something of her, -before herself.</p> - -<p>Christiane stopped, and the shadow remained also motionless, lying -down, fallen on the road.</p> - -<p>Paul quickly took a few steps forward as far as the place where the -form of the head rounded itself on her path. Then, as if he wanted to -lose no portion of her, he sank on his knees, and prostrating himself, -placed his mouth on the edge of the dark silhouette. Just as a thirsty -dog drinks crawling on his belly in a spring he began to kiss the dust -passionately, following the outlines of the beloved shadow. In this -way, he moved toward her on his hands and knees, covering with caresses -the lines of her body, as if to gather up with his lips the obscure -image, dear because it was hers, that lay spread along the ground.</p> - -<p>She, surprised, a little frightened even, waited till he was at her -feet before she had the courage to speak to him; then, when he had -lifted up his head, still remaining on his knees, but now straining her -with both arms, she asked:</p> - -<p>"What is the matter with you, to-night?"</p> - -<p>He replied: "Liane, I am going to lose you."</p> - -<p>She thrust all her fingers into the thick hair of her lover, and, -bending down, held back his forehead in order to kiss his eyes.</p> - -<p>"Why lose me?" said she, smiling, full of confidence.</p> - -<p>"Because we are going to separate to-morrow."</p> - -<p>"We separate? For a very short time, darling."</p> - -<p>"One never knows. We shall not again find days like those that we -passed here."</p> - -<p>"We shall have others which will be as lovely."</p> - -<p>She raised him up, drew him under the tree, where he had been awaiting -her, made him sit down close to her, but lower down, so that she might -have her hand constantly in his hair; and she talked in a serious -strain, like a thoughtful, ardent, and resolute woman, who loves, who -has already provided against everything, who instinctively knows what -must be done, who has made up her mind for everything.</p> - -<p>"Listen, my darling. I am very free at Paris. William never bothers -himself about me. His business concerns are enough for him. Therefore, -as you are not married, I will go to see you. I will go to see you -every day, sometimes in the morning before breakfast, sometimes in the -evening, on account of the servants, who might chatter if I went out at -the same hour. We can meet as often as here, even more than here, for -we shall not have to fear inquisitive persons."</p> - -<p>But he repeated with his head on her knees, and her waist tightly -clasped: "Liane, Liane, I am going to lose you!"</p> - -<p>She became impatient at this unreasonable grief, at this childish grief -in this vigorous frame, while she, so fragile compared with him, was -yet so sure of herself, so sure that nothing could part them.</p> - -<p>He murmured: "If you wished it, Liane, we might fly off together, we -might go far away, into a beautiful country full of flowers where we -could love one another. Say, do you wish that we should go off together -this evening—are you willing?"</p> - -<p>But she shrugged her shoulders, a little nervous, a little -dissatisfied, at his not having listened to her, for this was not the -time for dreams and soft puerilities. It was necessary now for them to -show themselves energetic and prudent, and to find out a way in which -they could continue to love one another without rousing suspicion.</p> - -<p>She said in reply: "Listen, darling! we must thoroughly understand our -position, and commit no mistakes or imprudences. First of all, are you -sure about your servants? The thing to be most feared is lest some one -should give information or write an anonymous letter to my husband. Of -his own accord, he will guess nothing. I know William well."</p> - -<p>This name, twice repeated, all at once had an irritating effect on -Paul's nerves. He said: "Oh! don't speak to me about him this evening."</p> - -<p>She was astonished: "Why? It is quite necessary, however. Oh! I assure -you that he has scarcely anything to do with me."</p> - -<p>She had divined his thoughts. An obscure jealousy, as yet unconscious, -was awakened within him. And suddenly, sinking on his knees and seizing -her hands:</p> - -<p>"Listen, Liane! What terms are you on with him?"</p> - -<p>"Why—why—very good!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I know. But listen—understand me clearly. He is—he is your -husband, in fact—and—and—you don't know how much I have been -brooding over this for some time past—how much it torments, tortures -me. You know what I mean. Tell me!"</p> - -<p>She hesitated a few seconds, then in a flash she realized his entire -meaning, and with an outburst of indignant candor:</p> - -<p>"Oh! my darling!—can you—can you think such a thing? Oh! I am -yours—do you understand?—yours alone—since I love you—oh! Paul!"</p> - -<p>He let his head sink on the young woman's lap, and in a very soft -voice, said:</p> - -<p>"But!—after all, Liane, you know he is your husband. What will you do? -Have you thought of that? Tell me! What will you do this evening or -to-morrow? For you cannot—always, always say 'No' to him!"</p> - -<p>She murmured, speaking also in a very low tone: "I have pretended to -be <i>enceinte</i>, and—and that is enough for him. Oh! there is scarcely -anything between us—Come! say no more about this, my darling. You -don't know how this wounds me. Trust me, since I love you!"</p> - -<p>He did not move, breathing hard and kissing her dress, while she -caressed his face with her amorous, dainty Fingers.</p> - -<p>But, all of a sudden, she said: "We must go back, for they will notice -that we are both absent."</p> - -<p>They embraced each other, clinging for a long time to one another in a -clasp that might well have crushed their bones.</p> - -<p>Then she rushed away so as to be back first and to enter the hotel -quickly, while he watched her departing and vanishing from his sight, -oppressed with sadness, as if all his happiness and all his hopes had -taken flight along with her.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.</a></h5> - - -<h4>THE SPA AGAIN</h4> - - -<p>The station of Enval could hardly be recognized on the first of July -of the following year. On the summit of the knoll, standing between -the two outlets of the valley, rose a building in the Moorish style of -architecture, bearing on its front the word "Casino" in letters of gold.</p> - -<p>A little wood had been utilized for the purpose of creating a small -park on the slope facing the Limagne. Lower down, among the vines, six -chalets here and there showed their <i>façades</i> of polished wood. On the -slope facing the south, an immense structure was visible at a distance -to travelers, who perceived it on their way from Riom.</p> - -<p>This was the Grand Hotel of Mont Oriol. And exactly below it, at the -very foot of the hill, a square house, simpler and more spacious, -surrounded by a garden, through which ran the rivulet which flowed down -from the gorges, offered to invalids the miraculous cure promised by a -pamphlet of Doctor Latonne. On the <i>façade</i> could be read: "Thermal -baths of Mont Oriol." Then, on the right wing, in smaller letters: -"Hydropathy.—Stomach-washing.—Piscina with running water." And, on -the left wing: "Medical institute of automatic gymnastics."</p> - -<p>All this was white, with a fresh whiteness, shining and crude. Workmen -were still occupied in completing it—house-painters, plumbers, and -laborers employed in digging, although the establishment had already -been a month open.</p> - -<p>Its success, moreover, had since the start, surpassed the hopes of -its founders. Three great physicians, three celebrities, Professor -Mas-Roussel, Professor Cloche, and Professor Remusot, had taken the new -station under their patronage, and consented to sojourn for sometime in -the villas of the Bernese "Chalets Mobiles" Company, placed at their -disposal by the Board intrusted with the management of the waters.</p> - -<p>Under their influence a crowd of invalids flocked to the place. The -Grand Hotel of Mont Oriol was full.</p> - -<p>Although the baths had commenced working since the first days of June, -the official opening of the station had been postponed till the first -of July, in order to attract a great number of people. The <i>fête</i> was -to commence at three o'clock with the ceremony of blessing the springs; -and in the evening, a magnificent performance, followed by fireworks -and a ball, would bring together all the bathers of the place, as well -as those of the adjoining stations, and the principal inhabitants of -Clermont-Ferrand and Riom.</p> - -<p>The Casino on the summit of the hill was hidden from view by the flags. -Nothing could be seen any longer but blue, red, white, yellow, a kind -of dense and palpitating cloud; while from the tops of the gigantic -masts planted along the walks in the park, huge oriflammes curled -themselves in the blue sky with serpentine windings.</p> - -<p>M. Petrus Martel, who had been appointed conductor of this new Casino, -seemed to think that under this cloud of flags he had become the -all-powerful captain of some fantastic ship; and he gave orders to the -white-aproned waiters with the resounding and terrible voice which -admirals need in order to exercise command under fire. His vibrating -words, borne on by the wind, were heard even in the village.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, out of breath already, appeared on the terrace. Petrus -Martel advanced to meet him and bowed to him in a lordly fashion.</p> - -<p>"Everything is going on well?" inquired the banker.</p> - -<p>"Everything is going on well, my dear President."</p> - -<p>"If anyone wants me, I am to be found in the medical inspector's study. -We have a meeting this morning."</p> - -<p>And he went down the hill again. In front of the door of the thermal -establishment, the overseer and the cashier, carried off also from the -other Company, which had become the rival Company, but doomed without -a possible contest, rushed forward to meet their master. The ex-jailer -made a military salute. The other bent his head like a poor person -receiving alms. Andermatt asked:</p> - -<p>"Is the inspector here?"</p> - -<p>The overseer replied: "Yes, Monsieur le President, all the gentlemen -have arrived."</p> - -<p>The banker passed through the vestibule, in the midst of bathers and -respectful waiters, turned to the right, opened a door, and found in a -spacious apartment of serious aspect, full of books and busts of men of -science, all the members of the Board at present in Enval assembled: -his father-in-law the Marquis, and his brother-in-law Gontran, the -Oriols, father and son, who had almost been transformed into gentlemen -wearing frock-coats of such length that—with their own tallness, they -looked like advertisements for a mourning-warehouse—Paul Bretigny, and -Doctor Latonne.</p> - -<p>After some rapid hand-shaking, they took their seats, and Andermatt -commenced to address them:</p> - -<p>"It remains for us to regulate an important matter, the naming of -the springs. On this subject I differ entirely in opinion from the -inspector. The doctor proposes to give to our three principal springs -the names of the three leaders of the medical profession who are -here. Assuredly, there would in this be a flattery which might touch -them and win them over to us still more. But be sure, Messieurs, that -it would alienate from us forever those among their distinguished -professional brethren who have not yet responded to our invitation, and -whom we should convince, at the cost of our best efforts and of every -sacrifice, of the sovereign efficacy of our waters. Yes, Messieurs, -human nature is unchangeable; it is necessary to know it and to -make use of it. Never would Professors Plantureau, De Larenard, and -Pascalis, to refer only to these three specialists in affections of the -stomach and intestines, send their patients to be cured by the water -of the Mas-Roussel Spring, the Cloche Spring, or the Remusot Spring. -For these patients and the entire public would in that case be somewhat -disposed to believe that it was by Professors Remusot, Cloche, and -Mas-Roussel that our water and all its therapeutic properties had been -discovered. There is no doubt, Messieurs, that the name of Gubler, with -which the original spring at Chatel-Guyon was baptized, for a long time -prejudiced against these waters, to-day in a prosperous condition, a -section, at least, of the great physicians, who might have patronized -it from the start.</p> - -<p>"I accordingly propose to give quite simply the name of my wife to the -spring first discovered and the names of the Mademoiselles Oriol to -the other two. We shall thus have the Christiane, the Louise, and the -Charlotte Springs. This suits very well; it is very nice. What do you -say to it?"</p> - -<p>His suggestion was adopted even by Doctor Latonne, who added: "We might -then beg of MM. Mas-Roussel, Cloche, and Remusot to be godfathers and -to offer their arms to the godmothers."</p> - -<p>"Excellent, excellent," said Andermatt. "I am hurrying to meet them. -And they will consent. I may answer for them—they will consent. Let -us, therefore, reassemble at three o'clock in the church where the -procession is to be formed."</p> - -<p>And he went off at a running pace. The Marquis and Gontran followed him -almost immediately. The Oriols, father and son, with tall hats on their -heads, hastened to walk in their turn side by side, grave looking and -all in black, on the white road; and Doctor Latonne said to Paul, who -had only arrived the previous evening, to be present at the <i>fête:</i></p> - -<p>"I have detained you, Monsieur, in order to show you a thing from which -I expect marvelous results. It is my medical institute of automatic -gymnastics."</p> - -<p>He took him by the arm, and led him in. But they had scarcely reached -the vestibule when a waiter at the baths stopped the doctor:</p> - -<p>"M. Riquier is waiting for his wash."</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne had, last year, spoken disparagingly of the stomach -washings, extolled and practiced by Doctor Bonnefille, in the -establishment of which he was inspector. But time had modified his -opinion, and the Baraduc probe had become the great instrument of -torture of the new inspector, who plunged it with an infantile delight -into every gullet.</p> - -<p>He inquired of Paul Bretigny: "Have you ever seen this little -operation?"</p> - -<p>The other replied: "No, never."</p> - -<p>"Come on then, my dear fellow—it is very curious."</p> - -<p>They entered the shower-bath room, where M. Riquier, the brick-colored -man, who was this year trying the newly discovered springs, as he had -tried, every summer, every fresh station, was waiting in a wooden -armchair.</p> - -<p>Like some executed criminal of olden times, he was squeezed and choked -up in a kind of straight waistcoat of oilcloth, which was intended to -preserve his clothes from stains and splashes; and he had the wretched, -restless, and pained look of patients on whom a surgeon is about to -operate.</p> - -<p>As soon as the doctor appeared, the waiter took up a long tube, which -had three divisions near the middle, and which had the appearance of -a thin serpent with a double tail. Then the man fixed one of the -ends to the extremity of a little cock communicating with the spring. -The second was let fall into a glass receiver, into which would be -presently discharged the liquids rejected by the patient's stomach; and -the medical inspector, seizing with a steady hand the third arm of this -conduit-pipe, drew it, with an air of amiability, toward M. Riquier's -jaw, passed it into his mouth, and guiding it dexterously, slipped -it into his throat, driving it in more and more with the thumb and -index-finger, in a gracious and benevolent fashion, repeating:</p> - -<p>"Very good! very good! very good! That will do, that will do; that will -do; that will do exactly!"</p> - -<p>M. Riquier, with staring eyes, purple cheeks, lips covered with foam, -panted for breath, gasped as if he were suffocating, and had agonizing -fits of coughing; and, clutching the arms of the chair, he made -terrible efforts to get rid of that beastly india-rubber which was -penetrating into his body.</p> - -<p>When he had swallowed about a foot and a half of it, the doctor said: -"We are at the bottom. Turn it on!"</p> - -<p>The attendant thereupon turned on the cock, and soon the patient's -stomach became visibly swollen, having been filled up gradually with -the warm water of the spring.</p> - -<p>"Cough," said the physician, "cough, in order to facilitate the -descent."</p> - -<p>In place of coughing, the poor man had a rattling in the throat, and -shaken with convulsions, he looked as if his eyes were going to jump -out of his head.</p> - -<p>Then suddenly a light gurgling could be heard on the ground close to -the armchair. The spout of the tube with the two passages had at last -begun to work; and the stomach now emptied itself into this glass -receiver where the doctor searched eagerly for the indications of -catarrh and the recognizable traces of imperfect digestion.</p> - -<p>"You are not to eat any more green peas," said he, "or salad. Oh! no -salad! You cannot digest it at all. No more strawberries either! I have -already repeated to you ten times, no strawberries!"</p> - -<p>M. Riquier seemed raging with anger. He excited himself now without -being able to utter a word on account of this tube, which stopped up -his throat. But when, the washing having been finished, the doctor had -delicately drawn out the probe from his interior, he exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"Is it my fault if I am eating every day filth that ruins my health? -Isn't it you that should watch the meals supplied by your hotel-keeper? -I have come to your new cook-shop because they used to poison me at -the old one with abominable food, and I am worse than ever in your big -barrack of a Mont Oriol inn, upon my honor!"</p> - -<p>The doctor had to appease him, and promised over and over again to have -the invalids' food at the <i>table d'hôte</i> submitted beforehand to his -inspection. Then, he took Paul Bretigny's arm again, and said as he led -him away:</p> - -<p>"Here are the extremely rational principles on which I have established -my special treatment by the self-moving gymnastics, which we are -going to inspect. You know my system of organometric medicine, don't -you? I maintain that a great portion of our maladies entirely proceed -from the excessive development of some one organ which encroaches on -a neighboring organ, impedes its functions, and, in a little while, -destroys the general harmony of the body, whence arise the most serious -disturbances.</p> - -<p>"Now, the exercise is, along with the shower-bath and the thermal -treatment, one of the most powerful means of restoring the equilibrium -and bringing back the encroaching parts to their normal proportions.</p> - -<p>"But how are we to determine the man to make the exercise? There is -not merely the act of walking, of mounting on horseback, of swimming -or rowing—a considerable physical effort. There is also and above -all a moral effort. It is the mind which determines, draws along, and -sustains the body. The men of energy are men of movement. Now energy is -in the soul and not in the muscles. The body obeys the vigorous will.</p> - -<p>"It is not necessary to think, my dear friend, of giving courage to -the cowardly or resolution to the weak. But we can do something else, -we can do more—we can suppress mental energy, suppress moral effort -and leave only physical subsisting. This moral effort, I replace with -advantage by a foreign and purely mechanical force. Do you understand? -No, not very well. Let us go in."</p> - -<p>He opened a door leading into a large apartment, in which were ranged -fantastic looking instruments, big armchairs with wooden legs, horses -made of rough deal, articulated boards, and movable bars stretched -in front of chairs fixed in the ground. And all these objects were -connected with complicated machinery, which was set in motion by -turning handles.</p> - -<p>The doctor went on: "Look here. We have four principal kinds of -exercise. These are walking, equitation, swimming, and rowing. Each of -these exercises develops different members, acts in a special fashion. -Now, we have them here—the entire four—produced by artificial means. -All you have to do is to let yourself act, while thinking of nothing, -and you can run, mount on horseback, swim, or row for an hour, without -the mind taking any part—the slightest part in the world—in this -entirely muscular work."</p> - -<p>At that moment, M. Aubry-Pasteur entered, followed by a man whose -tucked-up sleeves displayed the vigorous biceps on each arm. The -engineer was as fat as ever. He was walking with his legs spread Wide -apart and his arms held out from his body, While he panted for breath.</p> - -<p>The doctor said: "You will understand by looking on at it yourself."</p> - -<p>And addressing his patient: "Well, my dear Monsieur, what are we going -to do to-day? Walking or equitation?"</p> - -<p>M. Aubry-Pasteur, who pressed Paul's hand, replied: "I would like a -little walking seated; that fatigues me less."</p> - -<p>M. Latonne continued: "We have, in fact, walking seated and walking -erect. Walking erect, while more efficacious, is rather painful. I -procure it by means of pedals on which you mount and which set your -legs in motion while you maintain your equilibrium by clinging to -rings fastened to the wall. But here is an example of walking while -seated."</p> - -<p>The engineer had fallen back into a rocking armchair, and he placed his -legs in the wooden legs with movable joints attached to this seat. His -thighs, calves, and ankles were strapped down in such a way that he was -unable to make any voluntary movement; then, the man with the tucked-up -sleeves, seizing the handle, turned it round with all his strength. The -armchair, at first, swayed to and fro like a hammock; then, suddenly, -the patient's legs went out, stretching forward and bending back, -advancing and returning, with extreme speed.</p> - -<p>"He is running," said the doctor, who then gave the order: "Quietly! Go -at a walking pace."</p> - -<p>The man, turning the handle more slowly, caused the fat engineer to -do the sitting walk in a more moderate fashion, which ludicrously -distorted all the movements of his body.</p> - -<p>Two other patients next made their appearance, both of them enormous, -and followed also by two attendants with naked arms.</p> - -<p>They were hoisted upon wooden horses, which, set in motion, began -immediately to jump along the room, shaking their riders in an -abominable manner.</p> - -<p>"Gallop!" cried the doctor. And the artificial animals, rushing like -waves and capsizing like ships, fatigued the two patients so much that -they began to scream out together in a panting and pitiful tone:</p> - -<p>"Enough! enough! I can't stand it any longer! Enough!"</p> - -<p>The physician said in a tone of command: "Stop!" He then added: "Take -breath for a little while. You will go on again in five minutes."</p> - -<p>Paul Bretigny, who was choking with suppressed laughter, drew attention -to the fact that the riders were not warm, while the handle-turners -were perspiring.</p> - -<p>"If you inverted the rôles," said he, "would it not be better?"</p> - -<p>The doctor gravely replied: "Oh! not at all, my dear friend. We must -not confound exercise and fatigue. The movement of the man who is -turning the wheel is injurious, while the movement of the walker or the -rider is beneficial."</p> - -<p>But Paul noticed a lady's saddle.</p> - -<p>"Yes," said the physician; "the evening is reserved for the other sex. -The men are no longer admitted after twelve o'clock. Come, then, and -look at the dry swimming."</p> - -<p>A system of movable little boards screwed together at their ends and at -their centers, stretched out in lozenge-shape or closing into squares, -like that children's game which carries along soldiers who are spurred -on, permitted three swimmers to be garroted and mangled at the same -time.</p> - -<p>The doctor said: "I need not extol to you the benefits of dry -swimming, which does not moisten the body except by perspiration, and -consequently does not expose our imaginary bather to any danger of -rheumatism."</p> - -<p>But a waiter, with a card in his hand, came to look for the doctor.</p> - -<p>"The Duc de Ramas, my dear friend. I must leave you. Excuse me."</p> - -<p>Paul, left there alone, turned round. The two cavaliers were trotting -afresh. M. Aubry-Pasteur was walking still; and the three natives of -Auvergne, with their arms all but broken and their backs cracking with -thus shaking the patients on whom they were operating, were quite out -of breath. They looked as if they were grinding coffee.</p> - -<p>When he had reached the open air, Bretigny saw Doctor Honorat watching, -along with his wife, the preparations for the <i>fête</i>. They began to -chat, gazing at the flags which crowned the hill with a kind of halo.</p> - -<p>"Is it at the church the procession is to be formed?" the physician -asked his wife.</p> - -<p>"It is at the church."</p> - -<p>"At three o'clock?"</p> - -<p>"At three o'clock."</p> - -<p>"The professors will be there?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, they will accompany the lady-sponsors."</p> - -<p>The next persons to stop were the ladies Paille. Then, came the -Monecus, father and daughter. But as he was going to breakfast alone -with his friend Gontran at the Casino Café, he slowly made his way up -to it. Paul, who had arrived the night before, had not had an interview -with his comrade for the past month; and he was longing to tell him -many boulevard stories—stories about gay women and houses of pleasure.</p> - -<p>They remained chattering away till half past two when Petrus Martel -came to inform them that people were on their way to the church.</p> - -<p>"Let us go and look for Christiane," said Gontran.</p> - -<p>"Let us go," returned Paul.</p> - -<p>They found her standing on the steps of the new hotel. She had the -hollow cheeks and the swarthy complexion of pregnant women; and her -figure indicated a near accouchement.</p> - -<p>"I was waiting for you," she said. "William is gone on before us. He -has so many things to do to-day."</p> - -<p>She cast toward Paul Bretigny a glance full of tenderness, and took his -arm. They went quietly on their way, avoiding the stones.</p> - -<p>She kept repeating: "How heavy I am! How heavy I am! I am no longer -able to walk. I am so much afraid of falling!"</p> - -<p>He did not reply, and carefully held her up, without seeking to meet -her eyes which she turned toward him incessantly.</p> - -<p>In front of the church, a dense crowd was awaiting them.</p> - -<p>Andermatt cried: "At last! at last! Come, make haste. See, this is the -order: two choir-boys, two chanters in surplices, the cross, the holy -water, the priest, then Christiane with Professor Cloche, Mademoiselle -Louise with Professor Remusot, and Mademoiselle Charlotte with -Professor Mas-Roussel. Next come the members of the Board, the medical -body, then the public. This is understood. Forward!"</p> - -<p>The ecclesiastical staff thereupon left the church, taking their places -at the head of the procession. Then a tall gentleman with white hair -brushed back over his ears, the typical "scientist," in accordance with -the academic form, approached Madame Andermatt, and saluted her with a -low bow.</p> - -<p>When he had straightened himself up again, with his head uncovered, in -order to display his beautiful, scientific head, and his hat resting -on his thigh with an imposing air as if he had learned to walk at the -Comédie Française, and to show the people his rosette of officer of the -Legion of Honor, too big for a modest man.</p> - -<p>He began to talk: "Your husband, Madame, has been speaking to me -about you just now, and about your condition which gives rise to some -affectionate disquietude. He has told me about your doubts and your -hesitations as to the probable moment of your delivery."</p> - -<p>She reddened to the temples, and she murmured: "Yes, I believed that I -would be a mother a very long time before the event. Now I can't tell -either—I can't tell either——"</p> - -<p>She faltered in a state of utter confusion.</p> - -<p>A voice from behind them said: "This station has a very great future -before it. I have already obtained surprising effects."</p> - -<p>It was Professor Remusot addressing his companion, Louise Oriol. This -gentleman was small, with yellow, unkempt hair, and a frock-coat badly -cut, the dirty look of a slovenly savant.</p> - -<p>Professor Mas-Roussel, who gave his arm to Charlotte Oriol, was a -handsome physician, without beard or mustache, smiling, well-groomed, -hardly turning gray as yet, a little fleshy, and, with his smooth, -clean-shaven face, resembling neither a priest nor an actor, as was the -case with Doctor Latonne.</p> - -<p>Next came the members of the Board, with Andermatt at their head, and -the tall hats of old Oriol and his son towering above them.</p> - -<p>Behind them came another row of tall hats, the medical body of Enval, -among whom Doctor Bonnefille was not included, his place, indeed, being -taken by two new physicians, Doctor Black, a very short old man almost -a dwarf, whose excessive piety had surprised the whole district since -the day of his arrival; then a very good-looking young fellow, very -much given to flirtation, and wearing a small hat, Doctor Mazelli, an -Italian attached to the person of the Duc de Ramas—others said, to the -person of the Duchesse.</p> - -<p>And behind them could be seen the public, a flood of people—bathers, -peasants, and inhabitants of the adjoining towns.</p> - -<p>The ceremony of blessing the springs was very short. The Abbé Litre -sprinkled them one after the other with holy water, which made Doctor -Honorat say that he was going to give them new properties with chloride -of sodium. Then all the persons specially invited entered the large -reading-room, where a collation had been served.</p> - -<p>Paul said to Gontran: "How pretty the little Oriol girls have become!"</p> - -<p>"They are charming, my dear fellow."</p> - -<p>"You have not seen M. le President?" suddenly inquired the ex-jailer -overseer.</p> - -<p>"Yes, he is over there, in the corner."</p> - -<p>"Père Clovis is gathering a big crowd in front of the door."</p> - -<p>Already, while moving in the direction of the springs for the purpose -of having them blessed, the entire procession had filed off in front of -the old invalid, cured the year before, and now again more paralyzed -than ever. He would stop the visitors on the road and the last-comers -as a matter of choice, in order to tell them his story:</p> - -<p>"These waters here, you see, are no good—they cure, 'tis true, but you -relapse again afterward, and after this relapse you're half a corpse. -As for me, my legs were better before, and here I am now with my arms -gone in consequence of the cure. And my legs, they're iron, but iron -that you have to cut before it bends."</p> - -<p>Andermatt, filled with vexation, had tried to prosecute him in a court -of justice and to get him sent to jail for having depreciated the -waters of Mont Oriol and having attempted extortion. But he had not -succeeded in obtaining a conviction or in shutting the old fellow's -mouth.</p> - -<p>The moment he was informed that the old vagabond was babbling before -the door of the establishment, he rushed out to make Clovis keep silent.</p> - -<p>At the side of the highroad, in the center of an excited crowd, he -heard angry voices. People pressed forward to listen and to see. Some -ladies asked: "What is this?" Some men replied: "'Tis an invalid, whom -the waters here have finished." Others believed that an infant had just -been squashed. It was also said that a poor woman had got an attack of -epilepsy.</p> - -<p>Andermatt broke through the crowd, as he knew how to do, by violently -pushing his little round stomach between the stomachs of other people. -"It proves," Gontran remarked, "the superiority of balls to points."</p> - -<p>Père Clovis, sitting on the ditch, whined about his pains, recounted -his sufferings in a sniveling tone, while standing in front of him, -and separating him from the public, the Oriols, father and son, -exasperated, were hurling insults and threats at him as loudly as ever -they could.</p> - -<p>"That's not true," cried Colosse. "This fellow is a liar, a sham, a -poacher, who runs all night through the wood."</p> - -<p>But the old fellow, without getting excited, kept reiterating in a -high, piercing voice which was heard above the vociferations of the two -Oriols: "They've killed me, my good monchieus, they've killed me with -their water. They bathed me in it by force last year. And here I am at -this moment—here I am!"</p> - -<p>Andermatt imposed silence on all, and stooping toward the impotent man, -said to him, looking into the depths of his eyes: "If you are worse, it -is your own fault, mind. If you listen to me, I undertake to cure you, -I do, with fifteen or twenty baths at most. Come and look me up at the -establishment in an hour, when the people have all gone away, my good -father. In the meantime, hold your tongue."</p> - -<p>The old fellow had understood. He became silent, then, after a pause, -he answered: "I'm always willing to give it a fair trial. You'll see."</p> - -<p>Andermatt caught the two Oriols by the arms and quickly dragged them -away; while Père Clovis remained stretched on the grass between his -crutches, at the side of the road, blinking his eyes under the rays of -the sun.</p> - -<p>The puzzled crowd kept pressing round him. Some gentlemen questioned -him, but he did not reply, as though he had not heard or understood; -and as this curiosity, futile just now, ended by fatiguing him, he -began to sing, bareheaded, in a voice as false as it was shrill, an -interminable ditty in an unintelligible dialect.</p> - -<p>The crowd ebbed away gradually. Only a few children remained standing -a long time in front of him, with their fingers in their noses, -contemplating him.</p> - -<p>Christiane, exceedingly tired, had gone in to take a rest. Paul and -Gontran walked about through the new park in the midst of the visitors. -Suddenly they saw the company of players, who had also deserted the old -Casino, to attach themselves to the growing fortunes of the new.</p> - -<p>Mademoiselle Odelin, who had become quite fashionable, was leaning -as she walked on the arm of her mother, who had assumed an air of -importance. M. Petitnivelle, of the Vaudeville, appeared very attentive -to these ladies, who followed M. Lapalme of the Grand Theater of -Bordeaux, arguing with the musicians just as of old, the <i>maestro</i> -Saint Landri, the pianist Javel, the flautist Noirot, and the -double-bass Nicordi.</p> - -<p>On perceiving Paul and Gontran, Saint Landri rushed toward them. He -had, during the winter, got a very small musical composition performed -in a very small out-of-the-way theater; but the newspapers had spoken -of him with a certain favor, and he now treated Massenet, Beyer, and -Gounod contemptuously.</p> - -<p>He stretched forth both hands with an outburst of friendly regard, -and immediately proceeded to repeat what he had been saying to those -gentlemen of the orchestra over whom he was the conductor.</p> - -<p>"Yes, my dear friend, it is finished, finished, finished, the hackneyed -style of the old school. The melodists have had their day. This is -what people cannot understand. Music is a new art, melody is its first -lisping. The ignorant ear loves the burden of a song. It takes a -child's pleasure, a savage's pleasure in it. I may add that the ears -of the people or of the ingenuous public, the simple ears, will always -love little songs, airs, in a word. It is an amusement similar to that -in which the frequenters of <i>café</i> concerts indulge. I am going to -make use of a comparison in order to make myself understood. The eye -of the rustic loves crude colors and glaring pictures; the eye of the -intelligent representative of the middle class who is not artistic -loves shades benevolently pretentious and affecting subjects; but the -artistic eye, the refined eye, loves, understands, and distinguishes -the imperceptible modulations of a single tone, the mysterious -harmonies of light touches invisible to most people.</p> - -<p>"It is the same with literature. Doorkeepers like romances of -adventure, the middle class like novels which appeal to the feelings; -while the real lovers of literature care only for the artistic books -which are incomprehensible to the others. When an ordinary citizen -talks music to me I feel a longing to kill him. And when it is at the -opera, I ask him: 'Are you capable of telling me whether the third -violin has made a false note in the overture of the third act? No. Then -be silent. You have no ear. The man who does not understand, at the -same time, the whole and all the instruments separately in an orchestra -has no ear, and is no musician. There you are! Good night!'"</p> - -<p>He turned round on his heel, and resumed: "For an artist all music is -in a chord. Ah! my friend, certain chords madden me, cause a flood of -inexpressible happiness to penetrate all my flesh. I have to-day an ear -so well exercised, so finished, so matured, that I end by liking even -certain false chords, just like a virtuoso whose fully-developed taste -amounts to a form of depravity. I am beginning to be a vitiated person -who seeks for extreme sensations of hearing. Yes, my friends, certain -false notes. What delights! What perverse and profound delights! How -this moves, how it shakes the nerves! how it scratches the ear—how it -scratches! how it scratches!"</p> - -<p>He rubbed his hands together rapturously, and he hummed: "You shall -hear my opera—my opera—my opera. You shall hear my opera."</p> - -<p>Gontran said: "You are composing an opera?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I have finished it." But the commanding voice of Petrus Martel -resounded:</p> - -<p>"You understand perfectly! A yellow rocket, and off you go!"</p> - -<p>He was giving orders for the fireworks. They joined him, and he -explained his arrangements by showing with his outstretched arm, as -if he were threatening a hostile fleet, stakes of white wood on the -mountain above the gorge, on the opposite side of the valley.</p> - -<p>"It is over there that they are to be shot out. I told my pyrotechnist -to be at his post at half past eight. The very moment the spectacle is -over, I will give the signal from here by a yellow rocket, and then he -will illuminate the opening piece."</p> - -<p>The Marquis made his appearance: "I am going to drink a glass of -water," he said.</p> - -<p>Paul and Gontran accompanied him, and again descended the hill. On -reaching the establishment, they saw Père Clovis, who had got there, -sustained by the two Oriols, followed by Andermatt and by the doctor, -and making, every time he trailed his legs on the ground, contortions -suggestive of extreme pain.</p> - -<p>"Let us go in," said Gontran, "this will be funny."</p> - -<p>The paralytic was placed sitting in an armchair. Then Andermatt said to -him: "Here is what I propose, old cheat that you are. You are going to -be cured immediately by taking two baths a day. And the moment you walk -you'll have two hundred francs."</p> - -<p>The paralytic began to groan: "My legs, they are iron, my good -Monchieu!"</p> - -<p>Andermatt made him hold his tongue, and went on: "Now, listen! You -shall again have two hundred francs every year up to the time of your -death—you understand—up to the time of your death, if you continue to -experience the salutary effect of our waters."</p> - -<p>The old fellow was in a state of perplexity. The continuous cure was -opposed to his plan of action. He asked in a hesitating tone: "But -when—when it is closed up—this box of yours—if this should take hold -of me again—I can do nothing then—I—seeing that it will be shut -up—your water——"</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne interrupted him, and, turning toward Andermatt, said: -"Excellent! excellent! We'll cure him every year. This will be -even better, and will show the necessity of annual treatment, the -indispensability of returning hither. Excellent—this is perfectly -clear!"</p> - -<p>But the old man repeated afresh: "It will not suit this time, my good -Monchieu. My legs, they're iron, iron in bars."</p> - -<p>A new idea sprang up in the doctor's mind: "If I got him to try a -course of seated walking," he said, "I might hasten the effect of the -waters considerably. It is an experiment worth trying."</p> - -<p>"Excellent idea," returned Andermatt, adding: "Now, Père Clovis, take -yourself off, and don't forget our agreement."</p> - -<p>The old fellow went away still groaning; and, when evening came on, -all the directors of Mont Oriol came back to dine, for the theatrical -representation was announced to take place at half past seven.</p> - -<p>The great hall of the new Casino was the place where they were to dine. -It was capable of holding a thousand persons.</p> - -<p>At seven o'clock the visitors who had not numbered seats presented -themselves. At half past seven the hall was filled, and the curtain was -raised for the performance of a vaudeville in two acts, which preceded -Saint Landri's operetta, interpreted by vocalists from Vichy, who had -given their services for the occasion.</p> - -<p>Christiane in the front row, between her brother and her husband, -suffered a great deal from the heat. Every moment she repeated: "I feel -quite exhausted! I feel quite exhausted!"</p> - -<p>After the vaudeville, as the operetta was opening, she was becoming -ill, and turning round to her husband, said: "My dear Will, I shall -have to leave. I am suffocating!"</p> - -<p>The banker was annoyed. He was desirous above everything in the world -that this <i>fête</i> should be a success, from start to finish, without a -single hitch. He replied:</p> - -<p>"Make every effort to hold out. I beg of you to do so! Your departure -would upset everything. You would have to pass through the entire hall!"</p> - -<p>But Gontran, who was sitting along with Paul behind her, had overheard. -He leaned toward his sister: "You are too warm?" said he.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I am suffocating."</p> - -<p>"Good. Stay! You are going to have a laugh."</p> - -<p>There was a window near. He slipped toward it, got upon a chair, and -jumped out without attracting hardly any notice. Then he entered the -<i>café</i>, which was perfectly empty, stretched his hand out under the -bar where he had seen Petrus Martel conceal the signal-rocket, and, -having filched it, he ran off to hide himself under a group of trees, -and then set it on fire. The swift yellow sheaf flew up toward the -clouds, describing a curve, and casting across the sky a long shower -of flame-drops. Almost instantaneously a terrible detonation burst -forth over the neighboring mountain, and a cluster of stars sent flying -sparks through the darkness of the night.</p> - -<p>Somebody exclaimed in the hall where the spectators were gathered, and -where at the moment Saint Landri's chords were quivering: "They're -letting off the fireworks!"</p> - -<p>The spectators who were nearest to the door abruptly rose to their feet -to make sure about it, and went out with light steps. All the rest -turned their eyes toward the windows, but saw nothing, for they were -looking at the Limagne. People kept asking: "Is it true? Is it true?"</p> - -<p>The impatient assembly got excited, hungering above everything for -simple amusements. A voice from outside announced: "It is true! The -firework's are let off!"</p> - -<p>Then, in a second everyone in the hall was standing up. They rushed -toward the door; they jostled against each other; they yelled at those -who obstructed their egress: "Hurry on! hurry on!"</p> - -<p>The entire audience, in a short time, had emerged into the park. Saint -Landri alone, in a state of exasperation continued beating time in -front of his distracted orchestra. Meanwhile, fiery suns succeeded -Roman candles in the midst of detonations.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, a formidable voice sent forth thrice this wild exclamation: -"Stop, in God's name! Stop, in God's name! Stop, in God's name!"</p> - -<p>And, as an immense Bengal fire next illuminated the mountain and -lighted up in red to the right and blue to the left, the enormous rocks -and trees, Petrus Martel could be seen standing on one of the vases of -imitation marble that decorated the terrace of the Casino, bareheaded, -with his arms in the air, gesticulating and howling.</p> - -<p>Then, the great illumination being extinguished, nothing could be seen -any longer save the real stars. But immediately another rocket shot up, -and Petrus Martel, jumping on the ground, exclaimed: "What a disaster! -what a disaster! My God, what a disaster!"</p> - -<p>And he passed through the crowd with tragic gestures, with blows of his -fist in the empty air, furious stampings of his feet, always repeating: -"What a disaster! My God, what a disaster!"</p> - -<p>Christiane had taken Paul's arm to get a seat in the open air, and kept -looking with delight at the rockets which ascended into the sky.</p> - -<p>Her brother came up to her suddenly, and said: "Hey, is it a success? -Do you think it is funny?"</p> - -<p>She murmured: "What, it is you?"</p> - -<p>"Why, yes, it is I. Is it good, hey?"</p> - -<p>She began to laugh, finding it really amusing. But Andermatt arrived in -a state of great mental distress. He did not understand how such a blow -could have come. The rocket had been stolen from the bar to give the -signal agreed upon. Such an infamy could only have been perpetrated by -some emissary of the old Company, some agent of Doctor Bonnefille!</p> - -<p>And he repeated: "'Tis maddening, positively maddening. Here are -fireworks worth two thousand three hundred francs destroyed, entirely -destroyed!"</p> - -<p>Gontran replied: "No, my dear fellow, on a proper calculation, the loss -does not mount up to more than a quarter; let us put it at a third, if -you like; say seven hundred and sixty-six francs. Your guests will, -therefore, have enjoyed fifteen hundred and thirty-four francs' worth -of rockets. This truly is not bad."</p> - -<p>The banker's anger turned against his brother-in-law. He caught him -roughly by the arm: "Gontran, I want to talk seriously to you. Since I -have a hold of you, let us take a turn in the walks. Besides, I have -five minutes to spare."</p> - -<p>Then, turning toward Christiane: "I place you in charge of our friend -Bretigny, my dear; but don't remain a long time out—take care of -yourself. You might catch cold, you know. Be careful! be careful!"</p> - -<p>She murmured: "Never fear, dear."</p> - -<p>So Andermatt carried off Gontran. When they were alone, at a little -distance from the crowd, the banker stopped: "My dear fellow, 'tis -about your financial position that I want to talk."</p> - -<p>"About my financial position?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, you know it well, your financial position."</p> - -<p>"No. But you ought to know it for me, since you lent money to me."</p> - -<p>"Well, yes, I do know it, and 'tis for that reason I want to talk to -you."</p> - -<p>"It seems to me, to say the least of it, that the moment is ill -chosen—in the midst of a display of fireworks!"</p> - -<p>"The moment, on the contrary, is very well chosen. I am not talking to -you in the midst of a display of fireworks, but before a ball."</p> - -<p>"Before a ball? I don't understand."</p> - -<p>"Well, you are going to understand. Here is your position: you have -nothing except debts; and you'll never have anything but debts."</p> - -<p>Gontran gravely replied: "You tell me that a little bluntly."</p> - -<p>"Yes, because it is necessary. Listen to me! You have eaten up the -share which came to you as a fortune from your mother. Let us say no -more about that."</p> - -<p>"Let us say no more about it."</p> - -<p>"As for your father, he possesses a yearly income of thirty thousand -francs, say, a capital of about eight hundred thousand francs. Your -share, later on, will, therefore, be four hundred thousand francs. Now -you owe me—me, personally—one hundred and ninety thousand francs. You -owe money besides to usurers."</p> - -<p>Gontran muttered in a haughty tone: "Say, to Jews."</p> - -<p>"Be it so, to Jews, although among the number there is a churchwarden -from Saint Sulpice who made use of a priest as an intermediary between -himself and you—but I will not cavil about such trifles. You owe, -then, to various usurers, Israelites or Catholics, nearly as much. Let -us put it at a hundred and fifty thousand at the lowest estimate. This -makes a total of three hundred and forty thousand francs, on which you -are paying interest, always borrowing, except with regard to mine, -which you do not pay."</p> - -<p>"That's right," said Gontran.</p> - -<p>"So then, you have nothing more left."</p> - -<p>"Nothing, indeed—except my brother-in-law."</p> - -<p>"Except your brother-in-law, who has had enough of lending money to -you."</p> - -<p>"What then?"</p> - -<p>"What then, my dear fellow? The poorest peasant living in one of these -huts is richer than you."</p> - -<p>"Exactly—and next?"</p> - -<p>"Next—next—? If your father were to die tomorrow, you would no longer -have any resource to get bread—to get bread, mind you—except to take -a post as a clerk in my house. And this again would only be a means of -disguising the pension which I should be allowing you."</p> - -<p>Gontran, in a tone of irritation, said: "My dear William, these things -bore me. I know them, besides, just as well as you do, and, I repeat, -the moment is ill chosen to remind me about them—with—with so little -diplomacy."</p> - -<p>"Allow me, let me finish. You can only extricate yourself from it by a -marriage. Now, you are a wretched match, in spite of your name, which -sounds well without being illustrious. In short, it is not one of those -which an heiress, even a Jewish one, buys with a fortune. Therefore, we -must find you a wife acceptable and rich—which is not very easy——"</p> - -<p>Gontran interrupted him: "Give her name at once—that is the best way."</p> - -<p>"Be it so—one of Père Oriol's daughters, whichever you prefer. And -this is why I wanted to talk to you before the ball."</p> - -<p>"And now explain yourself at greater length," returned Gontran, coldly.</p> - -<p>"It is very simple. You see the success I have obtained at the start -with this station. Now if I had in my hands, or rather if we had in our -hands all the land which this cunning peasant has kept for himself, -I could turn it into gold. To speak only of the vineyards which lie -between the establishment and the hotel and between the hotel and the -Casino, I would pay a million francs for them to-morrow—I, Andermatt. -Now, these vineyards and others all round the knoll will be the dowries -of these girls. The father told me so again a short time since, not -without an object, perhaps. Well, if you were willing, we could do a -big stroke of business there, the two of us."</p> - -<p>Gontran muttered, with a thoughtful air: "'Tis possible. I'll think -over it."</p> - -<p>"Do think over it, my dear boy, and don't forget that I never speak of -things that are not very sure, or without having given matters every -consideration, and realized all the possible consequences and all the -decided advantages."</p> - -<p>But Gontran, lifting up his arm, as if he had suddenly forgotten all -that his brother-in-law had been saying to him: "Look! How beautiful -that is!"</p> - -<p>The bunch of rockets flamed up, in imitation of a burning palace on -which a blazing flag had inscribed on it "Mont Oriol" in letters of -fire perfectly red and, right opposite to it, above the plain, the -moon, red also, seemed to have come out to contemplate this spectacle. -Then, when the palace, after it had been burning for some minutes, -exploded like a ship which is blown up, flinging toward the wide -heavens fantastic stars which burst in their turn, the moon remained -all alone, calm and round, on the horizon.</p> - -<p>The public applauded wildly, exclaiming: "Hurrah! Bravo! bravo!"</p> - -<p>Andermatt, all of a sudden, said: "Let us go and open the ball, my dear -boy. Are you willing to dance the first quadrille face to face with me?"</p> - -<p>"Why, certainly, my dear brother-in-law."</p> - -<p>"Who have you thought of asking to dance with you? As for me, I have -bespoken the Duchesse de Ramas."</p> - -<p>Gontran answered in a tone of indifference: "I will ask Charlotte -Oriol."</p> - -<p>They reascended. As they passed in front of the spot where Christiane -was resting with Paul Bretigny, they did not notice the pair. William -murmured: "She has followed my advice. She went home to go to bed. She -was quite tired out to-day." And he advanced toward the ballroom which -the attendants had been getting ready during the fireworks.</p> - -<p>But Christiane had not returned to her room, as her husband supposed. -As soon as she realized that she was alone with Paul she said to him in -a very low tone, while she pressed his hand:</p> - -<p>"So then you came. I was waiting for you for the past month. Every -morning I kept asking myself, 'Shall I see him to-day?' and every night -I kept saying to myself, 'It will be to-morrow then.' Why have you -delayed so long, my love?"</p> - -<p>He replied with some embarrassment: "I had matters to engage my -attention—business."</p> - -<p>She leaned toward him, murmuring: "It was not right to leave me here -alone with them, especially in my state."</p> - -<p>He moved his chair a little away from her.</p> - -<p>"Be careful! We might be seen. These rockets light up the whole country -around."</p> - -<p>She scarcely bestowed a thought on it; she said: "I love you so much!" -Then, with sudden starts of joy: "Ah! how happy I feel, how happy I -feel at finding that we are once more together, here! Are you thinking -about it? What joy, Paul! How we are going to love one another again!"</p> - -<p>She sighed, and her voice was so weak that it seemed a mere breath.</p> - -<p>"I feel a foolish longing to embrace you, but it is -foolish—there!—foolish. It is such a long time since I saw you!"</p> - -<p>Then, suddenly, with the fierce energy of an impassioned woman, to whom -everything should give way: "Listen! I want—you understand—I want to -go with you immediately to the place where we said adieu to one another -last year! You remember well, on the road from La Roche Pradière?"</p> - -<p>He replied, stupefied: "But this is senseless! You cannot walk farther. -You have been standing all day. This is senseless; I will not allow it."</p> - -<p>She had risen to her feet, and she said: "I am determined on it! If you -do not accompany me, I'll go alone!"</p> - -<p>And pointing out to him the moon which had risen: "See here! It was an -evening just like this! Do you remember how you kissed my shadow?"</p> - -<p>He held her back: "Christiane—listen—this is ridiculous—Christiane!"</p> - -<p>She did not reply, and walked toward the descent leading to the -vineyards. He knew that calm will which nothing could divert from its -purpose, the graceful obstinacy of these blue eyes, of that little -forehead of a fair woman that could not be stopped; and he took her arm -to sustain her on her way.</p> - -<p>"Supposing we are seen, Christiane?"</p> - -<p>"You did not say that to me last year. And then, everyone is at the -<i>fête</i>. We'll be back before our absence can be noticed."</p> - -<p>It was soon necessary to ascend by the stony path. She panted, leaning -with her whole weight on him, and at every step she said:</p> - -<p>"It is good, it is good, to suffer thus!"</p> - -<p>He stopped, wishing to bring her back. But she would not listen to him.</p> - -<p>"No, no. I am happy. You don't understand this, you. Listen! I feel -it leaping in me—our child—your child—what happiness. Give me your -hand."</p> - -<p>She did not realize that he—this man—was one of the race of lovers -who are not of the race of fathers. Since he discovered that she was -pregnant, he kept away from her, and was disgusted with her, in spite -of himself. He had often in bygone days said that a woman who has -performed the function of reproduction is no longer worthy of love. -What raised him to a high pitch of tenderness was that soaring of two -hearts toward an inaccessible ideal, that entwining of two souls which -are immaterial—all those artificial and unreal elements which poets -have associated with this passion. In the physical woman he adored -the Venus whose sacred side must always preserve the pure form of -sterility. The idea of a little creature which owed its birth to him, a -human larva stirring in that body defiled by it and already grown ugly, -inspired him with an almost unconquerable repugnance. Maternity had -made this woman a brute. She was no longer the exceptional being adored -and dreamed about, but the animal that reproduces its species. And even -a material disgust was mingled in him with these loathings of his mind.</p> - -<p>How could she have felt or divined this—she whom each movement of the -child she yearned for attached the more closely to her lover? This man -whom she adored, whom she had every day loved a little more since the -moment of their first kiss, had not only penetrated to the bottom of -her heart, but had given her the proof that he had also entered into -the very depths of her flesh, that he had sown his own life there, that -he was going to come forth from her, again becoming quite small. Yes, -she carried him there under her crossed hands, himself, her good, her -dear, her tenderly beloved one, springing up again in her womb by the -mystery of nature. And she loved him doubly, now that she had him in -two forms—the big, and the little one as yet unknown, the one whom she -saw, touched, embraced, and could hear speaking to her, and the one -whom she could up to this only feel stirring under her skin. They had -by this time reached the road.</p> - -<p>"You were waiting for me over there that evening," said she. And she -held her lips out to him.</p> - -<p>He kissed them, without replying, with a cold kiss.</p> - -<p>She murmured for the second time: "Do you remember how you embraced me -on the ground. We were like this—look!"</p> - -<p>And in the hope that he would begin it all over again she commenced -running to get some distance away from him. Then she stopped, out of -breath, and waited, standing in the middle of the road. But the moon, -which lengthened out her profile on the ground, traced there the -protuberance of her swollen figure. And Paul, beholding at his feet -the shadow of her pregnancy, remained unmoved at sight of it, wounded -in his poetic sense with shame, exasperated that she was not able to -share his feelings or divine his thoughts, that she had not sufficient -coquetry, tact, and feminine delicacy to understand all the shade -which give such a different complexion to circumstances; and he said to -her with impatience in his voice:</p> - -<p>"Look here, Christiane! This child's play is ridiculous."</p> - -<p>She came back to him moved, saddened, with outstretched arms, and, -flinging herself on his breast:</p> - -<p>"Ah! you love me less. I feel it! I am sure of it!"</p> - -<p>He took pity on her, and, encircling her head with his arms, he -imprinted two long sweet kisses on her eyes.</p> - -<p>Then in silence they retraced their steps. He could find nothing to say -to her; and, as she leaned on him, exhausted by fatigue, he quickened -his pace so that he might no longer feel against his side the touch of -this enlarged figure. When they were near the hotel, they separated, -and she went up to her own apartment.</p> - -<p>The orchestra at the Casino was playing dance-music; and Paul went to -look at the ball. It was a waltz; and they were all waltzing—Doctor -Latonne with the younger Madame Paille, Andermatt with Louise Oriol, -handsome Doctor Mazelli with the Duchesse de Ramas, and Gontran with -Charlotte Oriol. He was whispering in her ear in that tender fashion -which denotes a courtship begun; and she was smiling behind her fan, -blushing, and apparently delighted.</p> - -<p>Paul heard a voice saying behind him: "Look here! look here at M. de -Ravenel whispering gallantries to my fair patient."</p> - -<p>He added, after a pause: "And there is a pearl, good, gay, simple, -devoted, upright, you know, an excellent creature. She is worth ten -of the elder sister. I have known them since their childhood—these -little girls. And yet the father prefers the elder one, because -she is more—more like him—more of a peasant—less upright—more -thrifty—more cunning—and more—more jealous. Ah! she is a good girl, -all the same. I would not like to say anything bad of her; but, in -spite of myself, I compare them, you understand—and, after having -compared them, I judge them—there you are!"</p> - -<p>The waltz was coming to an end; Gontran went to join his friend, and, -perceiving the doctor:</p> - -<p>"Ah! tell me now—there appears to me to be a remarkable increase in -the medical body at Enval. We have a Doctor Mazelli who waltzes to -perfection and an old little Doctor Black who seems on very good terms -with Heaven."</p> - -<p>But Doctor Honorat was discreet. He did not like to sit in judgment on -his professional brethren.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.</a></h5> - - -<h4>GONTRAN'S CHOICE</h4> - - -<p>The burning question now was that of the physicians at Enval. They had -suddenly made themselves the masters of the district, and absorbed all -the attention and all the enthusiasm of the inhabitants. Formerly the -springs flowed under the authority of Doctor Bonnefille alone, in the -midst of the harmless animosities of restless Doctor Latonne and placid -Doctor Honorat.</p> - -<p>Now, it was a very different thing. Since the success planned during -the winter by Andermatt had quite taken definite shape, thanks to the -powerful co-operation of Professors Cloche, Mas-Roussel, and Remusot, -who had each brought there a contingent of two or three hundred -patients at least, Doctor Latonne, inspector of the new establishment, -had become a big personage, specially patronized by Professor -Mas-Roussel, whose pupil he had been, and whose deportment and gestures -he imitated.</p> - -<p>Doctor Bonnefille was scarcely ever talked about any longer. Furious, -exasperated, railing against Mont Oriol, the old physician remained the -whole day in the old establishment with a few old patients who had kept -faithful to him.</p> - -<p>In the minds of some invalids, indeed, he was the only person that -understood the true properties of the waters; he possessed, so to -speak, their secret, since he had officially administered them from the -time the station was first established.</p> - -<p>Doctor Honorat barely managed to retain his practice among the natives -of Auvergne. With the moderate income he derived from this source he -contented himself, keeping on good terms with everybody, and consoled -himself by much preferring cards and wine to medicine. He did not, -however, go quite so far as to love his professional brethren.</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne would, therefore, have continued to be the great -soothsayer of Mont Oriol, if one morning there had not appeared a very -small man, nearly a dwarf, whose big head sunk between his shoulders, -big round eyes, and big hands combined to produce a very odd-looking -individual. This new physician, M. Black, introduced into the district -by Professor Remusot immediately excited attention by his excessive -devotion. Nearly every morning, between two visits, he went into a -church for a few minutes, and he received communion nearly every -Sunday. The curé soon got him some patients, old maids, poor people -whom he attended for nothing, pious ladies who asked the advice of -their spiritual director before calling on a man of science, whose -sentiments, reserve, and professional modesty, they wished to know -before everything else.</p> - -<p>Then, one day, the arrival of the Princess de Maldebourg, an old -German Highness, was announced—a very fervent Catholic, who on the -very evening when she first appeared in the district, sent for Doctor -Black on the recommendation of a Roman cardinal. From that moment he -was the fashion. It was good taste, good form, the correct thing, to -be attended by him. He was the only doctor, it was said, who was a -perfect gentleman—the only one in whom a woman could repose absolute -confidence.</p> - -<p>And from morning till evening this little man with the bulldog's head, -who always spoke in a subdued tone in every corner with everybody, -might be seen rushing from one hotel to the other. He appeared to have -important secrets to confide or to receive, for he could constantly be -met holding long mysterious conferences in the lobbies with the masters -of the hotels, with his patients' chambermaids, with anyone who was -brought into contact with the invalids. As soon as he saw any lady of -his acquaintance in the street, he went straight up to her with his -short, quick step, and immediately began to mumble fresh and minute -directions, after the fashion of a priest at confession.</p> - -<p>The old women especially adored him. He would listen to their -stories to the end without interrupting them, took note of all their -observations, all their questions, and all their wishes.</p> - -<p>He increased or diminished each day the proportion of water to be -consumed by his patients, which made them feel perfect confidence in -the care taken of them by him.</p> - -<p>"We stopped yesterday at two glasses and three-quarters," he would -say; "well, to-day we shall only take two glasses and a half, and -to-morrow three glasses. Don't forget! To-morrow, three glasses. I am -very, very particular about it!"</p> - -<p>And all the patients were convinced that he was very particular about -it, indeed.</p> - -<p>In order not to forget these figures and fractions of figures, he -wrote them down in a memorandum-book, in order that he might never -make a mistake. For the patient does not pardon a mistake of a single -half-glass. He regulated and modified with equal minuteness the -duration of the daily baths in virtue of principles known only to -himself.</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne, jealous and exasperated, disdainfully shrugged his -shoulders, and declared: "This is a swindler!" His hatred against -Doctor Black had even led him occasionally to run down the mineral -waters. "Since we can scarcely tell how they act, it is quite -impossible to prescribe every day modifications of the dose, which -any therapeutic law cannot regulate. Proceedings of this kind do the -greatest injury to medicine."</p> - -<p>Doctor Honorat contented himself with smiling. He always took care to -forget, five minutes after a consultation, the number of glasses which -he had ordered. "Two more or less," said he to Gontran in his hours of -gaiety, "there is only the spring to take notice of it; and yet this -scarcely incommodes it!" The only wicked pleasantry that he permitted -himself on his religious brother-physician consisted in describing -him as "the doctor of the Holy Sitting-Bath." His jealousy was of the -prudent, sly, and tranquil kind.</p> - -<p>He added sometimes: "Oh, as for him, he knows the patient thoroughly; -and this is often better than to know the disease!"</p> - -<p>But lo! there arrived one morning at the hotel of Mont Oriol a noble -Spanish family, the Duke and Duchess of Ramas-Aldavarra, who brought -with her her own physician, an Italian, Doctor Mazelli from Milan. He -was a man of thirty, a tall, thin, very handsome young fellow, wearing -only mustaches. From the first evening, he made a conquest of the -<i>table d'hôte</i>, for the Duke, a melancholy man, attacked with monstrous -obesity, had a horror of isolation, and desired to take his meals in -the same dining-room as the other patients. Doctor Mazelli already knew -by their names almost all the frequenters of the hotel; he had a kindly -word for every man, a compliment for every woman, a smile even for -every servant.</p> - -<p>Placed at the right-hand side of the Duchess, a beautiful woman of -between thirty-five and forty, with a pale complexion, black eyes, -blue-black hair, he would say to her as each dish came round:</p> - -<p>"Very little," or else, "No, not this," or else, "Yes, take some of -that." And he would himself pour out the liquid which she was to drink -with very great care, measuring exactly the proportions of wine and -water which he mingled.</p> - -<p>He also regulated the Duke's food, but with visible carelessness. The -patient, however, took no heed of his advice, devoured everything with -bestial voracity, drank at every meal two decanters of pure wine, then -went tumbling about in a chaise for air in front of the hotel, and -began whining with pain and groaning over his bad digestion.</p> - -<p>After the first dinner, Doctor Mazelli, who had judged and weighed all -around him with a single glance, went to join Gontran, who was smoking -a cigar on the terrace of the Casino, told his name, and began to chat. -At the end of an hour, they were on intimate terms. Next day, he got -himself introduced to Christiane just as she was leaving the bath, -won her good-will after ten minutes' conversation, and brought her -that very day into contact with the Duchess, who no longer cared for -solitude.</p> - -<p>He kept watch over everything in the abode of the Spaniards, gave -excellent advice to the chef about cooking, excellent hints to the -chambermaid on the hygiene of the head in order to preserve in her -mistress's hair its luster, its superb shade, and its abundance, very -useful information to the coachman about veterinary medicine; and he -knew how to make the hours swift and light, to invent distractions, -and to pick up in the hotels casual acquaintances but always prudently -chosen.</p> - -<p>The Duchess said to Christiane, when speaking of him: "He is a -wonderful man, dear Madame. He knows everything; he does everything. It -is to him that I owe my figure."</p> - -<p>"How, your figure?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I was beginning to grow fat, and he saved me with his regimen and -his liqueurs."</p> - -<p>Moreover, Mazelli knew how to make medicine itself interesting; he -spoke about it with such ease, with such gaiety, and with a sort -of light scepticism which helped to convince his listeners of his -superiority.</p> - -<p>"'Tis very simple," said he; "I don't believe in remedies—or rather I -hardly believe in them. The old-fashioned medicine started with this -principle—that there is a remedy for everything. God, they believe, -in His divine bounty, has created drugs for all maladies, only He -has left to men, through malice, perhaps, the trouble of discovering -these drugs. Now, men have discovered an incalculable number of them -without ever knowing exactly what disease each of them is suited -for. In reality there are no remedies; there are only maladies. When -a malady declares itself, it is necessary to interrupt its course, -according to some, to precipitate it, according to others, by some -means or another. Each school extols its own method. In the same case, -we see the most antagonistic systems employed, and the most opposed -kinds of medicine—ice by one and extreme heat by the other, dieting by -this doctor and forced nourishment by that. I am not speaking of the -innumerable poisonous products extracted from minerals or vegetables, -which chemistry procures for us. All this acts, 'tis true, but nobody -knows how. Sometimes it succeeds, and sometimes it kills."</p> - -<p>And, with much liveliness, he pointed out the impossibility of -certainty, the absence of all scientific basis as long as organic -chemistry, biological chemistry had not become the starting-point of a -new medicine. He related anecdotes, monstrous errors of the greatest -physicians, and proved the insanity and the falsity of their pretended -science.</p> - -<p>"Make the body discharge its functions," said he. "Make the skin, the -muscles, all the organs, and, above all, the stomach, which is the -foster-father of the entire machine, its regulator and life-warehouse, -discharge their functions."</p> - -<p>He asserted that, if he liked, by nothing save regimen, he could make -people gay or sad, capable of physical work or intellectual work, -according to the nature of the diet which he imposed on them. He could -even act on the faculties of the brain, on the memory, the imagination, -on all the manifestations of intelligence. And he ended jocosely with -these words:</p> - -<p>"For my part, I nurse my patients with massage and curaçoa."</p> - -<p>He attributed marvelous results to massage, and spoke of the Dutchman -Hamstrang as of a god performing miracles. Then, showing his delicate -white hands:</p> - -<p>"With those, you might resuscitate the dead."</p> - -<p>And the Duchess added: "The fact is that he performs massage to -perfection."</p> - -<p>He also lauded alcoholic beverages, in small proportions to excite -the stomach at certain moments; and he composed mixtures, cleverly -prepared, which the Duchess had to drink, at fixed hours, either before -or after her meals.</p> - -<p>He might have been seen each morning entering the Casino Café about -half past nine and asking for his bottles. They were brought to him -fastened with little silver locks of which he had the key. He would -pour out a little of one, a little of another, slowly into a very -pretty blue glass, which a very correct footman held up respectfully.</p> - -<p>Then the doctor would give directions: "See! Bring this to the Duchess -in her bath, to drink it, before she dresses herself, when coming out -of the water."</p> - -<p>And when anyone asked him through curiosity: "What have you put into -it?" he would answer: "Nothing but refined aniseed-cordial, very pure -curaçoa, and excellent bitters."</p> - -<p>This handsome doctor, in a few days, became the center of attraction -for all the invalids. And every sort of device was resorted to, in -order to attract a few opinions from him.</p> - -<p>When he was passing along through the walks in the park, at the hour -of promenade, one heard nothing but that exclamation of "Doctor" on -all the chairs where sat the beautiful women, the young women, who -were resting themselves a little between two glasses of the Christiane -Spring. Then, when he stopped with a smile on his lip, they would draw -him aside for some minutes into the little path beside the river. -At first, they talked about one thing or another; then discreetly, -skillfully, coquettishly, they came to the question of health, but in -an indifferent fashion as if they were touching on sundry topics.</p> - -<p>For this medical man was not at the disposal of the public. He was not -paid by them, and people could not get him to visit them at their own -houses. He belonged to the Duchess, only to the Duchess. This situation -even stimulated people's efforts, and provoked their desires. And, as -it was whispered positively that the Duchess was jealous, very jealous, -there was a desperate struggle between all these ladies to get advice -from the handsome Italian doctor. He gave it without forcing them to -entreat him very strenuously.</p> - -<p>Then, among the women whom he had favored with his advice arose an -interchange of intimate confidences, in order to give clear proof of -his solicitude.</p> - -<p>"Oh! my dear, he asked me questions—but such questions!"</p> - -<p>"Very indiscreet?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! indiscreet! Say frightful. I actually did not know what answers to -give him. He wanted to know things—but such things!"</p> - -<p>"It was the same way with me. He questioned me a great deal about my -husband!"</p> - -<p>"And me, also—together with details so—so personal! These questions -are very embarrassing. However, we understand perfectly well that it is -necessary to ask them."</p> - -<p>"Oh! of course. Health depends on these minute details. As for me, he -promised to perform massage on me at Paris this winter. I have great -need of it to supplement the treatment here."</p> - -<p>"Tell me, my dear, what do you intend to do in return? He cannot take -fees."</p> - -<p>"Good heavens! my idea was to present him with a scarf-pin. He must be -fond of them, for he has already two or three very nice ones."</p> - -<p>"Oh! how you embarrass me! The same notion was in my head. In that case -I'll give him a ring."</p> - -<p>And they concocted surprises in order to please him, thought of -ingenious presents in order to touch him, graceful pleasantries in -order to fascinate him. He became the "talk of the day," the great -subject of conversation, the sole object of public attention, till the -news spread that Count Gontran de Ravenel was paying his addresses to -Charlotte Oriol with a view to marrying her. And this at once led to a -fresh outburst of deafening clamor in Enval.</p> - -<p>Since the evening when he had opened with her the inaugural ball at -the Casino, Gontran had tied himself to the young girl's skirts. He -publicly showed her all those little attentions of men who want to -please without hiding their object; and their ordinary relations -assumed at the same time a character of gallantry, playful and natural, -which seemed likely to lead to love.</p> - -<p>They saw one another nearly every day, for the two girls had conceived -feelings of strong friendship toward Christiane, into which, no -doubt, there entered a considerable element of gratified vanity. -Gontran suddenly showed a disposition to remain constantly at his -sister's side; and he began to organize parties for the morning and -entertainments for the evening, which greatly astonished Christiane and -Paul. Then they noticed that he was devoting himself to Charlotte; he -gaily teased her, paid her compliments without appearing to do so, and -manifested toward her in a thousand ways that tender care which tends -to unite two beings in bonds of affection. The young girl, already -accustomed to the free and familiar manners of this gay Parisian youth, -did not at first see anything remarkable in these attentions; and, -abandoning herself to the impulses of her honest and confiding heart, -she began to laugh and enjoy herself with him as she might have done -with a brother.</p> - -<p>Now, she had returned home with her elder sister, after an evening -party at which Gontran had several times attempted to kiss her in -consequence of forfeits due by her in a game of "fly-pigeon," when -Louise, who had appeared anxious and nervous for some time past, said -to her in an abrupt tone:</p> - -<p>"You would do well to be a little careful about your deportment. M. -Gontran is not a suitable companion for you."</p> - -<p>"Not a suitable companion? What has he done?"</p> - -<p>"You know well what I mean—don't play the ninny! In the way you're -going on, you would soon compromise yourself; and if you don't know how -to watch over your conduct, it is my business to see after it."</p> - -<p>Charlotte, confused, and filled with shame, faltered: "But I don't -know—I assure you—I have seen nothing——"</p> - -<p>Her sister sharply interrupted her: "Listen! Things must not go on this -way. If he wants to marry you, it is for papa—for papa to consider the -matter and to give an answer; but, if he only wants to trifle with you, -he must desist at once!"</p> - -<p>Then, suddenly, Charlotte got annoyed without knowing why or with what. -She was indignant at her sister having taken it on herself to direct -her actions and to reprimand her; and, in a trembling voice, and with -tears in her eyes, she told her that she should not have interfered in -what did not concern her. She stammered in her exasperation, divining -by a vague but unerring instinct the jealousy that had been aroused in -the embittered heart of Louise.</p> - -<p>They parted without embracing one another, and Charlotte wept when she -got into bed, as she thought over things that she had never foreseen or -suspected.</p> - -<p>Gradually her tears ceased to flow, and she began to reflect. It was -true, nevertheless, that Gontran's demeanor toward her had altered. -She had enjoyed his acquaintance hitherto without understanding him. -She understood him now. At every turn he kept repeating to her pretty -compliments full of delicate flattery. On one occasion he had kissed -her hand. What were his intentions? She pleased him, but to what -extent? Was it possible by any chance that he desired to marry her? And -all at once she imagined that she could hear somewhere in the air, in -the silent night through whose empty spaces her dreams were flitting, a -voice exclaiming, "Comtesse de Ravenel."</p> - -<p>The emotion was so vivid that she sat up in the bed; then, with her -naked feet, she felt for her slippers under the chair over which -she had thrown her clothes, and she went to open the window without -consciousness of what she was doing, in order to find space for her -hopes. She could hear what they were saying in the room below stairs, -and Colosse's voice was raised: "Let it alone! let it alone! There will -be time enough to see to it. Father will arrange that. There is no harm -up to this. 'Tis father that will do the thing."</p> - -<p>She noticed that the window in front of the house, just below that at -which she was standing, was still lighted up. She asked herself: "Who -is there now? What are they talking about?" A shadow passed over the -luminous wall. It was her sister. So then, she had not yet gone to bed. -Why? But the light was presently extinguished; and Charlotte began to -think about other things that were agitating her heart.</p> - -<p>She could not go to sleep now. Did he love her? Oh! no; not yet. But he -might love her, since she had caught his fancy. And if he came to love -her much, desperately, as people love in society, he would certainly -marry her.</p> - -<p>Born in a house of vinedressers, she had preserved, although educated -in the young ladies' convent at Clermont, the modesty and humility of a -peasant girl. She used to think that she might marry a notary, perhaps, -or a barrister or a doctor; but the ambition to become a real lady of -high social position, with a title of nobility attached to her name had -never entered her mind. Even when she had just finished the perusal of -some love-story, and was musing over the glimpse presented to her of -such a charming prospect for a few minutes, it would speedily Vanish -from her soul just as chimeras vanish. Now, here was this unforeseen, -inconceivable thing, which had been suddenly conjured up by some words -of her sister, apparently drawing near her after the fashion of a -ship's sail driven onward by the wind.</p> - -<p>Every time she drew breath, she kept repeating with her lips: -"Comtesse de Ravenel." And the shades of her dark eyelashes, as they -closed in the night, were illuminated with visions. She saw beautiful -drawing-rooms brilliantly lighted up, beautiful women greeting her with -smiles, beautiful carriages waiting before the steps of a château, and -grand servants in livery bowing as she passed.</p> - -<p>She felt heated in her bed; her heart was beating. She rose up a second -time in order to drink a glass of water, and to remain standing in her -bare feet for a few moments on the cold floor of her apartment.</p> - -<p>Then, somewhat calmed, she ended by falling asleep. But she awakened at -dawn, so much had the agitation of her heart passed into her veins.</p> - -<p>She felt ashamed of her little room with its white walls, washed -with water by a rustic glazier, her poor cotton curtains, and some -straw-chairs which never quitted their place at the two corners of her -chest of drawers.</p> - -<p>She realized that she was a peasant in the midst of these rude articles -of furniture which bespoke her origin. She felt herself lowly, unworthy -of this handsome, mocking young fellow, whose fair hair and laughing -face had floated before her eyes, had disappeared from her vision and -then come back, had gradually engrossed her thoughts, and had already -found a place in her heart.</p> - -<p>Then she jumped out of bed and ran to look for her glass, her little -toilette-glass, as large as the center of a plate; after that, she got -into bed again, her mirror between her hands; and she looked at her -face surrounded by her hair which hung loose on the white background of -the pillow.</p> - -<p>Presently she laid down on the bedclothes the little piece of glass -which reflected her lineaments, and she thought how difficult it would -be for such an alliance to take place, so great was the distance -between them. Thereupon a feeling of vexation seized her by the throat. -But immediately afterward she gazed at her image, once more smiling at -herself in order to look nice, and, as she considered herself pretty, -the difficulties disappeared.</p> - -<p>When she went down to breakfast, her sister, who wore a look of -irritation, asked her:</p> - -<p>"What do you propose to do to-day?"</p> - -<p>Charlotte replied unhesitatingly: "Are we not going in the carriage to -Royat with Madame Andermatt?"</p> - -<p>Louise returned: "You are going alone, then; but you might do something -better, after what I said to you last night."</p> - -<p>The younger sister interrupted her: "I don't ask for your advice—mind -your own business!"</p> - -<p>And they did not speak to one another again.</p> - -<p>Père Oriol and Jacques came in, and took their seats at the table. The -old man asked almost immediately: "What are you doing to-day, girls?"</p> - -<p>Charlotte said without giving her sister time to answer: "As for me, I -am going to Royat with Madame Andermatt."</p> - -<p>The two men eyed her with an air of satisfaction; and the father -muttered with that engaging smile which he could put on when discussing -any business of a profitable character: "That's good! that's good!"</p> - -<p>She was more surprised at this secret complacency which she observed in -their entire bearing than at the visible anger of Louise; and she asked -herself, in a somewhat disturbed frame of mind: "Can they have been -talking this over all together?"</p> - -<p>As soon as the meal was over, she went up again to her room, put on her -hat, seized her parasol, threw a light cloak over her arm, and she went -off in the direction of the hotel, for they were to start at half past -one.</p> - -<p>Christiane expressed her astonishment at finding that Louise had not -come.</p> - -<p>Charlotte felt herself flushing as she replied: "She is a little -fatigued; I believe she has a headache."</p> - -<p>And they stepped into the landau, the big landau with six seats, which -they always used. The Marquis and his daughter remained at the lower -end, while the Oriol girl found herself seated at the opposite side -between the two young men.</p> - -<p>They passed in front of Tournoel; they proceeded along the foot of -the mountain, by a beautiful winding road, under the walnut and -chestnut-trees. Charlotte several times felt conscious that Gontran was -pressing close up to her, but was too prudent to take offense at it. -As he sat at her right-hand side, he spoke with his face close to her -cheek; and she did not venture to turn round to answer him, through -fear of touching his mouth, which she felt already on her lips, and -also through fear of his eyes, whose glance would have unnerved her.</p> - -<p>He whispered in her ear gallant absurdities, laughable fooleries, -agreeable and well-turned compliments.</p> - -<p>Christiane scarcely uttered a word, heavy and sick from her pregnancy. -And Paul appeared sad, preoccupied. The Marquis alone chatted without -unrest or anxiety, in the sprightly, graceful style of a selfish old -nobleman.</p> - -<p>They got down at the park of Royat to listen to the music, and Gontran, -offering Charlotte his arm, set forth with her in front. The army of -bathers, on the chairs, around the kiosk, where the leader of the -orchestra was keeping time with the brass instruments and the violins, -watched the promenaders filing past. The women exhibited their dresses -by stretching out their legs as far as the bars of the chairs in -front of them, and their dainty summer head-gear made them look more -fascinating.</p> - -<p>Charlotte and Gontran sauntered through the midst of the people who -occupied the seats, looking out for faces of a comic type to find -materials for their pleasantries.</p> - -<p>Every moment he heard some one saying behind them: "Look there! what a -pretty girl!" He felt flattered, and asked himself whether they took -her for his sister, his wife, or his mistress.</p> - -<p>Christiane, seated between her father and Paul, saw them passing -several times, and thinking they exhibited too much youthful frivolity, -she called them over to her to soberize them. But they paid no -attention to her, and went on vagabondizing through the crowd, enjoying -themselves with their whole hearts.</p> - -<p>She said in a whisper to Paul Bretigny: "He will finish by compromising -her. It will be necessary that we should speak to him this evening when -he comes back."</p> - -<p>Paul replied: "I had already thought about it. You are quite right."</p> - -<p>They went to dine in one of the restaurants of Clermont-Ferrand, those -of Royat being no good, according to the Marquis, who was a gourmand, -and they returned at nightfall.</p> - -<p>Charlotte had become serious, Gontran having strongly pressed her hand, -while presenting her gloves to her, before she quitted the table. Her -young girl's conscience was suddenly troubled. This was an avowal! an -advance! an impropriety! What ought she to do? Speak to him? but about -what? To be offended would be ridiculous. There was need of so much -tact in these circumstances. But by doing nothing, by saying nothing, -she produced the impression of accepting his advances, of becoming his -accomplice, of answering "yes" to this pressure of the hand.</p> - -<p>And she weighed the situation, accusing herself of having been too gay -and too familiar at Royat, thinking just now that her sister was right, -that she was compromised, lost! The carriage rolled along the road. -Paul and Gontran smoked in silence; the Marquis slept; Christiane gazed -at the stars; and Charlotte found it hard to keep back her tears—for -she had swallowed three glasses of champagne.</p> - -<p>When they had got back, Christiane said to her father: "As it is dark, -you have to see this young girl home."</p> - -<p>The Marquis, without delay, offered her his arm, and went off with her.</p> - -<p>Paul laid his hands on Gontran's shoulders, and whispered in his ear: -"Come and have five minutes' talk with your sister and myself."</p> - -<p>And they went up to the little drawing-room communicating with the -apartments of Andermatt and his wife.</p> - -<p>When they were seated, Christiane said: "Listen! M. Paul and I want to -give you a good lecture."</p> - -<p>"A good lecture! But about what? I'm as wise as an image for want of -opportunities."</p> - -<p>"Don't trifle! You are doing a very imprudent and very dangerous thing -without thinking on it. You are compromising this young girl."</p> - -<p>He appeared much astonished. "Who is that? Charlotte?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, Charlotte!"</p> - -<p>"I'm compromising Charlotte?—I?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, you are compromising her. Everyone here is talking about it, and -this evening again in the park at Royat you have been very—very light. -Isn't that so, Bretigny?"</p> - -<p>Paul answered: "Yes, Madame, I entirely share your sentiments."</p> - -<p>Gontran turned his chair around, bestrode it like a horse, took a fresh -cigar, lighted it, then burst out laughing.</p> - -<p>"Ha! so then I am compromising Charlotte Oriol?"</p> - -<p>He waited a few seconds to see the effect of his words, then added: -"And who told you I did not intend to marry her?"</p> - -<p>Christiane gave a start of amazement.</p> - -<p>"Marry her? You? Why, you're mad!"</p> - -<p>"Why so?"</p> - -<p>"That—that little peasant girl!"</p> - -<p>"Tra! la! la! Prejudices! Is it from your husband you learned them?"</p> - -<p>As she made no response to this direct argument, he went on, putting -both questions and answers himself:</p> - -<p>"Is she pretty?—Yes! Is she well educated?—Yes! And more ingenuous, -more simple, and more honest than girls in good society. She knows as -much as another, for she can speak both English and the language of -Auvergne—that makes two foreign languages. She will be as rich as any -heiress of the Faubourg Saint-Germain—as it was formerly called (they -are now going to christen it Faubourg Sainte-Deche)—and finally, if -she is a peasant's daughter, she'll be only all the more healthy to -present me with fine children. Enough!"</p> - -<p>As he had always the appearance of laughing and jesting, Christiane -asked hesitatingly: "Come! are you speaking seriously?"</p> - -<p>"Faith, I am! She is charming, this little girl! She has a good heart -and a pretty face, a genial character and a good temper, rosy cheeks, -bright eyes, white teeth, ruby lips, and flowing tresses, glossy, -thick, and full of soft folds. And then her vinedressing father will be -as rich as Croesus, thanks to your husband, my dear sister. What more -do you want? The daughter of a peasant! Well, is not the daughter of a -peasant as good as any of those money-lenders' daughters who pay such -high prices for dukes with doubtful titles, or any of the daughters -born of aristocratic prostitution whom the Empire has given us, or any -of the daughters with double sires whom we meet in society? Why, if I -did marry this girl I should be doing the first wise and rational act -of my life!"</p> - -<p>Christiane reflected, then, all of a sudden, convinced, overcome, -delighted, she exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"Why, all you have said is true! It is quite true, quite right! So then -you are going to marry her, my little Gontran?"</p> - -<p>It was he who now sought to moderate her ardor. "Not so quick—not so -quick—let me reflect in my turn. I only declare that, if I did marry -her, I would be doing the first wise and rational act of my life. That -does not go so far as saying that I will marry her; but I am thinking -over it; I am studying her, I am paying her a little attention to see -if I can like her sufficiently. In short, I don't answer 'yes' or 'no,' -but it is nearer to 'yes' than to 'no.'"</p> - -<p>Christiane turned toward Paul: "What do you think of it, Monsieur -Bretigny?"</p> - -<p>She called him at one time Monsieur Bretigny, and at another time -Bretigny only.</p> - -<p>He, always fascinated by the things in which he imagined he saw an -element of greatness, by unequal matches which seemed to him to exhibit -generosity, by all the sentimental parade in which the human heart -masks itself, replied: "For my part I think he is right in this. If he -likes her, let him marry her; he could not find better."</p> - -<p>But, the Marquis and Andermatt having returned, they had to talk about -other subjects; and the two young men went to the Casino to see whether -the gaming-room was still open.</p> - -<p>From that day forth Christiane and Paul appeared to favor Gontran's -open courtship of Charlotte.</p> - -<p>The young girl was more frequently invited to the hotel by Christiane, -and was treated in fact as if she were already a member of the family. -She saw all this clearly, understood it, and was quite delighted at -it. Her little head throbbed like a drum, and went building fantastic -castles in Spain. Gontran, in the meantime had said nothing definite -to her; but his demeanor, all his words, the tone that he assumed with -her, his more serious air of gallantry, the caress of his glance seemed -every day to keep repeating to her: "I have chosen you; you are to be -my wife."</p> - -<p>And the tone of sweet affection, of discreet self-surrender, of chaste -reserve which she now adopted toward him, seemed to give this answer: -"I know it, and I'll say 'yes' whenever you ask for my hand."</p> - -<p>In the young girl's family, the matter was discussed in confidential -whispers. Louise scarcely opened her lips now except to annoy her with -hurtful allusions, with sharp and sarcastic remarks. Père Oriol and -Jacques appeared to be content.</p> - -<p>She did not ask herself, all the same, whether she loved this -good-looking suitor, whose wife she was, no doubt, destined to become. -She liked him, she was constantly thinking about him; she considered -him handsome, witty, elegant—she was speculating, above all, on what -she would do when she was married to him.</p> - -<p>In Enval people had forgotten the malignant rivalries of the physicians -and the proprietors of springs, the theories as to the supposed -attachment of the Duchess de Ramas for her doctor, all the scandals -that flow along with the waters of thermal stations, in order to occupy -their minds entirely with this extraordinary circumstance—that Count -Gontran de Ravenel was going to marry the younger of the Oriol girls.</p> - -<p>When Gontran thought the moment had arrived, taking Andermatt by the -arm, one morning, as they were rising from the breakfast-table, he said -to him: "My dear fellow, strike while the iron is hot! Here is the -exact state of affairs: The little one is waiting for me to propose, -without my having committed myself at all; but, you may be quite -certain she will not refuse me. It is necessary to sound her father -about it in such a way as to promote, at the same time, your interests -and mine."</p> - -<p>Andermatt replied: "Make your mind easy. I'll take that on myself. I am -going to sound him this very day without compromising you and without -thrusting you forward; and when the situation is perfectly clear, I'll -talk about it."</p> - -<p>"Capital!"</p> - -<p>Then, after a few moments' silence, Gontran added: "Hold on! This is -perhaps my last day of bachelorhood. I am going on to Royat, where I -saw some acquaintances of mine the other day. I'll be back to-night, -and I'll tap at your door to know the result."</p> - -<p>He saddled his horse, and proceeded along by the mountain, inhaling the -pure, genial air, and sometimes starting into a gallop to feel the keen -caress of the breeze brushing the fresh skin of his cheek and tickling -his mustache.</p> - -<p>The evening-party at Royat was a jolly affair. He met some of his -friends there who had brought girls along with them. They lingered a -long time at supper; he returned home at a very late hour. Everyone -had gone to bed in the hotel of Mont Oriol when Gontran went to tap at -Andermatt's door. There was no answer at first; then, as the knocking -became much louder, a hoarse voice, the voice of one disturbed while -asleep, grunted from within:</p> - -<p>"Who's there?"</p> - -<p>"'Tis I, Gontran."</p> - -<p>"Wait—I'm opening the door."</p> - -<p>Andermatt appeared in his nightshirt, with puffed-up face, bristling -chin, and a silk handkerchief tied round his head. Then he got back -into bed, sat down in it, and with his hands stretched over the sheets:</p> - -<p>"Well, my dear fellow, this won't do me. Here is how matters stand: -I have sounded this old fox Oriol, without mentioning you, referring -merely to a certain friend of mine—I have perhaps allowed him to -suppose that the person I meant was Paul Bretigny—as a suitable match -for one of his daughters, and I asked what dowry he would give her. He -answered me by asking in his turn what were the young man's means; and -I fixed the amount at three hundred thousand francs with expectations."</p> - -<p>"But I have nothing," muttered Gontran.</p> - -<p>"I am lending you the money, my dear fellow. If we work this business -between us, your lands would yield me enough to reimburse me."</p> - -<p>Gontran sneered: "All right. I'll have the woman and you the money."</p> - -<p>But Andermatt got quite annoyed. "If I am to interest myself in your -affairs in order that you might insult me, there's an end of it—let us -say no more about it!"</p> - -<p>Gontran apologized: "Don't get vexed, my dear fellow, and excuse me! -I know that you are a very honest man of irreproachable loyalty in -matters of business. I would not ask you for the price of a drink if I -were your coachman; but I would intrust my fortune to you if I were a -millionaire."</p> - -<p>William, less excited, rejoined: "We'll return presently to that -subject. Let us first dispose of the principal question. The old man -was not taken in by my wiles, and said to me in reply: 'It depends -on which of them is the girl you're talking about. If 'tis Louise, -the elder one, here's her dowry.' And he enumerated for me all the -lands that are around the establishment, those which are between the -baths and the hotel and between the hotel and the Casino, all those, -in short, which are indispensable to us, those which have for me an -inestimable value. He gives, on the contrary, to the younger girl the -other side of the mountain, which will be worth as much money later on, -no doubt, but which is worth nothing to me. I tried in every possible -way to make him modify their partition and invert the lots. I was only -knocking my head against the obstinacy of a mule. He will not change; -he has fixed his resolution. Reflect—what do you think of it?"</p> - -<p>Gontran, much troubled, much perplexed, replied: "What do you think -of it yourself? Do you believe that he was thinking of me in thus -distributing the shares in the land?"</p> - -<p>"I haven't a doubt of it. The clown said to himself: 'As he likes -the younger one, let us take care of the bag.' He hopes to give -you his daughter while keeping his best lands. And again perhaps -his object is to give the advantage to the elder girl. He prefers -her—who knows?—she is more like himself—she is more cunning—more -artful—more practical. I believe she is a strapping lass, this -one—for my part, if I were in your place, I would change my stick from -one shoulder to the other."</p> - -<p>But Gontran, stunned, began muttering: "The devil! the devil! the -devil! And Charlotte's lands—you don't want them?"</p> - -<p>Andermatt exclaimed: "I—no—a thousand times, no! I want those which -are close to my baths, my hotel, and my Casino. It is very simple, I -wouldn't give anything for the others, which could only be sold, at a -later period, in small lots to private individuals."</p> - -<p>Gontran kept still repeating: "The devil! the devil! the devil! here's -a plaguy business! So then you advise me?"</p> - -<p>"I don't advise you at all. I think you would do well to reflect before -deciding between the two sisters."</p> - -<p>"Yes—yes—that's true—I will reflect—I am going to sleep first—that -brings counsel."</p> - -<p>He rose up; Andermatt held him back.</p> - -<p>"Excuse me, my dear boy!—a word or two on another matter. I may not -appear to understand, but I understand very well the allusions with -which you sting me incessantly, and I don't want any more of them. -You reproach me with being a Jew—that is to say, with making money, -with being avaricious, with being a speculator, so as to come close to -sheer swindling. Now, my friend, I spend my life in lending you this -money that I make—not without trouble—or rather in giving it to you. -However, let that be! But there is one point that I don't admit! No, -I am not avaricious. The proof of it is that I have made presents to -your sister, presents of twenty thousand francs at a time, that I gave -your father a Theodore Rousseau worth ten thousand francs, to which he -took a fancy, and that I presented you, when you were coming here, with -the horse on which you rode a little while ago to Royat. In what then -am I avaricious? In not letting myself be robbed. And we are all like -that among my race, and we are right, Monsieur. I want to say it to -you once for all. We are regarded as misers because we know the exact -value of things. For you a piano is a piano, a chair is a chair, a pair -of trousers is a pair of trousers. For us also, but it represents, at -the same time, a value, a mercantile value appreciable and precise, -which a practical man should estimate with a single glance, not through -stinginess, but in order not to countenance fraud. What would you say -if a tobacconist asked you four sous for a postage-stamp or for a box -of wax-matches? You would go to look for a policeman, Monsieur, for -one sou, yes, for one sou—so indignant would you be! And that because -you knew, by chance, the value of these two articles. Well, as for -me, I know the value of all salable articles; and that indignation -which would take possession of you, if you were asked four sous for -a postage-stamp, I experience when I am asked twenty francs for an -umbrella which is worth fifteen! I protest against the established -theft, ceaseless and abominable, of merchants, servants, and coachmen. -I protest against the commercial dishonesty of all your race which -despises us. I give the price of a drink which I am bound to give for a -service rendered, and not that which as the result of a whim you fling -away without knowing why, and which ranges from five to a hundred sous -according to the caprice of your temper! Do you understand?"</p> - -<p>Gontran had risen by this time, and smiling with that refined irony -which came happily from his lips:</p> - -<p>"Yes, my dear fellow, I understand, and you are perfectly right, and -so much the more right because my grandfather, the old Marquis de -Ravenel, scarcely left anything to my poor father in consequence of the -bad habit which he had of never picking up the change handed to him -by the shopkeepers when he was paying for any article whatsoever. He -thought that unworthy of a gentleman, and always gave the round sum and -the entire coin."</p> - -<p>And Gontran went out with a self-satisfied air.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.</a></h5> - - -<h4>A MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING</h4> - - -<p>They were just ready to go in to dinner, on the following day, in the -private dining-room of the Andermatt and Ravenel families, when Gontran -opened the door announcing the "Mesdemoiselles Oriol."</p> - -<p>They entered, with an air of constraint, pushed forward by Gontran, who -laughed while he explained:</p> - -<p>"Here they are! I have carried them both off through the middle of the -street. Moreover, it excited public attention. I brought them here by -force to you because I want to explain myself to Madame Louise, and -could not do so in the open air."</p> - -<p>He took from them their hats and their parasols, which they were still -carrying, as they had been on their way back from a promenade, made -them sit down, embraced his sister, pressed the hands of his father, -of his brother-in-law, and of Paul, and then, approaching Louise Oriol -once more, said:</p> - -<p>"Here now, Mademoiselle, kindly tell me what you have against me for -some time past?"</p> - -<p>She seemed scared, like a bird caught in a net, and carried away by the -hunter.</p> - -<p>"Why, nothing, Monsieur, nothing at all! What has made you believe -that?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! everything, Mademoiselle, everything at all! You no longer come -here—you no longer come in the Noah's Ark [so he had baptized the big -landau]. You assume a harsh tone whenever I meet you and when I speak -to you."</p> - -<p>"Why, no, Monsieur, I assure you!"</p> - -<p>"Why, yes, Mam'zelle, I declare to you! In any case, I don't want this -to continue, and I am going to make peace with you this very day. Oh! -you know I am obstinate. There's no use in your looking black at me. -I'll know easily how to get the better of your hoity-toity airs, and -make you be nice toward your sister, who is an angel of grace."</p> - -<p>It was announced that dinner was ready; and they made their way to -the dining-room. Gontran took Louise's arm in his. He was exceedingly -attentive to her and to her sister, dividing his compliments between -them with admirable tact, and remarking to the younger girl: "As for -you, you are a comrade of ours—I am going to neglect you for a few -days. One goes to less expense for friends than for strangers, you are -aware."</p> - -<p>And he said to the elder: "As for you, I want to bewitch you, -Mademoiselle, and I warn you as a loyal foe! I will even make love to -you. Ha! you are blushing—that's a good sign. You'll see that I am -very nice, when I take pains about it. Isn't that so, Mademoiselle -Charlotte?"</p> - -<p>And they were both, indeed, blushing, and Louise stammered with her -serious air: "Oh! Monsieur, how foolish you are!"</p> - -<p>He replied: "Bah! you will hear many things said by others by and by in -society, when you are married, which will not be long. 'Tis then they -will really pay you compliments."</p> - -<p>Christiane and Paul Bretigny expressed their approval of his action in -having brought back Louise Oriol; the Marquis smiled, amused by these -childish affectations. Andermatt was thinking: "He's no fool, the sly -dog." And Gontran, irritated by the part which he was compelled to -play, drawn by his senses toward Charlotte and by his interests toward -Louise, muttered between his teeth with a sly smile in her direction: -"Ah! your rascal of a father thought to play a trick upon me; but I am -going to carry it with a high hand over you, my lassie, and you will -see whether I won't go about it the right way!"</p> - -<p>And he compared the two, inspecting them one after the other. -Certainly, he liked the younger more; she was more amusing, more -lively, with her nose tilted slightly, her bright eyes, her straight -forehead, and her beautiful teeth a little too prominent in a mouth -which was somewhat too wide.</p> - -<p>However, the other was pretty, too, colder, less gay. She would never -be lively or charming in the intimate relations of life; but when at -the opening of a ball "the Comtesse de Ravenel" would be announced, she -could carry her title well—better perhaps than her younger sister, -when she got a little accustomed to it, and had mingled with persons -of high birth. No matter; he was annoyed. He was full of spite against -the father and the brother also, and he promised himself that he would -pay them off afterward for his mischance when he was the master. When -they returned to the drawing-room, he got Louise to read the cards, as -she was skilled in foretelling the future. The Marquis, Andermatt, and -Charlotte listened attentively, attracted, in spite of themselves, by -the mystery of the unknown, by the possibility of the improbable, by -that invincible credulity with reference to the marvelous which haunts -man, and often disturbs the strongest minds in the presence of the -silly inventions of charlatans.</p> - -<p>Paul and Christiane chatted in the recess of an open window. For some -time past she had been miserable, feeling that she was no longer loved -in the same fashion; and their misunderstanding as lovers was every day -accentuated by their mutual error. She had suspected this unfortunate -state of things for the first time on the evening of the <i>fête</i> when -she brought Paul along the road. But while she understood that he had -no longer the same tenderness in his look, the same caress in his -voice, the same passionate anxiety about her as in the days of their -early love, she had not been able to divine the cause of this change.</p> - -<p>It had existed for a long time now, ever since the day when she -had said to him with a look of happiness on reaching their daily -meeting-place: "You know, I believe I am really <i>enceinte</i>." He had -felt at that moment an unpleasant little shiver running all over his -skin. Then at each of their meetings she would talk to him about her -condition, which made her heart dance with joy; but this preoccupation -with a matter which he regarded as vexatious, ugly, and unclean clashed -with his devoted exaltation about the idol that he had adored. At a -later stage, when he saw her altered, thin, her cheeks hollow, her -complexion yellow, he thought that she might have spared him that -spectacle, and might have vanished for a few months from his sight, to -reappear afterward fresher and prettier than ever, thus knowing how to -make him forget this accident, or perhaps knowing how to unite to her -coquettish fascinations as a mistress, another charm, the thoughtful -reserve of a young mother, who only allows her baby to be seen at a -distance covered up in red ribbons.</p> - -<p>She had, besides, a rare opportunity of displaying that tact which -he expected of her by spending the summer apart from him at Mont -Oriol, and leaving him in Paris so that he might not see her robbed -of her freshness and beauty. He had fondly hoped that she might have -understood him.</p> - -<p>But, immediately on reaching Auvergne, she had appealed to him in -incessant and despairing letters so numerous and so urgent that he had -come to her through weakness, through pity. And now she was boring him -to death with her ungracious and lugubrious tenderness; and he felt an -extreme longing to get away from her, to see no more of her, to listen -no longer to her talk about love, so irritating and out of place. He -would have liked to tell her plainly all that he had in his mind, -to point out to her how unskillful and foolish she showed herself; -but he could not bring himself to do this, and he dared not take his -departure. As a result he could not restrain himself from testifying -his impatience with her in bitter and hurtful words.</p> - -<p>She was stung by them the more because, every day more ill, more heavy, -tormented by all the sufferings of pregnant women, she had more need -than ever of being consoled, fondled, encompassed with affection. She -loved him with that utter abandonment of body and soul, of her entire -being, which sometimes renders love a sacrifice without reservations -and without bounds. She no longer looked upon herself as his mistress, -but as his wife, his companion, his devotee, his worshiper, his -prostrate slave, his chattel. For her there seemed no further need of -any gallantry, coquetry, constant desire to please, or fresh indulgence -between them, since she belonged to him entirely, since they were -linked together by that chain so sweet and so strong—the child which -would soon be born. When they were alone at the window, she renewed her -tender lamentation: "Paul, my dear Paul, tell me, do you love me as -much as ever?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, certainly! Come now, you keep repeating this every day—it will -end by becoming monotonous."</p> - -<p>"Pardon me. It is because I find it impossible to believe it any -longer, and I want you to reassure me; I want to hear you saying it to -me forever that word which is so sweet; and, as you don't repeat it to -me so often as you used to do, I am compelled to ask for it, to implore -it, to beg for it from you."</p> - -<p>"Well, yes, I love you! But let us talk of something else, I entreat of -you."</p> - -<p>"Ah! how hard you are!"</p> - -<p>"Why, no! I am not hard. Only—only you do not understand—you do not -understand that——"</p> - -<p>"Oh! yes! I understand well that you no longer love me. If you knew how -I am suffering!"</p> - -<p>"Come, Christiane, I beg of you not to make me nervous. If you knew -yourself how awkward what you are now doing is!"</p> - -<p>"Ah! if you loved me, you would not talk to me in this way."</p> - -<p>"But, deuce take it! if I did not love you, I would not have come."</p> - -<p>"Listen. You belong to me now. You are mine; I am yours. There is -between us that tie of a budding life which nothing can break; but will -you promise me that, if one day, you should come to love me no more, -you will tell me so?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do promise you."</p> - -<p>"You swear it to me?"</p> - -<p>"I swear it to you."</p> - -<p>"But then, all the same, we would remain friends, would we not?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly, let us remain friends."</p> - -<p>"On the day when you no longer regard me with love you'll come to find -me and you'll say to me: 'My little Christiane, I am very fond of -you, but it is not the same thing any more. Let us be friends, there! -nothing but friends.'"</p> - -<p>"That is understood; I promise it to you."</p> - -<p>"You swear it to me?"</p> - -<p>"I swear it to you."</p> - -<p>"No matter, it would cause me great grief. How you adored me last -year!"</p> - -<p>A voice called out behind them: "The Duchess de Ramas-Aldavarra."</p> - -<p>She had come as a neighbor, for Christiane held receptions each day -for the principal bathers, just as princes hold receptions in their -kingdoms.</p> - -<p>Doctor Mazelli followed the lovely Spaniard with a smiling and -submissive air. The two women pressed one another's hands, sat down, -and commenced to chat.</p> - -<p>Andermatt called Paul across to him: "My dear friend come here! -Mademoiselle Oriol reads the cards splendidly; she has told me some -astonishing things!"</p> - -<p>He took Paul by the arm, and added: "What an odd being you are! At -Paris, we never saw you, even once a month, in spite of the entreaties -of my wife. Here it required fifteen letters to get you to come. And -since you have come, one would think you are losing a million a day, -you look so disconsolate. Come, are you hearing any matter that ruffles -you? We might be able to assist you. You should tell us about it."</p> - -<p>"Nothing at all, my dear fellow. If I haven't visited you more -frequently in Paris—'tis because at Paris, you understand——"</p> - -<p>"Perfectly—I grasp your meaning. But here, at least, you ought to be -in good spirits. I am preparing for you two or three <i>fêtes</i>, which -will, I am sure, be very successful."</p> - -<p>"Madame Barre and Professor Cloche" were announced. He entered with his -daughter, a young widow, red-haired and bold-faced. Then, almost in the -same breath, the manservant called out: "Professor Mas-Roussel."</p> - -<p>His wife accompanied him, pale, worn, with flat headbands drawn over -her temples.</p> - -<p>Professor Remusot had left the day before, after having, it was said, -purchased his chalet on exceptionally favorable conditions.</p> - -<p>The two other doctors would have liked to know what these conditions -were, but Andermatt merely said in reply to them: "Oh! we have made -little advantageous arrangements for everybody. If you desired to -follow his example, we might see our way to a mutual understanding—we -might see our way. When you have made up your mind, you can let me -know, and then we'll talk about it."</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne appeared in his turn, then Doctor Honorat, without his -wife, whom he did not bring with him. A din of voices now filled the -drawing-room, the loud buzz of conversation. Gontran never left Louise -Oriol's side, put his head over her shoulder in addressing her, and -said with a laugh every now and again to whoever was passing near him: -"This is an enemy of whom I am making a conquest."</p> - -<p>Mazelli took a seat beside Professor Cloche's daughter. For some days -he had been constantly following her about; and she had received his -advances with provoking audacity.</p> - -<p>The Duchess, who kept him well in view, appeared irritated and -trembling. Suddenly she rose, crossed the drawing-room, and interrupted -her doctor's confidential chat with the pretty red-haired widow, -saying: "Come, Mazelli, we are going to retire. I feel rather ill at -ease."</p> - -<p>As soon as they had gone out, Christiane drew close to Paul's side, -and said to him: "Poor woman! she must suffer so much!"</p> - -<p>He asked heedlessly: "Who, pray?"</p> - -<p>"The Duchess! You don't see how jealous she is."</p> - -<p>He replied abruptly: "If you begin to groan over everything you can lay -hold of now, you'll have no end of weeping."</p> - -<p>She turned away, ready, indeed, to shed tears, so cruel did she find -him, and, sitting down near Charlotte Oriol, who was all alone in a -dazed condition, unable to comprehend the meaning of Gontran's conduct, -she said to the young girl, without letting the latter realize what her -words conveyed: "There are days when one would like to be dead."</p> - -<p>Andermatt, in the midst of the doctors, was relating the extraordinary -case of Père Clovis, whose legs were beginning to come to life again. -He appeared so thoroughly convinced that nobody could doubt his good -faith.</p> - -<p>Since he had seen through the trick of the peasants and the paralytic, -understood that he had let himself be duped and persuaded, the year -before, through the sheer desire to believe in the efficacy of the -waters with which he had been bitten, since, above all, he had not been -able to free himself, without paying, from the formidable complaints -of the old man, he had converted it into a strong advertisement, and -worked it wonderfully well.</p> - -<p>Mazelli had just come back, after having accompanied his patient to her -own apartments.</p> - -<p>Gontran caught hold of his arm: "Tell me your opinion, my good doctor. -Which of the Oriol girls do you prefer?"</p> - -<p>The handsome physician whispered in his ear: "The younger one, to love; -the elder one, to marry."</p> - -<p>"Look at that! We are exactly of the same way of thinking. I am -delighted at it!"</p> - -<p>Then, going over to his sister, who was still talking to Charlotte: -"You are not aware of it? I have made up my mind that we are to visit -the Puy de la Nugère on Thursday. It is the finest crater of the chain. -Everyone consents. It is a settled thing."</p> - -<p>Christiane murmured with an air of indifference: "I consent to anything -you like."</p> - -<p>But Professor Cloche, followed by his daughter, was about to take his -leave, and Mazelli, offering to see them home, started off behind the -young widow. In five minutes, everyone had left, for Christiane went -to bed at eleven o'clock. The Marquis, Paul, and Gontran accompanied -the Oriol girls. Gontran and Louise walked in front, and Bretigny, some -paces behind them, felt Charlotte's arm trembling a little as it leaned -on his.</p> - -<p>They separated with the agreement: "On Thursday at eleven for breakfast -at the hotel!"</p> - -<p>On their way back they met Andermatt, detained in a corner of the park -by Professor Mas-Roussel, who was saying to him: "Well, if it does not -put you about, I'll come and have a chat with you to-morrow morning -about that little business of the chalet."</p> - -<p>William joined the young men to go in with them, and, drawing himself -up to his brother-in-law's ear, said: "My best compliments, my dear -boy! You have acted your part admirably."</p> - -<p>Gontran, for the past two years, had been harassed by pecuniary -embarrassments which had spoiled his existence. So long as he was -spending the share which came to him from his mother, he had allowed -his life to pass in that carelessness and indifference which he -inherited from his father, in the midst of those young men, rich, -<i>blasé</i>, and corrupted, whose doings we read about every morning in the -newspapers, who belong to the world of fashion but mingle in it very -little, preferring the society of women of easy virtue and purchasable -hearts.</p> - -<p>There were a dozen of them in the same set, who were to be found every -night at the same <i>café</i> on the boulevard between midnight and three -o'clock in the morning. Very well dressed, always in black coats and -white waistcoats, wearing shirt-buttons worth twenty louis changed -every month, and bought in one of the principal jewelers' shops, -they lived careless of everything, save amusing themselves, picking -up women, making them a subject of talk, and getting money by every -possible means.</p> - -<p>As the only things they had any knowledge of were the scandals of the -night before, the echoes of alcoves and stables, duels and stories -about gambling transactions, the entire horizon of their thoughts was -shut in by these barriers. They had had all the women who were for sale -in the market of gallantry, had passed them through their hands, given -them up, exchanged them with one another, and talked among themselves -as to their erotic qualities as they might have talked about the -qualities of race-horses. They also associated with people of rank -whose voluptuous habits excited comment and whose women nearly all -kept up intrigues which were matters of notoriety, under the eyes of -husbands indifferent or averted or closed or devoid of perception; and -they passed judgment on these women as on the others, forming much the -same estimate about them, save that they made a slight distinction on -the grounds of birth and social position.</p> - -<p>By dint of resorting to dodges to get the money necessary for the life -which they led, outwitting usurers, borrowing on all sides, putting -off tradesmen, laughing in the faces of their tailors when presented -with a big bill every six months, listening to girls telling about the -infamies they perpetrated in order to gratify their feminine greed, -seeing systematic cheating at clubs, knowing and feeling that they -were individually robbed by everyone, by servants, merchants, keepers -of big restaurants and others, becoming acquainted with certain sharp -practices and shady transactions in which they themselves had a hand in -order to knock out a few louis, their moral sense had become blunted, -used up, and their sole point of honor consisted in fighting duels when -they realized that they were suspected of all the things of which they -were either capable or actually guilty.</p> - -<p>Everyone of these young <i>roués</i>, after some years of this existence, -ended with a rich marriage, or a scandal, or a suicide, or a mysterious -disappearance as complete as death. But they put their principal -reliance on the rich marriage. Some trusted to their families to -procure such a thing for them; others looked out themselves for it -without letting it be noticed; and they had lists of heiresses just -as people have lists of houses for sale. They kept their eyes fixed -especially on the exotics, the Americans of the north and of the south, -whom they dazzled by their "chic," by their reputation as fast men, by -talk about their successes, and by the elegance of their persons. And -their tradesmen also placed reliance on the rich marriage.</p> - -<p>But this hunt after the girl with a fortune was bound to be protracted. -In any case it involved inquiries, the trouble of winning a female -heart, fatigues, visits, all that exercise of energy of which Gontran, -careless by nature, remained utterly incapable. For a long time -past, he had been saying to himself, feeling each day more keenly -the unpleasantness of impecuniosity: "I must, for all that, think -over it." But he did not think over it, and so he found nothing. He -had been reduced to the ingenious pursuit of paltry sums, to all the -questionable steps of people at the end of their resources, and, to -crown all, to long sojourns in the family, when Andermatt had suddenly -suggested to him the idea of marrying one of the Oriol girls.</p> - -<p>He had, at first, said nothing through prudence, although the young -girl appeared to him, at first blush, too much beneath him for him to -consent to such an unequal match. But a few minutes' reflection had -very speedily modified his view; and he forthwith made up his mind -to make love to her in a bantering sort of way—the love-making of a -spa—which would not compromise him, and would permit him to back out -of it.</p> - -<p>Thoroughly acquainted with his brother-in-law's character, he knew that -this proposition must have been cogitated for a long time, and weighed -and matured by him—that she meant to him a valuable prize such as it -would be hard to find elsewhere.</p> - -<p>It would cost him no trouble but that of stooping down and picking up -a pretty girl, for he liked the younger sister very much, and he had -often said to himself that she would be nice to associate with later -on. He had accordingly selected Charlotte Oriol; and in a little time -would have brought matters to the point when a regular proposal might -have been made to her.</p> - -<p>Now, as the father was bestowing on his other daughter the dowry -coveted by Andermatt, Gontran had either to renounce this union or -turn round to the elder sister. He felt intense dissatisfaction with -this state of affairs and he had been thinking in his first moments of -vexation of sending his brother-in-law to the devil and remaining a -bachelor until a fresh opportunity arose. But just at that very time -he found himself quite cleaned out, so that he had to ask, for his -play at the Casino, a sum of twenty-five louis from Paul, after many -similar loans, which he had never paid back. And again, he would have -to look for a rich wife, find her, and captivate her, while without any -change of place, with only a few days of attention and gallantry, he -could capture the elder of the Oriol girls just as he had been able to -make a conquest of the younger. In this way he would make sure in his -brother-in-law of a banker whom he might render always responsible, on -whom he might cast endless reproaches, and whose cash-box would always -be open for him.</p> - -<p>As for his wife, he could bring her to Paris, and there introduce her -into society as the daughter of Andermatt's partner. Moreover, she bore -the name of the spa, to which he would never bring her back! Never! -never! in virtue of the natural law that streams do not return to their -sources. She had a nice face and figure, sufficiently distinguished -already to become entirely so, sufficiently intelligent to understand -the ways of society, to hold her own in it, to make a good show in -it, and even to do him honor. People would say: "This joker here has -married a lovely girl, at whom he looks as if he were not making a bad -joke of it." And he would not make a bad joke of it, in fact, for he -counted on resuming by her side his bachelor existence with the money -in his pockets.</p> - -<p>So he turned toward Louise Oriol, and, taking advantage of the jealousy -awakened in the skittish heart of the young girl, without being aware -of it, had excited in her a coquetry which had hitherto slumbered, and -a vague desire to take away from her sister this handsome lover whom -people addressed as "Monsieur le Comte."</p> - -<p>She had not said this in her own mind. She had neither thought it out -nor contrived it, being surprised at their being thrown together and -going off in one another's company. But when she saw him assiduous -and gallant toward her, she felt from his demeanor, from his glances, -and his entire attitude, that he was not enamored of Charlotte, and -without trying to see beyond that, she was in a happy, joyous, almost -triumphant frame of mind as she lay down to sleep.</p> - -<p>They hesitated for a long time on the following Thursday before -starting for the Puy de la Nugère. The gloomy sky and the heavy -atmosphere made them anticipate rain. But Gontran insisted so strongly -on going that he carried the waverers along with him. The breakfast -was a melancholy affair. Christiane and Paul had quarreled the night -before, without apparent cause. Andermatt was afraid that Gontran's -marriage might not take place, for Père Oriol had, that very morning, -spoken of him in equivocal terms. Gontran, on being informed of this, -got angry and made up his mind that he would succeed. Charlotte, -foreseeing her sister's triumph, without at all understanding this -transfer of Gontran's affections, strongly desired to remain in the -village. With some difficulty they prevailed on her to come.</p> - -<p>Accordingly the Noah's Ark carried its full number of ordinary -passengers in the direction of the high plateau which looks down on -Volvic. Louise Oriol, suddenly becoming loquacious, acted as their -guide along the road. She explained how the stone of Volvic, which -is nothing else but the lava-current of the surrounding peaks, had -helped to build all the churches and all the houses in the district—a -circumstance which gives to the towns in Auvergne the dark and -charred-looking aspect that they present.</p> - -<p>She pointed out the yards where this stone was cut, showed them the -molten rock that was worked as a quarry, from which was extracted the -rough lava, and made them view with admiration, standing on a hilltop -and bending over Volvic, the immense black Virgin who protects the -town. Then they ascended toward the upper plateau, embossed with -extinct volcanoes. The horses went at a walking pace over the long and -toilsome road. Their path was bordered with beautiful green woods, and -nobody talked any longer.</p> - -<p>Christiane was thinking about Tazenat. It was the same carriage; -they were the same persons; but their hearts were no longer the -same. Everything seemed as it had been—and yet? and yet? What then -had happened? Almost nothing. A little love the more on her part! A -little love the less on his! Almost nothing—the invisible rent which -weariness makes in an intimate attachment—oh! almost nothing—and the -look in the changed eyes, because the same eyes no longer saw the same -faces in the same way. What is this but a look? Almost nothing!</p> - -<p>The coachman drew up, and said: "It is here, at the right, through that -path in the wood. You have only to follow it in order to get there."</p> - -<p>All descended, save the Marquis, who thought the weather too warm. -Louise and Gontran went on in front, and Charlotte remained behind with -Paul and Christiane, who found difficulty in walking. The path appeared -to them long, right through the wood; then they reached a crest covered -with tall grass which led by a steep ascent to the sides of the old -crater. Louise and Gontran, halting when they got to the top, both -looking tall and slender, had the appearance of standing in the clouds. -When the others had come up with them, Paul Bretigny's enthusiastic -soul was inflamed with poetic rapture.</p> - -<p>Around them, behind them, to right, to left, they were surrounded by -strange cones, decapitated, some shooting forth, others crushed into a -mass, but all preserving their fantastic physiognomy of dead volcanoes. -These heavy fragments of mountains with flat summits rose from south to -west along an immense plateau of desolate appearance, which, itself a -thousand meters above the Limagne, looked down upon it, as far as the -eye could reach, toward the east and the north, on to the invisible -horizon, always veiled, always blue.</p> - -<p>The Puy de Dome, at the right, towered above all its fellows, with from -seventy to eighty craters now gone to sleep. Further on were the Puy de -Gravenoire, the Puy de Crouel, the Puy de la Pedge, the Puy de Sault, -the Puy de Noschamps, the Puy de la Vache. Nearer, were the Puy de -Come, the Puy de Jumes, the Puy de Tressoux, the Puy de Louchadière—a -vast cemetery of volcanoes.</p> - -<p>The young men gazed at the scene in amazement. At their feet opened -the first crater of La Nugère, a deep grassy basin at the bottom of -which could be seen three enormous blocks of brown lava, lifted up with -the monster's last puff and then sunk once more into his throat as he -expired, remaining there from century to century forever.</p> - -<p>Gontran exclaimed: "As for me, I am going down to the bottom. I want -to see how they give up the ghost—creatures of this sort. Come along, -Mesdemoiselles, for a little run down the slope." And seizing Louise's -arm, he dragged her after him. Charlotte followed them, running after -them. Then, all of a sudden, she stopped, watched them as they flew -along, jumping with their arms linked, and, turning back abruptly, she -reascended toward Christiane and Paul, who were seated on the grass -at the top of the declivity. When she reached them, she fell upon her -knees, and, hiding her face in the young girl's robe she wore, she -burst out sobbing.</p> - -<p>Christiane, who understood what was the matter, and whom all the -sorrows of others had, for some time past, pierced like wounds -inflicted upon herself, flung her arms around the girl's neck, and, -moved also by her tears, murmured: "Poor little thing! poor little -thing!" The girl kept crying incessantly, and with her hands dropping -listlessly to the ground, she tore up the grass unconscious of what she -was doing.</p> - -<p>Bretigny had risen up in order to avoid the appearance of having -observed her, but this misery endured by a young girl, this distress -of an innocent creature, filled him suddenly with indignation against -Gontran. He, whom Christiane's deep anguish only exasperated, was -touched to the bottom of his heart by a girl's first disillusion.</p> - -<p>He came back, and kneeling down in his turn, in order to speak to her, -said: "Come, calm yourself, I beg of you. They are going to return -presently. They must not see you crying."</p> - -<p>She sprang to her feet, scared by this idea that her sister might find -her with tears in her eyes. Her throat remained choking with sobs, -which she held back, which she swallowed down, which she sent back -into her heart, filling it with more poignant grief. She faltered: -"Yes—yes—it is over—it is nothing—it is over. Look here! It cannot -be noticed now. Isn't that so? It cannot be noticed now."</p> - -<p>Christiane wiped her cheeks with her handkerchief, then passed it also -across her own. She said to Paul:</p> - -<p>"Go, pray, and see what they are doing. We cannot see them any longer. -They have disappeared under the blocks of lava. I will look after this -little one, and console her."</p> - -<p>Bretigny had again stood up, and in a trembling voice, said: "I am -going there—and I'll bring them back, but it will be my affair—your -brother—this very day—and he shall give me an explanation of his -unjustifiable conduct, after what he said to us the other day." He -began to descend, running toward the center of the crater.</p> - -<p>Gontran, hurrying Louise along, had pulled her with all his strength -over the steep side of the chasm, in order to hold her up, to sustain -her, to put her out of breath, to make her dizzy, and to frighten her. -She, carried along by his wild rush, attempted to stop him, gasping: -"Oh! not so quickly—I'm going to fall—why, you're mad—I'm going to -fall!"</p> - -<p>They knocked against the blocks of lava, and remained standing up, both -breathless. Then they walked round the crater staring at the big gaps -which formed below a kind of cavern, with a double outlet.</p> - -<p>When at the end of its life, the volcano had cast out this last -mouthful of foam, unable to shoot it up to the sky as in former times, -he had spat it forth, so that, thick and half-cooled, it fixed itself -upon his dying lips.</p> - -<p>"We must enter under there," said Gontran. And he pushed the young -girl before him. Then, when they were in the grotto, he said: "Well, -Mademoiselle, this is the moment to make a declaration to you."</p> - -<p>She was stupefied: "A declaration—to me!"</p> - -<p>"Why, yes, in four words—I find you charming!"</p> - -<p>"It is to my sister you should say that!"</p> - -<p>"Oh! you know well that I am not making a declaration to your sister."</p> - -<p>"Come, now!"</p> - -<p>"Look here! you would not be a woman if you did not understand that I -have paid attentions to her to see what you would think of it!—and -what looks you gave me on account of it. Why, you looked daggers at me! -Oh! I'm quite satisfied. So then I have tried to prove to you, by all -the consideration in my power, how much I thought about you."</p> - -<p>Nobody had ever before talked to her in this way. She felt confused and -delighted, her heart full of joy and pride. He went on: "I know well -that I have been nasty toward your little sister. So much the worse. -She is not deceived by it, never fear. You see how she remained on the -hillside, how she was not inclined to follow us. Oh! she understands! -she understands!"</p> - -<p>He had caught hold of one of Louise Oriol's hands, and he kissed the -ends of her fingers softly, gallantly, murmuring: "How nice you are! -How nice you are!"</p> - -<p>She, leaning against the wall of lava, heard his heart beating with -emotion without uttering a word. The thought, the sole thought, which -floated in her agitated mind, was one of triumph; she had got the -better of her sister! But a shadow appeared at the entrance to the -grotto. Paul Bretigny was looking at them. Gontran, in a natural -fashion, let fall the little hand which he had been raising to his -lips, and said: "Hallo! you here? Are you alone?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. We were surprised to see you disappearing down here."</p> - -<p>"Oh! well, let us go back. We were looking at this. Isn't it rather -curious?"</p> - -<p>Louise, flushed up to her temples, went out first, and began to -reascend the slope, followed by the two young men, who were talking -behind in a low tone.</p> - -<p>Christiane and Charlotte saw them approaching, and awaited them with -clasped hands.</p> - -<p>They went back to the carriage in which the Marquis had remained, and -the Noah's Ark set out again for Enval.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, in the midst of a little forest of pine-trees the landau -stopped, and the coachman began to swear. An old dead ass blocked the -way.</p> - -<p>Everyone wanted to look at it, and they got down off the carriage. He -lay stretched on the blackened dust, himself discolored, and so lean -that his worn skin at the places where the bones projected seemed as if -it would have been burst through if the animal had not breathed forth -his last sigh. The entire carcass outlined itself under the gnawed -hair of his sides, and his head looked enormous—a poor-looking head, -with the eyes closed, tranquil now on its bed of broken stones, so -tranquil, so calm in death, that it appeared happy and surprised at -this new-found rest. His big ears, now relaxed, lay like rags. Two raw -wounds on his knees told how often he had fallen that very day before -sinking down for the last time; and another wound on the side showed -the place where his master, for years and years, had been pricking him -with an iron spike attached to the end of a stick, to hasten his slow -pace.</p> - -<p>The coachman, having caught its hind legs, dragged it toward a ditch, -and the neck was strained as if the dead brute were going to bray once -more, to give vent to a last complaint. When this was done, the man, -in a rage, muttered: "What brutes, to leave this in the middle of the -road!"</p> - -<p>No other person had said a word; they again stepped into the carriage. -Christiane, heartbroken, crushed, saw all the miserable life of this -animal ended thus at the side of the road: the merry little donkey -with his big head, in which glittered a pair of big eyes, comical and -good-tempered, with his rough hair and his long ears, gamboling about, -still free, close to his mother's legs; then the first cart; the first -uphill journey; the first blows; and, after that, the ceaseless and -terrible walking along interminable roads, the overpowering heat of the -sun, and nothing for food save a little straw, a little hay, or some -branches, while all along the hard roads there was the temptation of -the green meadows.</p> - -<p>And then, again, as age came upon him, the iron spike replacing the -pliant switch; and the frightful martyrdom of the animal, worn out, -bereft of breath, bruised, always dragging after it excessive loads, -and suffering in all its limbs, in all its old body, shabby as a -beggar's cart. And then the death, the beneficent death, three paces -away from the grass of the ditch, to which a man, passing by, drags it -with oaths, in order to clear the road.</p> - -<p>Christiane, for the first time, understood the wretchedness of enslaved -creatures; and death appeared to her also a very good thing at times.</p> - -<p>Suddenly they passed by a little cart, which a man nearly naked, a -woman in tatters, and a lean dog were dragging along, exhausted by -fatigue. The occupants of the carriage noticed that they were sweating -and panting. The dog, with his tongue out, fleshless and mangy, was -fastened between the wheels. There were in this cart pieces of wood -picked up everywhere, stolen, no doubt, roots, stumps, broken branches, -which seemed to hide other things; then over these branches rags, and -on these rags a child, nothing but a head starting out through gray old -scraps of cloth, a round ball with two eyes, a nose, and a mouth!</p> - -<p>This was a family, a human family! The ass had succumbed to fatigue, -and the man, without pity for his dead servant, without pushing it even -into the rut, had left it in the open road, in front of any vehicles -which might be coming up. Then, yoking himself in his turn with his -wife in the empty shafts, they proceeded to drag it along as the beast -had dragged it a short time before. They were going on. Where? To do -what? Had they even a few sous? That cart—would they be dragging it -forever, not being in a position to buy another animal? What would they -live on? Where would they stop? They would probably die as their donkey -had died.</p> - -<p>Were they married, these beggars, or merely living together? And their -child would do the same as they did, this little brute as yet unformed, -concealed under sordid wrappings. Christiane was thinking on all these -things; and new sensations rose up in the depths of her pitying soul. -She had a glimpse of the misery of the poor.</p> - -<p>Gontran said, all of a sudden: "I don't know why, but I would think -it a delicious thing if we were all to dine together this evening at -the Café Anglais. It would give me pleasure to have a look at the -boulevard."</p> - -<p>And the Marquis muttered: "Bah! we are well enough here. The new hotel -is much better than the old one."</p> - -<p>They passed in front of Tournoel. A recollection of the spot -made Christiane's heart palpitate, as she recognized a certain -chestnut-tree. She glanced toward Paul, who had closed his eyes, so -that he did not see her meek, appealing face.</p> - -<p>Soon they perceived two men before the carriage, two vinedressers -returning from work carrying their rakes on their shoulders, and -walking with the long, weary steps of laborers. The Oriol girls -reddened to their very temples. It was their father and their brother, -who had gone back to their vine-lands as in former times, and passed -their days sweating over the soil which they had enriched, and bent -double, with their buttocks in the air, kept toiling at it from morning -until evening, while the fine frock-coats, carefully folded up, were at -rest in the chest of drawers, and the tall hats in a press.</p> - -<p>The two peasants bowed with a friendly smile, while everyone in the -landau waved a hand in response to their "Good evening."</p> - -<p>When they got back, just as Gontran was stepping out of the Ark to go -up to the Casino, Bretigny accompanied him, and stopping on the first -steps, said:</p> - -<p>"Listen, my friend! What you're doing is not right, and I've promised -your sister to speak to you about it."</p> - -<p>"To speak about what?"</p> - -<p>"About the way you have been acting during the last few days."</p> - -<p>Gontran had resumed his impertinent air.</p> - -<p>"Acting? Toward whom?"</p> - -<p>"Toward this girl whom you are meanly jilting."</p> - -<p>"Do you think so?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do think so—and I am right in thinking so."</p> - -<p>"Bah! you are becoming very scrupulous on the subject of jilting."</p> - -<p>"Ah, my friend, 'tis not a question of a loose woman here, but of a -young girl."</p> - -<p>"I know that perfectly; therefore, I have not seduced her. The -difference is very marked."</p> - -<p>They went on walking together side by side. Gontran's demeanor -exasperated Paul, who replied:</p> - -<p>"If I were not your friend, I would say some very severe things to you."</p> - -<p>"And for my part I would not permit you to say them."</p> - -<p>"Look here, listen to me, my friend! This young girl excites my pity. -She was weeping a little while ago."</p> - -<p>"Bah! she was weeping! Why, that's a compliment to me!"</p> - -<p>"Come, don't trifle! What do you mean to do?"</p> - -<p>"I? Nothing!"</p> - -<p>"Just consider! You have gone so far with her that you have compromised -her. The other day you told your sister and me that you were thinking -of marrying her."</p> - -<p>Gontran stopped in his walk, and in that mocking tone through which a -menace showed itself:</p> - -<p>"My sister and you would do better not to bother yourselves about -other people's love affairs. I told you that this girl pleases me well -enough, and that if I happened to marry her, I would be doing a wise -and reasonable act. That's all. Now it turns out that to-day I like the -elder girl better. I have changed my mind. That's a thing that happens -to everyone."</p> - -<p>Then, looking him full in the face: "What is it that you do yourself -when you cease to care about a woman? Do you look after her?"</p> - -<p>Paul Bretigny, astonished, sought to penetrate the profound meaning, -the hidden sense, of these words. A little feverishness also mounted -into his brain. He said in a violent tone:</p> - -<p>"I tell you again this is not a question of a hussy or a married woman, -but of a young girl whom you have deceived, if not by promises, at -least by your advances. That is not, mark you, the part of a man of -honor!—or of an honest man!"</p> - -<p>Gontran, pale, his voice quivering, interrupted him: "Hold your tongue! -You have already said too much—and I have listened to too much of -this. In my turn, if I were not your friend I—I might show you that I -have a short temper. Another word, and there is an end of everything -between us forever!"</p> - -<p>Then, slowly weighing his words, and flinging them in Paul's face, -he said: "I have no explanations to offer you—I might rather have -to demand them from you. There is a certain kind of indelicacy of -which it is not the part of a man of honor or of an honest man to be -guilty—which might take many forms—from which friendship ought to -keep certain people—and which love does not excuse."</p> - -<p>All of a sudden, changing his tone, and almost jesting, he added:</p> - -<p>"As for this little Charlotte, if she excites your pity, and if you -like her, take her, and marry her. Marriage is often a solution of -difficult cases. It is a solution, and a stronghold, in which one may -barricade himself against desperate obstacles. She is pretty and rich! -It would be very desirable for you to finish with an accident like -this!—it would be amusing for us to marry here, the same day, for -I certainly will marry the elder one. I tell it to you as a secret, -and don't repeat it as yet. Now don't forget that you have less right -than anyone else yourself ever to talk about integrity in matters of -sentiment, and scruples of affection. And now go and look after your -own affairs. I am going to look after mine. Good night!"</p> - -<p>And suddenly turning off in another direction, he went down toward the -village. Paul Bretigny, with doubts in his mind and uneasiness in his -heart, returned with lingering steps to the hotel of Mont Oriol.</p> - -<p>He tried to understand thoroughly, to recall each word, in order to -determine its meaning, and he was amazed at the secret byways, shameful -and unfit to be spoken of, which may be hidden in certain souls.</p> - -<p>When Christiane asked him: "What reply did you get from Gontran?"</p> - -<p>He faltered: "My God! he—he prefers the elder, just now. I believe he -even intends to marry her—and in answer to my rather sharp reproaches -he shut my mouth by allusions that are—disquieting to both of us."</p> - -<p>Christiane sank into a chair, murmuring: "Oh! my God! my God!"</p> - -<p>But, as Gontran had just come in, for the bell had rung for dinner, he -kissed her gaily on the forehead, asking: "Well, little sister, how do -you feel now? You are not too tired?"</p> - -<p>Then he pressed Paul's hand, and, turning toward Andermatt, who had -come in after him:</p> - -<p>"I say, pearl of brothers-in-law, of husbands, and of friends, can you -tell me exactly what an old ass dead on a road is worth?"</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII.</a></h5> - - -<h4>A Betrothal</h4> - - -<p>Andermatt and Doctor Latonne were walking in front of the Casino on a -terrace adorned with vases made of imitation marble.</p> - -<p>"He no longer salutes me," the doctor was saying, referring to his -brother-physician Bonnefille. "He is over there in his pit, like a -wild-boar. I believe he would poison our springs, if he could!"</p> - -<p>Andermatt, with his hands behind his back and his hat—a small round -hat of gray felt—thrown back over his neck, so as to let the baldness -above his forehead be seen, was deeply plunged in thought. At length he -said:</p> - -<p>"Oh! in three months the Company will have knuckled under. We might -buy it over at ten thousand francs. It is that wretched Bonnefille who -is exciting them against me, and who makes them fancy that I will give -way. But he is mistaken."</p> - -<p>The new inspector returned: "You are aware that they have shut up their -Casino since yesterday. They have no one any longer."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I am aware of it; but we have not enough of people here -ourselves. They stick in too much at the hotels; and people get bored -in the hotels, my dear fellow. It is necessary to amuse the bathers, -to distract them, to make them think the season too short. Those -staying at our Mont Oriol hotel come every evening, because they are -quite near, but the others hesitate and remain in their abodes. It is -a question of routes—nothing else. Success always depends on certain -imperceptible causes which we ought to know how to discover. It is -necessary that the routes leading to a place of recreation should be a -source of recreation in themselves, the commencement of the pleasure -which one will be enjoying presently.</p> - -<p>"The ways which lead to this place are bad, stony, hard; they cause -fatigue. When a route which goes to any place, to which one has a -vague desire of paying a visit, is pleasant, wide, and full of shade -in the daytime, easy and not too steep at night, one selects it -naturally in preference to others. If you knew how the body preserves -the recollection of a thousand things which the mind has not taken -the trouble to retain! I believe this is how the memory of animals is -constructed. Have you felt too hot when repairing to such a place? Have -you tired your feet on badly broken stones? Have you found an ascent -too rough, even while you were thinking of something else? If so, you -will experience invincible repugnance to revisiting that spot. You were -chatting with a friend; you took no notice of the slight annoyances of -the journey; you were looking at nothing, remarking notice; but your -legs, your muscles, your lungs, your whole body have not forgotten, -and they say to the mind, when it wants to take them along the same -route: 'No, I won't go; I have suffered too much there.' And the mind -yields to this refusal without disputing it, submitting to this mute -language of the companions who carry it along.</p> - -<p>"So then, we want fine pathways, which comes back to saying that I -require the bits of ground belonging to that donkey of a Père Oriol. -But patience! Ha! with reference to that point, Mas-Roussel has become -the proprietor of his own chalet on the same conditions as Remusot. -It is a trifling sacrifice for which he will amply indemnify us. Try, -therefore, to find out exactly what are Cloche's intentions."</p> - -<p>"He'll do just the same thing as the others," said the physician. "But -there is something else, of which I have been thinking for the last few -days, and which we have completely forgotten—it is the meteorological -bulletin."</p> - -<p>"What meteorological bulletin?"</p> - -<p>"In the big Parisian newspapers. It is indispensable, this is! It is -necessary that the temperature of a thermal station should be better, -less variable, more uniformly mild than that of the neighboring and -rival stations. You subscribe to the meteorological bulletin in the -leading organs of opinion, and I will send every evening by telegraph -the atmospheric situation. I will do it in such a way that the average -arrived at when the year is at an end may be higher than the best -mean temperatures of the surrounding stations. The first thing that -meets our eyes when we open the big newspapers are the temperatures -of Vichy, of Royat, of Mont Doré, of Chatel-Guyon, and other -places during the summer season, and, during the winter season, the -temperatures of Cannes, Mentone, Nice, Saint Raphael. It is necessary -that the weather should always be hot and always fine in these places, -in order that the Parisian might say: 'Christi! how lucky the people -are who go down there!'"</p> - -<p>Andermatt exclaimed: "Upon my honor, you're right. Why have I never -thought of that? I will attend to it this very day. With regard to -useful things, have you written to Professors Larenard and Pascalis? -There are two men I would like very much to have here."</p> - -<p>"Unapproachable, my dear President—unless—unless they are satisfied -of themselves after many trials that our waters are of a superior -character. But, as far as they are concerned, you will accomplish -nothing by persuasion—by anticipation."</p> - -<p>They passed by Paul and Gontran, who had come to take coffee after -luncheon. Other bathers made their appearance, especially men, for the -women, on rising from the table, always went up to their rooms for an -hour or two. Petrus Martel was looking after his waiters, and crying -out: "A kummel, a nip of brandy, a glass of aniseed cordial," in the -same rolling, deep voice which he would assume an hour later while -conducting rehearsals, and giving the keynote to the young <i>première</i>.</p> - -<p>Andermatt stopped a few moments for a short chat with the two young -men; then he resumed his promenade by the side of the inspector.</p> - -<p>Gontran, with legs crossed and folded arms, lolling in his chair, with -the nape of his neck against the back of it, and his eyes and his -cigar facing the sky, was puffing in a state of absolute contentment.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, he asked: "Would you mind taking a turn, presently, in the -valley of Sans-Souci? The girls will be there."</p> - -<p>Paul hesitated; then, after some reflection: "Yes, I am quite willing." -Then he added: "Is your affair progressing?"</p> - -<p>"Egad, it is! Oh! I have a hold of her. She won't escape me now."</p> - -<p>Gontran had, by this time, taken his friend into his confidence, and -told him, day by day, how he was going on and how much ground he -had gained. He even got him to be present, as a confederate, at his -appointments, for he had managed to obtain appointments with Louise -Oriol by a little bit of ingenuity.</p> - -<p>After their promenade at the Puy de la Nugère, Christiane put an end to -these excursions by not going out at all, and so rendered it more and -more difficult for the lovers to meet. Her brother, put out at first by -this attitude on her part, bethought him of some means of extricating -himself from this predicament. Accustomed to Parisian morals, according -to which women are regarded by men of his stamp as game, the chase of -which is often no easy one, he had in former days made use of many -artifices in order to gain access to those for whom he had conceived a -passion. He knew better than anyone else how to make use of pimps, to -discover those who were accommodating through interested motives, and -to determine with a single glance the men or women who were disposed to -aid him in his designs.</p> - -<p>The unconscious support of Christiane having suddenly been withdrawn -from him, he had looked about him for the requisite connecting link, -the "pliant nature," as he expressed it himself, whereby he could -replace his sister; and his choice speedily fixed itself on Doctor -Honorat's wife. Many reasons pointed at her as a suitable person. In -the first place, her husband, closely associated with the Oriols, -had been for the past twenty years attending this family. He had -been present at the birth of the children, had dined with them every -Sunday, and had entertained them at his own table every Tuesday. His -wife, a fat old woman of the lower-middle class, trying to pass as a -lady, full of pretension, easy to overcome through her vanity, was -sure to lend both hands to every desire of the Comte de Ravenel, whose -brother-in-law owned the establishment of Mont Oriol.</p> - -<p>Besides, Gontran, who was a good judge of a go-between, had satisfied -himself that this woman was naturally well adapted for the part, by -merely seeing her walking through the street.</p> - -<p>"She has the physique," was his reflection, "and when one has the -physique for an employment, one has the soul required for it, too!"</p> - -<p>Accordingly, he made his way into her abode, one day, after having -accompanied her husband to his own door. He sat down, chatted, -complimented the lady, and, when the dinner-bell rang, he said, as he -rose up: "You have a very savory smell here. You cook better than they -do at the hotel."</p> - -<p>Madame Honorat, swelling with pride, faltered: "Good heavens! if I -might make so bold—if I might make so bold, Monsieur le Comte, as——"</p> - -<p>"If you might make so bold as what, dear Madame?"</p> - -<p>"As to ask you to share our humble meal."</p> - -<p>"Faith—faith, I would say 'yes.'"</p> - -<p>The doctor, ill at ease, muttered: "But we have nothing, nothing—soup, -a joint of beef, and a chicken, that's all!"</p> - -<p>Gontran laughed: "That's quite enough for me. I accept the invitation."</p> - -<p>And he dined at the Honorat household. The fat woman rose up, went to -take the dishes out of the servant-maid's hands, in order that the -latter might not spill the sauce over the tablecloth, and, in spite of -her husband's impatience, insisted on attending at table herself.</p> - -<p>The Comte congratulated her on the excellence of the cooking, on the -good house she kept, on her attention to the duties of hospitality, and -he left her inflamed with enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>He returned to leave his card, accepted a fresh invitation, and -thenceforth made his way constantly to Madame Honorat's house, to which -the Oriol girls had paid visits frequently also for many years as -neighbors and friends.</p> - -<p>So then he spent hours there, in the midst of the three ladies, -attentive to both sisters, but accentuating clearly, from day to day, -his marked preference for Louise.</p> - -<p>The jealousy that had sprung up between the girls since the time -when he had begun to make love to Charlotte had assumed an aspect of -spiteful hostility on the side of the elder girl and of disdain on the -side of the younger. Louise, with her reserved air, imported into her -reticences and her demure ways in Gontran's society much more coquetry -and encouragement than the other had formerly shown with all her free -and joyous unconstraint. Charlotte, wounded to the quick, concealed -through pride the pain that she endured, pretended not to see or hear -anything of what was happening around her, and continued her visits -to Madame Honorat's house with a beautiful appearance of indifference -to all these lovers' meetings. She would not remain behind at her own -abode lest people might think that her heart was sore, that she was -weeping, that she was making way for her sister.</p> - -<p>Gontran, too proud of his achievement to throw a veil over it, could -not keep himself from talking about it to Paul. And Paul, thinking it -amusing, began to laugh. He had, besides, since the first equivocal -remarks of his friend, resolved not to interfere in his affairs, and he -often asked himself with uneasiness: "Can it be possible that he knows -something about Christiane and me?"</p> - -<p>He knew Gontran too well not to believe him capable of shutting his -eyes to an intrigue on the part of his sister. But then, why did he -not let it be understood sooner that he guessed it or was aware of -it? Gontran was, in fact, one of those in whose opinion every woman -in society ought to have a lover or lovers, one of those for whom the -family is merely a society of mutual help, for whom morality is an -attitude that is indispensable in order to veil the different appetites -which nature has implanted in us, and for whom worldly honor is a front -behind which amiable vices should be hidden. Moreover, if he had egged -on his dear sister to marry Andermatt was it not with the vague, if not -clearly-defined, idea that this Jew might be utilized, in every way, -by all the family?—and he would probably have despised Christiane for -being faithful to this husband of convenience, of utility, just as much -as he would have despised himself for not borrowing freely from his -brother-in-law's purse.</p> - -<p>Paul pondered over all this, and it disturbed his modern Don Quixote's -soul, which, in any event, was disposed toward compromise. He had, -therefore, become very reserved with this enigmatic friend of his. -When, accordingly, Gontran told him the use that he was making of -Madame Honorat, Bretigny burst out laughing; and he had even, for some -time past, allowed himself to be brought to that lady's house, and -found great pleasure in chatting with Charlotte there.</p> - -<p>The doctor's wife lent herself, with the best grace in the world, -to the part she was made to play, and offered them tea about five -o'clock, like the Parisian ladies, with little cakes manufactured by -her own hands. On the first occasion when Paul made his way into this -household, she welcomed him as if he were an old friend, made him sit -down, removed his hat herself, in spite of his protests, and placed it -beside the clock upon the mantelpiece. Then, eager, bustling, going -from one to the other, tremendously big and fat, she asked:</p> - -<p>"Do you feel inclined for a little dinner?"</p> - -<p>Gontran told funny stories, joked, and laughed quite at his ease. Then, -he took Louise into the recess of a window under the troubled eyes of -Charlotte.</p> - -<p>Madame Honorat, who sat chatting with Paul, said to him in a maternal -tone:</p> - -<p>"These dear children, they come here to have a few minutes' -conversation with one another. 'Tis very innocent—isn't it, Monsieur -Bretigny?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! very innocent, Madame!"</p> - -<p>When he came the next time, she familiarly addressed him as "Monsieur -Paul," treating him more or less as a crony.</p> - -<p>And from that time forth, Gontran told him, with a sort of teasing -liveliness, all about the complaisant behavior of the doctor's wife, to -whom he had said, the evening before: "Why do you never go out for a -walk along the Sans-Souci road?"</p> - -<p>"But we will go, M. le Comte—we will go."</p> - -<p>"Say, to-morrow about three o'clock."</p> - -<p>"To-morrow, about three o'clock, M. le Comte."</p> - -<p>And Gontran explained to Paul: "You understand that in this -drawing-room, I cannot say anything of a very confidential nature to -the elder girl before the younger. But in the wood I can go on before -or remain behind with Louise. So then you will come?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I have no objection."</p> - -<p>"Let us go on then."</p> - -<p>And they rose up, and set forth at a leisurely pace along the highroad; -then, having passed through La Roche Pradière, they turned to the left -and descended into the wooded glen in the midst of tangled brushwood. -When they had passed the little river, they sat down at the side of the -path and waited.</p> - -<p>The three ladies soon arrived, walking in single file, Louise in front, -and Madame Honorat in the rear. They exhibited surprise on both sides -at having met in this way. Gontran exclaimed: "Well, now, what a good -idea this was of yours to come along here!"</p> - -<p>The doctor's wife replied: "Yes, the idea was mine."</p> - -<p>They continued their walk. Louise and Gontran gradually quickened -their steps, went on in advance, and rambled so far together that they -disappeared from view at a turn of the narrow path.</p> - -<p>The fat lady, who was breathing hard, murmured, as she cast an -indulgent eye in their direction: "Bah! they're young—they have legs. -As for me, I can't keep up with them."</p> - -<p>Charlotte exclaimed: "Wait! I'm going to call them back!"</p> - -<p>She was rushing away. The doctor's wife held her back: "Don't interfere -with them, child, if they want to chat! It would not be nice to disturb -them. They will come back all right by themselves."</p> - -<p>And she sat down on the grass, under the shade of a pine-tree, fanning -herself with her pocket-handkerchief. Charlotte cast a look of distress -toward Paul, a look imploring and sorrowful.</p> - -<p>He understood, and said: "Well, Mademoiselle, we are going to let -Madame take a rest, and we'll both go and overtake your sister."</p> - -<p>She answered impetuously: "Oh, yes, Monsieur."</p> - -<p>Madame Honorat made no objection: "Go, my children, go. As for me, I'll -wait for you here. Don't be too long."</p> - -<p>And they started off in their turn. They walked quickly at first, as -they could see no sign of the two others, and hoped to come up with -them; then, after a few minutes, it struck them that Louise and -Gontran might have turned off to the right or to the left through the -wood, and Charlotte began to call them in a trembling and undecided -voice. There was no response. She exclaimed: "Oh! good heavens, where -can they be?"</p> - -<p>Paul felt himself overcome once more by that profound pity, by that -sympathetic tenderness toward her which had previously taken possession -of him on the edge of the crater of La Nugère.</p> - -<p>He did not know what to say to this afflicted young creature. He felt -a longing, a paternal and passionate longing to take her in his arms, -to embrace her, to find sweet and consoling words with which to soothe -her. But what words?</p> - -<p>She looked about on every side, searched the branches with wild -glances, listening to the faintest sounds, murmuring: "I think that -they are here—No, there—Do you hear nothing?"</p> - -<p>"No, Mademoiselle, I don't hear anything. The best thing we can do is -to wait here."</p> - -<p>"Oh! heavens, no. We must find them!"</p> - -<p>He hesitated for a few seconds, and then said to her in a low tone: -"This, then, causes you much pain?"</p> - -<p>She raised toward his her eyes, in which there was a look of wild -alarm, while the gathering tears filled them with a transparent watery -mist, as yet held back by the lids, over which drooped the long, brown -lashes. She strove to speak, but could not, and did not venture to open -her lips. But her heart swollen, choked with grief, was yearning to -pour itself out.</p> - -<p>He went on: "So then you loved him very much. He is not worthy of your -love. Take heart!"</p> - -<p>She could not restrain herself any longer, and hiding with her hands -the tears that now gushed forth from her eyes, she sobbed: "No!—no!—I -do not love him—he—it is too base to have acted as he did. He made a -tool of me—it is too base—too cowardly—but, all the same, it does -pain me—a great deal—for it is hard—very hard—oh! yes. But what -grieves me most is that my sister—my sister does not care for me any -longer—she who has been even more wicked than he was! I feel that -she no longer cares for me—not a bit—that she hates me—I have only -her—I have no one else—and I, I have done nothing!"</p> - -<p>He only saw her ear and her neck with its young flesh sinking into -the collar of her dress under the light material she wore till it was -lost in the curves of her bust. And he felt himself overpowered with -compassion, with sympathy, carried away by that impetuous desire of -self-devotion which got the better of him every time that a woman -touched his heart. And that heart of his, responsive to outbursts of -enthusiasm, was excited by this innocent sorrow, agitating, ingenuous, -and cruelly charming.</p> - -<p>He stretched forth his hand toward her with an unstudied movement such -as one might use in order to caress, to calm a child, and he drew it -round her waist from behind over her shoulder. Then he felt her heart -beaming with rapid throbs, as he might have heard the little heart of -a bird that he had caught. And this beating, continuous, precipitate, -sent a thrill all over his arm into his heart, accelerating its -movements. And he felt those quick heart-beats coming from her and -penetrating him through his flesh, his muscles, and his nerves, so that -between them there was now only one heart wounded by the same pain, -agitated by the same palpitation, living the same life, like clocks -connected by a string at some distance from one another and made to -keep time together second by second.</p> - -<p>But suddenly she uncovered her flushed face, still tear-dimmed, quickly -wiped it, and said:</p> - -<p>"Come, I ought not to have spoken to you about this. I am foolish. Let -us go back at once to Madame Honorat, and forget. Do you promise me?"</p> - -<p>"I do promise you."</p> - -<p>She gave him her hand. "I have confidence in you. I believe you are -very honest!"</p> - -<p>They turned back. He lifted her up in crossing the stream, just as he -had lifted up Christiane, the year before. How often had he passed -along this path with her in the days when he adored her! He reflected, -wondering at his own changed feelings: "How short a time this passion -lasted!"</p> - -<p>Charlotte, laying a finger on his arm, murmured: "Madame Honorat is -asleep. Let us sit down without making a noise."</p> - -<p>Madame Honorat was, indeed, slumbering, with her back to a pine-tree, -her handkerchief over her face and her hands crossed over her stomach. -They seated themselves a few paces away from her, and refrained from -speaking in order not to awaken her. Then the stillness of the wood -was so profound that it became as painful to them as actual suffering. -Nothing could be heard save the water gurgling over the stones, a -little lower down, then those imperceptible quiverings of insects -passing by, those light buzzings of flies or of other living creatures -whose movements made the dead leaves flutter.</p> - -<p>Where then were Louise and Gontran? What were they doing? All at once, -the sound of their voices reached them from a distance. They were -returning. Madame Honorat woke up and looked astonished.</p> - -<p>"What! you are here again! I did not notice you coming back. And the -others, have you found them?"</p> - -<p>Paul replied: "There they are! They are coming."</p> - -<p>They recognized Gontran's laughter. This laughter relieved Charlotte -from a crushing weight, which had oppressed her mind—she could not -have explained why.</p> - -<p>They were soon able to distinguish the pair. Gontran had almost broken -into a running pace, dragging by the arm the young girl, who was quite -flushed. And, even before they had come up, so great a hurry was he in -to tell his story, he shouted:</p> - -<p>"You don't know what we surprised. I give you a thousand guesses to -discover it! The handsome Doctor Mazelli along with the daughter of -the illustrious Professor Cloche, as Will would say, the pretty widow -with the red hair. Oh! yes, indeed—surprised, you understand? He was -embracing her, the scamp. Oh! yes—oh! yes."</p> - -<p>Madame Honorat, at this immoderate display of gaiety, made a dignified -movement:</p> - -<p>"Oh! M. le Comte, think of these young ladies!"</p> - -<p>Gontran made a respectful obeisance.</p> - -<p>"You are perfectly right, dear Madame, to recall me to the proprieties. -All your inspirations are excellent."</p> - -<p>Then, in order that they might not be all seen going back together, the -two young men bowed to the ladies, and returned through the wood to the -village.</p> - -<p>"Well?" asked Paul.</p> - -<p>"Well, I told her that I adored her and that I would be delighted to -marry her."</p> - -<p>"And she said?"</p> - -<p>"She said, with charming discretion, 'That concerns my father. It is to -him that I will give my answer.'"</p> - -<p>"So then you are going to——"</p> - -<p>"To intrust my ambassador Andermatt at once with the official -application. And if the old boor makes any row about it, I'll -compromise his daughter with a splash."</p> - -<p>And, as Andermatt was again engaged in conversation with Doctor Latonne -on the terrace of the Casino, Gontran stopped here, and immediately -made his brother-in-law acquainted with the situation.</p> - -<p>Paul went off along the road to Riom. He wanted to be alone so much -did he find himself invaded by that agitation of the entire mind and -body into which every meeting with a woman casts a man who is on the -point of falling in love. For some time past he had felt, without -quite realizing it, the penetrating and youthful fascination of this -forsaken girl. He found her so nice, so good, so simple, so upright, -so innocent, that from the first he had been moved by compassion for -her, by that tender compassion with which the sorrows of women always -inspire us. Then, when he had seen her frequently, he had allowed to -bud forth in his heart that grain, that tiny grain, of tenderness -which they sow in us so quickly, and which grows to such a height. And -now, for the last hour especially, he was beginning to feel himself -possessed, to feel within him that constant presence of the absent -which is the first sign of love. He proceeded along the road, haunted -by the remembrance of her glance, by the sound of her voice, by the way -in which she smiled or wept, by the gait with which she walked, even by -the color and the flutter of her dress. And he said to himself:</p> - -<p>"I believe I am bitten. I know it. It is annoying, this! The best -thing, perhaps, would be to go back to Paris. Deuce take it, it is a -young girl! However, I can't make her my mistress."</p> - -<p>Then, he began dreaming about it, just as he had dreamed about -Christiane, the year before. How different was this one, too, from -all the women he had hitherto known, born and brought up in the city, -different even from those young maidens sophisticated from their -childhood by the coquetry of their mothers or the coquetry which shows -itself in the streets. There was in her none of the artificiality of -the woman prepared for seduction, nothing studied in her words, nothing -conventional in her actions, nothing deceitful in her looks. Not only -was she a being fresh and pure, but she came of a primitive race; she -was a true daughter of the soil at the moment when she was about to be -transformed into a woman of the city.</p> - -<p>And he felt himself stirred up, pleading for her against that vague -resistance which still struggled in his breast. The forms of heroines -in sentimental novels passed before his mind's eye—the creations of -Walter Scott, of Dickens, and of George Sand, exciting the more his -imagination, always goaded by ideal pictures of women.</p> - -<p>Gontran passed judgment on him thus: "Paul! he is a pack-horse with a -Cupid on his back. When he flings one on the ground, another jumps up -in its place." But Bretigny saw that night was falling. He had been a -long time walking. He returned to the village.</p> - -<p>As he was passing in front of the new baths, he saw Andermatt and the -two Oriols surveying and measuring the vinefields; and he knew from -their gestures that they were disputing in an excited fashion.</p> - -<p>An hour afterward, Will, entering the drawing-room, where the entire -family had assembled, said to the Marquis: "My dear father-in-law, I -have to inform you that your son Gontran is going to marry, in six -weeks or two months, Mademoiselle Louise Oriol."</p> - -<p>M. de Ravenel was startled: "Gontran? You say?"</p> - -<p>"I say that he is going to marry in six weeks or two months, with your -consent, Mademoiselle Louise Oriol, who will be very rich."</p> - -<p>Thereupon the Marquis said simply: "Good heavens! if he likes it, I -have no objection."</p> - -<p>And the banker related how he had dealt with the old countryman. As -soon as he had learned from the Comte that the young girl would -consent, he wanted to obtain, at one interview, the vinedresser's -assent without giving him time to prepare any of his dodges. He -accordingly hurried to Oriol's house, and found him making up his -accounts with great difficulty, assisted by Colosse, who was adding -figures together with his fingers.</p> - -<p>Seating himself: "I would like to drink of your excellent wine," said -he.</p> - -<p>When big Colosse had returned with the glasses and the jug brimming -over, he asked whether Mademoiselle Louise had come home; then he -begged of them to send for her. When she stood facing him, he rose, -and, making her a low bow:</p> - -<p>"Mademoiselle, will you regard me at this moment as a friend to whom -one may say everything? Is it not so? Well, I am charged with a very -delicate mission with reference to you. My brother-in-law, Comte -Raoul-Olivier-Gontran de Ravenel, is smitten with you—a thing for -which I commend him—and he has commissioned me to ask you, in the -presence of your family, whether you will consent to become his wife."</p> - -<p>Taken by surprise in this way, she turned toward her father her eyes, -which betrayed her confusion. And Père Oriol, scared, looked at his -son, his usual counselor, while Colosse looked at Andermatt, who went -on, with a certain amount of pomposity:</p> - -<p>"You understand, Mademoiselle, that I am only intrusted with this -mission on the terms of an immediate reply being given to my -brother-in-law. He is quite conscious of the fact that you may not care -for him, and in that case he will quit this neighborhood to-morrow, -never to come back to it again. I am aware, besides, that you know him -sufficiently to say to me, a simple intermediary, 'I consent,' or 'I do -not consent.'"</p> - -<p>She hung down her head, and, blushing, but resolute, she faltered: "I -consent, Monsieur."</p> - -<p>Then she fled so quickly that she knocked herself against the door as -she went out.</p> - -<p>Thereupon, Andermatt sat down, and, pouring out a glass of wine after -the fashion of peasants:</p> - -<p>"Now we are going to talk about business," said he.</p> - -<p>And, without admitting the possibility even of hesitation, he attacked -the question of the dowry, relying on the declarations made to him by -the vinedresser three months before. He estimated at three hundred -thousand francs, in addition to expectations, the actual fortune of -Gontran, and he let it be understood that if a man like the Comte de -Ravenel consented to ask for the hand of Oriol's daughter, a very -charming young lady in other respects, it was unquestionable that the -girl's family were bound to show their appreciation of this honor by a -sacrifice of money.</p> - -<p>Then the countryman, much disconcerted, but flattered—almost disarmed, -tried to make a fight for his property. The discussion was a long one. -An admission on Andermatt's part had, however, rendered it easy from -the start:</p> - -<p>"We don't ask for ready money nor for bills—nothing but the lands, -those which you have already indicated as forming Mademoiselle Louise's -dowry, in addition to some others which I am going to point you."</p> - -<p>The prospect of not having to pay money, that money slowly heaped -together, brought into the house franc after franc, sou after sou, -that good money, white or yellow, worn by the hands, the purses, the -pockets, the tables of <i>cafés</i>, the deep drawers of old presses, -that money in whose ring was told the history of so many troubles, -cares, fatigues, labors, so sweet to the heart, to the eyes, to the -fingers of the peasant, dearer than the cow, than the vine, than the -field, than the house, that money harder to part with sometimes than -life itself—the prospect of not seeing it go with the girl brought -on immediately a great calm, a desire to conciliate, a secret but -restrained joy, in the souls of the father and the son.</p> - -<p>They continued the discussion, however, in order to keep a few more -acres of soil. On the table was spread out a minute plan of Mont Oriol; -and they marked one by one with a cross the portions assigned to -Louise. It took an hour for Andermatt to secure the last two pieces. -Then, in order that there might not be any deceit on one side or the -other, they went over all the places on the plan. After that, they -identified carefully all the slices designated by crosses, and marked -them afresh.</p> - -<p>But Andermatt got uneasy, suspecting that the two Oriols were capable -of denying, at their next interview, a part of the grants to which they -had consented and would seek to take back ends of vinefields, corners -useful for his project; and he thought of a practical and certain means -of giving definiteness to the agreement.</p> - -<p>An idea crossed his mind, made him smile at first, then appeared to him -excellent, although singular.</p> - -<p>"If you like," said he, "we'll write it all out, so as not to forget it -later on."</p> - -<p>And as they were entering the village, he stopped before a -tobacconist's shop to buy two stamped sheets of paper. He knew that -the list of lands drawn up on these leaves with their legal aspect -would take an almost inviolable character in the peasant's eyes, for -these leaves would represent the law, always invisible and menacing, -vindicated by gendarmes, fines, and imprisonment.</p> - -<p>Then he wrote on one sheet and copied on the other:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"In pursuance of the promise of marriage exchanged between -Comte Gontran de Ravenel and Mademoiselle Louise Oriol, M. -Oriol, Senior, surrenders as a dowry to his daughter the -lands designated below——"</p></blockquote> - -<p>And he enumerated them minutely, with the figures attached to them in -the register of lands for the district.</p> - -<p>Then, having dated and signed the document, he made Père Oriol affix -his signature, after the latter had exacted in turn a written statement -of the intended husband's fortune, and he went back to the hotel with -the document in his pocket.</p> - -<p>Everyone laughed at his narrative and Gontran most of all. Then the -Marquis said to his son with a lofty air of dignity: "We shall both go -this evening to pay a visit to this family, and I shall myself renew -the application previously made by my son-in-law in order that it may -be more regular."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII.</a></h5> - - -<h4>Paul Changes His Mind</h4> - - -<p>Gontran made an admirable <i>fiancé</i>, as courteous as he was assiduous. -With the aid of Andermatt's purse, he made presents to everyone; and -he constantly visited the young girl, either at her own house, or that -of Madame Honorat. Paul nearly always accompanied him now, in order to -have the opportunity of meeting Charlotte, saying to himself, after -each visit, that he would see her no more.</p> - -<p>She had bravely resigned herself to her sister's marriage, and she -referred to it with apparent unconcern, as if it did not cause her the -slightest anxiety. Her character alone seemed a little altered, more -sedate, less open. While Gontran was talking soft nothings to Louise in -a half-whisper in a corner, Bretigny conversed with her in a serious -fashion, and allowed himself to be slowly vanquished, allowed this -fresh love to inundate his soul like a flowing tide. He knew what was -happening to him, and gave himself up to it, thinking: "Bah! when the -moment arrives. I will make my escape—that's all."</p> - -<p>When he left her, he would go up to see Christiane, who now lay from -morning till night stretched on a long chair. At the door, he could not -help feeling nervous and irritated, prepared beforehand for those light -quarrels to which weariness gives birth. All that she said, all that -she was thinking of, annoyed him, even ere she had opened her lips. Her -appearance of suffering, her resigned attitude, her looks of reproach -and of supplication, made words of anger rise to his lips, which he -repressed through good-breeding; and, even when by her side, he kept -before his mind the constant memory, the fixed image, of the young girl -whom he had just quitted.</p> - -<p>As Christiane, tormented with seeing so little of him, overwhelmed -him with questions as to how he spent his days, he invented stories, -to which she listened attentively, seeking to find out whether he was -thinking of some other woman. The powerlessness which she felt in -herself to keep a hold on this man, the powerlessness to pour into -him a little of that love with which she was tortured, the physical -powerlessness to fascinate him still, to give herself to him, to win -him back by caresses, since she could not regain him by the tender -intimacies of love, made her suspect the worst, without knowing on what -to fix her fears.</p> - -<p>She vaguely realized that some danger was lowering over her, some great -unknown danger. And she was filled with undefined jealousy, jealousy of -everything—of women whom she saw passing by her window, and whom she -thought charming, without even having any proof that Bretigny had ever -spoken to them.</p> - -<p>She asked of him: "Have you noticed a very pretty woman, a brunette, -rather tall, whom I saw a little while ago, and who must have arrived -here within the past few days?"</p> - -<p>When he replied, "No, I don't know her," she at once jumped to the -conclusion that he was lying, turned pale, and went on: "But it is not -possible that you have not seen her. She appears to me very beautiful."</p> - -<p>He was astonished at her persistency. "I assure you I have not seen -her. I'll try to come across her."</p> - -<p>She thought: "Surely it must be she!" She felt persuaded, too, on -certain days, that he was hiding some intrigue in the locality, that -he had sent for his mistress, an actress perhaps. And she questioned -everybody, her father, her brother, and her husband, about all the -women young and desirable, whom they observed in the neighborhood of -Enval. If only she could have walked about, and seen for herself, she -might have reassured herself a little; but the almost complete loss -of motion which her condition forced upon her now made her endure an -intolerable martyrdom.</p> - -<p>When she spoke to Paul, the tone of her voice alone revealed her -anguish, and intensified his nervous impatience with this love, which -for him was at an end. He could no longer talk quietly about anything -with her save the approaching marriage of Gontran, a subject which -enabled him to pronounce Charlotte's name, and to give vent to his -thoughts aloud about the young girl. And it was a mysterious source of -delight to him even to hear Christiane articulating that name, praising -the grace and all the qualities of this little maiden, compassionating -her, regretting that her brother should have sacrificed her, and -expressing a desire that some man, some noble heart, should appreciate -her, love her, and marry her.</p> - -<p>He said: "Oh! yes, Gontran acted foolishly there. She is perfectly -charming, that young girl."</p> - -<p>Christiane, without any misgiving, echoed: "Perfectly charming. She is -a pearl! a piece of perfection!"</p> - -<p>Never had she thought that a man like Paul could love a little maid -like this, or that he would be likely to marry her. She had no -apprehensions save of his mistresses. And it was a singular phenomenon -of the heart that praise of Charlotte from Christiane's lips assumed in -his eyes an extreme value, excited his love, whetted his desire, and -surrounded the young girl with an irresistible attraction.</p> - -<p>Now, one day, when he called at Madame Honorat's house to meet there -the Oriol girls, they found Doctor Mazelli installed there as if he was -at home. He stretched forth both hands to the two young men, with that -Italian smile of his, which seemed to give away his entire heart with -every word and every movement.</p> - -<p>Gontran and he were linked by a friendship at once familiar and futile, -made up of secret affinities, of hidden likenesses, of a sort of -confederacy of instincts, rather than any real affection or confidence.</p> - -<p>The Comte asked: "What about your little blonde of the Sans-Souci wood?"</p> - -<p>The Italian smiled: "Bah! we are on terms of indifference toward one -another. She is one of those women who offer everything and give -nothing."</p> - -<p>And they began to chat. The handsome physician performed certain -offices for the young girls, especially for Charlotte. When addressing -women, he manifested a perpetual adoration in his voice, his gestures, -and his looks. His entire person, from head to foot, said to them, -"I love you" with an eloquence in his attitude which never failed to -win their favor. He displayed the graces of an actress, the light -pirouettes of a <i>danseuse</i>, the supple movements of a juggler, -an entire science of seduction natural and acquired, of which he -constantly made use.</p> - -<p>Paul, when returning to the hotel with Gontran, exclaimed in a tone of -sullen vexation: "What does this charlatan come to that house for?"</p> - -<p>The Comte replied quietly: "How can you ever tell when dealing with -such adventurers? These sort of people slip in everywhere. This -fellow must be tired of his vagabond existence, and of giving way to -every caprice of his Spaniard, of whom he is rather the valet than -the physician—and perhaps something more. He is looking about him. -Professor Cloche's daughter was a good catch—he has failed with her, -he says. The second of the Oriol girls would not be less valuable -to him. He is making the attempt, feeling his way, smelling about, -sounding. He would become co-proprietor of the waters, would try to -knock over that idiot, Latonne, would in any case get an excellent -practice here every summer for himself, which would last him over the -winter. Faith! this is his plan exactly—no doubt of it!"</p> - -<p>A dull rage, a jealous animosity, was aroused in Paul's heart. A -voice exclaimed: "Hey! hey!" It was Mazelli, who had overtaken them. -Bretigny said to him, with aggressive irony: "Where are you rushing -so quickly, doctor? One would say that you were pursuing fortune." -The Italian smiled, and, without stopping, but skipping backward, he -plunged, with a mimic's graceful movement, his hands into his two -pockets, quickly turned them out and showed them, both empty, holding -them wide between two fingers by the ends of the seams. Then he said: -"I have not got hold of it yet." And, turning on his toes, he rushed -away like a man in a great hurry.</p> - -<p>They found him again several times, on the following days, at Doctor -Honorat's house, where he made himself useful to the three ladies by a -thousand graceful little services, by the same clever tactics which he -had no doubt adopted when dealing with the Duchess. He knew how to do -everything to perfection, from paying compliments to making macaroni. -He was, moreover, an excellent cook, and protecting himself from stains -by means of a servant's blue apron, and wearing a chef's cap made of -paper on his head, while he sang Neapolitan ditties in Italian, he did -the work of a scullion, without appearing a bit ridiculous, amusing and -fascinating everybody, down to the half-witted housekeeper, who said of -him: "He is a marvel!"</p> - -<p>His plans were soon obvious, and Paul no longer had any doubt that he -was trying to get Charlotte to fall in love with him. He seemed to be -succeeding in this. He was so profuse of flattery, so eager, so artful -in striving to please, that the young girl's face had, when she looked -at him, that air of contentment which indicates that the heart is -gratified.</p> - -<p>Paul, in his turn, without being even able to account to himself for -his conduct, assumed the attitude of a lover, and set himself up as -a rival. When he saw the doctor with Charlotte, he would come on the -scene, and, with his more direct manner, exert himself to win the young -girl's affections. He showed himself straightforward and sympathetic, -fraternal, devoted, repeating to her, with the sincerity of a friend, -in a tone so frank that one could scarcely see in it an avowal of love: -"I am very fond of you; cheer up!"</p> - -<p>Mazelli, astonished at this unexpected rivalry, had recourse to all -his powers of captivation; and, when Bretigny, bitten with jealousy, -that naïve jealousy which takes possession of a man when he is dealing -with any woman, even without being in love with her, provided only he -has taken a fancy to her—when, filled with this natural violence, he -became aggressive and haughty, the other, more pliant, always master -of himself, replied with sly allusions, witticisms, well-turned and -mocking compliments.</p> - -<p>It was a daily warfare which they both waged fiercely, without either -of them perhaps having a well-defined object in view. They did not want -to give way, like two dogs who have gained a grip of the same quarry.</p> - -<p>Charlotte had recovered her good humor, but along with it she now -exhibited a more biting waggery, a certain sphinx-like attitude, -less candor in her smile and in her glance. One would have said that -Gontran's desertion had educated her, prepared her for possible -deceptions, disciplined, and armed her.</p> - -<p>She played off her two admirers against one another in a sly and -dexterous fashion, saying to each of them what she thought necessary, -without letting the one fall foul of the other, without ever letting -the one suppose that she preferred the other, laughing slightly at each -of them in turn in the presence of his rival, leaving them an equal -match without appearing even to take either of them seriously. But all -this was done simply, in the manner of a schoolgirl rather than in that -of a coquette, with that mischievous air exhibited by young girls which -sometimes renders them irresistible.</p> - -<p>Mazelli, however, seemed suddenly to be having the advantage. He had -apparently become more intimate with her, as if a secret understanding -had been established between them. While talking to her, he played -lightly with her parasol and with one of the ribbons of her dress, -which appeared to Paul, as it were, an act of moral possession, and -exasperated him so much that he longed to box the Italian's ears.</p> - -<p>But, one day, at Père Oriol's house, while Bretigny was chatting with -Louise and Gontran, and, at the same time, keeping his eye fixed on -Mazelli, who was telling Charlotte in a subdued voice some things that -made her smile, he suddenly saw her blush with such an appearance of -embarrassment as to leave no doubt for one moment on his mind that the -other had spoken of love. She had cast down her eyes, and ceased to -smile, but still continued listening; and Paul, who felt disposed to -make a scene, said to Gontran: "Will you have the goodness to come out -with me for five minutes?"</p> - -<p>The Comte made his excuses to his betrothed, and followed his friend.</p> - -<p>When they were in the street, Paul exclaimed: "My dear fellow, this -wretched Italian must, at any cost, be prevented from inveigling this -girl, who is defenseless against him."</p> - -<p>"What do you wish me to do?"</p> - -<p>"To warn her of the fact that he is an adventurer."</p> - -<p>"Hey, my dear boy, those things are no concern of mine."</p> - -<p>"After all, she is to be your sister-in-law."</p> - -<p>"Yes, but there is nothing to show me conclusively that Mazelli has -guilty designs upon her. He exhibits the same gallantry toward all -women, and he has never said or done anything improper."</p> - -<p>"Well, if you don't want to take it on yourself, I'll do it, although -it concerns me less assuredly than it does you."</p> - -<p>"So then you are in love with Charlotte?"</p> - -<p>"I? No—but I see clearly through this blackguard's game."</p> - -<p>"My dear fellow, you are mixing yourself up in matters of a delicate -nature, and—unless you are in love with Charlotte——"</p> - -<p>"No—I am not in love with her—but I am hunting down imposters, that's -what I mean!"</p> - -<p>"May I ask what you intend to do?"</p> - -<p>"To thrash this beggar."</p> - -<p>"Good! the best way to make her fall in love with him. You fight with -him, and whether he wounds you, or you wound him, he will become a hero -in her eyes."</p> - -<p>"What would you do then?"</p> - -<p>"In your place?"</p> - -<p>"In my place."</p> - -<p>"I would speak to the girl as a friend. She has great confidence -in you. Well, I would say to her simply in a few words what these -hangers-on of society are. You know very well how to say these things. -You possess an eloquent tongue. And I would make her understand, -first, why he is attached to the Spaniard; secondly, why he attempted -to lay siege to Professor Cloche's daughter; thirdly, why, not having -succeeded in this effort, he is striving, in the last place, to make a -conquest of Mademoiselle Charlotte Oriol."</p> - -<p>"Why do you not do that, yourself, who will be her brother-in-law?"</p> - -<p>"Because—because—on account of what passed between us—come! I can't."</p> - -<p>"That's quite right. I am going to speak to her."</p> - -<p>"Do you want me to procure for you a private conversation with her -immediately?"</p> - -<p>"Why, yes, assuredly."</p> - -<p>"Good! Walk about for ten minutes. I am going to carry off Louise and -Mazelli, and, when you come back, you will find the other alone."</p> - -<p>Paul Bretigny rambled along the side of the Enval gorges, thinking over -the best way of opening this difficult conversation.</p> - -<p>He found Charlotte Oriol alone, indeed, on his return, in the cold, -whitewashed parlor of the paternal abode; and he said to her, as he sat -down beside her: "It is I, Mademoiselle, who asked Gontran to procure -me this interview with you."</p> - -<p>She looked at him with her clear eyes: "Why, pray?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! it is not to pay you insipid compliments in the Italian fashion. -It is to speak to you as a friend—as a very devoted friend, who owes -you good advice."</p> - -<p>"Tell me what it is."</p> - -<p>He took up the subject in a roundabout style, dwelt upon his own -experience, and upon her inexperience, so as to lead gradually by -discreet but explicit phrases to a reference to those adventurers who -are everywhere going in quest of fortune, taking advantage with their -professional skill of every ingenuous and good-natured being, man or -woman, whose purses or hearts they explored.</p> - -<p>She turned rather pale as she listened to him.</p> - -<p>Then she said: "I understand and I don't understand. You are speaking -of some one—of whom?"</p> - -<p>"I am speaking of Doctor Mazelli."</p> - -<p>Then, she lowered her eyes, and remained a few seconds without -replying; after this, in a hesitating voice: "You are so frank that I -will be the same with you. Since—since my sister's marriage has been -arranged, I have become a little less—a little less stupid! Well, I -had already suspected what you tell me—and I used to feel amused of my -own accord at seeing him coming."</p> - -<p>She raised her face to his as she spoke, and in her smile, in her arch -look, in her little <i>retroussé</i> nose, in the moist and glittering -brilliancy of her teeth which showed themselves between her lips, so -much open-hearted gracefulness, sly gaiety, and charming frolicsomeness -appeared that Bretigny felt himself drawn toward her by one of those -tumultuous transports which flung him distracted with passion at the -feet of the woman who was his latest love. And his heart exulted with -joy because Mazelli had not been preferred to him. So then he had -triumphed.</p> - -<p>He asked: "You do not love him, then?"</p> - -<p>"Whom? Mazelli?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>She looked at him with such a pained expression in her eyes that he -felt thrown off his balance, and stammered, in a supplicating voice: -"What?—you don't love—anyone?"</p> - -<p>She replied, with a downward glance: "I don't know—I love people who -love me."</p> - -<p>He seized the young girl's two hands, all at once, and kissing them -wildly in one of those moments of impulse in which the head loses its -controlling power, and the words which rise to the lips come from the -excited flesh rather than the wandering mind, he faltered:</p> - -<p>"I!—I love you, my little Charlotte; yes, I love you!"</p> - -<p>She quickly drew away one of her hands, and placed it on his mouth, -murmuring: "Be silent!—be silent, I beg of you! It would cause me too -much pain if this were another falsehood."</p> - -<p>She stood erect; he rose up, caught her in his arms, and embraced her -passionately.</p> - -<p>A sudden noise parted them; Père Oriol had just come in, and he was -gazing at them, quite scared. Then, he cried: "Ah! bougrrre! ah! -bougrrre! ah! bougrrre of a savage!"</p> - -<p>Charlotte had rushed out, and the two men remained face to face. -After some seconds of agitation, Paul made an attempt to explain his -position.</p> - -<p>"My God! Monsieur—I have conducted myself—it is true—like a——"</p> - -<p>But the old man would not listen to him. Anger, furious anger, had -taken possession of him, and he advanced toward Bretigny, with clenched -fists, repeating:</p> - -<p>"Ah! bougrrre of a savage——"</p> - -<p>Then, when they were nose to nose, he seized Paul by the collar with -his knotted peasant's hands.</p> - -<p>But the other, as tall, and strong with that superior strength acquired -by the practice of athletics, freed himself with a single push from the -countryman's grip, and, pushing him up against the wall:</p> - -<p>"Listen, Père Oriol, this is not a matter for us to fight about, but to -settle quietly. It is true, I was embracing your daughter. I swear to -you that this is the first time—and I swear to you, too, that I desire -to marry her."</p> - -<p>The old man, whose physical excitement had subsided under the assault -of his adversary, but whose anger had not yet been calmed, stuttered:</p> - -<p>"Ha! that's how it is! You want to steal my daughter; you want my -money. Bougrrre of a deceiver!"</p> - -<p>Thereupon, he allowed all that was on his mind to escape from him in a -heap of grumbling words. He found no consolation for the dowry promised -with his elder girl, for his vinelands going into the hands of these -Parisians. He now had his suspicions as to Gontran's want of money, -Andermatt's craft, and, without forgetting the unexpected fortune -which the banker brought him, he vented his bile and his secret rancor -against those mischievous people who did not let him sleep any longer -in peace.</p> - -<p>One would have thought that his family and his friends were coming -every night to plunder him, to rob him of everything, his lands, his -springs, and his daughters. And he cast these reproaches into Paul's -face, accusing him also of wanting to get hold of his property, of -being a rogue, and of taking Charlotte in order to have his lands.</p> - -<p>The other, soon losing all patience, shouted under his very nose: "Why, -I am richer than you, you infernally currish old donkey. I would bring -you money."</p> - -<p>The old man listened in silence to these words, incredulous but -vigilant, and then, in a milder tone, he renewed his complaints.</p> - -<p>Paul then answered him and entered into explanations; and, believing -that an obligation was imposed on him, owing to the circumstances under -which he had been surprised, and for which he was solely responsible, -he proposed to marry the girl without asking for any dowry.</p> - -<p>Père Oriol shook his head and his ears, heard Paul reiterating his -statements, but was unable to understand. To him this young man seemed -still a pauper, a penniless wretch.</p> - -<p>And, when Bretigny, exasperated, yelled, in his teeth: "Why, you old -rascal, I have an income of more than a hundred and twenty thousand -francs a year—do you understand?—three millions," the other suddenly -asked: "Will you write that down on a piece of paper?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I will write it down!"</p> - -<p>"And you'll sign it?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I will sign it."</p> - -<p>"On a sheet of notary's paper?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, certainly—on a sheet of notary's paper!"</p> - -<p>Thereupon, he rose up, opened a press, took out of it two leaves marked -with the Government stamp, and, seeking for the undertaking which -Andermatt, a few days before, had required from him, he drew up an odd -promise of marriage, in which it was made a condition that the <i>fiancé</i> -vouched for his being worth three millions; and, at the end of it -Bretigny affixed his signature.</p> - -<p>When Paul found himself in the open air once more, he felt as if the -earth no longer turned round in the same way. So then, he was engaged, -in spite of himself, in spite of her, by one of those accidents, by one -of those tricks of circumstance, which shut out from you every point of -escape. He muttered: "What madness!" Then he reflected: "Bah! I could -not have found better perhaps in all the world!"</p> - -<p>And in his secret heart he rejoiced at this snare of destiny.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV.</a></h5> - - -<h4>Christiane's Via Crucis</h4> - - -<p>The dawn of the following day brought bad news to Andermatt. He learned -on his arrival at the bath-establishment that M. Aubry-Pasteur had died -during the night from an attack of apoplexy at the Hotel Splendid.</p> - -<p>In addition to the fact that the deceased was very useful to him on -account of his vast scientific attainments, disinterested zeal, and -attachment to the Mont Oriol station, which, in some measure, he looked -upon as a daughter, it was much to be regretted that a patient who had -come there to fight against a tendency toward congestion should have -died exactly in this fashion, in the midst of his treatment, in the -very height of the season, at the very moment when the rising spa was -beginning to prove a success.</p> - -<p>The banker, exceedingly annoyed, walked up and down in the study of the -absent inspector, thinking of some device whereby this misfortune might -be attributed to some other cause, such as an accident, a fall, a -want of prudence, the rupture of an artery; and he impatiently awaited -Doctor Latonne's arrival in order that the decease might be ingeniously -certified without awakening any suspicion as to the initial cause of -the fatality.</p> - -<p>All at once, the medical inspector appeared on the scene, his face pale -and indicative of extreme agitation; and, as soon as he had passed -through the door, he asked: "Have you heard the lamentable news?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, the death of M. Aubry-Pasteur."</p> - -<p>"No, no, the flight of Doctor Mazelli with Professor Cloche's daughter."</p> - -<p>Andermatt felt a shiver running along his skin.</p> - -<p>"What? you tell me——"</p> - -<p>"Oh! my dear manager, it is a frightful catastrophe, a crash!"</p> - -<p>He sat down and wiped his forehead; then he related the facts as he -got them from Petrus Martel, who had learned them directly through the -professor's valet.</p> - -<p>Mazelli had paid very marked attentions to the pretty red-haired -widow, a coarse coquette, a wanton, whose first husband had succumbed -to consumption, brought on, it was said, by excessive devotion to his -matrimonial duties. But M. Cloche, having discovered the projects of -the Italian physician, and not desiring this adventurer as a second -son-in-law, violently turned him out of doors on surprising him -kneeling at the widow's feet.</p> - -<p>Mazelli, having been sent out by the door, soon re-entered through the -window by the silken ladder of lovers. Two versions of the affair -were current. According to the first, he had rendered the professor's -daughter mad with love and jealousy; according to the second, he had -continued to see her secretly, while pretending to be devoting his -attention to another woman; and ascertaining finally through his -mistress that the professor remained inflexible, he had carried her -off, the same night, rendering a marriage inevitable, in consequence of -this scandal.</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne rose up and, leaning his back against the mantelpiece, -while Andermatt, astounded, continued walking up and down, he exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"A physician, Monsieur, a physician to do such a thing!—a doctor of -medicine!—what an absence of character!"</p> - -<p>Andermatt, completely crushed, appreciated the consequences, classified -them, and weighed them, as one does a sum in addition. They were: -"First, the disagreeable report spreading over the neighboring spas -and all the way to Paris. If, however, they went the right way about -it, perhaps they could make use of this elopement as an advertisement. -A fortnight's echoes well written and prominently printed in the -newspapers would strongly attract attention to Mont Oriol. Secondly: -Professor Cloche's departure an irreparable loss. Thirdly: The -departure of the Duchess and the Duke de Ramas-Aldavarra, a second -inevitable loss without possible compensation. In short, Doctor Latonne -was right. It was a frightful catastrophe."</p> - -<p>Then, the banker, turning toward the physician: "You ought to go at -once to the Hotel Splendid, and draw up the certificate of the death of -Aubry-Pasteur in such a way that no one could suspect it to be a case -of congestion."</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne put on his hat; then just as he was leaving: "Ha! -another rumor which is circulating! Is it true that your friend Paul -Bretigny is going to marry Charlotte Oriol?"</p> - -<p>Andermatt gave a start of astonishment.</p> - -<p>"Bretigny? Come-now!—who told you that?"</p> - -<p>"Why, as in the other case, Petrus Martel, who had it from Père Oriol -himself."</p> - -<p>"From Père Oriol?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, from Père Oriol, who declared that his future son-in-law -possessed a fortune of three millions."</p> - -<p>William did not know what to think. He muttered: "In point of fact, it -is possible. He has been rather hot on her for some time past! But in -that case the whole knoll is ours—the whole knoll! Oh! I must make -certain of this immediately." And he went out after the doctor in order -to meet Paul before breakfast.</p> - -<p>As he was entering the hotel, he was informed that his wife had several -times asked to see him. He found her still in bed, chatting with her -father and with her brother, who was looking through the newspapers -with a rapid and wandering glance. She felt poorly, very poorly, -restless. She was afraid, without knowing why. And then an idea had -come to her, and had for some days been growing stronger in her brain, -as usually happens with pregnant women. She wanted to consult Doctor -Black. From the effect of hearing around her some jokes at Doctor -Latonne's expense, she had lost all confidence in him, and she wanted -another opinion, that of Doctor Black, whose success was constantly -increasing. Fears, all the fears, all the hauntings, by which women -toward the close of pregnancy are besieged, now tortured her from -morning until night. Since the night before, in consequence of a dream, -she imagined that the Cæsarian operation might be necessary. And she -was present in thought at this operation performed on herself. She saw -herself lying on her back in a bed covered with blood, while something -red was being taken away, which did not move, which did not cry, and -which was dead! And for ten minutes she shut her eyes, in order to -witness this over again, to be present once more at her horrible and -painful punishment. She had, therefore, become impressed with the -notion that Doctor Black alone could tell her the truth, and she wanted -him at once; she required him to examine her immediately, immediately, -immediately! Andermatt, greatly agitated, did not know what answer to -give her.</p> - -<p>"But my dear child, it is difficult, having regard to my relations -with Latonne it is even impossible. Listen! an idea occurs to me: I -will look up Professor Mas-Roussel, who is a hundred times better than -Black. He will not refuse to come when I ask him."</p> - -<p>But she persisted. She wanted Black, and no one else. She required to -see him with his big bulldog's head beside her. It was a longing, a -wild, superstitious desire. She considered it necessary for him to see -her.</p> - -<p>Then William attempted to change the current of her thoughts:</p> - -<p>"You haven't heard how that intriguer Mazelli carried off Professor -Cloche's daughter the other night. They are gone away; nobody can tell -where they levanted to. There's a nice story for you!"</p> - -<p>She was propped up on her pillow, her eyes strained with grief, and she -faltered: "Oh! the poor Duchess—the poor woman—how I pity her!" Her -heart had long since learned to understand that other woman's heart, -bruised and impassioned! She suffered from the same malady and wept the -same tears. But she resumed: "Listen, Will! Go and find M. Black for -me. I know I shall die unless he comes!"</p> - -<p>Andermatt caught her hand, and tenderly kissed it:</p> - -<p>"Come, my little Christiane, be reasonable—understand."</p> - -<p>He saw her eyes filled with tears, and, turning toward the Marquis:</p> - -<p>"It is you that ought to do this, my dear father-in-law. As for me, I -can't do it. Black comes here every day about one o'clock to see the -Princess de Maldebourg. Stop him in the passage, and send him in to -your daughter. You can easily wait an hour, can you not, Christiane?"</p> - -<p>She consented to wait an hour, but refused to get up to breakfast with -the men, who passed alone into the dining-room.</p> - -<p>Paul was there already. Andermatt, when he saw him, exclaimed: "Ah! -tell me now, what is it I have been told a little while ago? You are -going to marry Charlotte Oriol? It is not true, is it?"</p> - -<p>The young man replied in a low tone, casting a restless look toward the -closed door: "Good God! it is true!" Nobody having been sure of it till -now, the three stared at him in amazement.</p> - -<p>William asked: "What came over you? With your fortune, to marry—to -embarrass yourself with one woman, when you have the whole of them? -And then, after all, the family leaves something to be desired in the -matter of refinement. It is all very well for Gontran, who hasn't a -sou!"</p> - -<p>Bretigny began to laugh: "My father made a fortune out of flour; he was -then a miller on a large scale. If you had known him, you might have -said he lacked refinement. As for the young girl——"</p> - -<p>Andermatt interrupted him: "Oh! perfect—charming—perfect—and you -know—she will be as rich as yourself—if not more so. I answer for -it—I—I answer for it!"</p> - -<p>Gontran murmured: "Yes, this marriage interferes with nothing, and -covers retreats. Only he was wrong in not giving us notice beforehand. -How the devil was this business managed, my friend?"</p> - -<p>Thereupon, Paul related all that had occurred with some slight -modifications. He told about his hesitation, which he exaggerated, -and his sudden determination on discovering from the young girl's own -lips that she loved him. He described the unexpected entrance of Père -Oriol, their quarrel, which he enlarged upon, the countryman's doubts -concerning his fortune, and the incident of the stamped paper drawn by -the old man out of the press.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, laughing till the tears ran down his face, hit the table -with his fist: "Ha! he did that over again, the stamped paper touch! -It's my invention, that is!"</p> - -<p>But Paul stammered, reddening a little: "Pray don't let your wife know -about it yet. Owing to the terms which we are on at present, it is -more suitable that I should announce it to her myself."</p> - -<p>Gontran eyed his friend with an odd, good-humored smile, which seemed -to say: "This is quite right, all this, quite right! That's the way -things ought to end, without noise, without scandals, without any -dramatic situations."</p> - -<p>He suggested: "If you like, my dear Paul, we'll go together, after -dinner, when she's up, and you will inform her of your decision."</p> - -<p>Their eyes met, fixed, full of unfathomable thoughts, then looked in -another direction. And Paul replied with an air of indifference:</p> - -<p>"Yes, willingly. We'll talk about this presently."</p> - -<p>A waiter from the hotel came to inform them that Doctor Black had just -arrived for his visit to the Princess; and the Marquis forthwith went -out to catch him in the passage. He explained the situation to the -doctor, his son-in-law's embarrassment and his daughter's earnest wish, -and he brought him in without resistance.</p> - -<p>As soon as the little man with the big head had entered Christiane's -apartment, she said: "Papa, leave us alone!" And the Marquis withdrew.</p> - -<p>Thereupon, she enumerated her disquietudes, her terrors, her -nightmares, in a low, sweet voice, as though she were at confession. -And the physician listened to her like a priest, covering her sometimes -with his big round eyes, showed his attention by a little nod of the -head, murmured a "That's it," which seemed to mean, "I know your case -at the end of my fingers, and I will cure you whenever I like."</p> - -<p>When she had finished speaking, he began in his turn to question her -with extreme minuteness of detail about her life, her habits, her -course of diet, her treatment. At one moment he appeared to express -approval with a gesture, at another to convey blame with an "Oh!" full -of reservations. When she came to her great fear that the child was -misplaced, he rose up, and with an ecclesiastical modesty, lightly -passed his hand over the counterpane, and then remarked, "No, it's all -right."</p> - -<p>And she felt a longing to embrace him. What a good man this physician -was!</p> - -<p>He sat down at the table, took a sheet of paper, and wrote out the -prescription. It was long, very long. Then he came back close to the -bed, and, in an altered tone, clearly indicating that he had finished -his professional and sacred duty, he began to chat. He had a deep, -unctuous voice, the powerful voice of a thickset dwarf, and there -were hidden questions in his most ordinary phrases. He talked about -everything. Gontran's marriage seemed to interest him considerably. -Then, with his ugly smile like that of an ill-shaped being:</p> - -<p>"I have said nothing yet to you about M. Bretigny's marriage, although -it cannot be a secret, for Père Oriol has told it to everybody."</p> - -<p>A kind of fainting fit took possession of her, commencing at the end -of her fingers, then invading her entire body—her arms, her breast, -her stomach, her legs. She did not, however, quite understand; but a -horrible fear of not learning the truth suddenly restored her powers -of observation, and she faltered: "Ha! Père Oriol has told it to -everybody?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes. He was speaking to myself about it less than ten minutes -ago. It appears that M. Bretigny is very rich, and that he has been in -love with little Charlotte for some time past. Moreover, it is Madame -Honorat who made these two matches. She lent her hands and her house -for the meetings of the young people."</p> - -<p>Christiane had closed her eyes. She had lost consciousness. In answer -to the doctor's call, a chambermaid rushed in; then appeared the -Marquis, Andermatt, and Gontran, who went to search for vinegar, -ether, ice, twenty different things all equally useless. Suddenly, the -young woman moved, opened her eyes, lifted up her arms, and uttered a -heartrending cry, writhing in the bed. She tried to speak, and in a -broken voice said:</p> - -<p>"Oh! what pain I feel—my God!—what pain I feel—in my back—something -is tearing me—Oh! my God!" And she broke out into fresh shrieks.</p> - -<p>The symptoms of confinement were speedily recognized. Then Andermatt -rushed off to find Doctor Latonne, and came upon him finishing his meal.</p> - -<p>"Come on quickly—my wife has met with a mishap—hurry on!" Then he -made use of a little deception, telling how Doctor Black had been found -in the hotel at the moment of the first pains. Doctor Black himself -confirmed this falsehood by saying to his brother-physician:</p> - -<p>"I had just come to visit the Princess when I was informed that Madame -Andermatt was taken ill. I hurried to her. It was time!"</p> - -<p>But William, in a state of great excitement, his heart beating, his -soul filled with alarm was all at once seized with doubts as to the -competency of the two professional men, and he started off afresh, -bareheaded, in order to run in the direction of Professor Mas-Roussel's -house, and to entreat him to come. The professor consented to do so -at once, buttoned on his frock-coat with the mechanical movement of a -physician going out to pay a visit, and set forth with great, rapid -strides, the eager strides of an eminent man whose presence may save a -life.</p> - -<p>When he arrived on the scene, the two other doctors, full of deference, -consulted him with an air of humility, repeating together or nearly at -the same time:</p> - -<p>"Here is what has occurred, dear master. Don't you think, dear master? -Isn't there reason to believe, dear master?"</p> - -<p>Andermatt, in his turn, driven crazy with anguish at the moanings of -his wife, harassed M. Mas-Roussel with questions, and also addressed -him as "dear master" with wide-open mouth.</p> - -<p>Christiane, almost naked in the presence of these men, no longer saw, -noticed, or understood anything. She was suffering so dreadfully that -everything else had vanished from her consciousness. It seemed to her -that they were drawing from the tops of her hips along her side and her -back a long saw, with blunt teeth, which was mangling her bones and -muscles slowly and in an irregular fashion, with shakings, stoppages, -and renewals of the operation, which became every moment more and more -frightful.</p> - -<p>When this torture abated for a few seconds, when the rendings of her -body allowed her reason to come back, one thought then fixed itself -in her soul, more cruel, more keen, more terrible, than her physical -pain: "He was in love with another woman, and was going to marry her!"</p> - -<p>And, in order to get rid of this pang, which was eating into her brain, -she struggled to bring on once more the atrocious torment of her -flesh; she shook her sides; she strained her back; and when the crisis -returned again, she had, at least, lost all capacity for thought.</p> - -<p>For fifteen hours she endured this martyrdom, so much bruised by -suffering and despair that she longed to die, and strove to die in -those spasms in which she writhed.</p> - -<p>But, after a convulsion longer and more violent than the rest, it -seemed to her that everything inside her body suddenly escaped from -her. It was over; her pangs were assuaged, like the waves of the sea, -when they are calmed; and the relief which she experienced was so -intense that, for a time, even her grief became numbed. They spoke to -her. She answered in a voice very weak, very low.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, Andermatt stooped down, his face toward hers, and he said: -"She will live—she is almost at the end of it. It is a girl!"</p> - -<p>Christiane was only able to articulate: "Ah! my God!"</p> - -<p>So then she had a child, a living child, who would grow big—a child of -Paul! She felt a desire to cry out, all this fresh misfortune crushed -her heart. She had a daughter. She did not want it! She would not look -at it! She would never touch it!</p> - -<p>They had laid her down again on the bed, taken care of her, tenderly -embraced her. Who had done this? No doubt, her father and her husband. -She could not tell. But he—where was he? What was he doing? How happy -she would have felt at that moment, if only he still loved her!</p> - -<p>The hours dragged along, following each other without any distinction -between day and night so far as she was concerned, for she felt only -this one thought burning into her soul: he loved another woman.</p> - -<p>Then she said to herself all of a sudden: "What if it were false? Why -should I not have known about his marriage sooner than this doctor?" -After that, came the reflection that it had been kept hidden from her. -Paul had taken care that she should not hear about it.</p> - -<p>She glanced around her room to see who was there. A woman whom she did -not know was keeping watch by her side, a woman of the people. She did -not venture to question her. From whom, then, could she make inquiries -about this matter?</p> - -<p>The door was suddenly pushed open. Her husband entered on the tips of -his toes. Seeing that her eyes were open, he came over to her.</p> - -<p>"Are you better?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, thanks."</p> - -<p>"You frightened us very much since yesterday. But there is an end of -the danger! By the bye, I am quite embarrassed about your case. I -telegraphed to our friend, Madame Icardon, who was to have come to stay -with you during your confinement, informing her about your premature -illness, and imploring her to hasten down here. She is with her nephew, -who has an attack of scarlet fever. You cannot, however, remain -without anyone near you, without some woman who is a little—a little -suitable for the purpose. Accordingly, a lady from the neighborhood has -offered to nurse you, and to keep you company every day, and, faith, I -have accepted the offer. It is Madame Honorat."</p> - -<p>Christiane suddenly remembered Doctor Black's words. A start of fear -shook her; and she groaned: "Oh! no—no—not she!"</p> - -<p>William did not understand, and went on: "Listen, I know well that she -is very common; but your brother has a great esteem for her; she has -been of great service to him; and then it has been thrown out that she -was originally a midwife, whom Honorat made the acquaintance of while -attending a patient. If you take a strong dislike to her, I will send -her away the next day. Let us try her at any rate. Let her come once or -twice."</p> - -<p>She remained silent, thinking. A craving to know, to know everything, -entered into her, so violent that the hope of making this woman chatter -freely, of tearing from her one by one the words that would rend her -own heart, now filled her with a yearning to reply: "Go, go, and look -for her immediately—immediately. Go, pray!"</p> - -<p>And to this irresistible desire to know was also superadded a strange -longing to suffer more intensely, to roll herself about in her misery, -as she might have rolled herself on thorns, the mysterious longing, -morbid and feverish, of a martyr calling for fresh pain.</p> - -<p>So she faltered: "Yes, I have no objection. Bring me Madame Honorat."</p> - -<p>Then, suddenly, she felt that she could not wait any longer without -making sure, quite sure, of this treason; and she asked William in a -voice weak as a breath:</p> - -<p>"Is it true that M. Bretigny is getting married?"</p> - -<p>He replied calmly: "Yes, it is true. We would have told you before this -if we could have talked with you."</p> - -<p>She continued: "With Charlotte?"</p> - -<p>"With Charlotte."</p> - -<p>Now William had also a fixed idea himself which from this time forth -never left him—his daughter, as yet barely alive, whom every moment -he was going to look at. He felt indignant because Christiane's first -words were not to ask for the baby; and in a tone of gentle reproach: -"Well, look here! you have not yet inquired about the little one. You -are aware that she is going on very well?"</p> - -<p>She trembled as if he had touched a living wound; but it was necessary -for her to pass through all the stations of this Calvary.</p> - -<p>"Bring her here," she said.</p> - -<p>He vanished to the foot of the bed behind the curtain, then he came -back, his face lighted up with pride and happiness, and holding in his -hands, in an awkward fashion, a bundle of white linen.</p> - -<p>He laid it down on the embroidered pillow close to the head of -Christiane, who was choking with emotion, and he said: "Look here, see -how lovely she is!"</p> - -<p>She looked. He opened with two of his fingers the fine lace with which -was hidden from view a little red face, so small, so red, with closed -eyes, and mouth constantly moving.</p> - -<p>And she thought, as she leaned over this beginning of being: "This is -my daughter—Paul's daughter. Here then is what made me suffer so much. -This—this—this is my daughter!"</p> - -<p>Her repugnance toward the child, whose birth had so fiercely torn her -poor heart and her tender woman's body had, all at once, disappeared; -she now contemplated it with ardent and sorrowing curiosity, with -profound astonishment, the astonishment of a being who sees her -firstborn come forth from her.</p> - -<p>Andermatt was waiting for her to caress it passionately. He was -surprised and shocked, and asked: "Are you not going to kiss it?"</p> - -<p>She stooped quite gently toward this little red forehead; and in -proportion as she drew her lips closer to it, she felt them drawn, -called by it. And when she had placed them upon it, when she touched -it, a little moist, a little warm, warm with her own life, it seemed -to her that she could not withdraw her lips from that infantile flesh, -that she would leave them there forever.</p> - -<p>Something grazed her cheek; it was her husband's beard as he bent -forward to kiss her. And when he had pressed her a long time against -himself with a grateful tenderness, he wanted, in his turn, to kiss his -daughter, and with his outstretched mouth he gave it very soft little -strokes on the nose.</p> - -<p>Christiane, her heart shriveled up by this caress, gazed at both of -them there by her side, at her daughter and at him—him!</p> - -<p>He soon wanted to carry the infant back to its cradle.</p> - -<p>"No," said she, "let me have it a few minutes longer, that I may feel -it close to my face. Don't speak to me any more—don't move—leave us -alone, and wait."</p> - -<p>She passed one of her arms over the body hidden under the -swaddling-clothes, put her forehead close to the little grinning face, -shut her eyes, and no longer stirred, or thought about anything.</p> - -<p>But, at the end of a few minutes, William softly touched her on the -shoulder: "Come, my darling, you must be reasonable! No emotions, you -know, no emotions!"</p> - -<p>Thereupon, he bore away their little daughter, while the mother's eyes -followed the child till it had disappeared behind the curtain of the -bed.</p> - -<p>After that, he came back to her: "Then it is understood that I am to -bring Madame Honorat to you to-morrow morning, to keep you company?"</p> - -<p>She replied in a firm tone: "Yes, my dear, you may send her to -me—to-morrow morning."</p> - -<p>And she stretched herself out in the bed, fatigued, worn out, perhaps a -little less unhappy.</p> - -<p>Her father and her brother came to see her in the evening, and told -her news about the locality—the precipitate departure of Professor -Cloche in search of his daughter, and the conjectures with reference to -the Duchess de Ramas, who was no longer to be seen, and who was also -supposed to have started on Mazelli's track. Gontran laughed at these -adventures, and drew a comic moral from the occurrences:</p> - -<p>"The history of those spas is incredible. They are the only fairylands -left upon the earth! In two months more things happen in them than in -the rest of the universe during the remainder of the year. One might -say with truth that the springs are not mineralized but bewitched. And -it is everywhere the same, at Aix, Royat, Vichy, Luchon, and also at -the sea-baths, at Dieppe, Étretat, Trouville, Biarritz, Cannes, and -Nice. You meet there specimens of all kinds of people, of every social -grade—admirable adventures, a mixture of races and people not to be -found elsewhere, and marvelous incidents. Women play pranks there with -facility and charming promptitude. At Paris one resists temptation—at -the waters one falls; there you are! Some men find fortune at them, -like Andermatt; others find death, like Aubry-Pasteur; others find -worse even than that—and get married there—like myself and Paul. -Isn't it queer and funny, this sort of thing? You have heard about -Paul's intended marriage—have you not?"</p> - -<p>She murmured: "Yes; William told me about it a little while ago."</p> - -<p>Gontran went on: "He is right, quite right. She is a peasant's -daughter. Well, what of that? She is better than an adventurer's -daughter or a daughter who's too short. I knew Paul. He would have -ended by marrying a street-walker, provided she resisted him for six -months. And to resist him it needed a jade or an innocent. He has -lighted on the innocent. So much the better for him!"</p> - -<p>Christiane listened, and every word, entering through her ears, went -straight to her heart, and inflicted on her pain, horrible pain.</p> - -<p>Closing her eyes, she said: "I am very tired. I would like to have a -little rest."</p> - -<p>They embraced her and went out.</p> - -<p>She could not sleep, so wakeful was her mind, active and racked with -harrowing thoughts. That idea that he no longer loved her at all became -so intolerable that, were it not for the presence of this woman, this -nurse nodding asleep in the armchair, she would have got up, opened -the window, and flung herself out on the steps of the hotel. A very -thin ray of moonlight penetrated through an opening in the curtains, -and formed a round bright spot on the floor. She observed it; and in a -moment a crowd of memories rushed together into her brain: the lake, -the wood, that first "I love you," scarcely heard, so agitating, at -Tournoel, and all their caresses, in the evening, beside the shadowy -paths, and the road from La Roche Pradière.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, she saw this white road, on a night when the heavens were -filled with stars, and he, Paul, with his arm round a woman's waist, -kissing her at every step they walked. It was Charlotte! He pressed -her against him, smiled as he knew how to smile, murmured in her ear -sweet words, such as he knew how to utter, then flung himself on his -knees and kissed the ground in front of her, just as he had kissed it -in front of herself! It was so hard, so hard for her to bear, that -turning round and hiding her face in the pillow, she burst out sobbing. -She almost shrieked, so much did despair rend her soul. Every beat of -her heart, which jumped into her throat, which throbbed in her temples, -sent forth from her one word—"Paul—Paul—Paul"—endlessly re-echoed. -She stopped up her ears with her hands in order to hear nothing more, -plunged her head under the sheets; but then his name sounded in the -depths of her bosom with every pant of her tormented heart.</p> - -<p>The nurse, waking up, asked of her: "Are you worse, Madame?"</p> - -<p>Christiane turned round, her face covered with tears, and murmured: -"No, I was asleep—I was dreaming—I was frightened."</p> - -<p>Then, she begged of her to light two wax-candles, so that the ray of -moonlight might be no longer visible. Toward morning, however, she -slumbered.</p> - -<p>She had been asleep for a few hours when Andermatt came in, bringing -with him Madame Honorat. The fat lady, immediately adopting a familiar -tone, questioned her like a doctor; then, satisfied with her answers, -said: "Come, come! you're going on very nicely!" Then she took off her -hat, her gloves, and her shawl, and, addressing the nurse: "You may go, -my girl. You will come when we ring for you."</p> - -<p>Christiane, already inflamed with dislike to the woman, said to her -husband: "Give me my daughter for a little while."</p> - -<p>As on the previous day, William carried the child to her, tenderly -embracing it as he did so, and placed it upon the pillow. And, as on -the previous day, too, when she felt close to her cheek, through the -wrappings, the heat of this little stranger's body, imprisoned in -linen, she was suddenly penetrated with a grateful sense of peace.</p> - -<p>Then, all at once, the baby began to cry, screaming out in a shrill and -piercing voice. "She wants nursing," said Andermatt.</p> - -<p>He rang, and the wet-nurse appeared, a big red woman, with a mouth -like an ogress, full of large, shining teeth, which almost terrified -Christiane. And from the open body of her dress she drew forth a -breast, soft and heavy with milk. And when Christiane beheld her -daughter drinking, she felt a longing to snatch away and take back the -baby, moved by a certain sense of jealousy. Madame Honorat now gave -directions to the wet-nurse, who went off, carrying the baby in her -arms. Andermatt, in his turn, went out, and the two women were left -alone together.</p> - -<p>Christiane did not know how to speak of what tortured her soul, -trembling lest she might give way to too much emotion, lose her head, -burst into tears, and betray herself. But Madame Honorat began to -babble of her own accord, without having been asked a single question. -When she had related all the scandalous stories that were circulating -through the neighborhood, she came to the Oriol family: "They are good -people," said she, "very good people. If you had known the mother, what -a worthy, brave woman she was! She was worth ten women, Madame. The -girls take after her, for that matter."</p> - -<p>Then, as she was passing on to another topic, Christiane asked: "Which -of the two do you prefer, Louise or Charlotte?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! for my own part, Madame, I prefer Louise, your brother's intended -wife; she is more sensible, more steady. She is a woman of order. But -my husband likes the other better. Men you know, have tastes different -from ours."</p> - -<p>She ceased speaking. Christiane, whose strength was giving way, -faltered: "My brother has often met his betrothed at your house."</p> - -<p>"Oh! yes, Madame—I believe really every day. Everything was brought -about at my house, everything! As for me, I let them talk, these young -people, I understood the thing thoroughly. But what truly gave me -pleasure was when I saw that M. Paul was getting smitten by the younger -one."</p> - -<p>Then, Christiane, in an almost inaudible voice: "Is he deeply in love -with her?"</p> - -<p>"Ah! Madame, is he in love with her? He had lost his head about her -some time since. And then, when the Italian—he who ran off with -Doctor Cloche's daughter—kept hanging about the girl a little, it -was something worth seeing and watching—I thought they were going to -fight! Ah! if you had seen M. Paul's eyes. And he looked upon her as -if she were a holy Virgin, nothing less—it's a pleasant thing to see -people so much in love as that!"</p> - -<p>Thereupon, Christiane asked her about all that had taken place in her -presence, about all they had said, about all they had done, about their -promenades in the glen of Sans-Souci, where he had so often told her -of his love for her. She put unexpected questions, which astonished -the fat lady, about matters that nobody would have dreamed of, for she -was constantly making comparisons; she recalled a thousand details of -what had occurred the year before, all Paul's delicate gallantries, -his thoughtfulness about her, his ingenious devices to please her, all -that display of charming attentions and tender anxieties which on the -part of a man show an imperious desire to win a woman's affections; and -she wanted to find out whether he had manifested the same affectionate -interest toward the other, whether he had commenced afresh this siege -of a soul with the same ardor, with the same enthusiasm, with the same -irresistible passion.</p> - -<p>And every time she recognized a little circumstance, a little trait, -one of those nothings which cause such exquisite bliss, one of those -disquieting surprises which cause the heart to beat fast, and of which -Paul was so prodigal when he loved, Christiane, as she lay prostrate in -the bed, gave utterance to a little "Ah!" expressive of keen suffering.</p> - -<p>Amazed at this strange exclamation, Madame Honorat declared more -emphatically: "Why, yes. 'Tis as I tell you, exactly as I tell you. I -never saw a man so much in love!"</p> - -<p>"Has he recited verses to her?"</p> - -<p>"I believe so indeed, Madame, and very pretty ones, too!"</p> - -<p>And, when they had relapsed into silence, nothing more could be heard -save the monotonous and soothing song of the nurse as she rocked the -baby to sleep in the adjoining room.</p> - -<p>Steps were drawing near in the corridor outside. Doctors Mas-Roussel -and Latonne had come to visit their patient. They found her agitated, -not quite so well as she had been on the previous day.</p> - -<p>When they had left, Andermatt opened the door again, and without coming -in: "Doctor Black would like to see you. Will you see him?"</p> - -<p>She exclaimed, as she raised herself up in the bed: "No—no—I will -not—no!"</p> - -<p>William came over to her, looking quite astounded: "But listen to me -now—it would only be right—it is his due—you ought to!"</p> - -<p>She looked, with her wide-open eyes and quivering lips, as if she had -lost her reason. She kept repeating in a piercing voice, so loud that -it must have penetrated through the walls: "No!—no!—never!" And then, -no longer knowing what she said, and pointing with outstretched arm -toward Madame Honorat, who was standing in the center of the apartment:</p> - -<p>"I do not want her either!—send her away!—I don't want to see -her!—send her away!"</p> - -<p>Then he rushed to his wife's side, took her in his arms, and kissed her -on the forehead: "My little Christiane, be calm! What is the matter -with you?—come now, be calm!"</p> - -<p>She had by this time lost the power of raising her voice. The tears -gushed from her eyes.</p> - -<p>"Send them all away," said she, "and remain alone with me!"</p> - -<p>He went across, in a distracted frame of mind, to the doctor's wife, -and gently pushing her toward the door: "Leave us for a few minutes, -pray. It is the fever—the milk-fever. I will calm her. I will look for -you again by and by."</p> - -<p>When he came back to the bedside Christiane was lying down, weeping -quietly, without moving in any way, quite prostrated.</p> - -<p>And then, for the first time in his life, he, too, began to weep.</p> - -<p>In fact, the milk-fever had broken out during the night, and delirium -supervened. After some hours of extreme excitement, the recently -delivered woman suddenly began to speak.</p> - -<p>The Marquis and Andermatt, who had resolved to remain near her, and -who passed the time playing cards, counting the tricks in hushed tones, -imagined that she was calling them, and, rising up, approached the -bed. She did not see them; she did not recognize them. Intensely pale, -on her white pillow, with her fair tresses hanging loose over her -shoulders, she was gazing, with her clear blue eyes, into that unknown, -mysterious, and fantastic world, in which dwell the insane.</p> - -<p>Her hands, stretched over the bedclothes, stirred now and then, -agitated by rapid and involuntary movements, tremblings, and starts.</p> - -<p>She did not, at first, appear to be talking to anyone, but to be -seeing things and telling what she saw. And the things she said seemed -disconnected, incomprehensible. She found a rock too high to jump off. -She was afraid of a sprain, and then she was not on intimate terms -enough with the man who reached out his arms toward her. Then she spoke -about perfumes. She was apparently trying to remember some forgotten -phrases. "What can be sweeter? This intoxicates one like wine—wine -intoxicates the mind, but perfume intoxicates the imagination. With -perfume you taste the very essence, the pure essence of things and -of the universe—you taste the flowers—the trees—the grass of the -fields—you can even distinguish the soul of the dwellings of olden -days which sleeps in the old furniture, the old carpets, and the old -curtains." Then her face contracted as if she had undergone a long -spell of fatigue. She was ascending a hillside slowly, heavily, and was -saying to some one: "Oh! carry me once more, I beg of you. I am going -to die here! I can walk no farther. Carry me as you did above the -gorges. Do you remember?—how you loved me!"</p> - -<p>Then she uttered a cry of anguish—a look of horror came into her -eyes. She saw in front of her a dead animal, and she was imploring -to have it taken away without giving her pain. The Marquis said in a -whisper to his son-in-law: "She is thinking about an ass that we came -across on our way back from La Nugère." And now she was addressing this -dead beast, consoling it, telling it that she, too, was very unhappy, -because she had been abandoned.</p> - -<p>Then, on a sudden, she refused to do something required of her. She -cried: "Oh! no, not that! Oh! it is you, you who want me to drag this -cart!"</p> - -<p>Then she panted, as if indeed she were dragging a vehicle along. She -wept, moaned, uttered exclamations, and always, during a period of half -an hour, she was climbing up this hillside, dragging after her with -horrible efforts the ass's cart, beyond a doubt.</p> - -<p>And some one was harshly beating her, for she said: "Oh! how you hurt -me! At least, don't beat me! I will walk—but don't beat me any more, I -entreat you! I'll do whatever you wish, but don't beat me any more!"</p> - -<p>Then her anguish gradually abated, and all she did was to go on quietly -talking in her incoherent fashion till daybreak. After that, she became -drowsy, and ended by going to sleep.</p> - -<p>Until the following day, however, her mental powers remained torpid, -somewhat wavering, fleeting. She could not immediately find the words -she wanted, and fatigued herself terribly in searching for them. But, -after a night of rest, she completely regained possession of herself.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, she felt changed, as if this crisis had transformed her -soul. She suffered less and thought more. The dreadful occurrences, -really so recent, seemed to her to have receded into a past already -far off; and she regarded them with a clearness of conception with -which her mind had never been illuminated before. This light, which -had suddenly dawned on her brain, and which comes to certain beings in -certain hours of suffering, showed her life, men, things, the entire -earth and all that it contains as she had never seen them before.</p> - -<p>Then, more than on the evening when she had felt herself so much -alone in the universe in her room, after her return from the lake of -Tazenat, she looked upon herself as utterly abandoned in existence. She -realized that all human beings walk along side by side in the midst of -circumstances without anything ever truly uniting two persons together. -She learned from the treason of him in whom she had reposed her entire -confidence that the others, all the others, would never again be to her -anything but indifferent neighbors in that journey short or long, sad -or gay, that followed to-morrows no one could foresee.</p> - -<p>She comprehended that even in the clasp of this man's arms, when she -believed that she was intermingling with him, entering into him, when -she believed that their flesh and their souls had become only one flesh -and one soul, they had only drawn a little nearer to one another, so as -to bring into contact the impenetrable envelopes in which mysterious -nature has isolated and shut up each human creature. And she saw as -well that nobody has ever been able, or ever will be able, to break -through that invisible barrier which places living beings as far from -each other as the stars of heaven. She divined the impotent effort, -ceaseless since the first days of the world, the indefatigable effort -of men and women to tear off the sheath in which their souls forever -imprisoned, forever solitary, are struggling—an effort of arms, of -lips, of eyes, of mouths, of trembling, naked flesh, an effort of love, -which exhausts itself in kisses, to finish only by giving life to some -other forlorn being.</p> - -<p>Then an uncontrollable desire to gaze on her daughter took possession -of her. She asked for it, and when it was brought to her, she begged to -have it stripped, for as yet she only knew its face.</p> - -<p>The wet-nurse thereupon unfastened the swaddling-clothes, and -discovered the poor little body of the newborn infant agitated by those -vague movements which life puts into these rough sketches of humanity. -Christiane touched it with a timid, trembling hand, then wanted to kiss -the stomach, the back, the legs, the feet, and then she stared at the -child full of fantastic thoughts.</p> - -<p>Two beings came together, loved one another with rapturous passion; -and from their embrace, this being was born. It was he and she -intermingled; until the death of this little child, it was he and she, -living again both together; it was a little of him, and a little of -her, with an unknown something which would make it different from them. -It reproduced them both in the form of its body as well as in that of -its mind, in its features, its gestures, its eyes, its movements, its -tastes, its passions, even in the sound of its voice and its gait in -walking, and yet it would be a new being!</p> - -<p>They were separated now—he and she—forever! Never again would their -eyes blend in one of those outbursts of love which make the human race -indestructible. And pressing the child against her heart, she murmured: -"Adieu! adieu!" It was to him that she was saying "adieu" in her baby's -ear, the brave and sorrowing "adieu" of a woman who would yet have much -to suffer, always, it might be, but who would know how to hide her -tears.</p> - -<p>"Ha! ha!" cried William through the half-open door. "I catch you there! -Will you be good enough to give me back my daughter?"</p> - -<p>Running toward the bed, he seized the little one in his hands already -practiced in the art of handling it, and lifting it over his head, -he went on repeating: "Good day, Mademoiselle Andermatt—good day, -Mademoiselle Andermatt."</p> - -<p>Christiane was thinking: "Here, then, is my husband!"</p> - -<p>And she contemplated him, with eyes as astonished as if they were -beholding him for the first, time. This was he, the man who ought to -be, according to human ideas of religion, of society, the other half -of her—more than that, her master, the master of her days and of her -nights, of her heart and of her body! She felt almost a desire to -smile, so strange did this appear to her at the moment, for between her -and him no bond could ever exist, none of those bonds alas! so quickly -broken, but which seem eternal, ineffably sweet, almost divine.</p> - -<p>No remorse even came to her for having deceived him, for having -betrayed him. She was surprised at this, and asked herself why it was. -Why? No doubt, there was too great a difference between them, they were -too far removed from one another, of races too widely dissimilar. He -did not understand her at all; she did not understand him at all. And -yet he was good, devoted, complaisant.</p> - -<p>But only perhaps beings of the same shape, of the same nature, of the -same moral essence can feel themselves attached to one another by the -sacred bond of voluntary duty.</p> - -<p>They dressed the baby again. William sat down.</p> - -<p>"Listen, my darling," said he; "I don't venture to announce Doctor -Black's visit to you, since you have been so nice toward myself. There -is, however, one person whom I would very much like you to see—I mean -Doctor Bonnefille."</p> - -<p>Then, for the first time, she laughed, with a colorless sort of laugh, -which fixed itself on her lips, without going near her heart; and she -asked:</p> - -<p>"Doctor Bonnefille! what a miracle! So then you are reconciled?"</p> - -<p>"Why, yes! Listen! I am going to tell you, as a secret, a great bit -of news. I have just bought up the old establishment. I have all the -district now. Hey! what a victory. That poor Doctor Bonnefille knew -it before anybody, be it understood. So then he has been sly. He came -every day to obtain information as to how you were, leaving his card -with a word of sympathy written on it. For my part, I responded to -these advances with a single visit; and at present we are on excellent -terms."</p> - -<p>"Let him come," said Christiane, "whenever he likes. I will be glad to -see him."</p> - -<p>"Good. Thank you. I'll bring him here to you tomorrow morning. I need -scarcely tell you that Paul is constantly asking me to convey to you a -thousand compliments from him, and he inquires a great deal about the -little one. He is very anxious to see her."</p> - -<p>In spite of her resolutions she felt a sense of oppression. She was -able, however, to say: "You will thank him on my behalf."</p> - -<p>Andermatt rejoined: "He was very uneasy to learn whether you had been -told about his intended marriage. I informed him that you had; then he -asked me several times what you thought about it."</p> - -<p>She exerted her strength to the utmost, and felt able to murmur: "You -will tell him that I entirely approve of it."</p> - -<p>William, with cruel persistency, went on: "He wishes also to know for -certain what name you mean to call your daughter. I told him we were -hesitating between Marguerite and Genevieve."</p> - -<p>"I have changed my mind," said she. "I intend to call her Arlette."</p> - -<p>Formerly, in the early days of her pregnancy, she had discussed with -Paul the name which they ought to select whether for a son or for -a daughter; and for a daughter they had remained undecided between -Genevieve and Marguerite. She no longer wanted these two names.</p> - -<p>William repeated: "Arlette! Arlette! That's a very nice name—you are -right. For my part, I would have liked to call her Christiane, like -you. I adore that name—Christiane!"</p> - -<p>She sighed deeply: "Oh! it forebodes too much suffering to bear the -name of the Crucified."</p> - -<p>He reddened, never having dreamed of this comparison, and rising up: -"Besides, Arlette is very nice. By-bye, my darling."</p> - -<p>As soon as he had left the room, she called the wet-nurse, and directed -her for the future to place the cradle beside the bed.</p> - -<p>When the little couch in the form of a wherry, always rocking, and -carrying its white curtain like a sail on its mast of twisted copper, -had been rolled close to the big bed, Christiane stretched out her -hand to the sleeping infant, and she said in a very hushed voice: "Go -by-bye, my baby! You will never find anyone who will love you as much -as I."</p> - -<p>She passed the next few days in a state of tranquil melancholy, -thinking a great deal, building up within herself a resisting soul, an -energetic heart, in order to resume her life again in a few weeks. Her -chief occupation now consisted in gazing into the eyes of her child, -seeking to surprise in them a first look, but only seeing there two -little bluish caverns invariably turned toward the sunlight coming in -through the window.</p> - -<p>And she experienced a feeling of profound sadness as she reflected -that these eyes now closed in sleep would look out on the world, as -she herself had looked on it, through the illusion of those secret -dreamings which make the souls of young women trustful and joyous. -They would love all that she had loved, the beautiful bright days, the -flowers, the wood, and alas! living beings too! They would, no doubt, -love a man! They would carry in their depths his image, well known, -cherished, would see it when he would be far away, would be inflamed on -seeing him again. And then—and then they would learn to weep! Tears, -horrible tears, would flow over these little cheeks. And the frightful -sufferings of love betrayed would render them unrecognizable, those -poor wandering eyes which would be blue.</p> - -<p>And she wildly embraced the child, saying to it: "Love me alone, my -child!"</p> - -<p>At length, one day, Professor Mas-Roussel, who came every morning to -see her, declared: "You can soon get up for a little, Madame."</p> - -<p>Andermatt, when the physician had left, said to his wife: "It is very -unfortunate that you are not quite well, for we have a very interesting -experiment to-day at the establishment. Doctor Latonne has performed -a real miracle with Père Clovis by subjecting him to his system of -self-moving gymnastics. Just imagine! This old vagabond is now able to -walk as well as anyone. The progress of the cure, moreover, is manifest -after each exhibition!"</p> - -<p>To please him, she asked: "And are you going to have a public -exhibition?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, and no. We are having an exhibition before the medical men and a -few friends."</p> - -<p>"At what hour?"</p> - -<p>"Three o'clock."</p> - -<p>"Will M. Bretigny be there?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes. He promised me that he would come to it. From a medical -point of view, it is exceedingly curious."</p> - -<p>"Well," she said, "as I'll just have risen myself at that time, you -will ask M. Bretigny to come and see me. He will keep me company while -you are looking at the experiment."</p> - -<p>"Yes, my darling."</p> - -<p>"You won't forget?"</p> - -<p>"No, no. Make your mind easy."</p> - -<p>And he went off in search of those who were to witness the exhibition.</p> - -<p>After having been imposed upon by the Oriols at the time of the first -treatment of the paralytic, he had in his turn imposed upon the -credulity of invalids—so easy to get the better of, when it is a -question of curing. And now he imposed upon himself with the farce of -this cure, talking about it so frequently, with so much ardor and such -an air of conviction that it would have been hard to determine whether -he believed or disbelieved in it.</p> - -<p>About three o'clock, all the persons whom he had induced to -attend found themselves gathered together before the door of the -establishment, expecting Père Clovis's arrival. He made his appearance, -leaning on two walking-sticks, always dragging his legs after him, and -bowing politely to everyone as he passed.</p> - -<p>The two Oriols followed him, together with the two young girls. Paul -and Gontran accompanied their intended wives.</p> - -<p>In the great hall where the articulated instruments were fixed, Doctor -Latonne was waiting, and killed time by chatting with Andermatt and -Doctor Honorat.</p> - -<p>When he saw Père Clovis, a smile of delight passed over his -clean-shaven lips. He asked: "Well! how are we going on to-day?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! all right, all right."</p> - -<p>Petrus Martel and Saint Landri presented themselves. They wanted to -satisfy their minds. The first believed; the second doubted. Behind -them, people saw with astonishment Doctor Bonnefille coming up, -saluting his rival, and extending his hand toward Andermatt. Doctor -Black was the last to arrive.</p> - -<p>"Well, Messieurs and Mesdemoiselles," said Doctor Latonne, as he bowed -to Louise and Charlotte Oriol, "you are going to witness a very curious -phenomenon. Observe first, before the experiment, this worthy fellow -walking a little, but very little. Can you walk without your sticks, -Père Clovis?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! no, Mochieu!"</p> - -<p>"Good, then let us begin."</p> - -<p>The old fellow was hoisted on the armchair; his legs were strapped to -the movable feet of the sitting-machine; then, at the command of the -inspector: "Go quietly!" the attendant, with bare arms, turned the -handle.</p> - -<p>Thereupon, the right knee of the vagabond was seen rising up, -stretching out, bending, then moving forward again; after that, the -left knee did the same; and Père Clovis, seized with a sudden delight, -began to laugh, while he repeated with his head and his long, white -beard all the movements imposed on his legs.</p> - -<p>The four physicians and Andermatt, stooping over him, examined him with -the gravity of augurs, while Colosse exchanged sly winks with the old -chap.</p> - -<p>As the door had been left open, other persons kept constantly crowding -in, and convinced and anxious bathers pressed forward to behold the -experiment.</p> - -<p>"Quicker!" said Doctor Latonne; and, in obedience to his command, -the man who worked the handle turned it with greater energy. The old -fellow's legs began to go at a running pace, and he, seized with -irresistible gaiety, like a child being tickled, laughed as loudly -as ever he could, moving his head about wildly. And, in the midst of -his peals of laughter, he kept repeating: "What a <i>rigolo!</i> what a -<i>rigolo!</i>" having, no doubt, picked up this word from the mouth of some -foreigner.</p> - -<p>Colosse, in his turn, broke out, and, stamping on the ground with -his foot and striking his thighs with his hands, he exclaimed: "Ha! -bougrrre of a Cloviche! bougrrre of a Cloviche!"</p> - -<p>"Enough!" was the inspector's next command.</p> - -<p>The vagabond was unfastened, and the physicians drew apart in order to -verify the result.</p> - -<p>Then Père Clovis was seen rising from the armchair, stepping on the -ground, and walking. He proceeded with short steps, it was true, quite -bent, and grimacing from fatigue at every effort, but still he walked!</p> - -<p>Doctor Bonnefille was the first to declare: "This is quite a remarkable -case!" Doctor Black immediately improved upon his brother-physician. -Doctor Honorat, alone, said nothing.</p> - -<p>Gontran whispered in Paul's ear: "I don't understand. Look at their -heads. Are they dupes or humbugs?"</p> - -<p>But Andermatt was speaking. He told the history of this cure since the -first day, the relapse, and the final recovery which was declared to -be settled and absolute.</p> - -<p>He gaily added: "If our patient goes back a little every winter, we'll -cure him again every summer."</p> - -<p>Then he pompously eulogized the waters of Mont Oriol, extolled their -properties, all their properties:</p> - -<p>"For my own part," said he; "I have had a proof of their efficacy in -the case of a being who is very dear to me; and, if my family is not -extinct, it is to Mont Oriol that I will owe it."</p> - -<p>But, all at once, he had a flash of recollection. He had promised -his wife a visit from Paul Bretigny. He was filled with regret for -his forgetfulness, as he was most anxious to gratify her every wish. -Accordingly he glanced around him, espied Paul, and coming up to him: -"My dear friend, I completely forgot to tell you that Christiane is -expecting you at this moment."</p> - -<p>Bretigny said falteringly: "Me—at this moment?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, she has got up to-day; and she desires to see you before anyone. -Hurry then as quickly as possible, and excuse me."</p> - -<p>Paul directed his steps toward the hotel, his heart throbbing with -emotion. On his way he met the Marquis de Ravenel, who said to him:</p> - -<p>"My daughter is up, and is surprised at not having seen you yet."</p> - -<p>He halted, however, on the first steps of the staircase in order to -consider what he would say to her. How would she receive him? Would she -be alone? If she spoke about his marriage, what reply should he make?</p> - -<p>Since he had heard of her confinement, he could not think about her -without groaning, so uneasy did he feel; and the thought of their first -meeting, every time it floated through his mind, made him suddenly -redden or grow pale with anguish. He had also thought with deep anxiety -of this unknown child, of which he was the father; and he remained -harassed by a desire to see it, mingled with a dread of looking at it. -He felt himself sunk in one of those moral foulnesses which stain a -man's conscience up to the hour of his death. But he feared above all -the glance of this woman, for whom his love had been so fierce and so -short-lived.</p> - -<p>Would she meet him with reproaches, with tears, or with disdain? Would -she receive him, only to drive him away?</p> - -<p>And what attitude ought he to assume toward her? Humble, crushed, -suppliant, or cold? Should he explain himself or should he listen -without replying? Ought he to sit down or to remain standing?</p> - -<p>And when the child was shown to him, what should he do? What should he -say? With what feeling should he appear to be agitated?</p> - -<p>Before the door he stopped again, and at the moment when he was on the -point of ringing, he noticed that his hand was trembling. However, he -placed his finger on the little ivory button, and he heard the sound of -the electric bell coming from the interior of the apartment.</p> - -<p>A female servant opened the door, and admitted him. And, at the -drawing-room door, he saw Christiane, at the end of the second room, -lying on her long chair with her eyes fixed upon him.</p> - -<p>These two rooms seemed to him interminable as he was passing through -them. He felt himself tottering. He was afraid of knocking against the -seats, and he did not venture to look down toward his feet in order to -avoid lowering his eyes. She did not make a single gesture, or utter a -single word. She waited till he was close beside her. Her right hand -remained stretched out over her robe and her left leaned over the side -of the cradle, covered all round with its curtains.</p> - -<p>When he was three paces away from her he stopped, not knowing what best -to do. The chambermaid had closed the door after him.</p> - -<p>They were alone!</p> - -<p>Then, he felt a longing to sink upon his knees, and implore her pardon. -But she slowly raised the hand which had rested on her robe, and, -extending it slightly toward him, said, "Good day," in a grave tone.</p> - -<p>He did not venture to touch her fingers, which, however, he brushed -with his lips, while he bowed to her.</p> - -<p>She added: "Sit down." And he sat down on a lower chair, close to her -feet.</p> - -<p>He felt that he ought to speak, but he could not find a word or -an idea, and he dared not even look at her. However, he ended by -stammering out: "Your husband forgot to let me know that you were -waiting for me; but for that, I would have come sooner."</p> - -<p>She replied: "Oh! it matters little, since we were bound to see one -another again—a little sooner—a little later!"</p> - -<p>As she added nothing more, he hastened to say in an inquiring tone: "I -hope you are getting on well by this time?"</p> - -<p>"Thanks. As well as one can get on, after such shocks!"</p> - -<p>She was very pale and thin, but prettier than before her confinement. -Her eyes especially had gained a depth of expression which he had never -seen in them before. They seemed to have acquired a darker shade, a -blue less clear, less transparent, more intense. Her hands were so -white that their flesh looked like that of a corpse.</p> - -<p>She went on: "Those are hours very hard to live through. But, when one -has suffered thus, one feels strong till the end of one's days."</p> - -<p>Much affected, he murmured: "Yes; they are terrible experiences!"</p> - -<p>She repeated, like an echo: "Terrible."</p> - -<p>For some moments there had been light movements in the cradle—the all -but imperceptible sounds of an infant awakening from sleep. Bretigny -could not longer avert his gaze, preyed upon by a melancholy, morbid -yearning which gradually grew stronger, tortured by the desire to -behold what lived within there.</p> - -<p>Then he observed that the curtains of the tiny bed were fastened from -top to bottom with the gold pins which Christiane was accustomed to -wear in her corsage. Often had he amused himself in bygone days by -taking them out and pinning them again on the shoulders of his beloved, -those fine pins with crescent-shaped heads. He understood what she -meant; and a poignant emotion seized him, made him feel shriveled up -before this barrier of golden spikes which forever separated him from -this child.</p> - -<p>A little cry, a shrill plaint arose in this white prison. Christiane -quickly rocked the wherry, and in a rather abrupt tone:</p> - -<p>"I must ask your pardon for allowing you so little time; but I must -look after my daughter."</p> - -<p>He rose, and once more kissed the hand which she extended toward him; -and, as he was on the point of leaving, she said:</p> - -<p>"I pray that you may be happy."</p> - - - - - - - - -<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 50311 ***</div> - - - -</body> -</html> -</div> - -</div> diff --git a/old/50311-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/50311-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index edfb7ee..0000000 --- a/old/50311-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/50311-h/images/mont_o_001.jpg b/old/50311-h/images/mont_o_001.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 8b3b702..0000000 --- a/old/50311-h/images/mont_o_001.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/50311-h/images/mont_o_002.jpg b/old/50311-h/images/mont_o_002.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0a6dad6..0000000 --- a/old/50311-h/images/mont_o_002.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/old/50311-8.txt b/old/old/50311-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f64c60b..0000000 --- a/old/old/50311-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10922 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Mont Oriol or A Romance of Auvergne, by Guy de Maupassant - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Mont Oriol or A Romance of Auvergne - A Novel - -Author: Guy de Maupassant - -Release Date: October 26, 2015 [EBook #50311] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MONT ORIOL, ROMANCE OF AUVERGNE *** - - - - -Produced by Dagny and Marc D'Hooghe at -http://www.freeliterature.org (Images generously made -available by the Internet Archive.) - - - - - -MONT ORIOL - -OR - -A ROMANCE OF AUVERGNE - -_A NOVEL_ - -_By_ - -GUY DE MAUPASSANT - - -SAINT DUNSTAN SOCIETY - -Akron, Ohio - -1903 - - -[Illustration: "HE HAD THOUGHT WITH DEEP ANXIETY OF THIS CHILD, OF -WHICH HE WAS THE FATHER"] - - - -TABLE OF CONTENTS - - -CHAPTER I. -THE SPA - -CHAPTER II. -THE DISCOVERY - -CHAPTER III. -BARGAINING - -CHAPTER IV. -A TEST AND AN AVOWAL - -CHAPTER V. -DEVELOPMENTS - -CHAPTER VI. -ON THE BRINK - -CHAPTER VII. -ATTAINMENT - -CHAPTER VIII. -ORGANIZATION - -CHAPTER IX. -THE SPA AGAIN - -CHAPTER X. -GONTRAN'S CHOICE - -CHAPTER XI. -A MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING - -CHAPTER XII. -A BETROTHAL - -CHAPTER XIII. -PAUL CHANGES HIS MIND - -CHAPTER XIV. -CHRISTIANE'S VIA CRUCIS - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - -"HE HAD THOUGHT WITH DEEP ANXIETY OF THIS CHILD, OF WHICH HE WAS -THE FATHER" - -"SHE SPRANG WILDLY TO HER FEET. IT WAS HE!" - - - - -MONT ORIOL - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - -THE SPA - - -The first bathers, the early risers, who had already been at the water, -were walking slowly, in pairs or alone, under the huge trees along the -stream which rushes down the gorges of Enval. - -Others arrived from the village, and entered the establishment in -a hurried fashion. It was a spacious building, the ground floor -being reserved for thermal treatment, while the first story served -as a casino, _café_, and billiard-room. Since Doctor Bonnefille had -discovered in the heart of Enval the great spring, baptized by him the -Bonnefille Spring, some proprietors of the country and the surrounding -neighborhood, timid speculators, had decided to erect in the midst -of this superb glen of Auvergne, savage and gay withal, planted with -walnut and giant chestnut trees, a vast house for every kind of use, -serving equally for the purpose of cure and of pleasure, in which -mineral waters, douches, and baths were sold below, and beer, liqueurs, -and music above. - -A portion of the ravine along the stream had been inclosed, to -constitute the park indispensable to every spa; and three walks had -been made, one nearly straight, and the other two zigzag. At the end -of the first gushed out an artificial spring detached from the parent -spring, and bubbling into a great basin of cement, sheltered by a -straw roof, under the care of an impassive woman, whom everyone called -"Marie" in a familiar sort of way. This calm Auvergnat, who wore a -little cap always as white as snow, and a big apron, perfectly clean at -all times, which concealed her working-dress, rose up slowly as soon as -she saw a bather coming along the road in her direction. - -The bather would smile with a melancholy air, drink the water, and -return her the glass, saying, "Thanks, Marie." Then he would turn on -his heel and walk away. And Marie sat down again on her straw chair to -wait for the next comer. - -They were not, however, very numerous. The Enval station had just been -six years open for invalids, and scarcely could count more patients -at the end of these six years than it had at the start. About fifty -had come there, attracted more than anything else by the beauty of -the district, by the charm of this little village lost under enormous -trees, whose twisted trunks seemed as big as the houses, and by the -reputation of the gorges at the end of this strange glen which opened -on the great plain of Auvergne and ended abruptly at the foot of the -high mountain bristling with craters of unknown age--a savage and -magnificent crevasse, full of rocks fallen or threatening, from which -rushed a stream that cascaded over giant stones, forming a little lake -in front of each. - -This thermal station had been brought to birth as they all are, with -a pamphlet on the spring by Doctor Bonnefille. He opened with a -eulogistic description, in a majestic and sentimental style, of the -Alpine seductions of the neighborhood. He selected only adjectives -which convey a vague sense of delightfulness and enjoyment--those -which produce effect without committing the writer to any material -statement. All the surroundings were picturesque, filled with splendid -sites or landscapes whose graceful outlines aroused soft emotions. All -the promenades in the vicinity possessed a remarkable originality, -such as would strike the imagination of artists and tourists. Then -abruptly, without any transition, he plunged into the therapeutic -qualities of the Bonnefille Spring, bicarbonate, sodium, mixed, -lithineous, ferruginous, _et cetera, et cetera_, capable of curing -every disease. He had, moreover, enumerated them under this heading: -Chronic affections or acute specially associated with Enval. And the -list of affections associated with Enval was long--long and varied, -consoling for invalids of every kind. The pamphlet concluded with some -information of practical utility, the cost of lodgings, commodities, -and hotels--for three hotels had sprung up simultaneously with the -casino-medical establishment. These were the Hotel Splendid, quite new, -built on the slope of the glen looking down on the baths; the Thermal -Hotel, an old inn with a new coat of plaster; and the Hotel Vidaillet, -formed very simply by the purchase of three adjoining houses, which -had been altered so as to convert them into one. - -Then, all at once, two new doctors had installed themselves in the -locality one morning, without anyone well knowing how they came, for -at spas doctors seem to dart up out of the springs, like gas-jets. -These were Doctor Honorat, a native of Auvergne, and Doctor Latonne, -of Paris. A fierce antagonism soon burst out between Doctor Latonne -and Doctor Bonnefille, while Doctor Honorat, a big, clean-shaven man, -smiling and pliant, stretched forth his right hand to the first, -and his left hand to the second, and remained on good terms with -both. But Doctor Bonnefille was master of the situation, with his -title of Inspector of the Waters and of the thermal establishment of -Enval-les-Bains. - -This title was his strength and the establishment his chattel. There -he spent his days, and even his nights, it was said. A hundred times, -in the morning, he would go from his house which was quite near in -the village to his consultation-study fixed at the right-hand side -facing the entrance to the thermal baths. Lying in wait there, like a -spider in his web, he watched the comings and goings of the invalids, -inspecting his own patients with a severe eye and those of the other -doctors with a look of fury. He questioned everybody almost in the -style of a ship's captain, and he struck terror into newcomers, unless -it happened that he made them smile. - -This day, as he arrived with rapid steps, which made the big flaps of -his old frock coat fly up like a pair of wings, he was stopped suddenly -by a voice exclaiming: "Doctor!" - -He turned round. His thin face, full of big ugly wrinkles, and looking -quite black at the end with a grizzled beard rarely cut, made an effort -to smile; and he took off the tall silk hat, shabby, stained, and -greasy, that covered his thick pepper-and-salt head of hair--"pepper -and soiled, as his rival, Doctor Latonne, put it. Then he advanced a -step, made a bow, and murmured: - -"Good morning, Marquis--are you quite well this morning?" - -The Marquis de Ravenel, a little man well preserved, stretched out his -hand to the doctor, as he replied: - -"Very well, doctor, very well, or, at least, not ill. I am always -suffering from my kidneys; but indeed I am better, much better; and I -am as yet only at my tenth bath. Last year I did not obtain the effect -until the sixteenth, you recollect?" - -"Yes, perfectly." - -"But it is not about this I want to talk to you. My daughter has -arrived this morning, and I wish to have a chat with you about her case -first of all, because my son-in-law, William Andermatt, the banker----" - -"Yes, I know." - -"My son-in-law has a letter of recommendation addressed to Doctor -Latonne. As for me, I have no confidence except in you, and I beg -of you to have the kindness to come up to the hotel before--you -understand? I prefer to say things to you candidly. Are you free at the -present moment?" - -Doctor Bonnefille had put on his hat again, and looked excited and -troubled. He answered at once: - -"Yes, I shall be free immediately. Do you wish me to accompany you?" - -"Why, certainly." - -And, turning their backs on the establishment, they directed their -steps up a circular walk leading to the door of the Hotel Splendid, -built on the slope of the mountain so as to offer a view of it to -travelers. - -They made their way to the drawing-room in the first story adjoining -the apartments occupied by the Ravenel and Andermatt families, and -the Marquis left the doctor by himself while he went to look for his -daughter. - -He came back with her presently. She was a fair young woman, small, -pale, very pretty, whose features seemed like those of a child, while -her blue eyes, boldly fixed, cast on people a resolute look that gave -an alluring impression of firmness and a peculiar charm to this refined -and fascinating creature. There was not much the matter with her--vague -languors, sadnesses, bursts of tears without apparent cause, angry fits -for which there seemed no season, and lastly anæmia. She craved above -all for a child, which had been vainly looked forward to since her -marriage, more than two years before. - -Doctor Bonnefille declared that the waters of Enval would be effectual, -and proceeded forthwith to write a prescription. The doctor's -prescriptions had always the formidable aspect of an indictment. On -a big white sheet of paper such as schoolboys use, his directions -exhibited themselves in numerous paragraphs of two or three lines -each, in an irregular handwriting, bristling with letters resembling -spikes. And the potions, the pills, the powders, which were to be -taken fasting in the morning, at midday, and in the evening, followed -in ferocious-looking characters. One of these prescriptions might read: - - "Inasmuch as M. X. is affected with a chronic malady, - incurable and mortal, he will take, first, sulphate of - quinine, which will render him deaf, and will make him lose - his memory; secondly, bromide of potassium, which will - destroy his stomach, weaken all his faculties, cover him - with pimples, and make his breath foul; thirdly, salicylate - of soda, whose curative effects have not yet been proved, - but which seems to lead to a terrible and speedy death the - patient treated by this remedy. And concurrently, chloral, - which causes insanity, and belladonna, which attacks the - eyes; all vegetable solutions and all mineral compositions - which corrupt the blood, corrode the organs, consume the - bones, and destroy by medicine those whom disease has - spared." - -For a long time he went on writing on the front page and on the back, -then signed it just as a judge might have signed a death-sentence. - -The young woman, seated opposite to him, stared at him with an -inclination to laugh that made the corners of her lips rise up. - -When, with a low bow, he had taken himself off, she snatched up the -paper blackened with ink, rolled it up into a ball, and flung it into -the fire. Then, breaking into a hearty laugh, said: - -"Oh! father, where did you discover this fossil? Why, he looks for all -the world like an old-clothesman. Oh! how clever of you to dig up a -physician that might have lived before the Revolution! Oh! how funny he -is, aye, and dirty--ah, yes! dirty--I believe really he has stained my -penholder." - -The door opened, and M. Andermatt's voice was heard saying, "Come in, -doctor." - -And Doctor Latonne appeared. Erect, slender, circumspect, comparatively -young, attired in a fashionable morning-coat, and holding in his hand -the high silk hat which distinguishes the practicing doctor in the -greater part of the thermal stations of Auvergne, the physician from -Paris, without beard or mustache, resembled an actor who had retired -into the country. - -The Marquis, confounded, did not know what to say or do, while his -daughter put her handkerchief to her mouth to keep herself from -bursting out laughing in the newcomer's face. He bowed with an air of -self-confidence, and at a sign from the young woman took a seat. - -M. Andermatt, who followed him, minutely detailed for him his wife's -condition, her illnesses, together with their accompanying symptoms, -the opinions of the physicians consulted in Paris, and then his own -opinion based on special grounds which he explained in technical -language. - -He was a man still quite youthful, a Jew, who devoted himself to -financial transactions. He entered into all sorts of speculations, -and displayed in all matters of business a subtlety of intellect, -a rapidity of penetration, and a soundness of judgment that were -perfectly marvelous. A little too stout already for his figure, which -was not tall, chubby, bald, with an infantile expression, fat hands, -and short thighs, he looked much too greasy to be quite healthy, and -spoke with amazing facility. - -By means of tact he had been able to form an alliance with the daughter -of the Marquis de Ravenel with a view to extending his speculations -into a sphere to which he did not belong. The Marquis, besides, -possessed an income of about thirty thousand francs, and had only two -children; but, when M. Andermatt married, though scarcely thirty years -of age, he owned already five or six millions, and had sown enough -to bring him in a harvest of ten or twelve. M. de Ravenel, a man of -weak, irresolute, shifting, and undecided character, at first angrily -repulsed the overtures made to him with respect to this union, and was -indignant at the thought of seeing his daughter allied to an Israelite. -Then, after six months' resistance, he gave way, under the pressure -of accumulated wealth, on the condition that the children should be -brought up in the Catholic religion. - -But they waited for a long time and no offspring was yet announced. It -was then that the Marquis, enchanted for the past two years with the -waters of Enval, recalled to mind the fact that Doctor Bonnefille's -pamphlet also promised the cure for sterility. - -Accordingly, he sent for his daughter, whom his son-in-law accompanied, -in order to install her and to intrust her, acting on the advice of his -Paris physician, to the care of Doctor Latonne. Therefore, Andermatt, -since his arrival, had gone to look for this practitioner, and went on -enumerating the symptoms which presented themselves in his wife's case. -He finished by mentioning how much he had been pained at finding his -hopes of paternity unrealized. - -Doctor Latonne allowed him to go on to the end; then, turning toward -the young woman: "Have you anything to add, Madame?" - -She replied gravely: "No, Monsieur, nothing at all." - -He went on: "In that case, I will trouble you to take off your -traveling-dress and your corset, and to put on a simple white -dressing-gown, all white." - -She was astonished; he rapidly explained his system: "Good heavens, -Madame, it is very simple. Formerly, the belief was that all diseases -came from a poison in the blood or from an organic cause; to-day, we -simply assume that, in many cases, and, above all, in your particular -case, the uncertain ailments from which you suffer, and even certain -serious troubles, very serious, mortal, may proceed only from the -fact that some organ or other, having taken, under influences easy to -determine, an abnormal development, to the detriment of the neighboring -organs, destroys all the harmony, all the equilibrium of the human -body, modifies or arrests its functions, and obstructs the play of all -the other organs. A swelling of the stomach may be sufficient to make -us believe in a disease of the heart, which, impeded in its movements, -becomes violent, irregular, sometimes even intermittent. The dilatation -of the liver or of certain glands may cause ravages which unobservant -physicians attribute to a thousand different causes. Therefore, the -first thing that we should do is to ascertain whether all the organs -of a patient have their true compass and their normal position, for a -very little thing is enough to upset a person's health. I am going, -then, Madame, if you will allow me, to examine you with great care, and -to mark out on your dressing-gown the limits, the dimensions, and the -positions of your organs." - -He had put down his hat on a chair, and he spoke in a facile manner. -His large mouth, in opening and closing, made two deep hollows in his -shaven cheeks, which gave him a certain ecclesiastical air. - -Andermatt, delighted, exclaimed: "Capital, capital! That is very -clever, very ingenious, very new, very modern." - -"Very modern" in his mouth was the height of admiration. - -The young woman, highly amused, rose and passed into her own -apartment. She came back, after the lapse of a few minutes, in a white -dressing-gown. - -The physician made her lie down on a sofa, then, drawing from his -pocket a pencil with three points, a black, a red, and a blue, he -commenced to auscultate and to tap his new patient, riddling the -dressing-gown all over with little dots of color by way of noting each -observation. - -She resembled, after a quarter of an hour of this work, a map -indicating continents, seas, capes, rivers, kingdoms, and cities, -and bearing the names of all these terrestrial divisions, for the -doctor wrote on every line of demarcation two or three Latin words -intelligible to himself alone. - -Now, when he had listened to all the internal sounds in Madame -Andermatt's body, and tapped on all the parts of her person that were -irritated or hollow-sounding, he drew forth from his pocket a notebook -of red leather with gold threads to fasten it, divided in alphabetical -order, consulted the index, opened it, and wrote: "Observation -6347.--Madame A----, 21 years." - -Then, collecting from her head to her feet the colored notes on -her dressing-gown, and reading them as an Egyptologist deciphers -hieroglyphics, he entered them in the notebook. - -He observed, when he had finished: "Nothing disquieting, nothing -abnormal, save a slight, a very slight deviation, which some -thirty acidulated baths will cure. You will take furthermore three -half-glasses of water each morning before noon. Nothing else. I will -come back to see you in four or five days." Then he rose, bowed, and -went out with such promptitude that everyone remained stupefied at it. -This abrupt style of departure was a part of his mannerism, his tact, -his special stamp. He considered it very good form, and thought it made -a great impression on the patient. - -Madame Andermatt ran to look at herself in the glass, and, shaking all -over with a joyous burst of childlike laughter, said: - -"Oh! how amusing they are, how droll they are! Tell me, is there not -one more left of them? I want to see him immediately! Will, go and find -him for me! We must have the third one here--I want to see him." - -Her husband, surprised, asked: - -"How, a third, a third what?" - -The Marquis deemed it advisable to explain, while offering excuses, for -he was a little afraid of his son-in-law. He related, therefore, how -Doctor Bonnefille had come to see himself, and how he had introduced -him to Christiane, in order to ascertain his opinion, as he had great -confidence in the experience of the old physician, who was a native of -the district, and who had discovered the spring. - -Andermatt shrugged his shoulders, and declared that Doctor Latonne -alone would take care of his wife, so that the Marquis, very uneasy, -began to reflect on the best course to take in order to arrange matters -without offending his irascible physician. - -Christiane asked: "Is Gontran here?" This was her brother. - -Her father replied: "Yes, for the past four days, with a friend of his -of whom he has often spoken, M. Paul Bretigny. They are making a tour -together in Auvergne. They have come from Mont Doré and from Bourboule, -and will be setting out for Cantal at the end of next week." - -Then he asked the young woman whether she desired to rest till luncheon -after the night in the train; but she had slept perfectly in the -sleeping car, and only required an hour for her toilette, after which -she wished to visit the village and the establishment. - -Her father and her husband went back to their rooms to wait till she -was ready. She soon came out to call them, and they descended together. -She grew enthusiastic at first sight over the aspect of the village, -built in the middle of a wood in a deep valley, which seemed hemmed in -on every side by chestnut-trees lofty as mountains. These could be seen -everywhere, springing up just as they chanced to have shot forth here -and there in a century, in front of doorways, in the courtyards, in the -streets. Then, again, there were fountains everywhere made of a great -black stone standing upright pierced with a small aperture, through -which dashed a streamlet of clear water that whirled about in a circle -before it fell into the trough. A fresh odor of grass and of stables -floated over those masses of verdure; and they saw the peasant women -of Auvergne standing in front of their dwellings, spinning at their -distaffs with lively movements of their fingers the black wool attached -to their girdles. Their short petticoats showed their thin ankles -covered with blue stockings, and the bodies of their dresses fastened -over their shoulders with straps left exposed the linen sleeves of -their chemises, out of which stretched their hard, dry arms and bony -hands. - -But, suddenly, a queer lilting kind of music burst on the promenaders' -ears. It was like a barrel-organ with piping sounds, a barrel-organ -used up, broken-winded, invalided. - -Christiane exclaimed: "What is that?" - -Her father began to laugh: "It is the orchestra of the Casino. It takes -four of them to make that noise." - -And he led her up to a red bill affixed to a corner of a farmhouse, on -which appeared in black letters: - - CASINO OF ENVAL - - UNDER THE DIRECTION OF M. PETRUS MARTEL, - OF THE ODÉON. - - Saturday, 6th of July. - - GRAND CONCERT -organized by the _Maestro_, Saint Landri, second grand prize winner - at the Conservatoire - - The piano will be presided over by M. Javel, grand laureate of the - Conservatoire. - - Flute, M. Noirot, laureate of the Conservatoire. - - Double-bass, M. Nicordi, laureate of the Royal Academy of Brussels. - - After the Concert, grand representation of - _Lost in the Forest_, - a Comedy in one act, by M. Pointellet. - - Characters: - Pierre de Lapointe M. Petrus Martel, of the Odéon. - Oscar Léveillé M. Petitnivelle, of the Vaudeville. - Jean M. Lapalme, of the Grand Theater of Bordeaux. - Philippine Mademoiselle Odelin, of the Odéon. - - During the representation, the Orchestra will be likewise conducted - by the _Maestro,_ Saint Landri. - -Christiane read this aloud, laughed, and was astonished. - -Her father went on: "Oh! they will amuse you. Come and look at them." - -They turned to the right, and entered the park. The bathers promenaded -gravely, slowly, along the three walks. They drank their glasses of -water, and then went away. Some of them, seated on benches, traced -lines in the sand with the ends of their walking-sticks or their -umbrellas. They did not talk, seemed not to think, scarcely to live, -enervated, paralyzed by the _ennui_ of the thermal station. Only the -odd music of the orchestra broke the sweet silence as it leaped into -the air, coming one knew not whence, produced one knew not how, passing -under the foliage and appearing to stir up these melancholy walkers. - -A voice cried: "Christiane!" - -She turned round. It was her brother. He rushed toward her, embraced -her, and, having pressed Andermatt's hand, took his sister by the arm, -and drew her along with him, leaving his father and his brother-in-law -in the rear. - -They chatted. He was a tall, well-made young fellow, prone to laughter -like her, light-hearted as the Marquis, indifferent to events, but -always on the lookout for a thousand francs. - -"I thought you were asleep," said he. "But for that I would have come -to embrace you. And then Paul carried me off this morning to the -château of Tournoel." - -"Who is Paul? Oh, yes, your friend!" - -"Paul Bretigny. It is true you don't know him. He is taking a bath at -the present moment." - -"He is a patient, then?" - -"No, but he is curing himself, all the same. He is trying to get over a -love episode." - -"And so he's taking acidulated baths--they're called acidulated, are -they not?--in order to restore himself." - -"Yes. He's doing all I told him to do. Oh! he has been hit hard. He's -a violent youth, terrible, and has been at death's door. He wanted to -kill himself, too. It was an actress--a well-known actress. He was -madly in love with her. And then she was not faithful to him, do you -see? The result was a frightful drama. So I brought him away. He's -going on better now, but he's still thinking about it." - -She smiled for a moment, then, becoming grave, she returned: - -"It will amuse me to see him." - -For her, however, this thing, "Love," did not mean very much. She -sometimes bestowed a thought on it, just as you think, when you are -poor, now and then of a pearl necklace, of a diadem of brilliants, with -a desire awakened in you for this thing--possible though far away. This -fancy would come to her after reading some novel to kill time, without -attaching to it, beyond that, any special importance. She had never -dreamed about it much, having been born with a happy soul, tranquil and -contented, and, although now two years and a half married, she had not -yet awakened out of that sleep in which innocent young girls live, that -sleep of the heart, of the mind, and of the senses, which, with some -women, lasts until death. For her life was simple and good, without -complications. She had never looked for the causes or the hidden -meaning of things. She had lived on from day to day, slept soundly, -dressed with taste, laughed, and felt satisfied. What more could she -have asked for? - -When Andermatt had been introduced to her as her future husband, she -refused to wed him at first with a childish indignation at the idea of -becoming the wife of a Jew. Her father and her brother, sharing her -repugnance, replied with her and like her by formally declining the -offer. Andermatt disappeared, acted as if he were dead, but, at the end -of three months, had lent Gontran more than twenty thousand francs; and -the Marquis, for other reasons, was beginning to change his opinion. - -In the first place, he always on principle yielded when one persisted, -through sheer egotistical desire not to be disturbed. His daughter used -to say of him: "All papa's ideas are jumbled up together"; and this -was true. Without opinions, without beliefs, he had only enthusiasms, -which varied every moment. At one time, he would attach himself, with -a transitory and poetic exaltation, to the old traditions of his -race, and would long for a king, but an intellectual king, liberal, -enlightened, marching along with the age. At another time, after he -had read a book by Michelet or some democratic thinker, he would -become a passionate advocate of human equality, of modern ideas, of -the claims of the poor, the oppressed, and the suffering. He believed -in everything, just as each thing harmonized with his passing moods; -and, when his old friend, Madame Icardon, who, connected as she was -with many Israelites, desired the marriage of Christiane and Andermatt, -and began to preach in favor of it, she knew full well the kind of -arguments with which she should attack him. - -She pointed out to him that the Jewish race had arrived at the hour -of vengeance. It had been a race crushed down as the French people -had been before the Revolution, and was now going to oppress others -by the power of gold. The Marquis, devoid of religious faith, but -convinced that the idea of God was rather a legislative idea, which -had more effect in keeping the foolish, the ignorant, and the timid -in the right path than the simple notion of Justice, regarded dogmas -with a respectful indifference, and held in equal and sincere esteem -Confucius, Mohammed, and Jesus Christ. Accordingly, the fact that the -latter was crucified did not at all present itself as an original -wrongdoing but as a gross, political blunder. In consequence it only -required a few weeks to make him admire the toil, hidden, incessant, -and all-powerful, of the persecuted Jews everywhere. And, viewing -with different eyes their brilliant triumph, he looked upon it as -a just reparation for the indignities that so long had been heaped -upon them. He saw them masters of kings, who are the masters of the -people--sustaining thrones or allowing them to collapse, able to make -a nation bankrupt as one might a wine-merchant, proud in the presence -of princes who had grown humble, and casting their impure gold into -the half-open purses of the most Catholic sovereigns, who thanked them -by conferring on them titles of nobility and lines of railway. So he -consented to the marriage of William Andermatt with Christiane de -Ravenel. - -As for Christiane, under the unconscious pressure of Madame Icardon, -her mother's old companion, who had become her intimate adviser since -the Marquise's death, a pressure to which was added that of her father -and the interested indifference of her brother, she consented to marry -this big, overrich youth, who was not ugly but scarcely pleased her, -just as she would have consented to spend a summer in a disagreeable -country. - -She found him a good fellow, kind, not stupid, nice in intimate -relations; but she frequently laughed at him along with Gontran, whose -gratitude was of the perfidious order. - -He would say to her: "Your husband is rosier and balder than ever. He -looks like a sickly flower, or a sucking pig with its hair shaved off. -Where does he get these colors?" - -She would reply: "I assure you I have nothing to do with it. There are -days when I feel inclined to paste him on a box of sugar-plums." - -But they had arrived in front of the baths. Two men were seated on -straw chairs with their backs to the wall, smoking their pipes, one at -each side of the door. - -Said Gontran: "Look, here are two good types. Watch the fellow at the -right, the hunchback with the Greek cap! That's Père Printemps, an -ex-jailer from Riom, who has become the guardian, almost the manager, -of the Enval establishment. For him nothing is changed, and he governs -the invalids just as he did his prisoners in former days. The bathers -are always prisoners, their bathing-boxes are cells, the douche-room -a black-hole, and the place where Doctor Bonnefille practices his -stomach-washings with the aid of the Baraduc sounding-line a chamber -of mysterious torture. He does not salute any of the men on the -strength of the principle that all convicts are contemptible beings. -He treats women with much more consideration, upon my honor--a -consideration mingled with astonishment, for he had none of them under -his control in the prison of Riom. That retreat being destined for -males only, he has not yet got accustomed to talking to members of the -fair sex. The other fellow is the cashier. I defy you to make him write -your name. You are just going to see." - -And Gontran, addressing the man at the left, slowly said: - -"Monsieur Seminois, this is my sister, Madame Andermatt, who wants to -subscribe for a dozen baths." - -The cashier, very tall, very thin, with a poor appearance, rose up, -went into his office, which exactly faced the study of the medical -inspector, opened his book, and asked: - -"What name?" - -"Andermatt." - -"What did you say?" - -"Andermatt." - -"How do you spell it?" - -"A-n-d-e-r-m-a-t-t." - -"All right." - -And he slowly wrote it down. When he had finished, Gontran asked: - -"Would you kindly read over my sister's name?" - -"Yes, Monsieur! Madame Anterpat." - -Christiane laughed till the tears came into her eyes, paid for her -tickets, and then asked: - -"What is it that one hears up there?" - -Gontran took her arm in his. Two angry voices reached their ears on -the stairs. They went up, opened a door, and saw a large coffee-room -with a billiard table in the center. Two men in their shirt-sleeves at -opposite sides of the billiard-table, each with a cue in his hand, were -furiously abusing one another. - -"Eighteen!" - -"Seventeen!" - -"I tell you I'm eighteen." - -"That's not true--you're only seventeen!" - -It was the director of the Casino, M. Petrus Martel of the Odéon, who -was playing his ordinary game with the comedian of his company, M. -Lapalme of the Grand Theater of Bordeaux. - -Petrus Martel, whose stomach, stout and inactive, swayed underneath his -shirt above a pair of pantaloons fastened anyhow, after having been a -strolling player in various places, had undertaken the directorship -of the Casino of Enval, and spent his days in drinking the allowances -intended for the bathers. He wore an immense mustache like a dragoon, -which was steeped from morning till night in the froth of bocks and the -sticky syrup of liqueurs, and he had aroused in the old comedian whom -he had enlisted in his service an immoderate passion for billiards. - -As soon as they got up in the morning, they proceeded to play a game, -insulted and threatened one another, expunged the record, began over -again, scarcely gave themselves time for breakfast, and could not -tolerate two clients coming to drive them away from their green cloth. - -They soon put everyone to flight, and did not find this sort of -existence unpleasant, though Petrus Martel always found himself at the -end of the season in a bankrupt condition. - -The female attendant, overwhelmed, would have to look on all day at -this endless game, listen to the interminable discussion, and carry -from morning till night glasses of beer or half-glasses of brandy to -the two indefatigable players. - -But Gontran carried off his sister: "Come into the park. 'Tis fresher." - -At the end of the establishment they suddenly perceived the orchestra -under a Chinese _kiosque_. A fair-haired young man, frantically playing -the violin, was conducting with movements of his head. His hair was -shaking from one side to the other in the effort to keep time, and -his entire torso bent forward and rose up again, swaying from left to -right, like the stick of the leader of an orchestra. Facing him sat -three strange-looking musicians. This was the _maestro_, Saint Landri. - -He and his assistants--a pianist, whose instrument, mounted on -rollers, was wheeled each morning from the vestibule of the baths to -the _kiosque_; an enormous flautist, who presented the appearance -of sucking a match while tickling it with his big swollen fingers, -and a double-bass of consumptive aspect--produced with much fatigue -this perfect imitation of a bad barrel-organ, which had astonished -Christiane in the village street. - -As she stopped to look at them, a gentleman saluted her brother. - -"Good day, my dear Count." - -"Good day, doctor." - -And Gontran introduced them: "My sister--Doctor Honorat." - -She could scarcely restrain her merriment at the sight of this third -physician. The latter bowed and made some complimentary remark. - -"I hope that Madame is not an invalid?" - -"Yes--slightly." - -He did not go farther with the matter, and changed the subject. - -"You are aware, my dear Count, that you will shortly have one of the -most interesting spectacles that could await you on your arrival in -this district." - -"What is it, pray, doctor?" - -"Père Oriol is going to blast his hill. This is of no consequence to -you, but for us it is a big event." - -And he proceeded to explain. "Père Oriol--the richest peasant in this -part of the country--he is known to be worth over fifty thousand francs -a year--owns all the vineyards along the plain up to the outlet of -Enval. Now, just as you go out from the village at the division of the -valley, rises a little mountain, or rather a high knoll, and on this -knoll are the best vineyards of Père Oriol. In the midst of two of -them, facing the road, at two paces from the stream, stands a gigantic -stone, an elevation which has impeded the cultivation and put into the -shade one entire side of the field, on which it looks down. For six -years, Père Oriol has every week been announcing that he was going to -blast his hill; but he has never made up his mind about it. - -"Every time a country boy went to be a soldier, the old man would say -to him: 'When you're coming home on furlough, bring me some powder -for this rock of mine.' And all the young soldiers would bring back in -their knapsacks some powder that they stole for Père Oriol's rock. He -has a chest full of this powder, and yet the hill has not been blasted. -At last, for a week past, he has been noticed scooping out the stone, -with his son, big Jacques, surnamed Colosse, which in Auvergne is -pronounced 'Coloche.' This very morning they filled with powder the -empty belly of the enormous rock; then they stopped up the mouth of it, -only letting in the fuse bought at the tobacconist's. In two hours' -time they will set fire to it. Then, five or ten minutes afterward, it -will go off, for the end of the fuse is pretty long." - -Christiane was interested in this narrative, amused already at the idea -of this explosion, finding here again a childish sport that pleased her -simple heart. They had now reached the end of the park. - -"Where do you go now?" she said. - -Doctor Honorat replied: "To the End of the World, Madame; that is -to say, into a gorge that has no outlet and which is celebrated in -Auvergne. It is one of the loveliest natural curiosities in the -district." - -But a bell rang behind them. Gontran cried: - -"Look here! breakfast-time already!" - -They turned back. A tall, young man came up to meet them. - -Gontran said: "My dear Christiane, let me introduce to you M. Paul -Bretigny." Then, to his friend: "This is my sister, my dear boy." - -She thought him ugly. He had black hair, close-cropped and straight, -big, round eyes, with an expression that was almost hard, a head also -quite round, very strong, one of those heads that make you think -of cannon-balls, herculean shoulders; a rather savage expression, -heavy and brutish. But from his jacket, from his linen, from his skin -perhaps, came a very subtle perfume, with which the young woman was not -familiar, and she asked herself: - -"I wonder what odor that is?" - -He said to her: "You arrived this morning, Madame?" His voice was a -little hollow. - -She replied: "Yes, Monsieur." - -But Gontran saw the Marquis and Andermatt making signals to them to -come in quickly to breakfast. - -Doctor Honorat took leave of them, asking as he left whether they -really meant to go and see the hill blasted. Christiane declared that -she would go; and, leaning on her brother's arm, she murmured as she -dragged him along toward the hotel: - -"I am as hungry as a wolf. I shall be very much ashamed to eat as much -as I feel inclined before your friend." - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - -The Discovery - - -The breakfast was long, as the meals usually are at a _table d'hôte_. -Christiane, who was not familiar with all the faces of those present, -chatted with her father and her brother. Then she went up to her room -to take a rest till the time for blasting the rock. - -She was ready long before the hour fixed, and made the others start -along with her so that they might not miss the explosion. Just outside -the village, at the opening of the glen, stood, as they had heard, a -high knoll, almost a mountain, which they proceeded to climb under a -burning sun, following a little path through the vine-trees. When they -reached the summit the young woman uttered a cry of astonishment at the -sight of the immense horizon displayed before her eyes. In front of -her stretched a limitless plain, which immediately gave her soul the -sensation of an ocean. This plain, overhung by a veil of light blue -vapor, extended as far as the most distant mountain-ridges, which -were scarcely perceptible, some fifty or sixty kilometers away. And -under the transparent haze of delicate fineness, which floated above -this vast stretch, could be distinguished towns, villages, woods, vast -yellow squares of ripe crops, vast green squares of herbage, factories -with long, red chimneys and blackened steeples and sharp-pointed -structures, with the solidified lava of dead volcanoes. - -"Turn around," said her brother. - -She turned around. And behind she saw the mountain, the huge mountain -indented with craters. This was the entrance to the foundation on which -Enval stood, a great expanse of greenness in which one could scarcely -trace the hidden gash of the gorge. The trees in a waving mass scaled -the high slope as far as the first crater and shut out the view of -those beyond. But, as they were exactly on the line that separated -the plains from the mountain, the latter stretched to the left toward -Clermont-Ferrand, and, wandering away, unrolled over the blue sky their -strange mutilated tops, like monstrous blotches--extinct volcanoes, -dead volcanoes. And yonder--over yonder, between two peaks--could be -seen another, higher still, more distant still, round and majestic, and -bearing on its highest pinnacle something of fantastic shape resembling -a ruin. This was the Puy de Dome, the king of the mountains of -Auvergne, strong and unwieldy, wearing on its head, like a crown placed -thereon by the mightiest of peoples, the remains of a Roman temple. - -Christiane exclaimed: "Oh! how happy I shall be here!" - -And she felt herself happy already, penetrated by that sense of -well-being which takes possession of the flesh and the heart, makes you -breathe with ease, and renders you sprightly and active when you find -yourself in a spot which enchants your eyes, charms and cheers you, -seems to have been awaiting you, a spot for which you feel that you -were born. - -Some one called out to her: "Madame, Madame!" And, at some distance -away, she saw Doctor Honorat, recognizable by his big hat. He rushed -across to them, and conducted the family toward the opposite side of -the hill, over a grassy slope beside a grove of young trees, where -already some thirty persons were waiting, strangers and peasants -mingled together. - -Beneath their feet, the steep hillside descended toward the Riom road, -overshadowed by willows that sheltered the shallow river; and in the -midst of a vineyard at the edge of this stream rose a sharp-pointed -rock before which two men on bended knees seemed to be praying. This -was the scene of action. - -The Oriols, father and son, were attaching the fuse. On the road, a -crowd of curious spectators had stationed themselves, with a line of -people lower down in front, among whom village brats were scampering -about. - -Doctor Honorat chose a convenient place for Christiane to sit down, and -there she waited with a beating heart, as if she were going to see the -entire population blown up along with the rock. - -The Marquis, Andermatt, and Paul Bretigny lay down on the grass at the -young woman's side, while Gontran remained standing. He said, in a -bantering tone: - -"My dear doctor, you must be much less busy than your -brother-practitioners, who apparently have not an hour to spare to -attend this little _fête_?" - -Honorat replied in a good-humored tone: - -"I am not less busy; only my patients occupy less of my time. And again -I prefer to amuse my patients rather than to physic them." - -He had a quiet manner which greatly pleased Gontran. Other persons now -arrived, fellow-guests at the _table d'hôte_--the ladies Paille, two -widows, mother and daughter; the Monecus, father and daughter; and a -very small, fat, man, who was puffing like a boiler that had burst, -M. Aubry-Pasteur, an ex-engineer of mines, who had made a fortune in -Russia. - -M. Pasteur and the Marquis were on intimate terms. He seated himself -with much difficulty after some preparatory movements, circumspect and -cautious, which considerably amused Christiane. Gontran sauntered away -from them, in order to have a look at the other persons whom curiosity -had attracted toward the knoll. - -Paul Bretigny pointed out to Christiane Andermatt the views, of which -they could catch glimpses in the distance. First of all, Riom made -a red patch with its row of tiles along the plain; then Ennezat, -Maringues, Lezoux, a heap of villages scarcely distinguishable, which -only broke the wide expanse of verdure with a somber indentation here -and there, and, further down, away down below, at the base of the -mountains, he pretended that he could trace out Thiers. - -He said, in an animated fashion: "Look, look! Just in front of my -finger, exactly in front of my finger. For my part, I can see it quite -distinctly." - -She could see nothing, but she was not surprised at his power of -vision, for he looked like a bird of prey, with his round, piercing -eyes, which appeared to be as powerful as telescopes. He went on: - -"The Allier flows in front of us, in the middle of that plain, but it -is impossible to perceive it. It is very far off, thirty kilometers -from here." - -She scarcely took the trouble to glance toward the place which he -indicated, for she had riveted her eyes on the rock and given it -her entire attention. She was saying to herself that presently this -enormous stone would no longer exist, that it would disappear in -powder, and she felt herself seized with a vague pity for the stone, -the pity which a little girl would feel for a broken plaything. It had -been there so long, this stone; and then it was imposing--it had a -picturesque look. The two men, who had by this time risen, were heaping -up pebbles at the foot of it, and digging with the rapid movements of -peasants working hurriedly. - -The crowd gathered along the road, increasing every moment, had pushed -forward to get a better view. The brats brushed against the two -diggers, and kept rushing and capering round them like young animals -in a state of delight; and from the elevated point at which Christiane -was sitting, these people looked quite small, a crowd of insects, an -anthill in confusion. - -The buzz of voices ascended, now slight, scarcely noticeable, then more -lively, a confused mixture of cries and human movements, but scattered -through the air, evaporated already--a dust of sounds, as it were. On -the knoll likewise the crowd was swelling in numbers, incessantly -arriving from the village, and covering up the slope which looked down -on the condemned rock. - -They were distinguished from each other, as they gathered together, -according to their hotels, their classes, their castes. The most -clamorous portion of the assemblage was that of the actors and -musicians, presided over and generaled by the conductor, Petrus Martel -of the Odéon, who, under the circumstances, had given up his incessant -game of billiards. - -With a Panama flapping over his forehead, a black alpaca jacket -covering his shoulders and allowing his big stomach to protrude in -a semicircle, for he considered a waistcoat useless in the open -country, the actor, with his thick mustache, assumed the airs of a -commander-in-chief, and pointed out, explained, and criticised all the -movements of the two Oriols. His subordinates, the comedian Lapalme, -the young premier Petitnivelle, and the musicians, the _maestro_ Saint -Landri, the pianist Javel, the huge flautist Noirot, the double-bass -Nicordi, gathered round him to listen. In front of them were seated -three women, sheltered by three parasols, a white, a red, and a blue, -which, under the sun of two o'clock, formed a strange and dazzling -French flag. These were Mademoiselle Odelin, the young actress; her -mother,--a mother that she had hired out, as Gontran put it,--and the -female attendant of the coffee-room, three ladies who were habitual -companions. The arrangement of these three parasols so as to suit the -national colors was an invention of Petrus Martel, who, having noticed -at the commencement of the season the blue and the white in the hands -of the ladies Odelin, had made a present of the red to the coffee-room -attendant. - -Quite close to them, another group excited interest and observation, -that of the chefs and scullions of the hotels, to the number of -eight, for there was a war of rivalry between the kitchen-folk, who -had attired themselves in linen jackets to make an impression on -the bystanders, extending even to the scullery-maids. Standing all -in a group they let the crude light of day fall on their flat white -caps, presenting, at the same time, the appearance of fantastic -staff-officers of lancers and a deputation of cooks. - -The Marquis asked Doctor Honorat: "Where do all these people come from? -I never would have imagined Enval was so thickly populated!" - -"Oh! they come from all parts, from Chatel-Guyon, from Tournoel, -from La Roche-Pradière, from Saint-Hippolyte. For this affair has -been talked of a long time in the country, and then Père Oriol is a -celebrity, an important personage on account of his influence and his -wealth, besides a true Auvergnat, remaining still a peasant, working -himself, hoarding, piling up gold on gold, intelligent, full of ideas -and plans for his children's future." - -Gontran came back, excited, his eyes sparkling. - -He said, in a low tone: "Paul, Paul, pray come along with me; I'm going -to show you two pretty girls; yes, indeed, nice girls, you know!" - -The other raised his head, and replied: "My dear fellow, I'm in very -good quarters here; I'll not budge." - -"You're wrong. They are charming!" Then, in a louder tone: "But -the doctor is going to tell me who they are. Two little girls of -eighteen or nineteen, rustic ladies, oddly dressed, with black silk -dresses that have close-fitting sleeves, some kind of uniform dresses, -convent-gowns--two brunettes----" - -Doctor Honorat interrupted him: "That's enough. They are Père Oriol's -daughters, two pretty young girls indeed, educated at the Benedictine -Convent at Clermont, and sure to make very good matches. They are two -types, but simply types of our race, of the fine race of women of -Auvergne, Marquis. I will show you these two little lasses----" - -Gontran here slyly interposed: "You are the medical adviser of the -Oriol family, doctor?" - -The other appreciated this sly question, and simply responded with a -"By Jove, I am!" uttered in a tone of the utmost good-humor. - -The young man went on: "How did you come to win the confidence of this -rich patient?" - -"By ordering him to drink a great deal of good wine." And he told -a number of anecdotes about the Oriols. Moreover, he was distantly -related to them, and had known them for a considerable time. The old -fellow, the father, quite an original, was very proud of his wine; and -above all he had one vine-garden, the produce of which was reserved -for the use of the family, solely for the family and their guests. -In certain years they happened to empty the casks filled with the -growth of this aristocratic vineyard, but in other years they scarcely -succeeded in doing so. About the month of May or June, when the father -saw that it would be hard to drink all that was still left, he would -proceed to encourage his big son, Colosse, and would repeat: "Come on, -son, we must finish it." Then they would go on pouring down their -throats pints of red wine from morning till night. Twenty times during -every meal, the old chap would say in a grave tone, while he held the -jug over his son's glass: "We must finish it." And, as all this liquor -with its mixture of alcohol heated his blood and prevented him from -sleeping, he would rise up in the middle of the night, draw on his -breeches, light a lantern, wake up Colosse, and off they would go to -the cellar, after snatching a crust of bread each out of the cupboard, -in order to steep it in their glasses, filled up again and again out -of the same cask. Then, when they had swallowed so much wine that they -could feel it rolling about in their stomachs, the father would tap the -resounding wood of the cask to find out whether the level of the liquor -had gone down. - -The Marquis asked: "Are these the same people that are working at the -hillock?" - -"Yes, yes, exactly." - -Just at that moment the two men hurried off with giant strides from -the rock charged with powder, and all the crowd that surrounded them -down below began to run away like a retreating army. They fled in the -direction of Riom and Enval, leaving behind them by itself the huge -rock on the top of the hillock covered with thin grass and pebbles, -for it divided the vineyard into two sections, and its immediate -surroundings had not been grubbed up yet. - -The crowd assembled on the slope above, now as dense as that below, -waited in trembling expectancy; and the loud voice of Petrus Martel -exclaimed: - -"Attention! the fuse is lit!" - -Christiane shivered at the thought of what was about to happen, but the -doctor murmured behind her back: - -"Ho! if they left there all the fuse I saw them buying, we'll have ten -minutes of it!" - -All eyes were fixed on the stone, and suddenly a dog, a little black -dog, a kind of pug, was seen approaching it. He ran round it, began -smelling, and no doubt, discovered a suspicious odor, for he commenced -yelping as loudly as ever he could, his paws stiff, the hair on his -back standing on end, his tail sticking out, and his ears erect. - -A burst of laughter came from the spectators, a cruel burst of -laughter; people expressed a hope that he would not keep riveted to the -spot up to the time of the blast. Then voices called out to him to make -him come back; some men whistled to him; they tried to hit him with -stones to prevent him from going on the whole way. But the pug did not -budge an inch, and kept barking furiously at the rock. - -Christiane began to tremble. A horrible fear of seeing the animal -disemboweled took possession of her; all her enjoyment was at an end. -She cried repeatedly, with nerves unstrung, stammering, vibrating all -over with anguish: - -"Oh! good heavens! Oh! good heavens! it will be killed. I don't want to -look at it! I don't want to look at it! I will not wait to see it! Come -away!" - -Paul Bretigny, who had been sitting by her side, arose, and, without -saying one word, began to descend toward the hillock with all the -speed of which his long legs were capable. - -Cries of terror escaped from many lips; a panic agitated the crowd; and -the pug, seeing this big man coming toward him, took refuge behind the -rock. Paul pursued him; the dog ran off to the other side; and, for a -minute or two, they kept rushing round the stone, now to right, now -to left, as if they were playing a game of hide and seek. Seeing at -last that he could not overtake the animal, the young man proceeded to -reascend the slope, and the dog, seized once more with fury, renewed -his barking. - -Vociferations of anger greeted the return of the imprudent youth, who -was quite out of breath, for people do not forgive those who excite -terror in their breasts. Christiane was suffocating with emotion, her -two hands pressed against her palpitating heart. She had lost her head -so completely that she sobbed: "At least you are not hurt?" while -Gontran cried angrily: - -"He is mad, that idiot; he never does anything but tomfooleries of this -kind. I never met a greater donkey!" - -But the soil was now shaking; it rose in air. A formidable detonation -made the entire country all around vibrate, and for a full minute -thundered over the mountain, while all the echoes repeated it, like so -many cannon-shots. - -Christiane saw nothing but a shower of stones falling, and a high -column of light clay sinking in a heap. And immediately afterward the -crowd from above rushed down like a wave, uttering wild shouts. The -battalion of kitchen-drudges came racing down in the direction of the -knoll, leaving behind them the regiment of theatrical performers, who -descended more slowly, with Petrus Martel at their head. The three -parasols forming a tricolor were nearly carried away in this descent. - -And all ran, men, women, peasants, and villagers. They could be seen -falling, getting up again, starting on afresh, while in long procession -the two streams of people, which had till now been kept back by fear, -rolled along so as to knock against one another and get mixed up on the -very spot where the explosion had taken place. - -"Let us wait a while," said the Marquis, "till all this curiosity is -satisfied, so that we may go and look in our turn." - -The engineer, M. Aubry-Pasteur, who had just arisen with very great -difficulty, replied: - -"For my part, I am going back to the village by the footpaths. There is -nothing further to keep me here." - -He shook hands, bowed, and went away. - -Doctor Honorat had disappeared. The party talked about him, and the -Marquis said to his son: - -"You have only known him three days, and all the time you have been -laughing at him. You will end by offending him." - -But Gontran shrugged his shoulders: "Oh! he's a wise man, a good -sceptic, that doctor. I tell you in reply that he will not bother -himself. When we are both alone together, he laughs at all the world -and everything, commencing with his patients and his waters. I will -give you a free thermal course if you ever see him annoyed by my -nonsense." - -Meanwhile, there was considerable agitation further down around the -site of the vanished hillock. The enormous crowd, swelling, rising up, -and sinking down like billows, broke out into exclamations, manifestly -swayed by some emotion, some astonishing occurrence which nobody had -foreseen. Andermatt, ever eager and inquisitive, was repeating: - -"What is the matter with them now? What can be the matter with them?" - -Gontran announced that he was going to find out, and walked off. -Christiane, who had now sunk into a state of indifference, was -reflecting that if the igniting substance had been only a little -shorter, it would have been sufficient to have caused the death of -their foolish companion or led to his being mutilated by the blasting -of the rock, and all because she was afraid of a dog losing its life. -She could not help thinking that he must, indeed, be very violent and -passionate--this man--to expose himself to such a risk in this way -without any good reason for it--simply owing to the fact that a woman -who was a stranger to him had given expression to a desire. - -People could be observed running along the road toward the village. The -Marquis now asked, in his turn: "What is the matter with them?" And -Andermatt, unable to stand it any longer, began to run down the side of -the hill. Gontran, from below, made a sign to him to come on. - -Paul Bretigny asked: "Will you take my arm, Madame?" She took his arm, -which seemed to her as immovable as iron, and, as her feet glided -along the warm grass, she leaned on it as she would have leaned on a -baluster with a sense of absolute security. Gontran, who had just come -back after making inquiries, exclaimed: "It is a spring. The explosion -has made a spring gush out!" - -And they fell in with the crowd. Then, the two young men, Paul and -Gontran, moving on in front, scattered the spectators by jostling -against them, and without paying any heed to their gruntings, opened a -way for Christiane and her father. They walked through a chaos of sharp -stones, broken, and blackened with powder, and arrived in front of a -hole full of muddy water which bubbled up and then flowed away toward -the river over the feet of the bystanders. Andermatt was there already, -having effected a passage through the multitude by insinuating ways -peculiar to himself, as Gontran used to say, and was watching with rapt -attention the water escaping through the broken soil. - -Doctor Honorat, facing him at the opposite side of the hole, was -observing him with an air of mingled surprise and boredom. - -Andermatt said to him: "It might be desirable to taste it; it is -perhaps a mineral spring." - -The physician returned: "No doubt it is mineral. There are any number -of mineral waters here. There will soon be more springs than invalids." - -The other in reply said: "But it is necessary to taste it." - -The physician displayed little or no interest in the matter: "It is -necessary at least to wait till we see whether it is clean." - -And everyone wanted to see. Those in the second row pushed those in -front almost into the muddy water. A child fell in, and caused a -laugh. The Oriols, father and son, were there, contemplating gravely -this unexpected phenomenon, not knowing yet what they ought to think -about it. The father was a spare man, with a long, thin frame, and a -bony head--the hard head of a beardless peasant; and the son, taller -still, a giant, thin also, and wearing a mustache, had the look at the -same time of a trooper and a vinedresser. - -The bubblings of the water appeared to increase, its volume to grow -larger, and it was beginning to get clearer. A movement took place -among the people, and Doctor Latonne appeared with a glass in his hand. -He perspired, panted, and stood quite stupefied at the sight of his -brother-physician, Doctor Honorat, with one foot planted at the side of -the newly discovered spring, like a general who has been the first to -enter a fortress. - -He asked, breathlessly: "Have you tasted it?" - -"No, I am waiting to see whether 'tis clear." - -Then Doctor Latonne thrust his glass into it, and drank with that -solemnity of visage which experts assume when tasting wines. After -that, he exclaimed, "Excellent!" which in no way compromised him, and -extending the glass toward his rival said: "Do you wish to taste it?" - -But Doctor Honorat, decidedly, had no love for mineral waters, for he -smilingly replied: - -"Many thanks! 'Tis quite sufficient that you have appreciated it. I -know the taste of them." - -He did know the taste of them all, and he appreciated it, too, though -in quite a different fashion. Then, turning toward Père Oriol said: - -"'Tisn't as good as your excellent vine-growth." - -The old man was flattered. Christiane had seen enough, and wanted to -go away. Her brother and Paul once more forced a path for her through -the populace. She followed them, leaning on her father's arm. Suddenly -she slipped and was near falling, and glancing down at her feet she -saw that she had stepped on a piece of bleeding flesh, covered with -black hairs and sticky with mud. It was a portion of the pug-dog, who -had been mangled by the explosion and trampled underfoot by the crowd. -She felt a choking sensation, and was so much moved that she could not -restrain her tears. And she murmured, as she dried her eyes with her -handkerchief: "Poor little animal! poor little animal!" - -She wanted to know nothing more about it. She wished to go back, to -shut herself up in her room. That day, which had begun so pleasantly, -had ended sadly for her. Was it an omen? Her heart, shriveling up, beat -with violent palpitations. They were now alone on the road, and in -front of them they saw a tall hat and the two skirts of a frock-coat -flapping like wings. It was Doctor Bonnefille, who had been the last to -hear the news, and who was now rushing to the spot, glass in hand, like -Doctor Latonne. - -When he recognized the Marquis, he drew up. - -"What is this I hear, Marquis? They tell me it is a spring--a mineral -spring?" - -"Yes, my dear doctor." - -"Abundant?" - -"Why, yes." - -"Is it true that--that they are there?" - -Gontran replied with an air of gravity: "Why, yes, certainly; Doctor -Latonne has even made the analysis already." - -Then Doctor Bonnefille began to run, while Christiane, a little tickled -and enlivened by his face, said: - -"Well, no, I am not going back yet to the hotel. Let us go and sit down -in the park." - -Andermatt had remained at the site of the knoll, watching the flowing -of the water. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - -Bargaining - - -The _table d'hôte_ was noisy that evening at the Hotel Splendid. -The blasting of the hillock and the discovery of the new spring -gave a brisk impetus to conversation. The diners were not numerous, -however,--a score all told,--people usually taciturn and quiet, -patients who, after having vainly tried all the well-known waters, had -now turned to the new stations. At the end of the table occupied by -the Ravenels and the Andermatts were, first, the Monecus, a little man -with white hair and face and his daughter, a very pale, big girl, who -sometimes rose up and went out in the middle of a meal, leaving her -plate half full; fat M. Aubry-Pasteur, the ex-engineer; the Chaufours, -a family in black, who might be met every day in the walks of the -park behind a little vehicle which carried their deformed child, and -the ladies Paille, mother and daughter, both of them widows, big and -strong, strong everywhere, before and behind. "You may easily see," -said Gontran, "that they ate up their husbands; that's how their -stomachs got affected." It was, indeed, for a stomach affection that -they had come to the station. - -Further on, a man of extremely red complexion, brick-colored, M. -Riquier, whose digestion was also very indifferent, and then other -persons with bad complexions, travelers of that mute class who usually -enter the dining-rooms of hotels with slow steps, the wife in front, -the husband behind, bow as soon as they have passed the door, and then -take their seats with a timid and modest air. - -All the other end of the table was empty, although the plates and the -covers were laid there for the guests of the future. - -Andermatt talked in an animated fashion. He had spent the afternoon -chatting with Doctor Latonne, giving vent in a flood of words to vast -schemes with reference to Enval. The doctor had enumerated to him, with -burning conviction, the wonderful qualities of his water, far superior -to those of Chatel-Guyon, whose reputation nevertheless had been -definitely established for the last ten years. Then, at the right, they -had that hole of a place, Royat, at the height of success, and at the -left, that other hole, Chatel-Guyon, which had lately been set afloat. -What could they not do with Enval, if they knew how to set about it -properly? - -He said, addressing the engineer: "Yes, Monsieur, there's where it all -is, to know the way to set about it. It is all a matter of skill, of -tact, of opportunism, and of audacity. In order to establish a spa, -it is necessary to know how to launch it, nothing more, and in order -to launch it, it is necessary to interest the great medical body of -Paris in the matter. I, Monsieur, always succeed in what I undertake, -because I always seek the practical method, the only one that should -determine success in every particular case with which I occupy myself; -and, as long as I have not discovered it, I do nothing--I wait. It is -not enough to have the water, it is necessary to get people to drink -it; and to get people to drink it, it is not enough to get it cried up -as unrivaled in the newspapers and elsewhere; it is necessary to know -how to get this discreetly said by the only men who have influence on -the public that will drink it, on the invalids whom we require, on -the peculiarly credulous public that pays for drugs--in short, by the -physicians. You can only address a Court of Justice through the mouths -of advocates; it will only hear them, and understands only them. So you -can only address the patient through the doctors--he listens only to -them." - -The Marquis, who greatly admired the practical common sense of his -son-in-law, exclaimed: - -"Ah! how true this is! Apart from this, my dear boy, you are unique for -giving the right touch." - -Andermatt, who was excited, went on: "There is a fortune to be made -here. The country is admirable, the climate excellent. One thing -alone disturbs my mind--would we have water enough for a large -establishment?--for things that are only half done always miscarry. We -would require a very large establishment, and consequently a great deal -of water, enough of water to supply two hundred baths at the same time, -with a rapid and continuous current; and the new spring added to the -old one, would not supply fifty, whatever Doctor Latonne may say about -it----" - -M. Aubry-Pasteur interrupted him. "Oh! as for water, I will give you as -much as you want of it." - -Andermatt was stupefied. "You?" - -"Yes, I. That astonishes you? Let me explain myself. Last year, I -was here about the same time as this year, for I really find myself -improved by the Enval baths. Now one morning, I lay asleep in my -own room, when a stout gentleman arrived. He was the president of -the governing body of the establishment. He was in a state of great -agitation, and the cause of it was this: the Bonnefille Spring had -lowered so much that there were some apprehensions lest it might -entirely disappear. Knowing that I was a mining engineer, he had come -to ask me if I could not find a means of saving the establishment. - -"I accordingly set about studying the geological system of the country. -You know that in each stratum of the soil original disturbances have -led to different changes and conditions in the surface of the ground. -The question, therefore, was to discover how the mineral water came--by -what fissures--and what were the direction, the origin, and the nature -of these fissures. I first inspected the establishment with great care, -and, noticing in a corner an old disused pipe of a bath, I observed -that it was already almost stopped up with limestone. Now the water, by -depositing the salts which it contained on the coatings of the ducts, -had rapidly led to an obstruction of the passage. It would inevitably -happen likewise in the natural passages in the soil, this soil being -granitic. So it was that the Bonnefille Spring had stopped up. Nothing -more. It was necessary to get at it again farther on. - -"Most people would have searched above its original point of egress. As -for me, after a month of study, observation, and reasoning, I sought -for and found it fifty meters lower down. And this was the explanation -of the matter: I told you before that it was first necessary to -determine the origin, nature, and direction of the fissures in the -granite which enabled the water to spring forth. It was easy for me -to satisfy myself that these fissures ran from the plain toward the -mountain and not from the mountain toward the plain, inclined like a -roof undoubtedly, in consequence of a depression of this plain which -in breaking up had carried along with it the primitive buttresses of -the mountains. Accordingly, the water, in place of descending, rose up -again between the different interstices of the granitic layers. And I -then discovered the cause of this unexpected phenomenon. - -"Formerly the Limagne, that vast expanse of sandy and argillaceous -soil, of which you can scarcely see the limits, was on a level with -the first table-land of the mountains; but owing to the geological -character of its lower portions, it subsided, so as to tear away the -edge of the mountain, as I explained to you a moment ago. Now this -immense sinking produced, at the point of separating the earth and the -granite, an immense barrier of clay of great depth and impenetrable by -liquids. And this is what happens: The mineral water comes from the -beds of old volcanoes. That which comes from the greatest distance gets -cooled on its way, and rises up perfectly cold like ordinary springs; -that which comes from the volcanic beds that are nearer gushes up still -warm, at varying degrees of heat, according to the distance of the -subterranean fire. - -"Here is the course it pursues. It is expelled from some unknown -depths, up to the moment when it meets the clay barrier of the Limagne. -Not being able to pass through it, and pushed on by enormous pressure, -it seeks a vent. Finding then the inclined gaps of granite, it gets in -there, and reascends to the point at which they reach the level of the -soil. Then, resuming its original direction, it again proceeds to flow -toward the plain along the ordinary bed of the streams. I may add that -we do not see the hundredth part of the mineral waters of these glens. -We can only discover those whose point of egress is open. As for the -others, arriving as they do at the side of the fissures in the granite -under a thick layer of vegetable and cultivated soil, they are lost in -the earth, which absorbs them. - -"From this I draw the conclusion: first, that to have the water, it is -sufficient to search by following the inclination and the direction of -the superimposed strips of granite; secondly, that in order to preserve -it, it is enough to prevent the fissures from being stopped up by -calcareous deposits, that is to say, to maintain carefully the little -artificial wells by digging; thirdly, that in order to obtain the -adjoining spring, it is necessary to get at it by means of a practical -sounding as far as the same fissure of granite below, and not above, -it being well understood that you must place yourself at the side of -the barrier of clay which forces the waters to reascend. From this -point of view, the spring discovered to-day is admirably situated -only some meters away from this barrier. If you want to set up a new -establishment, it is here you should erect it." - -When he ceased speaking, there was an interval of silence. - -Andermatt, ravished, said merely: "That's it! When you see the curtain -drawn, the entire mystery vanishes. You are a most valuable man, M. -Aubry-Pasteur." - -Besides him, the Marquis and Paul Bretigny alone had understood what -he was talking about. Gontran had not heard a single word. The others, -with their ears and mouths open, while the engineer was talking, -were simply stupefied with amazement. The ladies Paille especially, -being very religious women, asked themselves if this explanation of a -phenomenon ordained by God and accomplished by mysterious means had -not in it something profane. The mother thought she ought to say: -"Providence is very wonderful." The ladies seated at the center of the -table conveyed their approval by nods of the head, disturbed also by -listening to these unintelligible remarks. - -M. Riquier, the brick-colored man, observed: "They may well come from -volcanoes or from the moon, these Enval waters--here have I been taking -them ten days, and as yet I experience no effect from them!" - -M. and Madame Chaufour protested in the name of their child, who was -beginning to move the right leg, a thing that had not happened during -the six years they had been nursing him. - -Riquier replied: "That proves, by Jove, that we have not the same -ailment; it doesn't prove that the Enval water cures affections of -the stomach." He seemed in a rage, exasperated by this fresh, useless -experiment. - -But M. Monecu also spoke in the name of his daughter, declaring that -for the last eight days she was beginning to be able to retain food -without being obliged to go out at every meal. And his big daughter -blushed, with her nose in her plate. The ladies Paille likewise thought -they had improved. - -Then Riquier was vexed, and abruptly turning toward the two women said: - -"Your stomachs are affected, Mesdames." - -They replied together: "Why, yes, Monsieur. We can digest nothing." - -He nearly leaped out of his chair, stammering: "You--you! Why, 'tis -enough to look at you. Your stomachs are affected, Mesdames. That is to -say, you eat too much." - -Madame Paille, the mother, became very angry, and she retorted: "As for -you, Monsieur, there is no doubt about it, you exhibit certainly the -appearance of persons whose stomachs are destroyed. It has been well -said that good stomachs make nice men." - -A very thin, old lady, whose name was not known, said authoritatively: -"I am sure everyone would find the waters of Enval better if the hotel -chef would only bear in mind a little that he is cooking for invalids. -Truly, he sends us up things that it is impossible to digest." - -And suddenly the entire table agreed on the point, and indignation -was expressed against the hotel-keeper, who served them with crayfish, -porksteaks, salt eels, cabbage, yes, cabbage and sausages, all the most -indigestible kinds of food in the world for persons for whom Doctors -Bonnefille, Latonne, and Honorat had prescribed only white meats, lean -and tender, fresh vegetables, and milk diet. - -Riquier was shaking with fury: "Why should not the physicians inspect -the table at thermal stations without leaving such an important thing -as the selection of nutriment to the judgment of a brute? Thus, every -day, they give us hard eggs, anchovies, and ham as side-dishes----" - -M. Monecu interrupted him: "Oh! excuse me! My daughter can digest -nothing well except ham, which, moreover has been prescribed for her by -Mas-Roussel and Remusot." - -Riquier exclaimed: "Ham! ham! why, that's poison, Monsieur." - -And an interminable argument arose, which each day was taken up afresh, -as to the classification of foods. Milk itself was discussed with -passionate warmth. Riquier could not drink a glass of claret and milk -without immediately suffering from indigestion. - -Aubry-Pasteur, in answer to his remarks, irritated in his turn, -observed that people questioned the properties of things which he -adored: - -"Why, gracious goodness, Monsieur, if you were attacked with dyspepsia -and I with gastralgia, we would require food as different as the glass -of the spectacles that suits short-sighted and long-sighted people, -both of whom, however, have diseased eyes." - -He added: "For my part I begin to choke when I swallow a glass of red -wine, and I believe there is nothing worse for man than wine. All -water-drinkers live a hundred years, while we----" - -Gontran replied with a laugh: "Faith, without wine and without -marriage, I would find life monotonous enough." - -The ladies Paille lowered their eyes. They drank a considerable -quantity of Bordeaux of the best quality without any water in it, and -their double widowhood seemed to indicate that they had applied the -same treatment to their husbands, the daughter being twenty-two and the -mother scarcely forty. - -But Andermatt, usually so chatty, remained taciturn and thoughtful. He -suddenly asked Gontran: "Do you know where the Oriols live?" - -"Yes, their house was pointed out to me a little while ago." - -"Could you bring me there after dinner?" - -"Certainly. It will even give me pleasure to accompany you. I shall not -be sorry to have another look at the two lassies." - -And, as soon as dinner was over, they went off, while Christiane, who -was tired, went up with the Marquis and Paul Bretigny to spend the rest -of the day in the drawing-room. - -It was still broad daylight, for they dine early at thermal stations. - -Andermatt took his brother-in-law's arm. - -"My dear Gontran, if this old man is reasonable, and if the analysis -realizes Doctor Latonne's expectations, I am probably going to try a -big stroke of business here--a spa. I am going to start a spa!" - -He stopped in the middle of the street, and seized his companion by -both sides of his jacket. - -"Ha! you don't understand, fellows like you, how amusing business is, -not the business of merchants or traders, but big undertakings such as -we go in for! Yes, my boy, when they are properly understood, we find -in them everything that men care for--they cover, at the same time, -politics, war, diplomacy, everything, everything! It is necessary to -be always searching, finding, inventing, to understand everything, to -foresee everything, to combine everything, to dare everything. The -great battle to-day is being fought by means of money. For my part, -I see in the hundred-sou pieces raw recruits in red breeches, in the -twenty-franc pieces very glittering lieutenants, captains in the notes -for a hundred francs, and in those for a thousand I see generals. And -I fight, by heavens! I fight from morning till night against all the -world, with all the world. And this is how to live, how to live on a -big scale, just as the mighty lived in days of yore. We are the mighty -of to-day--there you are--the only true mighty ones! - -"Stop, look at that village, that poor village! I will make a town -of it, yes, I will, a lovely town full of big hotels which will be -filled with visitors, with elevators, with servants, with carriages, -a crowd of rich folk served by a crowd of poor; and all this because -it pleased me one evening to fight with Royat, which is at the right, -with Chatel-Guyon, which is at the left, with Mont Doré, La Bourboule, -Châteauneuf, Saint Nectaire, which are behind us, with Vichy, which -is facing us. And I shall succeed because I have the means, the only -means. I have seen it in one glance, just as a great general sees the -weak side of an enemy. It is necessary too to know how to lead men, in -our line of business, both to carry them along with us and to subjugate -them. - -"Good God! life becomes amusing when you can do such things. I have now -three years of pleasure to look forward to with this town of mine. And -then see what a chance it is to find this engineer, who told us such -interesting things at dinner, most interesting things, my dear fellow. -It is as clear as day, my system. Thanks to it, I can smash the old -company, without even having any necessity of buying it up." - -He then resumed his walk, and they quietly went up the road to the left -in the direction of Chatel-Guyon. - -Gontran presently observed: "When I am walking by my brother-in-law's -side, I feel that the same noise disturbs his brain as that heard in -the gambling rooms at Monte Carlo--that noise of gold moved about, -shuffled, drawn away, raked off, lost or gained." - -Andermatt did, indeed, suggest the idea of a strange human machine, -constructed only for the purpose of calculating and debating about -money, and mentally manipulating it. Moreover, he exhibited much -vanity about his special knowledge of the world, and plumed himself on -his power of estimating at one glance of his eye the actual value of -anything whatever. Accordingly, he might be seen, wherever he happened -to be, every moment taking up an article, examining it, turning it -round, and declaring: "This is worth so much." - -His wife and his brother-in-law, diverted by this mania, used to -amuse themselves by deceiving him, exhibiting to him queer pieces -of furniture and asking him to estimate them; and when he remained -perplexed, at the sight of their unexpected finds, they would both -burst out laughing like fools. Sometimes also, in the street at Paris, -Gontran would stop in front of a warehouse and force him to make a -calculation of an entire shop-window, or perhaps of a horse with a -jolting vehicle, or else again of a luggage-van laden with household -goods. - -One evening, while seated at his sister's dinner-table before -fashionable guests, he called on William to tell him what would be the -approximate value of the Obelisk; then, when the other happened to name -some figure, he would put the same question as to the Solferino Bridge, -and the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile. And he gravely concluded: "You -might write a very interesting work on the valuation of the principal -monuments of the globe." Andermatt never got angry, and fell in with -all his pleasantries, like a superior man sure of himself. - -Gontran having asked one day: "And I--how much am I worth?" William -declined to answer; then, as his brother-in-law persisted, saying: -"Look here! If I should be captured by brigands, how much would you -give to release me?" he replied at last: "Well, well, my dear fellow, I -would give a bill." And his smile said so much that the other, a little -disconcerted, did not press the matter further. - -Andermatt, besides, was fond of artistic objects, and having fine -taste and appreciating such things thoroughly, he skillfully collected -them with that bloodhound's scent which he carried into all commercial -transactions. - -They had arrived in front of a house of a middle-class type. Gontran -stopped him and said: "Here it is." An iron knocker hung over a heavy -oaken door; they knocked, and a lean servant-maid came to open it. - -The banker asked: "Monsieur Oriol?" - -The woman said: "Come in." - -They entered a kitchen, a big farm-kitchen, in which a little fire was -still burning under a pot; then they were ushered into another part of -the house, where the Oriol family was assembled. - -The father was asleep, seated on one chair with his feet on another. -The son, with both elbows on the table, was reading the "Petit Journal" -with the spasmodic efforts of a feeble intellect always wandering; and -the two girls, in the recess of the same window, were working at the -same piece of tapestry, having begun it one at each end. - -They were the first to rise, both at the same moment, astonished at -this unexpected visit; then, big Jacques raised his head, a head -congested by the pressure of his brain; then, at last, Père Oriol waked -up, and took down his long legs from the second chair one after the -other. - -The room was bare, with whitewashed walls, a stone flooring, and -furniture consisting of straw seats, a mahogany chest of drawers, four -engravings by Epinal with glass over them, and big white curtains. -They were all staring at each other, and the servant-maid, with her -petticoat raised up to her knees, was waiting at the door, riveted to -the spot by curiosity. - -Andermatt introduced himself, mentioning his name as well as that of -his brother-in-law, Count de Ravenel, made a low bow to the two young -girls, bending his head with extreme politeness, and then calmly seated -himself, adding: - -"Monsieur Oriol, I came to talk to you about a matter of business. -Moreover, I will not take four roads to explain myself. See here. You -have just discovered a spring on your property. The analysis of this -water is to be made in a few days. If it is of no value, you will -understand that I will have nothing to do with it; if, on the contrary, -it fulfills my anticipations, I propose to buy from you this piece of -ground, and all the lands around it. Think on this. No other person -but myself could make you such an offer. The old company is nearly -bankrupt; it will not, therefore, have the least notion of building -a new establishment, and the ill success of this enterprise will not -encourage fresh attempts. Don't give me an answer to-day. Consult your -family. When the analysis is known you will fix your price. If it suits -me, I will say 'yes'; if it does not suit me, I will say 'no.' I never -haggle for my part." - -The peasant, a man of business in his own way, and sharp as anyone -could be, courteously replied that he would see about it, that he felt -honored, that he would think it over--and then he offered them a glass -of wine. - -Andermatt made no objection, and, as the day was declining, Oriol said -to his daughters, who had resumed their work, with their eyes lowered -over the piece of tapestry: "Let us have some light, girls." - -They both got up together, passed into an adjoining room, then came -back, one carrying two lighted wax-candles, the other four wineglasses -without stems, glasses such as the poor use. The wax-candles were fresh -looking and were garnished with red paper--placed, no doubt, by way of -ornament on the young girl's mantelpiece. - -Then, Colosse rose up; for only the male members of the family visited -the cellar. Andermatt had an idea. "It would give me great pleasure to -see your cellar. You are the principal vinedresser of the district, and -it must be a very fine one." - -Oriol, touched to the heart, hastened to conduct them, and, taking -up one of the wax-candles, led the way. They had to pass through the -kitchen again, then they got into a court where the remnant of daylight -that was left enabled them to discern empty casks standing on end, big -stones of giant granite in a corner pierced with a hole in the middle, -like the wheels of some antique car of colossal size, a dismounted -winepress with wooden screws, its brown divisions rendered smooth by -wear and tear, and glittering suddenly in the light thrown by the -candle on the shadows that surrounded it. Close to it, the working -implements of polished steel on the ground had the glitter of arms used -in warfare. All these things gradually grew more distinct, as the old -man drew nearer to them with the candle in his hand, making a shade of -the other. - -Already they got the smell of the wine, the pounded grapes drained dry. -They arrived in front of a door fastened with two locks. Oriol opened -it, and quickly raising the candle above his head vaguely pointed -toward a long succession of barrels standing in a row, and having on -their swelling flanks a second line of smaller casks. He showed them -first of all that this cellar, all on one floor, sank right into the -mountain, then he explained the contents of its different casks, the -ages, the nature of the various vine-crops, and their merits; then, -having reached the supply reserved for the family, he caressed the cask -with his hand just as one might rub the crupper of a favorite horse, -and in a proud tone said: - -"You are going to taste this. There's not a wine bottled equal to -it--not one, either at Bordeaux or elsewhere." - -For he possessed the intense passion of countrymen for wine kept in a -cask. - -Colosse followed him, carrying a jug, stooped down, turned the cock -of the funnel, while his father cautiously held the light for him, -as though he were accomplishing some difficult task requiring minute -attention. The candle's flame fell directly on their faces, the -father's head like that of an old attorney, and the son's like that of -a peasant soldier. - -Andermatt murmured in Gontran's ear: "Hey, what a fine Teniers!" - -The young man replied in a whisper: "I prefer the girls." - -Then they went back into the house. It was necessary, it seemed, to -drink this wine, to drink a great deal of it, in order to please the -two Oriols. - -The lassies had come across to the table where they continued their -work as if there had been no visitors. Gontran kept incessantly -staring at them, asking himself whether they were twins, so closely -did they resemble one another. One of them, however, was plumper and -smaller, while the other was more ladylike. Their hair, dark-brown -rather than black, drawn over their temples in smooth bands, gleamed -with every slight movement of their heads. They had the rather heavy -jaw and forehead peculiar to the people of Auvergne, cheek-bones -somewhat strongly marked, but charming mouths, ravishing eyes, with -brows of rare neatness, and delightfully fresh complexions. One felt, -on looking at them, that they had not been brought up in this house, -but in a select boarding-school, in the convent to which the daughters -of the aristocracy of Auvergne are sent, and that they had acquired -there the well-bred manners of cultivated young ladies. - -Meanwhile, Gontran, seized with disgust before this red glass in front -of him, pressed Andermatt's foot to induce him to leave. At length -he rose, and they both energetically grasped the hands of the two -peasants; then they bowed once more ceremoniously, the young girls each -responding with a slight nod, without again rising from their seats. - -As soon as they had reached the village, Andermatt began talking again. - -"Hey, my dear boy, what an odd family! How manifest here is the -transition from people in good society. A son's services are required -to cultivate the vine so as to save the wages of a laborer,--stupid -economy,--however, he discharges this function, and is one of -the people. As for the girls, they are like girls of the better -class--almost quite so already. Let them only make good matches, and -they would pass as well as any of the women of our own class, and even -much better than most of them. I am as much gratified at seeing these -people as a geologist would be at finding an animal of the tertiary -period." - -Gontran asked: "Which do you prefer?" - -"Which? How, which? Which what?" - -"Of the lassies?" - -"Oh! upon my honor, I haven't an idea on the subject. I have not looked -at them from the standpoint of comparison. But what difference can this -make to you? You have no intention to carry off one of them?" - -Gontran began to laugh: "Oh! no, but I am delighted to meet for once -fresh women, really fresh, fresh as women never are with us. I like -looking at them, just as you like looking at a Teniers. There is -nothing pleases me so much as looking at a pretty girl, no matter -where, no matter of what class. These are my objects of vertu. I -don't collect them, but I admire them--I admire them passionately, -artistically, my friend, in the spirit of a convinced and disinterested -artist. What would you have? I love this! By the bye, could you lend me -five thousand francs?" - -The other stopped, and murmured an "Again!" energetically. - -Gontran replied, with an air of simplicity: "Always!" Then they resumed -their walk. - -Andermatt then said: "What the devil do you do with the money?" - -"I spend it." - -"Yes, but you spend it to excess." - -"My dear friend, I like spending money as much as you like making it. -Do you understand?" - -"Very fine, but you don't make it." - -"That's true. I know it. One can't have everything. You know how to -make it, and, upon my word, you don't at all know how to spend it. -Money appears to you no use except to get interest on it. I, on the -other hand, don't know how to make it, but I know thoroughly how to -spend it. It procures me a thousand things of which you don't know the -name. We were cut out for brothers-in-law. We complete one another -admirably." - -Andermatt murmured: "What stuff! No, you sha'n't have five thousand -francs, but I'll lend you fifteen hundred francs, because--because in a -few days I shall, perhaps, have need of you." - -Gontran rejoined: "Then I accept them on account." The other gave him a -slap on the shoulder without saying anything by way of answer. - -They reached the park, which was illuminated with lamps hung to the -branches of the trees. The orchestra of the Casino was playing in slow -time a classical piece that seemed to stagger along, full of breaks and -silences, executed by the same four performers, exhausted with constant -playing, morning and evening, in this solitude for the benefit of the -leaves and the brook, with trying to produce the effect of twenty -instruments, and tired also of never being fully paid at the end of -the month. Petrus Martel always completed their remuneration, when it -fell short, with hampers of wine or pints of liqueurs which the bathers -might have left unconsumed. - -Amid the noise of the concert could also be distinguished that of the -billiard-table, the clicking of the balls and the voices calling out: -"Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two." - -Andermatt and Gontran went in. M. Aubry-Pasteur and Doctor Honorat, -by themselves, were drinking their coffee, at the side facing the -musicians. Petrus Martel and Lapalme were playing their game with -desperation; and the female attendant woke up to ask: - -"What do these gentlemen wish to take?" - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - -A Test and an Avowal - - -Père Oriol and his son had remained for a long time chatting after -the girls had gone to bed. Stirred up and excited by Andermatt's -proposal, they were considering how they could inflame his desire -more effectually without compromising their own interests. Like the -cautious, practically-minded peasants that they were, they weighed all -the chances carefully, understanding very clearly that in a country -in which mineral springs gushed out along all the streams, it was not -advisable to repel by an exaggerated demand this unexpected enthusiast, -the like of whom they might never find again. And at the same time it -would not do either to leave entirely in his hands this spring, which -might, some day, yield a flood of liquid money, Royat and Chatel-Guyon -serving as a precedent for them. - -Therefore, they asked themselves by what course of action they could -kindle into frenzy the banker's ardor; they conjured up combinations -of imaginary companies covering his offers, a succession of clumsy -schemes, the defects of which they felt, without succeeding in -inventing more ingenious ones. They slept badly; then, in the morning, -the father, having awakened first, thought in his own mind that the -spring might have disappeared during the night. It was possible, after -all, that it might have gone as it had come, and re-entered the earth, -so that it could not be brought back. He got up in a state of unrest, -seized with avaricious fear, shook his son, and told him about his -alarm; and big Colosse, dragging his legs out of his coarse sheets, -dressed himself in order to go out with his father, to make sure about -the matter. - -In any case, they would put the field and the spring in proper trim -themselves, would carry off the stones, and make it nice and clean, -like an animal that they wanted to sell. So they took their picks -and their spades, and started for the spot side by side with great, -swinging strides. - -They looked at nothing as they walked on, their minds being preoccupied -with the business, replying with only a single word to the "Good -morning" of the neighbors and friends whom they chanced to meet. When -they reached the Riom road they began to get agitated, peering into the -distance to see whether they could observe the water bubbling up and -glittering in the morning sun. The road was empty, white, and dusty, -the river running beside it sheltered by willow-trees. Beneath one of -the trees Oriol suddenly noticed two feet, then, having advanced three -steps further, he recognized Père Clovis seated at the edge of the -road, with his crutches lying beside him on the grass. - -This was an old paralytic, well known in the district, where for the -last ten years he had prowled about on his supports of stout oak, as he -said himself, like a poor man made of stone. - -Formerly a poacher in the woods and streams, often arrested and -imprisoned, he had got rheumatic pains by his long watchings stretched -on the moist grass and by his nocturnal fishings in the rivers, through -which he used to wade up to his middle in water. Now he whined, and -crawled about, like a crab that had lost its claws. He stumped along, -dragging his right leg after him like a piece of ragged cloth. But -the boys of the neighborhood, who used in foggy weather to run after -the girls or the hares, declared that they used to meet Père Clovis, -swift-footed as a stag, and supple as an adder, under the bushes and -in the glades, and that, in short, his rheumatism was only "a dodge on -the gendarmes." Colosse, especially, insisted on maintaining that he -had seen him, not once, but fifty times, straining his neck with his -crutches under his arms. - -And Père Oriol stopped in front of the old vagabond, his mind possessed -by an idea which as yet was undefined, for the brain works slowly -in the thick skulls of Auvergne. He said "Good morning" to him. The -other responded "Good morning." Then they spoke about the weather, the -ripening of the vine, and two or three other things; but, as Colosse -had gone ahead, his father with long steps hastened to overtake him. - -The spring was still flowing, clear by this time, and all the bottom of -the hole was red, a fine, dark red, which had arisen from an abundant -deposit of iron. The two men gazed at it with smiling faces, then they -proceeded to clear the soil that surrounded it, and to carry off the -stones of which they made a heap. And, having found the last remains of -the dead dog, they buried them with jocose remarks. But all of a sudden -Père Oriol let his spade fall. A roguish leer of delight and triumph -wrinkled the corners of his leathery lips and the edges of his cunning -eyes, and he said to his son: "Come on, till we see." - -The other obeyed. They got on the road once more, and retraced their -steps. Père Clovis was still toasting his limbs and his crutches in the -sun. - -Oriol, drawing up before him, asked: "Do you want to earn a -hundred-franc piece?" - -The other cautiously refrained from answering. - -The peasant said: "Hey! a hundred francs?" - -Thereupon the vagabond made up his mind, and murmured: "Of course, but -what am I asked to do?" - -"Well, father, here's what I want you to do." - -And he explained to the other at great length with tricky -circumlocutions, easily understood hints, and innumerable repetitions, -that, if he would consent to take a bath for an hour every day from ten -to eleven in a hole which they, Colosse and he, intended to dig at the -side of the spring, and to be cured at the end of a month, they would -give him a hundred francs in cash. - -The paralytic listened with a stupid air, and then said: "Since all the -drugs haven't been able to help me, 'tisn't your water that'll cure me." - -But Colosse suddenly got into a passion. "Come, my old play-actor, -you're talking rubbish. I know what your disease is--don't tell me -about it! What were you doing on Monday last in the Comberombe wood at -eleven o'clock at night?" - -The old fellow promptly answered: "That's not true." - -But Colosse, firing up: "Isn't it true, you old blackguard, that you -jumped over the ditch to Jean Cannezat and that you made your way along -the Paulin chasm?" - -The other energetically repeated: "It is not true!" - -"Isn't it true that I called out to you: 'Oho, Clovis, the gendarmes!' -and that you turned up the Moulinet road?" - -"No, it is not." - -Big Jacques, raging, almost menacing, exclaimed: "Ah! it's not true! -Well, old three paws, listen! The next time I see you there in the -wood at night or else in the water, I'll take a grip of you, as my -legs are rather longer than your own, and I'll tie you up to some -tree till morning, when we'll go and take you away, the whole village -together----" - -Père Oriol stopped his son; then, in a very wheedling tone: "Listen, -Clovis! you can easily do the thing. We prepare a bath for you, Coloche -and myself. You come there every day for a month. For that I give you, -not one hundred, but two hundred francs. And then, listen! if you're -cured at the end of the month, it will mean five hundred francs more. -Understand clearly, five hundred in ready money, and two hundred -more--that makes seven hundred. Therefore you get two hundred for -taking a bath for a month and five hundred more for the curing. And -listen again! Suppose the pains come back. If this happens you in the -autumn, there will be nothing more for us to do, for the water will -have none the less produced its effect!" - -The old fellow coolly replied: "In that case I'm quite willing. If it -won't succeed, we'll always see it." And the three men pressed one -another's hands to seal the bargain they had concluded. Then, the two -Oriols returned to their spring, in order to dig the bath for Père -Clovis. - -They had been working at it for a quarter of an hour, when they heard -voices on the road. It was Andermatt and Doctor Latonne. The two -peasants winked at one another, and ceased digging the soil. - -The banker came across to them, and grasped their hands; then the -entire four proceeded to fix their eyes on the water without uttering -a word. It stirred about like water set in movement above a big fire, -threw out bubbles and steam, then it flowed away in the direction of -the brook through a tiny gutter which it had already traced out. Oriol, -with a smile of pride on his lips, said suddenly: "Hey, that's iron, -isn't it?" - -In fact the bottom was now all red, and even the little pebbles which -it washed as it flowed along seemed covered with a sort of purple mold. - -Doctor Latonne replied: "Yes, but that is nothing to the purpose. We -would require to know its other qualities." - -The peasant observed: "Coloche and myself first drank a glass of it -yesterday evening, and it has already made our bodies feel fresh. Isn't -that true, son?" - -The big youth replied in a tone of conviction: "Sure enough, it was -very refreshing." - -Andermatt remained motionless, his feet on the edge of the hole. He -turned toward the physician: "We would want nearly six times this -volume of water for what I would wish to do, would we not?" - -"Yes, nearly." - -"Do you think that we'll be able to get it?" - -"Oh! as for me, I know nothing about it." - -"See here! The purchase of the grounds can only be definitely effected -after the soundings. It would be necessary, first of all, to have a -promise of sale drawn up by a notary, once the analysis is known, but -not to take effect unless the consecutive soundings give the results -hoped for." - -Père Oriol became restless. He did not understand. Andermatt thereupon -explained to him the insufficiency of only one spring, and demonstrated -to him that he could not purchase unless he found others. But he could -not search for these other springs till after the signature of a -promise of sale. - -The two peasants appeared forthwith to be convinced that their fields -contained as many springs as vine-stalks. It would be sufficient to dig -for them--they would see, they would see. - -Andermatt said simply: "Yes, we shall see." - -But Père Oriol dipped his fingers in the water, and remarked: "Why, -'tis hot enough to boil an egg, much hotter than the Bonnefille one!" - -Latonne in his turn steeped his fingers in it, and realized that this -was possible. - -The peasant went on: "And then it has more taste and a better taste; -it hasn't a false taste, like the other. Oh! this one, I'll answer for -it, is good! I know the waters of the country for the fifty years that -I've seen them flowing. I never seen a finer one than this, never, -never!" - -He remained silent for a few seconds, and then continued: "It is not -in order to puff the water that I say this!--certainly not. I would -like to make a trial of it before you, a fair trial, not what your -chemists make, but a trial of it on a person who has a disease. I'll -bet that it will cure a paralytic, this one, so hot is it and so good -to taste--I'll make a bet on it!" - -He appeared to be searching his brain, then cast a look at the tops -of the neighboring mountains to see whether he could discover the -paralytic that he required. Not having made the discovery, he lowered -his eyes to the road. - -Two hundred meters away from it, at the side of the road could be -distinguished the two inert legs of the vagabond, whose body was hidden -by the trunk of a willow tree. - -Oriol placed his hand on his forehead as a shade, and said -questioningly to his son: "That isn't Père Clovis over there still?" - -Colosse laughingly replied: "Yes, yes. 'Tis he--he doesn't go as quick -as a hare." - -Then Oriol stepped over to Andermatt's side, and with an air of serious -and deep conviction: "Look here, Monchieu! Listen to me. There's a -paralytic over yonder, who is well known to the doctor, a genuine one, -who hasn't been seen to make a single step for the last ten years. -Isn't that so, doctor?" - -Latonne returned: "Oh! if you cure that fellow, I would pay a franc a -glass for your water!" - -Then, turning toward Andermatt: "'Tis an old fellow suffering from -rheumatic gout with a sort of spasmodic contraction of the left leg and -a complete paralysis of the right; in fact, I believe, an incurable." - -Oriol had allowed him to talk; he resumed in a deliberate fashion: -"Well, doctor, would you like to make a trial of it on him for a month? -I don't say that it will succeed,--I say nothing on the matter,--I only -ask to have a trial made. Hold on! Coloche and myself are going to dig -a hole for the stones--well, we'll make a hole for Cloviche; he'll -remain an hour there every morning, and then we'll see--there!--we'll -see." - -The physician murmured: "You may try. I answer confidently that you -will not succeed." - -But Andermatt, beguiled by the prospect of an almost miraculous cure, -gladly fell in with the peasant's suggestion; and the entire four -directed their steps toward the vagabond, who, all this time, had been -lying motionless in the sun. The old poacher, understanding the dodge, -pretended to refuse, resisted for a long time, then allowed himself to -be persuaded, on the condition that Andermatt would give him two francs -a day for the hour which he would spend in the water. - -So the matter was settled. It was even decided that, as soon as the -hole was dug, Père Clovis should take his bath that very day. Andermatt -would supply him with clothes to dress himself afterward, and the two -Oriols would bring him a disused shepherd's hut, which was lying in -their yard, so that the invalid might shut himself in there, and change -his apparel. - -Then the banker and the physician returned to the village. When they -reached it, they parted, the doctor going to his own house for his -consultations, and Andermatt hurrying to attend on his wife, who had to -come to the establishment at half past nine o'clock. - -She appeared almost immediately, dressed from head to foot in -pink--with a pink hat, a pink parasol, and a pink complexion, she -looked like an aurora, and she descended the steps of the hotel to -avoid the turn of the road with the hopping movements of a bird, as it -goes from stone to stone, without opening its wing. As soon as she saw -her husband, she exclaimed: - -"Oh! what a pretty country it is! I am quite delighted with it." - -A few bathers wandering sadly through the little park in silence turned -round as she passed by, and Petrus Martel, who was smoking his pipe in -his shirt-sleeves at the window of the billiard-room, called to his -chum, Lapalme, sitting in a corner before a glass of white wine, and -said, smacking the roof of his mouth with his tongue: - -"Deuce take it, there's something sweet!" - -Christiane made her way into the establishment, bowed smilingly -toward the cashier, who sat at the left of the entrance-door, and -saluted the ex-jailer seated at the right with a "Good morning"; then, -holding out a ticket to a bath-attendant dressed like the girl in the -refreshment-room, followed her into a corridor facing the doors of the -bath-rooms. The lady was shown into one of them, rather large, with -bare walls, furnished with a chair, a glass, and a shoe-horn, while a -large oval orifice, coated, like the floor, with yellow cement, served -the purposes of a bath. - -The woman turned a cock like those used for making the street-gutters -flow, and the water gushed through a little round grated aperture at -the bottom of the bath so that it was soon full to the brim, and its -overflow was diverted through a furrow sunk into the wall. - -Christiane, having left her chambermaid at the hotel, declined the -attendant's services in undressing, and remained there alone, saying -that if she required anything, she would ring, and would do the same -when she wanted her linen. - -She slowly disrobed, watching as she did so the almost invisible -movement of the wave gently stirring on the clear surface of the basin. -When she had divested herself of all her clothing she dipped her foot -in, and the pleasant warm sensation mounted to her throat; then she -plunged into the tepid water first one leg, and after it the other, -and sat down in the midst of this caressing heat, in this transparent -bath, in this spring, which flowed over her, around her, covering her -body with tiny globules all along her legs, all along her arms, and -also all over her breasts. She noticed with surprise those particles of -air innumerable and minute which clothed her from head to foot with an -entire mail-suit of little pearls. And these pearls, so minute, flew -off incessantly from her white flesh, and evaporated on the surface of -the bath, driven on by others that sprung to life over her form. They -sprung up over her skin, like light fruits incapable of being grasped -yet charming, the fruits of this exquisite body rosy and fresh, which -had generated those pearls in the water. - -And Christiane felt herself so happy in it, so sweetly, so softly, so -deliciously caressed and clasped by the restless wave, the living wave, -the animated wave from the spring which gushed up from the depths of -the basin under her legs and fled through the little opening toward -the edge of the bath, that she would have liked to have remained there -forever, without moving, almost without thinking. The sensation of a -calm delight composed of rest and comfort, of tranquil dreamfulness, -of health, of discreet joy, and silent gaiety, entered into her with -the soothing warmth of this. And her spirit mused, vaguely lulled into -repose by the gurgling of the overflow which was escaping--dreamed -of what she would be doing by and by, of what she would be doing -to-morrow, of promenades, of her father, of her husband, of her -brother, and of that big boy who had made her feel slightly ill at ease -since the adventure of the dog. She did not care for persons of violent -tendencies. - -No desire agitated her soul, calm as her heart in this grateful moist -warmth, no desires save the shadowy hopes of a child, no desire of any -other life, of emotion, or passion. She felt that it was well with her, -and she was satisfied with the happiness of her lot. - -She was suddenly startled--the door flew open; it was the Auvergnat -carrying the linen. Twenty minutes had passed; it was already time -for her to be dressed. It was almost a pang, almost a calamity, this -awakening; she felt a longing to beg of the woman to give her a few -minutes more; then she reflected that every day she would find again -the same delight, and she regretfully left the bath to be wrapped in a -white dressing-gown whose scorching heat felt somewhat unpleasant. - -Just as she was going out, Doctor Bonnefille opened the door of his -consultation-room and invited her to enter, bowing ceremoniously. He -inquired about her health, felt her pulse, looked at her tongue, took -note of her appetite and her digestion, asked her how she slept, and -then accompanied her to the door, repeating: - -"Come, come, that's right, that's right. My respects, if you please, to -your father, one of the most distinguished men that I have met in my -career." - -At last, she got away, bored by these undesirable attentions, and at -the door she saw the Marquis chatting with Andermatt, Gontran, and Paul -Bretigny. Her husband, in whose head every new idea was continually -buzzing, like a fly in a bottle, was relating the story of the -paralytic, and wanted to go back to see whether the vagabond was taking -his bath. They were about to go with him to the spot in order to please -him. But Christiane very gently detained her brother, and, when they -were a short distance away from the others: - -"Tell me now! I wanted to talk to you about your friend; I must say I -don't much care for him. Explain to me exactly what he is like." - -And Gontran, who had known Paul for many years, told her about this -passionate nature, uncouth, sincere, and kindly by starts. He was, -according to Gontran, a clever young fellow, whose wild spirit -impetuously flung itself into every new idea. Yielding to every -impulse, unable to control or to direct his passions, or to fight -against his feelings with the aid of reason, or to govern his life -by a system based on settled convictions, he obeyed the promptings -of his heart, whether they were virtuous or vicious, the moment that -any desire, any thought, any emotion whatever, agitated his excitable -nature. - -He had already fought seven duels, as ready to insult people as to -become their friend. He had been madly in love with women of every -class, adored them with the same transports from the working-girl whom -he picked up in the corner of some store to the actress whom he carried -off, yes, carried off, on the night of a first performance, just as she -was stepping into a vehicle on her way home, bearing her away in his -arms in the midst of the astonished spectators, and pushing her into a -carriage, which disappeared at a gallop before anyone could follow it -or overtake it. - -And Gontran concluded: "There you are! He is a good fellow, but a fool; -very rich, moreover, and capable of anything, of anything at all, when -he loses his head." - -Christiane said: "What a strange perfume he carries about him! It is -rather nice. What is it?" - -Gontran answered: "I don't really know; he doesn't want to tell about -it. I believe it comes from Russia. 'Tis the actress, his actress, she -whom I cured him of this time, that gave it to him. Yes, indeed, it has -a very pleasant odor." - -They saw, on their way, a group of bathers and of peasants, for it was -the custom every morning before breakfast to take a turn along the -road. - -Christiane and Gontran joined the Marquis, Andermatt, and Paul, and -soon they beheld, in the place where the knoll had stood the day -before, a queer-looking human head covered with a ragged felt hat, and -wearing a big white beard, looking as if it had sprung up out of the -ground, the head of a decapitated man, as it were, growing there like a -plant. Around it, some vinedressers were looking on, amazed, impassive, -the peasantry of Auvergne not being scoffers, while three tall -gentlemen, visitors at second-class hotels, were laughing and joking. - -Oriol and his son stood there contemplating the vagabond, who was -steeped in his hole, sitting on a stone, with the water up to his -chin. He might have been taken for a desperate criminal of olden times -condemned to death for some unusual kind of sorcery; and he had not let -go his crutches, which were by his sides in the water. - -Andermatt kept repeating enthusiastically: "Bravo! bravo! there's an -example which all the people in the country suffering from rheumatic -pains should imitate." - -And, bending toward the old man, he shouted at him as if he were deaf: -"Do you feel well?" - -The other, who seemed completely stupefied by this boiling water, -replied: "It seems to me that I'm melting!" - -But Père Oriol exclaimed: "The hotter it is, the more good it will do -you." - -A voice behind the Marquis said: "What is that?" - -And M. Aubry-Pasteur, always puffing, stopped on his way back from his -daily walk. Then Andermatt explained his experiment in curing. But -the old man kept repeating: "Devil take it! how hot it is!" And he -wanted to get out, asking some one to help him up. The banker succeeded -eventually in calming him by promising him twenty sous more for each -bath. The spectators formed a circle round the hole, in which the -dirty, grayish rags were soaking wherewith this old body was covered. - -A voice said: "Nice meat for broth! I wouldn't care to make soup of it!" - -Another rejoined: "The meat would scarcely agree with me!" - -But the Marquis observed that the bubbles of carbonic acid seemed more -numerous, larger, and brighter in this new spring than in that of the -baths. - -The vagabond's rags were covered with them; and these bubbles rose to -the surface in such abundance that the water appeared to be crossed -by innumerable little chains, by an infinity of beads of exceedingly -small, round diamonds, the strong midday sun making them as clear as -brilliants. - -Then Aubry-Pasteur burst out laughing: "Egad," said he, "I must tell -you what they do at the establishment. You know they catch a spring -like a bird in a kind of snare, or rather in a bell. That's what they -call coaxing it. Now last year here is what happened to the spring -that supplies the baths. The carbonic acid, lighter than water, was -stored up to the top of the bell; then, when it was collected there in -a very large quantity, it was driven back into the ducts, reascended -in abundance into the baths, filled up the compartments, and all but -suffocated the invalids. We have had three accidents in the course -of three months. Then they consulted me again, and I invented a very -simple apparatus consisting of two pipes which led off separately -the liquid and the gas in the bell in order to combine them afresh -immediately under the bath, and thus to reconstitute the water in its -normal state while avoiding the dangerous excess of carbonic acid. But -my apparatus would have cost a thousand francs. Do you know what the -custodian does then? I give you a thousand guesses to find out. He -bores a hole in the bell to get rid of the gas, which flies out, you -understand, so that they sell you acidulated baths without any acid, or -so little acid that it is not worth much. Whereas here, why just look!" - -Everybody became indignant. They no longer laughed, and they cast -envious looks toward the paralytic. Every bather would gladly have -seized a pickax to make another hole beside that of the vagabond. But -Andermatt took the engineer's arm, and they went off chatting together. -From time to time Aubry-Pasteur stopped, made a show of drawing lines -with his walking-stick, indicating certain points, and the banker wrote -down notes in a memorandum-book. - -Christiane and Paul Bretigny entered into conversation. He told -her about his journey to Auvergne, and all that he had seen and -experienced. He loved the country, with those warm instincts of his, -with which always mingled an element of animality. He had a sensual -love of nature because it excited his blood, and made his nerves and -organs quiver. He said: "For my part, Madame, it seems to me as if -I were open, so that everything enters into me, everything passes -through me, makes me weep or gnash my teeth. Look here! when I cast a -glance at that hillside facing us, that vast expanse of green, that -race of trees clambering up the mountain, I feel the entire wood in my -eyes; it penetrates me, takes possession of me, runs through my whole -frame; and it seems to me also that I am devouring it, that it fills my -being--I become a wood myself!" - -He laughed, while he told her this, strained his big, round eyes, now -on the wood, now on Christiane; and she, surprised, astonished, but -easily impressed, felt herself devoured also, like the wood, by his -great avid glance. - -Paul went on: "And if you only knew what delights I owe to my -sense of smell. I drink in this air through my nostrils. I become -intoxicated with it; I live in it, and I feel that there is within it -everything--absolutely everything. What can be sweeter? It intoxicates -one more than wine; wine intoxicates the mind, but perfume intoxicates -the imagination. With perfume you taste the very essence, the pure -essence of things and of the universe--you taste the flowers, the -trees, the grass of the fields; you can even distinguish the soul of -the dwellings of olden days which sleep in the old furniture, the old -carpets, the old curtains. Listen! I am going to tell you something. - -"Did you notice, when first you came here, a delicious odor, to which -no other odor can be compared--so fine, so light, that it seems -almost--how shall I express it?--an immaterial odor? You find it -everywhere--you can seize it nowhere--you cannot discern where it comes -from. Never, never has anything more divine than it arisen in my -heart. Well, this is the odor of the vine in bloom. Ah! it has taken -me four days to discover it. And is it not charming to think, Madame, -that the vine-tree, which gives us wine, wine which only superior -spirits can understand and relish, gives us, too, the most delicate -and most exciting of perfumes, which only persons of the most refined -sensibility can discover? And then do you recognize also the powerful -smell of the chestnut-trees, the luscious savor of the acacias, the -aroma of the mountains, and the grass, whose scent is so sweet, so -sweet--sweeter than anyone imagines?" - -She listened to these words of his in amazement, not that they were -surprising so much as that they appeared so different in their -nature from everything encompassing her every day. Her mind remained -possessed, moved, and disturbed by them. - -He kept talking uninterruptedly in a voice somewhat hollow but full of -passion. - -"And again, just think, do you not feel in the air, along the roads, -when the day is hot, a slight savor of vanilla. Yes, am I not right? -Well, that is--that is--but I dare not tell it to you!" - -And now he broke into a great laugh, and waving his hand in front of -him all of a sudden said: "Look there!" - -A row of wagons laden with hay was coming up drawn by cows yoked in -pairs. The slow-footed beasts, with their heads hung down, bent by -the yoke, their horns fastened with pieces of wood, toiled painfully -along; and under their skin, as it rose up and down, the bones of their -legs could be seen moving. Before each team, a man in shirt-sleeves, -waistcoat, and black hat, was walking with a switch in his hand, -directing the pace of the animals. From time to time the driver would -turn round, and, without ever hitting, would barely touch the shoulder -or the forehead of a cow who would blink her big, wandering eyes, and -obey the motion of his arm. - -Christiane and Paul drew up to let them pass. - -He said to her: "Do you feel it?" - -She was amazed: "What then? That is the smell of the stable." - -"Yes, it is the smell of the stable; and all these cows going along the -roads--for they use no horses in this part of the country--scatter on -their way that odor of the stable, which, mingled with the fine dust, -gives to the wind a savor of vanilla." - -Christiane, somewhat disgusted, murmured: "Oh!" - -He went on: "Excuse me, at that moment, I was analyzing it like a -chemist. In any case, we are, Madame, in the most seductive country, -the most delightful, the most restful, that I have ever seen--a country -of the golden age. And the Limagne--oh! the Limagne! But I must not -talk to you about it; I want to show it to you. You shall see for -yourself." - -The Marquis and Gontran came up to them. The Marquis passed his arm -under that of his daughter, and, making her turn round and retrace her -steps, in order to get back to the hotel for breakfast, he said: - -"Listen, young people! this concerns you all three. William, who goes -mad when an idea comes into his head, dreams of nothing any longer but -of building this new town of his, and he wants to win over to him the -Oriol family. He is, therefore, anxious that Christiane should make -the acquaintance of the two young girls, in order to see if they are -'possible.' But it is not necessary that the father should suspect our -ruse. So I have got an idea; it is to organize a charitable _fête_. -You, my dear, must go and see the curé; you will together hunt up two -of his parishioners to make collections along with you. You understand -what people you will get him to nominate, and he will invite them on -his own responsibility. As for you, young men, you are going to get up -a _tombola_ at the Casino with the assistance of Petrus Martel with his -company and orchestra. And if the little Oriols are nice girls, as it -is said they have been well brought up at the convent, Christiane will -make a conquest of them." - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - -Developments - - -For eight days, Christiane wholly occupied herself with preparations -for this _fête_. The curé, indeed, was able to find no one among his -female parishioners except the Oriol girls who could be deemed worthy -of collecting along with the Marquis de Ravenel's daughter; and, happy -at having the opportunity of making himself prominent, he took all -the necessary steps, organized everything, regulated everything, and -himself invited the young girls, as if the idea had originated with him. - -The inhabitants were in a state of excitement, and the gloomy bathers, -finding a new topic of conversation, entertained one another at the -_table d'hôte_ with various estimates as to the possible receipts from -the two portions of the _fête_, the sacred and the profane. - -The day opened finely. It was admirable summer weather, warm and clear, -with bright sunshine in the open plain and a grateful shade under the -village trees. The mass was fixed for nine o'clock--a quick mass with -Church music. Christiane, who had arrived before the office, in order -to inspect the ornamentation of the church with garlands of flowers -that had been sent from Royat and Clermont-Ferrand, consented to walk -behind it. The curé, Abbé Litre, followed her accompanied by the Oriol -girls, and he introduced them to her. Christiane immediately invited -the young girls to luncheon. They accepted her invitation with blushes -and respectful bows. - -The faithful were now making their appearance. Christiane and her girls -sat down on three chairs of honor reserved for them at the side of the -choir, facing three other chairs, which were occupied by young lads -dressed in their Sunday clothes, sons of the mayor, of the deputy, and -of a municipal councilor, selected to accompany the lady-collectors and -to flatter the local authorities. Everything passed off well. - -The office was short. The collection realized one hundred and ten -francs, which, added to Andermatt's five hundred francs, the Marquis's -fifty francs, and a hundred francs contributed by Paul Bretigny, made a -total of seven hundred and sixty, an amount never before reached in the -parish of Enval. Then, after the conclusion of the ceremony, the Oriol -girls were brought to the hotel. They appeared to be a little abashed, -without any display of awkwardness, however, and scarcely uttered one -word, through modesty rather than through timidity. They sat down to -luncheon at the _table d'hôte_, and pleased the meal of all the men. - -The elder the more serious of the pair, the younger the more sprightly, -the elder better bred, in the common-place acceptation of the word, the -younger more pleasant, they yet resembled one another as closely as two -sisters possibly could. - -As soon as the meal was finished, they repaired to the Casino for the -lottery-drawing at the _tombola_, which was fixed for two o'clock. - -The park, already invaded by the mixed crowd of bathers and peasants, -presented the aspect of an outlandish _fête_. - -Under their Chinese _kiosque_ the musicians were executing a rural -symphony, a work composed by Saint Landri himself. Paul, who -accompanied Christiane, suddenly drew up: - -"Look here!" said he, "that's pretty! He has some talent, that chap! -With an orchestra, he could produce a fine effect." - -Then he asked: "Are you fond of music, Madame?" - -"Exceedingly." - -"As for me, it overwhelms me. When I am listening to a work that I -like, it seems to me first that the opening notes detach my skin from -my flesh, melt it, dissolve it, cause it to disappear, and leave me -like one flayed alive, under the combined attacks of the instruments. -And in fact it is on my nerves that the orchestra is playing, on my -nerves stripped bare, vibrating, trembling at every note. I hear it, -the music, not merely with my ears, but with all the sensibility of -my body quivering from head to foot. Nothing gives me such exquisite -pleasure, or rather such exquisite happiness." - -She smiled, and then said: "Your sensibilities are keen." - -"By Jove, they are! What is the good of living if one has not keen -sensibilities? I do not envy those people who wear over their hearts a -tortoise's shell or a hippopotamus's hide. Those alone are happy who -feel their sensations acutely, who receive them like shocks, and savor -them like dainty morsels. For it is necessary to reason out all our -emotions, joyous and sad, to be satiated with them, to be intoxicated -with them to the most intense degree of bliss or the most extreme pitch -of suffering." - -She raised her eyes to look up at his face, with that sense of -astonishment which she had experienced during the past eight days at -all the things that he said. Indeed, during these eight days, this new -friend--for, despite her repugnance toward him, on first acquaintance, -he had in this short interval become her friend--was every moment -shaking the tranquillity of her soul, and disturbing it as a pool of -water is disturbed by flinging stones into it. And he flung stones, big -stones, into this soul which had calmly slumbered until now. - -Christiane's father, like all fathers, had always treated her as a -little girl, to whom one ought not to say anything of a serious nature; -her brother made her laugh rather than reflect; her husband did not -consider it right for a man to speak of anything whatever to his wife -outside the interests of their common life; and so she had hitherto -lived perfectly contented, her mind steeped in a sweet torpor. - -This newcomer opened her intellect with ideas which fell upon it like -strokes of a hatchet. Moreover, he was one of those men who please -women, all women, by his very nature, by the vibrating acuteness of his -emotions. He knew how to talk to them, to tell them everything, and he -made them understand everything. Incapable of continuous effort but -extremely intelligent, always loving or hating passionately, speaking -of everything with the ingenious ardor of a man fanatically convinced, -variable as he was enthusiastic, he possessed to an excessive degree -the true feminine temperament, the credulity, the charm, the mobility, -the nervous sensibility of a woman, with the superior intellect, -active, comprehensive, and penetrating, of a man. - -Gontran came up to them in a hurry. "Come back," said he, "and give a -look at the Honorat family." - -They returned, and saw Doctor Honorat, accompanied by a fat, old woman -in a blue dress, whose head looked like a nursery-garden, for every -variety of plants and flowers were gathered together on her head. - -Christiane asked in astonishment: "This is his wife, then? But she is -fifteen years older than her husband." - -"Yes, she is sixty-five--an old midwife whom he fell in love with -between two confinements. This, however, is one of those households in -which they are nagging at one another from morning till night." - -They made their way toward the Casino, attracted by the exclamations -of the crowd. On a large table, in front of the establishment, were -displayed the lots of the _tombola_, which were drawn by Petrus -Martel, assisted by Mademoiselle Odelin of the Odéon, a very small -brunette, who also announced the numbers, with mountebank's tricks, -which greatly diverted the spectators. The Marquis, accompanied by the -Oriol girls and Andermatt, reappeared, and asked: "Are we to remain -here? It is very noisy." - -They accordingly resolved to take a walk halfway up the hill on the -road from Enval to La Roche-Pradière. In order to reach it, they first -ascended, one behind the other, a narrow path through vine-trees. -Christiane walked on in front with a light and rapid step. Since her -arrival in this neighborhood, she felt as if she existed in a new sort -of way, with an active sense of enjoyment and of vitality which she -had never known before. Perhaps, the baths, by improving her health, -and so ridding her of that slight disturbance of the vital organs -which annoyed and saddened her without any apparent cause, disposed -her to perceive and to relish everything more thoroughly. Perhaps she -simply felt herself animated, lashed by the presence and by the ardor -of spirit of that unknown youth who had taught her how to understand. -She drew a long, deep breath, as she thought of all he had said to her -about the perfumes that were scattered through the atmosphere. "It is -true," she mused, "that he has shown me how to feel the air." And she -found again all the odors, especially that of the vine, so light, so -delicate, so fleeting. - -She gained the level road, and they formed themselves into groups. -Andermatt and Louise Oriol, the elder girl, started first side by -side, chatting about the produce of lands in Auvergne. She knew, this -Auvergnat, true daughter of her sire, endowed with the hereditary -instinct, all the correct and practical details of agriculture, and she -spoke about them in her grave tone, in the ladylike fashion, and with -the careful pronunciation which they had taught her at the convent. -While listening to her, he cast a side glance at her, every now and -then, and thought this little girl quite charming with her gravity -of manner and her mind so full already of practical knowledge. He -occasionally repeated with some surprise: "What! is the land in the -Limagne worth so much as thirty thousand francs for each hectare?"[1] - -"Yes, Monsieur, when it is planted with beautiful apple-trees, which -supply dessert apples. It is our country which furnishes nearly all the -fruit used in Paris." - -Then, they turned back in order to make a more careful estimate of the -Limagne, for from the road they were pursuing they could see, as far as -their eyes could reach, the vast plain always covered with a light haze -of blue vapor. - -Christiane and Paul also halted in front of this immense veiled -tract of country, so agreeable to the eye that they would have liked -to remain there incessantly gazing at it. The road was bordered by -enormous walnut-trees, the dense shade of which made the skin feel a -refreshing sensation of coolness. It no longer ascended, but took a -winding course halfway up on the slope of the hillside adorned lower -down with a tapestry of vines, and then with short green herbage as -far as the crest, which at this point looked rather steep. - -Paul murmured: "Is it not lovely? Tell me, is it not lovely? And why -does this landscape move me? Yes, why? It diffuses a charm so profound, -so wide, that it penetrates to my very heart. It seems, as you gaze at -this plain, that thought opens its wings, does it not? And it flies -away, it soars, it passes on, it goes off there below, farther and -farther, toward all the countries seen in dreams which we shall never -see. Yes, see here, this is worthy of admiration because it is much -more like a thing we dream of than a thing that we have seen." - -She listened to him without saying anything, waiting, expectant, -gathering up each of his words; and she felt herself affected without -too well knowing how to explain her emotions. She caught glimpses, -indeed, of other countries, blue countries, rose-hued countries, -countries unlikely and marvelous, countries undiscoverable though ever -sought for, which make us look upon all others as commonplace. - -He went on: "Yes, it is lovely, because it is lovely. Other horizons -are more striking but less harmonious. Ah! Madame, beauty, harmonious -beauty! There is nothing but that in the world. Nothing exists but -beauty. But how few understand it! The line of a body, of a statue, -or of a mountain, the color of a painting or of that plain, the -inexpressible something of the 'Joconde,' a phrase that bites you to -the soul, that--nothing more--which makes an artist a creator just like -God, which, therefore, distinguishes him among men. Wait! I am going to -recite for you two stanzas of Baudelaire." - -And he declaimed: - -"Whether you come from heaven or hell I do - not care, -O Beauty, monster of splendor and terror, - yet sweet at the core, -As long as your eye, your smile, your feet - lay the infinite bare, -Unveiling a world of love that I never have - known before! - -"From Satan or God, what matter, whether - angel or siren you be, -What matter if you can give, enchanting, - velvet-eyed fay, -Rhythm, perfume, and light, and be - queen of the earth for me, -And make all things less hideous, and - the sad moments fly away." - -Christiane now was gazing at him, struck with wonder by his -lyricism, questioning him with her eyes, not comprehending well what -extraordinary meaning might be embodied in this poetry. He divined -her thoughts, and was irritated at not having communicated his own -enthusiasm to her, for he had recited those verses very effectively, -and he resumed, with a shade of disdain: - -"I am a fool to wish to force you to relish a poet of such subtle -inspiration. A day will come, I hope, when you will feel those things -just as I do. Women, endowed rather with intuition than comprehension, -do not seize the secret and veiled purposes of art in the same way as -if a sympathetic appeal had first been made to their minds." - -And, with a bow, he added: "I will strive, Madame, to make this -sympathetic appeal." - -She did not think him impertinent, but fantastic; and moreover she did -not seek any longer to understand, suddenly struck by a circumstance -which she had not previously noticed: he was very elegant, though he -was a little too tall and too strongly-built, with a gait so virile -that one could not immediately perceive the studied refinement of -his attire. And then his head had a certain brutishness about it, an -incompleteness, which gave to his entire person a somewhat heavy aspect -at first glance. But when one had got accustomed to his features, one -found in them some charm, a charm powerful and fierce, which at moments -became very pleasant according to the inflections of his voice, which -always seemed veiled. - -Christiane said to herself, as she observed for the first time what -attention he had paid to his external appearance from head to foot: -"Decidedly this is a man whose qualities must be discovered one by one." - -But here Gontran came rushing toward them. He exclaimed: "Sister, I -say, Christiane, wait!" And when he had overtaken them, he said to -them, still laughing: "Oh! just come and listen to the younger Oriol -girl! She is as droll as anything--she has wonderful wit. Papa has -succeeded in putting her at her ease, and she has been telling us the -most comical things in the world. Wait for them." - -And they awaited the Marquis, who presently appeared with the younger -of the two girls, Charlotte Oriol. She was relating with a childlike, -knowing liveliness some village tales, accounts of rustic simplicity -and roguery. And she imitated them with their slow movements, their -grave remarks, their "fouchtras," their innumerable "bougrres," -mimicking, in a fashion that made her pretty, sprightly face look -charming, all the changes of their physiognomies. Her bright eyes -sparkled; her rather large mouth was opened wide, displaying her white -teeth; her nose, a little tip-tilted, gave her a humorous look; and she -was fresh, with a flower's freshness that might make lips quiver with -desire. - -The Marquis, having spent nearly his entire life on his estate, in the -family château where Christiane and Gontran had been brought up in the -midst of rough, big Norman farmers who were occasionally invited to -dine there, in accordance with custom, and whose children, companions -of theirs from the period of their first communion, had been on terms -of familiarity with them, knew how to talk to this little girl, already -three-fourths a woman of the world, with a friendly candor which -awakened at once in her a gay and self-confident assurance. - -Andermatt and Louise returned after having walked as far as the -village, which they did not care to enter. And they all sat down at -the foot of a tree, on the grassy edge of a ditch. There they remained -for a long time pleasantly chatting about everything and nothing in a -torpor of languid ease. Now and then, a wagon would roll past, always -drawn by the two cows whose heads were bent and twisted by the yoke, -and always driven by a peasant with a shrunken frame and a big black -hat on his head, guiding the animals with the end of his thin switch in -the swaying style of the conductor of an orchestra. - -The man would take off his hat, bowing to the Oriol girls, and they -would reply with a familiar, "Good day," flung out by their fresh young -voices. - -Then, as the hour was growing late, they went back. As they drew near -the park, Charlotte Oriol exclaimed: "Oh! the boree! the boree!" In -fact, the boree was being danced to an old air well known in Auvergne. - -There they were, male and female peasants stepping out, hopping, making -courtesies,--turning and bowing to each other,--the women taking hold -of their petticoats and lifting them up with two fingers of each hand, -the men swinging their arms or holding them akimbo. The pleasant -monotonous air was also dancing in the fresh evening wind; it was -always the same refrain played in a very high note by the violin, and -taken up in concert by the other instruments, giving a more rattling -pace to the dance. And it was not unpleasant, this simple rustic music, -lively and artless, keeping time as it did with this shambling country -minuet. - -The bathers, too, made an attempt to dance. Petrus Martel went skipping -in front of little Odelin, who affected the style of a _danseuse_ -walking through a ballet, and the comic Lapalme mimicked a fantastic -step round the attendant at the Casino, who seemed agitated by -recollections of Bullier. - -But suddenly Gontran saw Doctor Honorat dancing away with all his heart -and all his limbs, and executing the classical boree like a true-blue -native of Auvergne. - -The orchestra became silent. All stopped. The doctor came over and -bowed to the Marquis. He was wiping his forehead and puffing. - -"'Tis good," said he, "to be young sometimes." - -Gontran laid his hand on the doctor's shoulder, and smiling with a -mischievous air: "You never told me you were married." - -The physician stopped wiping his face, and gravely responded: "Yes, I -am, and marred." - -"What do you say?" - -"I say, married and marred. Never commit that folly, young man." - -"Why?" - -"Why! See here! I have been married now for twenty years, and haven't -got used to it yet. Every evening, when I reach home, I say to myself, -'Hold hard! this old woman is still in my house! So then she'll never -go away?'" Everyone began to laugh, so serious and convinced was his -tone. - -But the bells of the hotel were ringing for dinner. The _fête_ was -over. Louise and Charlotte were accompanied back to their father's -house; and when their new friends had left them, they commenced talking -about them. Everyone thought them charming, Andermatt alone preferred -the elder girl. - -The Marquis said: "How pliant the feminine nature is! The mere vicinity -of the paternal gold, of which they do not even know the use, has made -ladies of these country girls." - -Christiane, having asked Paul Bretigny: "And you, which of them do you -prefer?" he murmured: - -"Oh! I? I have not even looked at them. It is not they whom I prefer." - -He had spoken in a very low voice; and she made no reply. - - -[Footnote 1: A hectare is about two acres and a half.] - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -On the Brink - - -The days that followed were charming for Christiane Andermatt. She -lived, light-hearted, her soul full of joy. The morning bath was her -first pleasure, a delicious pleasure that made the skin tingle, an -exquisite half hour in the warm, flowing water, which disposed her to -feel happy all day long. She was, indeed, happy in all her thoughts -and in all her desires. The affection with which she felt herself -surrounded and penetrated, the intoxication of youthful life throbbing -in her veins, and then again this new environment, this superb country, -made for daydreams and repose, wide and odorous, enveloping her like -a great caress of nature, awakened in her fresh emotions. Everything -that approached, everything that touched her, continued this sensation -of the morning, this sensation of a tepid bath, of a great bath of -happiness wherein she plunged herself body and soul. - -Andermatt, who had to leave Enval for a fortnight or perhaps a month, -had gone back to Paris, having previously reminded his wife to take -good care that the paralytic should not discontinue his course of -treatment. So each day, before breakfast, Christiane, her father, her -brother, and Paul, went to look at what Gontran called "the poor man's -soup." Other bathers came there also, and they formed a circular group -around the hole, while chatting with the vagabond. - -He was not better able to walk, he declared, but he had a feeling as if -his legs were covered with ants; and he told how these ants ran up and -down, climbing as far as his thighs, and then going back again to the -tips of his toes. And even at night he felt these insects tickling and -biting him, so that he was deprived of sleep. - -All the visitors and the peasants, divided into two camps, that of the -believers and that of the sceptics, were interested in this cure. - -After breakfast, Christiane often went to look for the Oriol girls, so -that they might take a walk with her. They were the only members of her -own sex at the station to whom she could talk or with whom she could -have friendly relations, sharing a little of her confidence and asking -in return for some feminine sympathy. She had at once taken a liking -for the grave common sense allied with amiability which the elder girl -exhibited and still more for the spirit of sly humor possessed by -the younger; and it was less to please her husband than for her own -amusement that she now sought the friendship of the two sisters. - -They used to set forth on excursions sometimes in a landau, an old -traveling landau with six seats, got from a livery-man at Riom, and at -other times on foot. They were especially fond of a little wild valley -near Chatel-Guyon, leading toward the hermitage of Sans-Souci. Along -the narrow road, which they slowly traversed, under the pine-trees, -on the bank of the little river, they would saunter in pairs, each -pair chatting together. At every stage along their track, where it -was necessary to cross the stream, Paul and Gontran, standing on -stepping-stones in the water, seized the women each with one arm, and -carried them over with a jump, so as to deposit them at the opposite -side. And each of these fordings changed the order of the pedestrians. -Christiane went from one to another, but found the opportunity of -remaining a little while alone with Paul Bretigny either in front or in -the rear. - -He had no longer the same ways while in her company as in the first -days of their acquaintanceship; he was less disposed to laugh, less -abrupt in manner, less like a comrade, but more respectful and -attentive. Their conversations, however, assumed a tone of intimacy, -and the things that concerned the heart held in them the foremost -place. He talked to her about sentiment and love, like a man well -versed in such subjects, who had sounded the depths of women's -tenderness, and who owed to them as much happiness as suffering. - -She, ravished and rather touched, urged him on to confidences with an -ardent and artful curiosity. All that she knew of him awakened in her -a keen desire to learn more, to penetrate in thought into one of those -male existences of which she had got glimpses out of books, one of -those existences full of tempests and mysteries of love. Yielding to -her importunities, he told her each day a little more about his life, -his adventures, and his griefs, with a warmth of language which his -burning memories sometimes rendered impassioned, and which the desire -to please made also seductive. He opened to her gaze a world till now -unknown to her, found eloquent words to express the subtleties of -desire and expectation, the ravages of growing hopes, the religion of -flowers and bits of ribbons, all the little objects treasured up as -sacred, the enervating effect of sudden doubts, the anguish of alarming -conjectures, the tortures of jealousy, and the inexpressible frenzy of -the first kiss. - -And he knew how to describe all these things in a very seemly fashion, -veiled, poetic, and captivating. Like all men who are perpetually -haunted by desire and thoughts about woman he spoke discreetly of those -whom he had loved with a fever that throbbed within him still. He -recalled a thousand romantic incidents calculated to move the heart, a -thousand delicate circumstances calculated to make tears gather in the -eyes, and all those sweet futilities of gallantry which render amorous -relationships between persons of refined souls and cultivated minds the -most beautiful and most entrancing experiences that can be conceived. - -All these disturbing and familiar chats, renewed each day and each -day more prolonged, fell on Christiane's soul like grains cast into -the earth. And the charm of this country spread wide around her, the -odorous air, that blue Limagne, so vast that it seemed to make the -spirit expand, those extinguished volcanoes on the mountain, furnaces -of the antique world serving now only to warm springs for invalids, -the cool shades, the rippling music of the streams as they rushed -over the stones--all this, too, penetrated the heart and the flesh of -the young woman, penetrated them and softened them like a soft shower -of warm rain on soil that is yet virgin, a rain that will cause to -bourgeon and blossom in it the flowers of which it had received the -seed. - -She was quite conscious that this youth was paying court to her -a little, that he thought her pretty, even more than pretty; and -the desire to please him spontaneously suggested to her a thousand -inventions, at the same time designing and simple, to fascinate him and -to make a conquest of him. - -When he looked moved, she would abruptly leave him; when she -anticipated some tender allusion on his lips, she would cast toward -him, ere the words were finished, one of those swift, unfathomable -glances which pierce men's hearts like fire. She would greet him with -soft utterances, gentle movements of her head, dreamy gestures with her -hands, or sad looks quickly changed into smiles, as if to show him, -even when no words had been exchanged between them, that his efforts -had not been in vain. - -What did she desire? Nothing. What did she expect from all this? -Nothing. - -She amused herself with this solely because she was a woman, because -she did not perceive the danger of it, because, without foreseeing -anything, she wished to find out what he would do. - -And then she had suddenly developed that native coquetry which lies -hidden in the veins of all feminine beings. The slumbering, innocent -child of yesterday had unexpectedly waked up, subtle and keen-witted, -when facing this man who talked to her unceasingly about love. She -divined the agitation that swept across his mind when he was by her -side, she saw the increasing emotion that his face expressed, and she -understood all the different intonations of his voice with that special -intuition possessed by women who feel themselves solicited to love. - -Other men had ere now paid attentions to her in the fashionable world -without getting anything from her in return save the mockery of a -playful young woman. Their commonplace flatteries diverted her; their -looks of melancholy love filled her with merriment; and to all their -manifestations of passion she responded only with derisive laughter. -In the case of this man, however, she felt herself suddenly confronted -with a seductive and dangerous adversary; and she had been changed into -one of those clever creatures, instinctively clear-sighted, armed with -audacity and coolness, who, so long as their hearts remain untrammeled, -watch for, surprise, and draw men into the invisible net of sentiment. - -As for him, he had, at first, thought her rather silly. Accustomed to -women versed in intrigues, exercised in love just as an old soldier -is in military maneuvers, skilled in all the wiles of gallantry and -tenderness, he considered this simple heart commonplace, and treated it -with a light disdain. - -But, little by little, her ingenuousness had amused him, and then -fascinated him; and yielding to his impressionable nature, he had begun -to make her the object of his affectionate attentions. He knew full -well that the best way to excite a pure soul was to talk incessantly -about love, while exhibiting the appearance of thinking about others; -and accordingly, humoring in a crafty fashion the dainty curiosity -which he had aroused in her, he proceeded, under the pretense of -confiding his secrets to her, to teach her what passion really meant, -under the shadow of the wood. - -He, too, found this play amusing, showed her, by all the little -gallantries that men know how to display, the growing pleasure that -he found in her society, and assumed the attitude of a lover without -suspecting that he would become one in reality. And all this came about -as naturally in the course of their protracted walks as it does to take -a bath on a warm day, when you find yourself at the side of a river. - -But, from the first moment when Christiane began to indulge in -coquetry, from the time when she resorted to all the native skill of -woman in beguiling men, when she conceived the thought of bringing this -slave of passion to his knees, in the same way that she would have -undertaken to win a game at croquet, he allowed himself to yield, this -candid libertine, to the attack of this simpleton, and began to love -her. - -And now he became awkward, restless, nervous, and she treated him -as a cat does a mouse. With another woman he would not have been -embarrassed; he would have spoken out; he would have conquered by his -irresistible ardor; with her he did not dare, so different did she seem -from all those whom he had known. The others, in short, were women -already singed by life, to whom everything might be said, with whom -one could venture on the boldest appeals, murmuring close to their lips -the trembling words which set the blood aflame. He knew his power, -he felt that he was bound to triumph when he was able to communicate -freely to the soul, the heart, the senses of her whom he loved, the -impetuous desire by which he was ravaged. - -With Christiane, he imagined himself by the side of a young girl, -so great a novice did he consider her; and all his resources seemed -paralyzed. And then he cared for her in a new sort of way, partly as -a man cares for a child, and partly as he does for his betrothed. He -desired her; and yet he was afraid of touching her, of soiling her, -of withering her bloom. He had no longing to clasp her tightly in -his arms, such as he had felt toward others, but rather to fall on -his knees, to kiss her robe, and to touch gently with his lips, with -an infinitely chaste and tender slowness, the little hairs about her -temples, the corners of her mouth, and her eyes, her closed eyes, -whose blue he could feel glancing out toward him, the charming glance -awakened under the drooping lids. He would have liked to protect her -against everyone and against everything, not to let her be elbowed by -common people, gaze at ugly people, or go near unclean people. He would -have liked to carry away the dirt of the street over which she walked, -the pebbles on the roads, the brambles and the branches in the wood, -to make all things easy and delicious around her, and to carry her -always, so that she should never walk. And he felt annoyed because she -had to talk to the other guests at the hotel, to eat the same food at -the _table d'hôte_, and submit to all the disagreeable and inevitable -little things that belong to everyday existence. - -He knew not what to say to her so much were his thoughts absorbed -by her; and his powerlessness to express the state of his heart, to -accomplish any of the things that he wished to do, to testify to her -the imperious need of devoting himself to her which burned in his -veins, gave him some of the aspects of a chained wild beast, and, at -the same time, made him feel a strange desire to break into sobs. - -All this she perceived without completely understanding it, and felt -amused by it with the malicious enjoyment of a coquette. When they had -lingered behind the others, and she felt from his look that he was -about to say something disquieting, she would abruptly begin to run, -in order to overtake her father, and, when she got up to him, would -exclaim: "Suppose we make a four-cornered game." - -Four-cornered games served generally for the termination of the -excursions. They looked out for a glade at the end of a wider road than -usual, and they began to play like boys out for a walk. - -The Oriol girls and Gontran himself took great delight in this -amusement, which satisfied that incessant longing to run that is to be -found in all young creatures. Paul Bretigny alone grumbled, beset by -other thoughts; then, growing animated by degrees he would join in the -game with more desperation than any of the others, in order to catch -Christiane, to touch her, to place his hand abruptly on her shoulder or -on her corsage. - -The Marquis, whose indifferent and listless nature yielded in -everything, as long as his rest was not disturbed, sat down at the -foot of a tree, and watched his boarding-school at play, as he said. He -thought this quiet life very agreeable, and the entire world perfect. - -However, Paul's behavior soon alarmed Christiane. One day she even -got afraid of him. One morning, they went with Gontran to the most -remote part of the oddly-shaped gap which is called the End of the -World. The gorge, becoming more and more narrow and winding, sank -into the mountain. They climbed over enormous rocks; they crossed the -little river by means of stepping-stones, and, having wheeled round -a lofty crag more than fifty meters in height which entirely blocked -up the cleft of the ravine, they found themselves in a kind of trench -encompassed between two gigantic walls, bare as far as their summits, -which were covered with trees and with verdure. - -The stream formed a wide lake of bowl-like shape, and truly it was a -wild-looking chasm, strange and unexpected, such as one meets more -frequently in narratives than in nature. Now, on this day, Paul, gazing -at the projections of the rocky eminence which barred them out from -the road at the right where all pedestrians were compelled to halt, -remarked that it bore traces of having been scaled. He said: "Why, we -can go on farther." - -Then, having clambered up the first ledge, not without difficulty, he -exclaimed: "Oh! this is charming! a little grove in the water--come on, -then!" - -And, leaning backward, he drew Christiane up by the two hands, -while Gontran, feeling his way, planted his feet on all the slight -projections of the rock. The soil which had drifted down from the -summit had formed on this ledge a savage and bushy garden, in which the -stream ran across the roots. Another step, a little farther on, formed -a new barrier of this granite corridor. They climbed it, too,--then a -third; and they found themselves at the foot of an impassable wall from -which fell, straight and clear, a cascade twenty meters high into a -deep basin hollowed out by it, and buried under bindweeds and branches. - -The cleft of the mountain had become so narrow that the two men, -clinging on by their hands, could touch its sides. Nothing further -could be seen, save a line of sky; nothing could be heard save the -murmur of the water. It might have been taken for one of those -undiscoverable retreats in which the Latin poets were wont to conceal -the antique nymphs. It seemed to Christiane as if she had just intruded -on the chamber of a fay. - -Paul Bretigny said nothing. Gontran exclaimed: "Oh! how nice it would -be if a woman white and rosy-red were bathing in that water!" - -They returned. The first two shelves were as easy to descend, but the -third frightened Christiane, so high and straight was it, without -any visible steps. Bretigny let himself slip down the rock; then, -stretching out his two arms toward her, "Jump," said he. - -She would not venture. Not that she was afraid of falling, but she felt -afraid of him, afraid above all of his eyes. He gazed at her with the -avidity of a famished beast, with a passion which had grown ferocious; -and his two hands extended toward her had such an imperious attraction -for her that she was suddenly terrified and seized with a mad longing -to shriek, to run away, to climb up the mountain perpendicularly to -escape this irresistible appeal. - -Her brother standing up behind her, cried: "Go on then!" and pushed her -forward. Feeling herself falling she shut her eyes, and, caught in a -gentle but powerful clasp, she felt, without seeing it, all the huge -body of the young man, whose panting warm breath passed over her face. -Then, she found herself on her feet once more, smiling, now that her -terror had vanished, while Gontran descended in his turn. - -This emotion having rendered her prudent, she took care, for some days, -not to be alone with Bretigny, who now seemed to be prowling round her -like the wolf in the fable round a lamb. - -But a grand excursion had been planned. They were to carry provisions -in the landau with six seats, and go to dine with the Oriol girls on -the border of the little lake of Tazenat, which in the language of the -country was called the "gour" of Tazenat, and then return at night by -moonlight. Accordingly, they started one afternoon of a day of burning -heat, under a devouring sun, which made the granite of the mountain as -hot as the floor of an oven. - -The carriage ascended the mountain-side drawn by three horses, blowing, -and covered with sweat. The coachman was nodding on his seat, his head -hanging down; and at the side of the road ran legions of green lizards. -The heated atmosphere seemed filled with an invisible and oppressive -dust of fire. Sometimes it seemed hard, unyielding, dense, as they -passed through it, sometimes it stirred about and sent across their -faces ardent breaths of flame in which floated an odor of resin in the -midst of the long pine-wood. - -Nobody in the carriage uttered a word. The three ladies, at the lower -end, closed their dazzled eyes, which they shaded with their red -parasols. The Marquis and Gontran, their foreheads wrapped round with -handkerchiefs, had fallen asleep. Paul was looking toward Christiane, -who was also watching him from under her lowered eyelids. And the -landau, sending up a column of smoking white dust, kept always toiling -up this interminable ascent. - -When it had reached the plateau, the coachman straightened himself -up, the horses broke into a trot; and they drove through a beautiful, -undulating country, thickly-wooded, cultivated, studded with villages -and solitary houses here and there. In the distance, at the left, -could be seen the great truncated summits of the volcanoes. The lake -of Tazenat, which they were going to see, had been formed by the last -crater in the mountain chain of Auvergne. After they had been driving -for three hours, Paul said suddenly: "Look here, the lava-currents!" - -Brown rocks, fantastically twisted, made cracks in the soil at the -border of the road. At the right could be seen a mountain, snub-nosed -in appearance, whose wide summit had a flat and hollow look. They took -a path, which seemed to pass into it through a triangular cutting; and -Christiane, who was standing erect, discovered all at once, in the -midst of a vast deep crater, a lovely lake, bright and round, like a -silver coin. The steep slopes of the mountain, wooded at the right and -bare at the left, sank toward the water, which they surrounded with -a high inclosure, regular in shape. And this placid water, level and -glittering, like the surface of a medal, reflected the trees on one -side, and on the other the barren slope, with a clearness so complete -that the edges escaped one's attention, and the only thing one saw -in this funnel, in whose center the blue sky was mirrored, was a -transparent, bottomless opening, which seemed to pass right through the -earth, pierced from end to end up to the other firmament. - -The carriage could go no farther. They got down, and took a path -through the wooded side winding round the lake, under the trees, -halfway up the declivity of the mountain. This track, along which only -the woodcutters passed, was as green as a prairie; and, through the -branches, they could see the opposite side, and the water glittering at -the bottom of this mountain-lake. - -Then they reached, through an opening in the wood, the very edge of the -water, where they sat down upon a sloping carpet of grass, overshadowed -by oak-trees. - -They all stretched themselves on the green turf with sensuous and -exquisite delight. The men rolled themselves about in it, plunged their -hands into it; while the women, softly lying down on their sides, -placed their cheeks close to it, as if to seek there a refreshing -caress. - -After the heat of the road, it was one of those sweet sensations so -deep and so grateful that they almost amount to pure happiness. - -Then once more the Marquis went to sleep; Gontran speedily followed his -example. Paul began chatting with Christiane and the two young girls. -About what? About nothing in particular. From time to time, one of them -gave utterance to some phrase; another replied after a minute's pause, -and the lingering words seemed torpid in their mouths like the thoughts -within their minds. - -But, the coachman having brought across to them the hamper which -contained the provisions, the Oriol girls, accustomed to domestic -duties in their own house, and still clinging to their active habits, -quickly proceeded to unpack it, and to prepare the dinner, of which the -party would by and by partake on the grass. - -Paul lay on his back beside Christiane, who was in a reverie. And he -murmured, in so low a tone that she scarcely heard him, so low that his -words just grazed her ear, like those confused sounds that are borne on -by the wind: "These are the best days of my life." - -Why did these vague words move her even to the bottom of her heart? Why -did she feel herself suddenly touched by an emotion such as she had -never experienced before? - -She was gazing through the trees at a tiny house, a hut for persons -engaged in hunting and fishing, so narrow that it could barely contain -one small apartment. Paul followed the direction of her glance, and -said: - -"Have you ever thought, Madame, what days passed together in a hut like -that might be for two persons who loved one another to distraction? -They would be alone in the world, truly alone, face to face! And, -if such a thing were possible, ought not one be ready to give up -everything in order to realize it, so rare, unseizable, and short-lived -is happiness? Do we find it in our everyday life? What more depressing -than to rise up without any ardent hope, to go through the same duties -dispassionately, to drink in moderation, to eat with discretion, and to -sleep tranquilly like a mere animal?" - -She kept, all the time, staring at the little house; and her heart -swelled up, as if she were going to burst into tears; for, in one flash -of thought, she divined intoxicating joys, of whose existence she had -no conception till that moment. - -Indeed, she was thinking how sweet it would be for two to be together -in this tiny abode hidden under the trees, facing that plaything of -a lake, that jewel of a lake, true mirror of love! One might feel -happy with nobody near, without a neighbor, without one sound of life, -alone with a lover, who would pass his hours kneeling at the feet of -the adored one, looking up at her, while her gaze wandered toward the -blue wave, and whispering tender words in her ear, while he kissed the -tips of her fingers. They would live there, amid the silence, beneath -the trees, at the bottom of that crater, which would hold all their -passion, like the limpid, unfathomable water, in the embrace of its -firm and regular inclosure, with no other horizon for their eyes save -the round line of the mountain's sides, with no other horizon for their -thoughts save the bliss of loving one another, with no other horizon -for their desires save kisses lingering and endless. - -Were there, then, people on the earth who could enjoy days like this? -Yes, undoubtedly! And why not? Why had she not sooner known that such -joys exist? - -The girls announced that dinner was ready. It was six o'clock already. -They roused up the Marquis and Gontran in order that they might squat -in Turkish fashion a short distance off, with the plates glistening -beside them in the grass. The two sisters kept waiting on them, and the -heedless men did not gainsay them. They ate at their leisure, flinging -the cast-off pieces and the bones of the chickens into the water. They -had brought champagne with them; the sudden noise of the first cork -jumping up produced a surprising effect on everyone, so unusual did it -appear in this solitary spot. - -The day was declining; the air became impregnated with a delicious -coolness. As the evening stole on, a strange melancholy fell on the -water that lay sleeping at the bottom of the crater. Just as the sun -was about to disappear, the western sky burst out into flame, and the -lake suddenly assumed the aspect of a basin of fire. Then, when the -sun had gone to rest, the horizon becoming red like a brasier on the -point of being extinguished, the lake looked like a basin of blood. And -suddenly above the crest of mountain, the moon nearly at its full rose -up all pale in the still, cloudless firmament. Then, as the shadows -gradually spread over the earth, it ascended glittering and round -above the crater which was round also. It looked as if it were going -to let itself drop down into the chasm; and when it had risen far up -into the sky, the lake had the aspect of a basin of silver. Then, on -its surface, motionless all day long, trembling movements could now be -seen sometimes slow and sometimes rapid. It seemed as if some spirits -skimming just above the water were drawing across it invisible veils. - -It was the big fish at the bottom, the venerable carp and the voracious -pike, who had come up to enjoy themselves in the moonlight. - -The Oriol girls had put back all the plates, dishes, and bottles into -the hamper, which the coachman came to take away. They rose up to go. - -As they were passing into the path under the trees, where rays of light -fell, like a silver shower, through the leaves and glittered on the -grass, Christiane, who was following the others with Paul in the rear, -suddenly heard a panting voice saying close to her ear: "I love you!--I -love you!--I love you!" - -Her heart began to beat so wildly that she was near sinking to the -ground, and felt as if she could not move her limbs. Still she walked -on, like one distraught, ready to turn round, her arms hanging wide -and her lips tightly drawn. He had by this time caught the edge of the -little shawl which she had drawn over her shoulders, and was kissing it -frantically. She continued walking with such tottering steps that she -no longer could feel the soil beneath her feet. - -And now she emerged from under the canopy of trees, and finding herself -in the full glare of the moonlight, she got the better of her agitation -with a desperate effort; but, before stepping into the landau and -losing sight of the lake, she half turned round to throw a long kiss -with both hands toward the water, which likewise embraced the man who -was following her. - -On the return journey, she remained inert both in soul and body, dizzy, -cramped up, as if after a fall; and, the moment they reached the hotel, -she quickly rushed up to her own apartment, where she locked herself -in. Even when the door was bolted and the key turned in the lock, she -pressed her hand on it again, so much did she feel herself pursued and -desired. Then she remained trembling in the middle of the room, which -was nearly quite dark and had an empty look. The wax-candle placed on -the table cast on the walls the quivering shadows of the furniture and -of the curtains. Christiane sank into an armchair. All her thoughts -were rushing, leaping, flying away from her so that she found it -impossible to seize them, to hold them, to link them together. She felt -now ready to weep, without well knowing why, broken-hearted, wretched, -abandoned, in this empty room, lost in existence, just as in a forest. -Where was she going, what would she do? - -Breathing with difficulty, she rose up, flung open the window and the -shutters in front of it, and leaned on her elbows over the balcony. -The air was refreshing. In the depths of the sky, wide and empty, too, -the distant moon, solitary and sad, having ascended now into the blue -heights of night, cast forth a hard, cold luster on the trees and on -the mountains. - -The entire country lay asleep. Only the light strain of Saint Landri's -violin, which he played till a late hour every night, broke the deep -silence of the valley with its melancholy music. Christiane scarcely -heard it. It ceased, then began again--the shrill and dolorous cry of -the thin fiddlestrings. - -And that moon lost in a desert sky, that feeble sound lost in the -silent night, filled her heart with such a sense of solitude that she -burst into sobs. She trembled and quivered to the very marrow of her -bones, shaken by anguish and by the shuddering sensations of people -attacked by some formidable malady; for suddenly it dawned upon her -mind that she, too, was all alone in existence. - -She had never realized this until to-day, and now she felt it so -vividly in the distress of her soul that she imagined she was going mad. - -She had a father! a brother! a husband! She loved them still, and -they loved her. And here she was all at once separated from them, she -had become a stranger to them as if she scarcely knew them. The calm -affection of her father, the friendly companionship of her brother, the -cold tenderness of her husband, appeared to her nothing any longer, -nothing any longer. Her husband! This, her husband, the rosy-cheeked -man who was accustomed to say to her in a careless tone, "Are you -going far, dear, this morning?" She belonged to him, to this man, body -and soul, by the mere force of a contract. Was this possible? Ah! how -lonely and lost she felt herself! She closed her eyes to look into her -own mind, into the lowest depths of her thoughts. - -And she could see, as she evoked them out of her inner consciousness -the faces of all those who lived around her--her father, careless and -tranquil, happy as long as nobody disturbed his repose; her brother, -scoffing and sceptical; her husband moving about, his head full of -figures, and with the announcement on his lips, "I have just done a -fine stroke of business!" when he should have said, "I love you!" - -Another man had murmured that word a little while ago, and it was still -vibrating in her ear and in her heart. She could see him also, this -other man, devouring her with his fixed look; and, if he had been near -her at that moment, she would have flung herself into his arms! - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - -Attainment - - -Christiane, who had not gone to sleep till a very late hour, awoke as -soon as the sun cast a flood of red light into her room through the -window which she had left wide open. She glanced at her watch--it was -five o'clock--and remained lying on her back deliciously in the warmth -of the bed. It seemed to her, so active and full of joy did her soul -feel, that a happiness, a great happiness, had come to her during the -night. What was it? She sought to find out what it was; she sought -to find out what was this new source of happiness which had thus -penetrated her with delight. All her sadness of the night before had -vanished, melted away, during sleep. - -So Paul Bretigny loved her! How different he appeared to her from the -first day! In spite of all the efforts of her memory, she could not -bring back her first impression of him; she could not even recall to -her mind the man introduced to her by her brother. He whom she knew -to-day had retained nothing of the other, neither the face nor the -bearing--nothing--for his first image had passed, little by little, -day by day, through all the slow modifications which take place in the -soul with regard to a being who from a mere acquaintance has come to -be a familiar friend and a beloved object. You take possession of him -hour by hour without suspecting it; possession of his movements, of his -attitudes, of his physical and moral characteristics. He enters into -you, into your eyes and your heart, by his voice, by all his gestures, -by what he says and by what he thinks. You absorb him; you comprehend -him; you divine him in all the meanings of his smiles and of his words; -it seems at last that he belongs entirely to you, so much do you love, -unconsciously still, all that is his and all that comes from him. - -Then, too, it is impossible to remember what this being was like--to -your indifferent eyes--when first he presented himself to your gaze. -So then Paul Bretigny loved her! Christiane experienced from this -discovery neither fear nor anguish, but a profound tenderness, an -immense joy, new and exquisite, of being loved--of knowing that she was -loved. - -She was, however, a little disturbed as to the attitude that he would -assume toward her and that she should preserve toward him. But, as it -was a matter of delicacy for her conscience even to think of these -things, she ceased to think about them, trusting to her own tact and -ingenuity to direct the course of events. - -She descended at the usual hour, and found Paul smoking a cigarette -before the door of the hotel. He bowed respectfully to her: - -"Good day, Madame. You feel well this morning?" - -"Very well, Monsieur. I slept very soundly." - -And she put out her hand to him, fearing lest he might hold it in his -too long. But he scarcely pressed it; and they began quietly chatting -as if they had forgotten one another. - -And the day passed off without anything being done by him to recall -his ardent avowal of the night before. He remained, on the days that -followed, quite as discreet and calm; and she placed confidence in him. -He realized, she thought, that he would wound her by becoming bolder; -and she hoped, she firmly believed, that they might be able to stop at -this delightful halting-place of tenderness, where they could love, -while looking into the depths of one another's eyes, without remorse, -inasmuch as they would be free from defilement. Nevertheless, she was -careful never to wander out with him alone. - -Now, one evening, the Saturday of the same week in which they had -visited the lake of Tazenat, as they were returning to the hotel about -ten o'clock,--the Marquis, Christiane, and Paul,--for they had left -Gontran playing _écarté_ with Aubrey and Riquier and Doctor Honorat in -the great hall of the Casino, Bretigny exclaimed, as he watched the -moon shining through the branches: - -"How nice it would be to go and see the ruins of Tournoel on a night -like this!" - -At this thought alone, Christiane was filled with emotion, the moon and -ruins having on her the same influence which they have on the souls of -all women. - -She pressed the Marquis's hands. "Oh! father dear, would you mind going -there?" - -He hesitated, being exceedingly anxious to go to bed. - -She insisted: "Just think a moment, how beautiful Tournoel is even by -day! You said yourself that you had never seen a ruin so picturesque, -with that great tower above the château. What must it be at night!" - -At last he consented: "Well, then, let us go! But we'll only look at it -for five minutes, and then come back immediately. For my part, I want -to be in bed at eleven o'clock." - -"Yes, we will come back immediately. It takes only twenty minutes to -get there." - -They set out all three, Christiane leaning on her father's arm, and -Paul walking by her side. - -He spoke of his travels in Switzerland, in Italy, in Sicily. He told -what his impressions were in the presence of certain phenomena, his -enthusiasm on seeing the summit of Monte Rosa, when the sun, rising on -the horizon of this row of icy peaks, this congealed world of eternal -snows, cast on each of those lofty mountain-tops a dazzling white -radiance, and illumined them, like the pale beacon-lights that must -shine down upon the kingdoms of the dead. Then he spoke of his emotion -on the edge of the monstrous crater of Etna, when he felt himself, an -imperceptible mite, many meters above the cloud line, having nothing -any longer around him save the sea and the sky, the blue sea beneath, -the blue sky above, and leaning over this dreadful chasm of the earth, -whose breath stifled him. He enlarged the objects which he described -in order to excite the young woman; and, as she listened, she panted -with visions she conjured up, by a flight of imagination, of those -wonderful things that he had seen. - -Suddenly, at a turn of the road, they discovered Tournoel. The ancient -château, standing on a mountain peak, overlooked by its high and narrow -tower, letting in the light through its chinks, and dismantled by time -and by the wars of bygone days, traced, upon a sky of phantoms, its -huge silhouette of a fantastic manor-house. - -They stopped, all three surprised. The Marquis said, at length: -"Indeed, it is impressive--like a dream of Gustave Doré realized. Let -us sit down for five minutes." - -And he sat down on the sloping grass. - -But Christiane, wild with enthusiasm, exclaimed: "Oh! father, let us go -on farther! It is so beautiful! so beautiful! Let us walk to the foot, -I beg of you!" - -This time the Marquis refused: "No, my darling, I have walked enough; I -can't go any farther. If you want to see it more closely, go on there -with M. Bretigny. I will wait here for you." - -Paul asked: "Will you come, Madame?" - -She hesitated, seized by two apprehensions, that of finding herself -alone with him, and that of wounding an honest man by having the -appearance of suspecting him. - -The Marquis repeated: "Go on! Go on! I will wait for you." - -Then she took it for granted that her father would remain within reach -of their voices, and she said resolutely: "Let us go on, Monsieur." - -But scarcely had she walked on for some minutes when she felt herself -possessed by a poignant emotion, by a vague, mysterious fear--fear -of the ruin, fear of the night, fear of this man. Suddenly she felt -her legs trembling under her, just as she felt the other night by the -lake of Tazenat; they refused to bear her any further, bent under her, -appeared to be sinking into the soil, where her feet remained fixed -when she strove to raise them. - -A large chestnut-tree, planted close to the path they had been -pursuing, sheltered one side of a meadow. Christiane, out of breath -just as if she had been running, let herself sink against the trunk. -And she stammered: "I shall remain here--we can see very well." - -Paul sat down beside her. She heard his heart beating with great -emotional throbs. He said, after a brief silence: "Do you believe that -we have had a previous life?" - -She murmured, without having well understood his question: "I don't -know. I have never thought on it." - -He went on: "But I believe it--at moments--or rather I feel it. As -being is composed of a soul and a body, which seem distinct, but are, -without doubt, only one whole of the same nature, it must reappear when -the elements which have originally formed it find themselves together -for the second time. It is not the same individual assuredly, but it is -the same man who comes back when a body like the previous form finds -itself inhabited by a soul like that which animated him formerly. Well, -I, to-night, feel sure, Madame, that I lived in that château, that I -possessed it, that I fought there, that I defended it. I recognized -it--it was mine, I am certain of it! And I am also certain that I -loved there a woman who resembled you, and who, like you, bore the -name of Christiane. I am so certain of it that I seem to see you still -calling me from the top of that tower. - -"Search your memory! recall it to your mind! There is a wood at the -back, which descends into a deep valley. We have often walked there. -You had light robes in the summer evenings, and I wore heavy armor, -which clanked beneath the trees. You do not recollect? Look back, -then, Christiane! Why, your name is as familiar to me as those we hear -in childhood! Were we to inspect carefully all the stones of this -fortress, we should find it there carved by my hand in days of yore! I -declare to you that I recognize my dwelling-place, my country, just as -I recognized you, you, the first time I saw you!" - -He spoke in an exalted tone of conviction, poetically intoxicated by -contact with this woman, and by the night, by the moon, and by the ruin. - -He abruptly flung himself on his knees before Christiane, and, in a -trembling voice said: "Let me adore you still since I have found you -again! Here have I been searching for you a long time!" - -She wanted to rise and to go away, to join her father, but she had -not the strength; she had not the courage, held back, paralyzed by a -burning desire to listen to him still, to hear those ravishing words -entering her heart. She felt herself carried away in a dream, in the -dream always hoped for, so sweet, so poetic, full of rays of moonlight -and days of love. - -He had seized her hands, and was kissing the ends of her finger-nails, -murmuring: - -"Christiane--Christiane--take me--kill me! I love you, Christiane!" - -She felt him quivering, shuddering at her feet. And now he kissed her -knees, while his chest heaved with sobs. She was afraid that he was -going mad, and started up to make her escape. But he had risen more -quickly, and seizing her in his arms he pressed his mouth against hers. - -Then, without a cry, without revolt, without resistance, she let -herself sink back on the grass, as if this caress, by breaking her -will, had crushed her physical power to struggle. And he possessed her -with as much ease as if he were culling a ripe fruit. - -But scarcely had he loosened his clasp when she rose up distracted, and -rushed away shuddering and icy-cold all of a sudden, like one who had -just fallen into the water. He overtook her with a few strides, and -caught her by the arm, whispering: "Christiane, Christiane! Be on your -guard with your father!" - -She walked on without answering, without turning round, going straight -before her with stiff, jerky steps. He followed her now without -venturing to speak to her. - -As soon as the Marquis saw them, he rose up: "Hurry," said he; "I was -beginning to get cold. These things are very fine to look at, but bad -for one undergoing thermal treatment!" - -Christiane pressed herself close to her father's side, as if to appeal -to him for protection and take refuge in his tenderness. - -As soon as she had re-entered her apartment, she undressed herself in -a few seconds and buried herself in her bed, hiding her head under -the clothes; then she wept. She wept with her face pressed against the -pillow for a long, long time, inert, annihilated. She did not think, -she did not suffer, she did not regret. She wept without thinking, -without reflecting, without knowing why. She wept instinctively as -one sings when one feels gay. Then, when her tears were exhausted, -overwhelmed, paralyzed with sobbing, she fell asleep from fatigue and -lassitude. - -She was awakened by light taps at the door of her room, which looked -out on the drawing-room. It was broad daylight, as it was nine o'clock. - -"Come in," she cried. - -And her husband presented himself, joyous, animated, wearing a -traveling-cap and carrying by his side his little money-bag, which he -was never without while on a journey. - -He exclaimed: "What? You were sleeping still, my dear! And I had to -awaken you. There you are! I arrived without announcing myself. I hope -you are going on well. It is superb weather in Paris." - -And having taken off his cap, he advanced to embrace her. She drew -herself away toward the wall, seized by a wild fear, by a nervous dread -of this little man, with his smug, rosy countenance, who had stretched -out his lips toward her. - -Then, abruptly, she offered him her forehead, while she closed her -eyes. He planted there a chaste kiss, and asked: "Will you allow me to -wash in your dressing-room? As no one attended on me to-day, my room -was not prepared." - -She stammered: "Why, certainly." - -And he disappeared through a door at the end of the bed. - -She heard him moving about, splashing, snorting; then he cried: "What -news here? For my part, I have splendid news. The analysis of the water -has given unexpected results. We can cure at least three times more -patients than they can at Royat. It is superb!" - -She was sitting in the bed, suffocating, her brain overwrought by this -unforeseen return, which hurt her like a physical pain and gripped her -like a pang of remorse. He reappeared, self-satisfied, spreading around -him a strong odor of verbena. Then he sat down familiarly at the foot -of the bed, and asked: - -"And the paralytic? How is he going on? Is he beginning to walk? It is -not possible that he is not cured with what we found in the water!" - -She had forgotten all about it for several days, and she faltered: -"Why, I--I believe he is beginning to walk better. Besides, I have not -seen him this week. I--I am a little unwell." - -He looked at her with interest, and returned: "It is true, you are a -little pale. All the same, it becomes you very well. You look charming -thus--quite charming." - -And he drew nearer, and bending toward her was about to pass one arm -into the bed under her waist. - -But she made such a backward movement of terror that he remained -stupefied, with his hands extended and his mouth held toward her. Then -he asked: "What's the matter with you nowadays? One cannot touch you -any longer. I assure you I do not intend to hurt you." - -And he pressed close to her eagerly, with a glow of sudden desire in -his eyes. Then she stammered: - -"No--let me be--let me be! The fact is, I believe--I believe I am -pregnant!" - -She had said this, maddened by the mental agony she was enduring, -without thinking about her words, to avoid his touch, just as she would -have said: "I have leprosy, or the plague." - -He grew pale in his turn, moved by a profound joy; and he merely -murmured: "Already!" He yearned now to embrace her a long time, softly, -tenderly, as a happy and grateful father. Then, he was seized with -uneasiness. - -"Is it possible?--What?--Are you sure?--So soon?" - -She replied: "Yes--it is possible!" - -Then he jumped about the room, and rubbing his hands, exclaimed: -"Christi! Christi! What a happy day!" - -There was another tap at the door. Andermatt opened it, and a -chambermaid said to him: "Doctor Latonne would like to speak to -Monsieur immediately." - -"All right. Bring him into our drawing-room. I am going there." - -He hurried away to the adjoining apartment. The doctor presently -appeared. His face had a solemn look, and his manner was starched and -cold. He bowed, touched the hand which the banker, a little surprised, -held toward him, took a seat, and explained in the tone of a second in -an affair of honor: - -"A very disagreeable matter has arisen with reference to me, my dear -Monsieur, and, in order to explain my conduct, I must give you an -account of it. When you did me the honor to call me in to see Madame -Andermatt, I hastened to come at the appointed hour; now it has -transpired that, a few minutes before me, my brother-physician, the -medical inspector, who, no doubt, inspires more confidence in the lady, -had been sent for, owing to the attentions of the Marquis de Ravenel. - -"The result of this is that, having been the second to see her I create -the impression of having taken by a trick from Doctor Bonnefille a -patient who already belonged to him--I create the impression of having -committed an indelicate act, one unbecoming and unjustifiable from one -member of the profession toward another. Now it is necessary for us -to carry, Monsieur, into the exercise of our art certain precautions -and unusual tact in order to avoid every collision which might lead -to grave consequences. Doctor Bonnefille, having been apprised of my -visit here, believing me capable of this want of delicacy, appearances -being in fact against me, has spoken about me in such terms that, were -it not for his age, I would have found myself compelled to demand an -explanation from him. There remains for me only one thing to do, in -order to exculpate myself in his eyes, and in the eyes of the entire -medical body of the country, and that is to cease, to my great regret, -to give my professional attentions to your wife, and to make the entire -truth about this matter known, begging of you in the meantime to accept -my excuses." - -Andermatt replied with embarrassment: - -"I understand perfectly well, doctor, the difficult situation in which -you find yourself. The fault is not mine or my wife's, but that of my -father-in-law, who called in M. Bonnefille without giving us notice. -Could I not go to look for your brother-doctor, and tell him?----" - -Doctor Latonne interrupted him: "It is useless, my dear Monsieur. There -is here a question of dignity and professional honor, which I am bound -to respect before everything, and, in spite of my lively regrets----" - -Andermatt, in his turn, interrupted him. The rich man, the man who -pays, who buys a prescription for five, ten, twenty, or forty francs, -as he does a box of matches for three sous, to whom everything should -belong by the power of his purse, and who only appreciates beings and -objects in virtue of an assimilation of their value with that of money, -of a relation, rapid and direct, established between coined metal and -everything else in the world, was irritated at the presumption of this -vendor of remedies on paper. He said in a stiff tone: - -"Be it so, doctor. Let us stop where we are. But I trust for your own -sake that this step may not have a damaging influence on your career. -We shall see, indeed, which of us two shall have the most to suffer -from your decision." - -The physician, offended, rose up and bowing with the utmost politeness, -said: "I have no doubt, Monsieur, it is I who will suffer. That which I -have done to-day is very painful to me from every point of view. But I -never hesitate between my interests and my conscience." - -And he went out. As he emerged through the open door, he knocked -against the Marquis, who was entering, with a letter in his hand. And -M. de Ravenel exclaimed, as soon as he was alone with his son-in-law: -"Look here, my dear fellow! this is a very troublesome thing, which -has happened me through your fault. Doctor Bonnefille, hurt by the -circumstance that you sent for his brother-physician to see Christiane, -has written me a note couched in very dry language informing me that I -cannot count any longer on his professional services." - -Thereupon, Andermatt got quite annoyed. He walked up and down, -excited himself by talking, gesticulated, full of harmless and noisy -anger, that kind of anger which is never taken seriously. He went on -arguing in a loud voice. Whose fault was it, after all? That of the -Marquis alone, who had called in that pack-ass Bonnefille without -giving any notice of the fact to him, though he had, thanks to his -Paris physician, been informed as to the relative value of the three -charlatans at Enval! And then what business had the Marquis to consult -a doctor, behind the back of the husband, the husband who was the only -judge, the only person responsible for his wife's health? In short, it -was the same thing day after day with everything! People did nothing -but stupid things around him, nothing but stupid things! He repeated it -incessantly; but he was only crying in the desert, nobody understood, -nobody put faith in his experience, until it was too late. - -And he said, "My physician," "My experience," with the authoritative -tone of a man who has possession of unique things. In his mouth the -possessive pronouns had the sonorous ring of metals. And when he -pronounced the words "My wife," one felt very clearly that the Marquis -had no longer any rights with regard to his daughter since Andermatt -had married her, to marry and to buy having the same meaning in the -latter's mind. - -Gontran came in, at the most lively stage of the discussion, and seated -himself in an armchair with a smile of gaiety on his lips. He said -nothing, but listened, exceedingly amused. When the banker stopped -talking, having fairly exhausted his breath, his brother-in-law raised -his hand, exclaiming: - -"I request permission to speak. Here are both of you without -physicians, isn't that so? Well, I propose my candidate, Doctor -Honorat, the only one who has formed an exact and unshaken opinion on -the water of Enval. He makes people drink it, but he would not drink -it himself for all the world. Do you wish me to go and look for him? I -will take the negotiations on myself." - -It was the only thing to do, and they begged of Gontran to send for him -immediately. The Marquis, filled with anxiety at the idea of a change -of regimen and of nursing wanted to know immediately the opinion of -this new physician; and Andermatt desired no less eagerly to consult -him on Christiane's behalf. - -She heard their voices through the door without listening to their -words or understanding what they were talking about. As soon as -her husband had left her, she had risen from the bed, as if from a -dangerous spot, and hurriedly dressed herself, without the assistance -of the chambermaid, shaken by all these occurrences. - -The world appeared to her to have changed around her, her former life -seemed to have vanished since last night, and people themselves looked -quite different. - -The voice of Andermatt was raised once more: "Hallo, my dear Bretigny, -how are you getting on?" - -He no longer used the word "Monsieur." Another voice could be heard -saying in reply: "Why, quite well, my dear Andermatt. You only arrived, -I suppose, this morning?" - -Christiane, who was in the act of raising her hair over her temples, -stopped with a choking sensation, her arms in the air. Through the -partition, she fancied she could see them grasping one another's hands. -She sat down, no longer able to hold herself erect; and her hair, -rolling down, fell over her shoulders. - -It was Paul who was speaking now, and she shivered from head to foot at -every word that came from his mouth. Each word, whose meaning she did -not seize, fell and sounded on her heart like a hammer striking a bell. - -Suddenly, she articulated in almost a loud tone: "But I love him!--I -love him!" as though she were affirming something new and surprising, -which saved her, which consoled her, which proclaimed her innocence -before the tribunal of her conscience. A sudden energy made her rise -up; in one second, her resolution was taken. And she proceeded to -rearrange her hair, murmuring: "I have a lover, that is all. I have -a lover." Then, in order to fortify herself still more, in order to -get rid of all mental distress, she determined there and then, with a -burning faith, to love him to distraction, to give up to him her life, -her happiness, to sacrifice everything for him, in accordance with -the moral exaltation of hearts conquered but still scrupulous, that -believe themselves to be purified by devotedness and sincerity. - -And, from behind the wall which separated them, she threw out kisses -to him. It was over; she abandoned herself to him, without reserve, as -she might have offered herself to a god. The child already coquettish -and artful, but still timid, still trembling, had suddenly died within -her; and the woman was born, ready for passion, the woman resolute, -tenacious, announced only up to this time by the energy hidden in her -blue eye, which gave an air of courage and almost of bravado to her -dainty white face. - -She heard the door opening, and did not turn round, divining that it -was her husband, without seeing him, as though a new sense, almost an -instinct, had just been generated in her also. - -He asked: "Will you be soon ready? We are all going presently to the -paralytic's bath, to see if he is really getting better." - -She replied calmly: "Yes, my dear Will, in five minutes." - -But Gontran, returning to the drawing-room, was calling back Andermatt. - -"Just imagine," said he; "I met that idiot Honorat in the park, and -he, too, refuses to attend you for fear of the others. He talks of -professional etiquette, deference, usages. One would imagine that -he creates the impression of--in short, he is a fool, like his two -brother-physicians. Certainly, I thought he was less of an ape than -that." - -The Marquis remained overwhelmed. The idea of taking the waters without -a physician, of bathing for five minutes longer than necessary, of -drinking one glass less than he ought, tortured him with apprehension, -for he believed all the doses, the hours, and the phases of the -treatment, to be regulated by a law of nature, which had made provision -for invalids in causing the flow of those mineral springs, all whose -mysterious secrets the doctors knew, like priests inspired and learned. - -He exclaimed: "So then we must die here--we may perish like dogs, -without any of these gentlemen putting himself about!" - -And rage took possession of him, the rage egotistical and unreasoning -of a man whose health is endangered. - -"Have they any right to do this, since they pay for a license like -grocers, these blackguards? We ought to have the power of forcing them -to attend people, as trains can be forced to take all passengers. I am -going to write to the newspapers to draw attention to the matter." - -He walked about, in a state of excitement; and he went on, turning -toward his son: - -"Listen! It will be necessary to send for one to Royat or Clermont. We -can't remain in this state." - -Gontran replied, laughing: "But those of Clermont and of Royat are -not well acquainted with the liquid of Enval, which has not the same -special action as their water on the digestive system and on the -circulatory apparatus. And then, be sure, they won't come any more than -the others in order to avoid the appearance of taking the bread out of -their brother-doctors' mouths." - -The Marquis, quite scared, faltered: "But what, then, is to become of -us?" - -Andermatt snatched up his hat, saying: "Let me settle it, and -I'll answer for it that we'll have the entire three of them this -evening--you understand clearly, the--entire--three--at our knees. Let -us go now and see the paralytic." - -He cried: "Are you ready, Christiane?" - -She appeared at the door, very pale, with a look of determination. -Having embraced her father and her brother, she turned toward Paul, and -extended her hand toward him. He took it, with downcast eyes, quivering -with emotion. As the Marquis, Andermatt, and Gontran had gone on -before, chatting, and without minding them, she said, in a firm voice, -fixing on the young man a tender and decided glance: - -"I belong to you, body and soul. Do with me henceforth what you -please." Then she walked on, without giving him an opportunity of -replying. - -As they drew near the Oriols' spring, they perceived, like an enormous -mushroom, the hat of Père Clovis, who was sleeping beneath the rays of -the sun, in the warm water at the bottom of the hole. He now spent the -entire morning there, having got accustomed to this boiling water which -made him, he said, more lively than a yearling. - -Andermatt woke him up: "Well, my fine fellow, you are going on better?" - -When he had recognized his patron, the old fellow made a grimace of -satisfaction: "Yes, yes, I am going on--I am going on as well as you -please." - -"Are you beginning to walk?" - -"Like a rabbit, Mochieu--like a rabbit. I will dance a boree with my -sweetheart on the first Sunday of the month." - -Andermatt felt his heart beating; he repeated: "It is true, then, that -you are walking?" - -Père Clovis ceased jesting. "Oh! not very much, not very much. No -matter--I'm getting on--I'm getting on!" - -Then the banker wanted to see at once how the vagabond walked. He kept -rushing about the hole, got agitated, gave orders, as if he were going -to float again a ship that had foundered. - -"Look here, Gontran! you take the right arm. You, Bretigny, -the left arm. I am going to keep up his back. Come on! -together!--one--two--three! My dear father-in-law, draw the leg toward -you--no, the other, the one that's in the water. Quick, pray! I can't -hold out longer. There we are--one, two--there!--ouf!" - -They had put the old trickster sitting on the ground; and he allowed -them to do it with a jeering look, without in any way assisting their -efforts. - -Then they raised him up again, and set him on his legs, giving him -his crutches, which he used like walking-sticks; and he began to step -out, bent double, dragging his feet after him, whining and blowing. He -advanced in the fashion of a slug, and left behind him a long trail of -water on the white dust of the road. - -Andermatt, in a state of enthusiasm, clapped his hands, crying out -as people do at theaters when applauding the actors: "Bravo, bravo, -admirable, bravo!!!" - -Then, as the old fellow seemed exhausted, he rushed forward to hold him -up, seized him in his arms, although his clothes were streaming, and he -kept repeating: - -"Enough, don't fatigue yourself! We are going to put you back into your -bath." - -And Père Clovis was plunged once more into his hole by the four men who -caught him by his four limbs and carried him carefully like a fragile -and precious object. - -Then, the paralytic observed in a tone of conviction: "It is good -water, all the same, good water that hasn't an equal. It is worth a -treasure, water like that!" - -Andermatt turned round suddenly toward his father-in-law: "Don't keep -breakfast waiting for me. I am going to the Oriols', and I don't know -when I'll be free. It is necessary not to let these things drag!" - -And he set forth in a hurry, almost running, and twirling his stick -about like a man bewitched. - -The others sat down under the willows, at the side of the road, -opposite Père Clovis's hole. - -Christiane, at Paul's side, saw in front of her the high knoll from -which she had seen the rock blown up. - -She had been up there that day, scarcely a month ago. She had been -sitting on that russet grass. One month! Only one month! She recalled -the most trifling details, the tricolored parasols, the scullions, -the slightest things said by each of them! And the dog, the poor dog -crushed by the explosion! And that big youth, then a stranger to her, -who had rushed forward at one word uttered by her lips in order to -save the animal. To-day, he was her lover! her lover! So then she had -a lover! She was his mistress--his mistress! She repeated this word -in the recesses of her consciousness--his mistress! What a strange -word! This man, sitting by her side, whose hand she saw tearing up -one by one blades of grass, close to her dress, which he was seeking -to touch, this man was now bound to her flesh and to his heart, by -that mysterious chain, buried in secrecy and mystery, which nature has -stretched between woman and man. - -With that voice of thought, that mute voice which seems to speak so -loudly in the silence of troubled souls, she incessantly repeated -to herself: "I am his mistress! his mistress!" How strange, how -unforeseen, a thing this was! - -"Do I love him?" She cast a rapid glance at him. Their eyes met, and -she felt herself so much caressed by the passionate look with which he -covered her, that she trembled from head to foot. She felt a longing -now, a wild, irresistible longing, to take that hand which was toying -with the grass, and to press it very tightly in order to convey to -him all that may be said by a clasp. She let her own hand slip along -her dress down to the grass, then laid it there motionless, with the -fingers spread wide. Then she saw the other come softly toward it like -an amorous animal seeking his companion. It came nearer and nearer; -and their little fingers touched. They grazed one another at the ends -gently, barely, lost one another and found one another again, like lips -meeting. But this imperceptible caress, this slight contact entered -into her being so violently that she felt herself growing faint as if -he were once more straining her between his arms. - -And she suddenly understood how a woman can belong to some man, how -she no longer is anything under the love that possesses her, how that -other being takes her body and soul, flesh, thought, will, blood, -nerves,--all, all, all that is in her,--just as a huge bird of prey -with large wings swoops down on a wren. - -The Marquis and Gontran talked about the future station, themselves -won over by Will's enthusiasm. And they spoke of the banker's merits, -the clearness of his mind, the sureness of his judgment, the certainty -of his system of speculation, the boldness of his operations, and the -regularity of his character. Father-in-law and brother-in-law, in the -face of this probable success, of which they felt certain, were in -agreement, and congratulated one another on this alliance. - -Christiane and Paul did not seem to hear, so much occupied were they -with each other. - -The Marquis said to his daughter: "Hey! darling, you may perhaps one -day be one of the richest women in France, and people will talk of you -as they do about the Rothschilds. Will has truly a remarkable, very -remarkable--a great intelligence." - -But a morose and whimsical jealousy entered all at once into Paul's -heart. - -"Let me alone now," said he, "I know it, the intelligence of all those -engaged in stirring up business. They have only one thing in their -heads--money! All the thoughts that we bestow on beautiful things, -all the actions that we waste on our caprices, all the hours which we -fling away for our distractions, all the strength that we squander -on our pleasures, all the ardor and the power which love, divine -love, takes from us, they employ in seeking for gold, in thinking of -gold, in amassing gold! The man of intelligence lives for all the -great disinterested tendernesses, the arts, love, science, travels, -books; and, if he seeks money, it is because this facilitates the -true pleasures of intellect and even the happiness of the heart! But -they--they have nothing in their minds or their hearts but this ignoble -taste for traffic! They resemble men of worth, these skimmers of life, -just as much as the picture-dealer resembles the painter, as the -publisher resembles the writer, as the theatrical manager resembles the -dramatic poet." - -He suddenly became silent, realizing that he had allowed himself to be -carried away, and in a calmer voice he went on: "I don't say that of -Andermatt, whom I consider a charming man. I like him a great deal, -because he is a hundred times superior to all the others." - -Christiane had withdrawn her hand. Paul once more stopped talking. -Gontran began to laugh; and, in his malicious voice, with which he -ventured to say everything, in his hours of mocking and raillery: - -"In any case, my dear fellow, these men have one rare merit: that is, -to marry our sisters and to have rich daughters, who become our wives." - -The Marquis, annoyed, rose up: "Oh! Gontran, you are perfectly -revolting." - -Paul thereupon turned toward Christiane, and murmured: "Would -they know how to die for one woman, or even to give her all their -fortune--all--without keeping anything?" - -This meant so clearly: "All I have is yours, including my life," that -she was touched, and she adopted this device in order to take his -hands in hers: - -"Rise, and lift me up. I am benumbed from not moving." - -He stood erect, seized her by the wrists, and drawing her up placed her -standing on the edge of the road close to his side. She saw his mouth -articulating the words, "I love you," and she quickly turned aside, -to avoid saying to him in reply three words which rose to her lips in -spite of her, in a burst of passion which was drawing her toward him. - -They returned to the hotel. The hour for the bath was passed. They -awaited the breakfast-bell. It rang, but Andermatt did not make his -appearance. After taking another turn in the park, they resolved to sit -down to table. The meal, although a long one, was finished before the -return of the banker. They went back to sit down under the trees. And -the hours stole by, one after another; the sun glided over the leaves, -bending toward the mountains; the day was ebbing toward its close; and -yet Will did not present himself. - -All at once, they saw him. He was walking quickly, his hat in his hand, -wiping his forehead, his necktie on one side, his waistcoat half open, -as if after a journey, after a struggle, after a terrible and prolonged -effort. - -As soon as he beheld his father-in-law, he exclaimed: "Victory! 'tis -done! But what a day, my friends! Ah! the old fox, what trouble he gave -me!" - -And immediately he explained the steps he had taken and the obstacles -he had met with. - -Père Oriol had, at first, shown himself so unreasonable that Andermatt -was breaking off the negotiations and going away. Then the peasant -called him back. The old man pretended that he would not sell his -lands but would assign them to the Company with the right to resume -possession of them in case of ill success. In case of success, he -demanded half the profits. - -The banker had to demonstrate to him, with figures on paper and -tracings to indicate the different bits of land, that the fields all -together would not be worth more than forty-five thousand francs at the -present hour, while the expenses of the Company would mount up at one -swoop to a million. - -But the Auvergnat replied that he expected to benefit by the enormously -increased value that would be given to his property by the erection -of the establishment and hotels, and to draw his interest in the -undertaking in accordance with the acquired value and not the previous -value. - -Andermatt had then to represent to him that the risks should be -proportionate with the possible gains, and to terrify him with the -apprehension of the loss. - -They accordingly arrived at this agreement: Père Oriol was to assign -to the Company all the grounds stretching as far as the banks of the -stream, that is to say, all those in which it appeared possible to find -mineral water, and in addition the top of the knoll, in order to erect -there a casino and a hotel, and some vine-plots on the slope which -should be divided into lots and offered to the leading physicians of -Paris. - -The peasant, in return for this apportionment valued at two hundred and -fifty thousand francs, that is, at about four times its value, would -participate to the extent of a quarter in the profits of the Company. -As there was very much more land, which he did not part with, round -the future establishment, he was sure, in case of success, to realize -a fortune by selling on reasonable terms these grounds, which would -constitute, he said, the dowry of his daughters. - -As soon as these conditions had been arrived at, Will had to carry -the father and the son with him to the notary's office in order to -have a promise of sale drawn up defeasible in the event of their not -finding the necessary water. And the drawing up of the agreement, -the discussion of every point, the indefinite repetition of the same -arguments, the eternal commencement over again of the same contentions, -had lasted all the afternoon. - -At last the matter was concluded. The banker had got his station. But -he repeated, devoured by a regret: "It will be necessary for me to -confine myself to the water without thinking of the questions about the -land. He has been cunning, the old ape." - -Then he added: "Bah! I'll buy up the old Company, and it is on that -I may speculate! No matter--it is necessary that I should start this -evening again for Paris." - -The Marquis, astounded, cried out: "What? This evening?" - -"Why, yes, my dear father-in-law, in order to get the definitive -instrument prepared, while M. Aubry-Pasteur will be making excavations. -It is necessary also that I should make arrangements to commence the -works in a fortnight. I haven't an hour to lose. With regard to this, -I must inform you that you are to constitute a portion of my board -of directors in which I will need a strong majority. I give you ten -shares. To you, Gontran, also I give ten shares." - -Gontran began to laugh: "Many thanks, my dear fellow. I sell them back -to you. That makes five thousand francs you owe me." - -But Andermatt no longer felt in a mood for joking, when dealing with -business of so much importance. He resumed dryly: "If you are not -serious, I will address myself to another person." - -Gontran ceased laughing: "No, no, my good friend, you know that I have -cleared off everything with you." - -The banker turned toward Paul: "My dear Monsieur, will you render me a -friendly service, that is, to accept also ten shares with the rank of -director?" - -Paul, with a bow, replied: "You will permit me, Monsieur, not to accept -this graceful offer, but to put a hundred thousand francs into the -undertaking, which I consider a superb one. So then it is I who have to -ask for a favor from you." - -William, ravished, seized his hands. This confidence had conquered him. -Besides he always experienced an irresistible desire to embrace persons -who brought him money for his enterprises. - -But Christiane crimsoned to her temples, pained, bruised. It seemed to -her that she had just been bought and sold. If he had not loved her, -would Paul have offered these hundred thousand francs to her husband? -No, undoubtedly! He should not, at least, have entered into this -transaction in her presence. - -The dinner-bell rang. They re-entered the hotel. As soon as they were -seated at table, Madame Paille, the mother, asked Andermatt: - -"So you are going to set up another establishment?" - -The news had already gone through the entire district, was known to -everyone, it put the bathers into a state of commotion. - -William replied: "Good heavens, yes! The existing one is too defective!" - -And turning round to M. Aubry-Pasteur: "You will excuse me, dear -Monsieur, for speaking to you at dinner of a step which I wished -to take with regard to you; but I am starting again for Paris, and -time presses on me terribly. Will you consent to direct the work of -excavation, in order to find a volume of superior water?" - -The engineer, feeling flattered, accepted the office. In five minutes -everything had been discussed and settled with the clearness and -precision which Andermatt imported into all matters of business. Then -they talked about the paralytic. He had been seen crossing the park in -the afternoon with only one walking-stick, although that morning he -had used two. The banker kept repeating: "This is a miracle, a real -miracle. His cure proceeds with giant strides!" - -Paul, to please the husband, rejoined: "It is Père Clovis himself who -walks with giant strides." - -A laugh of approval ran round the table. Every eye was fixed on Will; -every mouth complimented him. - -The waiters of the restaurant made it their business to serve him the -first, with a respectful deference, which disappeared from their faces -as soon as they passed the dishes to the next guest. - -One of them presented to him a card on a plate. He took it up, and read -it, half aloud: - - "Doctor Latonne of Paris would be happy if M. Andermatt - would be kind enough to give him an interview of a few - seconds before his departure." - -"Tell him in reply that I have no time, but that I will be back in -eight or ten days." - -At the same moment, a box of flowers sent by Doctor Honorat was -presented to Christiane. - -Gontran laughed: "Père Bonnefille is a bad third," said he. - -The dinner was nearly over. Andermatt was informed that his landau was -waiting for him. He went up to look for his little bag; and when he -came down again he saw half the village gathered in front of the door. - -Petrus Martel came to grasp his hand, with the familiarity of a -strolling actor, and murmured in his ear: "I shall have a proposal to -make to you--something stunning--with reference to your undertaking." - -Suddenly, Doctor Bonnefille appeared, hurrying in his usual fashion. He -passed quite close to Will, and bowing very low to him as he would do -to the Marquis, he said to him: - -"A pleasant journey, Baron." - -"That settles it!" murmured Gontran. - -Andermatt, triumphant, swelling with joy and pride, pressed the hands -extended toward him, thanked them, and kept repeating: _"Au revoir!"_ - -He was nearly forgetting to embrace his wife, so much was he thinking -about other things. This indifference was a relief to her, and, when -she saw the landau moving away on the darkening road, as the horses -broke into a quick trot, it seemed to her that she had nothing more to -fear from anyone for the rest of her life. - -She spent the whole evening seated in front of the hotel, between her -father and Paul Bretigny, Gontran having gone to the Casino, where he -went every evening. - -She did not want either to walk or to talk, and remained motionless, -her hands clasped over her knees, her eyes lost in the darkness, -languid and weak, a little restless and yet happy, scarcely thinking, -not even dreaming, now and then struggling against a vague remorse, -which she thrust away from her, always repeating to herself, "I love -him! I love him!" - -She went up to her apartment at an early hour, in order to be alone -and to think. Seated in the depths of an armchair and covered with a -dressing-gown which floated around her, she gazed at the stars through -the window, which was left open; and in the frame of that window she -evoked every minute the image of him who had conquered her. She saw -him, kind, gentle, and powerful--so strong and so yielding in her -presence. This man had taken herself to himself,--she felt it,--taken -her forever. She was alone no longer; they were two, whose two hearts -would henceforth form but one heart, whose two souls would henceforth -form but one soul. Where was he? She knew not; but she knew full well -that he was dreaming of her, just as she was thinking of him. At each -throb of her heart she believed she heard another throb answering -somewhere. She felt a desire wandering round her and fanning her cheek -like a bird's wing. She felt it entering through that open window, this -desire coming from him, this burning desire, which entreated her in the -silence of the night. - -How good it was, how sweet and refreshing to be loved! What joy to -think of some one, with a longing in your eyes to weep, to weep with -tenderness, and a longing also to open your arms, even without seeing -him, in order to invite him to come, to stretch one's arms toward the -image that presents itself, toward that kiss which your lover casts -unceasingly from far or near, in the fever of his waiting. - -And she stretched toward the stars her two white arms in the sleeves of -her dressing-gown. Suddenly she uttered a cry. A great black shadow, -striding over her balcony, had sprung up into her window. - -She sprang wildly to her feet! It was he! And, without even reflecting -that somebody might see them, she threw herself upon his breast. - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - -Organization - - -The absence of Andermatt was prolonged. M. Aubry-Pasteur got the soil -dug up. He found, in addition, four springs, which supplied the new -Company with more than twice as much water as they required. The entire -district, driven crazy by these searches, by these discoveries, by the -great news which circulated everywhere, by the prospects of a brilliant -future, became agitated and enthusiastic, talked of nothing else, and -thought of nothing else. The Marquis and Gontran themselves spent their -days hanging round the workmen, who were boring through the veins of -granite; and they listened with increasing interest to the explanations -and the lectures of the engineer on the geological character of -Auvergne. And Paul and Christiane loved one another freely, tranquilly, -in absolute security, without anyone suspecting anything, without -anyone thinking even of spying on them, for the attention, the -curiosity, and the zeal of all around them were absorbed in the future -station. - -Christiane acted like a young girl under the intoxication of a first -love. The first draught, the first kiss, had burned, had stunned her. -She had swallowed the second very quickly, and had found it better, and -now again and again she raised the intoxicating cup to her lips. - -Since the night when Paul had broken into her apartment, she no longer -took any heed of what was happening in the world. For her, time, -events, beings, no longer had any existence; there was nothing else in -life save one man, he whom she loved. Henceforth, her eyes saw only -him, her mind thought only of him, her hopes were fixed on him alone. -She lived, went from place to place, ate, dressed herself, seemed to -listen and to reply, without consciousness or thought about what she -was doing. No disquietude haunted her, for no misfortune could have -fallen on her. She had become insensible to everything. No physical -pain could have taken hold of her flesh, as love alone could, so as -to make her shudder. No moral suffering could have taken hold of -her soul, paralyzed by happiness. Moreover, he, loving her with the -self-abandonment which he displayed in all his attachments, excited the -young woman's tenderness to distraction. - -Often, toward evening, when he knew that the Marquis and Gontran had -gone to the springs, he would say, "Come and look at our heaven." He -called a cluster of pine-trees growing on the hillside above even the -gorges their heaven. They ascended to this spot through a little wood, -along a steep path, to climb which took away Christiane's breath. As -their time was limited, they proceeded rapidly, and, in order that she -might not be too much fatigued, he put his arm round her waist and -lifted her up. Placing one hand on his shoulder, she let herself be -borne along; and, from time to time, she would throw herself on his -neck and place her mouth against his lips. As they mounted higher, the -air became keener; and, when they reached the cluster of pine-trees, -the odor of the balsam refreshed them like a breath of the sea. - -They sat down under the shadowy trees, she on a grassy knoll, and he -lower down, at her feet. The wind in the stems sang that sweet chant of -the pine-trees which is like a wail of sorrow; and the immense Limagne, -with its unseen backgrounds steeped in fog, gave them a sensation -exactly like that of the ocean. Yes, the sea was there in front of -them, down below. They could have no doubt of it, for they felt its -breath fanning their faces. - -He talked to her in the coaxing tone that one uses toward a child. - -"Give me your fingers and let me eat them--they are my bonbons, mine!" - -He put them one after the other into his mouth, and seemed to be -tasting them with gluttonous delight. - -"Oh! how nice they are!--especially the little one. I have never eaten -anything better than the little one." - -Then he threw himself on his knees, placed his elbows on Christiane's -lap, and murmured: - -"'Liane,' are you looking at me?" He called her Liane because she -entwined herself around him in order to embrace him the more closely, -as a plant clings around a tree. "Look at me. I am going to enter your -soul." - -And they exchanged that immovable, persistent glance, which seems truly -to make two beings mingle with one another! - -"We can only love thoroughly by thus possessing one another," he said. -"All the other things of love are but foul pleasures." - -And, face to face, their breaths blending into one, they sought to see -one another's images in the depths of their eyes. - -He murmured: "I love you, Liane. I see your adored heart." - -She replied: "I, too, Paul, see your heart!" - -And, indeed, they did see one another even to the depths of their -hearts and souls, for there was no longer in their hearts and souls -anything but a mad transport of love for one another. - -He said: "Liane, your eye is like the sky. It is blue, with so many -reflections, with so much clearness. It seems to me that I see swallows -passing through them--these, no doubt, must be your thoughts." - -And when they had thus contemplated one another for a long, long time, -they drew nearer still to one another, and embraced softly with little -jerks, gazing once more into each other's eyes between each kiss. -Sometimes he would take her in his arms, and carry her, while he ran -along the stream, which glided toward the gorges of Enval, before -dashing itself into them. It was a narrow glen, where meadows and woods -alternated. Paul rushed over the grass, and now and then he would raise -her up high with his powerful wrists, and exclaim: "Liane, let us fly -away." And with this yearning to fly away, love, their impassioned -love, filled them, harassing, incessant, sorrowful. And everything -around them whetted this desire of their souls, the light atmosphere--a -bird's atmosphere, he said--and the vast blue horizon, in which they -both would fain have taken wing, holding each other by the hand, so -as to disappear above the boundless plain when the night spread its -shadows across it. They would have flown thus across the hazy evening -sky, never to return. Where would they have gone? They knew not; but -what a glorious dream! When he had got out of breath from running while -carrying her in this way, he placed her sitting on a rock in order -to kneel down before her; and, kissing her ankles, he adored her, -murmuring infantile and tender words. - -Had they been lovers in a city, their passion, no doubt, would have -been different, more prudent, more sensual, less ethereal, and less -romantic. But there, in that green country, whose horizon widened the -flights of the soul, alone, without anything to distract them, to -attenuate their instinct of awakened love, they had suddenly plunged -into a passionately poetic attachment made up of ecstasy and frenzy. -The surrounding scenery, the balmy air, the woods, the sweet perfume -of the fields, played for them all day and all night the music of -their love--music which excited them even to madness, as the sound of -tambourines and of shrill flutes drives to acts of savage unreason the -dervish who whirls round with fixed intent. - -One evening, as they were returning to the hotel for dinner, the -Marquis said to them, suddenly: "Andermatt is coming back in four -days. Matters are all arranged. We are to leave the day after his -return. We have been here a long time. We must not prolong mineral -water seasons too much." - -They were as much taken by surprise as if they had heard the end of the -world announced, and during the meal neither of them uttered a word, so -much were they thinking with astonishment of what was about to happen. -So then they would, in a few days, be separated and would no longer -be able to see one another freely. That appeared so impossible and so -extraordinary to them that they could not realize it. - -Andermatt did, in fact, come back at the end of the week. He had -telegraphed in order that two landaus might be sent on to him to meet -the first train. - -Christiane, who had not slept, tormented as she was by a strange and -new emotion, a sort of fear of her husband, a fear mingled with anger, -with inexplicable contempt, and a desire to set him at defiance, had -risen at daybreak, and was awaiting him. He appeared in the first -carriage, accompanied by three gentlemen well attired but modest in -demeanor. The second landau contained four others, who seemed persons -of rank somewhat inferior to the first. The Marquis and Gontran were -astonished. The latter asked: "Who are these people?" - -Andermatt replied: "My shareholders. We are going to establish -the Company this very day, and to nominate the board of directors -immediately." - -He embraced his wife without speaking to her, and almost without -looking at her, so preoccupied was he; and, turning toward the seven -gentlemen, who were standing behind him, silent and respectful: - -"Go and have breakfast, and take a walk," said he. "We'll meet again -here at twelve o'clock." - -They went off without saying anything, like soldiers obeying orders, -and mounting the steps of the hotel one after another, they went in. -Gontran, who had been watching them as they disappeared from view, -asked in a very serious tone: - -"Where did you find them, these 'supers' of yours?" - -The banker smiled: "They are very well-to-do men, moneyed men, -capitalists." - -And, after a pause, he added, with a more significant smile: "They busy -themselves about my affairs." - -Then he repaired to the notary's office to read over again the -documents, of which he had sent the originals, all prepared, some days -before. There he found Doctor Latonne, with whom, moreover, he had been -in correspondence, and they chatted for a long time in low tones, in a -corner of the office, while the clerks' pens ran along the paper, with -the buzzing noise of insects. - -The meeting to establish the Company was fixed for two o'clock. The -notary's study had been fitted up as if for a concert. Two rows -of chairs were placed for the shareholders in front of the table, -where Maître Alain was to take his seat beside his principal clerk. -Maître Alain had put on his official garment in consideration of -the importance of the business in hand. He was a very small man, a -stuttering ball of white flesh. - -Andermatt entered just as it struck two, accompanied by the Marquis, -his brother-in-law, and Bretigny, and followed by the seven gentlemen, -whom Gontran described as "supers." He had the air of a general. -Père Oriol also made his appearance with Colosse by his side. He -seemed uneasy, distrustful, as people always are when about to sign a -document. The last to arrive was Doctor Latonne. He had made his peace -with Andermatt by a complete submission preceded by excuses skillfully -turned, and followed by an offer of his services without any reserve or -restrictions. - -Thereupon, the banker, feeling that he had Latonne in his power, -promised him the post he longed for, of medical inspector of the new -establishment. - -When everyone was in the room, a profound silence reigned. The notary -addressed the meeting: "Gentlemen, take your seats." He gave utterance -to a few words more, which nobody could hear in the confusion caused by -the moving about of the chairs. - -Andermatt lifted up a chair, and placed it in front of his army, in -order to keep his eye on all his supporters; then, when he was seated, -he said: - -"Messieurs, I need not enter into any explanations with you as to -the motive that brings us together. We are going, first of all, to -establish the new Company in which you have consented to become -shareholders. It is my duty, however, to apprise you of a few details, -which have caused us a little embarrassment. I have found it necessary, -before even entering on the undertaking at all, to assure myself that -we could obtain the required authority for the creation of a new -establishment of public utility. This assurance I have got. What -remains to be done with respect to this, I will make it my business -to do. I have the Minister's promise. But another point demands my -attention. We are going, Messieurs, to enter on a struggle with the -old Company of the Enval waters. We shall come forth victorious in -this struggle, victorious and enriched, you may be certain; but, just -as in the days of old, a war cry was necessary for the combatants, we, -combatants in the modern battle, require a name for our station, a name -sonorous, attractive, well fashioned for advertising purposes, which -strikes the ear like the note of a clarion, and penetrates the ear like -a flash of lightning. Now, Messieurs, we are in Enval, and we can not -unbaptize this district. One resource only is left to us. To designate -our establishment, our establishment alone, by a new appellation. - -"Here is what I propose to you: If our bathhouse is to be at the foot -of the knoll, of which M. Oriol, here present, is the proprietor, our -future Casino will be erected on the summit of this same knoll. We may, -therefore, say that this knoll, this mountain--for it is a mountain, a -little mountain--furnishes the site of our establishment, inasmuch as -we have the foot and the top of it. Is it not, therefore, natural to -call our baths the Baths of Mont Oriol, and to attach to this station, -which will become one of the most important in the entire world, the -name of the original proprietor? Render to Cæsar what belongs to Cæsar. - -"And observe, Messieurs, that this is an excellent vocable. People will -talk of 'the Mont Oriol' as they talk of 'the Mont Doré.' It fixes -itself on the eye and in the ear; we can see it well; we can hear it -well; it abides in us--Mont Oriol!--Mont Oriol!--The baths of Mont -Oriol!" - -And Andermatt made this word ring, flung it out like a ball, listening -to the echo of it. He went on, repeating imaginary dialogues: "'You are -going to the baths of Mont Oriol?' - -"'Yes, Madame. People say they are perfect, these waters of Mont Oriol.' - -"'Excellent, indeed. Besides, Mont Oriol is a delightful district.'" - -And he smiled, assumed the air of people chatting to one another, -altered his voice to indicate when the lady was speaking, saluted with -the hand when representing the gentleman. - -Then he resumed, in his natural voice: "Has anyone an objection to -offer?" - -The shareholders answered in chorus: "No, none." - -All the "supers" applauded. Père Oriol, moved, flattered, conquered, -overcome by the deep-rooted pride of an upstart peasant, began to smile -while he twisted his hat about between his hands, and he made a sign -of assent with his head in spite of him, a movement which revealed his -satisfaction, and which Andermatt observed without pretending to see -it. Colosse remained impassive, but was quite as much satisfied as his -father. - -Then Andermatt said to the notary: "Kindly read the instrument whereby -the Company is incorporated, Maître Alain." - -And he resumed his seat. The notary said to his clerk: "Go on, -Marinet." - -Marinet, a wretched consumptive creature, coughed, and with the -intonations of a preacher, and an attempt at declamation, began to -enumerate the statutes relating to the incorporation of an anonymous -Company, called the Company of the Thermal Establishment of Mont Oriol -at Enval with a capital of two millions. - -Père Oriol interrupted him: "A moment, a moment," said he. And he -drew forth from his pocket a few sheets of greasy paper, which during -the past eight days had passed through the hands of all the notaries -and all the men of business of the department. It was a copy of the -statutes which his son and himself by this time were beginning to know -by heart. Then, he slowly fixed his spectacles on his nose, raised -up his head, looked out for the exact point where he could easily -distinguish the letters, and said in a tone of command: - -"Go on from that place, Marinet." - -Colosse, having got close to his chair, also kept his eye on the paper -along with his father. - -And Marinet commenced over again. Then old Oriol, bewildered by the -double task of listening and reading at the same time, tortured by the -apprehension of a word being changed, beset also by the desire to see -whether Andermatt was making some sign to the notary, did not allow -a single line to be got through without stopping ten times the clerk -whose elocutionary efforts he interrupted. - -He kept repeating: "What did you say? What did you say there? I didn't -understand--not so quick!" - -Then turning aside a little toward his son: "What place is he at, -Coloche?" - -Coloche, more self-controlled, replied: "It's all right, father--let -him go on--it's all right." - -The peasant was still distrustful. With the end of his crooked finger -he went on tracing on the paper the words as they were read out, -muttering them between his lips; but he could not fix his attention -at the same time on both matters. When he listened, he did not read, -and he did not hear when he was reading. And he puffed as if he had -been climbing a mountain; he perspired as if he had been digging his -vine-fields under a midday sun, and from time to time, he asked for a -few minutes' rest to wipe his forehead and to take breath, like a man -fighting a duel. - -Andermatt, losing patience, stamped with his foot on the ground. -Gontran, having noticed on a table the "Moniteur du Puy-de-Dome," had -taken it up and was running his eye over it, and Paul, astride on his -chair, with downcast eyes and an anxious heart, was reflecting that -this little man, rosy and corpulent, sitting in front of him, was going -to carry off, next day, the woman whom he loved with all his soul, -Christiane, his Christiane, his fair Christiane, who was his, his -entirely, nothing to anyone save him. And he asked himself whether he -was not going to carry her off this very evening. - -The seven gentlemen remained serious and tranquil. - -At the end of an hour, it was finished. The deed was signed. The notary -made out certificates for the payments on the shares. On being appealed -to, the cashier, M. Abraham Levy, declared that he had received the -necessary deposits. Then the company, from that moment legally -constituted, was announced to be gathered together in general assembly, -all the shareholders being in attendance, for the appointment of a -board of directors and the election of their chairman. - -All the votes with the exception of two, were recorded in favor of -Andermatt's election to the post of chairman. The two dissentients--the -old peasant and his son--had nominated Oriol. Bretigny was appointed -commissioner of superintendence. Then, the Board, consisting of MM. -Andermatt, the Marquis and the Count de Ravenel, Bretigny, the Oriols, -father and son, Doctor Latonne, Abraham Levy, and Simon Zidler, begged -of the remaining shareholders to withdraw, as well as the notary and -his clerk, in order that they, as the governing body, might determine -on the first resolutions, and settle the most important points. - -Andermatt rose up again: "Messieurs, we are entering on the vital -question, that of success, which we must win at any cost. - -"It is with mineral waters as with everything. It is necessary to get -them talked about a great deal, and continually, so that invalids may -drink them. - -"The great modern question, Messieurs, is that of advertising. It is -the god of commerce and of contemporary industry. Without advertising -there is no security. The art of advertising, moreover, is difficult, -complicated, and demands a considerable amount of tact. The first -persons who resorted to this new expedient employed it rudely, -attracting attention by noise, by beating the big drum, and letting off -cannon-shots. Mangin, Messieurs, was only a forerunner. To-day, clamor -is regarded with suspicion, showy placards cause a smile, the crying -out of names in the streets awakens distrust rather than curiosity. And -yet it is necessary to attract public attention, and after having fixed -it, it is necessary to produce conviction. The art, therefore, consists -in discovering the means, the only means which can succeed, having in -our possession something that we desire to sell. We, Messieurs, for our -part, desire to sell water. It is by the physicians that we are to get -the better of the invalids. - -"The most celebrated physicians, Messieurs, are men like ourselves--who -have weaknesses like us. I do not mean to convey that we can corrupt -them. The reputation of the illustrious masters, whose assistance we -require, places them above all suspicion of venality. But what man -is there that cannot be won over by going properly to work with him? -There are also women who cannot be purchased. These it is necessary to -fascinate. - -"Here, then, Messieurs, is the proposition which I am going to make to -you, after having discussed it at great length with Doctor Latonne: - -"We have, in the first place, classified in three leading groups the -maladies submitted for our treatment. These are, first, rheumatism in -all its forms, skin-disease, arthritis, gout, and so forth; secondly, -affections of the stomach, of the intestines and of the liver; thirdly, -all the disorders arising from disturbed circulation, for it is -indisputable that our acidulated baths have an admirable effect on the -circulation. - -"Moreover, Messieurs, the marvelous cure of Père Clovis promises us -miracles. Accordingly, when we have to deal with maladies which these -waters are calculated to cure, we are about to make to the principal -physicians who attend patients for such diseases the following -proposition: 'Messieurs,' we shall say to them, 'come and see, come and -see with your own eyes; follow your patients; we offer you hospitality. -The country is magnificent; you require a rest after your severe labors -during the winter--come! And come not to our houses, worthy professors, -but to your own, for we offer you a cottage, which will belong to you, -if you choose, on exceptional conditions.'" - -Andermatt took breath, and went on in a more subdued tone: - -"Here is how I have tried to work out this idea. We have selected six -lots of land of a thousand meters each. On each of these six lots, -the Bernese 'Chalets Mobiles' Company undertakes to fix one of their -model buildings. We shall place gratuitously these dwellings, as -elegant as they are comfortable, at the disposal of our physicians. -If they are pleased with them, they need only buy the houses from -the Bernese Company; as for the grounds, we shall assign them to the -physicians, who are to pay us back--in invalids. Therefore, Messieurs, -we obtain these multiplied advantages of covering our property with -charming villas which cost us nothing, of attracting thither the -leading physicians of the world and their legion of clients, and above -all of convincing the eminent doctors who will very rapidly become -proprietors in the district of the efficacy of our waters. As to all -the negotiations necessary to bring about these results I take them -upon myself, Messieurs; and I will do so, not as a speculator but as a -man of the world." - -Père Oriol interrupted him. The parsimony which he shared with the -peasantry of Auvergne made him object to this gratuitous assignment of -land. - -Andermatt was inspired with a burst of eloquence. He compared the -agriculturist on a large scale who casts his seed in handfuls into the -teeming soil with the rapacious peasant who counts the grains and never -gets more than half a harvest. - -Then, as Oriol, annoyed by this language, persisted in his objections, -the banker made his board divide, and shut the old man's mouth with six -votes against two. - -He next opened a large morocco portfolio and took out of it plans -of the new establishment--the hotel and the Casino--as well as the -estimates, and the most economical methods of procuring materials, -which had been all prepared by the contractors, so that they might be -approved of and signed before the end of the meeting. The works should -be commenced by the beginning of the week after next. - -The two Oriols alone wanted to investigate and discuss matters. But -Andermatt, becoming irritated, said to them: "Did I ask you for money? -No! Then give me peace! And, if you are not satisfied, we'll take -another division on it." - -Thereupon, they signed along with the remaining members of the Board; -and the meeting terminated. - -All the inhabitants of the place were waiting to see them going out, so -intense was the excitement. The people bowed respectfully to them. As -the two peasants were about to return home, Andermatt said to them: - -"Do not forget that we are all dining together at the hotel. And bring -your girls; I have brought them presents from Paris." - -They were to meet at seven o'clock in the drawing-room of the Hotel -Splendid. - -It was a magnificent dinner to which the banker had invited the -principal bathers and the authorities of the village. Christiane, who -was the hostess, had the curé at her right, and the mayor at her left. - -The conversation was all about the future establishment and the -prospects of the district. The two Oriol girls had found under their -napkins two caskets containing two bracelets of pearls and emeralds, -and wild with delight, they talked as they had never done before, with -Gontran sitting between them. The elder girl herself laughed with all -her heart at the jokes of the young man, who became animated, while he -talked to them, and in his own mind formed about them those masculine -judgments, those judgments daring and secret, which are generated in -the flesh and in the mind, at the sight of every pretty woman. - -Paul did not eat, and did not open his lips. It seemed to him that -his life was going to end to-night. Suddenly he remembered that just -a month had glided away, day by day, since the open-air dinner by the -lake of Tazenat. He had in his soul that vague sense of pain caused -rather by presentiments than by grief, known to lovers alone, that -sense of pain which makes the heart so heavy, the nerves so vibrating -that the slightest noise makes us pant, and the mind so wretchedly sad -that everything we hear assumes a somber hue so as to correspond with -the fixed idea. - -As soon as they had quitted the table, he went to join Christiane in -the drawing-room. - -"I must see you this evening," he said, "presently, immediately, since -I no longer can tell when we may be able to meet. Are you aware that it -is just a month to-day?" - -She replied: "I know it." - -He went on: "Listen! I am going to wait for you on the road to La Roche -Pradière, in front of the village, close to the chestnut-trees. Nobody -will notice your absence at the time. Come quickly in order to bid me -adieu, since to-morrow we part." - -She murmured: "I'll be there in a quarter of an hour." - -And he went out to avoid being in the midst of this crowd which -exasperated him. - -He took the path through the vineyards which they had followed one -day--the day when they had gazed together at the Limagne for the first -time. And soon he was on the highroad. He was alone, and he felt alone, -alone in the world. The immense, invisible plain increased still more -this sense of isolation. He stopped in the very spot where they had -seated themselves on the occasion when he recited Baudelaire's lines -on Beauty. How far away it was already! And, hour by hour, he retraced -in his memory all that had since taken place. Never had he been so -happy, never! Never had he loved so distractedly, and at the same time -so chastely, so devotedly. And he recalled that evening by the "gour" -of Tazenat, only a month from to-day--the cool wood mellowed with a -pale luster, the little lake of silver, and the big fishes that skimmed -along its surface; and their return, when he saw her walking in front -of him with light and shadow falling on her in turn, the moon's rays -playing on her hair, on her shoulders, and on her arms through the -leaves of the trees. These were the sweetest hours he had tasted in his -life. He turned round to ascertain whether she might not have arrived. -He did not see her, but he perceived the moon, which appeared at the -horizon. The same moon which had risen for his first declaration of -love had risen now for his first adieu. - -A shiver ran through his body, an icy shiver. The autumn had come--the -autumn that precedes the winter. He had not till now felt this first -touch of cold, which pierced his frame suddenly like a menace of -misfortune. - -The white road, full of dust, stretched in front of him, like a river -between its banks. A form at that moment rose up at the turn of -the road. He recognized her at once; and he waited for her without -flinching, trembling with the mysterious bliss of feeling her drawing -near, of seeing her coming toward him, for him. - -She walked with lingering steps, without venturing to call out to him, -uneasy at not finding him yet, for he remained concealed under a tree, -and disturbed by the deep silence, by the clear solitude of the earth -and sky. And, before her, her shadow advanced, black and gigantic, some -distance away from her, appearing to carry toward him something of her, -before herself. - -Christiane stopped, and the shadow remained also motionless, lying -down, fallen on the road. - -Paul quickly took a few steps forward as far as the place where the -form of the head rounded itself on her path. Then, as if he wanted to -lose no portion of her, he sank on his knees, and prostrating himself, -placed his mouth on the edge of the dark silhouette. Just as a thirsty -dog drinks crawling on his belly in a spring he began to kiss the dust -passionately, following the outlines of the beloved shadow. In this -way, he moved toward her on his hands and knees, covering with caresses -the lines of her body, as if to gather up with his lips the obscure -image, dear because it was hers, that lay spread along the ground. - -She, surprised, a little frightened even, waited till he was at her -feet before she had the courage to speak to him; then, when he had -lifted up his head, still remaining on his knees, but now straining her -with both arms, she asked: - -"What is the matter with you, to-night?" - -He replied: "Liane, I am going to lose you." - -She thrust all her fingers into the thick hair of her lover, and, -bending down, held back his forehead in order to kiss his eyes. - -"Why lose me?" said she, smiling, full of confidence. - -"Because we are going to separate to-morrow." - -"We separate? For a very short time, darling." - -"One never knows. We shall not again find days like those that we -passed here." - -"We shall have others which will be as lovely." - -She raised him up, drew him under the tree, where he had been awaiting -her, made him sit down close to her, but lower down, so that she might -have her hand constantly in his hair; and she talked in a serious -strain, like a thoughtful, ardent, and resolute woman, who loves, who -has already provided against everything, who instinctively knows what -must be done, who has made up her mind for everything. - -"Listen, my darling. I am very free at Paris. William never bothers -himself about me. His business concerns are enough for him. Therefore, -as you are not married, I will go to see you. I will go to see you -every day, sometimes in the morning before breakfast, sometimes in the -evening, on account of the servants, who might chatter if I went out at -the same hour. We can meet as often as here, even more than here, for -we shall not have to fear inquisitive persons." - -But he repeated with his head on her knees, and her waist tightly -clasped: "Liane, Liane, I am going to lose you!" - -She became impatient at this unreasonable grief, at this childish grief -in this vigorous frame, while she, so fragile compared with him, was -yet so sure of herself, so sure that nothing could part them. - -He murmured: "If you wished it, Liane, we might fly off together, we -might go far away, into a beautiful country full of flowers where we -could love one another. Say, do you wish that we should go off together -this evening--are you willing?" - -But she shrugged her shoulders, a little nervous, a little -dissatisfied, at his not having listened to her, for this was not the -time for dreams and soft puerilities. It was necessary now for them to -show themselves energetic and prudent, and to find out a way in which -they could continue to love one another without rousing suspicion. - -She said in reply: "Listen, darling! we must thoroughly understand our -position, and commit no mistakes or imprudences. First of all, are you -sure about your servants? The thing to be most feared is lest some one -should give information or write an anonymous letter to my husband. Of -his own accord, he will guess nothing. I know William well." - -This name, twice repeated, all at once had an irritating effect on -Paul's nerves. He said: "Oh! don't speak to me about him this evening." - -She was astonished: "Why? It is quite necessary, however. Oh! I assure -you that he has scarcely anything to do with me." - -She had divined his thoughts. An obscure jealousy, as yet unconscious, -was awakened within him. And suddenly, sinking on his knees and seizing -her hands: - -"Listen, Liane! What terms are you on with him?" - -"Why--why--very good!" - -"Yes, I know. But listen--understand me clearly. He is--he is your -husband, in fact--and--and--you don't know how much I have been -brooding over this for some time past--how much it torments, tortures -me. You know what I mean. Tell me!" - -She hesitated a few seconds, then in a flash she realized his entire -meaning, and with an outburst of indignant candor: - -"Oh! my darling!--can you--can you think such a thing? Oh! I am -yours--do you understand?--yours alone--since I love you--oh! Paul!" - -He let his head sink on the young woman's lap, and in a very soft -voice, said: - -"But!--after all, Liane, you know he is your husband. What will you do? -Have you thought of that? Tell me! What will you do this evening or -to-morrow? For you cannot--always, always say 'No' to him!" - -She murmured, speaking also in a very low tone: "I have pretended to -be _enceinte_, and--and that is enough for him. Oh! there is scarcely -anything between us--Come! say no more about this, my darling. You -don't know how this wounds me. Trust me, since I love you!" - -He did not move, breathing hard and kissing her dress, while she -caressed his face with her amorous, dainty Fingers. - -But, all of a sudden, she said: "We must go back, for they will notice -that we are both absent." - -They embraced each other, clinging for a long time to one another in a -clasp that might well have crushed their bones. - -Then she rushed away so as to be back first and to enter the hotel -quickly, while he watched her departing and vanishing from his sight, -oppressed with sadness, as if all his happiness and all his hopes had -taken flight along with her. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - -The Spa Again - - -The station of Enval could hardly be recognized on the first of July -of the following year. On the summit of the knoll, standing between -the two outlets of the valley, rose a building in the Moorish style of -architecture, bearing on its front the word "Casino" in letters of gold. - -A little wood had been utilized for the purpose of creating a small -park on the slope facing the Limagne. Lower down, among the vines, six -chalets here and there showed their _façades_ of polished wood. On the -slope facing the south, an immense structure was visible at a distance -to travelers, who perceived it on their way from Riom. - -This was the Grand Hotel of Mont Oriol. And exactly below it, at the -very foot of the hill, a square house, simpler and more spacious, -surrounded by a garden, through which ran the rivulet which flowed down -from the gorges, offered to invalids the miraculous cure promised by a -pamphlet of Doctor Latonne. On the _façade_ could be read: "Thermal -baths of Mont Oriol." Then, on the right wing, in smaller letters: -"Hydropathy.--Stomach-washing.--Piscina with running water." And, on -the left wing: "Medical institute of automatic gymnastics." - -All this was white, with a fresh whiteness, shining and crude. Workmen -were still occupied in completing it--house-painters, plumbers, and -laborers employed in digging, although the establishment had already -been a month open. - -Its success, moreover, had since the start, surpassed the hopes of -its founders. Three great physicians, three celebrities, Professor -Mas-Roussel, Professor Cloche, and Professor Remusot, had taken the new -station under their patronage, and consented to sojourn for sometime in -the villas of the Bernese "Chalets Mobiles" Company, placed at their -disposal by the Board intrusted with the management of the waters. - -Under their influence a crowd of invalids flocked to the place. The -Grand Hotel of Mont Oriol was full. - -Although the baths had commenced working since the first days of June, -the official opening of the station had been postponed till the first -of July, in order to attract a great number of people. The _fête_ was -to commence at three o'clock with the ceremony of blessing the springs; -and in the evening, a magnificent performance, followed by fireworks -and a ball, would bring together all the bathers of the place, as well -as those of the adjoining stations, and the principal inhabitants of -Clermont-Ferrand and Riom. - -The Casino on the summit of the hill was hidden from view by the flags. -Nothing could be seen any longer but blue, red, white, yellow, a kind -of dense and palpitating cloud; while from the tops of the gigantic -masts planted along the walks in the park, huge oriflammes curled -themselves in the blue sky with serpentine windings. - -M. Petrus Martel, who had been appointed conductor of this new Casino, -seemed to think that under this cloud of flags he had become the -all-powerful captain of some fantastic ship; and he gave orders to the -white-aproned waiters with the resounding and terrible voice which -admirals need in order to exercise command under fire. His vibrating -words, borne on by the wind, were heard even in the village. - -Andermatt, out of breath already, appeared on the terrace. Petrus -Martel advanced to meet him and bowed to him in a lordly fashion. - -"Everything is going on well?" inquired the banker. - -"Everything is going on well, my dear President." - -"If anyone wants me, I am to be found in the medical inspector's study. -We have a meeting this morning." - -And he went down the hill again. In front of the door of the thermal -establishment, the overseer and the cashier, carried off also from the -other Company, which had become the rival Company, but doomed without -a possible contest, rushed forward to meet their master. The ex-jailer -made a military salute. The other bent his head like a poor person -receiving alms. Andermatt asked: - -"Is the inspector here?" - -The overseer replied: "Yes, Monsieur le President, all the gentlemen -have arrived." - -The banker passed through the vestibule, in the midst of bathers and -respectful waiters, turned to the right, opened a door, and found in a -spacious apartment of serious aspect, full of books and busts of men of -science, all the members of the Board at present in Enval assembled: -his father-in-law the Marquis, and his brother-in-law Gontran, the -Oriols, father and son, who had almost been transformed into gentlemen -wearing frock-coats of such length that--with their own tallness, they -looked like advertisements for a mourning-warehouse--Paul Bretigny, and -Doctor Latonne. - -After some rapid hand-shaking, they took their seats, and Andermatt -commenced to address them: - -"It remains for us to regulate an important matter, the naming of -the springs. On this subject I differ entirely in opinion from the -inspector. The doctor proposes to give to our three principal springs -the names of the three leaders of the medical profession who are -here. Assuredly, there would in this be a flattery which might touch -them and win them over to us still more. But be sure, Messieurs, that -it would alienate from us forever those among their distinguished -professional brethren who have not yet responded to our invitation, and -whom we should convince, at the cost of our best efforts and of every -sacrifice, of the sovereign efficacy of our waters. Yes, Messieurs, -human nature is unchangeable; it is necessary to know it and to -make use of it. Never would Professors Plantureau, De Larenard, and -Pascalis, to refer only to these three specialists in affections of the -stomach and intestines, send their patients to be cured by the water -of the Mas-Roussel Spring, the Cloche Spring, or the Remusot Spring. -For these patients and the entire public would in that case be somewhat -disposed to believe that it was by Professors Remusot, Cloche, and -Mas-Roussel that our water and all its therapeutic properties had been -discovered. There is no doubt, Messieurs, that the name of Gubler, with -which the original spring at Chatel-Guyon was baptized, for a long time -prejudiced against these waters, to-day in a prosperous condition, a -section, at least, of the great physicians, who might have patronized -it from the start. - -"I accordingly propose to give quite simply the name of my wife to the -spring first discovered and the names of the Mademoiselles Oriol to -the other two. We shall thus have the Christiane, the Louise, and the -Charlotte Springs. This suits very well; it is very nice. What do you -say to it?" - -His suggestion was adopted even by Doctor Latonne, who added: "We might -then beg of MM. Mas-Roussel, Cloche, and Remusot to be godfathers and -to offer their arms to the godmothers." - -"Excellent, excellent," said Andermatt. "I am hurrying to meet them. -And they will consent. I may answer for them--they will consent. Let -us, therefore, reassemble at three o'clock in the church where the -procession is to be formed." - -And he went off at a running pace. The Marquis and Gontran followed him -almost immediately. The Oriols, father and son, with tall hats on their -heads, hastened to walk in their turn side by side, grave looking and -all in black, on the white road; and Doctor Latonne said to Paul, who -had only arrived the previous evening, to be present at the _fête:_ - -"I have detained you, Monsieur, in order to show you a thing from which -I expect marvelous results. It is my medical institute of automatic -gymnastics." - -He took him by the arm, and led him in. But they had scarcely reached -the vestibule when a waiter at the baths stopped the doctor: - -"M. Riquier is waiting for his wash." - -Doctor Latonne had, last year, spoken disparagingly of the stomach -washings, extolled and practiced by Doctor Bonnefille, in the -establishment of which he was inspector. But time had modified his -opinion, and the Baraduc probe had become the great instrument of -torture of the new inspector, who plunged it with an infantile delight -into every gullet. - -He inquired of Paul Bretigny: "Have you ever seen this little -operation?" - -The other replied: "No, never." - -"Come on then, my dear fellow--it is very curious." - -They entered the shower-bath room, where M. Riquier, the brick-colored -man, who was this year trying the newly discovered springs, as he had -tried, every summer, every fresh station, was waiting in a wooden -armchair. - -Like some executed criminal of olden times, he was squeezed and choked -up in a kind of straight waistcoat of oilcloth, which was intended to -preserve his clothes from stains and splashes; and he had the wretched, -restless, and pained look of patients on whom a surgeon is about to -operate. - -As soon as the doctor appeared, the waiter took up a long tube, which -had three divisions near the middle, and which had the appearance of -a thin serpent with a double tail. Then the man fixed one of the -ends to the extremity of a little cock communicating with the spring. -The second was let fall into a glass receiver, into which would be -presently discharged the liquids rejected by the patient's stomach; and -the medical inspector, seizing with a steady hand the third arm of this -conduit-pipe, drew it, with an air of amiability, toward M. Riquier's -jaw, passed it into his mouth, and guiding it dexterously, slipped -it into his throat, driving it in more and more with the thumb and -index-finger, in a gracious and benevolent fashion, repeating: - -"Very good! very good! very good! That will do, that will do; that will -do; that will do exactly!" - -M. Riquier, with staring eyes, purple cheeks, lips covered with foam, -panted for breath, gasped as if he were suffocating, and had agonizing -fits of coughing; and, clutching the arms of the chair, he made -terrible efforts to get rid of that beastly india-rubber which was -penetrating into his body. - -When he had swallowed about a foot and a half of it, the doctor said: -"We are at the bottom. Turn it on!" - -The attendant thereupon turned on the cock, and soon the patient's -stomach became visibly swollen, having been filled up gradually with -the warm water of the spring. - -"Cough," said the physician, "cough, in order to facilitate the -descent." - -In place of coughing, the poor man had a rattling in the throat, and -shaken with convulsions, he looked as if his eyes were going to jump -out of his head. - -Then suddenly a light gurgling could be heard on the ground close to -the armchair. The spout of the tube with the two passages had at last -begun to work; and the stomach now emptied itself into this glass -receiver where the doctor searched eagerly for the indications of -catarrh and the recognizable traces of imperfect digestion. - -"You are not to eat any more green peas," said he, "or salad. Oh! no -salad! You cannot digest it at all. No more strawberries either! I have -already repeated to you ten times, no strawberries!" - -M. Riquier seemed raging with anger. He excited himself now without -being able to utter a word on account of this tube, which stopped up -his throat. But when, the washing having been finished, the doctor had -delicately drawn out the probe from his interior, he exclaimed: - -"Is it my fault if I am eating every day filth that ruins my health? -Isn't it you that should watch the meals supplied by your hotel-keeper? -I have come to your new cook-shop because they used to poison me at -the old one with abominable food, and I am worse than ever in your big -barrack of a Mont Oriol inn, upon my honor!" - -The doctor had to appease him, and promised over and over again to have -the invalids' food at the _table d'hôte_ submitted beforehand to his -inspection. Then, he took Paul Bretigny's arm again, and said as he led -him away: - -"Here are the extremely rational principles on which I have established -my special treatment by the self-moving gymnastics, which we are -going to inspect. You know my system of organometric medicine, don't -you? I maintain that a great portion of our maladies entirely proceed -from the excessive development of some one organ which encroaches on -a neighboring organ, impedes its functions, and, in a little while, -destroys the general harmony of the body, whence arise the most serious -disturbances. - -"Now, the exercise is, along with the shower-bath and the thermal -treatment, one of the most powerful means of restoring the equilibrium -and bringing back the encroaching parts to their normal proportions. - -"But how are we to determine the man to make the exercise? There is -not merely the act of walking, of mounting on horseback, of swimming -or rowing--a considerable physical effort. There is also and above -all a moral effort. It is the mind which determines, draws along, and -sustains the body. The men of energy are men of movement. Now energy is -in the soul and not in the muscles. The body obeys the vigorous will. - -"It is not necessary to think, my dear friend, of giving courage to -the cowardly or resolution to the weak. But we can do something else, -we can do more--we can suppress mental energy, suppress moral effort -and leave only physical subsisting. This moral effort, I replace with -advantage by a foreign and purely mechanical force. Do you understand? -No, not very well. Let us go in." - -He opened a door leading into a large apartment, in which were ranged -fantastic looking instruments, big armchairs with wooden legs, horses -made of rough deal, articulated boards, and movable bars stretched -in front of chairs fixed in the ground. And all these objects were -connected with complicated machinery, which was set in motion by -turning handles. - -The doctor went on: "Look here. We have four principal kinds of -exercise. These are walking, equitation, swimming, and rowing. Each of -these exercises develops different members, acts in a special fashion. -Now, we have them here--the entire four--produced by artificial means. -All you have to do is to let yourself act, while thinking of nothing, -and you can run, mount on horseback, swim, or row for an hour, without -the mind taking any part--the slightest part in the world--in this -entirely muscular work." - -At that moment, M. Aubry-Pasteur entered, followed by a man whose -tucked-up sleeves displayed the vigorous biceps on each arm. The -engineer was as fat as ever. He was walking with his legs spread Wide -apart and his arms held out from his body, While he panted for breath. - -The doctor said: "You will understand by looking on at it yourself." - -And addressing his patient: "Well, my dear Monsieur, what are we going -to do to-day? Walking or equitation?" - -M. Aubry-Pasteur, who pressed Paul's hand, replied: "I would like a -little walking seated; that fatigues me less." - -M. Latonne continued: "We have, in fact, walking seated and walking -erect. Walking erect, while more efficacious, is rather painful. I -procure it by means of pedals on which you mount and which set your -legs in motion while you maintain your equilibrium by clinging to -rings fastened to the wall. But here is an example of walking while -seated." - -The engineer had fallen back into a rocking armchair, and he placed his -legs in the wooden legs with movable joints attached to this seat. His -thighs, calves, and ankles were strapped down in such a way that he was -unable to make any voluntary movement; then, the man with the tucked-up -sleeves, seizing the handle, turned it round with all his strength. The -armchair, at first, swayed to and fro like a hammock; then, suddenly, -the patient's legs went out, stretching forward and bending back, -advancing and returning, with extreme speed. - -"He is running," said the doctor, who then gave the order: "Quietly! Go -at a walking pace." - -The man, turning the handle more slowly, caused the fat engineer to -do the sitting walk in a more moderate fashion, which ludicrously -distorted all the movements of his body. - -Two other patients next made their appearance, both of them enormous, -and followed also by two attendants with naked arms. - -They were hoisted upon wooden horses, which, set in motion, began -immediately to jump along the room, shaking their riders in an -abominable manner. - -"Gallop!" cried the doctor. And the artificial animals, rushing like -waves and capsizing like ships, fatigued the two patients so much that -they began to scream out together in a panting and pitiful tone: - -"Enough! enough! I can't stand it any longer! Enough!" - -The physician said in a tone of command: "Stop!" He then added: "Take -breath for a little while. You will go on again in five minutes." - -Paul Bretigny, who was choking with suppressed laughter, drew attention -to the fact that the riders were not warm, while the handle-turners -were perspiring. - -"If you inverted the rôles," said he, "would it not be better?" - -The doctor gravely replied: "Oh! not at all, my dear friend. We must -not confound exercise and fatigue. The movement of the man who is -turning the wheel is injurious, while the movement of the walker or the -rider is beneficial." - -But Paul noticed a lady's saddle. - -"Yes," said the physician; "the evening is reserved for the other sex. -The men are no longer admitted after twelve o'clock. Come, then, and -look at the dry swimming." - -A system of movable little boards screwed together at their ends and at -their centers, stretched out in lozenge-shape or closing into squares, -like that children's game which carries along soldiers who are spurred -on, permitted three swimmers to be garroted and mangled at the same -time. - -The doctor said: "I need not extol to you the benefits of dry -swimming, which does not moisten the body except by perspiration, and -consequently does not expose our imaginary bather to any danger of -rheumatism." - -But a waiter, with a card in his hand, came to look for the doctor. - -"The Duc de Ramas, my dear friend. I must leave you. Excuse me." - -Paul, left there alone, turned round. The two cavaliers were trotting -afresh. M. Aubry-Pasteur was walking still; and the three natives of -Auvergne, with their arms all but broken and their backs cracking with -thus shaking the patients on whom they were operating, were quite out -of breath. They looked as if they were grinding coffee. - -When he had reached the open air, Bretigny saw Doctor Honorat watching, -along with his wife, the preparations for the _fête_. They began to -chat, gazing at the flags which crowned the hill with a kind of halo. - -"Is it at the church the procession is to be formed?" the physician -asked his wife. - -"It is at the church." - -"At three o'clock?" - -"At three o'clock." - -"The professors will be there?" - -"Yes, they will accompany the lady-sponsors." - -The next persons to stop were the ladies Paille. Then, came the -Monecus, father and daughter. But as he was going to breakfast alone -with his friend Gontran at the Casino Café, he slowly made his way up -to it. Paul, who had arrived the night before, had not had an interview -with his comrade for the past month; and he was longing to tell him -many boulevard stories--stories about gay women and houses of pleasure. - -They remained chattering away till half past two when Petrus Martel -came to inform them that people were on their way to the church. - -"Let us go and look for Christiane," said Gontran. - -"Let us go," returned Paul. - -They found her standing on the steps of the new hotel. She had the -hollow cheeks and the swarthy complexion of pregnant women; and her -figure indicated a near accouchement. - -"I was waiting for you," she said. "William is gone on before us. He -has so many things to do to-day." - -She cast toward Paul Bretigny a glance full of tenderness, and took his -arm. They went quietly on their way, avoiding the stones. - -She kept repeating: "How heavy I am! How heavy I am! I am no longer -able to walk. I am so much afraid of falling!" - -He did not reply, and carefully held her up, without seeking to meet -her eyes which she turned toward him incessantly. - -In front of the church, a dense crowd was awaiting them. - -Andermatt cried: "At last! at last! Come, make haste. See, this is the -order: two choir-boys, two chanters in surplices, the cross, the holy -water, the priest, then Christiane with Professor Cloche, Mademoiselle -Louise with Professor Remusot, and Mademoiselle Charlotte with -Professor Mas-Roussel. Next come the members of the Board, the medical -body, then the public. This is understood. Forward!" - -The ecclesiastical staff thereupon left the church, taking their places -at the head of the procession. Then a tall gentleman with white hair -brushed back over his ears, the typical "scientist," in accordance with -the academic form, approached Madame Andermatt, and saluted her with a -low bow. - -When he had straightened himself up again, with his head uncovered, in -order to display his beautiful, scientific head, and his hat resting -on his thigh with an imposing air as if he had learned to walk at the -Comédie Française, and to show the people his rosette of officer of the -Legion of Honor, too big for a modest man. - -He began to talk: "Your husband, Madame, has been speaking to me -about you just now, and about your condition which gives rise to some -affectionate disquietude. He has told me about your doubts and your -hesitations as to the probable moment of your delivery." - -She reddened to the temples, and she murmured: "Yes, I believed that I -would be a mother a very long time before the event. Now I can't tell -either--I can't tell either----" - -She faltered in a state of utter confusion. - -A voice from behind them said: "This station has a very great future -before it. I have already obtained surprising effects." - -It was Professor Remusot addressing his companion, Louise Oriol. This -gentleman was small, with yellow, unkempt hair, and a frock-coat badly -cut, the dirty look of a slovenly savant. - -Professor Mas-Roussel, who gave his arm to Charlotte Oriol, was a -handsome physician, without beard or mustache, smiling, well-groomed, -hardly turning gray as yet, a little fleshy, and, with his smooth, -clean-shaven face, resembling neither a priest nor an actor, as was the -case with Doctor Latonne. - -Next came the members of the Board, with Andermatt at their head, and -the tall hats of old Oriol and his son towering above them. - -Behind them came another row of tall hats, the medical body of Enval, -among whom Doctor Bonnefille was not included, his place, indeed, being -taken by two new physicians, Doctor Black, a very short old man almost -a dwarf, whose excessive piety had surprised the whole district since -the day of his arrival; then a very good-looking young fellow, very -much given to flirtation, and wearing a small hat, Doctor Mazelli, an -Italian attached to the person of the Duc de Ramas--others said, to the -person of the Duchesse. - -And behind them could be seen the public, a flood of people--bathers, -peasants, and inhabitants of the adjoining towns. - -The ceremony of blessing the springs was very short. The Abbé Litre -sprinkled them one after the other with holy water, which made Doctor -Honorat say that he was going to give them new properties with chloride -of sodium. Then all the persons specially invited entered the large -reading-room, where a collation had been served. - -Paul said to Gontran: "How pretty the little Oriol girls have become!" - -"They are charming, my dear fellow." - -"You have not seen M. le President?" suddenly inquired the ex-jailer -overseer. - -"Yes, he is over there, in the corner." - -"Père Clovis is gathering a big crowd in front of the door." - -Already, while moving in the direction of the springs for the purpose -of having them blessed, the entire procession had filed off in front of -the old invalid, cured the year before, and now again more paralyzed -than ever. He would stop the visitors on the road and the last-comers -as a matter of choice, in order to tell them his story: - -"These waters here, you see, are no good--they cure, 'tis true, but you -relapse again afterward, and after this relapse you're half a corpse. -As for me, my legs were better before, and here I am now with my arms -gone in consequence of the cure. And my legs, they're iron, but iron -that you have to cut before it bends." - -Andermatt, filled with vexation, had tried to prosecute him in a court -of justice and to get him sent to jail for having depreciated the -waters of Mont Oriol and having attempted extortion. But he had not -succeeded in obtaining a conviction or in shutting the old fellow's -mouth. - -The moment he was informed that the old vagabond was babbling before -the door of the establishment, he rushed out to make Clovis keep silent. - -At the side of the highroad, in the center of an excited crowd, he -heard angry voices. People pressed forward to listen and to see. Some -ladies asked: "What is this?" Some men replied: "'Tis an invalid, whom -the waters here have finished." Others believed that an infant had just -been squashed. It was also said that a poor woman had got an attack of -epilepsy. - -Andermatt broke through the crowd, as he knew how to do, by violently -pushing his little round stomach between the stomachs of other people. -"It proves," Gontran remarked, "the superiority of balls to points." - -Père Clovis, sitting on the ditch, whined about his pains, recounted -his sufferings in a sniveling tone, while standing in front of him, -and separating him from the public, the Oriols, father and son, -exasperated, were hurling insults and threats at him as loudly as ever -they could. - -"That's not true," cried Colosse. "This fellow is a liar, a sham, a -poacher, who runs all night through the wood." - -But the old fellow, without getting excited, kept reiterating in a -high, piercing voice which was heard above the vociferations of the two -Oriols: "They've killed me, my good monchieus, they've killed me with -their water. They bathed me in it by force last year. And here I am at -this moment--here I am!" - -Andermatt imposed silence on all, and stooping toward the impotent man, -said to him, looking into the depths of his eyes: "If you are worse, it -is your own fault, mind. If you listen to me, I undertake to cure you, -I do, with fifteen or twenty baths at most. Come and look me up at the -establishment in an hour, when the people have all gone away, my good -father. In the meantime, hold your tongue." - -The old fellow had understood. He became silent, then, after a pause, -he answered: "I'm always willing to give it a fair trial. You'll see." - -Andermatt caught the two Oriols by the arms and quickly dragged them -away; while Père Clovis remained stretched on the grass between his -crutches, at the side of the road, blinking his eyes under the rays of -the sun. - -The puzzled crowd kept pressing round him. Some gentlemen questioned -him, but he did not reply, as though he had not heard or understood; -and as this curiosity, futile just now, ended by fatiguing him, he -began to sing, bareheaded, in a voice as false as it was shrill, an -interminable ditty in an unintelligible dialect. - -The crowd ebbed away gradually. Only a few children remained standing -a long time in front of him, with their fingers in their noses, -contemplating him. - -Christiane, exceedingly tired, had gone in to take a rest. Paul and -Gontran walked about through the new park in the midst of the visitors. -Suddenly they saw the company of players, who had also deserted the old -Casino, to attach themselves to the growing fortunes of the new. - -Mademoiselle Odelin, who had become quite fashionable, was leaning -as she walked on the arm of her mother, who had assumed an air of -importance. M. Petitnivelle, of the Vaudeville, appeared very attentive -to these ladies, who followed M. Lapalme of the Grand Theater of -Bordeaux, arguing with the musicians just as of old, the _maestro_ -Saint Landri, the pianist Javel, the flautist Noirot, and the -double-bass Nicordi. - -On perceiving Paul and Gontran, Saint Landri rushed toward them. He -had, during the winter, got a very small musical composition performed -in a very small out-of-the-way theater; but the newspapers had spoken -of him with a certain favor, and he now treated Massenet, Beyer, and -Gounod contemptuously. - -He stretched forth both hands with an outburst of friendly regard, -and immediately proceeded to repeat what he had been saying to those -gentlemen of the orchestra over whom he was the conductor. - -"Yes, my dear friend, it is finished, finished, finished, the hackneyed -style of the old school. The melodists have had their day. This is -what people cannot understand. Music is a new art, melody is its first -lisping. The ignorant ear loves the burden of a song. It takes a -child's pleasure, a savage's pleasure in it. I may add that the ears -of the people or of the ingenuous public, the simple ears, will always -love little songs, airs, in a word. It is an amusement similar to that -in which the frequenters of _café_ concerts indulge. I am going to -make use of a comparison in order to make myself understood. The eye -of the rustic loves crude colors and glaring pictures; the eye of the -intelligent representative of the middle class who is not artistic -loves shades benevolently pretentious and affecting subjects; but the -artistic eye, the refined eye, loves, understands, and distinguishes -the imperceptible modulations of a single tone, the mysterious -harmonies of light touches invisible to most people. - -"It is the same with literature. Doorkeepers like romances of -adventure, the middle class like novels which appeal to the feelings; -while the real lovers of literature care only for the artistic books -which are incomprehensible to the others. When an ordinary citizen -talks music to me I feel a longing to kill him. And when it is at the -opera, I ask him: 'Are you capable of telling me whether the third -violin has made a false note in the overture of the third act? No. Then -be silent. You have no ear. The man who does not understand, at the -same time, the whole and all the instruments separately in an orchestra -has no ear, and is no musician. There you are! Good night!'" - -He turned round on his heel, and resumed: "For an artist all music is -in a chord. Ah! my friend, certain chords madden me, cause a flood of -inexpressible happiness to penetrate all my flesh. I have to-day an ear -so well exercised, so finished, so matured, that I end by liking even -certain false chords, just like a virtuoso whose fully-developed taste -amounts to a form of depravity. I am beginning to be a vitiated person -who seeks for extreme sensations of hearing. Yes, my friends, certain -false notes. What delights! What perverse and profound delights! How -this moves, how it shakes the nerves! how it scratches the ear--how it -scratches! how it scratches!" - -He rubbed his hands together rapturously, and he hummed: "You shall -hear my opera--my opera--my opera. You shall hear my opera." - -Gontran said: "You are composing an opera?" - -"Yes, I have finished it." But the commanding voice of Petrus Martel -resounded: - -"You understand perfectly! A yellow rocket, and off you go!" - -He was giving orders for the fireworks. They joined him, and he -explained his arrangements by showing with his outstretched arm, as -if he were threatening a hostile fleet, stakes of white wood on the -mountain above the gorge, on the opposite side of the valley. - -"It is over there that they are to be shot out. I told my pyrotechnist -to be at his post at half past eight. The very moment the spectacle is -over, I will give the signal from here by a yellow rocket, and then he -will illuminate the opening piece." - -The Marquis made his appearance: "I am going to drink a glass of -water," he said. - -Paul and Gontran accompanied him, and again descended the hill. On -reaching the establishment, they saw Père Clovis, who had got there, -sustained by the two Oriols, followed by Andermatt and by the doctor, -and making, every time he trailed his legs on the ground, contortions -suggestive of extreme pain. - -"Let us go in," said Gontran, "this will be funny." - -The paralytic was placed sitting in an armchair. Then Andermatt said to -him: "Here is what I propose, old cheat that you are. You are going to -be cured immediately by taking two baths a day. And the moment you walk -you'll have two hundred francs." - -The paralytic began to groan: "My legs, they are iron, my good -Monchieu!" - -Andermatt made him hold his tongue, and went on: "Now, listen! You -shall again have two hundred francs every year up to the time of your -death--you understand--up to the time of your death, if you continue to -experience the salutary effect of our waters." - -The old fellow was in a state of perplexity. The continuous cure was -opposed to his plan of action. He asked in a hesitating tone: "But -when--when it is closed up--this box of yours--if this should take hold -of me again--I can do nothing then--I--seeing that it will be shut -up--your water----" - -Doctor Latonne interrupted him, and, turning toward Andermatt, said: -"Excellent! excellent! We'll cure him every year. This will be -even better, and will show the necessity of annual treatment, the -indispensability of returning hither. Excellent--this is perfectly -clear!" - -But the old man repeated afresh: "It will not suit this time, my good -Monchieu. My legs, they're iron, iron in bars." - -A new idea sprang up in the doctor's mind: "If I got him to try a -course of seated walking," he said, "I might hasten the effect of the -waters considerably. It is an experiment worth trying." - -"Excellent idea," returned Andermatt, adding: "Now, Père Clovis, take -yourself off, and don't forget our agreement." - -The old fellow went away still groaning; and, when evening came on, -all the directors of Mont Oriol came back to dine, for the theatrical -representation was announced to take place at half past seven. - -The great hall of the new Casino was the place where they were to dine. -It was capable of holding a thousand persons. - -At seven o'clock the visitors who had not numbered seats presented -themselves. At half past seven the hall was filled, and the curtain was -raised for the performance of a vaudeville in two acts, which preceded -Saint Landri's operetta, interpreted by vocalists from Vichy, who had -given their services for the occasion. - -Christiane in the front row, between her brother and her husband, -suffered a great deal from the heat. Every moment she repeated: "I feel -quite exhausted! I feel quite exhausted!" - -After the vaudeville, as the operetta was opening, she was becoming -ill, and turning round to her husband, said: "My dear Will, I shall -have to leave. I am suffocating!" - -The banker was annoyed. He was desirous above everything in the world -that this _fête_ should be a success, from start to finish, without a -single hitch. He replied: - -"Make every effort to hold out. I beg of you to do so! Your departure -would upset everything. You would have to pass through the entire hall!" - -But Gontran, who was sitting along with Paul behind her, had overheard. -He leaned toward his sister: "You are too warm?" said he. - -"Yes, I am suffocating." - -"Good. Stay! You are going to have a laugh." - -There was a window near. He slipped toward it, got upon a chair, and -jumped out without attracting hardly any notice. Then he entered the -_café_, which was perfectly empty, stretched his hand out under the -bar where he had seen Petrus Martel conceal the signal-rocket, and, -having filched it, he ran off to hide himself under a group of trees, -and then set it on fire. The swift yellow sheaf flew up toward the -clouds, describing a curve, and casting across the sky a long shower -of flame-drops. Almost instantaneously a terrible detonation burst -forth over the neighboring mountain, and a cluster of stars sent flying -sparks through the darkness of the night. - -Somebody exclaimed in the hall where the spectators were gathered, and -where at the moment Saint Landri's chords were quivering: "They're -letting off the fireworks!" - -The spectators who were nearest to the door abruptly rose to their feet -to make sure about it, and went out with light steps. All the rest -turned their eyes toward the windows, but saw nothing, for they were -looking at the Limagne. People kept asking: "Is it true? Is it true?" - -The impatient assembly got excited, hungering above everything for -simple amusements. A voice from outside announced: "It is true! The -firework's are let off!" - -Then, in a second everyone in the hall was standing up. They rushed -toward the door; they jostled against each other; they yelled at those -who obstructed their egress: "Hurry on! hurry on!" - -The entire audience, in a short time, had emerged into the park. Saint -Landri alone, in a state of exasperation continued beating time in -front of his distracted orchestra. Meanwhile, fiery suns succeeded -Roman candles in the midst of detonations. - -Suddenly, a formidable voice sent forth thrice this wild exclamation: -"Stop, in God's name! Stop, in God's name! Stop, in God's name!" - -And, as an immense Bengal fire next illuminated the mountain and -lighted up in red to the right and blue to the left, the enormous rocks -and trees, Petrus Martel could be seen standing on one of the vases of -imitation marble that decorated the terrace of the Casino, bareheaded, -with his arms in the air, gesticulating and howling. - -Then, the great illumination being extinguished, nothing could be seen -any longer save the real stars. But immediately another rocket shot up, -and Petrus Martel, jumping on the ground, exclaimed: "What a disaster! -what a disaster! My God, what a disaster!" - -And he passed through the crowd with tragic gestures, with blows of his -fist in the empty air, furious stampings of his feet, always repeating: -"What a disaster! My God, what a disaster!" - -Christiane had taken Paul's arm to get a seat in the open air, and kept -looking with delight at the rockets which ascended into the sky. - -Her brother came up to her suddenly, and said: "Hey, is it a success? -Do you think it is funny?" - -She murmured: "What, it is you?" - -"Why, yes, it is I. Is it good, hey?" - -She began to laugh, finding it really amusing. But Andermatt arrived in -a state of great mental distress. He did not understand how such a blow -could have come. The rocket had been stolen from the bar to give the -signal agreed upon. Such an infamy could only have been perpetrated by -some emissary of the old Company, some agent of Doctor Bonnefille! - -And he repeated: "'Tis maddening, positively maddening. Here are -fireworks worth two thousand three hundred francs destroyed, entirely -destroyed!" - -Gontran replied: "No, my dear fellow, on a proper calculation, the loss -does not mount up to more than a quarter; let us put it at a third, if -you like; say seven hundred and sixty-six francs. Your guests will, -therefore, have enjoyed fifteen hundred and thirty-four francs' worth -of rockets. This truly is not bad." - -The banker's anger turned against his brother-in-law. He caught him -roughly by the arm: "Gontran, I want to talk seriously to you. Since I -have a hold of you, let us take a turn in the walks. Besides, I have -five minutes to spare." - -Then, turning toward Christiane: "I place you in charge of our friend -Bretigny, my dear; but don't remain a long time out--take care of -yourself. You might catch cold, you know. Be careful! be careful!" - -She murmured: "Never fear, dear." - -So Andermatt carried off Gontran. When they were alone, at a little -distance from the crowd, the banker stopped: "My dear fellow, 'tis -about your financial position that I want to talk." - -"About my financial position?" - -"Yes, you know it well, your financial position." - -"No. But you ought to know it for me, since you lent money to me." - -"Well, yes, I do know it, and 'tis for that reason I want to talk to -you." - -"It seems to me, to say the least of it, that the moment is ill -chosen--in the midst of a display of fireworks!" - -"The moment, on the contrary, is very well chosen. I am not talking to -you in the midst of a display of fireworks, but before a ball." - -"Before a ball? I don't understand." - -"Well, you are going to understand. Here is your position: you have -nothing except debts; and you'll never have anything but debts." - -Gontran gravely replied: "You tell me that a little bluntly." - -"Yes, because it is necessary. Listen to me! You have eaten up the -share which came to you as a fortune from your mother. Let us say no -more about that." - -"Let us say no more about it." - -"As for your father, he possesses a yearly income of thirty thousand -francs, say, a capital of about eight hundred thousand francs. Your -share, later on, will, therefore, be four hundred thousand francs. Now -you owe me--me, personally--one hundred and ninety thousand francs. You -owe money besides to usurers." - -Gontran muttered in a haughty tone: "Say, to Jews." - -"Be it so, to Jews, although among the number there is a churchwarden -from Saint Sulpice who made use of a priest as an intermediary between -himself and you--but I will not cavil about such trifles. You owe, -then, to various usurers, Israelites or Catholics, nearly as much. Let -us put it at a hundred and fifty thousand at the lowest estimate. This -makes a total of three hundred and forty thousand francs, on which you -are paying interest, always borrowing, except with regard to mine, -which you do not pay." - -"That's right," said Gontran. - -"So then, you have nothing more left." - -"Nothing, indeed--except my brother-in-law." - -"Except your brother-in-law, who has had enough of lending money to -you." - -"What then?" - -"What then, my dear fellow? The poorest peasant living in one of these -huts is richer than you." - -"Exactly--and next?" - -"Next--next--? If your father were to die tomorrow, you would no longer -have any resource to get bread--to get bread, mind you--except to take -a post as a clerk in my house. And this again would only be a means of -disguising the pension which I should be allowing you." - -Gontran, in a tone of irritation, said: "My dear William, these things -bore me. I know them, besides, just as well as you do, and, I repeat, -the moment is ill chosen to remind me about them--with--with so little -diplomacy." - -"Allow me, let me finish. You can only extricate yourself from it by a -marriage. Now, you are a wretched match, in spite of your name, which -sounds well without being illustrious. In short, it is not one of those -which an heiress, even a Jewish one, buys with a fortune. Therefore, we -must find you a wife acceptable and rich--which is not very easy----" - -Gontran interrupted him: "Give her name at once--that is the best way." - -"Be it so--one of Père Oriol's daughters, whichever you prefer. And -this is why I wanted to talk to you before the ball." - -"And now explain yourself at greater length," returned Gontran, coldly. - -"It is very simple. You see the success I have obtained at the start -with this station. Now if I had in my hands, or rather if we had in our -hands all the land which this cunning peasant has kept for himself, -I could turn it into gold. To speak only of the vineyards which lie -between the establishment and the hotel and between the hotel and the -Casino, I would pay a million francs for them to-morrow--I, Andermatt. -Now, these vineyards and others all round the knoll will be the dowries -of these girls. The father told me so again a short time since, not -without an object, perhaps. Well, if you were willing, we could do a -big stroke of business there, the two of us." - -Gontran muttered, with a thoughtful air: "'Tis possible. I'll think -over it." - -"Do think over it, my dear boy, and don't forget that I never speak of -things that are not very sure, or without having given matters every -consideration, and realized all the possible consequences and all the -decided advantages." - -But Gontran, lifting up his arm, as if he had suddenly forgotten all -that his brother-in-law had been saying to him: "Look! How beautiful -that is!" - -The bunch of rockets flamed up, in imitation of a burning palace on -which a blazing flag had inscribed on it "Mont Oriol" in letters of -fire perfectly red and, right opposite to it, above the plain, the -moon, red also, seemed to have come out to contemplate this spectacle. -Then, when the palace, after it had been burning for some minutes, -exploded like a ship which is blown up, flinging toward the wide -heavens fantastic stars which burst in their turn, the moon remained -all alone, calm and round, on the horizon. - -The public applauded wildly, exclaiming: "Hurrah! Bravo! bravo!" - -Andermatt, all of a sudden, said: "Let us go and open the ball, my dear -boy. Are you willing to dance the first quadrille face to face with me?" - -"Why, certainly, my dear brother-in-law." - -"Who have you thought of asking to dance with you? As for me, I have -bespoken the Duchesse de Ramas." - -Gontran answered in a tone of indifference: "I will ask Charlotte -Oriol." - -They reascended. As they passed in front of the spot where Christiane -was resting with Paul Bretigny, they did not notice the pair. William -murmured: "She has followed my advice. She went home to go to bed. She -was quite tired out to-day." And he advanced toward the ballroom which -the attendants had been getting ready during the fireworks. - -But Christiane had not returned to her room, as her husband supposed. -As soon as she realized that she was alone with Paul she said to him in -a very low tone, while she pressed his hand: - -"So then you came. I was waiting for you for the past month. Every -morning I kept asking myself, 'Shall I see him to-day?' and every night -I kept saying to myself, 'It will be to-morrow then.' Why have you -delayed so long, my love?" - -He replied with some embarrassment: "I had matters to engage my -attention--business." - -She leaned toward him, murmuring: "It was not right to leave me here -alone with them, especially in my state." - -He moved his chair a little away from her. - -"Be careful! We might be seen. These rockets light up the whole country -around." - -She scarcely bestowed a thought on it; she said: "I love you so much!" -Then, with sudden starts of joy: "Ah! how happy I feel, how happy I -feel at finding that we are once more together, here! Are you thinking -about it? What joy, Paul! How we are going to love one another again!" - -She sighed, and her voice was so weak that it seemed a mere breath. - -"I feel a foolish longing to embrace you, but it is -foolish--there!--foolish. It is such a long time since I saw you!" - -Then, suddenly, with the fierce energy of an impassioned woman, to whom -everything should give way: "Listen! I want--you understand--I want to -go with you immediately to the place where we said adieu to one another -last year! You remember well, on the road from La Roche Pradière?" - -He replied, stupefied: "But this is senseless! You cannot walk farther. -You have been standing all day. This is senseless; I will not allow it." - -She had risen to her feet, and she said: "I am determined on it! If you -do not accompany me, I'll go alone!" - -And pointing out to him the moon which had risen: "See here! It was an -evening just like this! Do you remember how you kissed my shadow?" - -He held her back: "Christiane--listen--this is ridiculous--Christiane!" - -She did not reply, and walked toward the descent leading to the -vineyards. He knew that calm will which nothing could divert from its -purpose, the graceful obstinacy of these blue eyes, of that little -forehead of a fair woman that could not be stopped; and he took her arm -to sustain her on her way. - -"Supposing we are seen, Christiane?" - -"You did not say that to me last year. And then, everyone is at the -_fête_. We'll be back before our absence can be noticed." - -It was soon necessary to ascend by the stony path. She panted, leaning -with her whole weight on him, and at every step she said: - -"It is good, it is good, to suffer thus!" - -He stopped, wishing to bring her back. But she would not listen to him. - -"No, no. I am happy. You don't understand this, you. Listen! I feel -it leaping in me--our child--your child--what happiness. Give me your -hand." - -She did not realize that he--this man--was one of the race of lovers -who are not of the race of fathers. Since he discovered that she was -pregnant, he kept away from her, and was disgusted with her, in spite -of himself. He had often in bygone days said that a woman who has -performed the function of reproduction is no longer worthy of love. -What raised him to a high pitch of tenderness was that soaring of two -hearts toward an inaccessible ideal, that entwining of two souls which -are immaterial--all those artificial and unreal elements which poets -have associated with this passion. In the physical woman he adored -the Venus whose sacred side must always preserve the pure form of -sterility. The idea of a little creature which owed its birth to him, a -human larva stirring in that body defiled by it and already grown ugly, -inspired him with an almost unconquerable repugnance. Maternity had -made this woman a brute. She was no longer the exceptional being adored -and dreamed about, but the animal that reproduces its species. And even -a material disgust was mingled in him with these loathings of his mind. - -How could she have felt or divined this--she whom each movement of the -child she yearned for attached the more closely to her lover? This man -whom she adored, whom she had every day loved a little more since the -moment of their first kiss, had not only penetrated to the bottom of -her heart, but had given her the proof that he had also entered into -the very depths of her flesh, that he had sown his own life there, that -he was going to come forth from her, again becoming quite small. Yes, -she carried him there under her crossed hands, himself, her good, her -dear, her tenderly beloved one, springing up again in her womb by the -mystery of nature. And she loved him doubly, now that she had him in -two forms--the big, and the little one as yet unknown, the one whom she -saw, touched, embraced, and could hear speaking to her, and the one -whom she could up to this only feel stirring under her skin. They had -by this time reached the road. - -"You were waiting for me over there that evening," said she. And she -held her lips out to him. - -He kissed them, without replying, with a cold kiss. - -She murmured for the second time: "Do you remember how you embraced me -on the ground. We were like this--look!" - -And in the hope that he would begin it all over again she commenced -running to get some distance away from him. Then she stopped, out of -breath, and waited, standing in the middle of the road. But the moon, -which lengthened out her profile on the ground, traced there the -protuberance of her swollen figure. And Paul, beholding at his feet -the shadow of her pregnancy, remained unmoved at sight of it, wounded -in his poetic sense with shame, exasperated that she was not able to -share his feelings or divine his thoughts, that she had not sufficient -coquetry, tact, and feminine delicacy to understand all the shade -which give such a different complexion to circumstances; and he said to -her with impatience in his voice: - -"Look here, Christiane! This child's play is ridiculous." - -She came back to him moved, saddened, with outstretched arms, and, -flinging herself on his breast: - -"Ah! you love me less. I feel it! I am sure of it!" - -He took pity on her, and, encircling her head with his arms, he -imprinted two long sweet kisses on her eyes. - -Then in silence they retraced their steps. He could find nothing to say -to her; and, as she leaned on him, exhausted by fatigue, he quickened -his pace so that he might no longer feel against his side the touch of -this enlarged figure. When they were near the hotel, they separated, -and she went up to her own apartment. - -The orchestra at the Casino was playing dance-music; and Paul went to -look at the ball. It was a waltz; and they were all waltzing--Doctor -Latonne with the younger Madame Paille, Andermatt with Louise Oriol, -handsome Doctor Mazelli with the Duchesse de Ramas, and Gontran with -Charlotte Oriol. He was whispering in her ear in that tender fashion -which denotes a courtship begun; and she was smiling behind her fan, -blushing, and apparently delighted. - -Paul heard a voice saying behind him: "Look here! look here at M. de -Ravenel whispering gallantries to my fair patient." - -He added, after a pause: "And there is a pearl, good, gay, simple, -devoted, upright, you know, an excellent creature. She is worth ten -of the elder sister. I have known them since their childhood--these -little girls. And yet the father prefers the elder one, because -she is more--more like him--more of a peasant--less upright--more -thrifty--more cunning--and more--more jealous. Ah! she is a good girl, -all the same. I would not like to say anything bad of her; but, in -spite of myself, I compare them, you understand--and, after having -compared them, I judge them--there you are!" - -The waltz was coming to an end; Gontran went to join his friend, and, -perceiving the doctor: - -"Ah! tell me now--there appears to me to be a remarkable increase in -the medical body at Enval. We have a Doctor Mazelli who waltzes to -perfection and an old little Doctor Black who seems on very good terms -with Heaven." - -But Doctor Honorat was discreet. He did not like to sit in judgment on -his professional brethren. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - -Gontran's Choice - - -The burning question now was that of the physicians at Enval. They had -suddenly made themselves the masters of the district, and absorbed all -the attention and all the enthusiasm of the inhabitants. Formerly the -springs flowed under the authority of Doctor Bonnefille alone, in the -midst of the harmless animosities of restless Doctor Latonne and placid -Doctor Honorat. - -Now, it was a very different thing. Since the success planned during -the winter by Andermatt had quite taken definite shape, thanks to the -powerful co-operation of Professors Cloche, Mas-Roussel, and Remusot, -who had each brought there a contingent of two or three hundred -patients at least, Doctor Latonne, inspector of the new establishment, -had become a big personage, specially patronized by Professor -Mas-Roussel, whose pupil he had been, and whose deportment and gestures -he imitated. - -Doctor Bonnefille was scarcely ever talked about any longer. Furious, -exasperated, railing against Mont Oriol, the old physician remained the -whole day in the old establishment with a few old patients who had kept -faithful to him. - -In the minds of some invalids, indeed, he was the only person that -understood the true properties of the waters; he possessed, so to -speak, their secret, since he had officially administered them from the -time the station was first established. - -Doctor Honorat barely managed to retain his practice among the natives -of Auvergne. With the moderate income he derived from this source he -contented himself, keeping on good terms with everybody, and consoled -himself by much preferring cards and wine to medicine. He did not, -however, go quite so far as to love his professional brethren. - -Doctor Latonne would, therefore, have continued to be the great -soothsayer of Mont Oriol, if one morning there had not appeared a very -small man, nearly a dwarf, whose big head sunk between his shoulders, -big round eyes, and big hands combined to produce a very odd-looking -individual. This new physician, M. Black, introduced into the district -by Professor Remusot immediately excited attention by his excessive -devotion. Nearly every morning, between two visits, he went into a -church for a few minutes, and he received communion nearly every -Sunday. The curé soon got him some patients, old maids, poor people -whom he attended for nothing, pious ladies who asked the advice of -their spiritual director before calling on a man of science, whose -sentiments, reserve, and professional modesty, they wished to know -before everything else. - -Then, one day, the arrival of the Princess de Maldebourg, an old -German Highness, was announced--a very fervent Catholic, who on the -very evening when she first appeared in the district, sent for Doctor -Black on the recommendation of a Roman cardinal. From that moment he -was the fashion. It was good taste, good form, the correct thing, to -be attended by him. He was the only doctor, it was said, who was a -perfect gentleman--the only one in whom a woman could repose absolute -confidence. - -And from morning till evening this little man with the bulldog's head, -who always spoke in a subdued tone in every corner with everybody, -might be seen rushing from one hotel to the other. He appeared to have -important secrets to confide or to receive, for he could constantly be -met holding long mysterious conferences in the lobbies with the masters -of the hotels, with his patients' chambermaids, with anyone who was -brought into contact with the invalids. As soon as he saw any lady of -his acquaintance in the street, he went straight up to her with his -short, quick step, and immediately began to mumble fresh and minute -directions, after the fashion of a priest at confession. - -The old women especially adored him. He would listen to their -stories to the end without interrupting them, took note of all their -observations, all their questions, and all their wishes. - -He increased or diminished each day the proportion of water to be -consumed by his patients, which made them feel perfect confidence in -the care taken of them by him. - -"We stopped yesterday at two glasses and three-quarters," he would -say; "well, to-day we shall only take two glasses and a half, and -to-morrow three glasses. Don't forget! To-morrow, three glasses. I am -very, very particular about it!" - -And all the patients were convinced that he was very particular about -it, indeed. - -In order not to forget these figures and fractions of figures, he -wrote them down in a memorandum-book, in order that he might never -make a mistake. For the patient does not pardon a mistake of a single -half-glass. He regulated and modified with equal minuteness the -duration of the daily baths in virtue of principles known only to -himself. - -Doctor Latonne, jealous and exasperated, disdainfully shrugged his -shoulders, and declared: "This is a swindler!" His hatred against -Doctor Black had even led him occasionally to run down the mineral -waters. "Since we can scarcely tell how they act, it is quite -impossible to prescribe every day modifications of the dose, which -any therapeutic law cannot regulate. Proceedings of this kind do the -greatest injury to medicine." - -Doctor Honorat contented himself with smiling. He always took care to -forget, five minutes after a consultation, the number of glasses which -he had ordered. "Two more or less," said he to Gontran in his hours of -gaiety, "there is only the spring to take notice of it; and yet this -scarcely incommodes it!" The only wicked pleasantry that he permitted -himself on his religious brother-physician consisted in describing -him as "the doctor of the Holy Sitting-Bath." His jealousy was of the -prudent, sly, and tranquil kind. - -He added sometimes: "Oh, as for him, he knows the patient thoroughly; -and this is often better than to know the disease!" - -But lo! there arrived one morning at the hotel of Mont Oriol a noble -Spanish family, the Duke and Duchess of Ramas-Aldavarra, who brought -with her her own physician, an Italian, Doctor Mazelli from Milan. He -was a man of thirty, a tall, thin, very handsome young fellow, wearing -only mustaches. From the first evening, he made a conquest of the -_table d'hôte_, for the Duke, a melancholy man, attacked with monstrous -obesity, had a horror of isolation, and desired to take his meals in -the same dining-room as the other patients. Doctor Mazelli already knew -by their names almost all the frequenters of the hotel; he had a kindly -word for every man, a compliment for every woman, a smile even for -every servant. - -Placed at the right-hand side of the Duchess, a beautiful woman of -between thirty-five and forty, with a pale complexion, black eyes, -blue-black hair, he would say to her as each dish came round: - -"Very little," or else, "No, not this," or else, "Yes, take some of -that." And he would himself pour out the liquid which she was to drink -with very great care, measuring exactly the proportions of wine and -water which he mingled. - -He also regulated the Duke's food, but with visible carelessness. The -patient, however, took no heed of his advice, devoured everything with -bestial voracity, drank at every meal two decanters of pure wine, then -went tumbling about in a chaise for air in front of the hotel, and -began whining with pain and groaning over his bad digestion. - -After the first dinner, Doctor Mazelli, who had judged and weighed all -around him with a single glance, went to join Gontran, who was smoking -a cigar on the terrace of the Casino, told his name, and began to chat. -At the end of an hour, they were on intimate terms. Next day, he got -himself introduced to Christiane just as she was leaving the bath, -won her good-will after ten minutes' conversation, and brought her -that very day into contact with the Duchess, who no longer cared for -solitude. - -He kept watch over everything in the abode of the Spaniards, gave -excellent advice to the chef about cooking, excellent hints to the -chambermaid on the hygiene of the head in order to preserve in her -mistress's hair its luster, its superb shade, and its abundance, very -useful information to the coachman about veterinary medicine; and he -knew how to make the hours swift and light, to invent distractions, -and to pick up in the hotels casual acquaintances but always prudently -chosen. - -The Duchess said to Christiane, when speaking of him: "He is a -wonderful man, dear Madame. He knows everything; he does everything. It -is to him that I owe my figure." - -"How, your figure?" - -"Yes, I was beginning to grow fat, and he saved me with his regimen and -his liqueurs." - -Moreover, Mazelli knew how to make medicine itself interesting; he -spoke about it with such ease, with such gaiety, and with a sort -of light scepticism which helped to convince his listeners of his -superiority. - -"'Tis very simple," said he; "I don't believe in remedies--or rather I -hardly believe in them. The old-fashioned medicine started with this -principle--that there is a remedy for everything. God, they believe, -in His divine bounty, has created drugs for all maladies, only He -has left to men, through malice, perhaps, the trouble of discovering -these drugs. Now, men have discovered an incalculable number of them -without ever knowing exactly what disease each of them is suited -for. In reality there are no remedies; there are only maladies. When -a malady declares itself, it is necessary to interrupt its course, -according to some, to precipitate it, according to others, by some -means or another. Each school extols its own method. In the same case, -we see the most antagonistic systems employed, and the most opposed -kinds of medicine--ice by one and extreme heat by the other, dieting by -this doctor and forced nourishment by that. I am not speaking of the -innumerable poisonous products extracted from minerals or vegetables, -which chemistry procures for us. All this acts, 'tis true, but nobody -knows how. Sometimes it succeeds, and sometimes it kills." - -And, with much liveliness, he pointed out the impossibility of -certainty, the absence of all scientific basis as long as organic -chemistry, biological chemistry had not become the starting-point of a -new medicine. He related anecdotes, monstrous errors of the greatest -physicians, and proved the insanity and the falsity of their pretended -science. - -"Make the body discharge its functions," said he. "Make the skin, the -muscles, all the organs, and, above all, the stomach, which is the -foster-father of the entire machine, its regulator and life-warehouse, -discharge their functions." - -He asserted that, if he liked, by nothing save regimen, he could make -people gay or sad, capable of physical work or intellectual work, -according to the nature of the diet which he imposed on them. He could -even act on the faculties of the brain, on the memory, the imagination, -on all the manifestations of intelligence. And he ended jocosely with -these words: - -"For my part, I nurse my patients with massage and curaçoa." - -He attributed marvelous results to massage, and spoke of the Dutchman -Hamstrang as of a god performing miracles. Then, showing his delicate -white hands: - -"With those, you might resuscitate the dead." - -And the Duchess added: "The fact is that he performs massage to -perfection." - -He also lauded alcoholic beverages, in small proportions to excite -the stomach at certain moments; and he composed mixtures, cleverly -prepared, which the Duchess had to drink, at fixed hours, either before -or after her meals. - -He might have been seen each morning entering the Casino Café about -half past nine and asking for his bottles. They were brought to him -fastened with little silver locks of which he had the key. He would -pour out a little of one, a little of another, slowly into a very -pretty blue glass, which a very correct footman held up respectfully. - -Then the doctor would give directions: "See! Bring this to the Duchess -in her bath, to drink it, before she dresses herself, when coming out -of the water." - -And when anyone asked him through curiosity: "What have you put into -it?" he would answer: "Nothing but refined aniseed-cordial, very pure -curaçoa, and excellent bitters." - -This handsome doctor, in a few days, became the center of attraction -for all the invalids. And every sort of device was resorted to, in -order to attract a few opinions from him. - -When he was passing along through the walks in the park, at the hour -of promenade, one heard nothing but that exclamation of "Doctor" on -all the chairs where sat the beautiful women, the young women, who -were resting themselves a little between two glasses of the Christiane -Spring. Then, when he stopped with a smile on his lip, they would draw -him aside for some minutes into the little path beside the river. -At first, they talked about one thing or another; then discreetly, -skillfully, coquettishly, they came to the question of health, but in -an indifferent fashion as if they were touching on sundry topics. - -For this medical man was not at the disposal of the public. He was not -paid by them, and people could not get him to visit them at their own -houses. He belonged to the Duchess, only to the Duchess. This situation -even stimulated people's efforts, and provoked their desires. And, as -it was whispered positively that the Duchess was jealous, very jealous, -there was a desperate struggle between all these ladies to get advice -from the handsome Italian doctor. He gave it without forcing them to -entreat him very strenuously. - -Then, among the women whom he had favored with his advice arose an -interchange of intimate confidences, in order to give clear proof of -his solicitude. - -"Oh! my dear, he asked me questions--but such questions!" - -"Very indiscreet?" - -"Oh! indiscreet! Say frightful. I actually did not know what answers to -give him. He wanted to know things--but such things!" - -"It was the same way with me. He questioned me a great deal about my -husband!" - -"And me, also--together with details so--so personal! These questions -are very embarrassing. However, we understand perfectly well that it is -necessary to ask them." - -"Oh! of course. Health depends on these minute details. As for me, he -promised to perform massage on me at Paris this winter. I have great -need of it to supplement the treatment here." - -"Tell me, my dear, what do you intend to do in return? He cannot take -fees." - -"Good heavens! my idea was to present him with a scarf-pin. He must be -fond of them, for he has already two or three very nice ones." - -"Oh! how you embarrass me! The same notion was in my head. In that case -I'll give him a ring." - -And they concocted surprises in order to please him, thought of -ingenious presents in order to touch him, graceful pleasantries in -order to fascinate him. He became the "talk of the day," the great -subject of conversation, the sole object of public attention, till the -news spread that Count Gontran de Ravenel was paying his addresses to -Charlotte Oriol with a view to marrying her. And this at once led to a -fresh outburst of deafening clamor in Enval. - -Since the evening when he had opened with her the inaugural ball at -the Casino, Gontran had tied himself to the young girl's skirts. He -publicly showed her all those little attentions of men who want to -please without hiding their object; and their ordinary relations -assumed at the same time a character of gallantry, playful and natural, -which seemed likely to lead to love. - -They saw one another nearly every day, for the two girls had conceived -feelings of strong friendship toward Christiane, into which, no -doubt, there entered a considerable element of gratified vanity. -Gontran suddenly showed a disposition to remain constantly at his -sister's side; and he began to organize parties for the morning and -entertainments for the evening, which greatly astonished Christiane and -Paul. Then they noticed that he was devoting himself to Charlotte; he -gaily teased her, paid her compliments without appearing to do so, and -manifested toward her in a thousand ways that tender care which tends -to unite two beings in bonds of affection. The young girl, already -accustomed to the free and familiar manners of this gay Parisian youth, -did not at first see anything remarkable in these attentions; and, -abandoning herself to the impulses of her honest and confiding heart, -she began to laugh and enjoy herself with him as she might have done -with a brother. - -Now, she had returned home with her elder sister, after an evening -party at which Gontran had several times attempted to kiss her in -consequence of forfeits due by her in a game of "fly-pigeon," when -Louise, who had appeared anxious and nervous for some time past, said -to her in an abrupt tone: - -"You would do well to be a little careful about your deportment. M. -Gontran is not a suitable companion for you." - -"Not a suitable companion? What has he done?" - -"You know well what I mean--don't play the ninny! In the way you're -going on, you would soon compromise yourself; and if you don't know how -to watch over your conduct, it is my business to see after it." - -Charlotte, confused, and filled with shame, faltered: "But I don't -know--I assure you--I have seen nothing----" - -Her sister sharply interrupted her: "Listen! Things must not go on this -way. If he wants to marry you, it is for papa--for papa to consider the -matter and to give an answer; but, if he only wants to trifle with you, -he must desist at once!" - -Then, suddenly, Charlotte got annoyed without knowing why or with what. -She was indignant at her sister having taken it on herself to direct -her actions and to reprimand her; and, in a trembling voice, and with -tears in her eyes, she told her that she should not have interfered in -what did not concern her. She stammered in her exasperation, divining -by a vague but unerring instinct the jealousy that had been aroused in -the embittered heart of Louise. - -They parted without embracing one another, and Charlotte wept when she -got into bed, as she thought over things that she had never foreseen or -suspected. - -Gradually her tears ceased to flow, and she began to reflect. It was -true, nevertheless, that Gontran's demeanor toward her had altered. -She had enjoyed his acquaintance hitherto without understanding him. -She understood him now. At every turn he kept repeating to her pretty -compliments full of delicate flattery. On one occasion he had kissed -her hand. What were his intentions? She pleased him, but to what -extent? Was it possible by any chance that he desired to marry her? And -all at once she imagined that she could hear somewhere in the air, in -the silent night through whose empty spaces her dreams were flitting, a -voice exclaiming, "Comtesse de Ravenel." - -The emotion was so vivid that she sat up in the bed; then, with her -naked feet, she felt for her slippers under the chair over which -she had thrown her clothes, and she went to open the window without -consciousness of what she was doing, in order to find space for her -hopes. She could hear what they were saying in the room below stairs, -and Colosse's voice was raised: "Let it alone! let it alone! There will -be time enough to see to it. Father will arrange that. There is no harm -up to this. 'Tis father that will do the thing." - -She noticed that the window in front of the house, just below that at -which she was standing, was still lighted up. She asked herself: "Who -is there now? What are they talking about?" A shadow passed over the -luminous wall. It was her sister. So then, she had not yet gone to bed. -Why? But the light was presently extinguished; and Charlotte began to -think about other things that were agitating her heart. - -She could not go to sleep now. Did he love her? Oh! no; not yet. But he -might love her, since she had caught his fancy. And if he came to love -her much, desperately, as people love in society, he would certainly -marry her. - -Born in a house of vinedressers, she had preserved, although educated -in the young ladies' convent at Clermont, the modesty and humility of a -peasant girl. She used to think that she might marry a notary, perhaps, -or a barrister or a doctor; but the ambition to become a real lady of -high social position, with a title of nobility attached to her name had -never entered her mind. Even when she had just finished the perusal of -some love-story, and was musing over the glimpse presented to her of -such a charming prospect for a few minutes, it would speedily Vanish -from her soul just as chimeras vanish. Now, here was this unforeseen, -inconceivable thing, which had been suddenly conjured up by some words -of her sister, apparently drawing near her after the fashion of a -ship's sail driven onward by the wind. - -Every time she drew breath, she kept repeating with her lips: -"Comtesse de Ravenel." And the shades of her dark eyelashes, as they -closed in the night, were illuminated with visions. She saw beautiful -drawing-rooms brilliantly lighted up, beautiful women greeting her with -smiles, beautiful carriages waiting before the steps of a château, and -grand servants in livery bowing as she passed. - -She felt heated in her bed; her heart was beating. She rose up a second -time in order to drink a glass of water, and to remain standing in her -bare feet for a few moments on the cold floor of her apartment. - -Then, somewhat calmed, she ended by falling asleep. But she awakened at -dawn, so much had the agitation of her heart passed into her veins. - -She felt ashamed of her little room with its white walls, washed -with water by a rustic glazier, her poor cotton curtains, and some -straw-chairs which never quitted their place at the two corners of her -chest of drawers. - -She realized that she was a peasant in the midst of these rude articles -of furniture which bespoke her origin. She felt herself lowly, unworthy -of this handsome, mocking young fellow, whose fair hair and laughing -face had floated before her eyes, had disappeared from her vision and -then come back, had gradually engrossed her thoughts, and had already -found a place in her heart. - -Then she jumped out of bed and ran to look for her glass, her little -toilette-glass, as large as the center of a plate; after that, she got -into bed again, her mirror between her hands; and she looked at her -face surrounded by her hair which hung loose on the white background of -the pillow. - -Presently she laid down on the bedclothes the little piece of glass -which reflected her lineaments, and she thought how difficult it would -be for such an alliance to take place, so great was the distance -between them. Thereupon a feeling of vexation seized her by the throat. -But immediately afterward she gazed at her image, once more smiling at -herself in order to look nice, and, as she considered herself pretty, -the difficulties disappeared. - -When she went down to breakfast, her sister, who wore a look of -irritation, asked her: - -"What do you propose to do to-day?" - -Charlotte replied unhesitatingly: "Are we not going in the carriage to -Royat with Madame Andermatt?" - -Louise returned: "You are going alone, then; but you might do something -better, after what I said to you last night." - -The younger sister interrupted her: "I don't ask for your advice--mind -your own business!" - -And they did not speak to one another again. - -Père Oriol and Jacques came in, and took their seats at the table. The -old man asked almost immediately: "What are you doing to-day, girls?" - -Charlotte said without giving her sister time to answer: "As for me, I -am going to Royat with Madame Andermatt." - -The two men eyed her with an air of satisfaction; and the father -muttered with that engaging smile which he could put on when discussing -any business of a profitable character: "That's good! that's good!" - -She was more surprised at this secret complacency which she observed in -their entire bearing than at the visible anger of Louise; and she asked -herself, in a somewhat disturbed frame of mind: "Can they have been -talking this over all together?" - -As soon as the meal was over, she went up again to her room, put on her -hat, seized her parasol, threw a light cloak over her arm, and she went -off in the direction of the hotel, for they were to start at half past -one. - -Christiane expressed her astonishment at finding that Louise had not -come. - -Charlotte felt herself flushing as she replied: "She is a little -fatigued; I believe she has a headache." - -And they stepped into the landau, the big landau with six seats, which -they always used. The Marquis and his daughter remained at the lower -end, while the Oriol girl found herself seated at the opposite side -between the two young men. - -They passed in front of Tournoel; they proceeded along the foot of -the mountain, by a beautiful winding road, under the walnut and -chestnut-trees. Charlotte several times felt conscious that Gontran was -pressing close up to her, but was too prudent to take offense at it. -As he sat at her right-hand side, he spoke with his face close to her -cheek; and she did not venture to turn round to answer him, through -fear of touching his mouth, which she felt already on her lips, and -also through fear of his eyes, whose glance would have unnerved her. - -He whispered in her ear gallant absurdities, laughable fooleries, -agreeable and well-turned compliments. - -Christiane scarcely uttered a word, heavy and sick from her pregnancy. -And Paul appeared sad, preoccupied. The Marquis alone chatted without -unrest or anxiety, in the sprightly, graceful style of a selfish old -nobleman. - -They got down at the park of Royat to listen to the music, and Gontran, -offering Charlotte his arm, set forth with her in front. The army of -bathers, on the chairs, around the kiosk, where the leader of the -orchestra was keeping time with the brass instruments and the violins, -watched the promenaders filing past. The women exhibited their dresses -by stretching out their legs as far as the bars of the chairs in -front of them, and their dainty summer head-gear made them look more -fascinating. - -Charlotte and Gontran sauntered through the midst of the people who -occupied the seats, looking out for faces of a comic type to find -materials for their pleasantries. - -Every moment he heard some one saying behind them: "Look there! what a -pretty girl!" He felt flattered, and asked himself whether they took -her for his sister, his wife, or his mistress. - -Christiane, seated between her father and Paul, saw them passing -several times, and thinking they exhibited too much youthful frivolity, -she called them over to her to soberize them. But they paid no -attention to her, and went on vagabondizing through the crowd, enjoying -themselves with their whole hearts. - -She said in a whisper to Paul Bretigny: "He will finish by compromising -her. It will be necessary that we should speak to him this evening when -he comes back." - -Paul replied: "I had already thought about it. You are quite right." - -They went to dine in one of the restaurants of Clermont-Ferrand, those -of Royat being no good, according to the Marquis, who was a gourmand, -and they returned at nightfall. - -Charlotte had become serious, Gontran having strongly pressed her hand, -while presenting her gloves to her, before she quitted the table. Her -young girl's conscience was suddenly troubled. This was an avowal! an -advance! an impropriety! What ought she to do? Speak to him? but about -what? To be offended would be ridiculous. There was need of so much -tact in these circumstances. But by doing nothing, by saying nothing, -she produced the impression of accepting his advances, of becoming his -accomplice, of answering "yes" to this pressure of the hand. - -And she weighed the situation, accusing herself of having been too gay -and too familiar at Royat, thinking just now that her sister was right, -that she was compromised, lost! The carriage rolled along the road. -Paul and Gontran smoked in silence; the Marquis slept; Christiane gazed -at the stars; and Charlotte found it hard to keep back her tears--for -she had swallowed three glasses of champagne. - -When they had got back, Christiane said to her father: "As it is dark, -you have to see this young girl home." - -The Marquis, without delay, offered her his arm, and went off with her. - -Paul laid his hands on Gontran's shoulders, and whispered in his ear: -"Come and have five minutes' talk with your sister and myself." - -And they went up to the little drawing-room communicating with the -apartments of Andermatt and his wife. - -When they were seated, Christiane said: "Listen! M. Paul and I want to -give you a good lecture." - -"A good lecture! But about what? I'm as wise as an image for want of -opportunities." - -"Don't trifle! You are doing a very imprudent and very dangerous thing -without thinking on it. You are compromising this young girl." - -He appeared much astonished. "Who is that? Charlotte?" - -"Yes, Charlotte!" - -"I'm compromising Charlotte?--I?" - -"Yes, you are compromising her. Everyone here is talking about it, and -this evening again in the park at Royat you have been very--very light. -Isn't that so, Bretigny?" - -Paul answered: "Yes, Madame, I entirely share your sentiments." - -Gontran turned his chair around, bestrode it like a horse, took a fresh -cigar, lighted it, then burst out laughing. - -"Ha! so then I am compromising Charlotte Oriol?" - -He waited a few seconds to see the effect of his words, then added: -"And who told you I did not intend to marry her?" - -Christiane gave a start of amazement. - -"Marry her? You? Why, you're mad!" - -"Why so?" - -"That--that little peasant girl!" - -"Tra! la! la! Prejudices! Is it from your husband you learned them?" - -As she made no response to this direct argument, he went on, putting -both questions and answers himself: - -"Is she pretty?--Yes! Is she well educated?--Yes! And more ingenuous, -more simple, and more honest than girls in good society. She knows as -much as another, for she can speak both English and the language of -Auvergne--that makes two foreign languages. She will be as rich as any -heiress of the Faubourg Saint-Germain--as it was formerly called (they -are now going to christen it Faubourg Sainte-Deche)--and finally, if -she is a peasant's daughter, she'll be only all the more healthy to -present me with fine children. Enough!" - -As he had always the appearance of laughing and jesting, Christiane -asked hesitatingly: "Come! are you speaking seriously?" - -"Faith, I am! She is charming, this little girl! She has a good heart -and a pretty face, a genial character and a good temper, rosy cheeks, -bright eyes, white teeth, ruby lips, and flowing tresses, glossy, -thick, and full of soft folds. And then her vinedressing father will be -as rich as Croesus, thanks to your husband, my dear sister. What more -do you want? The daughter of a peasant! Well, is not the daughter of a -peasant as good as any of those money-lenders' daughters who pay such -high prices for dukes with doubtful titles, or any of the daughters -born of aristocratic prostitution whom the Empire has given us, or any -of the daughters with double sires whom we meet in society? Why, if I -did marry this girl I should be doing the first wise and rational act -of my life!" - -Christiane reflected, then, all of a sudden, convinced, overcome, -delighted, she exclaimed: - -"Why, all you have said is true! It is quite true, quite right! So then -you are going to marry her, my little Gontran?" - -It was he who now sought to moderate her ardor. "Not so quick--not so -quick--let me reflect in my turn. I only declare that, if I did marry -her, I would be doing the first wise and rational act of my life. That -does not go so far as saying that I will marry her; but I am thinking -over it; I am studying her, I am paying her a little attention to see -if I can like her sufficiently. In short, I don't answer 'yes' or 'no,' -but it is nearer to 'yes' than to 'no.'" - -Christiane turned toward Paul: "What do you think of it, Monsieur -Bretigny?" - -She called him at one time Monsieur Bretigny, and at another time -Bretigny only. - -He, always fascinated by the things in which he imagined he saw an -element of greatness, by unequal matches which seemed to him to exhibit -generosity, by all the sentimental parade in which the human heart -masks itself, replied: "For my part I think he is right in this. If he -likes her, let him marry her; he could not find better." - -But, the Marquis and Andermatt having returned, they had to talk about -other subjects; and the two young men went to the Casino to see whether -the gaming-room was still open. - -From that day forth Christiane and Paul appeared to favor Gontran's -open courtship of Charlotte. - -The young girl was more frequently invited to the hotel by Christiane, -and was treated in fact as if she were already a member of the family. -She saw all this clearly, understood it, and was quite delighted at -it. Her little head throbbed like a drum, and went building fantastic -castles in Spain. Gontran, in the meantime had said nothing definite -to her; but his demeanor, all his words, the tone that he assumed with -her, his more serious air of gallantry, the caress of his glance seemed -every day to keep repeating to her: "I have chosen you; you are to be -my wife." - -And the tone of sweet affection, of discreet self-surrender, of chaste -reserve which she now adopted toward him, seemed to give this answer: -"I know it, and I'll say 'yes' whenever you ask for my hand." - -In the young girl's family, the matter was discussed in confidential -whispers. Louise scarcely opened her lips now except to annoy her with -hurtful allusions, with sharp and sarcastic remarks. Père Oriol and -Jacques appeared to be content. - -She did not ask herself, all the same, whether she loved this -good-looking suitor, whose wife she was, no doubt, destined to become. -She liked him, she was constantly thinking about him; she considered -him handsome, witty, elegant--she was speculating, above all, on what -she would do when she was married to him. - -In Enval people had forgotten the malignant rivalries of the physicians -and the proprietors of springs, the theories as to the supposed -attachment of the Duchess de Ramas for her doctor, all the scandals -that flow along with the waters of thermal stations, in order to occupy -their minds entirely with this extraordinary circumstance--that Count -Gontran de Ravenel was going to marry the younger of the Oriol girls. - -When Gontran thought the moment had arrived, taking Andermatt by the -arm, one morning, as they were rising from the breakfast-table, he said -to him: "My dear fellow, strike while the iron is hot! Here is the -exact state of affairs: The little one is waiting for me to propose, -without my having committed myself at all; but, you may be quite -certain she will not refuse me. It is necessary to sound her father -about it in such a way as to promote, at the same time, your interests -and mine." - -Andermatt replied: "Make your mind easy. I'll take that on myself. I am -going to sound him this very day without compromising you and without -thrusting you forward; and when the situation is perfectly clear, I'll -talk about it." - -"Capital!" - -Then, after a few moments' silence, Gontran added: "Hold on! This is -perhaps my last day of bachelorhood. I am going on to Royat, where I -saw some acquaintances of mine the other day. I'll be back to-night, -and I'll tap at your door to know the result." - -He saddled his horse, and proceeded along by the mountain, inhaling the -pure, genial air, and sometimes starting into a gallop to feel the keen -caress of the breeze brushing the fresh skin of his cheek and tickling -his mustache. - -The evening-party at Royat was a jolly affair. He met some of his -friends there who had brought girls along with them. They lingered a -long time at supper; he returned home at a very late hour. Everyone -had gone to bed in the hotel of Mont Oriol when Gontran went to tap at -Andermatt's door. There was no answer at first; then, as the knocking -became much louder, a hoarse voice, the voice of one disturbed while -asleep, grunted from within: - -"Who's there?" - -"'Tis I, Gontran." - -"Wait--I'm opening the door." - -Andermatt appeared in his nightshirt, with puffed-up face, bristling -chin, and a silk handkerchief tied round his head. Then he got back -into bed, sat down in it, and with his hands stretched over the sheets: - -"Well, my dear fellow, this won't do me. Here is how matters stand: -I have sounded this old fox Oriol, without mentioning you, referring -merely to a certain friend of mine--I have perhaps allowed him to -suppose that the person I meant was Paul Bretigny--as a suitable match -for one of his daughters, and I asked what dowry he would give her. He -answered me by asking in his turn what were the young man's means; and -I fixed the amount at three hundred thousand francs with expectations." - -"But I have nothing," muttered Gontran. - -"I am lending you the money, my dear fellow. If we work this business -between us, your lands would yield me enough to reimburse me." - -Gontran sneered: "All right. I'll have the woman and you the money." - -But Andermatt got quite annoyed. "If I am to interest myself in your -affairs in order that you might insult me, there's an end of it--let us -say no more about it!" - -Gontran apologized: "Don't get vexed, my dear fellow, and excuse me! -I know that you are a very honest man of irreproachable loyalty in -matters of business. I would not ask you for the price of a drink if I -were your coachman; but I would intrust my fortune to you if I were a -millionaire." - -William, less excited, rejoined: "We'll return presently to that -subject. Let us first dispose of the principal question. The old man -was not taken in by my wiles, and said to me in reply: 'It depends -on which of them is the girl you're talking about. If 'tis Louise, -the elder one, here's her dowry.' And he enumerated for me all the -lands that are around the establishment, those which are between the -baths and the hotel and between the hotel and the Casino, all those, -in short, which are indispensable to us, those which have for me an -inestimable value. He gives, on the contrary, to the younger girl the -other side of the mountain, which will be worth as much money later on, -no doubt, but which is worth nothing to me. I tried in every possible -way to make him modify their partition and invert the lots. I was only -knocking my head against the obstinacy of a mule. He will not change; -he has fixed his resolution. Reflect--what do you think of it?" - -Gontran, much troubled, much perplexed, replied: "What do you think -of it yourself? Do you believe that he was thinking of me in thus -distributing the shares in the land?" - -"I haven't a doubt of it. The clown said to himself: 'As he likes -the younger one, let us take care of the bag.' He hopes to give -you his daughter while keeping his best lands. And again perhaps -his object is to give the advantage to the elder girl. He prefers -her--who knows?--she is more like himself--she is more cunning--more -artful--more practical. I believe she is a strapping lass, this -one--for my part, if I were in your place, I would change my stick from -one shoulder to the other." - -But Gontran, stunned, began muttering: "The devil! the devil! the -devil! And Charlotte's lands--you don't want them?" - -Andermatt exclaimed: "I--no--a thousand times, no! I want those which -are close to my baths, my hotel, and my Casino. It is very simple, I -wouldn't give anything for the others, which could only be sold, at a -later period, in small lots to private individuals." - -Gontran kept still repeating: "The devil! the devil! the devil! here's -a plaguy business! So then you advise me?" - -"I don't advise you at all. I think you would do well to reflect before -deciding between the two sisters." - -"Yes--yes--that's true--I will reflect--I am going to sleep first--that -brings counsel." - -He rose up; Andermatt held him back. - -"Excuse me, my dear boy!--a word or two on another matter. I may not -appear to understand, but I understand very well the allusions with -which you sting me incessantly, and I don't want any more of them. -You reproach me with being a Jew--that is to say, with making money, -with being avaricious, with being a speculator, so as to come close to -sheer swindling. Now, my friend, I spend my life in lending you this -money that I make--not without trouble--or rather in giving it to you. -However, let that be! But there is one point that I don't admit! No, -I am not avaricious. The proof of it is that I have made presents to -your sister, presents of twenty thousand francs at a time, that I gave -your father a Theodore Rousseau worth ten thousand francs, to which he -took a fancy, and that I presented you, when you were coming here, with -the horse on which you rode a little while ago to Royat. In what then -am I avaricious? In not letting myself be robbed. And we are all like -that among my race, and we are right, Monsieur. I want to say it to -you once for all. We are regarded as misers because we know the exact -value of things. For you a piano is a piano, a chair is a chair, a pair -of trousers is a pair of trousers. For us also, but it represents, at -the same time, a value, a mercantile value appreciable and precise, -which a practical man should estimate with a single glance, not through -stinginess, but in order not to countenance fraud. What would you say -if a tobacconist asked you four sous for a postage-stamp or for a box -of wax-matches? You would go to look for a policeman, Monsieur, for -one sou, yes, for one sou--so indignant would you be! And that because -you knew, by chance, the value of these two articles. Well, as for -me, I know the value of all salable articles; and that indignation -which would take possession of you, if you were asked four sous for -a postage-stamp, I experience when I am asked twenty francs for an -umbrella which is worth fifteen! I protest against the established -theft, ceaseless and abominable, of merchants, servants, and coachmen. -I protest against the commercial dishonesty of all your race which -despises us. I give the price of a drink which I am bound to give for a -service rendered, and not that which as the result of a whim you fling -away without knowing why, and which ranges from five to a hundred sous -according to the caprice of your temper! Do you understand?" - -Gontran had risen by this time, and smiling with that refined irony -which came happily from his lips: - -"Yes, my dear fellow, I understand, and you are perfectly right, and -so much the more right because my grandfather, the old Marquis de -Ravenel, scarcely left anything to my poor father in consequence of the -bad habit which he had of never picking up the change handed to him -by the shopkeepers when he was paying for any article whatsoever. He -thought that unworthy of a gentleman, and always gave the round sum and -the entire coin." - -And Gontran went out with a self-satisfied air. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - -A Mutual Understanding - - -They were just ready to go in to dinner, on the following day, in the -private dining-room of the Andermatt and Ravenel families, when Gontran -opened the door announcing the "Mesdemoiselles Oriol." - -They entered, with an air of constraint, pushed forward by Gontran, who -laughed while he explained: - -"Here they are! I have carried them both off through the middle of the -street. Moreover, it excited public attention. I brought them here by -force to you because I want to explain myself to Madame Louise, and -could not do so in the open air." - -He took from them their hats and their parasols, which they were still -carrying, as they had been on their way back from a promenade, made -them sit down, embraced his sister, pressed the hands of his father, -of his brother-in-law, and of Paul, and then, approaching Louise Oriol -once more, said: - -"Here now, Mademoiselle, kindly tell me what you have against me for -some time past?" - -She seemed scared, like a bird caught in a net, and carried away by the -hunter. - -"Why, nothing, Monsieur, nothing at all! What has made you believe -that?" - -"Oh! everything, Mademoiselle, everything at all! You no longer come -here--you no longer come in the Noah's Ark [so he had baptized the big -landau]. You assume a harsh tone whenever I meet you and when I speak -to you." - -"Why, no, Monsieur, I assure you!" - -"Why, yes, Mam'zelle, I declare to you! In any case, I don't want this -to continue, and I am going to make peace with you this very day. Oh! -you know I am obstinate. There's no use in your looking black at me. -I'll know easily how to get the better of your hoity-toity airs, and -make you be nice toward your sister, who is an angel of grace." - -It was announced that dinner was ready; and they made their way to -the dining-room. Gontran took Louise's arm in his. He was exceedingly -attentive to her and to her sister, dividing his compliments between -them with admirable tact, and remarking to the younger girl: "As for -you, you are a comrade of ours--I am going to neglect you for a few -days. One goes to less expense for friends than for strangers, you are -aware." - -And he said to the elder: "As for you, I want to bewitch you, -Mademoiselle, and I warn you as a loyal foe! I will even make love to -you. Ha! you are blushing--that's a good sign. You'll see that I am -very nice, when I take pains about it. Isn't that so, Mademoiselle -Charlotte?" - -And they were both, indeed, blushing, and Louise stammered with her -serious air: "Oh! Monsieur, how foolish you are!" - -He replied: "Bah! you will hear many things said by others by and by in -society, when you are married, which will not be long. 'Tis then they -will really pay you compliments." - -Christiane and Paul Bretigny expressed their approval of his action in -having brought back Louise Oriol; the Marquis smiled, amused by these -childish affectations. Andermatt was thinking: "He's no fool, the sly -dog." And Gontran, irritated by the part which he was compelled to -play, drawn by his senses toward Charlotte and by his interests toward -Louise, muttered between his teeth with a sly smile in her direction: -"Ah! your rascal of a father thought to play a trick upon me; but I am -going to carry it with a high hand over you, my lassie, and you will -see whether I won't go about it the right way!" - -And he compared the two, inspecting them one after the other. -Certainly, he liked the younger more; she was more amusing, more -lively, with her nose tilted slightly, her bright eyes, her straight -forehead, and her beautiful teeth a little too prominent in a mouth -which was somewhat too wide. - -However, the other was pretty, too, colder, less gay. She would never -be lively or charming in the intimate relations of life; but when at -the opening of a ball "the Comtesse de Ravenel" would be announced, she -could carry her title well--better perhaps than her younger sister, -when she got a little accustomed to it, and had mingled with persons -of high birth. No matter; he was annoyed. He was full of spite against -the father and the brother also, and he promised himself that he would -pay them off afterward for his mischance when he was the master. When -they returned to the drawing-room, he got Louise to read the cards, as -she was skilled in foretelling the future. The Marquis, Andermatt, and -Charlotte listened attentively, attracted, in spite of themselves, by -the mystery of the unknown, by the possibility of the improbable, by -that invincible credulity with reference to the marvelous which haunts -man, and often disturbs the strongest minds in the presence of the -silly inventions of charlatans. - -Paul and Christiane chatted in the recess of an open window. For some -time past she had been miserable, feeling that she was no longer loved -in the same fashion; and their misunderstanding as lovers was every day -accentuated by their mutual error. She had suspected this unfortunate -state of things for the first time on the evening of the _fête_ when -she brought Paul along the road. But while she understood that he had -no longer the same tenderness in his look, the same caress in his -voice, the same passionate anxiety about her as in the days of their -early love, she had not been able to divine the cause of this change. - -It had existed for a long time now, ever since the day when she -had said to him with a look of happiness on reaching their daily -meeting-place: "You know, I believe I am really _enceinte_." He had -felt at that moment an unpleasant little shiver running all over his -skin. Then at each of their meetings she would talk to him about her -condition, which made her heart dance with joy; but this preoccupation -with a matter which he regarded as vexatious, ugly, and unclean clashed -with his devoted exaltation about the idol that he had adored. At a -later stage, when he saw her altered, thin, her cheeks hollow, her -complexion yellow, he thought that she might have spared him that -spectacle, and might have vanished for a few months from his sight, to -reappear afterward fresher and prettier than ever, thus knowing how to -make him forget this accident, or perhaps knowing how to unite to her -coquettish fascinations as a mistress, another charm, the thoughtful -reserve of a young mother, who only allows her baby to be seen at a -distance covered up in red ribbons. - -She had, besides, a rare opportunity of displaying that tact which -he expected of her by spending the summer apart from him at Mont -Oriol, and leaving him in Paris so that he might not see her robbed -of her freshness and beauty. He had fondly hoped that she might have -understood him. - -But, immediately on reaching Auvergne, she had appealed to him in -incessant and despairing letters so numerous and so urgent that he had -come to her through weakness, through pity. And now she was boring him -to death with her ungracious and lugubrious tenderness; and he felt an -extreme longing to get away from her, to see no more of her, to listen -no longer to her talk about love, so irritating and out of place. He -would have liked to tell her plainly all that he had in his mind, -to point out to her how unskillful and foolish she showed herself; -but he could not bring himself to do this, and he dared not take his -departure. As a result he could not restrain himself from testifying -his impatience with her in bitter and hurtful words. - -She was stung by them the more because, every day more ill, more heavy, -tormented by all the sufferings of pregnant women, she had more need -than ever of being consoled, fondled, encompassed with affection. She -loved him with that utter abandonment of body and soul, of her entire -being, which sometimes renders love a sacrifice without reservations -and without bounds. She no longer looked upon herself as his mistress, -but as his wife, his companion, his devotee, his worshiper, his -prostrate slave, his chattel. For her there seemed no further need of -any gallantry, coquetry, constant desire to please, or fresh indulgence -between them, since she belonged to him entirely, since they were -linked together by that chain so sweet and so strong--the child which -would soon be born. When they were alone at the window, she renewed her -tender lamentation: "Paul, my dear Paul, tell me, do you love me as -much as ever?" - -"Yes, certainly! Come now, you keep repeating this every day--it will -end by becoming monotonous." - -"Pardon me. It is because I find it impossible to believe it any -longer, and I want you to reassure me; I want to hear you saying it to -me forever that word which is so sweet; and, as you don't repeat it to -me so often as you used to do, I am compelled to ask for it, to implore -it, to beg for it from you." - -"Well, yes, I love you! But let us talk of something else, I entreat of -you." - -"Ah! how hard you are!" - -"Why, no! I am not hard. Only--only you do not understand--you do not -understand that----" - -"Oh! yes! I understand well that you no longer love me. If you knew how -I am suffering!" - -"Come, Christiane, I beg of you not to make me nervous. If you knew -yourself how awkward what you are now doing is!" - -"Ah! if you loved me, you would not talk to me in this way." - -"But, deuce take it! if I did not love you, I would not have come." - -"Listen. You belong to me now. You are mine; I am yours. There is -between us that tie of a budding life which nothing can break; but will -you promise me that, if one day, you should come to love me no more, -you will tell me so?" - -"Yes, I do promise you." - -"You swear it to me?" - -"I swear it to you." - -"But then, all the same, we would remain friends, would we not?" - -"Certainly, let us remain friends." - -"On the day when you no longer regard me with love you'll come to find -me and you'll say to me: 'My little Christiane, I am very fond of -you, but it is not the same thing any more. Let us be friends, there! -nothing but friends.'" - -"That is understood; I promise it to you." - -"You swear it to me?" - -"I swear it to you." - -"No matter, it would cause me great grief. How you adored me last -year!" - -A voice called out behind them: "The Duchess de Ramas-Aldavarra." - -She had come as a neighbor, for Christiane held receptions each day -for the principal bathers, just as princes hold receptions in their -kingdoms. - -Doctor Mazelli followed the lovely Spaniard with a smiling and -submissive air. The two women pressed one another's hands, sat down, -and commenced to chat. - -Andermatt called Paul across to him: "My dear friend come here! -Mademoiselle Oriol reads the cards splendidly; she has told me some -astonishing things!" - -He took Paul by the arm, and added: "What an odd being you are! At -Paris, we never saw you, even once a month, in spite of the entreaties -of my wife. Here it required fifteen letters to get you to come. And -since you have come, one would think you are losing a million a day, -you look so disconsolate. Come, are you hearing any matter that ruffles -you? We might be able to assist you. You should tell us about it." - -"Nothing at all, my dear fellow. If I haven't visited you more -frequently in Paris--'tis because at Paris, you understand----" - -"Perfectly--I grasp your meaning. But here, at least, you ought to be -in good spirits. I am preparing for you two or three _fêtes_, which -will, I am sure, be very successful." - -"Madame Barre and Professor Cloche" were announced. He entered with his -daughter, a young widow, red-haired and bold-faced. Then, almost in the -same breath, the manservant called out: "Professor Mas-Roussel." - -His wife accompanied him, pale, worn, with flat headbands drawn over -her temples. - -Professor Remusot had left the day before, after having, it was said, -purchased his chalet on exceptionally favorable conditions. - -The two other doctors would have liked to know what these conditions -were, but Andermatt merely said in reply to them: "Oh! we have made -little advantageous arrangements for everybody. If you desired to -follow his example, we might see our way to a mutual understanding--we -might see our way. When you have made up your mind, you can let me -know, and then we'll talk about it." - -Doctor Latonne appeared in his turn, then Doctor Honorat, without his -wife, whom he did not bring with him. A din of voices now filled the -drawing-room, the loud buzz of conversation. Gontran never left Louise -Oriol's side, put his head over her shoulder in addressing her, and -said with a laugh every now and again to whoever was passing near him: -"This is an enemy of whom I am making a conquest." - -Mazelli took a seat beside Professor Cloche's daughter. For some days -he had been constantly following her about; and she had received his -advances with provoking audacity. - -The Duchess, who kept him well in view, appeared irritated and -trembling. Suddenly she rose, crossed the drawing-room, and interrupted -her doctor's confidential chat with the pretty red-haired widow, -saying: "Come, Mazelli, we are going to retire. I feel rather ill at -ease." - -As soon as they had gone out, Christiane drew close to Paul's side, -and said to him: "Poor woman! she must suffer so much!" - -He asked heedlessly: "Who, pray?" - -"The Duchess! You don't see how jealous she is." - -He replied abruptly: "If you begin to groan over everything you can lay -hold of now, you'll have no end of weeping." - -She turned away, ready, indeed, to shed tears, so cruel did she find -him, and, sitting down near Charlotte Oriol, who was all alone in a -dazed condition, unable to comprehend the meaning of Gontran's conduct, -she said to the young girl, without letting the latter realize what her -words conveyed: "There are days when one would like to be dead." - -Andermatt, in the midst of the doctors, was relating the extraordinary -case of Père Clovis, whose legs were beginning to come to life again. -He appeared so thoroughly convinced that nobody could doubt his good -faith. - -Since he had seen through the trick of the peasants and the paralytic, -understood that he had let himself be duped and persuaded, the year -before, through the sheer desire to believe in the efficacy of the -waters with which he had been bitten, since, above all, he had not been -able to free himself, without paying, from the formidable complaints -of the old man, he had converted it into a strong advertisement, and -worked it wonderfully well. - -Mazelli had just come back, after having accompanied his patient to her -own apartments. - -Gontran caught hold of his arm: "Tell me your opinion, my good doctor. -Which of the Oriol girls do you prefer?" - -The handsome physician whispered in his ear: "The younger one, to love; -the elder one, to marry." - -"Look at that! We are exactly of the same way of thinking. I am -delighted at it!" - -Then, going over to his sister, who was still talking to Charlotte: -"You are not aware of it? I have made up my mind that we are to visit -the Puy de la Nugère on Thursday. It is the finest crater of the chain. -Everyone consents. It is a settled thing." - -Christiane murmured with an air of indifference: "I consent to anything -you like." - -But Professor Cloche, followed by his daughter, was about to take his -leave, and Mazelli, offering to see them home, started off behind the -young widow. In five minutes, everyone had left, for Christiane went -to bed at eleven o'clock. The Marquis, Paul, and Gontran accompanied -the Oriol girls. Gontran and Louise walked in front, and Bretigny, some -paces behind them, felt Charlotte's arm trembling a little as it leaned -on his. - -They separated with the agreement: "On Thursday at eleven for breakfast -at the hotel!" - -On their way back they met Andermatt, detained in a corner of the park -by Professor Mas-Roussel, who was saying to him: "Well, if it does not -put you about, I'll come and have a chat with you to-morrow morning -about that little business of the chalet." - -William joined the young men to go in with them, and, drawing himself -up to his brother-in-law's ear, said: "My best compliments, my dear -boy! You have acted your part admirably." - -Gontran, for the past two years, had been harassed by pecuniary -embarrassments which had spoiled his existence. So long as he was -spending the share which came to him from his mother, he had allowed -his life to pass in that carelessness and indifference which he -inherited from his father, in the midst of those young men, rich, -_blasé_, and corrupted, whose doings we read about every morning in the -newspapers, who belong to the world of fashion but mingle in it very -little, preferring the society of women of easy virtue and purchasable -hearts. - -There were a dozen of them in the same set, who were to be found every -night at the same _café_ on the boulevard between midnight and three -o'clock in the morning. Very well dressed, always in black coats and -white waistcoats, wearing shirt-buttons worth twenty louis changed -every month, and bought in one of the principal jewelers' shops, -they lived careless of everything, save amusing themselves, picking -up women, making them a subject of talk, and getting money by every -possible means. - -As the only things they had any knowledge of were the scandals of the -night before, the echoes of alcoves and stables, duels and stories -about gambling transactions, the entire horizon of their thoughts was -shut in by these barriers. They had had all the women who were for sale -in the market of gallantry, had passed them through their hands, given -them up, exchanged them with one another, and talked among themselves -as to their erotic qualities as they might have talked about the -qualities of race-horses. They also associated with people of rank -whose voluptuous habits excited comment and whose women nearly all -kept up intrigues which were matters of notoriety, under the eyes of -husbands indifferent or averted or closed or devoid of perception; and -they passed judgment on these women as on the others, forming much the -same estimate about them, save that they made a slight distinction on -the grounds of birth and social position. - -By dint of resorting to dodges to get the money necessary for the life -which they led, outwitting usurers, borrowing on all sides, putting -off tradesmen, laughing in the faces of their tailors when presented -with a big bill every six months, listening to girls telling about the -infamies they perpetrated in order to gratify their feminine greed, -seeing systematic cheating at clubs, knowing and feeling that they -were individually robbed by everyone, by servants, merchants, keepers -of big restaurants and others, becoming acquainted with certain sharp -practices and shady transactions in which they themselves had a hand in -order to knock out a few louis, their moral sense had become blunted, -used up, and their sole point of honor consisted in fighting duels when -they realized that they were suspected of all the things of which they -were either capable or actually guilty. - -Everyone of these young _roués_, after some years of this existence, -ended with a rich marriage, or a scandal, or a suicide, or a mysterious -disappearance as complete as death. But they put their principal -reliance on the rich marriage. Some trusted to their families to -procure such a thing for them; others looked out themselves for it -without letting it be noticed; and they had lists of heiresses just -as people have lists of houses for sale. They kept their eyes fixed -especially on the exotics, the Americans of the north and of the south, -whom they dazzled by their "chic," by their reputation as fast men, by -talk about their successes, and by the elegance of their persons. And -their tradesmen also placed reliance on the rich marriage. - -But this hunt after the girl with a fortune was bound to be protracted. -In any case it involved inquiries, the trouble of winning a female -heart, fatigues, visits, all that exercise of energy of which Gontran, -careless by nature, remained utterly incapable. For a long time -past, he had been saying to himself, feeling each day more keenly -the unpleasantness of impecuniosity: "I must, for all that, think -over it." But he did not think over it, and so he found nothing. He -had been reduced to the ingenious pursuit of paltry sums, to all the -questionable steps of people at the end of their resources, and, to -crown all, to long sojourns in the family, when Andermatt had suddenly -suggested to him the idea of marrying one of the Oriol girls. - -He had, at first, said nothing through prudence, although the young -girl appeared to him, at first blush, too much beneath him for him to -consent to such an unequal match. But a few minutes' reflection had -very speedily modified his view; and he forthwith made up his mind -to make love to her in a bantering sort of way--the love-making of a -spa--which would not compromise him, and would permit him to back out -of it. - -Thoroughly acquainted with his brother-in-law's character, he knew that -this proposition must have been cogitated for a long time, and weighed -and matured by him--that she meant to him a valuable prize such as it -would be hard to find elsewhere. - -It would cost him no trouble but that of stooping down and picking up -a pretty girl, for he liked the younger sister very much, and he had -often said to himself that she would be nice to associate with later -on. He had accordingly selected Charlotte Oriol; and in a little time -would have brought matters to the point when a regular proposal might -have been made to her. - -Now, as the father was bestowing on his other daughter the dowry -coveted by Andermatt, Gontran had either to renounce this union or -turn round to the elder sister. He felt intense dissatisfaction with -this state of affairs and he had been thinking in his first moments of -vexation of sending his brother-in-law to the devil and remaining a -bachelor until a fresh opportunity arose. But just at that very time -he found himself quite cleaned out, so that he had to ask, for his -play at the Casino, a sum of twenty-five louis from Paul, after many -similar loans, which he had never paid back. And again, he would have -to look for a rich wife, find her, and captivate her, while without any -change of place, with only a few days of attention and gallantry, he -could capture the elder of the Oriol girls just as he had been able to -make a conquest of the younger. In this way he would make sure in his -brother-in-law of a banker whom he might render always responsible, on -whom he might cast endless reproaches, and whose cash-box would always -be open for him. - -As for his wife, he could bring her to Paris, and there introduce her -into society as the daughter of Andermatt's partner. Moreover, she bore -the name of the spa, to which he would never bring her back! Never! -never! in virtue of the natural law that streams do not return to their -sources. She had a nice face and figure, sufficiently distinguished -already to become entirely so, sufficiently intelligent to understand -the ways of society, to hold her own in it, to make a good show in -it, and even to do him honor. People would say: "This joker here has -married a lovely girl, at whom he looks as if he were not making a bad -joke of it." And he would not make a bad joke of it, in fact, for he -counted on resuming by her side his bachelor existence with the money -in his pockets. - -So he turned toward Louise Oriol, and, taking advantage of the jealousy -awakened in the skittish heart of the young girl, without being aware -of it, had excited in her a coquetry which had hitherto slumbered, and -a vague desire to take away from her sister this handsome lover whom -people addressed as "Monsieur le Comte." - -She had not said this in her own mind. She had neither thought it out -nor contrived it, being surprised at their being thrown together and -going off in one another's company. But when she saw him assiduous -and gallant toward her, she felt from his demeanor, from his glances, -and his entire attitude, that he was not enamored of Charlotte, and -without trying to see beyond that, she was in a happy, joyous, almost -triumphant frame of mind as she lay down to sleep. - -They hesitated for a long time on the following Thursday before -starting for the Puy de la Nugère. The gloomy sky and the heavy -atmosphere made them anticipate rain. But Gontran insisted so strongly -on going that he carried the waverers along with him. The breakfast -was a melancholy affair. Christiane and Paul had quarreled the night -before, without apparent cause. Andermatt was afraid that Gontran's -marriage might not take place, for Père Oriol had, that very morning, -spoken of him in equivocal terms. Gontran, on being informed of this, -got angry and made up his mind that he would succeed. Charlotte, -foreseeing her sister's triumph, without at all understanding this -transfer of Gontran's affections, strongly desired to remain in the -village. With some difficulty they prevailed on her to come. - -Accordingly the Noah's Ark carried its full number of ordinary -passengers in the direction of the high plateau which looks down on -Volvic. Louise Oriol, suddenly becoming loquacious, acted as their -guide along the road. She explained how the stone of Volvic, which -is nothing else but the lava-current of the surrounding peaks, had -helped to build all the churches and all the houses in the district--a -circumstance which gives to the towns in Auvergne the dark and -charred-looking aspect that they present. - -She pointed out the yards where this stone was cut, showed them the -molten rock that was worked as a quarry, from which was extracted the -rough lava, and made them view with admiration, standing on a hilltop -and bending over Volvic, the immense black Virgin who protects the -town. Then they ascended toward the upper plateau, embossed with -extinct volcanoes. The horses went at a walking pace over the long and -toilsome road. Their path was bordered with beautiful green woods, and -nobody talked any longer. - -Christiane was thinking about Tazenat. It was the same carriage; -they were the same persons; but their hearts were no longer the -same. Everything seemed as it had been--and yet? and yet? What then -had happened? Almost nothing. A little love the more on her part! A -little love the less on his! Almost nothing--the invisible rent which -weariness makes in an intimate attachment--oh! almost nothing--and the -look in the changed eyes, because the same eyes no longer saw the same -faces in the same way. What is this but a look? Almost nothing! - -The coachman drew up, and said: "It is here, at the right, through that -path in the wood. You have only to follow it in order to get there." - -All descended, save the Marquis, who thought the weather too warm. -Louise and Gontran went on in front, and Charlotte remained behind with -Paul and Christiane, who found difficulty in walking. The path appeared -to them long, right through the wood; then they reached a crest covered -with tall grass which led by a steep ascent to the sides of the old -crater. Louise and Gontran, halting when they got to the top, both -looking tall and slender, had the appearance of standing in the clouds. -When the others had come up with them, Paul Bretigny's enthusiastic -soul was inflamed with poetic rapture. - -Around them, behind them, to right, to left, they were surrounded by -strange cones, decapitated, some shooting forth, others crushed into a -mass, but all preserving their fantastic physiognomy of dead volcanoes. -These heavy fragments of mountains with flat summits rose from south to -west along an immense plateau of desolate appearance, which, itself a -thousand meters above the Limagne, looked down upon it, as far as the -eye could reach, toward the east and the north, on to the invisible -horizon, always veiled, always blue. - -The Puy de Dome, at the right, towered above all its fellows, with from -seventy to eighty craters now gone to sleep. Further on were the Puy de -Gravenoire, the Puy de Crouel, the Puy de la Pedge, the Puy de Sault, -the Puy de Noschamps, the Puy de la Vache. Nearer, were the Puy de -Come, the Puy de Jumes, the Puy de Tressoux, the Puy de Louchadière--a -vast cemetery of volcanoes. - -The young men gazed at the scene in amazement. At their feet opened -the first crater of La Nugère, a deep grassy basin at the bottom of -which could be seen three enormous blocks of brown lava, lifted up with -the monster's last puff and then sunk once more into his throat as he -expired, remaining there from century to century forever. - -Gontran exclaimed: "As for me, I am going down to the bottom. I want -to see how they give up the ghost--creatures of this sort. Come along, -Mesdemoiselles, for a little run down the slope." And seizing Louise's -arm, he dragged her after him. Charlotte followed them, running after -them. Then, all of a sudden, she stopped, watched them as they flew -along, jumping with their arms linked, and, turning back abruptly, she -reascended toward Christiane and Paul, who were seated on the grass -at the top of the declivity. When she reached them, she fell upon her -knees, and, hiding her face in the young girl's robe she wore, she -burst out sobbing. - -Christiane, who understood what was the matter, and whom all the -sorrows of others had, for some time past, pierced like wounds -inflicted upon herself, flung her arms around the girl's neck, and, -moved also by her tears, murmured: "Poor little thing! poor little -thing!" The girl kept crying incessantly, and with her hands dropping -listlessly to the ground, she tore up the grass unconscious of what she -was doing. - -Bretigny had risen up in order to avoid the appearance of having -observed her, but this misery endured by a young girl, this distress -of an innocent creature, filled him suddenly with indignation against -Gontran. He, whom Christiane's deep anguish only exasperated, was -touched to the bottom of his heart by a girl's first disillusion. - -He came back, and kneeling down in his turn, in order to speak to her, -said: "Come, calm yourself, I beg of you. They are going to return -presently. They must not see you crying." - -She sprang to her feet, scared by this idea that her sister might find -her with tears in her eyes. Her throat remained choking with sobs, -which she held back, which she swallowed down, which she sent back -into her heart, filling it with more poignant grief. She faltered: -"Yes--yes--it is over--it is nothing--it is over. Look here! It cannot -be noticed now. Isn't that so? It cannot be noticed now." - -Christiane wiped her cheeks with her handkerchief, then passed it also -across her own. She said to Paul: - -"Go, pray, and see what they are doing. We cannot see them any longer. -They have disappeared under the blocks of lava. I will look after this -little one, and console her." - -Bretigny had again stood up, and in a trembling voice, said: "I am -going there--and I'll bring them back, but it will be my affair--your -brother--this very day--and he shall give me an explanation of his -unjustifiable conduct, after what he said to us the other day." He -began to descend, running toward the center of the crater. - -Gontran, hurrying Louise along, had pulled her with all his strength -over the steep side of the chasm, in order to hold her up, to sustain -her, to put her out of breath, to make her dizzy, and to frighten her. -She, carried along by his wild rush, attempted to stop him, gasping: -"Oh! not so quickly--I'm going to fall--why, you're mad--I'm going to -fall!" - -They knocked against the blocks of lava, and remained standing up, both -breathless. Then they walked round the crater staring at the big gaps -which formed below a kind of cavern, with a double outlet. - -When at the end of its life, the volcano had cast out this last -mouthful of foam, unable to shoot it up to the sky as in former times, -he had spat it forth, so that, thick and half-cooled, it fixed itself -upon his dying lips. - -"We must enter under there," said Gontran. And he pushed the young -girl before him. Then, when they were in the grotto, he said: "Well, -Mademoiselle, this is the moment to make a declaration to you." - -She was stupefied: "A declaration--to me!" - -"Why, yes, in four words--I find you charming!" - -"It is to my sister you should say that!" - -"Oh! you know well that I am not making a declaration to your sister." - -"Come, now!" - -"Look here! you would not be a woman if you did not understand that I -have paid attentions to her to see what you would think of it!--and -what looks you gave me on account of it. Why, you looked daggers at me! -Oh! I'm quite satisfied. So then I have tried to prove to you, by all -the consideration in my power, how much I thought about you." - -Nobody had ever before talked to her in this way. She felt confused and -delighted, her heart full of joy and pride. He went on: "I know well -that I have been nasty toward your little sister. So much the worse. -She is not deceived by it, never fear. You see how she remained on the -hillside, how she was not inclined to follow us. Oh! she understands! -she understands!" - -He had caught hold of one of Louise Oriol's hands, and he kissed the -ends of her fingers softly, gallantly, murmuring: "How nice you are! -How nice you are!" - -She, leaning against the wall of lava, heard his heart beating with -emotion without uttering a word. The thought, the sole thought, which -floated in her agitated mind, was one of triumph; she had got the -better of her sister! But a shadow appeared at the entrance to the -grotto. Paul Bretigny was looking at them. Gontran, in a natural -fashion, let fall the little hand which he had been raising to his -lips, and said: "Hallo! you here? Are you alone?" - -"Yes. We were surprised to see you disappearing down here." - -"Oh! well, let us go back. We were looking at this. Isn't it rather -curious?" - -Louise, flushed up to her temples, went out first, and began to -reascend the slope, followed by the two young men, who were talking -behind in a low tone. - -Christiane and Charlotte saw them approaching, and awaited them with -clasped hands. - -They went back to the carriage in which the Marquis had remained, and -the Noah's Ark set out again for Enval. - -Suddenly, in the midst of a little forest of pine-trees the landau -stopped, and the coachman began to swear. An old dead ass blocked the -way. - -Everyone wanted to look at it, and they got down off the carriage. He -lay stretched on the blackened dust, himself discolored, and so lean -that his worn skin at the places where the bones projected seemed as if -it would have been burst through if the animal had not breathed forth -his last sigh. The entire carcass outlined itself under the gnawed -hair of his sides, and his head looked enormous--a poor-looking head, -with the eyes closed, tranquil now on its bed of broken stones, so -tranquil, so calm in death, that it appeared happy and surprised at -this new-found rest. His big ears, now relaxed, lay like rags. Two raw -wounds on his knees told how often he had fallen that very day before -sinking down for the last time; and another wound on the side showed -the place where his master, for years and years, had been pricking him -with an iron spike attached to the end of a stick, to hasten his slow -pace. - -The coachman, having caught its hind legs, dragged it toward a ditch, -and the neck was strained as if the dead brute were going to bray once -more, to give vent to a last complaint. When this was done, the man, -in a rage, muttered: "What brutes, to leave this in the middle of the -road!" - -No other person had said a word; they again stepped into the carriage. -Christiane, heartbroken, crushed, saw all the miserable life of this -animal ended thus at the side of the road: the merry little donkey -with his big head, in which glittered a pair of big eyes, comical and -good-tempered, with his rough hair and his long ears, gamboling about, -still free, close to his mother's legs; then the first cart; the first -uphill journey; the first blows; and, after that, the ceaseless and -terrible walking along interminable roads, the overpowering heat of the -sun, and nothing for food save a little straw, a little hay, or some -branches, while all along the hard roads there was the temptation of -the green meadows. - -And then, again, as age came upon him, the iron spike replacing the -pliant switch; and the frightful martyrdom of the animal, worn out, -bereft of breath, bruised, always dragging after it excessive loads, -and suffering in all its limbs, in all its old body, shabby as a -beggar's cart. And then the death, the beneficent death, three paces -away from the grass of the ditch, to which a man, passing by, drags it -with oaths, in order to clear the road. - -Christiane, for the first time, understood the wretchedness of enslaved -creatures; and death appeared to her also a very good thing at times. - -Suddenly they passed by a little cart, which a man nearly naked, a -woman in tatters, and a lean dog were dragging along, exhausted by -fatigue. The occupants of the carriage noticed that they were sweating -and panting. The dog, with his tongue out, fleshless and mangy, was -fastened between the wheels. There were in this cart pieces of wood -picked up everywhere, stolen, no doubt, roots, stumps, broken branches, -which seemed to hide other things; then over these branches rags, and -on these rags a child, nothing but a head starting out through gray old -scraps of cloth, a round ball with two eyes, a nose, and a mouth! - -This was a family, a human family! The ass had succumbed to fatigue, -and the man, without pity for his dead servant, without pushing it even -into the rut, had left it in the open road, in front of any vehicles -which might be coming up. Then, yoking himself in his turn with his -wife in the empty shafts, they proceeded to drag it along as the beast -had dragged it a short time before. They were going on. Where? To do -what? Had they even a few sous? That cart--would they be dragging it -forever, not being in a position to buy another animal? What would they -live on? Where would they stop? They would probably die as their donkey -had died. - -Were they married, these beggars, or merely living together? And their -child would do the same as they did, this little brute as yet unformed, -concealed under sordid wrappings. Christiane was thinking on all these -things; and new sensations rose up in the depths of her pitying soul. -She had a glimpse of the misery of the poor. - -Gontran said, all of a sudden: "I don't know why, but I would think -it a delicious thing if we were all to dine together this evening at -the Café Anglais. It would give me pleasure to have a look at the -boulevard." - -And the Marquis muttered: "Bah! we are well enough here. The new hotel -is much better than the old one." - -They passed in front of Tournoel. A recollection of the spot -made Christiane's heart palpitate, as she recognized a certain -chestnut-tree. She glanced toward Paul, who had closed his eyes, so -that he did not see her meek, appealing face. - -Soon they perceived two men before the carriage, two vinedressers -returning from work carrying their rakes on their shoulders, and -walking with the long, weary steps of laborers. The Oriol girls -reddened to their very temples. It was their father and their brother, -who had gone back to their vine-lands as in former times, and passed -their days sweating over the soil which they had enriched, and bent -double, with their buttocks in the air, kept toiling at it from morning -until evening, while the fine frock-coats, carefully folded up, were at -rest in the chest of drawers, and the tall hats in a press. - -The two peasants bowed with a friendly smile, while everyone in the -landau waved a hand in response to their "Good evening." - -When they got back, just as Gontran was stepping out of the Ark to go -up to the Casino, Bretigny accompanied him, and stopping on the first -steps, said: - -"Listen, my friend! What you're doing is not right, and I've promised -your sister to speak to you about it." - -"To speak about what?" - -"About the way you have been acting during the last few days." - -Gontran had resumed his impertinent air. - -"Acting? Toward whom?" - -"Toward this girl whom you are meanly jilting." - -"Do you think so?" - -"Yes, I do think so--and I am right in thinking so." - -"Bah! you are becoming very scrupulous on the subject of jilting." - -"Ah, my friend, 'tis not a question of a loose woman here, but of a -young girl." - -"I know that perfectly; therefore, I have not seduced her. The -difference is very marked." - -They went on walking together side by side. Gontran's demeanor -exasperated Paul, who replied: - -"If I were not your friend, I would say some very severe things to you." - -"And for my part I would not permit you to say them." - -"Look here, listen to me, my friend! This young girl excites my pity. -She was weeping a little while ago." - -"Bah! she was weeping! Why, that's a compliment to me!" - -"Come, don't trifle! What do you mean to do?" - -"I? Nothing!" - -"Just consider! You have gone so far with her that you have compromised -her. The other day you told your sister and me that you were thinking -of marrying her." - -Gontran stopped in his walk, and in that mocking tone through which a -menace showed itself: - -"My sister and you would do better not to bother yourselves about -other people's love affairs. I told you that this girl pleases me well -enough, and that if I happened to marry her, I would be doing a wise -and reasonable act. That's all. Now it turns out that to-day I like the -elder girl better. I have changed my mind. That's a thing that happens -to everyone." - -Then, looking him full in the face: "What is it that you do yourself -when you cease to care about a woman? Do you look after her?" - -Paul Bretigny, astonished, sought to penetrate the profound meaning, -the hidden sense, of these words. A little feverishness also mounted -into his brain. He said in a violent tone: - -"I tell you again this is not a question of a hussy or a married woman, -but of a young girl whom you have deceived, if not by promises, at -least by your advances. That is not, mark you, the part of a man of -honor!--or of an honest man!" - -Gontran, pale, his voice quivering, interrupted him: "Hold your tongue! -You have already said too much--and I have listened to too much of -this. In my turn, if I were not your friend I--I might show you that I -have a short temper. Another word, and there is an end of everything -between us forever!" - -Then, slowly weighing his words, and flinging them in Paul's face, -he said: "I have no explanations to offer you--I might rather have -to demand them from you. There is a certain kind of indelicacy of -which it is not the part of a man of honor or of an honest man to be -guilty--which might take many forms--from which friendship ought to -keep certain people--and which love does not excuse." - -All of a sudden, changing his tone, and almost jesting, he added: - -"As for this little Charlotte, if she excites your pity, and if you -like her, take her, and marry her. Marriage is often a solution of -difficult cases. It is a solution, and a stronghold, in which one may -barricade himself against desperate obstacles. She is pretty and rich! -It would be very desirable for you to finish with an accident like -this!--it would be amusing for us to marry here, the same day, for -I certainly will marry the elder one. I tell it to you as a secret, -and don't repeat it as yet. Now don't forget that you have less right -than anyone else yourself ever to talk about integrity in matters of -sentiment, and scruples of affection. And now go and look after your -own affairs. I am going to look after mine. Good night!" - -And suddenly turning off in another direction, he went down toward the -village. Paul Bretigny, with doubts in his mind and uneasiness in his -heart, returned with lingering steps to the hotel of Mont Oriol. - -He tried to understand thoroughly, to recall each word, in order to -determine its meaning, and he was amazed at the secret byways, shameful -and unfit to be spoken of, which may be hidden in certain souls. - -When Christiane asked him: "What reply did you get from Gontran?" - -He faltered: "My God! he--he prefers the elder, just now. I believe he -even intends to marry her--and in answer to my rather sharp reproaches -he shut my mouth by allusions that are--disquieting to both of us." - -Christiane sank into a chair, murmuring: "Oh! my God! my God!" - -But, as Gontran had just come in, for the bell had rung for dinner, he -kissed her gaily on the forehead, asking: "Well, little sister, how do -you feel now? You are not too tired?" - -Then he pressed Paul's hand, and, turning toward Andermatt, who had -come in after him: - -"I say, pearl of brothers-in-law, of husbands, and of friends, can you -tell me exactly what an old ass dead on a road is worth?" - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - -A Betrothal - - -Andermatt and Doctor Latonne were walking in front of the Casino on a -terrace adorned with vases made of imitation marble. - -"He no longer salutes me," the doctor was saying, referring to his -brother-physician Bonnefille. "He is over there in his pit, like a -wild-boar. I believe he would poison our springs, if he could!" - -Andermatt, with his hands behind his back and his hat--a small round -hat of gray felt--thrown back over his neck, so as to let the baldness -above his forehead be seen, was deeply plunged in thought. At length he -said: - -"Oh! in three months the Company will have knuckled under. We might -buy it over at ten thousand francs. It is that wretched Bonnefille who -is exciting them against me, and who makes them fancy that I will give -way. But he is mistaken." - -The new inspector returned: "You are aware that they have shut up their -Casino since yesterday. They have no one any longer." - -"Yes, I am aware of it; but we have not enough of people here -ourselves. They stick in too much at the hotels; and people get bored -in the hotels, my dear fellow. It is necessary to amuse the bathers, -to distract them, to make them think the season too short. Those -staying at our Mont Oriol hotel come every evening, because they are -quite near, but the others hesitate and remain in their abodes. It is -a question of routes--nothing else. Success always depends on certain -imperceptible causes which we ought to know how to discover. It is -necessary that the routes leading to a place of recreation should be a -source of recreation in themselves, the commencement of the pleasure -which one will be enjoying presently. - -"The ways which lead to this place are bad, stony, hard; they cause -fatigue. When a route which goes to any place, to which one has a -vague desire of paying a visit, is pleasant, wide, and full of shade -in the daytime, easy and not too steep at night, one selects it -naturally in preference to others. If you knew how the body preserves -the recollection of a thousand things which the mind has not taken -the trouble to retain! I believe this is how the memory of animals is -constructed. Have you felt too hot when repairing to such a place? Have -you tired your feet on badly broken stones? Have you found an ascent -too rough, even while you were thinking of something else? If so, you -will experience invincible repugnance to revisiting that spot. You were -chatting with a friend; you took no notice of the slight annoyances of -the journey; you were looking at nothing, remarking notice; but your -legs, your muscles, your lungs, your whole body have not forgotten, -and they say to the mind, when it wants to take them along the same -route: 'No, I won't go; I have suffered too much there.' And the mind -yields to this refusal without disputing it, submitting to this mute -language of the companions who carry it along. - -"So then, we want fine pathways, which comes back to saying that I -require the bits of ground belonging to that donkey of a Père Oriol. -But patience! Ha! with reference to that point, Mas-Roussel has become -the proprietor of his own chalet on the same conditions as Remusot. -It is a trifling sacrifice for which he will amply indemnify us. Try, -therefore, to find out exactly what are Cloche's intentions." - -"He'll do just the same thing as the others," said the physician. "But -there is something else, of which I have been thinking for the last few -days, and which we have completely forgotten--it is the meteorological -bulletin." - -"What meteorological bulletin?" - -"In the big Parisian newspapers. It is indispensable, this is! It is -necessary that the temperature of a thermal station should be better, -less variable, more uniformly mild than that of the neighboring and -rival stations. You subscribe to the meteorological bulletin in the -leading organs of opinion, and I will send every evening by telegraph -the atmospheric situation. I will do it in such a way that the average -arrived at when the year is at an end may be higher than the best -mean temperatures of the surrounding stations. The first thing that -meets our eyes when we open the big newspapers are the temperatures -of Vichy, of Royat, of Mont Doré, of Chatel-Guyon, and other -places during the summer season, and, during the winter season, the -temperatures of Cannes, Mentone, Nice, Saint Raphael. It is necessary -that the weather should always be hot and always fine in these places, -in order that the Parisian might say: 'Christi! how lucky the people -are who go down there!'" - -Andermatt exclaimed: "Upon my honor, you're right. Why have I never -thought of that? I will attend to it this very day. With regard to -useful things, have you written to Professors Larenard and Pascalis? -There are two men I would like very much to have here." - -"Unapproachable, my dear President--unless--unless they are satisfied -of themselves after many trials that our waters are of a superior -character. But, as far as they are concerned, you will accomplish -nothing by persuasion--by anticipation." - -They passed by Paul and Gontran, who had come to take coffee after -luncheon. Other bathers made their appearance, especially men, for the -women, on rising from the table, always went up to their rooms for an -hour or two. Petrus Martel was looking after his waiters, and crying -out: "A kummel, a nip of brandy, a glass of aniseed cordial," in the -same rolling, deep voice which he would assume an hour later while -conducting rehearsals, and giving the keynote to the young _première_. - -Andermatt stopped a few moments for a short chat with the two young -men; then he resumed his promenade by the side of the inspector. - -Gontran, with legs crossed and folded arms, lolling in his chair, with -the nape of his neck against the back of it, and his eyes and his -cigar facing the sky, was puffing in a state of absolute contentment. - -Suddenly, he asked: "Would you mind taking a turn, presently, in the -valley of Sans-Souci? The girls will be there." - -Paul hesitated; then, after some reflection: "Yes, I am quite willing." -Then he added: "Is your affair progressing?" - -"Egad, it is! Oh! I have a hold of her. She won't escape me now." - -Gontran had, by this time, taken his friend into his confidence, and -told him, day by day, how he was going on and how much ground he -had gained. He even got him to be present, as a confederate, at his -appointments, for he had managed to obtain appointments with Louise -Oriol by a little bit of ingenuity. - -After their promenade at the Puy de la Nugère, Christiane put an end to -these excursions by not going out at all, and so rendered it more and -more difficult for the lovers to meet. Her brother, put out at first by -this attitude on her part, bethought him of some means of extricating -himself from this predicament. Accustomed to Parisian morals, according -to which women are regarded by men of his stamp as game, the chase of -which is often no easy one, he had in former days made use of many -artifices in order to gain access to those for whom he had conceived a -passion. He knew better than anyone else how to make use of pimps, to -discover those who were accommodating through interested motives, and -to determine with a single glance the men or women who were disposed to -aid him in his designs. - -The unconscious support of Christiane having suddenly been withdrawn -from him, he had looked about him for the requisite connecting link, -the "pliant nature," as he expressed it himself, whereby he could -replace his sister; and his choice speedily fixed itself on Doctor -Honorat's wife. Many reasons pointed at her as a suitable person. In -the first place, her husband, closely associated with the Oriols, -had been for the past twenty years attending this family. He had -been present at the birth of the children, had dined with them every -Sunday, and had entertained them at his own table every Tuesday. His -wife, a fat old woman of the lower-middle class, trying to pass as a -lady, full of pretension, easy to overcome through her vanity, was -sure to lend both hands to every desire of the Comte de Ravenel, whose -brother-in-law owned the establishment of Mont Oriol. - -Besides, Gontran, who was a good judge of a go-between, had satisfied -himself that this woman was naturally well adapted for the part, by -merely seeing her walking through the street. - -"She has the physique," was his reflection, "and when one has the -physique for an employment, one has the soul required for it, too!" - -Accordingly, he made his way into her abode, one day, after having -accompanied her husband to his own door. He sat down, chatted, -complimented the lady, and, when the dinner-bell rang, he said, as he -rose up: "You have a very savory smell here. You cook better than they -do at the hotel." - -Madame Honorat, swelling with pride, faltered: "Good heavens! if I -might make so bold--if I might make so bold, Monsieur le Comte, as----" - -"If you might make so bold as what, dear Madame?" - -"As to ask you to share our humble meal." - -"Faith--faith, I would say 'yes.'" - -The doctor, ill at ease, muttered: "But we have nothing, nothing--soup, -a joint of beef, and a chicken, that's all!" - -Gontran laughed: "That's quite enough for me. I accept the invitation." - -And he dined at the Honorat household. The fat woman rose up, went to -take the dishes out of the servant-maid's hands, in order that the -latter might not spill the sauce over the tablecloth, and, in spite of -her husband's impatience, insisted on attending at table herself. - -The Comte congratulated her on the excellence of the cooking, on the -good house she kept, on her attention to the duties of hospitality, and -he left her inflamed with enthusiasm. - -He returned to leave his card, accepted a fresh invitation, and -thenceforth made his way constantly to Madame Honorat's house, to which -the Oriol girls had paid visits frequently also for many years as -neighbors and friends. - -So then he spent hours there, in the midst of the three ladies, -attentive to both sisters, but accentuating clearly, from day to day, -his marked preference for Louise. - -The jealousy that had sprung up between the girls since the time -when he had begun to make love to Charlotte had assumed an aspect of -spiteful hostility on the side of the elder girl and of disdain on the -side of the younger. Louise, with her reserved air, imported into her -reticences and her demure ways in Gontran's society much more coquetry -and encouragement than the other had formerly shown with all her free -and joyous unconstraint. Charlotte, wounded to the quick, concealed -through pride the pain that she endured, pretended not to see or hear -anything of what was happening around her, and continued her visits -to Madame Honorat's house with a beautiful appearance of indifference -to all these lovers' meetings. She would not remain behind at her own -abode lest people might think that her heart was sore, that she was -weeping, that she was making way for her sister. - -Gontran, too proud of his achievement to throw a veil over it, could -not keep himself from talking about it to Paul. And Paul, thinking it -amusing, began to laugh. He had, besides, since the first equivocal -remarks of his friend, resolved not to interfere in his affairs, and he -often asked himself with uneasiness: "Can it be possible that he knows -something about Christiane and me?" - -He knew Gontran too well not to believe him capable of shutting his -eyes to an intrigue on the part of his sister. But then, why did he -not let it be understood sooner that he guessed it or was aware of -it? Gontran was, in fact, one of those in whose opinion every woman -in society ought to have a lover or lovers, one of those for whom the -family is merely a society of mutual help, for whom morality is an -attitude that is indispensable in order to veil the different appetites -which nature has implanted in us, and for whom worldly honor is a front -behind which amiable vices should be hidden. Moreover, if he had egged -on his dear sister to marry Andermatt was it not with the vague, if not -clearly-defined, idea that this Jew might be utilized, in every way, -by all the family?--and he would probably have despised Christiane for -being faithful to this husband of convenience, of utility, just as much -as he would have despised himself for not borrowing freely from his -brother-in-law's purse. - -Paul pondered over all this, and it disturbed his modern Don Quixote's -soul, which, in any event, was disposed toward compromise. He had, -therefore, become very reserved with this enigmatic friend of his. -When, accordingly, Gontran told him the use that he was making of -Madame Honorat, Bretigny burst out laughing; and he had even, for some -time past, allowed himself to be brought to that lady's house, and -found great pleasure in chatting with Charlotte there. - -The doctor's wife lent herself, with the best grace in the world, -to the part she was made to play, and offered them tea about five -o'clock, like the Parisian ladies, with little cakes manufactured by -her own hands. On the first occasion when Paul made his way into this -household, she welcomed him as if he were an old friend, made him sit -down, removed his hat herself, in spite of his protests, and placed it -beside the clock upon the mantelpiece. Then, eager, bustling, going -from one to the other, tremendously big and fat, she asked: - -"Do you feel inclined for a little dinner?" - -Gontran told funny stories, joked, and laughed quite at his ease. Then, -he took Louise into the recess of a window under the troubled eyes of -Charlotte. - -Madame Honorat, who sat chatting with Paul, said to him in a maternal -tone: - -"These dear children, they come here to have a few minutes' -conversation with one another. 'Tis very innocent--isn't it, Monsieur -Bretigny?" - -"Oh! very innocent, Madame!" - -When he came the next time, she familiarly addressed him as "Monsieur -Paul," treating him more or less as a crony. - -And from that time forth, Gontran told him, with a sort of teasing -liveliness, all about the complaisant behavior of the doctor's wife, to -whom he had said, the evening before: "Why do you never go out for a -walk along the Sans-Souci road?" - -"But we will go, M. le Comte--we will go." - -"Say, to-morrow about three o'clock." - -"To-morrow, about three o'clock, M. le Comte." - -And Gontran explained to Paul: "You understand that in this -drawing-room, I cannot say anything of a very confidential nature to -the elder girl before the younger. But in the wood I can go on before -or remain behind with Louise. So then you will come?" - -"Yes, I have no objection." - -"Let us go on then." - -And they rose up, and set forth at a leisurely pace along the highroad; -then, having passed through La Roche Pradière, they turned to the left -and descended into the wooded glen in the midst of tangled brushwood. -When they had passed the little river, they sat down at the side of the -path and waited. - -The three ladies soon arrived, walking in single file, Louise in front, -and Madame Honorat in the rear. They exhibited surprise on both sides -at having met in this way. Gontran exclaimed: "Well, now, what a good -idea this was of yours to come along here!" - -The doctor's wife replied: "Yes, the idea was mine." - -They continued their walk. Louise and Gontran gradually quickened -their steps, went on in advance, and rambled so far together that they -disappeared from view at a turn of the narrow path. - -The fat lady, who was breathing hard, murmured, as she cast an -indulgent eye in their direction: "Bah! they're young--they have legs. -As for me, I can't keep up with them." - -Charlotte exclaimed: "Wait! I'm going to call them back!" - -She was rushing away. The doctor's wife held her back: "Don't interfere -with them, child, if they want to chat! It would not be nice to disturb -them. They will come back all right by themselves." - -And she sat down on the grass, under the shade of a pine-tree, fanning -herself with her pocket-handkerchief. Charlotte cast a look of distress -toward Paul, a look imploring and sorrowful. - -He understood, and said: "Well, Mademoiselle, we are going to let -Madame take a rest, and we'll both go and overtake your sister." - -She answered impetuously: "Oh, yes, Monsieur." - -Madame Honorat made no objection: "Go, my children, go. As for me, I'll -wait for you here. Don't be too long." - -And they started off in their turn. They walked quickly at first, as -they could see no sign of the two others, and hoped to come up with -them; then, after a few minutes, it struck them that Louise and -Gontran might have turned off to the right or to the left through the -wood, and Charlotte began to call them in a trembling and undecided -voice. There was no response. She exclaimed: "Oh! good heavens, where -can they be?" - -Paul felt himself overcome once more by that profound pity, by that -sympathetic tenderness toward her which had previously taken possession -of him on the edge of the crater of La Nugère. - -He did not know what to say to this afflicted young creature. He felt -a longing, a paternal and passionate longing to take her in his arms, -to embrace her, to find sweet and consoling words with which to soothe -her. But what words? - -She looked about on every side, searched the branches with wild -glances, listening to the faintest sounds, murmuring: "I think that -they are here--No, there--Do you hear nothing?" - -"No, Mademoiselle, I don't hear anything. The best thing we can do is -to wait here." - -"Oh! heavens, no. We must find them!" - -He hesitated for a few seconds, and then said to her in a low tone: -"This, then, causes you much pain?" - -She raised toward his her eyes, in which there was a look of wild -alarm, while the gathering tears filled them with a transparent watery -mist, as yet held back by the lids, over which drooped the long, brown -lashes. She strove to speak, but could not, and did not venture to open -her lips. But her heart swollen, choked with grief, was yearning to -pour itself out. - -He went on: "So then you loved him very much. He is not worthy of your -love. Take heart!" - -She could not restrain herself any longer, and hiding with her hands -the tears that now gushed forth from her eyes, she sobbed: "No!--no!--I -do not love him--he--it is too base to have acted as he did. He made a -tool of me--it is too base--too cowardly--but, all the same, it does -pain me--a great deal--for it is hard--very hard--oh! yes. But what -grieves me most is that my sister--my sister does not care for me any -longer--she who has been even more wicked than he was! I feel that -she no longer cares for me--not a bit--that she hates me--I have only -her--I have no one else--and I, I have done nothing!" - -He only saw her ear and her neck with its young flesh sinking into -the collar of her dress under the light material she wore till it was -lost in the curves of her bust. And he felt himself overpowered with -compassion, with sympathy, carried away by that impetuous desire of -self-devotion which got the better of him every time that a woman -touched his heart. And that heart of his, responsive to outbursts of -enthusiasm, was excited by this innocent sorrow, agitating, ingenuous, -and cruelly charming. - -He stretched forth his hand toward her with an unstudied movement such -as one might use in order to caress, to calm a child, and he drew it -round her waist from behind over her shoulder. Then he felt her heart -beaming with rapid throbs, as he might have heard the little heart of -a bird that he had caught. And this beating, continuous, precipitate, -sent a thrill all over his arm into his heart, accelerating its -movements. And he felt those quick heart-beats coming from her and -penetrating him through his flesh, his muscles, and his nerves, so that -between them there was now only one heart wounded by the same pain, -agitated by the same palpitation, living the same life, like clocks -connected by a string at some distance from one another and made to -keep time together second by second. - -But suddenly she uncovered her flushed face, still tear-dimmed, quickly -wiped it, and said: - -"Come, I ought not to have spoken to you about this. I am foolish. Let -us go back at once to Madame Honorat, and forget. Do you promise me?" - -"I do promise you." - -She gave him her hand. "I have confidence in you. I believe you are -very honest!" - -They turned back. He lifted her up in crossing the stream, just as he -had lifted up Christiane, the year before. How often had he passed -along this path with her in the days when he adored her! He reflected, -wondering at his own changed feelings: "How short a time this passion -lasted!" - -Charlotte, laying a finger on his arm, murmured: "Madame Honorat is -asleep. Let us sit down without making a noise." - -Madame Honorat was, indeed, slumbering, with her back to a pine-tree, -her handkerchief over her face and her hands crossed over her stomach. -They seated themselves a few paces away from her, and refrained from -speaking in order not to awaken her. Then the stillness of the wood -was so profound that it became as painful to them as actual suffering. -Nothing could be heard save the water gurgling over the stones, a -little lower down, then those imperceptible quiverings of insects -passing by, those light buzzings of flies or of other living creatures -whose movements made the dead leaves flutter. - -Where then were Louise and Gontran? What were they doing? All at once, -the sound of their voices reached them from a distance. They were -returning. Madame Honorat woke up and looked astonished. - -"What! you are here again! I did not notice you coming back. And the -others, have you found them?" - -Paul replied: "There they are! They are coming." - -They recognized Gontran's laughter. This laughter relieved Charlotte -from a crushing weight, which had oppressed her mind--she could not -have explained why. - -They were soon able to distinguish the pair. Gontran had almost broken -into a running pace, dragging by the arm the young girl, who was quite -flushed. And, even before they had come up, so great a hurry was he in -to tell his story, he shouted: - -"You don't know what we surprised. I give you a thousand guesses to -discover it! The handsome Doctor Mazelli along with the daughter of -the illustrious Professor Cloche, as Will would say, the pretty widow -with the red hair. Oh! yes, indeed--surprised, you understand? He was -embracing her, the scamp. Oh! yes--oh! yes." - -Madame Honorat, at this immoderate display of gaiety, made a dignified -movement: - -"Oh! M. le Comte, think of these young ladies!" - -Gontran made a respectful obeisance. - -"You are perfectly right, dear Madame, to recall me to the proprieties. -All your inspirations are excellent." - -Then, in order that they might not be all seen going back together, the -two young men bowed to the ladies, and returned through the wood to the -village. - -"Well?" asked Paul. - -"Well, I told her that I adored her and that I would be delighted to -marry her." - -"And she said?" - -"She said, with charming discretion, 'That concerns my father. It is to -him that I will give my answer.'" - -"So then you are going to----" - -"To intrust my ambassador Andermatt at once with the official -application. And if the old boor makes any row about it, I'll -compromise his daughter with a splash." - -And, as Andermatt was again engaged in conversation with Doctor Latonne -on the terrace of the Casino, Gontran stopped here, and immediately -made his brother-in-law acquainted with the situation. - -Paul went off along the road to Riom. He wanted to be alone so much -did he find himself invaded by that agitation of the entire mind and -body into which every meeting with a woman casts a man who is on the -point of falling in love. For some time past he had felt, without -quite realizing it, the penetrating and youthful fascination of this -forsaken girl. He found her so nice, so good, so simple, so upright, -so innocent, that from the first he had been moved by compassion for -her, by that tender compassion with which the sorrows of women always -inspire us. Then, when he had seen her frequently, he had allowed to -bud forth in his heart that grain, that tiny grain, of tenderness -which they sow in us so quickly, and which grows to such a height. And -now, for the last hour especially, he was beginning to feel himself -possessed, to feel within him that constant presence of the absent -which is the first sign of love. He proceeded along the road, haunted -by the remembrance of her glance, by the sound of her voice, by the way -in which she smiled or wept, by the gait with which she walked, even by -the color and the flutter of her dress. And he said to himself: - -"I believe I am bitten. I know it. It is annoying, this! The best -thing, perhaps, would be to go back to Paris. Deuce take it, it is a -young girl! However, I can't make her my mistress." - -Then, he began dreaming about it, just as he had dreamed about -Christiane, the year before. How different was this one, too, from -all the women he had hitherto known, born and brought up in the city, -different even from those young maidens sophisticated from their -childhood by the coquetry of their mothers or the coquetry which shows -itself in the streets. There was in her none of the artificiality of -the woman prepared for seduction, nothing studied in her words, nothing -conventional in her actions, nothing deceitful in her looks. Not only -was she a being fresh and pure, but she came of a primitive race; she -was a true daughter of the soil at the moment when she was about to be -transformed into a woman of the city. - -And he felt himself stirred up, pleading for her against that vague -resistance which still struggled in his breast. The forms of heroines -in sentimental novels passed before his mind's eye--the creations of -Walter Scott, of Dickens, and of George Sand, exciting the more his -imagination, always goaded by ideal pictures of women. - -Gontran passed judgment on him thus: "Paul! he is a pack-horse with a -Cupid on his back. When he flings one on the ground, another jumps up -in its place." But Bretigny saw that night was falling. He had been a -long time walking. He returned to the village. - -As he was passing in front of the new baths, he saw Andermatt and the -two Oriols surveying and measuring the vinefields; and he knew from -their gestures that they were disputing in an excited fashion. - -An hour afterward, Will, entering the drawing-room, where the entire -family had assembled, said to the Marquis: "My dear father-in-law, I -have to inform you that your son Gontran is going to marry, in six -weeks or two months, Mademoiselle Louise Oriol." - -M. de Ravenel was startled: "Gontran? You say?" - -"I say that he is going to marry in six weeks or two months, with your -consent, Mademoiselle Louise Oriol, who will be very rich." - -Thereupon the Marquis said simply: "Good heavens! if he likes it, I -have no objection." - -And the banker related how he had dealt with the old countryman. As -soon as he had learned from the Comte that the young girl would -consent, he wanted to obtain, at one interview, the vinedresser's -assent without giving him time to prepare any of his dodges. He -accordingly hurried to Oriol's house, and found him making up his -accounts with great difficulty, assisted by Colosse, who was adding -figures together with his fingers. - -Seating himself: "I would like to drink of your excellent wine," said -he. - -When big Colosse had returned with the glasses and the jug brimming -over, he asked whether Mademoiselle Louise had come home; then he -begged of them to send for her. When she stood facing him, he rose, -and, making her a low bow: - -"Mademoiselle, will you regard me at this moment as a friend to whom -one may say everything? Is it not so? Well, I am charged with a very -delicate mission with reference to you. My brother-in-law, Comte -Raoul-Olivier-Gontran de Ravenel, is smitten with you--a thing for -which I commend him--and he has commissioned me to ask you, in the -presence of your family, whether you will consent to become his wife." - -Taken by surprise in this way, she turned toward her father her eyes, -which betrayed her confusion. And Père Oriol, scared, looked at his -son, his usual counselor, while Colosse looked at Andermatt, who went -on, with a certain amount of pomposity: - -"You understand, Mademoiselle, that I am only intrusted with this -mission on the terms of an immediate reply being given to my -brother-in-law. He is quite conscious of the fact that you may not care -for him, and in that case he will quit this neighborhood to-morrow, -never to come back to it again. I am aware, besides, that you know him -sufficiently to say to me, a simple intermediary, 'I consent,' or 'I do -not consent.'" - -She hung down her head, and, blushing, but resolute, she faltered: "I -consent, Monsieur." - -Then she fled so quickly that she knocked herself against the door as -she went out. - -Thereupon, Andermatt sat down, and, pouring out a glass of wine after -the fashion of peasants: - -"Now we are going to talk about business," said he. - -And, without admitting the possibility even of hesitation, he attacked -the question of the dowry, relying on the declarations made to him by -the vinedresser three months before. He estimated at three hundred -thousand francs, in addition to expectations, the actual fortune of -Gontran, and he let it be understood that if a man like the Comte de -Ravenel consented to ask for the hand of Oriol's daughter, a very -charming young lady in other respects, it was unquestionable that the -girl's family were bound to show their appreciation of this honor by a -sacrifice of money. - -Then the countryman, much disconcerted, but flattered--almost disarmed, -tried to make a fight for his property. The discussion was a long one. -An admission on Andermatt's part had, however, rendered it easy from -the start: - -"We don't ask for ready money nor for bills--nothing but the lands, -those which you have already indicated as forming Mademoiselle Louise's -dowry, in addition to some others which I am going to point you." - -The prospect of not having to pay money, that money slowly heaped -together, brought into the house franc after franc, sou after sou, -that good money, white or yellow, worn by the hands, the purses, the -pockets, the tables of _cafés_, the deep drawers of old presses, -that money in whose ring was told the history of so many troubles, -cares, fatigues, labors, so sweet to the heart, to the eyes, to the -fingers of the peasant, dearer than the cow, than the vine, than the -field, than the house, that money harder to part with sometimes than -life itself--the prospect of not seeing it go with the girl brought -on immediately a great calm, a desire to conciliate, a secret but -restrained joy, in the souls of the father and the son. - -They continued the discussion, however, in order to keep a few more -acres of soil. On the table was spread out a minute plan of Mont Oriol; -and they marked one by one with a cross the portions assigned to -Louise. It took an hour for Andermatt to secure the last two pieces. -Then, in order that there might not be any deceit on one side or the -other, they went over all the places on the plan. After that, they -identified carefully all the slices designated by crosses, and marked -them afresh. - -But Andermatt got uneasy, suspecting that the two Oriols were capable -of denying, at their next interview, a part of the grants to which they -had consented and would seek to take back ends of vinefields, corners -useful for his project; and he thought of a practical and certain means -of giving definiteness to the agreement. - -An idea crossed his mind, made him smile at first, then appeared to him -excellent, although singular. - -"If you like," said he, "we'll write it all out, so as not to forget it -later on." - -And as they were entering the village, he stopped before a -tobacconist's shop to buy two stamped sheets of paper. He knew that -the list of lands drawn up on these leaves with their legal aspect -would take an almost inviolable character in the peasant's eyes, for -these leaves would represent the law, always invisible and menacing, -vindicated by gendarmes, fines, and imprisonment. - -Then he wrote on one sheet and copied on the other: - - "In pursuance of the promise of marriage exchanged between - Comte Gontran de Ravenel and Mademoiselle Louise Oriol, M. - Oriol, Senior, surrenders as a dowry to his daughter the - lands designated below----" - -And he enumerated them minutely, with the figures attached to them in -the register of lands for the district. - -Then, having dated and signed the document, he made Père Oriol affix -his signature, after the latter had exacted in turn a written statement -of the intended husband's fortune, and he went back to the hotel with -the document in his pocket. - -Everyone laughed at his narrative and Gontran most of all. Then the -Marquis said to his son with a lofty air of dignity: "We shall both go -this evening to pay a visit to this family, and I shall myself renew -the application previously made by my son-in-law in order that it may -be more regular." - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - -Paul Changes His Mind - - -Gontran made an admirable _fiancé_, as courteous as he was assiduous. -With the aid of Andermatt's purse, he made presents to everyone; and -he constantly visited the young girl, either at her own house, or that -of Madame Honorat. Paul nearly always accompanied him now, in order to -have the opportunity of meeting Charlotte, saying to himself, after -each visit, that he would see her no more. - -She had bravely resigned herself to her sister's marriage, and she -referred to it with apparent unconcern, as if it did not cause her the -slightest anxiety. Her character alone seemed a little altered, more -sedate, less open. While Gontran was talking soft nothings to Louise in -a half-whisper in a corner, Bretigny conversed with her in a serious -fashion, and allowed himself to be slowly vanquished, allowed this -fresh love to inundate his soul like a flowing tide. He knew what was -happening to him, and gave himself up to it, thinking: "Bah! when the -moment arrives. I will make my escape--that's all." - -When he left her, he would go up to see Christiane, who now lay from -morning till night stretched on a long chair. At the door, he could not -help feeling nervous and irritated, prepared beforehand for those light -quarrels to which weariness gives birth. All that she said, all that -she was thinking of, annoyed him, even ere she had opened her lips. Her -appearance of suffering, her resigned attitude, her looks of reproach -and of supplication, made words of anger rise to his lips, which he -repressed through good-breeding; and, even when by her side, he kept -before his mind the constant memory, the fixed image, of the young girl -whom he had just quitted. - -As Christiane, tormented with seeing so little of him, overwhelmed -him with questions as to how he spent his days, he invented stories, -to which she listened attentively, seeking to find out whether he was -thinking of some other woman. The powerlessness which she felt in -herself to keep a hold on this man, the powerlessness to pour into -him a little of that love with which she was tortured, the physical -powerlessness to fascinate him still, to give herself to him, to win -him back by caresses, since she could not regain him by the tender -intimacies of love, made her suspect the worst, without knowing on what -to fix her fears. - -She vaguely realized that some danger was lowering over her, some great -unknown danger. And she was filled with undefined jealousy, jealousy of -everything--of women whom she saw passing by her window, and whom she -thought charming, without even having any proof that Bretigny had ever -spoken to them. - -She asked of him: "Have you noticed a very pretty woman, a brunette, -rather tall, whom I saw a little while ago, and who must have arrived -here within the past few days?" - -When he replied, "No, I don't know her," she at once jumped to the -conclusion that he was lying, turned pale, and went on: "But it is not -possible that you have not seen her. She appears to me very beautiful." - -He was astonished at her persistency. "I assure you I have not seen -her. I'll try to come across her." - -She thought: "Surely it must be she!" She felt persuaded, too, on -certain days, that he was hiding some intrigue in the locality, that -he had sent for his mistress, an actress perhaps. And she questioned -everybody, her father, her brother, and her husband, about all the -women young and desirable, whom they observed in the neighborhood of -Enval. If only she could have walked about, and seen for herself, she -might have reassured herself a little; but the almost complete loss -of motion which her condition forced upon her now made her endure an -intolerable martyrdom. - -When she spoke to Paul, the tone of her voice alone revealed her -anguish, and intensified his nervous impatience with this love, which -for him was at an end. He could no longer talk quietly about anything -with her save the approaching marriage of Gontran, a subject which -enabled him to pronounce Charlotte's name, and to give vent to his -thoughts aloud about the young girl. And it was a mysterious source of -delight to him even to hear Christiane articulating that name, praising -the grace and all the qualities of this little maiden, compassionating -her, regretting that her brother should have sacrificed her, and -expressing a desire that some man, some noble heart, should appreciate -her, love her, and marry her. - -He said: "Oh! yes, Gontran acted foolishly there. She is perfectly -charming, that young girl." - -Christiane, without any misgiving, echoed: "Perfectly charming. She is -a pearl! a piece of perfection!" - -Never had she thought that a man like Paul could love a little maid -like this, or that he would be likely to marry her. She had no -apprehensions save of his mistresses. And it was a singular phenomenon -of the heart that praise of Charlotte from Christiane's lips assumed in -his eyes an extreme value, excited his love, whetted his desire, and -surrounded the young girl with an irresistible attraction. - -Now, one day, when he called at Madame Honorat's house to meet there -the Oriol girls, they found Doctor Mazelli installed there as if he was -at home. He stretched forth both hands to the two young men, with that -Italian smile of his, which seemed to give away his entire heart with -every word and every movement. - -Gontran and he were linked by a friendship at once familiar and futile, -made up of secret affinities, of hidden likenesses, of a sort of -confederacy of instincts, rather than any real affection or confidence. - -The Comte asked: "What about your little blonde of the Sans-Souci wood?" - -The Italian smiled: "Bah! we are on terms of indifference toward one -another. She is one of those women who offer everything and give -nothing." - -And they began to chat. The handsome physician performed certain -offices for the young girls, especially for Charlotte. When addressing -women, he manifested a perpetual adoration in his voice, his gestures, -and his looks. His entire person, from head to foot, said to them, -"I love you" with an eloquence in his attitude which never failed to -win their favor. He displayed the graces of an actress, the light -pirouettes of a _danseuse_, the supple movements of a juggler, -an entire science of seduction natural and acquired, of which he -constantly made use. - -Paul, when returning to the hotel with Gontran, exclaimed in a tone of -sullen vexation: "What does this charlatan come to that house for?" - -The Comte replied quietly: "How can you ever tell when dealing with -such adventurers? These sort of people slip in everywhere. This -fellow must be tired of his vagabond existence, and of giving way to -every caprice of his Spaniard, of whom he is rather the valet than -the physician--and perhaps something more. He is looking about him. -Professor Cloche's daughter was a good catch--he has failed with her, -he says. The second of the Oriol girls would not be less valuable -to him. He is making the attempt, feeling his way, smelling about, -sounding. He would become co-proprietor of the waters, would try to -knock over that idiot, Latonne, would in any case get an excellent -practice here every summer for himself, which would last him over the -winter. Faith! this is his plan exactly--no doubt of it!" - -A dull rage, a jealous animosity, was aroused in Paul's heart. A -voice exclaimed: "Hey! hey!" It was Mazelli, who had overtaken them. -Bretigny said to him, with aggressive irony: "Where are you rushing -so quickly, doctor? One would say that you were pursuing fortune." -The Italian smiled, and, without stopping, but skipping backward, he -plunged, with a mimic's graceful movement, his hands into his two -pockets, quickly turned them out and showed them, both empty, holding -them wide between two fingers by the ends of the seams. Then he said: -"I have not got hold of it yet." And, turning on his toes, he rushed -away like a man in a great hurry. - -They found him again several times, on the following days, at Doctor -Honorat's house, where he made himself useful to the three ladies by a -thousand graceful little services, by the same clever tactics which he -had no doubt adopted when dealing with the Duchess. He knew how to do -everything to perfection, from paying compliments to making macaroni. -He was, moreover, an excellent cook, and protecting himself from stains -by means of a servant's blue apron, and wearing a chef's cap made of -paper on his head, while he sang Neapolitan ditties in Italian, he did -the work of a scullion, without appearing a bit ridiculous, amusing and -fascinating everybody, down to the half-witted housekeeper, who said of -him: "He is a marvel!" - -His plans were soon obvious, and Paul no longer had any doubt that he -was trying to get Charlotte to fall in love with him. He seemed to be -succeeding in this. He was so profuse of flattery, so eager, so artful -in striving to please, that the young girl's face had, when she looked -at him, that air of contentment which indicates that the heart is -gratified. - -Paul, in his turn, without being even able to account to himself for -his conduct, assumed the attitude of a lover, and set himself up as -a rival. When he saw the doctor with Charlotte, he would come on the -scene, and, with his more direct manner, exert himself to win the young -girl's affections. He showed himself straightforward and sympathetic, -fraternal, devoted, repeating to her, with the sincerity of a friend, -in a tone so frank that one could scarcely see in it an avowal of love: -"I am very fond of you; cheer up!" - -Mazelli, astonished at this unexpected rivalry, had recourse to all -his powers of captivation; and, when Bretigny, bitten with jealousy, -that naïve jealousy which takes possession of a man when he is dealing -with any woman, even without being in love with her, provided only he -has taken a fancy to her--when, filled with this natural violence, he -became aggressive and haughty, the other, more pliant, always master -of himself, replied with sly allusions, witticisms, well-turned and -mocking compliments. - -It was a daily warfare which they both waged fiercely, without either -of them perhaps having a well-defined object in view. They did not want -to give way, like two dogs who have gained a grip of the same quarry. - -Charlotte had recovered her good humor, but along with it she now -exhibited a more biting waggery, a certain sphinx-like attitude, -less candor in her smile and in her glance. One would have said that -Gontran's desertion had educated her, prepared her for possible -deceptions, disciplined, and armed her. - -She played off her two admirers against one another in a sly and -dexterous fashion, saying to each of them what she thought necessary, -without letting the one fall foul of the other, without ever letting -the one suppose that she preferred the other, laughing slightly at each -of them in turn in the presence of his rival, leaving them an equal -match without appearing even to take either of them seriously. But all -this was done simply, in the manner of a schoolgirl rather than in that -of a coquette, with that mischievous air exhibited by young girls which -sometimes renders them irresistible. - -Mazelli, however, seemed suddenly to be having the advantage. He had -apparently become more intimate with her, as if a secret understanding -had been established between them. While talking to her, he played -lightly with her parasol and with one of the ribbons of her dress, -which appeared to Paul, as it were, an act of moral possession, and -exasperated him so much that he longed to box the Italian's ears. - -But, one day, at Père Oriol's house, while Bretigny was chatting with -Louise and Gontran, and, at the same time, keeping his eye fixed on -Mazelli, who was telling Charlotte in a subdued voice some things that -made her smile, he suddenly saw her blush with such an appearance of -embarrassment as to leave no doubt for one moment on his mind that the -other had spoken of love. She had cast down her eyes, and ceased to -smile, but still continued listening; and Paul, who felt disposed to -make a scene, said to Gontran: "Will you have the goodness to come out -with me for five minutes?" - -The Comte made his excuses to his betrothed, and followed his friend. - -When they were in the street, Paul exclaimed: "My dear fellow, this -wretched Italian must, at any cost, be prevented from inveigling this -girl, who is defenseless against him." - -"What do you wish me to do?" - -"To warn her of the fact that he is an adventurer." - -"Hey, my dear boy, those things are no concern of mine." - -"After all, she is to be your sister-in-law." - -"Yes, but there is nothing to show me conclusively that Mazelli has -guilty designs upon her. He exhibits the same gallantry toward all -women, and he has never said or done anything improper." - -"Well, if you don't want to take it on yourself, I'll do it, although -it concerns me less assuredly than it does you." - -"So then you are in love with Charlotte?" - -"I? No--but I see clearly through this blackguard's game." - -"My dear fellow, you are mixing yourself up in matters of a delicate -nature, and--unless you are in love with Charlotte----" - -"No--I am not in love with her--but I am hunting down imposters, that's -what I mean!" - -"May I ask what you intend to do?" - -"To thrash this beggar." - -"Good! the best way to make her fall in love with him. You fight with -him, and whether he wounds you, or you wound him, he will become a hero -in her eyes." - -"What would you do then?" - -"In your place?" - -"In my place." - -"I would speak to the girl as a friend. She has great confidence -in you. Well, I would say to her simply in a few words what these -hangers-on of society are. You know very well how to say these things. -You possess an eloquent tongue. And I would make her understand, -first, why he is attached to the Spaniard; secondly, why he attempted -to lay siege to Professor Cloche's daughter; thirdly, why, not having -succeeded in this effort, he is striving, in the last place, to make a -conquest of Mademoiselle Charlotte Oriol." - -"Why do you not do that, yourself, who will be her brother-in-law?" - -"Because--because--on account of what passed between us--come! I can't." - -"That's quite right. I am going to speak to her." - -"Do you want me to procure for you a private conversation with her -immediately?" - -"Why, yes, assuredly." - -"Good! Walk about for ten minutes. I am going to carry off Louise and -Mazelli, and, when you come back, you will find the other alone." - -Paul Bretigny rambled along the side of the Enval gorges, thinking over -the best way of opening this difficult conversation. - -He found Charlotte Oriol alone, indeed, on his return, in the cold, -whitewashed parlor of the paternal abode; and he said to her, as he sat -down beside her: "It is I, Mademoiselle, who asked Gontran to procure -me this interview with you." - -She looked at him with her clear eyes: "Why, pray?" - -"Oh! it is not to pay you insipid compliments in the Italian fashion. -It is to speak to you as a friend--as a very devoted friend, who owes -you good advice." - -"Tell me what it is." - -He took up the subject in a roundabout style, dwelt upon his own -experience, and upon her inexperience, so as to lead gradually by -discreet but explicit phrases to a reference to those adventurers who -are everywhere going in quest of fortune, taking advantage with their -professional skill of every ingenuous and good-natured being, man or -woman, whose purses or hearts they explored. - -She turned rather pale as she listened to him. - -Then she said: "I understand and I don't understand. You are speaking -of some one--of whom?" - -"I am speaking of Doctor Mazelli." - -Then, she lowered her eyes, and remained a few seconds without -replying; after this, in a hesitating voice: "You are so frank that I -will be the same with you. Since--since my sister's marriage has been -arranged, I have become a little less--a little less stupid! Well, I -had already suspected what you tell me--and I used to feel amused of my -own accord at seeing him coming." - -She raised her face to his as she spoke, and in her smile, in her arch -look, in her little _retroussé_ nose, in the moist and glittering -brilliancy of her teeth which showed themselves between her lips, so -much open-hearted gracefulness, sly gaiety, and charming frolicsomeness -appeared that Bretigny felt himself drawn toward her by one of those -tumultuous transports which flung him distracted with passion at the -feet of the woman who was his latest love. And his heart exulted with -joy because Mazelli had not been preferred to him. So then he had -triumphed. - -He asked: "You do not love him, then?" - -"Whom? Mazelli?" - -"Yes." - -She looked at him with such a pained expression in her eyes that he -felt thrown off his balance, and stammered, in a supplicating voice: -"What?--you don't love--anyone?" - -She replied, with a downward glance: "I don't know--I love people who -love me." - -He seized the young girl's two hands, all at once, and kissing them -wildly in one of those moments of impulse in which the head loses its -controlling power, and the words which rise to the lips come from the -excited flesh rather than the wandering mind, he faltered: - -"I!--I love you, my little Charlotte; yes, I love you!" - -She quickly drew away one of her hands, and placed it on his mouth, -murmuring: "Be silent!--be silent, I beg of you! It would cause me too -much pain if this were another falsehood." - -She stood erect; he rose up, caught her in his arms, and embraced her -passionately. - -A sudden noise parted them; Père Oriol had just come in, and he was -gazing at them, quite scared. Then, he cried: "Ah! bougrrre! ah! -bougrrre! ah! bougrrre of a savage!" - -Charlotte had rushed out, and the two men remained face to face. -After some seconds of agitation, Paul made an attempt to explain his -position. - -"My God! Monsieur--I have conducted myself--it is true--like a----" - -But the old man would not listen to him. Anger, furious anger, had -taken possession of him, and he advanced toward Bretigny, with clenched -fists, repeating: - -"Ah! bougrrre of a savage----" - -Then, when they were nose to nose, he seized Paul by the collar with -his knotted peasant's hands. - -But the other, as tall, and strong with that superior strength acquired -by the practice of athletics, freed himself with a single push from the -countryman's grip, and, pushing him up against the wall: - -"Listen, Père Oriol, this is not a matter for us to fight about, but to -settle quietly. It is true, I was embracing your daughter. I swear to -you that this is the first time--and I swear to you, too, that I desire -to marry her." - -The old man, whose physical excitement had subsided under the assault -of his adversary, but whose anger had not yet been calmed, stuttered: - -"Ha! that's how it is! You want to steal my daughter; you want my -money. Bougrrre of a deceiver!" - -Thereupon, he allowed all that was on his mind to escape from him in a -heap of grumbling words. He found no consolation for the dowry promised -with his elder girl, for his vinelands going into the hands of these -Parisians. He now had his suspicions as to Gontran's want of money, -Andermatt's craft, and, without forgetting the unexpected fortune -which the banker brought him, he vented his bile and his secret rancor -against those mischievous people who did not let him sleep any longer -in peace. - -One would have thought that his family and his friends were coming -every night to plunder him, to rob him of everything, his lands, his -springs, and his daughters. And he cast these reproaches into Paul's -face, accusing him also of wanting to get hold of his property, of -being a rogue, and of taking Charlotte in order to have his lands. - -The other, soon losing all patience, shouted under his very nose: "Why, -I am richer than you, you infernally currish old donkey. I would bring -you money." - -The old man listened in silence to these words, incredulous but -vigilant, and then, in a milder tone, he renewed his complaints. - -Paul then answered him and entered into explanations; and, believing -that an obligation was imposed on him, owing to the circumstances under -which he had been surprised, and for which he was solely responsible, -he proposed to marry the girl without asking for any dowry. - -Père Oriol shook his head and his ears, heard Paul reiterating his -statements, but was unable to understand. To him this young man seemed -still a pauper, a penniless wretch. - -And, when Bretigny, exasperated, yelled, in his teeth: "Why, you old -rascal, I have an income of more than a hundred and twenty thousand -francs a year--do you understand?--three millions," the other suddenly -asked: "Will you write that down on a piece of paper?" - -"Yes, I will write it down!" - -"And you'll sign it?" - -"Yes, I will sign it." - -"On a sheet of notary's paper?" - -"Yes, certainly--on a sheet of notary's paper!" - -Thereupon, he rose up, opened a press, took out of it two leaves marked -with the Government stamp, and, seeking for the undertaking which -Andermatt, a few days before, had required from him, he drew up an odd -promise of marriage, in which it was made a condition that the _fiancé_ -vouched for his being worth three millions; and, at the end of it -Bretigny affixed his signature. - -When Paul found himself in the open air once more, he felt as if the -earth no longer turned round in the same way. So then, he was engaged, -in spite of himself, in spite of her, by one of those accidents, by one -of those tricks of circumstance, which shut out from you every point of -escape. He muttered: "What madness!" Then he reflected: "Bah! I could -not have found better perhaps in all the world!" - -And in his secret heart he rejoiced at this snare of destiny. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - -Christiane's Via Crucis - - -The dawn of the following day brought bad news to Andermatt. He learned -on his arrival at the bath-establishment that M. Aubry-Pasteur had died -during the night from an attack of apoplexy at the Hotel Splendid. - -In addition to the fact that the deceased was very useful to him on -account of his vast scientific attainments, disinterested zeal, and -attachment to the Mont Oriol station, which, in some measure, he looked -upon as a daughter, it was much to be regretted that a patient who had -come there to fight against a tendency toward congestion should have -died exactly in this fashion, in the midst of his treatment, in the -very height of the season, at the very moment when the rising spa was -beginning to prove a success. - -The banker, exceedingly annoyed, walked up and down in the study of the -absent inspector, thinking of some device whereby this misfortune might -be attributed to some other cause, such as an accident, a fall, a -want of prudence, the rupture of an artery; and he impatiently awaited -Doctor Latonne's arrival in order that the decease might be ingeniously -certified without awakening any suspicion as to the initial cause of -the fatality. - -All at once, the medical inspector appeared on the scene, his face pale -and indicative of extreme agitation; and, as soon as he had passed -through the door, he asked: "Have you heard the lamentable news?" - -"Yes, the death of M. Aubry-Pasteur." - -"No, no, the flight of Doctor Mazelli with Professor Cloche's daughter." - -Andermatt felt a shiver running along his skin. - -"What? you tell me----" - -"Oh! my dear manager, it is a frightful catastrophe, a crash!" - -He sat down and wiped his forehead; then he related the facts as he -got them from Petrus Martel, who had learned them directly through the -professor's valet. - -Mazelli had paid very marked attentions to the pretty red-haired -widow, a coarse coquette, a wanton, whose first husband had succumbed -to consumption, brought on, it was said, by excessive devotion to his -matrimonial duties. But M. Cloche, having discovered the projects of -the Italian physician, and not desiring this adventurer as a second -son-in-law, violently turned him out of doors on surprising him -kneeling at the widow's feet. - -Mazelli, having been sent out by the door, soon re-entered through the -window by the silken ladder of lovers. Two versions of the affair -were current. According to the first, he had rendered the professor's -daughter mad with love and jealousy; according to the second, he had -continued to see her secretly, while pretending to be devoting his -attention to another woman; and ascertaining finally through his -mistress that the professor remained inflexible, he had carried her -off, the same night, rendering a marriage inevitable, in consequence of -this scandal. - -Doctor Latonne rose up and, leaning his back against the mantelpiece, -while Andermatt, astounded, continued walking up and down, he exclaimed: - -"A physician, Monsieur, a physician to do such a thing!--a doctor of -medicine!--what an absence of character!" - -Andermatt, completely crushed, appreciated the consequences, classified -them, and weighed them, as one does a sum in addition. They were: -"First, the disagreeable report spreading over the neighboring spas -and all the way to Paris. If, however, they went the right way about -it, perhaps they could make use of this elopement as an advertisement. -A fortnight's echoes well written and prominently printed in the -newspapers would strongly attract attention to Mont Oriol. Secondly: -Professor Cloche's departure an irreparable loss. Thirdly: The -departure of the Duchess and the Duke de Ramas-Aldavarra, a second -inevitable loss without possible compensation. In short, Doctor Latonne -was right. It was a frightful catastrophe." - -Then, the banker, turning toward the physician: "You ought to go at -once to the Hotel Splendid, and draw up the certificate of the death of -Aubry-Pasteur in such a way that no one could suspect it to be a case -of congestion." - -Doctor Latonne put on his hat; then just as he was leaving: "Ha! -another rumor which is circulating! Is it true that your friend Paul -Bretigny is going to marry Charlotte Oriol?" - -Andermatt gave a start of astonishment. - -"Bretigny? Come-now!--who told you that?" - -"Why, as in the other case, Petrus Martel, who had it from Père Oriol -himself." - -"From Père Oriol?" - -"Yes, from Père Oriol, who declared that his future son-in-law -possessed a fortune of three millions." - -William did not know what to think. He muttered: "In point of fact, it -is possible. He has been rather hot on her for some time past! But in -that case the whole knoll is ours--the whole knoll! Oh! I must make -certain of this immediately." And he went out after the doctor in order -to meet Paul before breakfast. - -As he was entering the hotel, he was informed that his wife had several -times asked to see him. He found her still in bed, chatting with her -father and with her brother, who was looking through the newspapers -with a rapid and wandering glance. She felt poorly, very poorly, -restless. She was afraid, without knowing why. And then an idea had -come to her, and had for some days been growing stronger in her brain, -as usually happens with pregnant women. She wanted to consult Doctor -Black. From the effect of hearing around her some jokes at Doctor -Latonne's expense, she had lost all confidence in him, and she wanted -another opinion, that of Doctor Black, whose success was constantly -increasing. Fears, all the fears, all the hauntings, by which women -toward the close of pregnancy are besieged, now tortured her from -morning until night. Since the night before, in consequence of a dream, -she imagined that the Cæsarian operation might be necessary. And she -was present in thought at this operation performed on herself. She saw -herself lying on her back in a bed covered with blood, while something -red was being taken away, which did not move, which did not cry, and -which was dead! And for ten minutes she shut her eyes, in order to -witness this over again, to be present once more at her horrible and -painful punishment. She had, therefore, become impressed with the -notion that Doctor Black alone could tell her the truth, and she wanted -him at once; she required him to examine her immediately, immediately, -immediately! Andermatt, greatly agitated, did not know what answer to -give her. - -"But my dear child, it is difficult, having regard to my relations -with Latonne it is even impossible. Listen! an idea occurs to me: I -will look up Professor Mas-Roussel, who is a hundred times better than -Black. He will not refuse to come when I ask him." - -But she persisted. She wanted Black, and no one else. She required to -see him with his big bulldog's head beside her. It was a longing, a -wild, superstitious desire. She considered it necessary for him to see -her. - -Then William attempted to change the current of her thoughts: - -"You haven't heard how that intriguer Mazelli carried off Professor -Cloche's daughter the other night. They are gone away; nobody can tell -where they levanted to. There's a nice story for you!" - -She was propped up on her pillow, her eyes strained with grief, and she -faltered: "Oh! the poor Duchess--the poor woman--how I pity her!" Her -heart had long since learned to understand that other woman's heart, -bruised and impassioned! She suffered from the same malady and wept the -same tears. But she resumed: "Listen, Will! Go and find M. Black for -me. I know I shall die unless he comes!" - -Andermatt caught her hand, and tenderly kissed it: - -"Come, my little Christiane, be reasonable--understand." - -He saw her eyes filled with tears, and, turning toward the Marquis: - -"It is you that ought to do this, my dear father-in-law. As for me, I -can't do it. Black comes here every day about one o'clock to see the -Princess de Maldebourg. Stop him in the passage, and send him in to -your daughter. You can easily wait an hour, can you not, Christiane?" - -She consented to wait an hour, but refused to get up to breakfast with -the men, who passed alone into the dining-room. - -Paul was there already. Andermatt, when he saw him, exclaimed: "Ah! -tell me now, what is it I have been told a little while ago? You are -going to marry Charlotte Oriol? It is not true, is it?" - -The young man replied in a low tone, casting a restless look toward the -closed door: "Good God! it is true!" Nobody having been sure of it till -now, the three stared at him in amazement. - -William asked: "What came over you? With your fortune, to marry--to -embarrass yourself with one woman, when you have the whole of them? -And then, after all, the family leaves something to be desired in the -matter of refinement. It is all very well for Gontran, who hasn't a -sou!" - -Bretigny began to laugh: "My father made a fortune out of flour; he was -then a miller on a large scale. If you had known him, you might have -said he lacked refinement. As for the young girl----" - -Andermatt interrupted him: "Oh! perfect--charming--perfect--and you -know--she will be as rich as yourself--if not more so. I answer for -it--I--I answer for it!" - -Gontran murmured: "Yes, this marriage interferes with nothing, and -covers retreats. Only he was wrong in not giving us notice beforehand. -How the devil was this business managed, my friend?" - -Thereupon, Paul related all that had occurred with some slight -modifications. He told about his hesitation, which he exaggerated, -and his sudden determination on discovering from the young girl's own -lips that she loved him. He described the unexpected entrance of Père -Oriol, their quarrel, which he enlarged upon, the countryman's doubts -concerning his fortune, and the incident of the stamped paper drawn by -the old man out of the press. - -Andermatt, laughing till the tears ran down his face, hit the table -with his fist: "Ha! he did that over again, the stamped paper touch! -It's my invention, that is!" - -But Paul stammered, reddening a little: "Pray don't let your wife know -about it yet. Owing to the terms which we are on at present, it is -more suitable that I should announce it to her myself." - -Gontran eyed his friend with an odd, good-humored smile, which seemed -to say: "This is quite right, all this, quite right! That's the way -things ought to end, without noise, without scandals, without any -dramatic situations." - -He suggested: "If you like, my dear Paul, we'll go together, after -dinner, when she's up, and you will inform her of your decision." - -Their eyes met, fixed, full of unfathomable thoughts, then looked in -another direction. And Paul replied with an air of indifference: - -"Yes, willingly. We'll talk about this presently." - -A waiter from the hotel came to inform them that Doctor Black had just -arrived for his visit to the Princess; and the Marquis forthwith went -out to catch him in the passage. He explained the situation to the -doctor, his son-in-law's embarrassment and his daughter's earnest wish, -and he brought him in without resistance. - -As soon as the little man with the big head had entered Christiane's -apartment, she said: "Papa, leave us alone!" And the Marquis withdrew. - -Thereupon, she enumerated her disquietudes, her terrors, her -nightmares, in a low, sweet voice, as though she were at confession. -And the physician listened to her like a priest, covering her sometimes -with his big round eyes, showed his attention by a little nod of the -head, murmured a "That's it," which seemed to mean, "I know your case -at the end of my fingers, and I will cure you whenever I like." - -When she had finished speaking, he began in his turn to question her -with extreme minuteness of detail about her life, her habits, her -course of diet, her treatment. At one moment he appeared to express -approval with a gesture, at another to convey blame with an "Oh!" full -of reservations. When she came to her great fear that the child was -misplaced, he rose up, and with an ecclesiastical modesty, lightly -passed his hand over the counterpane, and then remarked, "No, it's all -right." - -And she felt a longing to embrace him. What a good man this physician -was! - -He sat down at the table, took a sheet of paper, and wrote out the -prescription. It was long, very long. Then he came back close to the -bed, and, in an altered tone, clearly indicating that he had finished -his professional and sacred duty, he began to chat. He had a deep, -unctuous voice, the powerful voice of a thickset dwarf, and there -were hidden questions in his most ordinary phrases. He talked about -everything. Gontran's marriage seemed to interest him considerably. -Then, with his ugly smile like that of an ill-shaped being: - -"I have said nothing yet to you about M. Bretigny's marriage, although -it cannot be a secret, for Père Oriol has told it to everybody." - -A kind of fainting fit took possession of her, commencing at the end -of her fingers, then invading her entire body--her arms, her breast, -her stomach, her legs. She did not, however, quite understand; but a -horrible fear of not learning the truth suddenly restored her powers -of observation, and she faltered: "Ha! Père Oriol has told it to -everybody?" - -"Yes, yes. He was speaking to myself about it less than ten minutes -ago. It appears that M. Bretigny is very rich, and that he has been in -love with little Charlotte for some time past. Moreover, it is Madame -Honorat who made these two matches. She lent her hands and her house -for the meetings of the young people." - -Christiane had closed her eyes. She had lost consciousness. In answer -to the doctor's call, a chambermaid rushed in; then appeared the -Marquis, Andermatt, and Gontran, who went to search for vinegar, -ether, ice, twenty different things all equally useless. Suddenly, the -young woman moved, opened her eyes, lifted up her arms, and uttered a -heartrending cry, writhing in the bed. She tried to speak, and in a -broken voice said: - -"Oh! what pain I feel--my God!--what pain I feel--in my back--something -is tearing me--Oh! my God!" And she broke out into fresh shrieks. - -The symptoms of confinement were speedily recognized. Then Andermatt -rushed off to find Doctor Latonne, and came upon him finishing his meal. - -"Come on quickly--my wife has met with a mishap--hurry on!" Then he -made use of a little deception, telling how Doctor Black had been found -in the hotel at the moment of the first pains. Doctor Black himself -confirmed this falsehood by saying to his brother-physician: - -"I had just come to visit the Princess when I was informed that Madame -Andermatt was taken ill. I hurried to her. It was time!" - -But William, in a state of great excitement, his heart beating, his -soul filled with alarm was all at once seized with doubts as to the -competency of the two professional men, and he started off afresh, -bareheaded, in order to run in the direction of Professor Mas-Roussel's -house, and to entreat him to come. The professor consented to do so -at once, buttoned on his frock-coat with the mechanical movement of a -physician going out to pay a visit, and set forth with great, rapid -strides, the eager strides of an eminent man whose presence may save a -life. - -When he arrived on the scene, the two other doctors, full of deference, -consulted him with an air of humility, repeating together or nearly at -the same time: - -"Here is what has occurred, dear master. Don't you think, dear master? -Isn't there reason to believe, dear master?" - -Andermatt, in his turn, driven crazy with anguish at the moanings of -his wife, harassed M. Mas-Roussel with questions, and also addressed -him as "dear master" with wide-open mouth. - -Christiane, almost naked in the presence of these men, no longer saw, -noticed, or understood anything. She was suffering so dreadfully that -everything else had vanished from her consciousness. It seemed to her -that they were drawing from the tops of her hips along her side and her -back a long saw, with blunt teeth, which was mangling her bones and -muscles slowly and in an irregular fashion, with shakings, stoppages, -and renewals of the operation, which became every moment more and more -frightful. - -When this torture abated for a few seconds, when the rendings of her -body allowed her reason to come back, one thought then fixed itself -in her soul, more cruel, more keen, more terrible, than her physical -pain: "He was in love with another woman, and was going to marry her!" - -And, in order to get rid of this pang, which was eating into her brain, -she struggled to bring on once more the atrocious torment of her -flesh; she shook her sides; she strained her back; and when the crisis -returned again, she had, at least, lost all capacity for thought. - -For fifteen hours she endured this martyrdom, so much bruised by -suffering and despair that she longed to die, and strove to die in -those spasms in which she writhed. - -But, after a convulsion longer and more violent than the rest, it -seemed to her that everything inside her body suddenly escaped from -her. It was over; her pangs were assuaged, like the waves of the sea, -when they are calmed; and the relief which she experienced was so -intense that, for a time, even her grief became numbed. They spoke to -her. She answered in a voice very weak, very low. - -Suddenly, Andermatt stooped down, his face toward hers, and he said: -"She will live--she is almost at the end of it. It is a girl!" - -Christiane was only able to articulate: "Ah! my God!" - -So then she had a child, a living child, who would grow big--a child of -Paul! She felt a desire to cry out, all this fresh misfortune crushed -her heart. She had a daughter. She did not want it! She would not look -at it! She would never touch it! - -They had laid her down again on the bed, taken care of her, tenderly -embraced her. Who had done this? No doubt, her father and her husband. -She could not tell. But he--where was he? What was he doing? How happy -she would have felt at that moment, if only he still loved her! - -The hours dragged along, following each other without any distinction -between day and night so far as she was concerned, for she felt only -this one thought burning into her soul: he loved another woman. - -Then she said to herself all of a sudden: "What if it were false? Why -should I not have known about his marriage sooner than this doctor?" -After that, came the reflection that it had been kept hidden from her. -Paul had taken care that she should not hear about it. - -She glanced around her room to see who was there. A woman whom she did -not know was keeping watch by her side, a woman of the people. She did -not venture to question her. From whom, then, could she make inquiries -about this matter? - -The door was suddenly pushed open. Her husband entered on the tips of -his toes. Seeing that her eyes were open, he came over to her. - -"Are you better?" - -"Yes, thanks." - -"You frightened us very much since yesterday. But there is an end of -the danger! By the bye, I am quite embarrassed about your case. I -telegraphed to our friend, Madame Icardon, who was to have come to stay -with you during your confinement, informing her about your premature -illness, and imploring her to hasten down here. She is with her nephew, -who has an attack of scarlet fever. You cannot, however, remain -without anyone near you, without some woman who is a little--a little -suitable for the purpose. Accordingly, a lady from the neighborhood has -offered to nurse you, and to keep you company every day, and, faith, I -have accepted the offer. It is Madame Honorat." - -Christiane suddenly remembered Doctor Black's words. A start of fear -shook her; and she groaned: "Oh! no--no--not she!" - -William did not understand, and went on: "Listen, I know well that she -is very common; but your brother has a great esteem for her; she has -been of great service to him; and then it has been thrown out that she -was originally a midwife, whom Honorat made the acquaintance of while -attending a patient. If you take a strong dislike to her, I will send -her away the next day. Let us try her at any rate. Let her come once or -twice." - -She remained silent, thinking. A craving to know, to know everything, -entered into her, so violent that the hope of making this woman chatter -freely, of tearing from her one by one the words that would rend her -own heart, now filled her with a yearning to reply: "Go, go, and look -for her immediately--immediately. Go, pray!" - -And to this irresistible desire to know was also superadded a strange -longing to suffer more intensely, to roll herself about in her misery, -as she might have rolled herself on thorns, the mysterious longing, -morbid and feverish, of a martyr calling for fresh pain. - -So she faltered: "Yes, I have no objection. Bring me Madame Honorat." - -Then, suddenly, she felt that she could not wait any longer without -making sure, quite sure, of this treason; and she asked William in a -voice weak as a breath: - -"Is it true that M. Bretigny is getting married?" - -He replied calmly: "Yes, it is true. We would have told you before this -if we could have talked with you." - -She continued: "With Charlotte?" - -"With Charlotte." - -Now William had also a fixed idea himself which from this time forth -never left him--his daughter, as yet barely alive, whom every moment -he was going to look at. He felt indignant because Christiane's first -words were not to ask for the baby; and in a tone of gentle reproach: -"Well, look here! you have not yet inquired about the little one. You -are aware that she is going on very well?" - -She trembled as if he had touched a living wound; but it was necessary -for her to pass through all the stations of this Calvary. - -"Bring her here," she said. - -He vanished to the foot of the bed behind the curtain, then he came -back, his face lighted up with pride and happiness, and holding in his -hands, in an awkward fashion, a bundle of white linen. - -He laid it down on the embroidered pillow close to the head of -Christiane, who was choking with emotion, and he said: "Look here, see -how lovely she is!" - -She looked. He opened with two of his fingers the fine lace with which -was hidden from view a little red face, so small, so red, with closed -eyes, and mouth constantly moving. - -And she thought, as she leaned over this beginning of being: "This is -my daughter--Paul's daughter. Here then is what made me suffer so much. -This--this--this is my daughter!" - -Her repugnance toward the child, whose birth had so fiercely torn her -poor heart and her tender woman's body had, all at once, disappeared; -she now contemplated it with ardent and sorrowing curiosity, with -profound astonishment, the astonishment of a being who sees her -firstborn come forth from her. - -Andermatt was waiting for her to caress it passionately. He was -surprised and shocked, and asked: "Are you not going to kiss it?" - -She stooped quite gently toward this little red forehead; and in -proportion as she drew her lips closer to it, she felt them drawn, -called by it. And when she had placed them upon it, when she touched -it, a little moist, a little warm, warm with her own life, it seemed -to her that she could not withdraw her lips from that infantile flesh, -that she would leave them there forever. - -Something grazed her cheek; it was her husband's beard as he bent -forward to kiss her. And when he had pressed her a long time against -himself with a grateful tenderness, he wanted, in his turn, to kiss his -daughter, and with his outstretched mouth he gave it very soft little -strokes on the nose. - -Christiane, her heart shriveled up by this caress, gazed at both of -them there by her side, at her daughter and at him--him! - -He soon wanted to carry the infant back to its cradle. - -"No," said she, "let me have it a few minutes longer, that I may feel -it close to my face. Don't speak to me any more--don't move--leave us -alone, and wait." - -She passed one of her arms over the body hidden under the -swaddling-clothes, put her forehead close to the little grinning face, -shut her eyes, and no longer stirred, or thought about anything. - -But, at the end of a few minutes, William softly touched her on the -shoulder: "Come, my darling, you must be reasonable! No emotions, you -know, no emotions!" - -Thereupon, he bore away their little daughter, while the mother's eyes -followed the child till it had disappeared behind the curtain of the -bed. - -After that, he came back to her: "Then it is understood that I am to -bring Madame Honorat to you to-morrow morning, to keep you company?" - -She replied in a firm tone: "Yes, my dear, you may send her to -me--to-morrow morning." - -And she stretched herself out in the bed, fatigued, worn out, perhaps a -little less unhappy. - -Her father and her brother came to see her in the evening, and told -her news about the locality--the precipitate departure of Professor -Cloche in search of his daughter, and the conjectures with reference to -the Duchess de Ramas, who was no longer to be seen, and who was also -supposed to have started on Mazelli's track. Gontran laughed at these -adventures, and drew a comic moral from the occurrences: - -"The history of those spas is incredible. They are the only fairylands -left upon the earth! In two months more things happen in them than in -the rest of the universe during the remainder of the year. One might -say with truth that the springs are not mineralized but bewitched. And -it is everywhere the same, at Aix, Royat, Vichy, Luchon, and also at -the sea-baths, at Dieppe, Étretat, Trouville, Biarritz, Cannes, and -Nice. You meet there specimens of all kinds of people, of every social -grade--admirable adventures, a mixture of races and people not to be -found elsewhere, and marvelous incidents. Women play pranks there with -facility and charming promptitude. At Paris one resists temptation--at -the waters one falls; there you are! Some men find fortune at them, -like Andermatt; others find death, like Aubry-Pasteur; others find -worse even than that--and get married there--like myself and Paul. -Isn't it queer and funny, this sort of thing? You have heard about -Paul's intended marriage--have you not?" - -She murmured: "Yes; William told me about it a little while ago." - -Gontran went on: "He is right, quite right. She is a peasant's -daughter. Well, what of that? She is better than an adventurer's -daughter or a daughter who's too short. I knew Paul. He would have -ended by marrying a street-walker, provided she resisted him for six -months. And to resist him it needed a jade or an innocent. He has -lighted on the innocent. So much the better for him!" - -Christiane listened, and every word, entering through her ears, went -straight to her heart, and inflicted on her pain, horrible pain. - -Closing her eyes, she said: "I am very tired. I would like to have a -little rest." - -They embraced her and went out. - -She could not sleep, so wakeful was her mind, active and racked with -harrowing thoughts. That idea that he no longer loved her at all became -so intolerable that, were it not for the presence of this woman, this -nurse nodding asleep in the armchair, she would have got up, opened -the window, and flung herself out on the steps of the hotel. A very -thin ray of moonlight penetrated through an opening in the curtains, -and formed a round bright spot on the floor. She observed it; and in a -moment a crowd of memories rushed together into her brain: the lake, -the wood, that first "I love you," scarcely heard, so agitating, at -Tournoel, and all their caresses, in the evening, beside the shadowy -paths, and the road from La Roche Pradière. - -Suddenly, she saw this white road, on a night when the heavens were -filled with stars, and he, Paul, with his arm round a woman's waist, -kissing her at every step they walked. It was Charlotte! He pressed -her against him, smiled as he knew how to smile, murmured in her ear -sweet words, such as he knew how to utter, then flung himself on his -knees and kissed the ground in front of her, just as he had kissed it -in front of herself! It was so hard, so hard for her to bear, that -turning round and hiding her face in the pillow, she burst out sobbing. -She almost shrieked, so much did despair rend her soul. Every beat of -her heart, which jumped into her throat, which throbbed in her temples, -sent forth from her one word--"Paul--Paul--Paul"--endlessly re-echoed. -She stopped up her ears with her hands in order to hear nothing more, -plunged her head under the sheets; but then his name sounded in the -depths of her bosom with every pant of her tormented heart. - -The nurse, waking up, asked of her: "Are you worse, Madame?" - -Christiane turned round, her face covered with tears, and murmured: -"No, I was asleep--I was dreaming--I was frightened." - -Then, she begged of her to light two wax-candles, so that the ray of -moonlight might be no longer visible. Toward morning, however, she -slumbered. - -She had been asleep for a few hours when Andermatt came in, bringing -with him Madame Honorat. The fat lady, immediately adopting a familiar -tone, questioned her like a doctor; then, satisfied with her answers, -said: "Come, come! you're going on very nicely!" Then she took off her -hat, her gloves, and her shawl, and, addressing the nurse: "You may go, -my girl. You will come when we ring for you." - -Christiane, already inflamed with dislike to the woman, said to her -husband: "Give me my daughter for a little while." - -As on the previous day, William carried the child to her, tenderly -embracing it as he did so, and placed it upon the pillow. And, as on -the previous day, too, when she felt close to her cheek, through the -wrappings, the heat of this little stranger's body, imprisoned in -linen, she was suddenly penetrated with a grateful sense of peace. - -Then, all at once, the baby began to cry, screaming out in a shrill and -piercing voice. "She wants nursing," said Andermatt. - -He rang, and the wet-nurse appeared, a big red woman, with a mouth -like an ogress, full of large, shining teeth, which almost terrified -Christiane. And from the open body of her dress she drew forth a -breast, soft and heavy with milk. And when Christiane beheld her -daughter drinking, she felt a longing to snatch away and take back the -baby, moved by a certain sense of jealousy. Madame Honorat now gave -directions to the wet-nurse, who went off, carrying the baby in her -arms. Andermatt, in his turn, went out, and the two women were left -alone together. - -Christiane did not know how to speak of what tortured her soul, -trembling lest she might give way to too much emotion, lose her head, -burst into tears, and betray herself. But Madame Honorat began to -babble of her own accord, without having been asked a single question. -When she had related all the scandalous stories that were circulating -through the neighborhood, she came to the Oriol family: "They are good -people," said she, "very good people. If you had known the mother, what -a worthy, brave woman she was! She was worth ten women, Madame. The -girls take after her, for that matter." - -Then, as she was passing on to another topic, Christiane asked: "Which -of the two do you prefer, Louise or Charlotte?" - -"Oh! for my own part, Madame, I prefer Louise, your brother's intended -wife; she is more sensible, more steady. She is a woman of order. But -my husband likes the other better. Men you know, have tastes different -from ours." - -She ceased speaking. Christiane, whose strength was giving way, -faltered: "My brother has often met his betrothed at your house." - -"Oh! yes, Madame--I believe really every day. Everything was brought -about at my house, everything! As for me, I let them talk, these young -people, I understood the thing thoroughly. But what truly gave me -pleasure was when I saw that M. Paul was getting smitten by the younger -one." - -Then, Christiane, in an almost inaudible voice: "Is he deeply in love -with her?" - -"Ah! Madame, is he in love with her? He had lost his head about her -some time since. And then, when the Italian--he who ran off with -Doctor Cloche's daughter--kept hanging about the girl a little, it -was something worth seeing and watching--I thought they were going to -fight! Ah! if you had seen M. Paul's eyes. And he looked upon her as -if she were a holy Virgin, nothing less--it's a pleasant thing to see -people so much in love as that!" - -Thereupon, Christiane asked her about all that had taken place in her -presence, about all they had said, about all they had done, about their -promenades in the glen of Sans-Souci, where he had so often told her -of his love for her. She put unexpected questions, which astonished -the fat lady, about matters that nobody would have dreamed of, for she -was constantly making comparisons; she recalled a thousand details of -what had occurred the year before, all Paul's delicate gallantries, -his thoughtfulness about her, his ingenious devices to please her, all -that display of charming attentions and tender anxieties which on the -part of a man show an imperious desire to win a woman's affections; and -she wanted to find out whether he had manifested the same affectionate -interest toward the other, whether he had commenced afresh this siege -of a soul with the same ardor, with the same enthusiasm, with the same -irresistible passion. - -And every time she recognized a little circumstance, a little trait, -one of those nothings which cause such exquisite bliss, one of those -disquieting surprises which cause the heart to beat fast, and of which -Paul was so prodigal when he loved, Christiane, as she lay prostrate in -the bed, gave utterance to a little "Ah!" expressive of keen suffering. - -Amazed at this strange exclamation, Madame Honorat declared more -emphatically: "Why, yes. 'Tis as I tell you, exactly as I tell you. I -never saw a man so much in love!" - -"Has he recited verses to her?" - -"I believe so indeed, Madame, and very pretty ones, too!" - -And, when they had relapsed into silence, nothing more could be heard -save the monotonous and soothing song of the nurse as she rocked the -baby to sleep in the adjoining room. - -Steps were drawing near in the corridor outside. Doctors Mas-Roussel -and Latonne had come to visit their patient. They found her agitated, -not quite so well as she had been on the previous day. - -When they had left, Andermatt opened the door again, and without coming -in: "Doctor Black would like to see you. Will you see him?" - -She exclaimed, as she raised herself up in the bed: "No--no--I will -not--no!" - -William came over to her, looking quite astounded: "But listen to me -now--it would only be right--it is his due--you ought to!" - -She looked, with her wide-open eyes and quivering lips, as if she had -lost her reason. She kept repeating in a piercing voice, so loud that -it must have penetrated through the walls: "No!--no!--never!" And then, -no longer knowing what she said, and pointing with outstretched arm -toward Madame Honorat, who was standing in the center of the apartment: - -"I do not want her either!--send her away!--I don't want to see -her!--send her away!" - -Then he rushed to his wife's side, took her in his arms, and kissed her -on the forehead: "My little Christiane, be calm! What is the matter -with you?--come now, be calm!" - -She had by this time lost the power of raising her voice. The tears -gushed from her eyes. - -"Send them all away," said she, "and remain alone with me!" - -He went across, in a distracted frame of mind, to the doctor's wife, -and gently pushing her toward the door: "Leave us for a few minutes, -pray. It is the fever--the milk-fever. I will calm her. I will look for -you again by and by." - -When he came back to the bedside Christiane was lying down, weeping -quietly, without moving in any way, quite prostrated. - -And then, for the first time in his life, he, too, began to weep. - -In fact, the milk-fever had broken out during the night, and delirium -supervened. After some hours of extreme excitement, the recently -delivered woman suddenly began to speak. - -The Marquis and Andermatt, who had resolved to remain near her, and -who passed the time playing cards, counting the tricks in hushed tones, -imagined that she was calling them, and, rising up, approached the -bed. She did not see them; she did not recognize them. Intensely pale, -on her white pillow, with her fair tresses hanging loose over her -shoulders, she was gazing, with her clear blue eyes, into that unknown, -mysterious, and fantastic world, in which dwell the insane. - -Her hands, stretched over the bedclothes, stirred now and then, -agitated by rapid and involuntary movements, tremblings, and starts. - -She did not, at first, appear to be talking to anyone, but to be -seeing things and telling what she saw. And the things she said seemed -disconnected, incomprehensible. She found a rock too high to jump off. -She was afraid of a sprain, and then she was not on intimate terms -enough with the man who reached out his arms toward her. Then she spoke -about perfumes. She was apparently trying to remember some forgotten -phrases. "What can be sweeter? This intoxicates one like wine--wine -intoxicates the mind, but perfume intoxicates the imagination. With -perfume you taste the very essence, the pure essence of things and -of the universe--you taste the flowers--the trees--the grass of the -fields--you can even distinguish the soul of the dwellings of olden -days which sleeps in the old furniture, the old carpets, and the old -curtains." Then her face contracted as if she had undergone a long -spell of fatigue. She was ascending a hillside slowly, heavily, and was -saying to some one: "Oh! carry me once more, I beg of you. I am going -to die here! I can walk no farther. Carry me as you did above the -gorges. Do you remember?--how you loved me!" - -Then she uttered a cry of anguish--a look of horror came into her -eyes. She saw in front of her a dead animal, and she was imploring -to have it taken away without giving her pain. The Marquis said in a -whisper to his son-in-law: "She is thinking about an ass that we came -across on our way back from La Nugère." And now she was addressing this -dead beast, consoling it, telling it that she, too, was very unhappy, -because she had been abandoned. - -Then, on a sudden, she refused to do something required of her. She -cried: "Oh! no, not that! Oh! it is you, you who want me to drag this -cart!" - -Then she panted, as if indeed she were dragging a vehicle along. She -wept, moaned, uttered exclamations, and always, during a period of half -an hour, she was climbing up this hillside, dragging after her with -horrible efforts the ass's cart, beyond a doubt. - -And some one was harshly beating her, for she said: "Oh! how you hurt -me! At least, don't beat me! I will walk--but don't beat me any more, I -entreat you! I'll do whatever you wish, but don't beat me any more!" - -Then her anguish gradually abated, and all she did was to go on quietly -talking in her incoherent fashion till daybreak. After that, she became -drowsy, and ended by going to sleep. - -Until the following day, however, her mental powers remained torpid, -somewhat wavering, fleeting. She could not immediately find the words -she wanted, and fatigued herself terribly in searching for them. But, -after a night of rest, she completely regained possession of herself. - -Nevertheless, she felt changed, as if this crisis had transformed her -soul. She suffered less and thought more. The dreadful occurrences, -really so recent, seemed to her to have receded into a past already -far off; and she regarded them with a clearness of conception with -which her mind had never been illuminated before. This light, which -had suddenly dawned on her brain, and which comes to certain beings in -certain hours of suffering, showed her life, men, things, the entire -earth and all that it contains as she had never seen them before. - -Then, more than on the evening when she had felt herself so much -alone in the universe in her room, after her return from the lake of -Tazenat, she looked upon herself as utterly abandoned in existence. She -realized that all human beings walk along side by side in the midst of -circumstances without anything ever truly uniting two persons together. -She learned from the treason of him in whom she had reposed her entire -confidence that the others, all the others, would never again be to her -anything but indifferent neighbors in that journey short or long, sad -or gay, that followed to-morrows no one could foresee. - -She comprehended that even in the clasp of this man's arms, when she -believed that she was intermingling with him, entering into him, when -she believed that their flesh and their souls had become only one flesh -and one soul, they had only drawn a little nearer to one another, so as -to bring into contact the impenetrable envelopes in which mysterious -nature has isolated and shut up each human creature. And she saw as -well that nobody has ever been able, or ever will be able, to break -through that invisible barrier which places living beings as far from -each other as the stars of heaven. She divined the impotent effort, -ceaseless since the first days of the world, the indefatigable effort -of men and women to tear off the sheath in which their souls forever -imprisoned, forever solitary, are struggling--an effort of arms, of -lips, of eyes, of mouths, of trembling, naked flesh, an effort of love, -which exhausts itself in kisses, to finish only by giving life to some -other forlorn being. - -Then an uncontrollable desire to gaze on her daughter took possession -of her. She asked for it, and when it was brought to her, she begged to -have it stripped, for as yet she only knew its face. - -The wet-nurse thereupon unfastened the swaddling-clothes, and -discovered the poor little body of the newborn infant agitated by those -vague movements which life puts into these rough sketches of humanity. -Christiane touched it with a timid, trembling hand, then wanted to kiss -the stomach, the back, the legs, the feet, and then she stared at the -child full of fantastic thoughts. - -Two beings came together, loved one another with rapturous passion; -and from their embrace, this being was born. It was he and she -intermingled; until the death of this little child, it was he and she, -living again both together; it was a little of him, and a little of -her, with an unknown something which would make it different from them. -It reproduced them both in the form of its body as well as in that of -its mind, in its features, its gestures, its eyes, its movements, its -tastes, its passions, even in the sound of its voice and its gait in -walking, and yet it would be a new being! - -They were separated now--he and she--forever! Never again would their -eyes blend in one of those outbursts of love which make the human race -indestructible. And pressing the child against her heart, she murmured: -"Adieu! adieu!" It was to him that she was saying "adieu" in her baby's -ear, the brave and sorrowing "adieu" of a woman who would yet have much -to suffer, always, it might be, but who would know how to hide her -tears. - -"Ha! ha!" cried William through the half-open door. "I catch you there! -Will you be good enough to give me back my daughter?" - -Running toward the bed, he seized the little one in his hands already -practiced in the art of handling it, and lifting it over his head, -he went on repeating: "Good day, Mademoiselle Andermatt--good day, -Mademoiselle Andermatt." - -Christiane was thinking: "Here, then, is my husband!" - -And she contemplated him, with eyes as astonished as if they were -beholding him for the first, time. This was he, the man who ought to -be, according to human ideas of religion, of society, the other half -of her--more than that, her master, the master of her days and of her -nights, of her heart and of her body! She felt almost a desire to -smile, so strange did this appear to her at the moment, for between her -and him no bond could ever exist, none of those bonds alas! so quickly -broken, but which seem eternal, ineffably sweet, almost divine. - -No remorse even came to her for having deceived him, for having -betrayed him. She was surprised at this, and asked herself why it was. -Why? No doubt, there was too great a difference between them, they were -too far removed from one another, of races too widely dissimilar. He -did not understand her at all; she did not understand him at all. And -yet he was good, devoted, complaisant. - -But only perhaps beings of the same shape, of the same nature, of the -same moral essence can feel themselves attached to one another by the -sacred bond of voluntary duty. - -They dressed the baby again. William sat down. - -"Listen, my darling," said he; "I don't venture to announce Doctor -Black's visit to you, since you have been so nice toward myself. There -is, however, one person whom I would very much like you to see--I mean -Doctor Bonnefille." - -Then, for the first time, she laughed, with a colorless sort of laugh, -which fixed itself on her lips, without going near her heart; and she -asked: - -"Doctor Bonnefille! what a miracle! So then you are reconciled?" - -"Why, yes! Listen! I am going to tell you, as a secret, a great bit -of news. I have just bought up the old establishment. I have all the -district now. Hey! what a victory. That poor Doctor Bonnefille knew -it before anybody, be it understood. So then he has been sly. He came -every day to obtain information as to how you were, leaving his card -with a word of sympathy written on it. For my part, I responded to -these advances with a single visit; and at present we are on excellent -terms." - -"Let him come," said Christiane, "whenever he likes. I will be glad to -see him." - -"Good. Thank you. I'll bring him here to you tomorrow morning. I need -scarcely tell you that Paul is constantly asking me to convey to you a -thousand compliments from him, and he inquires a great deal about the -little one. He is very anxious to see her." - -In spite of her resolutions she felt a sense of oppression. She was -able, however, to say: "You will thank him on my behalf." - -Andermatt rejoined: "He was very uneasy to learn whether you had been -told about his intended marriage. I informed him that you had; then he -asked me several times what you thought about it." - -She exerted her strength to the utmost, and felt able to murmur: "You -will tell him that I entirely approve of it." - -William, with cruel persistency, went on: "He wishes also to know for -certain what name you mean to call your daughter. I told him we were -hesitating between Marguerite and Genevieve." - -"I have changed my mind," said she. "I intend to call her Arlette." - -Formerly, in the early days of her pregnancy, she had discussed with -Paul the name which they ought to select whether for a son or for -a daughter; and for a daughter they had remained undecided between -Genevieve and Marguerite. She no longer wanted these two names. - -William repeated: "Arlette! Arlette! That's a very nice name--you are -right. For my part, I would have liked to call her Christiane, like -you. I adore that name--Christiane!" - -She sighed deeply: "Oh! it forebodes too much suffering to bear the -name of the Crucified." - -He reddened, never having dreamed of this comparison, and rising up: -"Besides, Arlette is very nice. By-bye, my darling." - -As soon as he had left the room, she called the wet-nurse, and directed -her for the future to place the cradle beside the bed. - -When the little couch in the form of a wherry, always rocking, and -carrying its white curtain like a sail on its mast of twisted copper, -had been rolled close to the big bed, Christiane stretched out her -hand to the sleeping infant, and she said in a very hushed voice: "Go -by-bye, my baby! You will never find anyone who will love you as much -as I." - -She passed the next few days in a state of tranquil melancholy, -thinking a great deal, building up within herself a resisting soul, an -energetic heart, in order to resume her life again in a few weeks. Her -chief occupation now consisted in gazing into the eyes of her child, -seeking to surprise in them a first look, but only seeing there two -little bluish caverns invariably turned toward the sunlight coming in -through the window. - -And she experienced a feeling of profound sadness as she reflected -that these eyes now closed in sleep would look out on the world, as -she herself had looked on it, through the illusion of those secret -dreamings which make the souls of young women trustful and joyous. -They would love all that she had loved, the beautiful bright days, the -flowers, the wood, and alas! living beings too! They would, no doubt, -love a man! They would carry in their depths his image, well known, -cherished, would see it when he would be far away, would be inflamed on -seeing him again. And then--and then they would learn to weep! Tears, -horrible tears, would flow over these little cheeks. And the frightful -sufferings of love betrayed would render them unrecognizable, those -poor wandering eyes which would be blue. - -And she wildly embraced the child, saying to it: "Love me alone, my -child!" - -At length, one day, Professor Mas-Roussel, who came every morning to -see her, declared: "You can soon get up for a little, Madame." - -Andermatt, when the physician had left, said to his wife: "It is very -unfortunate that you are not quite well, for we have a very interesting -experiment to-day at the establishment. Doctor Latonne has performed -a real miracle with Père Clovis by subjecting him to his system of -self-moving gymnastics. Just imagine! This old vagabond is now able to -walk as well as anyone. The progress of the cure, moreover, is manifest -after each exhibition!" - -To please him, she asked: "And are you going to have a public -exhibition?" - -"Yes, and no. We are having an exhibition before the medical men and a -few friends." - -"At what hour?" - -"Three o'clock." - -"Will M. Bretigny be there?" - -"Yes, yes. He promised me that he would come to it. From a medical -point of view, it is exceedingly curious." - -"Well," she said, "as I'll just have risen myself at that time, you -will ask M. Bretigny to come and see me. He will keep me company while -you are looking at the experiment." - -"Yes, my darling." - -"You won't forget?" - -"No, no. Make your mind easy." - -And he went off in search of those who were to witness the exhibition. - -After having been imposed upon by the Oriols at the time of the first -treatment of the paralytic, he had in his turn imposed upon the -credulity of invalids--so easy to get the better of, when it is a -question of curing. And now he imposed upon himself with the farce of -this cure, talking about it so frequently, with so much ardor and such -an air of conviction that it would have been hard to determine whether -he believed or disbelieved in it. - -About three o'clock, all the persons whom he had induced to -attend found themselves gathered together before the door of the -establishment, expecting Père Clovis's arrival. He made his appearance, -leaning on two walking-sticks, always dragging his legs after him, and -bowing politely to everyone as he passed. - -The two Oriols followed him, together with the two young girls. Paul -and Gontran accompanied their intended wives. - -In the great hall where the articulated instruments were fixed, Doctor -Latonne was waiting, and killed time by chatting with Andermatt and -Doctor Honorat. - -When he saw Père Clovis, a smile of delight passed over his -clean-shaven lips. He asked: "Well! how are we going on to-day?" - -"Oh! all right, all right." - -Petrus Martel and Saint Landri presented themselves. They wanted to -satisfy their minds. The first believed; the second doubted. Behind -them, people saw with astonishment Doctor Bonnefille coming up, -saluting his rival, and extending his hand toward Andermatt. Doctor -Black was the last to arrive. - -"Well, Messieurs and Mesdemoiselles," said Doctor Latonne, as he bowed -to Louise and Charlotte Oriol, "you are going to witness a very curious -phenomenon. Observe first, before the experiment, this worthy fellow -walking a little, but very little. Can you walk without your sticks, -Père Clovis?" - -"Oh! no, Mochieu!" - -"Good, then let us begin." - -The old fellow was hoisted on the armchair; his legs were strapped to -the movable feet of the sitting-machine; then, at the command of the -inspector: "Go quietly!" the attendant, with bare arms, turned the -handle. - -Thereupon, the right knee of the vagabond was seen rising up, -stretching out, bending, then moving forward again; after that, the -left knee did the same; and Père Clovis, seized with a sudden delight, -began to laugh, while he repeated with his head and his long, white -beard all the movements imposed on his legs. - -The four physicians and Andermatt, stooping over him, examined him with -the gravity of augurs, while Colosse exchanged sly winks with the old -chap. - -As the door had been left open, other persons kept constantly crowding -in, and convinced and anxious bathers pressed forward to behold the -experiment. - -"Quicker!" said Doctor Latonne; and, in obedience to his command, -the man who worked the handle turned it with greater energy. The old -fellow's legs began to go at a running pace, and he, seized with -irresistible gaiety, like a child being tickled, laughed as loudly -as ever he could, moving his head about wildly. And, in the midst of -his peals of laughter, he kept repeating: "What a _rigolo!_ what a -_rigolo!_" having, no doubt, picked up this word from the mouth of some -foreigner. - -Colosse, in his turn, broke out, and, stamping on the ground with -his foot and striking his thighs with his hands, he exclaimed: "Ha! -bougrrre of a Cloviche! bougrrre of a Cloviche!" - -"Enough!" was the inspector's next command. - -The vagabond was unfastened, and the physicians drew apart in order to -verify the result. - -Then Père Clovis was seen rising from the armchair, stepping on the -ground, and walking. He proceeded with short steps, it was true, quite -bent, and grimacing from fatigue at every effort, but still he walked! - -Doctor Bonnefille was the first to declare: "This is quite a remarkable -case!" Doctor Black immediately improved upon his brother-physician. -Doctor Honorat, alone, said nothing. - -Gontran whispered in Paul's ear: "I don't understand. Look at their -heads. Are they dupes or humbugs?" - -But Andermatt was speaking. He told the history of this cure since the -first day, the relapse, and the final recovery which was declared to -be settled and absolute. - -He gaily added: "If our patient goes back a little every winter, we'll -cure him again every summer." - -Then he pompously eulogized the waters of Mont Oriol, extolled their -properties, all their properties: - -"For my own part," said he; "I have had a proof of their efficacy in -the case of a being who is very dear to me; and, if my family is not -extinct, it is to Mont Oriol that I will owe it." - -But, all at once, he had a flash of recollection. He had promised -his wife a visit from Paul Bretigny. He was filled with regret for -his forgetfulness, as he was most anxious to gratify her every wish. -Accordingly he glanced around him, espied Paul, and coming up to him: -"My dear friend, I completely forgot to tell you that Christiane is -expecting you at this moment." - -Bretigny said falteringly: "Me--at this moment?" - -"Yes, she has got up to-day; and she desires to see you before anyone. -Hurry then as quickly as possible, and excuse me." - -Paul directed his steps toward the hotel, his heart throbbing with -emotion. On his way he met the Marquis de Ravenel, who said to him: - -"My daughter is up, and is surprised at not having seen you yet." - -He halted, however, on the first steps of the staircase in order to -consider what he would say to her. How would she receive him? Would she -be alone? If she spoke about his marriage, what reply should he make? - -Since he had heard of her confinement, he could not think about her -without groaning, so uneasy did he feel; and the thought of their first -meeting, every time it floated through his mind, made him suddenly -redden or grow pale with anguish. He had also thought with deep anxiety -of this unknown child, of which he was the father; and he remained -harassed by a desire to see it, mingled with a dread of looking at it. -He felt himself sunk in one of those moral foulnesses which stain a -man's conscience up to the hour of his death. But he feared above all -the glance of this woman, for whom his love had been so fierce and so -short-lived. - -Would she meet him with reproaches, with tears, or with disdain? Would -she receive him, only to drive him away? - -And what attitude ought he to assume toward her? Humble, crushed, -suppliant, or cold? Should he explain himself or should he listen -without replying? Ought he to sit down or to remain standing? - -And when the child was shown to him, what should he do? What should he -say? With what feeling should he appear to be agitated? - -Before the door he stopped again, and at the moment when he was on the -point of ringing, he noticed that his hand was trembling. However, he -placed his finger on the little ivory button, and he heard the sound of -the electric bell coming from the interior of the apartment. - -A female servant opened the door, and admitted him. And, at the -drawing-room door, he saw Christiane, at the end of the second room, -lying on her long chair with her eyes fixed upon him. - -These two rooms seemed to him interminable as he was passing through -them. He felt himself tottering. He was afraid of knocking against the -seats, and he did not venture to look down toward his feet in order to -avoid lowering his eyes. She did not make a single gesture, or utter a -single word. She waited till he was close beside her. Her right hand -remained stretched out over her robe and her left leaned over the side -of the cradle, covered all round with its curtains. - -When he was three paces away from her he stopped, not knowing what best -to do. The chambermaid had closed the door after him. - -They were alone! - -Then, he felt a longing to sink upon his knees, and implore her pardon. -But she slowly raised the hand which had rested on her robe, and, -extending it slightly toward him, said, "Good day," in a grave tone. - -He did not venture to touch her fingers, which, however, he brushed -with his lips, while he bowed to her. - -She added: "Sit down." And he sat down on a lower chair, close to her -feet. - -He felt that he ought to speak, but he could not find a word or -an idea, and he dared not even look at her. However, he ended by -stammering out: "Your husband forgot to let me know that you were -waiting for me; but for that, I would have come sooner." - -She replied: "Oh! it matters little, since we were bound to see one -another again--a little sooner--a little later!" - -As she added nothing more, he hastened to say in an inquiring tone: "I -hope you are getting on well by this time?" - -"Thanks. As well as one can get on, after such shocks!" - -She was very pale and thin, but prettier than before her confinement. -Her eyes especially had gained a depth of expression which he had never -seen in them before. They seemed to have acquired a darker shade, a -blue less clear, less transparent, more intense. Her hands were so -white that their flesh looked like that of a corpse. - -She went on: "Those are hours very hard to live through. But, when one -has suffered thus, one feels strong till the end of one's days." - -Much affected, he murmured: "Yes; they are terrible experiences!" - -She repeated, like an echo: "Terrible." - -For some moments there had been light movements in the cradle--the all -but imperceptible sounds of an infant awakening from sleep. Bretigny -could not longer avert his gaze, preyed upon by a melancholy, morbid -yearning which gradually grew stronger, tortured by the desire to -behold what lived within there. - -Then he observed that the curtains of the tiny bed were fastened from -top to bottom with the gold pins which Christiane was accustomed to -wear in her corsage. Often had he amused himself in bygone days by -taking them out and pinning them again on the shoulders of his beloved, -those fine pins with crescent-shaped heads. He understood what she -meant; and a poignant emotion seized him, made him feel shriveled up -before this barrier of golden spikes which forever separated him from -this child. - -A little cry, a shrill plaint arose in this white prison. Christiane -quickly rocked the wherry, and in a rather abrupt tone: - -"I must ask your pardon for allowing you so little time; but I must -look after my daughter." - -He rose, and once more kissed the hand which she extended toward him; -and, as he was on the point of leaving, she said: - -"I pray that you may be happy." - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Mont Oriol or A Romance of Auvergne, by -Guy de Maupassant - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MONT ORIOL, ROMANCE OF AUVERGNE *** - -***** This file should be named 50311-8.txt or 50311-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/3/1/50311/ - -Produced by Dagny and Marc D'Hooghe at -http://www.freeliterature.org (Images generously made -available by the Internet Archive.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Mont Oriol or A Romance of Auvergne - A Novel - -Author: Guy de Maupassant - -Release Date: October 26, 2015 [EBook #50311] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MONT ORIOL, ROMANCE OF AUVERGNE *** - - - - -Produced by Dagny and Marc D'Hooghe at -http://www.freeliterature.org (Images generously made -available by the Internet Archive.) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="500" alt="" /> -</div> -<h1>MONT ORIOL</h1> - -<h4>OR</h4> - -<h2>A ROMANCE OF AUVERGNE</h2> - -<h4><i>A NOVEL</i></h4> - -<h3><i>By</i></h3> - -<h2>GUY DE MAUPASSANT</h2> - - -<h5>SAINT DUNSTAN SOCIETY</h5> - -<h5>Akron, Ohio</h5> - -<h5>1903</h5> - -<hr class="full" /> -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a id="monto001"></a> -<img src="images/mont_o_001.jpg" width="500" alt="" /> -<p class="cap">"HE HAD THOUGHT WITH DEEP ANXIETY OF THIS CHILD, OF WHICH HE WAS -THE FATHER"</p> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<h4>TABLE OF CONTENTS</h4> - - -<p class="center" style="font-size: 0.8em;"> -<a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.</a><br /> -THE SPA<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.</a><br /> -THE DISCOVERY<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.</a><br /> -BARGAINING<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.</a><br /> -A TEST AND AN AVOWAL<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.</a><br /> -DEVELOPMENTS<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.</a><br /> -ON THE BRINK<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.</a><br /> -ATTAINMENT<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.</a><br /> -ORGANIZATION<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.</a><br /> -THE SPA AGAIN<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.</a><br /> -GONTRAN'S CHOICE<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.</a><br /> -A MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII.</a><br /> -A BETROTHAL<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII.</a><br /> -PAUL CHANGES HIS MIND<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV.</a><br /> -CHRISTIANE'S VIA CRUCIS<br /> -</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> -<p class="caption" style="font-size: 0.8em;">ILLUSTRATIONS</p> - -<p style="font-size: 0.8em;"><a href="#monto001">"HE HAD THOUGHT WITH DEEP ANXIETY OF THIS CHILD, OF WHICH HE WAS -THE FATHER"</a></p> - -<p style="font-size: 0.8em;"><a href="#monto002">"SHE SPRANG WILDLY TO HER FEET. IT WAS HE!"</a></p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h3>MONT ORIOL</h3> - - - -<hr class="tb" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.</a></h5> - - -<h4>THE SPA</h4> - - -<p>The first bathers, the early risers, who had already been at the water, -were walking slowly, in pairs or alone, under the huge trees along the -stream which rushes down the gorges of Enval.</p> - -<p>Others arrived from the village, and entered the establishment in -a hurried fashion. It was a spacious building, the ground floor -being reserved for thermal treatment, while the first story served -as a casino, <i>café</i>, and billiard-room. Since Doctor Bonnefille had -discovered in the heart of Enval the great spring, baptized by him the -Bonnefille Spring, some proprietors of the country and the surrounding -neighborhood, timid speculators, had decided to erect in the midst -of this superb glen of Auvergne, savage and gay withal, planted with -walnut and giant chestnut trees, a vast house for every kind of use, -serving equally for the purpose of cure and of pleasure, in which -mineral waters, douches, and baths were sold below, and beer, liqueurs, -and music above.</p> - -<p>A portion of the ravine along the stream had been inclosed, to -constitute the park indispensable to every spa; and three walks had -been made, one nearly straight, and the other two zigzag. At the end -of the first gushed out an artificial spring detached from the parent -spring, and bubbling into a great basin of cement, sheltered by a -straw roof, under the care of an impassive woman, whom everyone called -"Marie" in a familiar sort of way. This calm Auvergnat, who wore a -little cap always as white as snow, and a big apron, perfectly clean at -all times, which concealed her working-dress, rose up slowly as soon as -she saw a bather coming along the road in her direction.</p> - -<p>The bather would smile with a melancholy air, drink the water, and -return her the glass, saying, "Thanks, Marie." Then he would turn on -his heel and walk away. And Marie sat down again on her straw chair to -wait for the next comer.</p> - -<p>They were not, however, very numerous. The Enval station had just been -six years open for invalids, and scarcely could count more patients -at the end of these six years than it had at the start. About fifty -had come there, attracted more than anything else by the beauty of -the district, by the charm of this little village lost under enormous -trees, whose twisted trunks seemed as big as the houses, and by the -reputation of the gorges at the end of this strange glen which opened -on the great plain of Auvergne and ended abruptly at the foot of the -high mountain bristling with craters of unknown age—a savage and -magnificent crevasse, full of rocks fallen or threatening, from which -rushed a stream that cascaded over giant stones, forming a little lake -in front of each.</p> - -<p>This thermal station had been brought to birth as they all are, with -a pamphlet on the spring by Doctor Bonnefille. He opened with a -eulogistic description, in a majestic and sentimental style, of the -Alpine seductions of the neighborhood. He selected only adjectives -which convey a vague sense of delightfulness and enjoyment—those -which produce effect without committing the writer to any material -statement. All the surroundings were picturesque, filled with splendid -sites or landscapes whose graceful outlines aroused soft emotions. All -the promenades in the vicinity possessed a remarkable originality, -such as would strike the imagination of artists and tourists. Then -abruptly, without any transition, he plunged into the therapeutic -qualities of the Bonnefille Spring, bicarbonate, sodium, mixed, -lithineous, ferruginous, <i>et cetera, et cetera</i>, capable of curing -every disease. He had, moreover, enumerated them under this heading: -Chronic affections or acute specially associated with Enval. And the -list of affections associated with Enval was long—long and varied, -consoling for invalids of every kind. The pamphlet concluded with some -information of practical utility, the cost of lodgings, commodities, -and hotels—for three hotels had sprung up simultaneously with the -casino-medical establishment. These were the Hotel Splendid, quite new, -built on the slope of the glen looking down on the baths; the Thermal -Hotel, an old inn with a new coat of plaster; and the Hotel Vidaillet, -formed very simply by the purchase of three adjoining houses, which -had been altered so as to convert them into one.</p> - -<p>Then, all at once, two new doctors had installed themselves in the -locality one morning, without anyone well knowing how they came, for -at spas doctors seem to dart up out of the springs, like gas-jets. -These were Doctor Honorat, a native of Auvergne, and Doctor Latonne, -of Paris. A fierce antagonism soon burst out between Doctor Latonne -and Doctor Bonnefille, while Doctor Honorat, a big, clean-shaven man, -smiling and pliant, stretched forth his right hand to the first, -and his left hand to the second, and remained on good terms with -both. But Doctor Bonnefille was master of the situation, with his -title of Inspector of the Waters and of the thermal establishment of -Enval-les-Bains.</p> - -<p>This title was his strength and the establishment his chattel. There -he spent his days, and even his nights, it was said. A hundred times, -in the morning, he would go from his house which was quite near in -the village to his consultation-study fixed at the right-hand side -facing the entrance to the thermal baths. Lying in wait there, like a -spider in his web, he watched the comings and goings of the invalids, -inspecting his own patients with a severe eye and those of the other -doctors with a look of fury. He questioned everybody almost in the -style of a ship's captain, and he struck terror into newcomers, unless -it happened that he made them smile.</p> - -<p>This day, as he arrived with rapid steps, which made the big flaps of -his old frock coat fly up like a pair of wings, he was stopped suddenly -by a voice exclaiming: "Doctor!"</p> - -<p>He turned round. His thin face, full of big ugly wrinkles, and looking -quite black at the end with a grizzled beard rarely cut, made an effort -to smile; and he took off the tall silk hat, shabby, stained, and -greasy, that covered his thick pepper-and-salt head of hair—"pepper -and soiled, as his rival, Doctor Latonne, put it. Then he advanced a -step, made a bow, and murmured:</p> - -<p>"Good morning, Marquis—are you quite well this morning?"</p> - -<p>The Marquis de Ravenel, a little man well preserved, stretched out his -hand to the doctor, as he replied:</p> - -<p>"Very well, doctor, very well, or, at least, not ill. I am always -suffering from my kidneys; but indeed I am better, much better; and I -am as yet only at my tenth bath. Last year I did not obtain the effect -until the sixteenth, you recollect?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, perfectly."</p> - -<p>"But it is not about this I want to talk to you. My daughter has -arrived this morning, and I wish to have a chat with you about her case -first of all, because my son-in-law, William Andermatt, the banker——"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I know."</p> - -<p>"My son-in-law has a letter of recommendation addressed to Doctor -Latonne. As for me, I have no confidence except in you, and I beg -of you to have the kindness to come up to the hotel before—you -understand? I prefer to say things to you candidly. Are you free at the -present moment?"</p> - -<p>Doctor Bonnefille had put on his hat again, and looked excited and -troubled. He answered at once:</p> - -<p>"Yes, I shall be free immediately. Do you wish me to accompany you?"</p> - -<p>"Why, certainly."</p> - -<p>And, turning their backs on the establishment, they directed their -steps up a circular walk leading to the door of the Hotel Splendid, -built on the slope of the mountain so as to offer a view of it to -travelers.</p> - -<p>They made their way to the drawing-room in the first story adjoining -the apartments occupied by the Ravenel and Andermatt families, and -the Marquis left the doctor by himself while he went to look for his -daughter.</p> - -<p>He came back with her presently. She was a fair young woman, small, -pale, very pretty, whose features seemed like those of a child, while -her blue eyes, boldly fixed, cast on people a resolute look that gave -an alluring impression of firmness and a peculiar charm to this refined -and fascinating creature. There was not much the matter with her—vague -languors, sadnesses, bursts of tears without apparent cause, angry fits -for which there seemed no season, and lastly anæmia. She craved above -all for a child, which had been vainly looked forward to since her -marriage, more than two years before.</p> - -<p>Doctor Bonnefille declared that the waters of Enval would be effectual, -and proceeded forthwith to write a prescription. The doctor's -prescriptions had always the formidable aspect of an indictment. On -a big white sheet of paper such as schoolboys use, his directions -exhibited themselves in numerous paragraphs of two or three lines -each, in an irregular handwriting, bristling with letters resembling -spikes. And the potions, the pills, the powders, which were to be -taken fasting in the morning, at midday, and in the evening, followed -in ferocious-looking characters. One of these prescriptions might read:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"Inasmuch as M. X. is affected with a chronic malady, -incurable and mortal, he will take, first, sulphate of -quinine, which will render him deaf, and will make him lose -his memory; secondly, bromide of potassium, which will -destroy his stomach, weaken all his faculties, cover him -with pimples, and make his breath foul; thirdly, salicylate -of soda, whose curative effects have not yet been proved, -but which seems to lead to a terrible and speedy death the -patient treated by this remedy. And concurrently, chloral, -which causes insanity, and belladonna, which attacks the -eyes; all vegetable solutions and all mineral compositions -which corrupt the blood, corrode the organs, consume the -bones, and destroy by medicine those whom disease has -spared."</p></blockquote> - -<p>For a long time he went on writing on the front page and on the back, -then signed it just as a judge might have signed a death-sentence.</p> - -<p>The young woman, seated opposite to him, stared at him with an -inclination to laugh that made the corners of her lips rise up.</p> - -<p>When, with a low bow, he had taken himself off, she snatched up the -paper blackened with ink, rolled it up into a ball, and flung it into -the fire. Then, breaking into a hearty laugh, said:</p> - -<p>"Oh! father, where did you discover this fossil? Why, he looks for all -the world like an old-clothesman. Oh! how clever of you to dig up a -physician that might have lived before the Revolution! Oh! how funny he -is, aye, and dirty—ah, yes! dirty—I believe really he has stained my -penholder."</p> - -<p>The door opened, and M. Andermatt's voice was heard saying, "Come in, -doctor."</p> - -<p>And Doctor Latonne appeared. Erect, slender, circumspect, comparatively -young, attired in a fashionable morning-coat, and holding in his hand -the high silk hat which distinguishes the practicing doctor in the -greater part of the thermal stations of Auvergne, the physician from -Paris, without beard or mustache, resembled an actor who had retired -into the country.</p> - -<p>The Marquis, confounded, did not know what to say or do, while his -daughter put her handkerchief to her mouth to keep herself from -bursting out laughing in the newcomer's face. He bowed with an air of -self-confidence, and at a sign from the young woman took a seat.</p> - -<p>M. Andermatt, who followed him, minutely detailed for him his wife's -condition, her illnesses, together with their accompanying symptoms, -the opinions of the physicians consulted in Paris, and then his own -opinion based on special grounds which he explained in technical -language.</p> - -<p>He was a man still quite youthful, a Jew, who devoted himself to -financial transactions. He entered into all sorts of speculations, -and displayed in all matters of business a subtlety of intellect, -a rapidity of penetration, and a soundness of judgment that were -perfectly marvelous. A little too stout already for his figure, which -was not tall, chubby, bald, with an infantile expression, fat hands, -and short thighs, he looked much too greasy to be quite healthy, and -spoke with amazing facility.</p> - -<p>By means of tact he had been able to form an alliance with the daughter -of the Marquis de Ravenel with a view to extending his speculations -into a sphere to which he did not belong. The Marquis, besides, -possessed an income of about thirty thousand francs, and had only two -children; but, when M. Andermatt married, though scarcely thirty years -of age, he owned already five or six millions, and had sown enough -to bring him in a harvest of ten or twelve. M. de Ravenel, a man of -weak, irresolute, shifting, and undecided character, at first angrily -repulsed the overtures made to him with respect to this union, and was -indignant at the thought of seeing his daughter allied to an Israelite. -Then, after six months' resistance, he gave way, under the pressure -of accumulated wealth, on the condition that the children should be -brought up in the Catholic religion.</p> - -<p>But they waited for a long time and no offspring was yet announced. It -was then that the Marquis, enchanted for the past two years with the -waters of Enval, recalled to mind the fact that Doctor Bonnefille's -pamphlet also promised the cure for sterility.</p> - -<p>Accordingly, he sent for his daughter, whom his son-in-law accompanied, -in order to install her and to intrust her, acting on the advice of his -Paris physician, to the care of Doctor Latonne. Therefore, Andermatt, -since his arrival, had gone to look for this practitioner, and went on -enumerating the symptoms which presented themselves in his wife's case. -He finished by mentioning how much he had been pained at finding his -hopes of paternity unrealized.</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne allowed him to go on to the end; then, turning toward -the young woman: "Have you anything to add, Madame?"</p> - -<p>She replied gravely: "No, Monsieur, nothing at all."</p> - -<p>He went on: "In that case, I will trouble you to take off your -traveling-dress and your corset, and to put on a simple white -dressing-gown, all white."</p> - -<p>She was astonished; he rapidly explained his system: "Good heavens, -Madame, it is very simple. Formerly, the belief was that all diseases -came from a poison in the blood or from an organic cause; to-day, we -simply assume that, in many cases, and, above all, in your particular -case, the uncertain ailments from which you suffer, and even certain -serious troubles, very serious, mortal, may proceed only from the -fact that some organ or other, having taken, under influences easy to -determine, an abnormal development, to the detriment of the neighboring -organs, destroys all the harmony, all the equilibrium of the human -body, modifies or arrests its functions, and obstructs the play of all -the other organs. A swelling of the stomach may be sufficient to make -us believe in a disease of the heart, which, impeded in its movements, -becomes violent, irregular, sometimes even intermittent. The dilatation -of the liver or of certain glands may cause ravages which unobservant -physicians attribute to a thousand different causes. Therefore, the -first thing that we should do is to ascertain whether all the organs -of a patient have their true compass and their normal position, for a -very little thing is enough to upset a person's health. I am going, -then, Madame, if you will allow me, to examine you with great care, and -to mark out on your dressing-gown the limits, the dimensions, and the -positions of your organs."</p> - -<p>He had put down his hat on a chair, and he spoke in a facile manner. -His large mouth, in opening and closing, made two deep hollows in his -shaven cheeks, which gave him a certain ecclesiastical air.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, delighted, exclaimed: "Capital, capital! That is very -clever, very ingenious, very new, very modern."</p> - -<p>"Very modern" in his mouth was the height of admiration.</p> - -<p>The young woman, highly amused, rose and passed into her own -apartment. She came back, after the lapse of a few minutes, in a white -dressing-gown.</p> - -<p>The physician made her lie down on a sofa, then, drawing from his -pocket a pencil with three points, a black, a red, and a blue, he -commenced to auscultate and to tap his new patient, riddling the -dressing-gown all over with little dots of color by way of noting each -observation.</p> - -<p>She resembled, after a quarter of an hour of this work, a map -indicating continents, seas, capes, rivers, kingdoms, and cities, -and bearing the names of all these terrestrial divisions, for the -doctor wrote on every line of demarcation two or three Latin words -intelligible to himself alone.</p> - -<p>Now, when he had listened to all the internal sounds in Madame -Andermatt's body, and tapped on all the parts of her person that were -irritated or hollow-sounding, he drew forth from his pocket a notebook -of red leather with gold threads to fasten it, divided in alphabetical -order, consulted the index, opened it, and wrote: "Observation -6347.—Madame A——, 21 years."</p> - -<p>Then, collecting from her head to her feet the colored notes on -her dressing-gown, and reading them as an Egyptologist deciphers -hieroglyphics, he entered them in the notebook.</p> - -<p>He observed, when he had finished: "Nothing disquieting, nothing -abnormal, save a slight, a very slight deviation, which some -thirty acidulated baths will cure. You will take furthermore three -half-glasses of water each morning before noon. Nothing else. I will -come back to see you in four or five days." Then he rose, bowed, and -went out with such promptitude that everyone remained stupefied at it. -This abrupt style of departure was a part of his mannerism, his tact, -his special stamp. He considered it very good form, and thought it made -a great impression on the patient.</p> - -<p>Madame Andermatt ran to look at herself in the glass, and, shaking all -over with a joyous burst of childlike laughter, said:</p> - -<p>"Oh! how amusing they are, how droll they are! Tell me, is there not -one more left of them? I want to see him immediately! Will, go and find -him for me! We must have the third one here—I want to see him."</p> - -<p>Her husband, surprised, asked:</p> - -<p>"How, a third, a third what?"</p> - -<p>The Marquis deemed it advisable to explain, while offering excuses, for -he was a little afraid of his son-in-law. He related, therefore, how -Doctor Bonnefille had come to see himself, and how he had introduced -him to Christiane, in order to ascertain his opinion, as he had great -confidence in the experience of the old physician, who was a native of -the district, and who had discovered the spring.</p> - -<p>Andermatt shrugged his shoulders, and declared that Doctor Latonne -alone would take care of his wife, so that the Marquis, very uneasy, -began to reflect on the best course to take in order to arrange matters -without offending his irascible physician.</p> - -<p>Christiane asked: "Is Gontran here?" This was her brother.</p> - -<p>Her father replied: "Yes, for the past four days, with a friend of his -of whom he has often spoken, M. Paul Bretigny. They are making a tour -together in Auvergne. They have come from Mont Doré and from Bourboule, -and will be setting out for Cantal at the end of next week."</p> - -<p>Then he asked the young woman whether she desired to rest till luncheon -after the night in the train; but she had slept perfectly in the -sleeping car, and only required an hour for her toilette, after which -she wished to visit the village and the establishment.</p> - -<p>Her father and her husband went back to their rooms to wait till she -was ready. She soon came out to call them, and they descended together. -She grew enthusiastic at first sight over the aspect of the village, -built in the middle of a wood in a deep valley, which seemed hemmed in -on every side by chestnut-trees lofty as mountains. These could be seen -everywhere, springing up just as they chanced to have shot forth here -and there in a century, in front of doorways, in the courtyards, in the -streets. Then, again, there were fountains everywhere made of a great -black stone standing upright pierced with a small aperture, through -which dashed a streamlet of clear water that whirled about in a circle -before it fell into the trough. A fresh odor of grass and of stables -floated over those masses of verdure; and they saw the peasant women -of Auvergne standing in front of their dwellings, spinning at their -distaffs with lively movements of their fingers the black wool attached -to their girdles. Their short petticoats showed their thin ankles -covered with blue stockings, and the bodies of their dresses fastened -over their shoulders with straps left exposed the linen sleeves of -their chemises, out of which stretched their hard, dry arms and bony -hands.</p> - -<p>But, suddenly, a queer lilting kind of music burst on the promenaders' -ears. It was like a barrel-organ with piping sounds, a barrel-organ -used up, broken-winded, invalided.</p> - -<p>Christiane exclaimed: "What is that?"</p> - -<p>Her father began to laugh: "It is the orchestra of the Casino. It takes -four of them to make that noise."</p> - -<p>And he led her up to a red bill affixed to a corner of a farmhouse, on -which appeared in black letters:</p> - -<p class="center" style="margin-top: 2em;"> -CASINO OF ENVAL<br /> -<br /> -UNDER THE DIRECTION OF M. PETRUS MARTEL,<br /> -OF THE ODÉON.<br /> -<br /> -Saturday, 6th of July.<br /> -<br /> -GRAND CONCERT<br /> -organized by the <i>Maestro</i>, Saint Landri, second grand prize winner at<br /> -the Conservatoire.<br /> -<br /> -The piano will be presided over by M. Javel, grand laureate of the<br /> -Conservatoire.<br /> -<br /> -Flute, M. Noirot, laureate of the Conservatoire.<br /> -<br /> -Double-bass, M. Nicordi, laureate of the Royal Academy of Brussels.<br /> -<br /> -After the Concert, grand representation of<br /> -<i>Lost in the Forest</i>,<br /> -a Comedy in one act, by M. Pointellet.<br /> -<br /> -Characters:</p> -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left">Pierre de Lapointe </td><td align="left">M. Petrus Martel, of the Odéon.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Oscar Léveillé</td><td align="left">M. Petitnivelle, of the Vaudeville.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Jean</td><td align="left">M. Lapalme, of the Grand Theater of Bordeaux.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Philippine</td><td align="left">Mademoiselle Odelin, of the Odéon.</td></tr> -</table></div> -<p class="center"> -During the representation, the Orchestra will be likewise conducted<br /> -by the <i>Maestro,</i> Saint Landri.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="p2">Christiane read this aloud, laughed, and was astonished.</p> - -<p>Her father went on: "Oh! they will amuse you. Come and look at them."</p> - -<p>They turned to the right, and entered the park. The bathers promenaded -gravely, slowly, along the three walks. They drank their glasses of -water, and then went away. Some of them, seated on benches, traced -lines in the sand with the ends of their walking-sticks or their -umbrellas. They did not talk, seemed not to think, scarcely to live, -enervated, paralyzed by the <i>ennui</i> of the thermal station. Only the -odd music of the orchestra broke the sweet silence as it leaped into -the air, coming one knew not whence, produced one knew not how, passing -under the foliage and appearing to stir up these melancholy walkers.</p> - -<p>A voice cried: "Christiane!"</p> - -<p>She turned round. It was her brother. He rushed toward her, embraced -her, and, having pressed Andermatt's hand, took his sister by the arm, -and drew her along with him, leaving his father and his brother-in-law -in the rear.</p> - -<p>They chatted. He was a tall, well-made young fellow, prone to laughter -like her, light-hearted as the Marquis, indifferent to events, but -always on the lookout for a thousand francs.</p> - -<p>"I thought you were asleep," said he. "But for that I would have come -to embrace you. And then Paul carried me off this morning to the -château of Tournoel."</p> - -<p>"Who is Paul? Oh, yes, your friend!"</p> - -<p>"Paul Bretigny. It is true you don't know him. He is taking a bath at -the present moment."</p> - -<p>"He is a patient, then?"</p> - -<p>"No, but he is curing himself, all the same. He is trying to get over a -love episode."</p> - -<p>"And so he's taking acidulated baths—they're called acidulated, are -they not?—in order to restore himself."</p> - -<p>"Yes. He's doing all I told him to do. Oh! he has been hit hard. He's -a violent youth, terrible, and has been at death's door. He wanted to -kill himself, too. It was an actress—a well-known actress. He was -madly in love with her. And then she was not faithful to him, do you -see? The result was a frightful drama. So I brought him away. He's -going on better now, but he's still thinking about it."</p> - -<p>She smiled for a moment, then, becoming grave, she returned:</p> - -<p>"It will amuse me to see him."</p> - -<p>For her, however, this thing, "Love," did not mean very much. She -sometimes bestowed a thought on it, just as you think, when you are -poor, now and then of a pearl necklace, of a diadem of brilliants, with -a desire awakened in you for this thing—possible though far away. This -fancy would come to her after reading some novel to kill time, without -attaching to it, beyond that, any special importance. She had never -dreamed about it much, having been born with a happy soul, tranquil and -contented, and, although now two years and a half married, she had not -yet awakened out of that sleep in which innocent young girls live, that -sleep of the heart, of the mind, and of the senses, which, with some -women, lasts until death. For her life was simple and good, without -complications. She had never looked for the causes or the hidden -meaning of things. She had lived on from day to day, slept soundly, -dressed with taste, laughed, and felt satisfied. What more could she -have asked for?</p> - -<p>When Andermatt had been introduced to her as her future husband, she -refused to wed him at first with a childish indignation at the idea of -becoming the wife of a Jew. Her father and her brother, sharing her -repugnance, replied with her and like her by formally declining the -offer. Andermatt disappeared, acted as if he were dead, but, at the end -of three months, had lent Gontran more than twenty thousand francs; and -the Marquis, for other reasons, was beginning to change his opinion.</p> - -<p>In the first place, he always on principle yielded when one persisted, -through sheer egotistical desire not to be disturbed. His daughter used -to say of him: "All papa's ideas are jumbled up together"; and this -was true. Without opinions, without beliefs, he had only enthusiasms, -which varied every moment. At one time, he would attach himself, with -a transitory and poetic exaltation, to the old traditions of his -race, and would long for a king, but an intellectual king, liberal, -enlightened, marching along with the age. At another time, after he -had read a book by Michelet or some democratic thinker, he would -become a passionate advocate of human equality, of modern ideas, of -the claims of the poor, the oppressed, and the suffering. He believed -in everything, just as each thing harmonized with his passing moods; -and, when his old friend, Madame Icardon, who, connected as she was -with many Israelites, desired the marriage of Christiane and Andermatt, -and began to preach in favor of it, she knew full well the kind of -arguments with which she should attack him.</p> - -<p>She pointed out to him that the Jewish race had arrived at the hour -of vengeance. It had been a race crushed down as the French people -had been before the Revolution, and was now going to oppress others -by the power of gold. The Marquis, devoid of religious faith, but -convinced that the idea of God was rather a legislative idea, which -had more effect in keeping the foolish, the ignorant, and the timid -in the right path than the simple notion of Justice, regarded dogmas -with a respectful indifference, and held in equal and sincere esteem -Confucius, Mohammed, and Jesus Christ. Accordingly, the fact that the -latter was crucified did not at all present itself as an original -wrongdoing but as a gross, political blunder. In consequence it only -required a few weeks to make him admire the toil, hidden, incessant, -and all-powerful, of the persecuted Jews everywhere. And, viewing -with different eyes their brilliant triumph, he looked upon it as -a just reparation for the indignities that so long had been heaped -upon them. He saw them masters of kings, who are the masters of the -people—sustaining thrones or allowing them to collapse, able to make -a nation bankrupt as one might a wine-merchant, proud in the presence -of princes who had grown humble, and casting their impure gold into -the half-open purses of the most Catholic sovereigns, who thanked them -by conferring on them titles of nobility and lines of railway. So he -consented to the marriage of William Andermatt with Christiane de -Ravenel.</p> - -<p>As for Christiane, under the unconscious pressure of Madame Icardon, -her mother's old companion, who had become her intimate adviser since -the Marquise's death, a pressure to which was added that of her father -and the interested indifference of her brother, she consented to marry -this big, overrich youth, who was not ugly but scarcely pleased her, -just as she would have consented to spend a summer in a disagreeable -country.</p> - -<p>She found him a good fellow, kind, not stupid, nice in intimate -relations; but she frequently laughed at him along with Gontran, whose -gratitude was of the perfidious order.</p> - -<p>He would say to her: "Your husband is rosier and balder than ever. He -looks like a sickly flower, or a sucking pig with its hair shaved off. -Where does he get these colors?"</p> - -<p>She would reply: "I assure you I have nothing to do with it. There are -days when I feel inclined to paste him on a box of sugar-plums."</p> - -<p>But they had arrived in front of the baths. Two men were seated on -straw chairs with their backs to the wall, smoking their pipes, one at -each side of the door.</p> - -<p>Said Gontran: "Look, here are two good types. Watch the fellow at the -right, the hunchback with the Greek cap! That's Père Printemps, an -ex-jailer from Riom, who has become the guardian, almost the manager, -of the Enval establishment. For him nothing is changed, and he governs -the invalids just as he did his prisoners in former days. The bathers -are always prisoners, their bathing-boxes are cells, the douche-room -a black-hole, and the place where Doctor Bonnefille practices his -stomach-washings with the aid of the Baraduc sounding-line a chamber -of mysterious torture. He does not salute any of the men on the -strength of the principle that all convicts are contemptible beings. -He treats women with much more consideration, upon my honor—a -consideration mingled with astonishment, for he had none of them under -his control in the prison of Riom. That retreat being destined for -males only, he has not yet got accustomed to talking to members of the -fair sex. The other fellow is the cashier. I defy you to make him write -your name. You are just going to see."</p> - -<p>And Gontran, addressing the man at the left, slowly said:</p> - -<p>"Monsieur Seminois, this is my sister, Madame Andermatt, who wants to -subscribe for a dozen baths."</p> - -<p>The cashier, very tall, very thin, with a poor appearance, rose up, -went into his office, which exactly faced the study of the medical -inspector, opened his book, and asked:</p> - -<p>"What name?"</p> - -<p>"Andermatt."</p> - -<p>"What did you say?"</p> - -<p>"Andermatt."</p> - -<p>"How do you spell it?"</p> - -<p>"A-n-d-e-r-m-a-t-t."</p> - -<p>"All right."</p> - -<p>And he slowly wrote it down. When he had finished, Gontran asked:</p> - -<p>"Would you kindly read over my sister's name?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, Monsieur! Madame Anterpat."</p> - -<p>Christiane laughed till the tears came into her eyes, paid for her -tickets, and then asked:</p> - -<p>"What is it that one hears up there?"</p> - -<p>Gontran took her arm in his. Two angry voices reached their ears on -the stairs. They went up, opened a door, and saw a large coffee-room -with a billiard table in the center. Two men in their shirt-sleeves at -opposite sides of the billiard-table, each with a cue in his hand, were -furiously abusing one another.</p> - -<p>"Eighteen!"</p> - -<p>"Seventeen!"</p> - -<p>"I tell you I'm eighteen."</p> - -<p>"That's not true—you're only seventeen!"</p> - -<p>It was the director of the Casino, M. Petrus Martel of the Odéon, who -was playing his ordinary game with the comedian of his company, M. -Lapalme of the Grand Theater of Bordeaux.</p> - -<p>Petrus Martel, whose stomach, stout and inactive, swayed underneath his -shirt above a pair of pantaloons fastened anyhow, after having been a -strolling player in various places, had undertaken the directorship -of the Casino of Enval, and spent his days in drinking the allowances -intended for the bathers. He wore an immense mustache like a dragoon, -which was steeped from morning till night in the froth of bocks and the -sticky syrup of liqueurs, and he had aroused in the old comedian whom -he had enlisted in his service an immoderate passion for billiards.</p> - -<p>As soon as they got up in the morning, they proceeded to play a game, -insulted and threatened one another, expunged the record, began over -again, scarcely gave themselves time for breakfast, and could not -tolerate two clients coming to drive them away from their green cloth.</p> - -<p>They soon put everyone to flight, and did not find this sort of -existence unpleasant, though Petrus Martel always found himself at the -end of the season in a bankrupt condition.</p> - -<p>The female attendant, overwhelmed, would have to look on all day at -this endless game, listen to the interminable discussion, and carry -from morning till night glasses of beer or half-glasses of brandy to -the two indefatigable players.</p> - -<p>But Gontran carried off his sister: "Come into the park. 'Tis fresher."</p> - -<p>At the end of the establishment they suddenly perceived the orchestra -under a Chinese <i>kiosque</i>. A fair-haired young man, frantically playing -the violin, was conducting with movements of his head. His hair was -shaking from one side to the other in the effort to keep time, and -his entire torso bent forward and rose up again, swaying from left to -right, like the stick of the leader of an orchestra. Facing him sat -three strange-looking musicians. This was the <i>maestro</i>, Saint Landri.</p> - -<p>He and his assistants—a pianist, whose instrument, mounted on -rollers, was wheeled each morning from the vestibule of the baths to -the <i>kiosque</i>; an enormous flautist, who presented the appearance -of sucking a match while tickling it with his big swollen fingers, -and a double-bass of consumptive aspect—produced with much fatigue -this perfect imitation of a bad barrel-organ, which had astonished -Christiane in the village street.</p> - -<p>As she stopped to look at them, a gentleman saluted her brother.</p> - -<p>"Good day, my dear Count."</p> - -<p>"Good day, doctor."</p> - -<p>And Gontran introduced them: "My sister—Doctor Honorat."</p> - -<p>She could scarcely restrain her merriment at the sight of this third -physician. The latter bowed and made some complimentary remark.</p> - -<p>"I hope that Madame is not an invalid?"</p> - -<p>"Yes—slightly."</p> - -<p>He did not go farther with the matter, and changed the subject.</p> - -<p>"You are aware, my dear Count, that you will shortly have one of the -most interesting spectacles that could await you on your arrival in -this district."</p> - -<p>"What is it, pray, doctor?"</p> - -<p>"Père Oriol is going to blast his hill. This is of no consequence to -you, but for us it is a big event."</p> - -<p>And he proceeded to explain. "Père Oriol—the richest peasant in this -part of the country—he is known to be worth over fifty thousand francs -a year—owns all the vineyards along the plain up to the outlet of -Enval. Now, just as you go out from the village at the division of the -valley, rises a little mountain, or rather a high knoll, and on this -knoll are the best vineyards of Père Oriol. In the midst of two of -them, facing the road, at two paces from the stream, stands a gigantic -stone, an elevation which has impeded the cultivation and put into the -shade one entire side of the field, on which it looks down. For six -years, Père Oriol has every week been announcing that he was going to -blast his hill; but he has never made up his mind about it.</p> - -<p>"Every time a country boy went to be a soldier, the old man would say -to him: 'When you're coming home on furlough, bring me some powder -for this rock of mine.' And all the young soldiers would bring back in -their knapsacks some powder that they stole for Père Oriol's rock. He -has a chest full of this powder, and yet the hill has not been blasted. -At last, for a week past, he has been noticed scooping out the stone, -with his son, big Jacques, surnamed Colosse, which in Auvergne is -pronounced 'Coloche.' This very morning they filled with powder the -empty belly of the enormous rock; then they stopped up the mouth of it, -only letting in the fuse bought at the tobacconist's. In two hours' -time they will set fire to it. Then, five or ten minutes afterward, it -will go off, for the end of the fuse is pretty long."</p> - -<p>Christiane was interested in this narrative, amused already at the idea -of this explosion, finding here again a childish sport that pleased her -simple heart. They had now reached the end of the park.</p> - -<p>"Where do you go now?" she said.</p> - -<p>Doctor Honorat replied: "To the End of the World, Madame; that is -to say, into a gorge that has no outlet and which is celebrated in -Auvergne. It is one of the loveliest natural curiosities in the -district."</p> - -<p>But a bell rang behind them. Gontran cried:</p> - -<p>"Look here! breakfast-time already!"</p> - -<p>They turned back. A tall, young man came up to meet them.</p> - -<p>Gontran said: "My dear Christiane, let me introduce to you M. Paul -Bretigny." Then, to his friend: "This is my sister, my dear boy."</p> - -<p>She thought him ugly. He had black hair, close-cropped and straight, -big, round eyes, with an expression that was almost hard, a head also -quite round, very strong, one of those heads that make you think -of cannon-balls, herculean shoulders; a rather savage expression, -heavy and brutish. But from his jacket, from his linen, from his skin -perhaps, came a very subtle perfume, with which the young woman was not -familiar, and she asked herself:</p> - -<p>"I wonder what odor that is?"</p> - -<p>He said to her: "You arrived this morning, Madame?" His voice was a -little hollow.</p> - -<p>She replied: "Yes, Monsieur."</p> - -<p>But Gontran saw the Marquis and Andermatt making signals to them to -come in quickly to breakfast.</p> - -<p>Doctor Honorat took leave of them, asking as he left whether they -really meant to go and see the hill blasted. Christiane declared that -she would go; and, leaning on her brother's arm, she murmured as she -dragged him along toward the hotel:</p> - -<p>"I am as hungry as a wolf. I shall be very much ashamed to eat as much -as I feel inclined before your friend."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.</a></h5> - - -<h4>THE DISCOVERY</h4> - - -<p>The breakfast was long, as the meals usually are at a <i>table d'hôte</i>. -Christiane, who was not familiar with all the faces of those present, -chatted with her father and her brother. Then she went up to her room -to take a rest till the time for blasting the rock.</p> - -<p>She was ready long before the hour fixed, and made the others start -along with her so that they might not miss the explosion. Just outside -the village, at the opening of the glen, stood, as they had heard, a -high knoll, almost a mountain, which they proceeded to climb under a -burning sun, following a little path through the vine-trees. When they -reached the summit the young woman uttered a cry of astonishment at the -sight of the immense horizon displayed before her eyes. In front of -her stretched a limitless plain, which immediately gave her soul the -sensation of an ocean. This plain, overhung by a veil of light blue -vapor, extended as far as the most distant mountain-ridges, which -were scarcely perceptible, some fifty or sixty kilometers away. And -under the transparent haze of delicate fineness, which floated above -this vast stretch, could be distinguished towns, villages, woods, vast -yellow squares of ripe crops, vast green squares of herbage, factories -with long, red chimneys and blackened steeples and sharp-pointed -structures, with the solidified lava of dead volcanoes.</p> - -<p>"Turn around," said her brother.</p> - -<p>She turned around. And behind she saw the mountain, the huge mountain -indented with craters. This was the entrance to the foundation on which -Enval stood, a great expanse of greenness in which one could scarcely -trace the hidden gash of the gorge. The trees in a waving mass scaled -the high slope as far as the first crater and shut out the view of -those beyond. But, as they were exactly on the line that separated -the plains from the mountain, the latter stretched to the left toward -Clermont-Ferrand, and, wandering away, unrolled over the blue sky their -strange mutilated tops, like monstrous blotches—extinct volcanoes, -dead volcanoes. And yonder—over yonder, between two peaks—could be -seen another, higher still, more distant still, round and majestic, and -bearing on its highest pinnacle something of fantastic shape resembling -a ruin. This was the Puy de Dome, the king of the mountains of -Auvergne, strong and unwieldy, wearing on its head, like a crown placed -thereon by the mightiest of peoples, the remains of a Roman temple.</p> - -<p>Christiane exclaimed: "Oh! how happy I shall be here!"</p> - -<p>And she felt herself happy already, penetrated by that sense of -well-being which takes possession of the flesh and the heart, makes you -breathe with ease, and renders you sprightly and active when you find -yourself in a spot which enchants your eyes, charms and cheers you, -seems to have been awaiting you, a spot for which you feel that you -were born.</p> - -<p>Some one called out to her: "Madame, Madame!" And, at some distance -away, she saw Doctor Honorat, recognizable by his big hat. He rushed -across to them, and conducted the family toward the opposite side of -the hill, over a grassy slope beside a grove of young trees, where -already some thirty persons were waiting, strangers and peasants -mingled together.</p> - -<p>Beneath their feet, the steep hillside descended toward the Riom road, -overshadowed by willows that sheltered the shallow river; and in the -midst of a vineyard at the edge of this stream rose a sharp-pointed -rock before which two men on bended knees seemed to be praying. This -was the scene of action.</p> - -<p>The Oriols, father and son, were attaching the fuse. On the road, a -crowd of curious spectators had stationed themselves, with a line of -people lower down in front, among whom village brats were scampering -about.</p> - -<p>Doctor Honorat chose a convenient place for Christiane to sit down, and -there she waited with a beating heart, as if she were going to see the -entire population blown up along with the rock.</p> - -<p>The Marquis, Andermatt, and Paul Bretigny lay down on the grass at the -young woman's side, while Gontran remained standing. He said, in a -bantering tone:</p> - -<p>"My dear doctor, you must be much less busy than your -brother-practitioners, who apparently have not an hour to spare to -attend this little <i>fête</i>?"</p> - -<p>Honorat replied in a good-humored tone:</p> - -<p>"I am not less busy; only my patients occupy less of my time. And again -I prefer to amuse my patients rather than to physic them."</p> - -<p>He had a quiet manner which greatly pleased Gontran. Other persons now -arrived, fellow-guests at the <i>table d'hôte</i>—the ladies Paille, two -widows, mother and daughter; the Monecus, father and daughter; and a -very small, fat, man, who was puffing like a boiler that had burst, -M. Aubry-Pasteur, an ex-engineer of mines, who had made a fortune in -Russia.</p> - -<p>M. Pasteur and the Marquis were on intimate terms. He seated himself -with much difficulty after some preparatory movements, circumspect and -cautious, which considerably amused Christiane. Gontran sauntered away -from them, in order to have a look at the other persons whom curiosity -had attracted toward the knoll.</p> - -<p>Paul Bretigny pointed out to Christiane Andermatt the views, of which -they could catch glimpses in the distance. First of all, Riom made -a red patch with its row of tiles along the plain; then Ennezat, -Maringues, Lezoux, a heap of villages scarcely distinguishable, which -only broke the wide expanse of verdure with a somber indentation here -and there, and, further down, away down below, at the base of the -mountains, he pretended that he could trace out Thiers.</p> - -<p>He said, in an animated fashion: "Look, look! Just in front of my -finger, exactly in front of my finger. For my part, I can see it quite -distinctly."</p> - -<p>She could see nothing, but she was not surprised at his power of -vision, for he looked like a bird of prey, with his round, piercing -eyes, which appeared to be as powerful as telescopes. He went on:</p> - -<p>"The Allier flows in front of us, in the middle of that plain, but it -is impossible to perceive it. It is very far off, thirty kilometers -from here."</p> - -<p>She scarcely took the trouble to glance toward the place which he -indicated, for she had riveted her eyes on the rock and given it -her entire attention. She was saying to herself that presently this -enormous stone would no longer exist, that it would disappear in -powder, and she felt herself seized with a vague pity for the stone, -the pity which a little girl would feel for a broken plaything. It had -been there so long, this stone; and then it was imposing—it had a -picturesque look. The two men, who had by this time risen, were heaping -up pebbles at the foot of it, and digging with the rapid movements of -peasants working hurriedly.</p> - -<p>The crowd gathered along the road, increasing every moment, had pushed -forward to get a better view. The brats brushed against the two -diggers, and kept rushing and capering round them like young animals -in a state of delight; and from the elevated point at which Christiane -was sitting, these people looked quite small, a crowd of insects, an -anthill in confusion.</p> - -<p>The buzz of voices ascended, now slight, scarcely noticeable, then more -lively, a confused mixture of cries and human movements, but scattered -through the air, evaporated already—a dust of sounds, as it were. On -the knoll likewise the crowd was swelling in numbers, incessantly -arriving from the village, and covering up the slope which looked down -on the condemned rock.</p> - -<p>They were distinguished from each other, as they gathered together, -according to their hotels, their classes, their castes. The most -clamorous portion of the assemblage was that of the actors and -musicians, presided over and generaled by the conductor, Petrus Martel -of the Odéon, who, under the circumstances, had given up his incessant -game of billiards.</p> - -<p>With a Panama flapping over his forehead, a black alpaca jacket -covering his shoulders and allowing his big stomach to protrude in -a semicircle, for he considered a waistcoat useless in the open -country, the actor, with his thick mustache, assumed the airs of a -commander-in-chief, and pointed out, explained, and criticised all the -movements of the two Oriols. His subordinates, the comedian Lapalme, -the young premier Petitnivelle, and the musicians, the <i>maestro</i> Saint -Landri, the pianist Javel, the huge flautist Noirot, the double-bass -Nicordi, gathered round him to listen. In front of them were seated -three women, sheltered by three parasols, a white, a red, and a blue, -which, under the sun of two o'clock, formed a strange and dazzling -French flag. These were Mademoiselle Odelin, the young actress; her -mother,—a mother that she had hired out, as Gontran put it,—and the -female attendant of the coffee-room, three ladies who were habitual -companions. The arrangement of these three parasols so as to suit the -national colors was an invention of Petrus Martel, who, having noticed -at the commencement of the season the blue and the white in the hands -of the ladies Odelin, had made a present of the red to the coffee-room -attendant.</p> - -<p>Quite close to them, another group excited interest and observation, -that of the chefs and scullions of the hotels, to the number of -eight, for there was a war of rivalry between the kitchen-folk, who -had attired themselves in linen jackets to make an impression on -the bystanders, extending even to the scullery-maids. Standing all -in a group they let the crude light of day fall on their flat white -caps, presenting, at the same time, the appearance of fantastic -staff-officers of lancers and a deputation of cooks.</p> - -<p>The Marquis asked Doctor Honorat: "Where do all these people come from? -I never would have imagined Enval was so thickly populated!"</p> - -<p>"Oh! they come from all parts, from Chatel-Guyon, from Tournoel, -from La Roche-Pradière, from Saint-Hippolyte. For this affair has -been talked of a long time in the country, and then Père Oriol is a -celebrity, an important personage on account of his influence and his -wealth, besides a true Auvergnat, remaining still a peasant, working -himself, hoarding, piling up gold on gold, intelligent, full of ideas -and plans for his children's future."</p> - -<p>Gontran came back, excited, his eyes sparkling.</p> - -<p>He said, in a low tone: "Paul, Paul, pray come along with me; I'm going -to show you two pretty girls; yes, indeed, nice girls, you know!"</p> - -<p>The other raised his head, and replied: "My dear fellow, I'm in very -good quarters here; I'll not budge."</p> - -<p>"You're wrong. They are charming!" Then, in a louder tone: "But -the doctor is going to tell me who they are. Two little girls of -eighteen or nineteen, rustic ladies, oddly dressed, with black silk -dresses that have close-fitting sleeves, some kind of uniform dresses, -convent-gowns—two brunettes——"</p> - -<p>Doctor Honorat interrupted him: "That's enough. They are Père Oriol's -daughters, two pretty young girls indeed, educated at the Benedictine -Convent at Clermont, and sure to make very good matches. They are two -types, but simply types of our race, of the fine race of women of -Auvergne, Marquis. I will show you these two little lasses——"</p> - -<p>Gontran here slyly interposed: "You are the medical adviser of the -Oriol family, doctor?"</p> - -<p>The other appreciated this sly question, and simply responded with a -"By Jove, I am!" uttered in a tone of the utmost good-humor.</p> - -<p>The young man went on: "How did you come to win the confidence of this -rich patient?"</p> - -<p>"By ordering him to drink a great deal of good wine." And he told -a number of anecdotes about the Oriols. Moreover, he was distantly -related to them, and had known them for a considerable time. The old -fellow, the father, quite an original, was very proud of his wine; and -above all he had one vine-garden, the produce of which was reserved -for the use of the family, solely for the family and their guests. -In certain years they happened to empty the casks filled with the -growth of this aristocratic vineyard, but in other years they scarcely -succeeded in doing so. About the month of May or June, when the father -saw that it would be hard to drink all that was still left, he would -proceed to encourage his big son, Colosse, and would repeat: "Come on, -son, we must finish it." Then they would go on pouring down their -throats pints of red wine from morning till night. Twenty times during -every meal, the old chap would say in a grave tone, while he held the -jug over his son's glass: "We must finish it." And, as all this liquor -with its mixture of alcohol heated his blood and prevented him from -sleeping, he would rise up in the middle of the night, draw on his -breeches, light a lantern, wake up Colosse, and off they would go to -the cellar, after snatching a crust of bread each out of the cupboard, -in order to steep it in their glasses, filled up again and again out -of the same cask. Then, when they had swallowed so much wine that they -could feel it rolling about in their stomachs, the father would tap the -resounding wood of the cask to find out whether the level of the liquor -had gone down.</p> - -<p>The Marquis asked: "Are these the same people that are working at the -hillock?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes, exactly."</p> - -<p>Just at that moment the two men hurried off with giant strides from -the rock charged with powder, and all the crowd that surrounded them -down below began to run away like a retreating army. They fled in the -direction of Riom and Enval, leaving behind them by itself the huge -rock on the top of the hillock covered with thin grass and pebbles, -for it divided the vineyard into two sections, and its immediate -surroundings had not been grubbed up yet.</p> - -<p>The crowd assembled on the slope above, now as dense as that below, -waited in trembling expectancy; and the loud voice of Petrus Martel -exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"Attention! the fuse is lit!"</p> - -<p>Christiane shivered at the thought of what was about to happen, but the -doctor murmured behind her back:</p> - -<p>"Ho! if they left there all the fuse I saw them buying, we'll have ten -minutes of it!"</p> - -<p>All eyes were fixed on the stone, and suddenly a dog, a little black -dog, a kind of pug, was seen approaching it. He ran round it, began -smelling, and no doubt, discovered a suspicious odor, for he commenced -yelping as loudly as ever he could, his paws stiff, the hair on his -back standing on end, his tail sticking out, and his ears erect.</p> - -<p>A burst of laughter came from the spectators, a cruel burst of -laughter; people expressed a hope that he would not keep riveted to the -spot up to the time of the blast. Then voices called out to him to make -him come back; some men whistled to him; they tried to hit him with -stones to prevent him from going on the whole way. But the pug did not -budge an inch, and kept barking furiously at the rock.</p> - -<p>Christiane began to tremble. A horrible fear of seeing the animal -disemboweled took possession of her; all her enjoyment was at an end. -She cried repeatedly, with nerves unstrung, stammering, vibrating all -over with anguish:</p> - -<p>"Oh! good heavens! Oh! good heavens! it will be killed. I don't want to -look at it! I don't want to look at it! I will not wait to see it! Come -away!"</p> - -<p>Paul Bretigny, who had been sitting by her side, arose, and, without -saying one word, began to descend toward the hillock with all the -speed of which his long legs were capable.</p> - -<p>Cries of terror escaped from many lips; a panic agitated the crowd; and -the pug, seeing this big man coming toward him, took refuge behind the -rock. Paul pursued him; the dog ran off to the other side; and, for a -minute or two, they kept rushing round the stone, now to right, now -to left, as if they were playing a game of hide and seek. Seeing at -last that he could not overtake the animal, the young man proceeded to -reascend the slope, and the dog, seized once more with fury, renewed -his barking.</p> - -<p>Vociferations of anger greeted the return of the imprudent youth, who -was quite out of breath, for people do not forgive those who excite -terror in their breasts. Christiane was suffocating with emotion, her -two hands pressed against her palpitating heart. She had lost her head -so completely that she sobbed: "At least you are not hurt?" while -Gontran cried angrily:</p> - -<p>"He is mad, that idiot; he never does anything but tomfooleries of this -kind. I never met a greater donkey!"</p> - -<p>But the soil was now shaking; it rose in air. A formidable detonation -made the entire country all around vibrate, and for a full minute -thundered over the mountain, while all the echoes repeated it, like so -many cannon-shots.</p> - -<p>Christiane saw nothing but a shower of stones falling, and a high -column of light clay sinking in a heap. And immediately afterward the -crowd from above rushed down like a wave, uttering wild shouts. The -battalion of kitchen-drudges came racing down in the direction of the -knoll, leaving behind them the regiment of theatrical performers, who -descended more slowly, with Petrus Martel at their head. The three -parasols forming a tricolor were nearly carried away in this descent.</p> - -<p>And all ran, men, women, peasants, and villagers. They could be seen -falling, getting up again, starting on afresh, while in long procession -the two streams of people, which had till now been kept back by fear, -rolled along so as to knock against one another and get mixed up on the -very spot where the explosion had taken place.</p> - -<p>"Let us wait a while," said the Marquis, "till all this curiosity is -satisfied, so that we may go and look in our turn."</p> - -<p>The engineer, M. Aubry-Pasteur, who had just arisen with very great -difficulty, replied:</p> - -<p>"For my part, I am going back to the village by the footpaths. There is -nothing further to keep me here."</p> - -<p>He shook hands, bowed, and went away.</p> - -<p>Doctor Honorat had disappeared. The party talked about him, and the -Marquis said to his son:</p> - -<p>"You have only known him three days, and all the time you have been -laughing at him. You will end by offending him."</p> - -<p>But Gontran shrugged his shoulders: "Oh! he's a wise man, a good -sceptic, that doctor. I tell you in reply that he will not bother -himself. When we are both alone together, he laughs at all the world -and everything, commencing with his patients and his waters. I will -give you a free thermal course if you ever see him annoyed by my -nonsense."</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, there was considerable agitation further down around the -site of the vanished hillock. The enormous crowd, swelling, rising up, -and sinking down like billows, broke out into exclamations, manifestly -swayed by some emotion, some astonishing occurrence which nobody had -foreseen. Andermatt, ever eager and inquisitive, was repeating:</p> - -<p>"What is the matter with them now? What can be the matter with them?"</p> - -<p>Gontran announced that he was going to find out, and walked off. -Christiane, who had now sunk into a state of indifference, was -reflecting that if the igniting substance had been only a little -shorter, it would have been sufficient to have caused the death of -their foolish companion or led to his being mutilated by the blasting -of the rock, and all because she was afraid of a dog losing its life. -She could not help thinking that he must, indeed, be very violent and -passionate—this man—to expose himself to such a risk in this way -without any good reason for it—simply owing to the fact that a woman -who was a stranger to him had given expression to a desire.</p> - -<p>People could be observed running along the road toward the village. The -Marquis now asked, in his turn: "What is the matter with them?" And -Andermatt, unable to stand it any longer, began to run down the side of -the hill. Gontran, from below, made a sign to him to come on.</p> - -<p>Paul Bretigny asked: "Will you take my arm, Madame?" She took his arm, -which seemed to her as immovable as iron, and, as her feet glided -along the warm grass, she leaned on it as she would have leaned on a -baluster with a sense of absolute security. Gontran, who had just come -back after making inquiries, exclaimed: "It is a spring. The explosion -has made a spring gush out!"</p> - -<p>And they fell in with the crowd. Then, the two young men, Paul and -Gontran, moving on in front, scattered the spectators by jostling -against them, and without paying any heed to their gruntings, opened a -way for Christiane and her father. They walked through a chaos of sharp -stones, broken, and blackened with powder, and arrived in front of a -hole full of muddy water which bubbled up and then flowed away toward -the river over the feet of the bystanders. Andermatt was there already, -having effected a passage through the multitude by insinuating ways -peculiar to himself, as Gontran used to say, and was watching with rapt -attention the water escaping through the broken soil.</p> - -<p>Doctor Honorat, facing him at the opposite side of the hole, was -observing him with an air of mingled surprise and boredom.</p> - -<p>Andermatt said to him: "It might be desirable to taste it; it is -perhaps a mineral spring."</p> - -<p>The physician returned: "No doubt it is mineral. There are any number -of mineral waters here. There will soon be more springs than invalids."</p> - -<p>The other in reply said: "But it is necessary to taste it."</p> - -<p>The physician displayed little or no interest in the matter: "It is -necessary at least to wait till we see whether it is clean."</p> - -<p>And everyone wanted to see. Those in the second row pushed those in -front almost into the muddy water. A child fell in, and caused a -laugh. The Oriols, father and son, were there, contemplating gravely -this unexpected phenomenon, not knowing yet what they ought to think -about it. The father was a spare man, with a long, thin frame, and a -bony head—the hard head of a beardless peasant; and the son, taller -still, a giant, thin also, and wearing a mustache, had the look at the -same time of a trooper and a vinedresser.</p> - -<p>The bubblings of the water appeared to increase, its volume to grow -larger, and it was beginning to get clearer. A movement took place -among the people, and Doctor Latonne appeared with a glass in his hand. -He perspired, panted, and stood quite stupefied at the sight of his -brother-physician, Doctor Honorat, with one foot planted at the side of -the newly discovered spring, like a general who has been the first to -enter a fortress.</p> - -<p>He asked, breathlessly: "Have you tasted it?"</p> - -<p>"No, I am waiting to see whether 'tis clear."</p> - -<p>Then Doctor Latonne thrust his glass into it, and drank with that -solemnity of visage which experts assume when tasting wines. After -that, he exclaimed, "Excellent!" which in no way compromised him, and -extending the glass toward his rival said: "Do you wish to taste it?"</p> - -<p>But Doctor Honorat, decidedly, had no love for mineral waters, for he -smilingly replied:</p> - -<p>"Many thanks! 'Tis quite sufficient that you have appreciated it. I -know the taste of them."</p> - -<p>He did know the taste of them all, and he appreciated it, too, though -in quite a different fashion. Then, turning toward Père Oriol said:</p> - -<p>"'Tisn't as good as your excellent vine-growth."</p> - -<p>The old man was flattered. Christiane had seen enough, and wanted to -go away. Her brother and Paul once more forced a path for her through -the populace. She followed them, leaning on her father's arm. Suddenly -she slipped and was near falling, and glancing down at her feet she -saw that she had stepped on a piece of bleeding flesh, covered with -black hairs and sticky with mud. It was a portion of the pug-dog, who -had been mangled by the explosion and trampled underfoot by the crowd. -She felt a choking sensation, and was so much moved that she could not -restrain her tears. And she murmured, as she dried her eyes with her -handkerchief: "Poor little animal! poor little animal!"</p> - -<p>She wanted to know nothing more about it. She wished to go back, to -shut herself up in her room. That day, which had begun so pleasantly, -had ended sadly for her. Was it an omen? Her heart, shriveling up, beat -with violent palpitations. They were now alone on the road, and in -front of them they saw a tall hat and the two skirts of a frock-coat -flapping like wings. It was Doctor Bonnefille, who had been the last to -hear the news, and who was now rushing to the spot, glass in hand, like -Doctor Latonne.</p> - -<p>When he recognized the Marquis, he drew up.</p> - -<p>"What is this I hear, Marquis? They tell me it is a spring—a mineral -spring?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, my dear doctor."</p> - -<p>"Abundant?"</p> - -<p>"Why, yes."</p> - -<p>"Is it true that—that they are there?"</p> - -<p>Gontran replied with an air of gravity: "Why, yes, certainly; Doctor -Latonne has even made the analysis already."</p> - -<p>Then Doctor Bonnefille began to run, while Christiane, a little tickled -and enlivened by his face, said:</p> - -<p>"Well, no, I am not going back yet to the hotel. Let us go and sit down -in the park."</p> - -<p>Andermatt had remained at the site of the knoll, watching the flowing -of the water.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.</a></h5> - - -<h4>BARGAINING</h4> - - -<p>The <i>table d'hôte</i> was noisy that evening at the Hotel Splendid. -The blasting of the hillock and the discovery of the new spring -gave a brisk impetus to conversation. The diners were not numerous, -however,—a score all told,—people usually taciturn and quiet, -patients who, after having vainly tried all the well-known waters, had -now turned to the new stations. At the end of the table occupied by -the Ravenels and the Andermatts were, first, the Monecus, a little man -with white hair and face and his daughter, a very pale, big girl, who -sometimes rose up and went out in the middle of a meal, leaving her -plate half full; fat M. Aubry-Pasteur, the ex-engineer; the Chaufours, -a family in black, who might be met every day in the walks of the -park behind a little vehicle which carried their deformed child, and -the ladies Paille, mother and daughter, both of them widows, big and -strong, strong everywhere, before and behind. "You may easily see," -said Gontran, "that they ate up their husbands; that's how their -stomachs got affected." It was, indeed, for a stomach affection that -they had come to the station.</p> - -<p>Further on, a man of extremely red complexion, brick-colored, M. -Riquier, whose digestion was also very indifferent, and then other -persons with bad complexions, travelers of that mute class who usually -enter the dining-rooms of hotels with slow steps, the wife in front, -the husband behind, bow as soon as they have passed the door, and then -take their seats with a timid and modest air.</p> - -<p>All the other end of the table was empty, although the plates and the -covers were laid there for the guests of the future.</p> - -<p>Andermatt talked in an animated fashion. He had spent the afternoon -chatting with Doctor Latonne, giving vent in a flood of words to vast -schemes with reference to Enval. The doctor had enumerated to him, with -burning conviction, the wonderful qualities of his water, far superior -to those of Chatel-Guyon, whose reputation nevertheless had been -definitely established for the last ten years. Then, at the right, they -had that hole of a place, Royat, at the height of success, and at the -left, that other hole, Chatel-Guyon, which had lately been set afloat. -What could they not do with Enval, if they knew how to set about it -properly?</p> - -<p>He said, addressing the engineer: "Yes, Monsieur, there's where it all -is, to know the way to set about it. It is all a matter of skill, of -tact, of opportunism, and of audacity. In order to establish a spa, -it is necessary to know how to launch it, nothing more, and in order -to launch it, it is necessary to interest the great medical body of -Paris in the matter. I, Monsieur, always succeed in what I undertake, -because I always seek the practical method, the only one that should -determine success in every particular case with which I occupy myself; -and, as long as I have not discovered it, I do nothing—I wait. It is -not enough to have the water, it is necessary to get people to drink -it; and to get people to drink it, it is not enough to get it cried up -as unrivaled in the newspapers and elsewhere; it is necessary to know -how to get this discreetly said by the only men who have influence on -the public that will drink it, on the invalids whom we require, on -the peculiarly credulous public that pays for drugs—in short, by the -physicians. You can only address a Court of Justice through the mouths -of advocates; it will only hear them, and understands only them. So you -can only address the patient through the doctors—he listens only to -them."</p> - -<p>The Marquis, who greatly admired the practical common sense of his -son-in-law, exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"Ah! how true this is! Apart from this, my dear boy, you are unique for -giving the right touch."</p> - -<p>Andermatt, who was excited, went on: "There is a fortune to be made -here. The country is admirable, the climate excellent. One thing -alone disturbs my mind—would we have water enough for a large -establishment?—for things that are only half done always miscarry. We -would require a very large establishment, and consequently a great deal -of water, enough of water to supply two hundred baths at the same time, -with a rapid and continuous current; and the new spring added to the -old one, would not supply fifty, whatever Doctor Latonne may say about -it——"</p> - -<p>M. Aubry-Pasteur interrupted him. "Oh! as for water, I will give you as -much as you want of it."</p> - -<p>Andermatt was stupefied. "You?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I. That astonishes you? Let me explain myself. Last year, I -was here about the same time as this year, for I really find myself -improved by the Enval baths. Now one morning, I lay asleep in my -own room, when a stout gentleman arrived. He was the president of -the governing body of the establishment. He was in a state of great -agitation, and the cause of it was this: the Bonnefille Spring had -lowered so much that there were some apprehensions lest it might -entirely disappear. Knowing that I was a mining engineer, he had come -to ask me if I could not find a means of saving the establishment.</p> - -<p>"I accordingly set about studying the geological system of the country. -You know that in each stratum of the soil original disturbances have -led to different changes and conditions in the surface of the ground. -The question, therefore, was to discover how the mineral water came—by -what fissures—and what were the direction, the origin, and the nature -of these fissures. I first inspected the establishment with great care, -and, noticing in a corner an old disused pipe of a bath, I observed -that it was already almost stopped up with limestone. Now the water, by -depositing the salts which it contained on the coatings of the ducts, -had rapidly led to an obstruction of the passage. It would inevitably -happen likewise in the natural passages in the soil, this soil being -granitic. So it was that the Bonnefille Spring had stopped up. Nothing -more. It was necessary to get at it again farther on.</p> - -<p>"Most people would have searched above its original point of egress. As -for me, after a month of study, observation, and reasoning, I sought -for and found it fifty meters lower down. And this was the explanation -of the matter: I told you before that it was first necessary to -determine the origin, nature, and direction of the fissures in the -granite which enabled the water to spring forth. It was easy for me -to satisfy myself that these fissures ran from the plain toward the -mountain and not from the mountain toward the plain, inclined like a -roof undoubtedly, in consequence of a depression of this plain which -in breaking up had carried along with it the primitive buttresses of -the mountains. Accordingly, the water, in place of descending, rose up -again between the different interstices of the granitic layers. And I -then discovered the cause of this unexpected phenomenon.</p> - -<p>"Formerly the Limagne, that vast expanse of sandy and argillaceous -soil, of which you can scarcely see the limits, was on a level with -the first table-land of the mountains; but owing to the geological -character of its lower portions, it subsided, so as to tear away the -edge of the mountain, as I explained to you a moment ago. Now this -immense sinking produced, at the point of separating the earth and the -granite, an immense barrier of clay of great depth and impenetrable by -liquids. And this is what happens: The mineral water comes from the -beds of old volcanoes. That which comes from the greatest distance gets -cooled on its way, and rises up perfectly cold like ordinary springs; -that which comes from the volcanic beds that are nearer gushes up still -warm, at varying degrees of heat, according to the distance of the -subterranean fire.</p> - -<p>"Here is the course it pursues. It is expelled from some unknown -depths, up to the moment when it meets the clay barrier of the Limagne. -Not being able to pass through it, and pushed on by enormous pressure, -it seeks a vent. Finding then the inclined gaps of granite, it gets in -there, and reascends to the point at which they reach the level of the -soil. Then, resuming its original direction, it again proceeds to flow -toward the plain along the ordinary bed of the streams. I may add that -we do not see the hundredth part of the mineral waters of these glens. -We can only discover those whose point of egress is open. As for the -others, arriving as they do at the side of the fissures in the granite -under a thick layer of vegetable and cultivated soil, they are lost in -the earth, which absorbs them.</p> - -<p>"From this I draw the conclusion: first, that to have the water, it is -sufficient to search by following the inclination and the direction of -the superimposed strips of granite; secondly, that in order to preserve -it, it is enough to prevent the fissures from being stopped up by -calcareous deposits, that is to say, to maintain carefully the little -artificial wells by digging; thirdly, that in order to obtain the -adjoining spring, it is necessary to get at it by means of a practical -sounding as far as the same fissure of granite below, and not above, -it being well understood that you must place yourself at the side of -the barrier of clay which forces the waters to reascend. From this -point of view, the spring discovered to-day is admirably situated -only some meters away from this barrier. If you want to set up a new -establishment, it is here you should erect it."</p> - -<p>When he ceased speaking, there was an interval of silence.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, ravished, said merely: "That's it! When you see the curtain -drawn, the entire mystery vanishes. You are a most valuable man, M. -Aubry-Pasteur."</p> - -<p>Besides him, the Marquis and Paul Bretigny alone had understood what -he was talking about. Gontran had not heard a single word. The others, -with their ears and mouths open, while the engineer was talking, -were simply stupefied with amazement. The ladies Paille especially, -being very religious women, asked themselves if this explanation of a -phenomenon ordained by God and accomplished by mysterious means had -not in it something profane. The mother thought she ought to say: -"Providence is very wonderful." The ladies seated at the center of the -table conveyed their approval by nods of the head, disturbed also by -listening to these unintelligible remarks.</p> - -<p>M. Riquier, the brick-colored man, observed: "They may well come from -volcanoes or from the moon, these Enval waters—here have I been taking -them ten days, and as yet I experience no effect from them!"</p> - -<p>M. and Madame Chaufour protested in the name of their child, who was -beginning to move the right leg, a thing that had not happened during -the six years they had been nursing him.</p> - -<p>Riquier replied: "That proves, by Jove, that we have not the same -ailment; it doesn't prove that the Enval water cures affections of -the stomach." He seemed in a rage, exasperated by this fresh, useless -experiment.</p> - -<p>But M. Monecu also spoke in the name of his daughter, declaring that -for the last eight days she was beginning to be able to retain food -without being obliged to go out at every meal. And his big daughter -blushed, with her nose in her plate. The ladies Paille likewise thought -they had improved.</p> - -<p>Then Riquier was vexed, and abruptly turning toward the two women said:</p> - -<p>"Your stomachs are affected, Mesdames."</p> - -<p>They replied together: "Why, yes, Monsieur. We can digest nothing."</p> - -<p>He nearly leaped out of his chair, stammering: "You—you! Why, 'tis -enough to look at you. Your stomachs are affected, Mesdames. That is to -say, you eat too much."</p> - -<p>Madame Paille, the mother, became very angry, and she retorted: "As for -you, Monsieur, there is no doubt about it, you exhibit certainly the -appearance of persons whose stomachs are destroyed. It has been well -said that good stomachs make nice men."</p> - -<p>A very thin, old lady, whose name was not known, said authoritatively: -"I am sure everyone would find the waters of Enval better if the hotel -chef would only bear in mind a little that he is cooking for invalids. -Truly, he sends us up things that it is impossible to digest."</p> - -<p>And suddenly the entire table agreed on the point, and indignation -was expressed against the hotel-keeper, who served them with crayfish, -porksteaks, salt eels, cabbage, yes, cabbage and sausages, all the most -indigestible kinds of food in the world for persons for whom Doctors -Bonnefille, Latonne, and Honorat had prescribed only white meats, lean -and tender, fresh vegetables, and milk diet.</p> - -<p>Riquier was shaking with fury: "Why should not the physicians inspect -the table at thermal stations without leaving such an important thing -as the selection of nutriment to the judgment of a brute? Thus, every -day, they give us hard eggs, anchovies, and ham as side-dishes——"</p> - -<p>M. Monecu interrupted him: "Oh! excuse me! My daughter can digest -nothing well except ham, which, moreover has been prescribed for her by -Mas-Roussel and Remusot."</p> - -<p>Riquier exclaimed: "Ham! ham! why, that's poison, Monsieur."</p> - -<p>And an interminable argument arose, which each day was taken up afresh, -as to the classification of foods. Milk itself was discussed with -passionate warmth. Riquier could not drink a glass of claret and milk -without immediately suffering from indigestion.</p> - -<p>Aubry-Pasteur, in answer to his remarks, irritated in his turn, -observed that people questioned the properties of things which he -adored:</p> - -<p>"Why, gracious goodness, Monsieur, if you were attacked with dyspepsia -and I with gastralgia, we would require food as different as the glass -of the spectacles that suits short-sighted and long-sighted people, -both of whom, however, have diseased eyes."</p> - -<p>He added: "For my part I begin to choke when I swallow a glass of red -wine, and I believe there is nothing worse for man than wine. All -water-drinkers live a hundred years, while we——"</p> - -<p>Gontran replied with a laugh: "Faith, without wine and without -marriage, I would find life monotonous enough."</p> - -<p>The ladies Paille lowered their eyes. They drank a considerable -quantity of Bordeaux of the best quality without any water in it, and -their double widowhood seemed to indicate that they had applied the -same treatment to their husbands, the daughter being twenty-two and the -mother scarcely forty.</p> - -<p>But Andermatt, usually so chatty, remained taciturn and thoughtful. He -suddenly asked Gontran: "Do you know where the Oriols live?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, their house was pointed out to me a little while ago."</p> - -<p>"Could you bring me there after dinner?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly. It will even give me pleasure to accompany you. I shall not -be sorry to have another look at the two lassies."</p> - -<p>And, as soon as dinner was over, they went off, while Christiane, who -was tired, went up with the Marquis and Paul Bretigny to spend the rest -of the day in the drawing-room.</p> - -<p>It was still broad daylight, for they dine early at thermal stations.</p> - -<p>Andermatt took his brother-in-law's arm.</p> - -<p>"My dear Gontran, if this old man is reasonable, and if the analysis -realizes Doctor Latonne's expectations, I am probably going to try a -big stroke of business here—a spa. I am going to start a spa!"</p> - -<p>He stopped in the middle of the street, and seized his companion by -both sides of his jacket.</p> - -<p>"Ha! you don't understand, fellows like you, how amusing business is, -not the business of merchants or traders, but big undertakings such as -we go in for! Yes, my boy, when they are properly understood, we find -in them everything that men care for—they cover, at the same time, -politics, war, diplomacy, everything, everything! It is necessary to -be always searching, finding, inventing, to understand everything, to -foresee everything, to combine everything, to dare everything. The -great battle to-day is being fought by means of money. For my part, -I see in the hundred-sou pieces raw recruits in red breeches, in the -twenty-franc pieces very glittering lieutenants, captains in the notes -for a hundred francs, and in those for a thousand I see generals. And -I fight, by heavens! I fight from morning till night against all the -world, with all the world. And this is how to live, how to live on a -big scale, just as the mighty lived in days of yore. We are the mighty -of to-day—there you are—the only true mighty ones!</p> - -<p>"Stop, look at that village, that poor village! I will make a town -of it, yes, I will, a lovely town full of big hotels which will be -filled with visitors, with elevators, with servants, with carriages, -a crowd of rich folk served by a crowd of poor; and all this because -it pleased me one evening to fight with Royat, which is at the right, -with Chatel-Guyon, which is at the left, with Mont Doré, La Bourboule, -Châteauneuf, Saint Nectaire, which are behind us, with Vichy, which -is facing us. And I shall succeed because I have the means, the only -means. I have seen it in one glance, just as a great general sees the -weak side of an enemy. It is necessary too to know how to lead men, in -our line of business, both to carry them along with us and to subjugate -them.</p> - -<p>"Good God! life becomes amusing when you can do such things. I have now -three years of pleasure to look forward to with this town of mine. And -then see what a chance it is to find this engineer, who told us such -interesting things at dinner, most interesting things, my dear fellow. -It is as clear as day, my system. Thanks to it, I can smash the old -company, without even having any necessity of buying it up."</p> - -<p>He then resumed his walk, and they quietly went up the road to the left -in the direction of Chatel-Guyon.</p> - -<p>Gontran presently observed: "When I am walking by my brother-in-law's -side, I feel that the same noise disturbs his brain as that heard in -the gambling rooms at Monte Carlo—that noise of gold moved about, -shuffled, drawn away, raked off, lost or gained."</p> - -<p>Andermatt did, indeed, suggest the idea of a strange human machine, -constructed only for the purpose of calculating and debating about -money, and mentally manipulating it. Moreover, he exhibited much -vanity about his special knowledge of the world, and plumed himself on -his power of estimating at one glance of his eye the actual value of -anything whatever. Accordingly, he might be seen, wherever he happened -to be, every moment taking up an article, examining it, turning it -round, and declaring: "This is worth so much."</p> - -<p>His wife and his brother-in-law, diverted by this mania, used to -amuse themselves by deceiving him, exhibiting to him queer pieces -of furniture and asking him to estimate them; and when he remained -perplexed, at the sight of their unexpected finds, they would both -burst out laughing like fools. Sometimes also, in the street at Paris, -Gontran would stop in front of a warehouse and force him to make a -calculation of an entire shop-window, or perhaps of a horse with a -jolting vehicle, or else again of a luggage-van laden with household -goods.</p> - -<p>One evening, while seated at his sister's dinner-table before -fashionable guests, he called on William to tell him what would be the -approximate value of the Obelisk; then, when the other happened to name -some figure, he would put the same question as to the Solferino Bridge, -and the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile. And he gravely concluded: "You -might write a very interesting work on the valuation of the principal -monuments of the globe." Andermatt never got angry, and fell in with -all his pleasantries, like a superior man sure of himself.</p> - -<p>Gontran having asked one day: "And I—how much am I worth?" William -declined to answer; then, as his brother-in-law persisted, saying: -"Look here! If I should be captured by brigands, how much would you -give to release me?" he replied at last: "Well, well, my dear fellow, I -would give a bill." And his smile said so much that the other, a little -disconcerted, did not press the matter further.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, besides, was fond of artistic objects, and having fine -taste and appreciating such things thoroughly, he skillfully collected -them with that bloodhound's scent which he carried into all commercial -transactions.</p> - -<p>They had arrived in front of a house of a middle-class type. Gontran -stopped him and said: "Here it is." An iron knocker hung over a heavy -oaken door; they knocked, and a lean servant-maid came to open it.</p> - -<p>The banker asked: "Monsieur Oriol?"</p> - -<p>The woman said: "Come in."</p> - -<p>They entered a kitchen, a big farm-kitchen, in which a little fire was -still burning under a pot; then they were ushered into another part of -the house, where the Oriol family was assembled.</p> - -<p>The father was asleep, seated on one chair with his feet on another. -The son, with both elbows on the table, was reading the "Petit Journal" -with the spasmodic efforts of a feeble intellect always wandering; and -the two girls, in the recess of the same window, were working at the -same piece of tapestry, having begun it one at each end.</p> - -<p>They were the first to rise, both at the same moment, astonished at -this unexpected visit; then, big Jacques raised his head, a head -congested by the pressure of his brain; then, at last, Père Oriol waked -up, and took down his long legs from the second chair one after the -other.</p> - -<p>The room was bare, with whitewashed walls, a stone flooring, and -furniture consisting of straw seats, a mahogany chest of drawers, four -engravings by Epinal with glass over them, and big white curtains. -They were all staring at each other, and the servant-maid, with her -petticoat raised up to her knees, was waiting at the door, riveted to -the spot by curiosity.</p> - -<p>Andermatt introduced himself, mentioning his name as well as that of -his brother-in-law, Count de Ravenel, made a low bow to the two young -girls, bending his head with extreme politeness, and then calmly seated -himself, adding:</p> - -<p>"Monsieur Oriol, I came to talk to you about a matter of business. -Moreover, I will not take four roads to explain myself. See here. You -have just discovered a spring on your property. The analysis of this -water is to be made in a few days. If it is of no value, you will -understand that I will have nothing to do with it; if, on the contrary, -it fulfills my anticipations, I propose to buy from you this piece of -ground, and all the lands around it. Think on this. No other person -but myself could make you such an offer. The old company is nearly -bankrupt; it will not, therefore, have the least notion of building -a new establishment, and the ill success of this enterprise will not -encourage fresh attempts. Don't give me an answer to-day. Consult your -family. When the analysis is known you will fix your price. If it suits -me, I will say 'yes'; if it does not suit me, I will say 'no.' I never -haggle for my part."</p> - -<p>The peasant, a man of business in his own way, and sharp as anyone -could be, courteously replied that he would see about it, that he felt -honored, that he would think it over—and then he offered them a glass -of wine.</p> - -<p>Andermatt made no objection, and, as the day was declining, Oriol said -to his daughters, who had resumed their work, with their eyes lowered -over the piece of tapestry: "Let us have some light, girls."</p> - -<p>They both got up together, passed into an adjoining room, then came -back, one carrying two lighted wax-candles, the other four wineglasses -without stems, glasses such as the poor use. The wax-candles were fresh -looking and were garnished with red paper—placed, no doubt, by way of -ornament on the young girl's mantelpiece.</p> - -<p>Then, Colosse rose up; for only the male members of the family visited -the cellar. Andermatt had an idea. "It would give me great pleasure to -see your cellar. You are the principal vinedresser of the district, and -it must be a very fine one."</p> - -<p>Oriol, touched to the heart, hastened to conduct them, and, taking -up one of the wax-candles, led the way. They had to pass through the -kitchen again, then they got into a court where the remnant of daylight -that was left enabled them to discern empty casks standing on end, big -stones of giant granite in a corner pierced with a hole in the middle, -like the wheels of some antique car of colossal size, a dismounted -winepress with wooden screws, its brown divisions rendered smooth by -wear and tear, and glittering suddenly in the light thrown by the -candle on the shadows that surrounded it. Close to it, the working -implements of polished steel on the ground had the glitter of arms used -in warfare. All these things gradually grew more distinct, as the old -man drew nearer to them with the candle in his hand, making a shade of -the other.</p> - -<p>Already they got the smell of the wine, the pounded grapes drained dry. -They arrived in front of a door fastened with two locks. Oriol opened -it, and quickly raising the candle above his head vaguely pointed -toward a long succession of barrels standing in a row, and having on -their swelling flanks a second line of smaller casks. He showed them -first of all that this cellar, all on one floor, sank right into the -mountain, then he explained the contents of its different casks, the -ages, the nature of the various vine-crops, and their merits; then, -having reached the supply reserved for the family, he caressed the cask -with his hand just as one might rub the crupper of a favorite horse, -and in a proud tone said:</p> - -<p>"You are going to taste this. There's not a wine bottled equal to -it—not one, either at Bordeaux or elsewhere."</p> - -<p>For he possessed the intense passion of countrymen for wine kept in a -cask.</p> - -<p>Colosse followed him, carrying a jug, stooped down, turned the cock -of the funnel, while his father cautiously held the light for him, -as though he were accomplishing some difficult task requiring minute -attention. The candle's flame fell directly on their faces, the -father's head like that of an old attorney, and the son's like that of -a peasant soldier.</p> - -<p>Andermatt murmured in Gontran's ear: "Hey, what a fine Teniers!"</p> - -<p>The young man replied in a whisper: "I prefer the girls."</p> - -<p>Then they went back into the house. It was necessary, it seemed, to -drink this wine, to drink a great deal of it, in order to please the -two Oriols.</p> - -<p>The lassies had come across to the table where they continued their -work as if there had been no visitors. Gontran kept incessantly -staring at them, asking himself whether they were twins, so closely -did they resemble one another. One of them, however, was plumper and -smaller, while the other was more ladylike. Their hair, dark-brown -rather than black, drawn over their temples in smooth bands, gleamed -with every slight movement of their heads. They had the rather heavy -jaw and forehead peculiar to the people of Auvergne, cheek-bones -somewhat strongly marked, but charming mouths, ravishing eyes, with -brows of rare neatness, and delightfully fresh complexions. One felt, -on looking at them, that they had not been brought up in this house, -but in a select boarding-school, in the convent to which the daughters -of the aristocracy of Auvergne are sent, and that they had acquired -there the well-bred manners of cultivated young ladies.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, Gontran, seized with disgust before this red glass in front -of him, pressed Andermatt's foot to induce him to leave. At length -he rose, and they both energetically grasped the hands of the two -peasants; then they bowed once more ceremoniously, the young girls each -responding with a slight nod, without again rising from their seats.</p> - -<p>As soon as they had reached the village, Andermatt began talking again.</p> - -<p>"Hey, my dear boy, what an odd family! How manifest here is the -transition from people in good society. A son's services are required -to cultivate the vine so as to save the wages of a laborer,—stupid -economy,—however, he discharges this function, and is one of -the people. As for the girls, they are like girls of the better -class—almost quite so already. Let them only make good matches, and -they would pass as well as any of the women of our own class, and even -much better than most of them. I am as much gratified at seeing these -people as a geologist would be at finding an animal of the tertiary -period."</p> - -<p>Gontran asked: "Which do you prefer?"</p> - -<p>"Which? How, which? Which what?"</p> - -<p>"Of the lassies?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! upon my honor, I haven't an idea on the subject. I have not looked -at them from the standpoint of comparison. But what difference can this -make to you? You have no intention to carry off one of them?"</p> - -<p>Gontran began to laugh: "Oh! no, but I am delighted to meet for once -fresh women, really fresh, fresh as women never are with us. I like -looking at them, just as you like looking at a Teniers. There is -nothing pleases me so much as looking at a pretty girl, no matter -where, no matter of what class. These are my objects of vertu. I -don't collect them, but I admire them—I admire them passionately, -artistically, my friend, in the spirit of a convinced and disinterested -artist. What would you have? I love this! By the bye, could you lend me -five thousand francs?"</p> - -<p>The other stopped, and murmured an "Again!" energetically.</p> - -<p>Gontran replied, with an air of simplicity: "Always!" Then they resumed -their walk.</p> - -<p>Andermatt then said: "What the devil do you do with the money?"</p> - -<p>"I spend it."</p> - -<p>"Yes, but you spend it to excess."</p> - -<p>"My dear friend, I like spending money as much as you like making it. -Do you understand?"</p> - -<p>"Very fine, but you don't make it."</p> - -<p>"That's true. I know it. One can't have everything. You know how to -make it, and, upon my word, you don't at all know how to spend it. -Money appears to you no use except to get interest on it. I, on the -other hand, don't know how to make it, but I know thoroughly how to -spend it. It procures me a thousand things of which you don't know the -name. We were cut out for brothers-in-law. We complete one another -admirably."</p> - -<p>Andermatt murmured: "What stuff! No, you sha'n't have five thousand -francs, but I'll lend you fifteen hundred francs, because—because in a -few days I shall, perhaps, have need of you."</p> - -<p>Gontran rejoined: "Then I accept them on account." The other gave him a -slap on the shoulder without saying anything by way of answer.</p> - -<p>They reached the park, which was illuminated with lamps hung to the -branches of the trees. The orchestra of the Casino was playing in slow -time a classical piece that seemed to stagger along, full of breaks and -silences, executed by the same four performers, exhausted with constant -playing, morning and evening, in this solitude for the benefit of the -leaves and the brook, with trying to produce the effect of twenty -instruments, and tired also of never being fully paid at the end of -the month. Petrus Martel always completed their remuneration, when it -fell short, with hampers of wine or pints of liqueurs which the bathers -might have left unconsumed.</p> - -<p>Amid the noise of the concert could also be distinguished that of the -billiard-table, the clicking of the balls and the voices calling out: -"Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two."</p> - -<p>Andermatt and Gontran went in. M. Aubry-Pasteur and Doctor Honorat, -by themselves, were drinking their coffee, at the side facing the -musicians. Petrus Martel and Lapalme were playing their game with -desperation; and the female attendant woke up to ask:</p> - -<p>"What do these gentlemen wish to take?"</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.</a></h5> - - -<h4>A TEST AND AN AVOWAL</h4> - - -<p>Père Oriol and his son had remained for a long time chatting after -the girls had gone to bed. Stirred up and excited by Andermatt's -proposal, they were considering how they could inflame his desire -more effectually without compromising their own interests. Like the -cautious, practically-minded peasants that they were, they weighed all -the chances carefully, understanding very clearly that in a country -in which mineral springs gushed out along all the streams, it was not -advisable to repel by an exaggerated demand this unexpected enthusiast, -the like of whom they might never find again. And at the same time it -would not do either to leave entirely in his hands this spring, which -might, some day, yield a flood of liquid money, Royat and Chatel-Guyon -serving as a precedent for them.</p> - -<p>Therefore, they asked themselves by what course of action they could -kindle into frenzy the banker's ardor; they conjured up combinations -of imaginary companies covering his offers, a succession of clumsy -schemes, the defects of which they felt, without succeeding in -inventing more ingenious ones. They slept badly; then, in the morning, -the father, having awakened first, thought in his own mind that the -spring might have disappeared during the night. It was possible, after -all, that it might have gone as it had come, and re-entered the earth, -so that it could not be brought back. He got up in a state of unrest, -seized with avaricious fear, shook his son, and told him about his -alarm; and big Colosse, dragging his legs out of his coarse sheets, -dressed himself in order to go out with his father, to make sure about -the matter.</p> - -<p>In any case, they would put the field and the spring in proper trim -themselves, would carry off the stones, and make it nice and clean, -like an animal that they wanted to sell. So they took their picks -and their spades, and started for the spot side by side with great, -swinging strides.</p> - -<p>They looked at nothing as they walked on, their minds being preoccupied -with the business, replying with only a single word to the "Good -morning" of the neighbors and friends whom they chanced to meet. When -they reached the Riom road they began to get agitated, peering into the -distance to see whether they could observe the water bubbling up and -glittering in the morning sun. The road was empty, white, and dusty, -the river running beside it sheltered by willow-trees. Beneath one of -the trees Oriol suddenly noticed two feet, then, having advanced three -steps further, he recognized Père Clovis seated at the edge of the -road, with his crutches lying beside him on the grass.</p> - -<p>This was an old paralytic, well known in the district, where for the -last ten years he had prowled about on his supports of stout oak, as he -said himself, like a poor man made of stone.</p> - -<p>Formerly a poacher in the woods and streams, often arrested and -imprisoned, he had got rheumatic pains by his long watchings stretched -on the moist grass and by his nocturnal fishings in the rivers, through -which he used to wade up to his middle in water. Now he whined, and -crawled about, like a crab that had lost its claws. He stumped along, -dragging his right leg after him like a piece of ragged cloth. But -the boys of the neighborhood, who used in foggy weather to run after -the girls or the hares, declared that they used to meet Père Clovis, -swift-footed as a stag, and supple as an adder, under the bushes and -in the glades, and that, in short, his rheumatism was only "a dodge on -the gendarmes." Colosse, especially, insisted on maintaining that he -had seen him, not once, but fifty times, straining his neck with his -crutches under his arms.</p> - -<p>And Père Oriol stopped in front of the old vagabond, his mind possessed -by an idea which as yet was undefined, for the brain works slowly -in the thick skulls of Auvergne. He said "Good morning" to him. The -other responded "Good morning." Then they spoke about the weather, the -ripening of the vine, and two or three other things; but, as Colosse -had gone ahead, his father with long steps hastened to overtake him.</p> - -<p>The spring was still flowing, clear by this time, and all the bottom of -the hole was red, a fine, dark red, which had arisen from an abundant -deposit of iron. The two men gazed at it with smiling faces, then they -proceeded to clear the soil that surrounded it, and to carry off the -stones of which they made a heap. And, having found the last remains of -the dead dog, they buried them with jocose remarks. But all of a sudden -Père Oriol let his spade fall. A roguish leer of delight and triumph -wrinkled the corners of his leathery lips and the edges of his cunning -eyes, and he said to his son: "Come on, till we see."</p> - -<p>The other obeyed. They got on the road once more, and retraced their -steps. Père Clovis was still toasting his limbs and his crutches in the -sun.</p> - -<p>Oriol, drawing up before him, asked: "Do you want to earn a -hundred-franc piece?"</p> - -<p>The other cautiously refrained from answering.</p> - -<p>The peasant said: "Hey! a hundred francs?"</p> - -<p>Thereupon the vagabond made up his mind, and murmured: "Of course, but -what am I asked to do?"</p> - -<p>"Well, father, here's what I want you to do."</p> - -<p>And he explained to the other at great length with tricky -circumlocutions, easily understood hints, and innumerable repetitions, -that, if he would consent to take a bath for an hour every day from ten -to eleven in a hole which they, Colosse and he, intended to dig at the -side of the spring, and to be cured at the end of a month, they would -give him a hundred francs in cash.</p> - -<p>The paralytic listened with a stupid air, and then said: "Since all the -drugs haven't been able to help me, 'tisn't your water that'll cure me."</p> - -<p>But Colosse suddenly got into a passion. "Come, my old play-actor, -you're talking rubbish. I know what your disease is—don't tell me -about it! What were you doing on Monday last in the Comberombe wood at -eleven o'clock at night?"</p> - -<p>The old fellow promptly answered: "That's not true."</p> - -<p>But Colosse, firing up: "Isn't it true, you old blackguard, that you -jumped over the ditch to Jean Cannezat and that you made your way along -the Paulin chasm?"</p> - -<p>The other energetically repeated: "It is not true!"</p> - -<p>"Isn't it true that I called out to you: 'Oho, Clovis, the gendarmes!' -and that you turned up the Moulinet road?"</p> - -<p>"No, it is not."</p> - -<p>Big Jacques, raging, almost menacing, exclaimed: "Ah! it's not true! -Well, old three paws, listen! The next time I see you there in the -wood at night or else in the water, I'll take a grip of you, as my -legs are rather longer than your own, and I'll tie you up to some -tree till morning, when we'll go and take you away, the whole village -together——"</p> - -<p>Père Oriol stopped his son; then, in a very wheedling tone: "Listen, -Clovis! you can easily do the thing. We prepare a bath for you, Coloche -and myself. You come there every day for a month. For that I give you, -not one hundred, but two hundred francs. And then, listen! if you're -cured at the end of the month, it will mean five hundred francs more. -Understand clearly, five hundred in ready money, and two hundred -more—that makes seven hundred. Therefore you get two hundred for -taking a bath for a month and five hundred more for the curing. And -listen again! Suppose the pains come back. If this happens you in the -autumn, there will be nothing more for us to do, for the water will -have none the less produced its effect!"</p> - -<p>The old fellow coolly replied: "In that case I'm quite willing. If it -won't succeed, we'll always see it." And the three men pressed one -another's hands to seal the bargain they had concluded. Then, the two -Oriols returned to their spring, in order to dig the bath for Père -Clovis.</p> - -<p>They had been working at it for a quarter of an hour, when they heard -voices on the road. It was Andermatt and Doctor Latonne. The two -peasants winked at one another, and ceased digging the soil.</p> - -<p>The banker came across to them, and grasped their hands; then the -entire four proceeded to fix their eyes on the water without uttering -a word. It stirred about like water set in movement above a big fire, -threw out bubbles and steam, then it flowed away in the direction of -the brook through a tiny gutter which it had already traced out. Oriol, -with a smile of pride on his lips, said suddenly: "Hey, that's iron, -isn't it?"</p> - -<p>In fact the bottom was now all red, and even the little pebbles which -it washed as it flowed along seemed covered with a sort of purple mold.</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne replied: "Yes, but that is nothing to the purpose. We -would require to know its other qualities."</p> - -<p>The peasant observed: "Coloche and myself first drank a glass of it -yesterday evening, and it has already made our bodies feel fresh. Isn't -that true, son?"</p> - -<p>The big youth replied in a tone of conviction: "Sure enough, it was -very refreshing."</p> - -<p>Andermatt remained motionless, his feet on the edge of the hole. He -turned toward the physician: "We would want nearly six times this -volume of water for what I would wish to do, would we not?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, nearly."</p> - -<p>"Do you think that we'll be able to get it?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! as for me, I know nothing about it."</p> - -<p>"See here! The purchase of the grounds can only be definitely effected -after the soundings. It would be necessary, first of all, to have a -promise of sale drawn up by a notary, once the analysis is known, but -not to take effect unless the consecutive soundings give the results -hoped for."</p> - -<p>Père Oriol became restless. He did not understand. Andermatt thereupon -explained to him the insufficiency of only one spring, and demonstrated -to him that he could not purchase unless he found others. But he could -not search for these other springs till after the signature of a -promise of sale.</p> - -<p>The two peasants appeared forthwith to be convinced that their fields -contained as many springs as vine-stalks. It would be sufficient to dig -for them—they would see, they would see.</p> - -<p>Andermatt said simply: "Yes, we shall see."</p> - -<p>But Père Oriol dipped his fingers in the water, and remarked: "Why, -'tis hot enough to boil an egg, much hotter than the Bonnefille one!"</p> - -<p>Latonne in his turn steeped his fingers in it, and realized that this -was possible.</p> - -<p>The peasant went on: "And then it has more taste and a better taste; -it hasn't a false taste, like the other. Oh! this one, I'll answer for -it, is good! I know the waters of the country for the fifty years that -I've seen them flowing. I never seen a finer one than this, never, -never!"</p> - -<p>He remained silent for a few seconds, and then continued: "It is not -in order to puff the water that I say this!—certainly not. I would -like to make a trial of it before you, a fair trial, not what your -chemists make, but a trial of it on a person who has a disease. I'll -bet that it will cure a paralytic, this one, so hot is it and so good -to taste—I'll make a bet on it!"</p> - -<p>He appeared to be searching his brain, then cast a look at the tops -of the neighboring mountains to see whether he could discover the -paralytic that he required. Not having made the discovery, he lowered -his eyes to the road.</p> - -<p>Two hundred meters away from it, at the side of the road could be -distinguished the two inert legs of the vagabond, whose body was hidden -by the trunk of a willow tree.</p> - -<p>Oriol placed his hand on his forehead as a shade, and said -questioningly to his son: "That isn't Père Clovis over there still?"</p> - -<p>Colosse laughingly replied: "Yes, yes. 'Tis he—he doesn't go as quick -as a hare."</p> - -<p>Then Oriol stepped over to Andermatt's side, and with an air of serious -and deep conviction: "Look here, Monchieu! Listen to me. There's a -paralytic over yonder, who is well known to the doctor, a genuine one, -who hasn't been seen to make a single step for the last ten years. -Isn't that so, doctor?"</p> - -<p>Latonne returned: "Oh! if you cure that fellow, I would pay a franc a -glass for your water!"</p> - -<p>Then, turning toward Andermatt: "'Tis an old fellow suffering from -rheumatic gout with a sort of spasmodic contraction of the left leg and -a complete paralysis of the right; in fact, I believe, an incurable."</p> - -<p>Oriol had allowed him to talk; he resumed in a deliberate fashion: -"Well, doctor, would you like to make a trial of it on him for a month? -I don't say that it will succeed,—I say nothing on the matter,—I only -ask to have a trial made. Hold on! Coloche and myself are going to dig -a hole for the stones—well, we'll make a hole for Cloviche; he'll -remain an hour there every morning, and then we'll see—there!—we'll -see."</p> - -<p>The physician murmured: "You may try. I answer confidently that you -will not succeed."</p> - -<p>But Andermatt, beguiled by the prospect of an almost miraculous cure, -gladly fell in with the peasant's suggestion; and the entire four -directed their steps toward the vagabond, who, all this time, had been -lying motionless in the sun. The old poacher, understanding the dodge, -pretended to refuse, resisted for a long time, then allowed himself to -be persuaded, on the condition that Andermatt would give him two francs -a day for the hour which he would spend in the water.</p> - -<p>So the matter was settled. It was even decided that, as soon as the -hole was dug, Père Clovis should take his bath that very day. Andermatt -would supply him with clothes to dress himself afterward, and the two -Oriols would bring him a disused shepherd's hut, which was lying in -their yard, so that the invalid might shut himself in there, and change -his apparel.</p> - -<p>Then the banker and the physician returned to the village. When they -reached it, they parted, the doctor going to his own house for his -consultations, and Andermatt hurrying to attend on his wife, who had to -come to the establishment at half past nine o'clock.</p> - -<p>She appeared almost immediately, dressed from head to foot in -pink—with a pink hat, a pink parasol, and a pink complexion, she -looked like an aurora, and she descended the steps of the hotel to -avoid the turn of the road with the hopping movements of a bird, as it -goes from stone to stone, without opening its wing. As soon as she saw -her husband, she exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"Oh! what a pretty country it is! I am quite delighted with it."</p> - -<p>A few bathers wandering sadly through the little park in silence turned -round as she passed by, and Petrus Martel, who was smoking his pipe in -his shirt-sleeves at the window of the billiard-room, called to his -chum, Lapalme, sitting in a corner before a glass of white wine, and -said, smacking the roof of his mouth with his tongue:</p> - -<p>"Deuce take it, there's something sweet!"</p> - -<p>Christiane made her way into the establishment, bowed smilingly -toward the cashier, who sat at the left of the entrance-door, and -saluted the ex-jailer seated at the right with a "Good morning"; then, -holding out a ticket to a bath-attendant dressed like the girl in the -refreshment-room, followed her into a corridor facing the doors of the -bath-rooms. The lady was shown into one of them, rather large, with -bare walls, furnished with a chair, a glass, and a shoe-horn, while a -large oval orifice, coated, like the floor, with yellow cement, served -the purposes of a bath.</p> - -<p>The woman turned a cock like those used for making the street-gutters -flow, and the water gushed through a little round grated aperture at -the bottom of the bath so that it was soon full to the brim, and its -overflow was diverted through a furrow sunk into the wall.</p> - -<p>Christiane, having left her chambermaid at the hotel, declined the -attendant's services in undressing, and remained there alone, saying -that if she required anything, she would ring, and would do the same -when she wanted her linen.</p> - -<p>She slowly disrobed, watching as she did so the almost invisible -movement of the wave gently stirring on the clear surface of the basin. -When she had divested herself of all her clothing she dipped her foot -in, and the pleasant warm sensation mounted to her throat; then she -plunged into the tepid water first one leg, and after it the other, -and sat down in the midst of this caressing heat, in this transparent -bath, in this spring, which flowed over her, around her, covering her -body with tiny globules all along her legs, all along her arms, and -also all over her breasts. She noticed with surprise those particles of -air innumerable and minute which clothed her from head to foot with an -entire mail-suit of little pearls. And these pearls, so minute, flew -off incessantly from her white flesh, and evaporated on the surface of -the bath, driven on by others that sprung to life over her form. They -sprung up over her skin, like light fruits incapable of being grasped -yet charming, the fruits of this exquisite body rosy and fresh, which -had generated those pearls in the water.</p> - -<p>And Christiane felt herself so happy in it, so sweetly, so softly, so -deliciously caressed and clasped by the restless wave, the living wave, -the animated wave from the spring which gushed up from the depths of -the basin under her legs and fled through the little opening toward -the edge of the bath, that she would have liked to have remained there -forever, without moving, almost without thinking. The sensation of a -calm delight composed of rest and comfort, of tranquil dreamfulness, -of health, of discreet joy, and silent gaiety, entered into her with -the soothing warmth of this. And her spirit mused, vaguely lulled into -repose by the gurgling of the overflow which was escaping—dreamed -of what she would be doing by and by, of what she would be doing -to-morrow, of promenades, of her father, of her husband, of her -brother, and of that big boy who had made her feel slightly ill at ease -since the adventure of the dog. She did not care for persons of violent -tendencies.</p> - -<p>No desire agitated her soul, calm as her heart in this grateful moist -warmth, no desires save the shadowy hopes of a child, no desire of any -other life, of emotion, or passion. She felt that it was well with her, -and she was satisfied with the happiness of her lot.</p> - -<p>She was suddenly startled—the door flew open; it was the Auvergnat -carrying the linen. Twenty minutes had passed; it was already time -for her to be dressed. It was almost a pang, almost a calamity, this -awakening; she felt a longing to beg of the woman to give her a few -minutes more; then she reflected that every day she would find again -the same delight, and she regretfully left the bath to be wrapped in a -white dressing-gown whose scorching heat felt somewhat unpleasant.</p> - -<p>Just as she was going out, Doctor Bonnefille opened the door of his -consultation-room and invited her to enter, bowing ceremoniously. He -inquired about her health, felt her pulse, looked at her tongue, took -note of her appetite and her digestion, asked her how she slept, and -then accompanied her to the door, repeating:</p> - -<p>"Come, come, that's right, that's right. My respects, if you please, to -your father, one of the most distinguished men that I have met in my -career."</p> - -<p>At last, she got away, bored by these undesirable attentions, and at -the door she saw the Marquis chatting with Andermatt, Gontran, and Paul -Bretigny. Her husband, in whose head every new idea was continually -buzzing, like a fly in a bottle, was relating the story of the -paralytic, and wanted to go back to see whether the vagabond was taking -his bath. They were about to go with him to the spot in order to please -him. But Christiane very gently detained her brother, and, when they -were a short distance away from the others:</p> - -<p>"Tell me now! I wanted to talk to you about your friend; I must say I -don't much care for him. Explain to me exactly what he is like."</p> - -<p>And Gontran, who had known Paul for many years, told her about this -passionate nature, uncouth, sincere, and kindly by starts. He was, -according to Gontran, a clever young fellow, whose wild spirit -impetuously flung itself into every new idea. Yielding to every -impulse, unable to control or to direct his passions, or to fight -against his feelings with the aid of reason, or to govern his life -by a system based on settled convictions, he obeyed the promptings -of his heart, whether they were virtuous or vicious, the moment that -any desire, any thought, any emotion whatever, agitated his excitable -nature.</p> - -<p>He had already fought seven duels, as ready to insult people as to -become their friend. He had been madly in love with women of every -class, adored them with the same transports from the working-girl whom -he picked up in the corner of some store to the actress whom he carried -off, yes, carried off, on the night of a first performance, just as she -was stepping into a vehicle on her way home, bearing her away in his -arms in the midst of the astonished spectators, and pushing her into a -carriage, which disappeared at a gallop before anyone could follow it -or overtake it.</p> - -<p>And Gontran concluded: "There you are! He is a good fellow, but a fool; -very rich, moreover, and capable of anything, of anything at all, when -he loses his head."</p> - -<p>Christiane said: "What a strange perfume he carries about him! It is -rather nice. What is it?"</p> - -<p>Gontran answered: "I don't really know; he doesn't want to tell about -it. I believe it comes from Russia. 'Tis the actress, his actress, she -whom I cured him of this time, that gave it to him. Yes, indeed, it has -a very pleasant odor."</p> - -<p>They saw, on their way, a group of bathers and of peasants, for it was -the custom every morning before breakfast to take a turn along the -road.</p> - -<p>Christiane and Gontran joined the Marquis, Andermatt, and Paul, and -soon they beheld, in the place where the knoll had stood the day -before, a queer-looking human head covered with a ragged felt hat, and -wearing a big white beard, looking as if it had sprung up out of the -ground, the head of a decapitated man, as it were, growing there like a -plant. Around it, some vinedressers were looking on, amazed, impassive, -the peasantry of Auvergne not being scoffers, while three tall -gentlemen, visitors at second-class hotels, were laughing and joking.</p> - -<p>Oriol and his son stood there contemplating the vagabond, who was -steeped in his hole, sitting on a stone, with the water up to his -chin. He might have been taken for a desperate criminal of olden times -condemned to death for some unusual kind of sorcery; and he had not let -go his crutches, which were by his sides in the water.</p> - -<p>Andermatt kept repeating enthusiastically: "Bravo! bravo! there's an -example which all the people in the country suffering from rheumatic -pains should imitate."</p> - -<p>And, bending toward the old man, he shouted at him as if he were deaf: -"Do you feel well?"</p> - -<p>The other, who seemed completely stupefied by this boiling water, -replied: "It seems to me that I'm melting!"</p> - -<p>But Père Oriol exclaimed: "The hotter it is, the more good it will do -you."</p> - -<p>A voice behind the Marquis said: "What is that?"</p> - -<p>And M. Aubry-Pasteur, always puffing, stopped on his way back from his -daily walk. Then Andermatt explained his experiment in curing. But -the old man kept repeating: "Devil take it! how hot it is!" And he -wanted to get out, asking some one to help him up. The banker succeeded -eventually in calming him by promising him twenty sous more for each -bath. The spectators formed a circle round the hole, in which the -dirty, grayish rags were soaking wherewith this old body was covered.</p> - -<p>A voice said: "Nice meat for broth! I wouldn't care to make soup of it!"</p> - -<p>Another rejoined: "The meat would scarcely agree with me!"</p> - -<p>But the Marquis observed that the bubbles of carbonic acid seemed more -numerous, larger, and brighter in this new spring than in that of the -baths.</p> - -<p>The vagabond's rags were covered with them; and these bubbles rose to -the surface in such abundance that the water appeared to be crossed -by innumerable little chains, by an infinity of beads of exceedingly -small, round diamonds, the strong midday sun making them as clear as -brilliants.</p> - -<p>Then Aubry-Pasteur burst out laughing: "Egad," said he, "I must tell -you what they do at the establishment. You know they catch a spring -like a bird in a kind of snare, or rather in a bell. That's what they -call coaxing it. Now last year here is what happened to the spring -that supplies the baths. The carbonic acid, lighter than water, was -stored up to the top of the bell; then, when it was collected there in -a very large quantity, it was driven back into the ducts, reascended -in abundance into the baths, filled up the compartments, and all but -suffocated the invalids. We have had three accidents in the course -of three months. Then they consulted me again, and I invented a very -simple apparatus consisting of two pipes which led off separately -the liquid and the gas in the bell in order to combine them afresh -immediately under the bath, and thus to reconstitute the water in its -normal state while avoiding the dangerous excess of carbonic acid. But -my apparatus would have cost a thousand francs. Do you know what the -custodian does then? I give you a thousand guesses to find out. He -bores a hole in the bell to get rid of the gas, which flies out, you -understand, so that they sell you acidulated baths without any acid, or -so little acid that it is not worth much. Whereas here, why just look!"</p> - -<p>Everybody became indignant. They no longer laughed, and they cast -envious looks toward the paralytic. Every bather would gladly have -seized a pickax to make another hole beside that of the vagabond. But -Andermatt took the engineer's arm, and they went off chatting together. -From time to time Aubry-Pasteur stopped, made a show of drawing lines -with his walking-stick, indicating certain points, and the banker wrote -down notes in a memorandum-book.</p> - -<p>Christiane and Paul Bretigny entered into conversation. He told -her about his journey to Auvergne, and all that he had seen and -experienced. He loved the country, with those warm instincts of his, -with which always mingled an element of animality. He had a sensual -love of nature because it excited his blood, and made his nerves and -organs quiver. He said: "For my part, Madame, it seems to me as if -I were open, so that everything enters into me, everything passes -through me, makes me weep or gnash my teeth. Look here! when I cast a -glance at that hillside facing us, that vast expanse of green, that -race of trees clambering up the mountain, I feel the entire wood in my -eyes; it penetrates me, takes possession of me, runs through my whole -frame; and it seems to me also that I am devouring it, that it fills my -being—I become a wood myself!"</p> - -<p>He laughed, while he told her this, strained his big, round eyes, now -on the wood, now on Christiane; and she, surprised, astonished, but -easily impressed, felt herself devoured also, like the wood, by his -great avid glance.</p> - -<p>Paul went on: "And if you only knew what delights I owe to my -sense of smell. I drink in this air through my nostrils. I become -intoxicated with it; I live in it, and I feel that there is within it -everything—absolutely everything. What can be sweeter? It intoxicates -one more than wine; wine intoxicates the mind, but perfume intoxicates -the imagination. With perfume you taste the very essence, the pure -essence of things and of the universe—you taste the flowers, the -trees, the grass of the fields; you can even distinguish the soul of -the dwellings of olden days which sleep in the old furniture, the old -carpets, the old curtains. Listen! I am going to tell you something.</p> - -<p>"Did you notice, when first you came here, a delicious odor, to which -no other odor can be compared—so fine, so light, that it seems -almost—how shall I express it?—an immaterial odor? You find it -everywhere—you can seize it nowhere—you cannot discern where it comes -from. Never, never has anything more divine than it arisen in my -heart. Well, this is the odor of the vine in bloom. Ah! it has taken -me four days to discover it. And is it not charming to think, Madame, -that the vine-tree, which gives us wine, wine which only superior -spirits can understand and relish, gives us, too, the most delicate -and most exciting of perfumes, which only persons of the most refined -sensibility can discover? And then do you recognize also the powerful -smell of the chestnut-trees, the luscious savor of the acacias, the -aroma of the mountains, and the grass, whose scent is so sweet, so -sweet—sweeter than anyone imagines?"</p> - -<p>She listened to these words of his in amazement, not that they were -surprising so much as that they appeared so different in their -nature from everything encompassing her every day. Her mind remained -possessed, moved, and disturbed by them.</p> - -<p>He kept talking uninterruptedly in a voice somewhat hollow but full of -passion.</p> - -<p>"And again, just think, do you not feel in the air, along the roads, -when the day is hot, a slight savor of vanilla. Yes, am I not right? -Well, that is—that is—but I dare not tell it to you!"</p> - -<p>And now he broke into a great laugh, and waving his hand in front of -him all of a sudden said: "Look there!"</p> - -<p>A row of wagons laden with hay was coming up drawn by cows yoked in -pairs. The slow-footed beasts, with their heads hung down, bent by -the yoke, their horns fastened with pieces of wood, toiled painfully -along; and under their skin, as it rose up and down, the bones of their -legs could be seen moving. Before each team, a man in shirt-sleeves, -waistcoat, and black hat, was walking with a switch in his hand, -directing the pace of the animals. From time to time the driver would -turn round, and, without ever hitting, would barely touch the shoulder -or the forehead of a cow who would blink her big, wandering eyes, and -obey the motion of his arm.</p> - -<p>Christiane and Paul drew up to let them pass.</p> - -<p>He said to her: "Do you feel it?"</p> - -<p>She was amazed: "What then? That is the smell of the stable."</p> - -<p>"Yes, it is the smell of the stable; and all these cows going along the -roads—for they use no horses in this part of the country—scatter on -their way that odor of the stable, which, mingled with the fine dust, -gives to the wind a savor of vanilla."</p> - -<p>Christiane, somewhat disgusted, murmured: "Oh!"</p> - -<p>He went on: "Excuse me, at that moment, I was analyzing it like a -chemist. In any case, we are, Madame, in the most seductive country, -the most delightful, the most restful, that I have ever seen—a country -of the golden age. And the Limagne—oh! the Limagne! But I must not -talk to you about it; I want to show it to you. You shall see for -yourself."</p> - -<p>The Marquis and Gontran came up to them. The Marquis passed his arm -under that of his daughter, and, making her turn round and retrace her -steps, in order to get back to the hotel for breakfast, he said:</p> - -<p>"Listen, young people! this concerns you all three. William, who goes -mad when an idea comes into his head, dreams of nothing any longer but -of building this new town of his, and he wants to win over to him the -Oriol family. He is, therefore, anxious that Christiane should make -the acquaintance of the two young girls, in order to see if they are -'possible.' But it is not necessary that the father should suspect our -ruse. So I have got an idea; it is to organize a charitable <i>fête</i>. -You, my dear, must go and see the curé; you will together hunt up two -of his parishioners to make collections along with you. You understand -what people you will get him to nominate, and he will invite them on -his own responsibility. As for you, young men, you are going to get up -a <i>tombola</i> at the Casino with the assistance of Petrus Martel with his -company and orchestra. And if the little Oriols are nice girls, as it -is said they have been well brought up at the convent, Christiane will -make a conquest of them."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.</a></h5> - - -<h4>DEVELOPMENTS</h4> - - -<p>For eight days, Christiane wholly occupied herself with preparations -for this <i>fête</i>. The curé, indeed, was able to find no one among his -female parishioners except the Oriol girls who could be deemed worthy -of collecting along with the Marquis de Ravenel's daughter; and, happy -at having the opportunity of making himself prominent, he took all -the necessary steps, organized everything, regulated everything, and -himself invited the young girls, as if the idea had originated with him.</p> - -<p>The inhabitants were in a state of excitement, and the gloomy bathers, -finding a new topic of conversation, entertained one another at the -<i>table d'hôte</i> with various estimates as to the possible receipts from -the two portions of the <i>fête</i>, the sacred and the profane.</p> - -<p>The day opened finely. It was admirable summer weather, warm and clear, -with bright sunshine in the open plain and a grateful shade under the -village trees. The mass was fixed for nine o'clock—a quick mass with -Church music. Christiane, who had arrived before the office, in order -to inspect the ornamentation of the church with garlands of flowers -that had been sent from Royat and Clermont-Ferrand, consented to walk -behind it. The curé, Abbé Litre, followed her accompanied by the Oriol -girls, and he introduced them to her. Christiane immediately invited -the young girls to luncheon. They accepted her invitation with blushes -and respectful bows.</p> - -<p>The faithful were now making their appearance. Christiane and her girls -sat down on three chairs of honor reserved for them at the side of the -choir, facing three other chairs, which were occupied by young lads -dressed in their Sunday clothes, sons of the mayor, of the deputy, and -of a municipal councilor, selected to accompany the lady-collectors and -to flatter the local authorities. Everything passed off well.</p> - -<p>The office was short. The collection realized one hundred and ten -francs, which, added to Andermatt's five hundred francs, the Marquis's -fifty francs, and a hundred francs contributed by Paul Bretigny, made a -total of seven hundred and sixty, an amount never before reached in the -parish of Enval. Then, after the conclusion of the ceremony, the Oriol -girls were brought to the hotel. They appeared to be a little abashed, -without any display of awkwardness, however, and scarcely uttered one -word, through modesty rather than through timidity. They sat down to -luncheon at the <i>table d'hôte</i>, and pleased the meal of all the men.</p> - -<p>The elder the more serious of the pair, the younger the more sprightly, -the elder better bred, in the common-place acceptation of the word, the -younger more pleasant, they yet resembled one another as closely as two -sisters possibly could.</p> - -<p>As soon as the meal was finished, they repaired to the Casino for the -lottery-drawing at the <i>tombola</i>, which was fixed for two o'clock.</p> - -<p>The park, already invaded by the mixed crowd of bathers and peasants, -presented the aspect of an outlandish <i>fête</i>.</p> - -<p>Under their Chinese <i>kiosque</i> the musicians were executing a rural -symphony, a work composed by Saint Landri himself. Paul, who -accompanied Christiane, suddenly drew up:</p> - -<p>"Look here!" said he, "that's pretty! He has some talent, that chap! -With an orchestra, he could produce a fine effect."</p> - -<p>Then he asked: "Are you fond of music, Madame?"</p> - -<p>"Exceedingly."</p> - -<p>"As for me, it overwhelms me. When I am listening to a work that I -like, it seems to me first that the opening notes detach my skin from -my flesh, melt it, dissolve it, cause it to disappear, and leave me -like one flayed alive, under the combined attacks of the instruments. -And in fact it is on my nerves that the orchestra is playing, on my -nerves stripped bare, vibrating, trembling at every note. I hear it, -the music, not merely with my ears, but with all the sensibility of -my body quivering from head to foot. Nothing gives me such exquisite -pleasure, or rather such exquisite happiness."</p> - -<p>She smiled, and then said: "Your sensibilities are keen."</p> - -<p>"By Jove, they are! What is the good of living if one has not keen -sensibilities? I do not envy those people who wear over their hearts a -tortoise's shell or a hippopotamus's hide. Those alone are happy who -feel their sensations acutely, who receive them like shocks, and savor -them like dainty morsels. For it is necessary to reason out all our -emotions, joyous and sad, to be satiated with them, to be intoxicated -with them to the most intense degree of bliss or the most extreme pitch -of suffering."</p> - -<p>She raised her eyes to look up at his face, with that sense of -astonishment which she had experienced during the past eight days at -all the things that he said. Indeed, during these eight days, this new -friend—for, despite her repugnance toward him, on first acquaintance, -he had in this short interval become her friend—was every moment -shaking the tranquillity of her soul, and disturbing it as a pool of -water is disturbed by flinging stones into it. And he flung stones, big -stones, into this soul which had calmly slumbered until now.</p> - -<p>Christiane's father, like all fathers, had always treated her as a -little girl, to whom one ought not to say anything of a serious nature; -her brother made her laugh rather than reflect; her husband did not -consider it right for a man to speak of anything whatever to his wife -outside the interests of their common life; and so she had hitherto -lived perfectly contented, her mind steeped in a sweet torpor.</p> - -<p>This newcomer opened her intellect with ideas which fell upon it like -strokes of a hatchet. Moreover, he was one of those men who please -women, all women, by his very nature, by the vibrating acuteness of his -emotions. He knew how to talk to them, to tell them everything, and he -made them understand everything. Incapable of continuous effort but -extremely intelligent, always loving or hating passionately, speaking -of everything with the ingenious ardor of a man fanatically convinced, -variable as he was enthusiastic, he possessed to an excessive degree -the true feminine temperament, the credulity, the charm, the mobility, -the nervous sensibility of a woman, with the superior intellect, -active, comprehensive, and penetrating, of a man.</p> - -<p>Gontran came up to them in a hurry. "Come back," said he, "and give a -look at the Honorat family."</p> - -<p>They returned, and saw Doctor Honorat, accompanied by a fat, old woman -in a blue dress, whose head looked like a nursery-garden, for every -variety of plants and flowers were gathered together on her head.</p> - -<p>Christiane asked in astonishment: "This is his wife, then? But she is -fifteen years older than her husband."</p> - -<p>"Yes, she is sixty-five—an old midwife whom he fell in love with -between two confinements. This, however, is one of those households in -which they are nagging at one another from morning till night."</p> - -<p>They made their way toward the Casino, attracted by the exclamations -of the crowd. On a large table, in front of the establishment, were -displayed the lots of the <i>tombola</i>, which were drawn by Petrus -Martel, assisted by Mademoiselle Odelin of the Odéon, a very small -brunette, who also announced the numbers, with mountebank's tricks, -which greatly diverted the spectators. The Marquis, accompanied by the -Oriol girls and Andermatt, reappeared, and asked: "Are we to remain -here? It is very noisy."</p> - -<p>They accordingly resolved to take a walk halfway up the hill on the -road from Enval to La Roche-Pradière. In order to reach it, they first -ascended, one behind the other, a narrow path through vine-trees. -Christiane walked on in front with a light and rapid step. Since her -arrival in this neighborhood, she felt as if she existed in a new sort -of way, with an active sense of enjoyment and of vitality which she -had never known before. Perhaps, the baths, by improving her health, -and so ridding her of that slight disturbance of the vital organs -which annoyed and saddened her without any apparent cause, disposed -her to perceive and to relish everything more thoroughly. Perhaps she -simply felt herself animated, lashed by the presence and by the ardor -of spirit of that unknown youth who had taught her how to understand. -She drew a long, deep breath, as she thought of all he had said to her -about the perfumes that were scattered through the atmosphere. "It is -true," she mused, "that he has shown me how to feel the air." And she -found again all the odors, especially that of the vine, so light, so -delicate, so fleeting.</p> - -<p>She gained the level road, and they formed themselves into groups. -Andermatt and Louise Oriol, the elder girl, started first side by -side, chatting about the produce of lands in Auvergne. She knew, this -Auvergnat, true daughter of her sire, endowed with the hereditary -instinct, all the correct and practical details of agriculture, and she -spoke about them in her grave tone, in the ladylike fashion, and with -the careful pronunciation which they had taught her at the convent. -While listening to her, he cast a side glance at her, every now and -then, and thought this little girl quite charming with her gravity -of manner and her mind so full already of practical knowledge. He -occasionally repeated with some surprise: "What! is the land in the -Limagne worth so much as thirty thousand francs for each hectare?"<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - -<p>"Yes, Monsieur, when it is planted with beautiful apple-trees, which -supply dessert apples. It is our country which furnishes nearly all the -fruit used in Paris."</p> - -<p>Then, they turned back in order to make a more careful estimate of the -Limagne, for from the road they were pursuing they could see, as far as -their eyes could reach, the vast plain always covered with a light haze -of blue vapor.</p> - -<p>Christiane and Paul also halted in front of this immense veiled -tract of country, so agreeable to the eye that they would have liked -to remain there incessantly gazing at it. The road was bordered by -enormous walnut-trees, the dense shade of which made the skin feel a -refreshing sensation of coolness. It no longer ascended, but took a -winding course halfway up on the slope of the hillside adorned lower -down with a tapestry of vines, and then with short green herbage as -far as the crest, which at this point looked rather steep.</p> - -<p>Paul murmured: "Is it not lovely? Tell me, is it not lovely? And why -does this landscape move me? Yes, why? It diffuses a charm so profound, -so wide, that it penetrates to my very heart. It seems, as you gaze at -this plain, that thought opens its wings, does it not? And it flies -away, it soars, it passes on, it goes off there below, farther and -farther, toward all the countries seen in dreams which we shall never -see. Yes, see here, this is worthy of admiration because it is much -more like a thing we dream of than a thing that we have seen."</p> - -<p>She listened to him without saying anything, waiting, expectant, -gathering up each of his words; and she felt herself affected without -too well knowing how to explain her emotions. She caught glimpses, -indeed, of other countries, blue countries, rose-hued countries, -countries unlikely and marvelous, countries undiscoverable though ever -sought for, which make us look upon all others as commonplace.</p> - -<p>He went on: "Yes, it is lovely, because it is lovely. Other horizons -are more striking but less harmonious. Ah! Madame, beauty, harmonious -beauty! There is nothing but that in the world. Nothing exists but -beauty. But how few understand it! The line of a body, of a statue, -or of a mountain, the color of a painting or of that plain, the -inexpressible something of the 'Joconde,' a phrase that bites you to -the soul, that—nothing more—which makes an artist a creator just like -God, which, therefore, distinguishes him among men. Wait! I am going to -recite for you two stanzas of Baudelaire."</p> - -<p>And he declaimed:</p> - -<p> -"Whether you come from heaven or hell I do<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">not care,</span><br /> -O Beauty, monster of splendor and terror,<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">yet sweet at the core,</span><br /> -As long as your eye, your smile, your feet<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">lay the infinite bare,</span><br /> -Unveiling a world of love that I never have<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">known before!</span><br /> -<br /> -"From Satan or God, what matter, whether<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">angel or siren you be,</span><br /> -What matter if you can give, enchanting,<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">velvet-eyed fay,</span><br /> -Rhythm, perfume, and light, and be<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">queen of the earth for me,</span><br /> -And make all things less hideous, and<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">the sad moments fly away."</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>Christiane now was gazing at him, struck with wonder by his -lyricism, questioning him with her eyes, not comprehending well what -extraordinary meaning might be embodied in this poetry. He divined -her thoughts, and was irritated at not having communicated his own -enthusiasm to her, for he had recited those verses very effectively, -and he resumed, with a shade of disdain:</p> - -<p>"I am a fool to wish to force you to relish a poet of such subtle -inspiration. A day will come, I hope, when you will feel those things -just as I do. Women, endowed rather with intuition than comprehension, -do not seize the secret and veiled purposes of art in the same way as -if a sympathetic appeal had first been made to their minds."</p> - -<p>And, with a bow, he added: "I will strive, Madame, to make this -sympathetic appeal."</p> - -<p>She did not think him impertinent, but fantastic; and moreover she did -not seek any longer to understand, suddenly struck by a circumstance -which she had not previously noticed: he was very elegant, though he -was a little too tall and too strongly-built, with a gait so virile -that one could not immediately perceive the studied refinement of -his attire. And then his head had a certain brutishness about it, an -incompleteness, which gave to his entire person a somewhat heavy aspect -at first glance. But when one had got accustomed to his features, one -found in them some charm, a charm powerful and fierce, which at moments -became very pleasant according to the inflections of his voice, which -always seemed veiled.</p> - -<p>Christiane said to herself, as she observed for the first time what -attention he had paid to his external appearance from head to foot: -"Decidedly this is a man whose qualities must be discovered one by one."</p> - -<p>But here Gontran came rushing toward them. He exclaimed: "Sister, I -say, Christiane, wait!" And when he had overtaken them, he said to -them, still laughing: "Oh! just come and listen to the younger Oriol -girl! She is as droll as anything—she has wonderful wit. Papa has -succeeded in putting her at her ease, and she has been telling us the -most comical things in the world. Wait for them."</p> - -<p>And they awaited the Marquis, who presently appeared with the younger -of the two girls, Charlotte Oriol. She was relating with a childlike, -knowing liveliness some village tales, accounts of rustic simplicity -and roguery. And she imitated them with their slow movements, their -grave remarks, their "fouchtras," their innumerable "bougrres," -mimicking, in a fashion that made her pretty, sprightly face look -charming, all the changes of their physiognomies. Her bright eyes -sparkled; her rather large mouth was opened wide, displaying her white -teeth; her nose, a little tip-tilted, gave her a humorous look; and she -was fresh, with a flower's freshness that might make lips quiver with -desire.</p> - -<p>The Marquis, having spent nearly his entire life on his estate, in the -family château where Christiane and Gontran had been brought up in the -midst of rough, big Norman farmers who were occasionally invited to -dine there, in accordance with custom, and whose children, companions -of theirs from the period of their first communion, had been on terms -of familiarity with them, knew how to talk to this little girl, already -three-fourths a woman of the world, with a friendly candor which -awakened at once in her a gay and self-confident assurance.</p> - -<p>Andermatt and Louise returned after having walked as far as the -village, which they did not care to enter. And they all sat down at -the foot of a tree, on the grassy edge of a ditch. There they remained -for a long time pleasantly chatting about everything and nothing in a -torpor of languid ease. Now and then, a wagon would roll past, always -drawn by the two cows whose heads were bent and twisted by the yoke, -and always driven by a peasant with a shrunken frame and a big black -hat on his head, guiding the animals with the end of his thin switch in -the swaying style of the conductor of an orchestra.</p> - -<p>The man would take off his hat, bowing to the Oriol girls, and they -would reply with a familiar, "Good day," flung out by their fresh young -voices.</p> - -<p>Then, as the hour was growing late, they went back. As they drew near -the park, Charlotte Oriol exclaimed: "Oh! the boree! the boree!" In -fact, the boree was being danced to an old air well known in Auvergne.</p> - -<p>There they were, male and female peasants stepping out, hopping, making -courtesies,—turning and bowing to each other,—the women taking hold -of their petticoats and lifting them up with two fingers of each hand, -the men swinging their arms or holding them akimbo. The pleasant -monotonous air was also dancing in the fresh evening wind; it was -always the same refrain played in a very high note by the violin, and -taken up in concert by the other instruments, giving a more rattling -pace to the dance. And it was not unpleasant, this simple rustic music, -lively and artless, keeping time as it did with this shambling country -minuet.</p> - -<p>The bathers, too, made an attempt to dance. Petrus Martel went skipping -in front of little Odelin, who affected the style of a <i>danseuse</i> -walking through a ballet, and the comic Lapalme mimicked a fantastic -step round the attendant at the Casino, who seemed agitated by -recollections of Bullier.</p> - -<p>But suddenly Gontran saw Doctor Honorat dancing away with all his heart -and all his limbs, and executing the classical boree like a true-blue -native of Auvergne.</p> - -<p>The orchestra became silent. All stopped. The doctor came over and -bowed to the Marquis. He was wiping his forehead and puffing.</p> - -<p>"'Tis good," said he, "to be young sometimes."</p> - -<p>Gontran laid his hand on the doctor's shoulder, and smiling with a -mischievous air: "You never told me you were married."</p> - -<p>The physician stopped wiping his face, and gravely responded: "Yes, I -am, and marred."</p> - -<p>"What do you say?"</p> - -<p>"I say, married and marred. Never commit that folly, young man."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"Why! See here! I have been married now for twenty years, and haven't -got used to it yet. Every evening, when I reach home, I say to myself, -'Hold hard! this old woman is still in my house! So then she'll never -go away?'" Everyone began to laugh, so serious and convinced was his -tone.</p> - -<p>But the bells of the hotel were ringing for dinner. The <i>fête</i> was -over. Louise and Charlotte were accompanied back to their father's -house; and when their new friends had left them, they commenced talking -about them. Everyone thought them charming, Andermatt alone preferred -the elder girl.</p> - -<p>The Marquis said: "How pliant the feminine nature is! The mere vicinity -of the paternal gold, of which they do not even know the use, has made -ladies of these country girls."</p> - -<p>Christiane, having asked Paul Bretigny: "And you, which of them do you -prefer?" he murmured:</p> - -<p>"Oh! I? I have not even looked at them. It is not they whom I prefer."</p> - -<p>He had spoken in a very low voice; and she made no reply.</p> - - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> A hectare is about two acres and a half.</p></div> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.</a></h5> - -<h4>ON THE BRINK</h4> - - -<p>The days that followed were charming for Christiane Andermatt. She -lived, light-hearted, her soul full of joy. The morning bath was her -first pleasure, a delicious pleasure that made the skin tingle, an -exquisite half hour in the warm, flowing water, which disposed her to -feel happy all day long. She was, indeed, happy in all her thoughts -and in all her desires. The affection with which she felt herself -surrounded and penetrated, the intoxication of youthful life throbbing -in her veins, and then again this new environment, this superb country, -made for daydreams and repose, wide and odorous, enveloping her like -a great caress of nature, awakened in her fresh emotions. Everything -that approached, everything that touched her, continued this sensation -of the morning, this sensation of a tepid bath, of a great bath of -happiness wherein she plunged herself body and soul.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, who had to leave Enval for a fortnight or perhaps a month, -had gone back to Paris, having previously reminded his wife to take -good care that the paralytic should not discontinue his course of -treatment. So each day, before breakfast, Christiane, her father, her -brother, and Paul, went to look at what Gontran called "the poor man's -soup." Other bathers came there also, and they formed a circular group -around the hole, while chatting with the vagabond.</p> - -<p>He was not better able to walk, he declared, but he had a feeling as if -his legs were covered with ants; and he told how these ants ran up and -down, climbing as far as his thighs, and then going back again to the -tips of his toes. And even at night he felt these insects tickling and -biting him, so that he was deprived of sleep.</p> - -<p>All the visitors and the peasants, divided into two camps, that of the -believers and that of the sceptics, were interested in this cure.</p> - -<p>After breakfast, Christiane often went to look for the Oriol girls, so -that they might take a walk with her. They were the only members of her -own sex at the station to whom she could talk or with whom she could -have friendly relations, sharing a little of her confidence and asking -in return for some feminine sympathy. She had at once taken a liking -for the grave common sense allied with amiability which the elder girl -exhibited and still more for the spirit of sly humor possessed by -the younger; and it was less to please her husband than for her own -amusement that she now sought the friendship of the two sisters.</p> - -<p>They used to set forth on excursions sometimes in a landau, an old -traveling landau with six seats, got from a livery-man at Riom, and at -other times on foot. They were especially fond of a little wild valley -near Chatel-Guyon, leading toward the hermitage of Sans-Souci. Along -the narrow road, which they slowly traversed, under the pine-trees, -on the bank of the little river, they would saunter in pairs, each -pair chatting together. At every stage along their track, where it -was necessary to cross the stream, Paul and Gontran, standing on -stepping-stones in the water, seized the women each with one arm, and -carried them over with a jump, so as to deposit them at the opposite -side. And each of these fordings changed the order of the pedestrians. -Christiane went from one to another, but found the opportunity of -remaining a little while alone with Paul Bretigny either in front or in -the rear.</p> - -<p>He had no longer the same ways while in her company as in the first -days of their acquaintanceship; he was less disposed to laugh, less -abrupt in manner, less like a comrade, but more respectful and -attentive. Their conversations, however, assumed a tone of intimacy, -and the things that concerned the heart held in them the foremost -place. He talked to her about sentiment and love, like a man well -versed in such subjects, who had sounded the depths of women's -tenderness, and who owed to them as much happiness as suffering.</p> - -<p>She, ravished and rather touched, urged him on to confidences with an -ardent and artful curiosity. All that she knew of him awakened in her -a keen desire to learn more, to penetrate in thought into one of those -male existences of which she had got glimpses out of books, one of -those existences full of tempests and mysteries of love. Yielding to -her importunities, he told her each day a little more about his life, -his adventures, and his griefs, with a warmth of language which his -burning memories sometimes rendered impassioned, and which the desire -to please made also seductive. He opened to her gaze a world till now -unknown to her, found eloquent words to express the subtleties of -desire and expectation, the ravages of growing hopes, the religion of -flowers and bits of ribbons, all the little objects treasured up as -sacred, the enervating effect of sudden doubts, the anguish of alarming -conjectures, the tortures of jealousy, and the inexpressible frenzy of -the first kiss.</p> - -<p>And he knew how to describe all these things in a very seemly fashion, -veiled, poetic, and captivating. Like all men who are perpetually -haunted by desire and thoughts about woman he spoke discreetly of those -whom he had loved with a fever that throbbed within him still. He -recalled a thousand romantic incidents calculated to move the heart, a -thousand delicate circumstances calculated to make tears gather in the -eyes, and all those sweet futilities of gallantry which render amorous -relationships between persons of refined souls and cultivated minds the -most beautiful and most entrancing experiences that can be conceived.</p> - -<p>All these disturbing and familiar chats, renewed each day and each -day more prolonged, fell on Christiane's soul like grains cast into -the earth. And the charm of this country spread wide around her, the -odorous air, that blue Limagne, so vast that it seemed to make the -spirit expand, those extinguished volcanoes on the mountain, furnaces -of the antique world serving now only to warm springs for invalids, -the cool shades, the rippling music of the streams as they rushed -over the stones—all this, too, penetrated the heart and the flesh of -the young woman, penetrated them and softened them like a soft shower -of warm rain on soil that is yet virgin, a rain that will cause to -bourgeon and blossom in it the flowers of which it had received the -seed.</p> - -<p>She was quite conscious that this youth was paying court to her -a little, that he thought her pretty, even more than pretty; and -the desire to please him spontaneously suggested to her a thousand -inventions, at the same time designing and simple, to fascinate him and -to make a conquest of him.</p> - -<p>When he looked moved, she would abruptly leave him; when she -anticipated some tender allusion on his lips, she would cast toward -him, ere the words were finished, one of those swift, unfathomable -glances which pierce men's hearts like fire. She would greet him with -soft utterances, gentle movements of her head, dreamy gestures with her -hands, or sad looks quickly changed into smiles, as if to show him, -even when no words had been exchanged between them, that his efforts -had not been in vain.</p> - -<p>What did she desire? Nothing. What did she expect from all this? -Nothing.</p> - -<p>She amused herself with this solely because she was a woman, because -she did not perceive the danger of it, because, without foreseeing -anything, she wished to find out what he would do.</p> - -<p>And then she had suddenly developed that native coquetry which lies -hidden in the veins of all feminine beings. The slumbering, innocent -child of yesterday had unexpectedly waked up, subtle and keen-witted, -when facing this man who talked to her unceasingly about love. She -divined the agitation that swept across his mind when he was by her -side, she saw the increasing emotion that his face expressed, and she -understood all the different intonations of his voice with that special -intuition possessed by women who feel themselves solicited to love.</p> - -<p>Other men had ere now paid attentions to her in the fashionable world -without getting anything from her in return save the mockery of a -playful young woman. Their commonplace flatteries diverted her; their -looks of melancholy love filled her with merriment; and to all their -manifestations of passion she responded only with derisive laughter. -In the case of this man, however, she felt herself suddenly confronted -with a seductive and dangerous adversary; and she had been changed into -one of those clever creatures, instinctively clear-sighted, armed with -audacity and coolness, who, so long as their hearts remain untrammeled, -watch for, surprise, and draw men into the invisible net of sentiment.</p> - -<p>As for him, he had, at first, thought her rather silly. Accustomed to -women versed in intrigues, exercised in love just as an old soldier -is in military maneuvers, skilled in all the wiles of gallantry and -tenderness, he considered this simple heart commonplace, and treated it -with a light disdain.</p> - -<p>But, little by little, her ingenuousness had amused him, and then -fascinated him; and yielding to his impressionable nature, he had begun -to make her the object of his affectionate attentions. He knew full -well that the best way to excite a pure soul was to talk incessantly -about love, while exhibiting the appearance of thinking about others; -and accordingly, humoring in a crafty fashion the dainty curiosity -which he had aroused in her, he proceeded, under the pretense of -confiding his secrets to her, to teach her what passion really meant, -under the shadow of the wood.</p> - -<p>He, too, found this play amusing, showed her, by all the little -gallantries that men know how to display, the growing pleasure that -he found in her society, and assumed the attitude of a lover without -suspecting that he would become one in reality. And all this came about -as naturally in the course of their protracted walks as it does to take -a bath on a warm day, when you find yourself at the side of a river.</p> - -<p>But, from the first moment when Christiane began to indulge in -coquetry, from the time when she resorted to all the native skill of -woman in beguiling men, when she conceived the thought of bringing this -slave of passion to his knees, in the same way that she would have -undertaken to win a game at croquet, he allowed himself to yield, this -candid libertine, to the attack of this simpleton, and began to love -her.</p> - -<p>And now he became awkward, restless, nervous, and she treated him -as a cat does a mouse. With another woman he would not have been -embarrassed; he would have spoken out; he would have conquered by his -irresistible ardor; with her he did not dare, so different did she seem -from all those whom he had known. The others, in short, were women -already singed by life, to whom everything might be said, with whom -one could venture on the boldest appeals, murmuring close to their lips -the trembling words which set the blood aflame. He knew his power, -he felt that he was bound to triumph when he was able to communicate -freely to the soul, the heart, the senses of her whom he loved, the -impetuous desire by which he was ravaged.</p> - -<p>With Christiane, he imagined himself by the side of a young girl, -so great a novice did he consider her; and all his resources seemed -paralyzed. And then he cared for her in a new sort of way, partly as -a man cares for a child, and partly as he does for his betrothed. He -desired her; and yet he was afraid of touching her, of soiling her, -of withering her bloom. He had no longing to clasp her tightly in -his arms, such as he had felt toward others, but rather to fall on -his knees, to kiss her robe, and to touch gently with his lips, with -an infinitely chaste and tender slowness, the little hairs about her -temples, the corners of her mouth, and her eyes, her closed eyes, -whose blue he could feel glancing out toward him, the charming glance -awakened under the drooping lids. He would have liked to protect her -against everyone and against everything, not to let her be elbowed by -common people, gaze at ugly people, or go near unclean people. He would -have liked to carry away the dirt of the street over which she walked, -the pebbles on the roads, the brambles and the branches in the wood, -to make all things easy and delicious around her, and to carry her -always, so that she should never walk. And he felt annoyed because she -had to talk to the other guests at the hotel, to eat the same food at -the <i>table d'hôte</i>, and submit to all the disagreeable and inevitable -little things that belong to everyday existence.</p> - -<p>He knew not what to say to her so much were his thoughts absorbed -by her; and his powerlessness to express the state of his heart, to -accomplish any of the things that he wished to do, to testify to her -the imperious need of devoting himself to her which burned in his -veins, gave him some of the aspects of a chained wild beast, and, at -the same time, made him feel a strange desire to break into sobs.</p> - -<p>All this she perceived without completely understanding it, and felt -amused by it with the malicious enjoyment of a coquette. When they had -lingered behind the others, and she felt from his look that he was -about to say something disquieting, she would abruptly begin to run, -in order to overtake her father, and, when she got up to him, would -exclaim: "Suppose we make a four-cornered game."</p> - -<p>Four-cornered games served generally for the termination of the -excursions. They looked out for a glade at the end of a wider road than -usual, and they began to play like boys out for a walk.</p> - -<p>The Oriol girls and Gontran himself took great delight in this -amusement, which satisfied that incessant longing to run that is to be -found in all young creatures. Paul Bretigny alone grumbled, beset by -other thoughts; then, growing animated by degrees he would join in the -game with more desperation than any of the others, in order to catch -Christiane, to touch her, to place his hand abruptly on her shoulder or -on her corsage.</p> - -<p>The Marquis, whose indifferent and listless nature yielded in -everything, as long as his rest was not disturbed, sat down at the -foot of a tree, and watched his boarding-school at play, as he said. He -thought this quiet life very agreeable, and the entire world perfect.</p> - -<p>However, Paul's behavior soon alarmed Christiane. One day she even -got afraid of him. One morning, they went with Gontran to the most -remote part of the oddly-shaped gap which is called the End of the -World. The gorge, becoming more and more narrow and winding, sank -into the mountain. They climbed over enormous rocks; they crossed the -little river by means of stepping-stones, and, having wheeled round -a lofty crag more than fifty meters in height which entirely blocked -up the cleft of the ravine, they found themselves in a kind of trench -encompassed between two gigantic walls, bare as far as their summits, -which were covered with trees and with verdure.</p> - -<p>The stream formed a wide lake of bowl-like shape, and truly it was a -wild-looking chasm, strange and unexpected, such as one meets more -frequently in narratives than in nature. Now, on this day, Paul, gazing -at the projections of the rocky eminence which barred them out from -the road at the right where all pedestrians were compelled to halt, -remarked that it bore traces of having been scaled. He said: "Why, we -can go on farther."</p> - -<p>Then, having clambered up the first ledge, not without difficulty, he -exclaimed: "Oh! this is charming! a little grove in the water—come on, -then!"</p> - -<p>And, leaning backward, he drew Christiane up by the two hands, -while Gontran, feeling his way, planted his feet on all the slight -projections of the rock. The soil which had drifted down from the -summit had formed on this ledge a savage and bushy garden, in which the -stream ran across the roots. Another step, a little farther on, formed -a new barrier of this granite corridor. They climbed it, too,—then a -third; and they found themselves at the foot of an impassable wall from -which fell, straight and clear, a cascade twenty meters high into a -deep basin hollowed out by it, and buried under bindweeds and branches.</p> - -<p>The cleft of the mountain had become so narrow that the two men, -clinging on by their hands, could touch its sides. Nothing further -could be seen, save a line of sky; nothing could be heard save the -murmur of the water. It might have been taken for one of those -undiscoverable retreats in which the Latin poets were wont to conceal -the antique nymphs. It seemed to Christiane as if she had just intruded -on the chamber of a fay.</p> - -<p>Paul Bretigny said nothing. Gontran exclaimed: "Oh! how nice it would -be if a woman white and rosy-red were bathing in that water!"</p> - -<p>They returned. The first two shelves were as easy to descend, but the -third frightened Christiane, so high and straight was it, without -any visible steps. Bretigny let himself slip down the rock; then, -stretching out his two arms toward her, "Jump," said he.</p> - -<p>She would not venture. Not that she was afraid of falling, but she felt -afraid of him, afraid above all of his eyes. He gazed at her with the -avidity of a famished beast, with a passion which had grown ferocious; -and his two hands extended toward her had such an imperious attraction -for her that she was suddenly terrified and seized with a mad longing -to shriek, to run away, to climb up the mountain perpendicularly to -escape this irresistible appeal.</p> - -<p>Her brother standing up behind her, cried: "Go on then!" and pushed her -forward. Feeling herself falling she shut her eyes, and, caught in a -gentle but powerful clasp, she felt, without seeing it, all the huge -body of the young man, whose panting warm breath passed over her face. -Then, she found herself on her feet once more, smiling, now that her -terror had vanished, while Gontran descended in his turn.</p> - -<p>This emotion having rendered her prudent, she took care, for some days, -not to be alone with Bretigny, who now seemed to be prowling round her -like the wolf in the fable round a lamb.</p> - -<p>But a grand excursion had been planned. They were to carry provisions -in the landau with six seats, and go to dine with the Oriol girls on -the border of the little lake of Tazenat, which in the language of the -country was called the "gour" of Tazenat, and then return at night by -moonlight. Accordingly, they started one afternoon of a day of burning -heat, under a devouring sun, which made the granite of the mountain as -hot as the floor of an oven.</p> - -<p>The carriage ascended the mountain-side drawn by three horses, blowing, -and covered with sweat. The coachman was nodding on his seat, his head -hanging down; and at the side of the road ran legions of green lizards. -The heated atmosphere seemed filled with an invisible and oppressive -dust of fire. Sometimes it seemed hard, unyielding, dense, as they -passed through it, sometimes it stirred about and sent across their -faces ardent breaths of flame in which floated an odor of resin in the -midst of the long pine-wood.</p> - -<p>Nobody in the carriage uttered a word. The three ladies, at the lower -end, closed their dazzled eyes, which they shaded with their red -parasols. The Marquis and Gontran, their foreheads wrapped round with -handkerchiefs, had fallen asleep. Paul was looking toward Christiane, -who was also watching him from under her lowered eyelids. And the -landau, sending up a column of smoking white dust, kept always toiling -up this interminable ascent.</p> - -<p>When it had reached the plateau, the coachman straightened himself -up, the horses broke into a trot; and they drove through a beautiful, -undulating country, thickly-wooded, cultivated, studded with villages -and solitary houses here and there. In the distance, at the left, -could be seen the great truncated summits of the volcanoes. The lake -of Tazenat, which they were going to see, had been formed by the last -crater in the mountain chain of Auvergne. After they had been driving -for three hours, Paul said suddenly: "Look here, the lava-currents!"</p> - -<p>Brown rocks, fantastically twisted, made cracks in the soil at the -border of the road. At the right could be seen a mountain, snub-nosed -in appearance, whose wide summit had a flat and hollow look. They took -a path, which seemed to pass into it through a triangular cutting; and -Christiane, who was standing erect, discovered all at once, in the -midst of a vast deep crater, a lovely lake, bright and round, like a -silver coin. The steep slopes of the mountain, wooded at the right and -bare at the left, sank toward the water, which they surrounded with -a high inclosure, regular in shape. And this placid water, level and -glittering, like the surface of a medal, reflected the trees on one -side, and on the other the barren slope, with a clearness so complete -that the edges escaped one's attention, and the only thing one saw -in this funnel, in whose center the blue sky was mirrored, was a -transparent, bottomless opening, which seemed to pass right through the -earth, pierced from end to end up to the other firmament.</p> - -<p>The carriage could go no farther. They got down, and took a path -through the wooded side winding round the lake, under the trees, -halfway up the declivity of the mountain. This track, along which only -the woodcutters passed, was as green as a prairie; and, through the -branches, they could see the opposite side, and the water glittering at -the bottom of this mountain-lake.</p> - -<p>Then they reached, through an opening in the wood, the very edge of the -water, where they sat down upon a sloping carpet of grass, overshadowed -by oak-trees.</p> - -<p>They all stretched themselves on the green turf with sensuous and -exquisite delight. The men rolled themselves about in it, plunged their -hands into it; while the women, softly lying down on their sides, -placed their cheeks close to it, as if to seek there a refreshing -caress.</p> - -<p>After the heat of the road, it was one of those sweet sensations so -deep and so grateful that they almost amount to pure happiness.</p> - -<p>Then once more the Marquis went to sleep; Gontran speedily followed his -example. Paul began chatting with Christiane and the two young girls. -About what? About nothing in particular. From time to time, one of them -gave utterance to some phrase; another replied after a minute's pause, -and the lingering words seemed torpid in their mouths like the thoughts -within their minds.</p> - -<p>But, the coachman having brought across to them the hamper which -contained the provisions, the Oriol girls, accustomed to domestic -duties in their own house, and still clinging to their active habits, -quickly proceeded to unpack it, and to prepare the dinner, of which the -party would by and by partake on the grass.</p> - -<p>Paul lay on his back beside Christiane, who was in a reverie. And he -murmured, in so low a tone that she scarcely heard him, so low that his -words just grazed her ear, like those confused sounds that are borne on -by the wind: "These are the best days of my life."</p> - -<p>Why did these vague words move her even to the bottom of her heart? Why -did she feel herself suddenly touched by an emotion such as she had -never experienced before?</p> - -<p>She was gazing through the trees at a tiny house, a hut for persons -engaged in hunting and fishing, so narrow that it could barely contain -one small apartment. Paul followed the direction of her glance, and -said:</p> - -<p>"Have you ever thought, Madame, what days passed together in a hut like -that might be for two persons who loved one another to distraction? -They would be alone in the world, truly alone, face to face! And, -if such a thing were possible, ought not one be ready to give up -everything in order to realize it, so rare, unseizable, and short-lived -is happiness? Do we find it in our everyday life? What more depressing -than to rise up without any ardent hope, to go through the same duties -dispassionately, to drink in moderation, to eat with discretion, and to -sleep tranquilly like a mere animal?"</p> - -<p>She kept, all the time, staring at the little house; and her heart -swelled up, as if she were going to burst into tears; for, in one flash -of thought, she divined intoxicating joys, of whose existence she had -no conception till that moment.</p> - -<p>Indeed, she was thinking how sweet it would be for two to be together -in this tiny abode hidden under the trees, facing that plaything of -a lake, that jewel of a lake, true mirror of love! One might feel -happy with nobody near, without a neighbor, without one sound of life, -alone with a lover, who would pass his hours kneeling at the feet of -the adored one, looking up at her, while her gaze wandered toward the -blue wave, and whispering tender words in her ear, while he kissed the -tips of her fingers. They would live there, amid the silence, beneath -the trees, at the bottom of that crater, which would hold all their -passion, like the limpid, unfathomable water, in the embrace of its -firm and regular inclosure, with no other horizon for their eyes save -the round line of the mountain's sides, with no other horizon for their -thoughts save the bliss of loving one another, with no other horizon -for their desires save kisses lingering and endless.</p> - -<p>Were there, then, people on the earth who could enjoy days like this? -Yes, undoubtedly! And why not? Why had she not sooner known that such -joys exist?</p> - -<p>The girls announced that dinner was ready. It was six o'clock already. -They roused up the Marquis and Gontran in order that they might squat -in Turkish fashion a short distance off, with the plates glistening -beside them in the grass. The two sisters kept waiting on them, and the -heedless men did not gainsay them. They ate at their leisure, flinging -the cast-off pieces and the bones of the chickens into the water. They -had brought champagne with them; the sudden noise of the first cork -jumping up produced a surprising effect on everyone, so unusual did it -appear in this solitary spot.</p> - -<p>The day was declining; the air became impregnated with a delicious -coolness. As the evening stole on, a strange melancholy fell on the -water that lay sleeping at the bottom of the crater. Just as the sun -was about to disappear, the western sky burst out into flame, and the -lake suddenly assumed the aspect of a basin of fire. Then, when the -sun had gone to rest, the horizon becoming red like a brasier on the -point of being extinguished, the lake looked like a basin of blood. And -suddenly above the crest of mountain, the moon nearly at its full rose -up all pale in the still, cloudless firmament. Then, as the shadows -gradually spread over the earth, it ascended glittering and round -above the crater which was round also. It looked as if it were going -to let itself drop down into the chasm; and when it had risen far up -into the sky, the lake had the aspect of a basin of silver. Then, on -its surface, motionless all day long, trembling movements could now be -seen sometimes slow and sometimes rapid. It seemed as if some spirits -skimming just above the water were drawing across it invisible veils.</p> - -<p>It was the big fish at the bottom, the venerable carp and the voracious -pike, who had come up to enjoy themselves in the moonlight.</p> - -<p>The Oriol girls had put back all the plates, dishes, and bottles into -the hamper, which the coachman came to take away. They rose up to go.</p> - -<p>As they were passing into the path under the trees, where rays of light -fell, like a silver shower, through the leaves and glittered on the -grass, Christiane, who was following the others with Paul in the rear, -suddenly heard a panting voice saying close to her ear: "I love you!—I -love you!—I love you!"</p> - -<p>Her heart began to beat so wildly that she was near sinking to the -ground, and felt as if she could not move her limbs. Still she walked -on, like one distraught, ready to turn round, her arms hanging wide -and her lips tightly drawn. He had by this time caught the edge of the -little shawl which she had drawn over her shoulders, and was kissing it -frantically. She continued walking with such tottering steps that she -no longer could feel the soil beneath her feet.</p> - -<p>And now she emerged from under the canopy of trees, and finding herself -in the full glare of the moonlight, she got the better of her agitation -with a desperate effort; but, before stepping into the landau and -losing sight of the lake, she half turned round to throw a long kiss -with both hands toward the water, which likewise embraced the man who -was following her.</p> - -<p>On the return journey, she remained inert both in soul and body, dizzy, -cramped up, as if after a fall; and, the moment they reached the hotel, -she quickly rushed up to her own apartment, where she locked herself -in. Even when the door was bolted and the key turned in the lock, she -pressed her hand on it again, so much did she feel herself pursued and -desired. Then she remained trembling in the middle of the room, which -was nearly quite dark and had an empty look. The wax-candle placed on -the table cast on the walls the quivering shadows of the furniture and -of the curtains. Christiane sank into an armchair. All her thoughts -were rushing, leaping, flying away from her so that she found it -impossible to seize them, to hold them, to link them together. She felt -now ready to weep, without well knowing why, broken-hearted, wretched, -abandoned, in this empty room, lost in existence, just as in a forest. -Where was she going, what would she do?</p> - -<p>Breathing with difficulty, she rose up, flung open the window and the -shutters in front of it, and leaned on her elbows over the balcony. -The air was refreshing. In the depths of the sky, wide and empty, too, -the distant moon, solitary and sad, having ascended now into the blue -heights of night, cast forth a hard, cold luster on the trees and on -the mountains.</p> - -<p>The entire country lay asleep. Only the light strain of Saint Landri's -violin, which he played till a late hour every night, broke the deep -silence of the valley with its melancholy music. Christiane scarcely -heard it. It ceased, then began again—the shrill and dolorous cry of -the thin fiddlestrings.</p> - -<p>And that moon lost in a desert sky, that feeble sound lost in the -silent night, filled her heart with such a sense of solitude that she -burst into sobs. She trembled and quivered to the very marrow of her -bones, shaken by anguish and by the shuddering sensations of people -attacked by some formidable malady; for suddenly it dawned upon her -mind that she, too, was all alone in existence.</p> - -<p>She had never realized this until to-day, and now she felt it so -vividly in the distress of her soul that she imagined she was going mad.</p> - -<p>She had a father! a brother! a husband! She loved them still, and -they loved her. And here she was all at once separated from them, she -had become a stranger to them as if she scarcely knew them. The calm -affection of her father, the friendly companionship of her brother, the -cold tenderness of her husband, appeared to her nothing any longer, -nothing any longer. Her husband! This, her husband, the rosy-cheeked -man who was accustomed to say to her in a careless tone, "Are you -going far, dear, this morning?" She belonged to him, to this man, body -and soul, by the mere force of a contract. Was this possible? Ah! how -lonely and lost she felt herself! She closed her eyes to look into her -own mind, into the lowest depths of her thoughts.</p> - -<p>And she could see, as she evoked them out of her inner consciousness -the faces of all those who lived around her—her father, careless and -tranquil, happy as long as nobody disturbed his repose; her brother, -scoffing and sceptical; her husband moving about, his head full of -figures, and with the announcement on his lips, "I have just done a -fine stroke of business!" when he should have said, "I love you!"</p> - -<p>Another man had murmured that word a little while ago, and it was still -vibrating in her ear and in her heart. She could see him also, this -other man, devouring her with his fixed look; and, if he had been near -her at that moment, she would have flung herself into his arms!</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.</a></h5> - - -<h4>ATTAINMENT</h4> - - -<p>Christiane, who had not gone to sleep till a very late hour, awoke as -soon as the sun cast a flood of red light into her room through the -window which she had left wide open. She glanced at her watch—it was -five o'clock—and remained lying on her back deliciously in the warmth -of the bed. It seemed to her, so active and full of joy did her soul -feel, that a happiness, a great happiness, had come to her during the -night. What was it? She sought to find out what it was; she sought -to find out what was this new source of happiness which had thus -penetrated her with delight. All her sadness of the night before had -vanished, melted away, during sleep.</p> - -<p>So Paul Bretigny loved her! How different he appeared to her from the -first day! In spite of all the efforts of her memory, she could not -bring back her first impression of him; she could not even recall to -her mind the man introduced to her by her brother. He whom she knew -to-day had retained nothing of the other, neither the face nor the -bearing—nothing—for his first image had passed, little by little, -day by day, through all the slow modifications which take place in the -soul with regard to a being who from a mere acquaintance has come to -be a familiar friend and a beloved object. You take possession of him -hour by hour without suspecting it; possession of his movements, of his -attitudes, of his physical and moral characteristics. He enters into -you, into your eyes and your heart, by his voice, by all his gestures, -by what he says and by what he thinks. You absorb him; you comprehend -him; you divine him in all the meanings of his smiles and of his words; -it seems at last that he belongs entirely to you, so much do you love, -unconsciously still, all that is his and all that comes from him.</p> - -<p>Then, too, it is impossible to remember what this being was like—to -your indifferent eyes—when first he presented himself to your gaze. -So then Paul Bretigny loved her! Christiane experienced from this -discovery neither fear nor anguish, but a profound tenderness, an -immense joy, new and exquisite, of being loved—of knowing that she was -loved.</p> - -<p>She was, however, a little disturbed as to the attitude that he would -assume toward her and that she should preserve toward him. But, as it -was a matter of delicacy for her conscience even to think of these -things, she ceased to think about them, trusting to her own tact and -ingenuity to direct the course of events.</p> - -<p>She descended at the usual hour, and found Paul smoking a cigarette -before the door of the hotel. He bowed respectfully to her:</p> - -<p>"Good day, Madame. You feel well this morning?"</p> - -<p>"Very well, Monsieur. I slept very soundly."</p> - -<p>And she put out her hand to him, fearing lest he might hold it in his -too long. But he scarcely pressed it; and they began quietly chatting -as if they had forgotten one another.</p> - -<p>And the day passed off without anything being done by him to recall -his ardent avowal of the night before. He remained, on the days that -followed, quite as discreet and calm; and she placed confidence in him. -He realized, she thought, that he would wound her by becoming bolder; -and she hoped, she firmly believed, that they might be able to stop at -this delightful halting-place of tenderness, where they could love, -while looking into the depths of one another's eyes, without remorse, -inasmuch as they would be free from defilement. Nevertheless, she was -careful never to wander out with him alone.</p> - -<p>Now, one evening, the Saturday of the same week in which they had -visited the lake of Tazenat, as they were returning to the hotel about -ten o'clock,—the Marquis, Christiane, and Paul,—for they had left -Gontran playing <i>écarté</i> with Aubrey and Riquier and Doctor Honorat in -the great hall of the Casino, Bretigny exclaimed, as he watched the -moon shining through the branches:</p> - -<p>"How nice it would be to go and see the ruins of Tournoel on a night -like this!"</p> - -<p>At this thought alone, Christiane was filled with emotion, the moon and -ruins having on her the same influence which they have on the souls of -all women.</p> - -<p>She pressed the Marquis's hands. "Oh! father dear, would you mind going -there?"</p> - -<p>He hesitated, being exceedingly anxious to go to bed.</p> - -<p>She insisted: "Just think a moment, how beautiful Tournoel is even by -day! You said yourself that you had never seen a ruin so picturesque, -with that great tower above the château. What must it be at night!"</p> - -<p>At last he consented: "Well, then, let us go! But we'll only look at it -for five minutes, and then come back immediately. For my part, I want -to be in bed at eleven o'clock."</p> - -<p>"Yes, we will come back immediately. It takes only twenty minutes to -get there."</p> - -<p>They set out all three, Christiane leaning on her father's arm, and -Paul walking by her side.</p> - -<p>He spoke of his travels in Switzerland, in Italy, in Sicily. He told -what his impressions were in the presence of certain phenomena, his -enthusiasm on seeing the summit of Monte Rosa, when the sun, rising on -the horizon of this row of icy peaks, this congealed world of eternal -snows, cast on each of those lofty mountain-tops a dazzling white -radiance, and illumined them, like the pale beacon-lights that must -shine down upon the kingdoms of the dead. Then he spoke of his emotion -on the edge of the monstrous crater of Etna, when he felt himself, an -imperceptible mite, many meters above the cloud line, having nothing -any longer around him save the sea and the sky, the blue sea beneath, -the blue sky above, and leaning over this dreadful chasm of the earth, -whose breath stifled him. He enlarged the objects which he described -in order to excite the young woman; and, as she listened, she panted -with visions she conjured up, by a flight of imagination, of those -wonderful things that he had seen.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, at a turn of the road, they discovered Tournoel. The ancient -château, standing on a mountain peak, overlooked by its high and narrow -tower, letting in the light through its chinks, and dismantled by time -and by the wars of bygone days, traced, upon a sky of phantoms, its -huge silhouette of a fantastic manor-house.</p> - -<p>They stopped, all three surprised. The Marquis said, at length: -"Indeed, it is impressive—like a dream of Gustave Doré realized. Let -us sit down for five minutes."</p> - -<p>And he sat down on the sloping grass.</p> - -<p>But Christiane, wild with enthusiasm, exclaimed: "Oh! father, let us go -on farther! It is so beautiful! so beautiful! Let us walk to the foot, -I beg of you!"</p> - -<p>This time the Marquis refused: "No, my darling, I have walked enough; I -can't go any farther. If you want to see it more closely, go on there -with M. Bretigny. I will wait here for you."</p> - -<p>Paul asked: "Will you come, Madame?"</p> - -<p>She hesitated, seized by two apprehensions, that of finding herself -alone with him, and that of wounding an honest man by having the -appearance of suspecting him.</p> - -<p>The Marquis repeated: "Go on! Go on! I will wait for you."</p> - -<p>Then she took it for granted that her father would remain within reach -of their voices, and she said resolutely: "Let us go on, Monsieur."</p> - -<p>But scarcely had she walked on for some minutes when she felt herself -possessed by a poignant emotion, by a vague, mysterious fear—fear -of the ruin, fear of the night, fear of this man. Suddenly she felt -her legs trembling under her, just as she felt the other night by the -lake of Tazenat; they refused to bear her any further, bent under her, -appeared to be sinking into the soil, where her feet remained fixed -when she strove to raise them.</p> - -<p>A large chestnut-tree, planted close to the path they had been -pursuing, sheltered one side of a meadow. Christiane, out of breath -just as if she had been running, let herself sink against the trunk. -And she stammered: "I shall remain here—we can see very well."</p> - -<p>Paul sat down beside her. She heard his heart beating with great -emotional throbs. He said, after a brief silence: "Do you believe that -we have had a previous life?"</p> - -<p>She murmured, without having well understood his question: "I don't -know. I have never thought on it."</p> - -<p>He went on: "But I believe it—at moments—or rather I feel it. As -being is composed of a soul and a body, which seem distinct, but are, -without doubt, only one whole of the same nature, it must reappear when -the elements which have originally formed it find themselves together -for the second time. It is not the same individual assuredly, but it is -the same man who comes back when a body like the previous form finds -itself inhabited by a soul like that which animated him formerly. Well, -I, to-night, feel sure, Madame, that I lived in that château, that I -possessed it, that I fought there, that I defended it. I recognized -it—it was mine, I am certain of it! And I am also certain that I -loved there a woman who resembled you, and who, like you, bore the -name of Christiane. I am so certain of it that I seem to see you still -calling me from the top of that tower.</p> - -<p>"Search your memory! recall it to your mind! There is a wood at the -back, which descends into a deep valley. We have often walked there. -You had light robes in the summer evenings, and I wore heavy armor, -which clanked beneath the trees. You do not recollect? Look back, -then, Christiane! Why, your name is as familiar to me as those we hear -in childhood! Were we to inspect carefully all the stones of this -fortress, we should find it there carved by my hand in days of yore! I -declare to you that I recognize my dwelling-place, my country, just as -I recognized you, you, the first time I saw you!"</p> - -<p>He spoke in an exalted tone of conviction, poetically intoxicated by -contact with this woman, and by the night, by the moon, and by the ruin.</p> - -<p>He abruptly flung himself on his knees before Christiane, and, in a -trembling voice said: "Let me adore you still since I have found you -again! Here have I been searching for you a long time!"</p> - -<p>She wanted to rise and to go away, to join her father, but she had -not the strength; she had not the courage, held back, paralyzed by a -burning desire to listen to him still, to hear those ravishing words -entering her heart. She felt herself carried away in a dream, in the -dream always hoped for, so sweet, so poetic, full of rays of moonlight -and days of love.</p> - -<p>He had seized her hands, and was kissing the ends of her finger-nails, -murmuring:</p> - -<p>"Christiane—Christiane—take me—kill me! I love you, Christiane!"</p> - -<p>She felt him quivering, shuddering at her feet. And now he kissed her -knees, while his chest heaved with sobs. She was afraid that he was -going mad, and started up to make her escape. But he had risen more -quickly, and seizing her in his arms he pressed his mouth against hers.</p> - -<p>Then, without a cry, without revolt, without resistance, she let -herself sink back on the grass, as if this caress, by breaking her -will, had crushed her physical power to struggle. And he possessed her -with as much ease as if he were culling a ripe fruit.</p> - -<p>But scarcely had he loosened his clasp when she rose up distracted, and -rushed away shuddering and icy-cold all of a sudden, like one who had -just fallen into the water. He overtook her with a few strides, and -caught her by the arm, whispering: "Christiane, Christiane! Be on your -guard with your father!"</p> - -<p>She walked on without answering, without turning round, going straight -before her with stiff, jerky steps. He followed her now without -venturing to speak to her.</p> - -<p>As soon as the Marquis saw them, he rose up: "Hurry," said he; "I was -beginning to get cold. These things are very fine to look at, but bad -for one undergoing thermal treatment!"</p> - -<p>Christiane pressed herself close to her father's side, as if to appeal -to him for protection and take refuge in his tenderness.</p> - -<p>As soon as she had re-entered her apartment, she undressed herself in -a few seconds and buried herself in her bed, hiding her head under -the clothes; then she wept. She wept with her face pressed against the -pillow for a long, long time, inert, annihilated. She did not think, -she did not suffer, she did not regret. She wept without thinking, -without reflecting, without knowing why. She wept instinctively as -one sings when one feels gay. Then, when her tears were exhausted, -overwhelmed, paralyzed with sobbing, she fell asleep from fatigue and -lassitude.</p> - -<p>She was awakened by light taps at the door of her room, which looked -out on the drawing-room. It was broad daylight, as it was nine o'clock.</p> - -<p>"Come in," she cried.</p> - -<p>And her husband presented himself, joyous, animated, wearing a -traveling-cap and carrying by his side his little money-bag, which he -was never without while on a journey.</p> - -<p>He exclaimed: "What? You were sleeping still, my dear! And I had to -awaken you. There you are! I arrived without announcing myself. I hope -you are going on well. It is superb weather in Paris."</p> - -<p>And having taken off his cap, he advanced to embrace her. She drew -herself away toward the wall, seized by a wild fear, by a nervous dread -of this little man, with his smug, rosy countenance, who had stretched -out his lips toward her.</p> - -<p>Then, abruptly, she offered him her forehead, while she closed her -eyes. He planted there a chaste kiss, and asked: "Will you allow me to -wash in your dressing-room? As no one attended on me to-day, my room -was not prepared."</p> - -<p>She stammered: "Why, certainly."</p> - -<p>And he disappeared through a door at the end of the bed.</p> - -<p>She heard him moving about, splashing, snorting; then he cried: "What -news here? For my part, I have splendid news. The analysis of the water -has given unexpected results. We can cure at least three times more -patients than they can at Royat. It is superb!"</p> - -<p>She was sitting in the bed, suffocating, her brain overwrought by this -unforeseen return, which hurt her like a physical pain and gripped her -like a pang of remorse. He reappeared, self-satisfied, spreading around -him a strong odor of verbena. Then he sat down familiarly at the foot -of the bed, and asked:</p> - -<p>"And the paralytic? How is he going on? Is he beginning to walk? It is -not possible that he is not cured with what we found in the water!"</p> - -<p>She had forgotten all about it for several days, and she faltered: -"Why, I—I believe he is beginning to walk better. Besides, I have not -seen him this week. I—I am a little unwell."</p> - -<p>He looked at her with interest, and returned: "It is true, you are a -little pale. All the same, it becomes you very well. You look charming -thus—quite charming."</p> - -<p>And he drew nearer, and bending toward her was about to pass one arm -into the bed under her waist.</p> - -<p>But she made such a backward movement of terror that he remained -stupefied, with his hands extended and his mouth held toward her. Then -he asked: "What's the matter with you nowadays? One cannot touch you -any longer. I assure you I do not intend to hurt you."</p> - -<p>And he pressed close to her eagerly, with a glow of sudden desire in -his eyes. Then she stammered:</p> - -<p>"No—let me be—let me be! The fact is, I believe—I believe I am -pregnant!"</p> - -<p>She had said this, maddened by the mental agony she was enduring, -without thinking about her words, to avoid his touch, just as she would -have said: "I have leprosy, or the plague."</p> - -<p>He grew pale in his turn, moved by a profound joy; and he merely -murmured: "Already!" He yearned now to embrace her a long time, softly, -tenderly, as a happy and grateful father. Then, he was seized with -uneasiness.</p> - -<p>"Is it possible?—What?—Are you sure?—So soon?"</p> - -<p>She replied: "Yes—it is possible!"</p> - -<p>Then he jumped about the room, and rubbing his hands, exclaimed: -"Christi! Christi! What a happy day!"</p> - -<p>There was another tap at the door. Andermatt opened it, and a -chambermaid said to him: "Doctor Latonne would like to speak to -Monsieur immediately."</p> - -<p>"All right. Bring him into our drawing-room. I am going there."</p> - -<p>He hurried away to the adjoining apartment. The doctor presently -appeared. His face had a solemn look, and his manner was starched and -cold. He bowed, touched the hand which the banker, a little surprised, -held toward him, took a seat, and explained in the tone of a second in -an affair of honor:</p> - -<p>"A very disagreeable matter has arisen with reference to me, my dear -Monsieur, and, in order to explain my conduct, I must give you an -account of it. When you did me the honor to call me in to see Madame -Andermatt, I hastened to come at the appointed hour; now it has -transpired that, a few minutes before me, my brother-physician, the -medical inspector, who, no doubt, inspires more confidence in the lady, -had been sent for, owing to the attentions of the Marquis de Ravenel.</p> - -<p>"The result of this is that, having been the second to see her I create -the impression of having taken by a trick from Doctor Bonnefille a -patient who already belonged to him—I create the impression of having -committed an indelicate act, one unbecoming and unjustifiable from one -member of the profession toward another. Now it is necessary for us -to carry, Monsieur, into the exercise of our art certain precautions -and unusual tact in order to avoid every collision which might lead -to grave consequences. Doctor Bonnefille, having been apprised of my -visit here, believing me capable of this want of delicacy, appearances -being in fact against me, has spoken about me in such terms that, were -it not for his age, I would have found myself compelled to demand an -explanation from him. There remains for me only one thing to do, in -order to exculpate myself in his eyes, and in the eyes of the entire -medical body of the country, and that is to cease, to my great regret, -to give my professional attentions to your wife, and to make the entire -truth about this matter known, begging of you in the meantime to accept -my excuses."</p> - -<p>Andermatt replied with embarrassment:</p> - -<p>"I understand perfectly well, doctor, the difficult situation in which -you find yourself. The fault is not mine or my wife's, but that of my -father-in-law, who called in M. Bonnefille without giving us notice. -Could I not go to look for your brother-doctor, and tell him?——"</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne interrupted him: "It is useless, my dear Monsieur. There -is here a question of dignity and professional honor, which I am bound -to respect before everything, and, in spite of my lively regrets——"</p> - -<p>Andermatt, in his turn, interrupted him. The rich man, the man who -pays, who buys a prescription for five, ten, twenty, or forty francs, -as he does a box of matches for three sous, to whom everything should -belong by the power of his purse, and who only appreciates beings and -objects in virtue of an assimilation of their value with that of money, -of a relation, rapid and direct, established between coined metal and -everything else in the world, was irritated at the presumption of this -vendor of remedies on paper. He said in a stiff tone:</p> - -<p>"Be it so, doctor. Let us stop where we are. But I trust for your own -sake that this step may not have a damaging influence on your career. -We shall see, indeed, which of us two shall have the most to suffer -from your decision."</p> - -<p>The physician, offended, rose up and bowing with the utmost politeness, -said: "I have no doubt, Monsieur, it is I who will suffer. That which I -have done to-day is very painful to me from every point of view. But I -never hesitate between my interests and my conscience."</p> - -<p>And he went out. As he emerged through the open door, he knocked -against the Marquis, who was entering, with a letter in his hand. And -M. de Ravenel exclaimed, as soon as he was alone with his son-in-law: -"Look here, my dear fellow! this is a very troublesome thing, which -has happened me through your fault. Doctor Bonnefille, hurt by the -circumstance that you sent for his brother-physician to see Christiane, -has written me a note couched in very dry language informing me that I -cannot count any longer on his professional services."</p> - -<p>Thereupon, Andermatt got quite annoyed. He walked up and down, -excited himself by talking, gesticulated, full of harmless and noisy -anger, that kind of anger which is never taken seriously. He went on -arguing in a loud voice. Whose fault was it, after all? That of the -Marquis alone, who had called in that pack-ass Bonnefille without -giving any notice of the fact to him, though he had, thanks to his -Paris physician, been informed as to the relative value of the three -charlatans at Enval! And then what business had the Marquis to consult -a doctor, behind the back of the husband, the husband who was the only -judge, the only person responsible for his wife's health? In short, it -was the same thing day after day with everything! People did nothing -but stupid things around him, nothing but stupid things! He repeated it -incessantly; but he was only crying in the desert, nobody understood, -nobody put faith in his experience, until it was too late.</p> - -<p>And he said, "My physician," "My experience," with the authoritative -tone of a man who has possession of unique things. In his mouth the -possessive pronouns had the sonorous ring of metals. And when he -pronounced the words "My wife," one felt very clearly that the Marquis -had no longer any rights with regard to his daughter since Andermatt -had married her, to marry and to buy having the same meaning in the -latter's mind.</p> - -<p>Gontran came in, at the most lively stage of the discussion, and seated -himself in an armchair with a smile of gaiety on his lips. He said -nothing, but listened, exceedingly amused. When the banker stopped -talking, having fairly exhausted his breath, his brother-in-law raised -his hand, exclaiming:</p> - -<p>"I request permission to speak. Here are both of you without -physicians, isn't that so? Well, I propose my candidate, Doctor -Honorat, the only one who has formed an exact and unshaken opinion on -the water of Enval. He makes people drink it, but he would not drink -it himself for all the world. Do you wish me to go and look for him? I -will take the negotiations on myself."</p> - -<p>It was the only thing to do, and they begged of Gontran to send for him -immediately. The Marquis, filled with anxiety at the idea of a change -of regimen and of nursing wanted to know immediately the opinion of -this new physician; and Andermatt desired no less eagerly to consult -him on Christiane's behalf.</p> - -<p>She heard their voices through the door without listening to their -words or understanding what they were talking about. As soon as -her husband had left her, she had risen from the bed, as if from a -dangerous spot, and hurriedly dressed herself, without the assistance -of the chambermaid, shaken by all these occurrences.</p> - -<p>The world appeared to her to have changed around her, her former life -seemed to have vanished since last night, and people themselves looked -quite different.</p> - -<p>The voice of Andermatt was raised once more: "Hallo, my dear Bretigny, -how are you getting on?"</p> - -<p>He no longer used the word "Monsieur." Another voice could be heard -saying in reply: "Why, quite well, my dear Andermatt. You only arrived, -I suppose, this morning?"</p> - -<p>Christiane, who was in the act of raising her hair over her temples, -stopped with a choking sensation, her arms in the air. Through the -partition, she fancied she could see them grasping one another's hands. -She sat down, no longer able to hold herself erect; and her hair, -rolling down, fell over her shoulders.</p> - -<p>It was Paul who was speaking now, and she shivered from head to foot at -every word that came from his mouth. Each word, whose meaning she did -not seize, fell and sounded on her heart like a hammer striking a bell.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, she articulated in almost a loud tone: "But I love him!—I -love him!" as though she were affirming something new and surprising, -which saved her, which consoled her, which proclaimed her innocence -before the tribunal of her conscience. A sudden energy made her rise -up; in one second, her resolution was taken. And she proceeded to -rearrange her hair, murmuring: "I have a lover, that is all. I have -a lover." Then, in order to fortify herself still more, in order to -get rid of all mental distress, she determined there and then, with a -burning faith, to love him to distraction, to give up to him her life, -her happiness, to sacrifice everything for him, in accordance with -the moral exaltation of hearts conquered but still scrupulous, that -believe themselves to be purified by devotedness and sincerity.</p> - -<p>And, from behind the wall which separated them, she threw out kisses -to him. It was over; she abandoned herself to him, without reserve, as -she might have offered herself to a god. The child already coquettish -and artful, but still timid, still trembling, had suddenly died within -her; and the woman was born, ready for passion, the woman resolute, -tenacious, announced only up to this time by the energy hidden in her -blue eye, which gave an air of courage and almost of bravado to her -dainty white face.</p> - -<p>She heard the door opening, and did not turn round, divining that it -was her husband, without seeing him, as though a new sense, almost an -instinct, had just been generated in her also.</p> - -<p>He asked: "Will you be soon ready? We are all going presently to the -paralytic's bath, to see if he is really getting better."</p> - -<p>She replied calmly: "Yes, my dear Will, in five minutes."</p> - -<p>But Gontran, returning to the drawing-room, was calling back Andermatt.</p> - -<p>"Just imagine," said he; "I met that idiot Honorat in the park, and -he, too, refuses to attend you for fear of the others. He talks of -professional etiquette, deference, usages. One would imagine that -he creates the impression of—in short, he is a fool, like his two -brother-physicians. Certainly, I thought he was less of an ape than -that."</p> - -<p>The Marquis remained overwhelmed. The idea of taking the waters without -a physician, of bathing for five minutes longer than necessary, of -drinking one glass less than he ought, tortured him with apprehension, -for he believed all the doses, the hours, and the phases of the -treatment, to be regulated by a law of nature, which had made provision -for invalids in causing the flow of those mineral springs, all whose -mysterious secrets the doctors knew, like priests inspired and learned.</p> - -<p>He exclaimed: "So then we must die here—we may perish like dogs, -without any of these gentlemen putting himself about!"</p> - -<p>And rage took possession of him, the rage egotistical and unreasoning -of a man whose health is endangered.</p> - -<p>"Have they any right to do this, since they pay for a license like -grocers, these blackguards? We ought to have the power of forcing them -to attend people, as trains can be forced to take all passengers. I am -going to write to the newspapers to draw attention to the matter."</p> - -<p>He walked about, in a state of excitement; and he went on, turning -toward his son:</p> - -<p>"Listen! It will be necessary to send for one to Royat or Clermont. We -can't remain in this state."</p> - -<p>Gontran replied, laughing: "But those of Clermont and of Royat are -not well acquainted with the liquid of Enval, which has not the same -special action as their water on the digestive system and on the -circulatory apparatus. And then, be sure, they won't come any more than -the others in order to avoid the appearance of taking the bread out of -their brother-doctors' mouths."</p> - -<p>The Marquis, quite scared, faltered: "But what, then, is to become of -us?"</p> - -<p>Andermatt snatched up his hat, saying: "Let me settle it, and -I'll answer for it that we'll have the entire three of them this -evening—you understand clearly, the—entire—three—at our knees. Let -us go now and see the paralytic."</p> - -<p>He cried: "Are you ready, Christiane?"</p> - -<p>She appeared at the door, very pale, with a look of determination. -Having embraced her father and her brother, she turned toward Paul, and -extended her hand toward him. He took it, with downcast eyes, quivering -with emotion. As the Marquis, Andermatt, and Gontran had gone on -before, chatting, and without minding them, she said, in a firm voice, -fixing on the young man a tender and decided glance:</p> - -<p>"I belong to you, body and soul. Do with me henceforth what you -please." Then she walked on, without giving him an opportunity of -replying.</p> - -<p>As they drew near the Oriols' spring, they perceived, like an enormous -mushroom, the hat of Père Clovis, who was sleeping beneath the rays of -the sun, in the warm water at the bottom of the hole. He now spent the -entire morning there, having got accustomed to this boiling water which -made him, he said, more lively than a yearling.</p> - -<p>Andermatt woke him up: "Well, my fine fellow, you are going on better?"</p> - -<p>When he had recognized his patron, the old fellow made a grimace of -satisfaction: "Yes, yes, I am going on—I am going on as well as you -please."</p> - -<p>"Are you beginning to walk?"</p> - -<p>"Like a rabbit, Mochieu—like a rabbit. I will dance a boree with my -sweetheart on the first Sunday of the month."</p> - -<p>Andermatt felt his heart beating; he repeated: "It is true, then, that -you are walking?"</p> - -<p>Père Clovis ceased jesting. "Oh! not very much, not very much. No -matter—I'm getting on—I'm getting on!"</p> - -<p>Then the banker wanted to see at once how the vagabond walked. He kept -rushing about the hole, got agitated, gave orders, as if he were going -to float again a ship that had foundered.</p> - -<p>"Look here, Gontran! you take the right arm. You, Bretigny, -the left arm. I am going to keep up his back. Come on! -together!—one—two—three! My dear father-in-law, draw the leg toward -you—no, the other, the one that's in the water. Quick, pray! I can't -hold out longer. There we are—one, two—there!—ouf!"</p> - -<p>They had put the old trickster sitting on the ground; and he allowed -them to do it with a jeering look, without in any way assisting their -efforts.</p> - -<p>Then they raised him up again, and set him on his legs, giving him -his crutches, which he used like walking-sticks; and he began to step -out, bent double, dragging his feet after him, whining and blowing. He -advanced in the fashion of a slug, and left behind him a long trail of -water on the white dust of the road.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, in a state of enthusiasm, clapped his hands, crying out -as people do at theaters when applauding the actors: "Bravo, bravo, -admirable, bravo!!!"</p> - -<p>Then, as the old fellow seemed exhausted, he rushed forward to hold him -up, seized him in his arms, although his clothes were streaming, and he -kept repeating:</p> - -<p>"Enough, don't fatigue yourself! We are going to put you back into your -bath."</p> - -<p>And Père Clovis was plunged once more into his hole by the four men who -caught him by his four limbs and carried him carefully like a fragile -and precious object.</p> - -<p>Then, the paralytic observed in a tone of conviction: "It is good -water, all the same, good water that hasn't an equal. It is worth a -treasure, water like that!"</p> - -<p>Andermatt turned round suddenly toward his father-in-law: "Don't keep -breakfast waiting for me. I am going to the Oriols', and I don't know -when I'll be free. It is necessary not to let these things drag!"</p> - -<p>And he set forth in a hurry, almost running, and twirling his stick -about like a man bewitched.</p> - -<p>The others sat down under the willows, at the side of the road, -opposite Père Clovis's hole.</p> - -<p>Christiane, at Paul's side, saw in front of her the high knoll from -which she had seen the rock blown up.</p> - -<p>She had been up there that day, scarcely a month ago. She had been -sitting on that russet grass. One month! Only one month! She recalled -the most trifling details, the tricolored parasols, the scullions, -the slightest things said by each of them! And the dog, the poor dog -crushed by the explosion! And that big youth, then a stranger to her, -who had rushed forward at one word uttered by her lips in order to -save the animal. To-day, he was her lover! her lover! So then she had -a lover! She was his mistress—his mistress! She repeated this word -in the recesses of her consciousness—his mistress! What a strange -word! This man, sitting by her side, whose hand she saw tearing up -one by one blades of grass, close to her dress, which he was seeking -to touch, this man was now bound to her flesh and to his heart, by -that mysterious chain, buried in secrecy and mystery, which nature has -stretched between woman and man.</p> - -<p>With that voice of thought, that mute voice which seems to speak so -loudly in the silence of troubled souls, she incessantly repeated -to herself: "I am his mistress! his mistress!" How strange, how -unforeseen, a thing this was!</p> - -<p>"Do I love him?" She cast a rapid glance at him. Their eyes met, and -she felt herself so much caressed by the passionate look with which he -covered her, that she trembled from head to foot. She felt a longing -now, a wild, irresistible longing, to take that hand which was toying -with the grass, and to press it very tightly in order to convey to -him all that may be said by a clasp. She let her own hand slip along -her dress down to the grass, then laid it there motionless, with the -fingers spread wide. Then she saw the other come softly toward it like -an amorous animal seeking his companion. It came nearer and nearer; -and their little fingers touched. They grazed one another at the ends -gently, barely, lost one another and found one another again, like lips -meeting. But this imperceptible caress, this slight contact entered -into her being so violently that she felt herself growing faint as if -he were once more straining her between his arms.</p> - -<p>And she suddenly understood how a woman can belong to some man, how -she no longer is anything under the love that possesses her, how that -other being takes her body and soul, flesh, thought, will, blood, -nerves,—all, all, all that is in her,—just as a huge bird of prey -with large wings swoops down on a wren.</p> - -<p>The Marquis and Gontran talked about the future station, themselves -won over by Will's enthusiasm. And they spoke of the banker's merits, -the clearness of his mind, the sureness of his judgment, the certainty -of his system of speculation, the boldness of his operations, and the -regularity of his character. Father-in-law and brother-in-law, in the -face of this probable success, of which they felt certain, were in -agreement, and congratulated one another on this alliance.</p> - -<p>Christiane and Paul did not seem to hear, so much occupied were they -with each other.</p> - -<p>The Marquis said to his daughter: "Hey! darling, you may perhaps one -day be one of the richest women in France, and people will talk of you -as they do about the Rothschilds. Will has truly a remarkable, very -remarkable—a great intelligence."</p> - -<p>But a morose and whimsical jealousy entered all at once into Paul's -heart.</p> - -<p>"Let me alone now," said he, "I know it, the intelligence of all those -engaged in stirring up business. They have only one thing in their -heads—money! All the thoughts that we bestow on beautiful things, -all the actions that we waste on our caprices, all the hours which we -fling away for our distractions, all the strength that we squander -on our pleasures, all the ardor and the power which love, divine -love, takes from us, they employ in seeking for gold, in thinking of -gold, in amassing gold! The man of intelligence lives for all the -great disinterested tendernesses, the arts, love, science, travels, -books; and, if he seeks money, it is because this facilitates the -true pleasures of intellect and even the happiness of the heart! But -they—they have nothing in their minds or their hearts but this ignoble -taste for traffic! They resemble men of worth, these skimmers of life, -just as much as the picture-dealer resembles the painter, as the -publisher resembles the writer, as the theatrical manager resembles the -dramatic poet."</p> - -<p>He suddenly became silent, realizing that he had allowed himself to be -carried away, and in a calmer voice he went on: "I don't say that of -Andermatt, whom I consider a charming man. I like him a great deal, -because he is a hundred times superior to all the others."</p> - -<p>Christiane had withdrawn her hand. Paul once more stopped talking. -Gontran began to laugh; and, in his malicious voice, with which he -ventured to say everything, in his hours of mocking and raillery:</p> - -<p>"In any case, my dear fellow, these men have one rare merit: that is, -to marry our sisters and to have rich daughters, who become our wives."</p> - -<p>The Marquis, annoyed, rose up: "Oh! Gontran, you are perfectly -revolting."</p> - -<p>Paul thereupon turned toward Christiane, and murmured: "Would -they know how to die for one woman, or even to give her all their -fortune—all—without keeping anything?"</p> - -<p>This meant so clearly: "All I have is yours, including my life," that -she was touched, and she adopted this device in order to take his -hands in hers:</p> - -<p>"Rise, and lift me up. I am benumbed from not moving."</p> - -<p>He stood erect, seized her by the wrists, and drawing her up placed her -standing on the edge of the road close to his side. She saw his mouth -articulating the words, "I love you," and she quickly turned aside, -to avoid saying to him in reply three words which rose to her lips in -spite of her, in a burst of passion which was drawing her toward him.</p> - -<p>They returned to the hotel. The hour for the bath was passed. They -awaited the breakfast-bell. It rang, but Andermatt did not make his -appearance. After taking another turn in the park, they resolved to sit -down to table. The meal, although a long one, was finished before the -return of the banker. They went back to sit down under the trees. And -the hours stole by, one after another; the sun glided over the leaves, -bending toward the mountains; the day was ebbing toward its close; and -yet Will did not present himself.</p> - -<p>All at once, they saw him. He was walking quickly, his hat in his hand, -wiping his forehead, his necktie on one side, his waistcoat half open, -as if after a journey, after a struggle, after a terrible and prolonged -effort.</p> - -<p>As soon as he beheld his father-in-law, he exclaimed: "Victory! 'tis -done! But what a day, my friends! Ah! the old fox, what trouble he gave -me!"</p> - -<p>And immediately he explained the steps he had taken and the obstacles -he had met with.</p> - -<p>Père Oriol had, at first, shown himself so unreasonable that Andermatt -was breaking off the negotiations and going away. Then the peasant -called him back. The old man pretended that he would not sell his -lands but would assign them to the Company with the right to resume -possession of them in case of ill success. In case of success, he -demanded half the profits.</p> - -<p>The banker had to demonstrate to him, with figures on paper and -tracings to indicate the different bits of land, that the fields all -together would not be worth more than forty-five thousand francs at the -present hour, while the expenses of the Company would mount up at one -swoop to a million.</p> - -<p>But the Auvergnat replied that he expected to benefit by the enormously -increased value that would be given to his property by the erection -of the establishment and hotels, and to draw his interest in the -undertaking in accordance with the acquired value and not the previous -value.</p> - -<p>Andermatt had then to represent to him that the risks should be -proportionate with the possible gains, and to terrify him with the -apprehension of the loss.</p> - -<p>They accordingly arrived at this agreement: Père Oriol was to assign -to the Company all the grounds stretching as far as the banks of the -stream, that is to say, all those in which it appeared possible to find -mineral water, and in addition the top of the knoll, in order to erect -there a casino and a hotel, and some vine-plots on the slope which -should be divided into lots and offered to the leading physicians of -Paris.</p> - -<p>The peasant, in return for this apportionment valued at two hundred and -fifty thousand francs, that is, at about four times its value, would -participate to the extent of a quarter in the profits of the Company. -As there was very much more land, which he did not part with, round -the future establishment, he was sure, in case of success, to realize -a fortune by selling on reasonable terms these grounds, which would -constitute, he said, the dowry of his daughters.</p> - -<p>As soon as these conditions had been arrived at, Will had to carry -the father and the son with him to the notary's office in order to -have a promise of sale drawn up defeasible in the event of their not -finding the necessary water. And the drawing up of the agreement, -the discussion of every point, the indefinite repetition of the same -arguments, the eternal commencement over again of the same contentions, -had lasted all the afternoon.</p> - -<p>At last the matter was concluded. The banker had got his station. But -he repeated, devoured by a regret: "It will be necessary for me to -confine myself to the water without thinking of the questions about the -land. He has been cunning, the old ape."</p> - -<p>Then he added: "Bah! I'll buy up the old Company, and it is on that -I may speculate! No matter—it is necessary that I should start this -evening again for Paris."</p> - -<p>The Marquis, astounded, cried out: "What? This evening?"</p> - -<p>"Why, yes, my dear father-in-law, in order to get the definitive -instrument prepared, while M. Aubry-Pasteur will be making excavations. -It is necessary also that I should make arrangements to commence the -works in a fortnight. I haven't an hour to lose. With regard to this, -I must inform you that you are to constitute a portion of my board -of directors in which I will need a strong majority. I give you ten -shares. To you, Gontran, also I give ten shares."</p> - -<p>Gontran began to laugh: "Many thanks, my dear fellow. I sell them back -to you. That makes five thousand francs you owe me."</p> - -<p>But Andermatt no longer felt in a mood for joking, when dealing with -business of so much importance. He resumed dryly: "If you are not -serious, I will address myself to another person."</p> - -<p>Gontran ceased laughing: "No, no, my good friend, you know that I have -cleared off everything with you."</p> - -<p>The banker turned toward Paul: "My dear Monsieur, will you render me a -friendly service, that is, to accept also ten shares with the rank of -director?"</p> - -<p>Paul, with a bow, replied: "You will permit me, Monsieur, not to accept -this graceful offer, but to put a hundred thousand francs into the -undertaking, which I consider a superb one. So then it is I who have to -ask for a favor from you."</p> - -<p>William, ravished, seized his hands. This confidence had conquered him. -Besides he always experienced an irresistible desire to embrace persons -who brought him money for his enterprises.</p> - -<p>But Christiane crimsoned to her temples, pained, bruised. It seemed to -her that she had just been bought and sold. If he had not loved her, -would Paul have offered these hundred thousand francs to her husband? -No, undoubtedly! He should not, at least, have entered into this -transaction in her presence.</p> - -<p>The dinner-bell rang. They re-entered the hotel. As soon as they were -seated at table, Madame Paille, the mother, asked Andermatt:</p> - -<p>"So you are going to set up another establishment?"</p> - -<p>The news had already gone through the entire district, was known to -everyone, it put the bathers into a state of commotion.</p> - -<p>William replied: "Good heavens, yes! The existing one is too defective!"</p> - -<p>And turning round to M. Aubry-Pasteur: "You will excuse me, dear -Monsieur, for speaking to you at dinner of a step which I wished -to take with regard to you; but I am starting again for Paris, and -time presses on me terribly. Will you consent to direct the work of -excavation, in order to find a volume of superior water?"</p> - -<p>The engineer, feeling flattered, accepted the office. In five minutes -everything had been discussed and settled with the clearness and -precision which Andermatt imported into all matters of business. Then -they talked about the paralytic. He had been seen crossing the park in -the afternoon with only one walking-stick, although that morning he -had used two. The banker kept repeating: "This is a miracle, a real -miracle. His cure proceeds with giant strides!"</p> - -<p>Paul, to please the husband, rejoined: "It is Père Clovis himself who -walks with giant strides."</p> - -<p>A laugh of approval ran round the table. Every eye was fixed on Will; -every mouth complimented him.</p> - -<p>The waiters of the restaurant made it their business to serve him the -first, with a respectful deference, which disappeared from their faces -as soon as they passed the dishes to the next guest.</p> - -<p>One of them presented to him a card on a plate. He took it up, and read -it, half aloud:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"Doctor Latonne of Paris would be happy if M. Andermatt -would be kind enough to give him an interview of a few -seconds before his departure."</p></blockquote> - -<p>"Tell him in reply that I have no time, but that I will be back in -eight or ten days."</p> - -<p>At the same moment, a box of flowers sent by Doctor Honorat was -presented to Christiane.</p> - -<p>Gontran laughed: "Père Bonnefille is a bad third," said he.</p> - -<p>The dinner was nearly over. Andermatt was informed that his landau was -waiting for him. He went up to look for his little bag; and when he -came down again he saw half the village gathered in front of the door.</p> - -<p>Petrus Martel came to grasp his hand, with the familiarity of a -strolling actor, and murmured in his ear: "I shall have a proposal to -make to you—something stunning—with reference to your undertaking."</p> - -<p>Suddenly, Doctor Bonnefille appeared, hurrying in his usual fashion. He -passed quite close to Will, and bowing very low to him as he would do -to the Marquis, he said to him:</p> - -<p>"A pleasant journey, Baron."</p> - -<p>"That settles it!" murmured Gontran.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, triumphant, swelling with joy and pride, pressed the hands -extended toward him, thanked them, and kept repeating: <i>"Au revoir!"</i></p> - -<p>He was nearly forgetting to embrace his wife, so much was he thinking -about other things. This indifference was a relief to her, and, when -she saw the landau moving away on the darkening road, as the horses -broke into a quick trot, it seemed to her that she had nothing more to -fear from anyone for the rest of her life.</p> - -<p>She spent the whole evening seated in front of the hotel, between her -father and Paul Bretigny, Gontran having gone to the Casino, where he -went every evening.</p> - -<p>She did not want either to walk or to talk, and remained motionless, -her hands clasped over her knees, her eyes lost in the darkness, -languid and weak, a little restless and yet happy, scarcely thinking, -not even dreaming, now and then struggling against a vague remorse, -which she thrust away from her, always repeating to herself, "I love -him! I love him!"</p> - -<p>She went up to her apartment at an early hour, in order to be alone -and to think. Seated in the depths of an armchair and covered with a -dressing-gown which floated around her, she gazed at the stars through -the window, which was left open; and in the frame of that window she -evoked every minute the image of him who had conquered her. She saw -him, kind, gentle, and powerful—so strong and so yielding in her -presence. This man had taken herself to himself,—she felt it,—taken -her forever. She was alone no longer; they were two, whose two hearts -would henceforth form but one heart, whose two souls would henceforth -form but one soul. Where was he? She knew not; but she knew full well -that he was dreaming of her, just as she was thinking of him. At each -throb of her heart she believed she heard another throb answering -somewhere. She felt a desire wandering round her and fanning her cheek -like a bird's wing. She felt it entering through that open window, this -desire coming from him, this burning desire, which entreated her in the -silence of the night.</p> - -<p>How good it was, how sweet and refreshing to be loved! What joy to -think of some one, with a longing in your eyes to weep, to weep with -tenderness, and a longing also to open your arms, even without seeing -him, in order to invite him to come, to stretch one's arms toward the -image that presents itself, toward that kiss which your lover casts -unceasingly from far or near, in the fever of his waiting.</p> - -<p>And she stretched toward the stars her two white arms in the sleeves of -her dressing-gown. Suddenly she uttered a cry. A great black shadow, -striding over her balcony, had sprung up into her window.</p> - -<p>She sprang wildly to her feet! It was he! And, without even reflecting -that somebody might see them, she threw herself upon his breast.</p> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a id="monto002"></a> -<img src="images/mont_o_002.jpg" width="500" alt="" /> -<p class="cap">"SHE SPRANG WILDLY TO HER FEET. IT WAS HE!"</p> -</div> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.</a></h5> - - -<h4>ORGANIZATION</h4> - - -<p>The absence of Andermatt was prolonged. M. Aubry-Pasteur got the soil -dug up. He found, in addition, four springs, which supplied the new -Company with more than twice as much water as they required. The entire -district, driven crazy by these searches, by these discoveries, by the -great news which circulated everywhere, by the prospects of a brilliant -future, became agitated and enthusiastic, talked of nothing else, and -thought of nothing else. The Marquis and Gontran themselves spent their -days hanging round the workmen, who were boring through the veins of -granite; and they listened with increasing interest to the explanations -and the lectures of the engineer on the geological character of -Auvergne. And Paul and Christiane loved one another freely, tranquilly, -in absolute security, without anyone suspecting anything, without -anyone thinking even of spying on them, for the attention, the -curiosity, and the zeal of all around them were absorbed in the future -station.</p> - -<p>Christiane acted like a young girl under the intoxication of a first -love. The first draught, the first kiss, had burned, had stunned her. -She had swallowed the second very quickly, and had found it better, and -now again and again she raised the intoxicating cup to her lips.</p> - -<p>Since the night when Paul had broken into her apartment, she no longer -took any heed of what was happening in the world. For her, time, -events, beings, no longer had any existence; there was nothing else in -life save one man, he whom she loved. Henceforth, her eyes saw only -him, her mind thought only of him, her hopes were fixed on him alone. -She lived, went from place to place, ate, dressed herself, seemed to -listen and to reply, without consciousness or thought about what she -was doing. No disquietude haunted her, for no misfortune could have -fallen on her. She had become insensible to everything. No physical -pain could have taken hold of her flesh, as love alone could, so as -to make her shudder. No moral suffering could have taken hold of -her soul, paralyzed by happiness. Moreover, he, loving her with the -self-abandonment which he displayed in all his attachments, excited the -young woman's tenderness to distraction.</p> - -<p>Often, toward evening, when he knew that the Marquis and Gontran had -gone to the springs, he would say, "Come and look at our heaven." He -called a cluster of pine-trees growing on the hillside above even the -gorges their heaven. They ascended to this spot through a little wood, -along a steep path, to climb which took away Christiane's breath. As -their time was limited, they proceeded rapidly, and, in order that she -might not be too much fatigued, he put his arm round her waist and -lifted her up. Placing one hand on his shoulder, she let herself be -borne along; and, from time to time, she would throw herself on his -neck and place her mouth against his lips. As they mounted higher, the -air became keener; and, when they reached the cluster of pine-trees, -the odor of the balsam refreshed them like a breath of the sea.</p> - -<p>They sat down under the shadowy trees, she on a grassy knoll, and he -lower down, at her feet. The wind in the stems sang that sweet chant of -the pine-trees which is like a wail of sorrow; and the immense Limagne, -with its unseen backgrounds steeped in fog, gave them a sensation -exactly like that of the ocean. Yes, the sea was there in front of -them, down below. They could have no doubt of it, for they felt its -breath fanning their faces.</p> - -<p>He talked to her in the coaxing tone that one uses toward a child.</p> - -<p>"Give me your fingers and let me eat them—they are my bonbons, mine!"</p> - -<p>He put them one after the other into his mouth, and seemed to be -tasting them with gluttonous delight.</p> - -<p>"Oh! how nice they are!—especially the little one. I have never eaten -anything better than the little one."</p> - -<p>Then he threw himself on his knees, placed his elbows on Christiane's -lap, and murmured:</p> - -<p>"'Liane,' are you looking at me?" He called her Liane because she -entwined herself around him in order to embrace him the more closely, -as a plant clings around a tree. "Look at me. I am going to enter your -soul."</p> - -<p>And they exchanged that immovable, persistent glance, which seems truly -to make two beings mingle with one another!</p> - -<p>"We can only love thoroughly by thus possessing one another," he said. -"All the other things of love are but foul pleasures."</p> - -<p>And, face to face, their breaths blending into one, they sought to see -one another's images in the depths of their eyes.</p> - -<p>He murmured: "I love you, Liane. I see your adored heart."</p> - -<p>She replied: "I, too, Paul, see your heart!"</p> - -<p>And, indeed, they did see one another even to the depths of their -hearts and souls, for there was no longer in their hearts and souls -anything but a mad transport of love for one another.</p> - -<p>He said: "Liane, your eye is like the sky. It is blue, with so many -reflections, with so much clearness. It seems to me that I see swallows -passing through them—these, no doubt, must be your thoughts."</p> - -<p>And when they had thus contemplated one another for a long, long time, -they drew nearer still to one another, and embraced softly with little -jerks, gazing once more into each other's eyes between each kiss. -Sometimes he would take her in his arms, and carry her, while he ran -along the stream, which glided toward the gorges of Enval, before -dashing itself into them. It was a narrow glen, where meadows and woods -alternated. Paul rushed over the grass, and now and then he would raise -her up high with his powerful wrists, and exclaim: "Liane, let us fly -away." And with this yearning to fly away, love, their impassioned -love, filled them, harassing, incessant, sorrowful. And everything -around them whetted this desire of their souls, the light atmosphere—a -bird's atmosphere, he said—and the vast blue horizon, in which they -both would fain have taken wing, holding each other by the hand, so -as to disappear above the boundless plain when the night spread its -shadows across it. They would have flown thus across the hazy evening -sky, never to return. Where would they have gone? They knew not; but -what a glorious dream! When he had got out of breath from running while -carrying her in this way, he placed her sitting on a rock in order -to kneel down before her; and, kissing her ankles, he adored her, -murmuring infantile and tender words.</p> - -<p>Had they been lovers in a city, their passion, no doubt, would have -been different, more prudent, more sensual, less ethereal, and less -romantic. But there, in that green country, whose horizon widened the -flights of the soul, alone, without anything to distract them, to -attenuate their instinct of awakened love, they had suddenly plunged -into a passionately poetic attachment made up of ecstasy and frenzy. -The surrounding scenery, the balmy air, the woods, the sweet perfume -of the fields, played for them all day and all night the music of -their love—music which excited them even to madness, as the sound of -tambourines and of shrill flutes drives to acts of savage unreason the -dervish who whirls round with fixed intent.</p> - -<p>One evening, as they were returning to the hotel for dinner, the -Marquis said to them, suddenly: "Andermatt is coming back in four -days. Matters are all arranged. We are to leave the day after his -return. We have been here a long time. We must not prolong mineral -water seasons too much."</p> - -<p>They were as much taken by surprise as if they had heard the end of the -world announced, and during the meal neither of them uttered a word, so -much were they thinking with astonishment of what was about to happen. -So then they would, in a few days, be separated and would no longer -be able to see one another freely. That appeared so impossible and so -extraordinary to them that they could not realize it.</p> - -<p>Andermatt did, in fact, come back at the end of the week. He had -telegraphed in order that two landaus might be sent on to him to meet -the first train.</p> - -<p>Christiane, who had not slept, tormented as she was by a strange and -new emotion, a sort of fear of her husband, a fear mingled with anger, -with inexplicable contempt, and a desire to set him at defiance, had -risen at daybreak, and was awaiting him. He appeared in the first -carriage, accompanied by three gentlemen well attired but modest in -demeanor. The second landau contained four others, who seemed persons -of rank somewhat inferior to the first. The Marquis and Gontran were -astonished. The latter asked: "Who are these people?"</p> - -<p>Andermatt replied: "My shareholders. We are going to establish -the Company this very day, and to nominate the board of directors -immediately."</p> - -<p>He embraced his wife without speaking to her, and almost without -looking at her, so preoccupied was he; and, turning toward the seven -gentlemen, who were standing behind him, silent and respectful:</p> - -<p>"Go and have breakfast, and take a walk," said he. "We'll meet again -here at twelve o'clock."</p> - -<p>They went off without saying anything, like soldiers obeying orders, -and mounting the steps of the hotel one after another, they went in. -Gontran, who had been watching them as they disappeared from view, -asked in a very serious tone:</p> - -<p>"Where did you find them, these 'supers' of yours?"</p> - -<p>The banker smiled: "They are very well-to-do men, moneyed men, -capitalists."</p> - -<p>And, after a pause, he added, with a more significant smile: "They busy -themselves about my affairs."</p> - -<p>Then he repaired to the notary's office to read over again the -documents, of which he had sent the originals, all prepared, some days -before. There he found Doctor Latonne, with whom, moreover, he had been -in correspondence, and they chatted for a long time in low tones, in a -corner of the office, while the clerks' pens ran along the paper, with -the buzzing noise of insects.</p> - -<p>The meeting to establish the Company was fixed for two o'clock. The -notary's study had been fitted up as if for a concert. Two rows -of chairs were placed for the shareholders in front of the table, -where Maître Alain was to take his seat beside his principal clerk. -Maître Alain had put on his official garment in consideration of -the importance of the business in hand. He was a very small man, a -stuttering ball of white flesh.</p> - -<p>Andermatt entered just as it struck two, accompanied by the Marquis, -his brother-in-law, and Bretigny, and followed by the seven gentlemen, -whom Gontran described as "supers." He had the air of a general. -Père Oriol also made his appearance with Colosse by his side. He -seemed uneasy, distrustful, as people always are when about to sign a -document. The last to arrive was Doctor Latonne. He had made his peace -with Andermatt by a complete submission preceded by excuses skillfully -turned, and followed by an offer of his services without any reserve or -restrictions.</p> - -<p>Thereupon, the banker, feeling that he had Latonne in his power, -promised him the post he longed for, of medical inspector of the new -establishment.</p> - -<p>When everyone was in the room, a profound silence reigned. The notary -addressed the meeting: "Gentlemen, take your seats." He gave utterance -to a few words more, which nobody could hear in the confusion caused by -the moving about of the chairs.</p> - -<p>Andermatt lifted up a chair, and placed it in front of his army, in -order to keep his eye on all his supporters; then, when he was seated, -he said:</p> - -<p>"Messieurs, I need not enter into any explanations with you as to -the motive that brings us together. We are going, first of all, to -establish the new Company in which you have consented to become -shareholders. It is my duty, however, to apprise you of a few details, -which have caused us a little embarrassment. I have found it necessary, -before even entering on the undertaking at all, to assure myself that -we could obtain the required authority for the creation of a new -establishment of public utility. This assurance I have got. What -remains to be done with respect to this, I will make it my business -to do. I have the Minister's promise. But another point demands my -attention. We are going, Messieurs, to enter on a struggle with the -old Company of the Enval waters. We shall come forth victorious in -this struggle, victorious and enriched, you may be certain; but, just -as in the days of old, a war cry was necessary for the combatants, we, -combatants in the modern battle, require a name for our station, a name -sonorous, attractive, well fashioned for advertising purposes, which -strikes the ear like the note of a clarion, and penetrates the ear like -a flash of lightning. Now, Messieurs, we are in Enval, and we can not -unbaptize this district. One resource only is left to us. To designate -our establishment, our establishment alone, by a new appellation.</p> - -<p>"Here is what I propose to you: If our bathhouse is to be at the foot -of the knoll, of which M. Oriol, here present, is the proprietor, our -future Casino will be erected on the summit of this same knoll. We may, -therefore, say that this knoll, this mountain—for it is a mountain, a -little mountain—furnishes the site of our establishment, inasmuch as -we have the foot and the top of it. Is it not, therefore, natural to -call our baths the Baths of Mont Oriol, and to attach to this station, -which will become one of the most important in the entire world, the -name of the original proprietor? Render to Cæsar what belongs to Cæsar.</p> - -<p>"And observe, Messieurs, that this is an excellent vocable. People will -talk of 'the Mont Oriol' as they talk of 'the Mont Doré.' It fixes -itself on the eye and in the ear; we can see it well; we can hear it -well; it abides in us—Mont Oriol!—Mont Oriol!—The baths of Mont -Oriol!"</p> - -<p>And Andermatt made this word ring, flung it out like a ball, listening -to the echo of it. He went on, repeating imaginary dialogues: "'You are -going to the baths of Mont Oriol?'</p> - -<p>"'Yes, Madame. People say they are perfect, these waters of Mont Oriol.'</p> - -<p>"'Excellent, indeed. Besides, Mont Oriol is a delightful district.'"</p> - -<p>And he smiled, assumed the air of people chatting to one another, -altered his voice to indicate when the lady was speaking, saluted with -the hand when representing the gentleman.</p> - -<p>Then he resumed, in his natural voice: "Has anyone an objection to -offer?"</p> - -<p>The shareholders answered in chorus: "No, none."</p> - -<p>All the "supers" applauded. Père Oriol, moved, flattered, conquered, -overcome by the deep-rooted pride of an upstart peasant, began to smile -while he twisted his hat about between his hands, and he made a sign -of assent with his head in spite of him, a movement which revealed his -satisfaction, and which Andermatt observed without pretending to see -it. Colosse remained impassive, but was quite as much satisfied as his -father.</p> - -<p>Then Andermatt said to the notary: "Kindly read the instrument whereby -the Company is incorporated, Maître Alain."</p> - -<p>And he resumed his seat. The notary said to his clerk: "Go on, -Marinet."</p> - -<p>Marinet, a wretched consumptive creature, coughed, and with the -intonations of a preacher, and an attempt at declamation, began to -enumerate the statutes relating to the incorporation of an anonymous -Company, called the Company of the Thermal Establishment of Mont Oriol -at Enval with a capital of two millions.</p> - -<p>Père Oriol interrupted him: "A moment, a moment," said he. And he -drew forth from his pocket a few sheets of greasy paper, which during -the past eight days had passed through the hands of all the notaries -and all the men of business of the department. It was a copy of the -statutes which his son and himself by this time were beginning to know -by heart. Then, he slowly fixed his spectacles on his nose, raised -up his head, looked out for the exact point where he could easily -distinguish the letters, and said in a tone of command:</p> - -<p>"Go on from that place, Marinet."</p> - -<p>Colosse, having got close to his chair, also kept his eye on the paper -along with his father.</p> - -<p>And Marinet commenced over again. Then old Oriol, bewildered by the -double task of listening and reading at the same time, tortured by the -apprehension of a word being changed, beset also by the desire to see -whether Andermatt was making some sign to the notary, did not allow -a single line to be got through without stopping ten times the clerk -whose elocutionary efforts he interrupted.</p> - -<p>He kept repeating: "What did you say? What did you say there? I didn't -understand—not so quick!"</p> - -<p>Then turning aside a little toward his son: "What place is he at, -Coloche?"</p> - -<p>Coloche, more self-controlled, replied: "It's all right, father—let -him go on—it's all right."</p> - -<p>The peasant was still distrustful. With the end of his crooked finger -he went on tracing on the paper the words as they were read out, -muttering them between his lips; but he could not fix his attention -at the same time on both matters. When he listened, he did not read, -and he did not hear when he was reading. And he puffed as if he had -been climbing a mountain; he perspired as if he had been digging his -vine-fields under a midday sun, and from time to time, he asked for a -few minutes' rest to wipe his forehead and to take breath, like a man -fighting a duel.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, losing patience, stamped with his foot on the ground. -Gontran, having noticed on a table the "Moniteur du Puy-de-Dome," had -taken it up and was running his eye over it, and Paul, astride on his -chair, with downcast eyes and an anxious heart, was reflecting that -this little man, rosy and corpulent, sitting in front of him, was going -to carry off, next day, the woman whom he loved with all his soul, -Christiane, his Christiane, his fair Christiane, who was his, his -entirely, nothing to anyone save him. And he asked himself whether he -was not going to carry her off this very evening.</p> - -<p>The seven gentlemen remained serious and tranquil.</p> - -<p>At the end of an hour, it was finished. The deed was signed. The notary -made out certificates for the payments on the shares. On being appealed -to, the cashier, M. Abraham Levy, declared that he had received the -necessary deposits. Then the company, from that moment legally -constituted, was announced to be gathered together in general assembly, -all the shareholders being in attendance, for the appointment of a -board of directors and the election of their chairman.</p> - -<p>All the votes with the exception of two, were recorded in favor of -Andermatt's election to the post of chairman. The two dissentients—the -old peasant and his son—had nominated Oriol. Bretigny was appointed -commissioner of superintendence. Then, the Board, consisting of MM. -Andermatt, the Marquis and the Count de Ravenel, Bretigny, the Oriols, -father and son, Doctor Latonne, Abraham Levy, and Simon Zidler, begged -of the remaining shareholders to withdraw, as well as the notary and -his clerk, in order that they, as the governing body, might determine -on the first resolutions, and settle the most important points.</p> - -<p>Andermatt rose up again: "Messieurs, we are entering on the vital -question, that of success, which we must win at any cost.</p> - -<p>"It is with mineral waters as with everything. It is necessary to get -them talked about a great deal, and continually, so that invalids may -drink them.</p> - -<p>"The great modern question, Messieurs, is that of advertising. It is -the god of commerce and of contemporary industry. Without advertising -there is no security. The art of advertising, moreover, is difficult, -complicated, and demands a considerable amount of tact. The first -persons who resorted to this new expedient employed it rudely, -attracting attention by noise, by beating the big drum, and letting off -cannon-shots. Mangin, Messieurs, was only a forerunner. To-day, clamor -is regarded with suspicion, showy placards cause a smile, the crying -out of names in the streets awakens distrust rather than curiosity. And -yet it is necessary to attract public attention, and after having fixed -it, it is necessary to produce conviction. The art, therefore, consists -in discovering the means, the only means which can succeed, having in -our possession something that we desire to sell. We, Messieurs, for our -part, desire to sell water. It is by the physicians that we are to get -the better of the invalids.</p> - -<p>"The most celebrated physicians, Messieurs, are men like ourselves—who -have weaknesses like us. I do not mean to convey that we can corrupt -them. The reputation of the illustrious masters, whose assistance we -require, places them above all suspicion of venality. But what man -is there that cannot be won over by going properly to work with him? -There are also women who cannot be purchased. These it is necessary to -fascinate.</p> - -<p>"Here, then, Messieurs, is the proposition which I am going to make to -you, after having discussed it at great length with Doctor Latonne:</p> - -<p>"We have, in the first place, classified in three leading groups the -maladies submitted for our treatment. These are, first, rheumatism in -all its forms, skin-disease, arthritis, gout, and so forth; secondly, -affections of the stomach, of the intestines and of the liver; thirdly, -all the disorders arising from disturbed circulation, for it is -indisputable that our acidulated baths have an admirable effect on the -circulation.</p> - -<p>"Moreover, Messieurs, the marvelous cure of Père Clovis promises us -miracles. Accordingly, when we have to deal with maladies which these -waters are calculated to cure, we are about to make to the principal -physicians who attend patients for such diseases the following -proposition: 'Messieurs,' we shall say to them, 'come and see, come and -see with your own eyes; follow your patients; we offer you hospitality. -The country is magnificent; you require a rest after your severe labors -during the winter—come! And come not to our houses, worthy professors, -but to your own, for we offer you a cottage, which will belong to you, -if you choose, on exceptional conditions.'"</p> - -<p>Andermatt took breath, and went on in a more subdued tone:</p> - -<p>"Here is how I have tried to work out this idea. We have selected six -lots of land of a thousand meters each. On each of these six lots, -the Bernese 'Chalets Mobiles' Company undertakes to fix one of their -model buildings. We shall place gratuitously these dwellings, as -elegant as they are comfortable, at the disposal of our physicians. -If they are pleased with them, they need only buy the houses from -the Bernese Company; as for the grounds, we shall assign them to the -physicians, who are to pay us back—in invalids. Therefore, Messieurs, -we obtain these multiplied advantages of covering our property with -charming villas which cost us nothing, of attracting thither the -leading physicians of the world and their legion of clients, and above -all of convincing the eminent doctors who will very rapidly become -proprietors in the district of the efficacy of our waters. As to all -the negotiations necessary to bring about these results I take them -upon myself, Messieurs; and I will do so, not as a speculator but as a -man of the world."</p> - -<p>Père Oriol interrupted him. The parsimony which he shared with the -peasantry of Auvergne made him object to this gratuitous assignment of -land.</p> - -<p>Andermatt was inspired with a burst of eloquence. He compared the -agriculturist on a large scale who casts his seed in handfuls into the -teeming soil with the rapacious peasant who counts the grains and never -gets more than half a harvest.</p> - -<p>Then, as Oriol, annoyed by this language, persisted in his objections, -the banker made his board divide, and shut the old man's mouth with six -votes against two.</p> - -<p>He next opened a large morocco portfolio and took out of it plans -of the new establishment—the hotel and the Casino—as well as the -estimates, and the most economical methods of procuring materials, -which had been all prepared by the contractors, so that they might be -approved of and signed before the end of the meeting. The works should -be commenced by the beginning of the week after next.</p> - -<p>The two Oriols alone wanted to investigate and discuss matters. But -Andermatt, becoming irritated, said to them: "Did I ask you for money? -No! Then give me peace! And, if you are not satisfied, we'll take -another division on it."</p> - -<p>Thereupon, they signed along with the remaining members of the Board; -and the meeting terminated.</p> - -<p>All the inhabitants of the place were waiting to see them going out, so -intense was the excitement. The people bowed respectfully to them. As -the two peasants were about to return home, Andermatt said to them:</p> - -<p>"Do not forget that we are all dining together at the hotel. And bring -your girls; I have brought them presents from Paris."</p> - -<p>They were to meet at seven o'clock in the drawing-room of the Hotel -Splendid.</p> - -<p>It was a magnificent dinner to which the banker had invited the -principal bathers and the authorities of the village. Christiane, who -was the hostess, had the curé at her right, and the mayor at her left.</p> - -<p>The conversation was all about the future establishment and the -prospects of the district. The two Oriol girls had found under their -napkins two caskets containing two bracelets of pearls and emeralds, -and wild with delight, they talked as they had never done before, with -Gontran sitting between them. The elder girl herself laughed with all -her heart at the jokes of the young man, who became animated, while he -talked to them, and in his own mind formed about them those masculine -judgments, those judgments daring and secret, which are generated in -the flesh and in the mind, at the sight of every pretty woman.</p> - -<p>Paul did not eat, and did not open his lips. It seemed to him that -his life was going to end to-night. Suddenly he remembered that just -a month had glided away, day by day, since the open-air dinner by the -lake of Tazenat. He had in his soul that vague sense of pain caused -rather by presentiments than by grief, known to lovers alone, that -sense of pain which makes the heart so heavy, the nerves so vibrating -that the slightest noise makes us pant, and the mind so wretchedly sad -that everything we hear assumes a somber hue so as to correspond with -the fixed idea.</p> - -<p>As soon as they had quitted the table, he went to join Christiane in -the drawing-room.</p> - -<p>"I must see you this evening," he said, "presently, immediately, since -I no longer can tell when we may be able to meet. Are you aware that it -is just a month to-day?"</p> - -<p>She replied: "I know it."</p> - -<p>He went on: "Listen! I am going to wait for you on the road to La Roche -Pradière, in front of the village, close to the chestnut-trees. Nobody -will notice your absence at the time. Come quickly in order to bid me -adieu, since to-morrow we part."</p> - -<p>She murmured: "I'll be there in a quarter of an hour."</p> - -<p>And he went out to avoid being in the midst of this crowd which -exasperated him.</p> - -<p>He took the path through the vineyards which they had followed one -day—the day when they had gazed together at the Limagne for the first -time. And soon he was on the highroad. He was alone, and he felt alone, -alone in the world. The immense, invisible plain increased still more -this sense of isolation. He stopped in the very spot where they had -seated themselves on the occasion when he recited Baudelaire's lines -on Beauty. How far away it was already! And, hour by hour, he retraced -in his memory all that had since taken place. Never had he been so -happy, never! Never had he loved so distractedly, and at the same time -so chastely, so devotedly. And he recalled that evening by the "gour" -of Tazenat, only a month from to-day—the cool wood mellowed with a -pale luster, the little lake of silver, and the big fishes that skimmed -along its surface; and their return, when he saw her walking in front -of him with light and shadow falling on her in turn, the moon's rays -playing on her hair, on her shoulders, and on her arms through the -leaves of the trees. These were the sweetest hours he had tasted in his -life. He turned round to ascertain whether she might not have arrived. -He did not see her, but he perceived the moon, which appeared at the -horizon. The same moon which had risen for his first declaration of -love had risen now for his first adieu.</p> - -<p>A shiver ran through his body, an icy shiver. The autumn had come—the -autumn that precedes the winter. He had not till now felt this first -touch of cold, which pierced his frame suddenly like a menace of -misfortune.</p> - -<p>The white road, full of dust, stretched in front of him, like a river -between its banks. A form at that moment rose up at the turn of -the road. He recognized her at once; and he waited for her without -flinching, trembling with the mysterious bliss of feeling her drawing -near, of seeing her coming toward him, for him.</p> - -<p>She walked with lingering steps, without venturing to call out to him, -uneasy at not finding him yet, for he remained concealed under a tree, -and disturbed by the deep silence, by the clear solitude of the earth -and sky. And, before her, her shadow advanced, black and gigantic, some -distance away from her, appearing to carry toward him something of her, -before herself.</p> - -<p>Christiane stopped, and the shadow remained also motionless, lying -down, fallen on the road.</p> - -<p>Paul quickly took a few steps forward as far as the place where the -form of the head rounded itself on her path. Then, as if he wanted to -lose no portion of her, he sank on his knees, and prostrating himself, -placed his mouth on the edge of the dark silhouette. Just as a thirsty -dog drinks crawling on his belly in a spring he began to kiss the dust -passionately, following the outlines of the beloved shadow. In this -way, he moved toward her on his hands and knees, covering with caresses -the lines of her body, as if to gather up with his lips the obscure -image, dear because it was hers, that lay spread along the ground.</p> - -<p>She, surprised, a little frightened even, waited till he was at her -feet before she had the courage to speak to him; then, when he had -lifted up his head, still remaining on his knees, but now straining her -with both arms, she asked:</p> - -<p>"What is the matter with you, to-night?"</p> - -<p>He replied: "Liane, I am going to lose you."</p> - -<p>She thrust all her fingers into the thick hair of her lover, and, -bending down, held back his forehead in order to kiss his eyes.</p> - -<p>"Why lose me?" said she, smiling, full of confidence.</p> - -<p>"Because we are going to separate to-morrow."</p> - -<p>"We separate? For a very short time, darling."</p> - -<p>"One never knows. We shall not again find days like those that we -passed here."</p> - -<p>"We shall have others which will be as lovely."</p> - -<p>She raised him up, drew him under the tree, where he had been awaiting -her, made him sit down close to her, but lower down, so that she might -have her hand constantly in his hair; and she talked in a serious -strain, like a thoughtful, ardent, and resolute woman, who loves, who -has already provided against everything, who instinctively knows what -must be done, who has made up her mind for everything.</p> - -<p>"Listen, my darling. I am very free at Paris. William never bothers -himself about me. His business concerns are enough for him. Therefore, -as you are not married, I will go to see you. I will go to see you -every day, sometimes in the morning before breakfast, sometimes in the -evening, on account of the servants, who might chatter if I went out at -the same hour. We can meet as often as here, even more than here, for -we shall not have to fear inquisitive persons."</p> - -<p>But he repeated with his head on her knees, and her waist tightly -clasped: "Liane, Liane, I am going to lose you!"</p> - -<p>She became impatient at this unreasonable grief, at this childish grief -in this vigorous frame, while she, so fragile compared with him, was -yet so sure of herself, so sure that nothing could part them.</p> - -<p>He murmured: "If you wished it, Liane, we might fly off together, we -might go far away, into a beautiful country full of flowers where we -could love one another. Say, do you wish that we should go off together -this evening—are you willing?"</p> - -<p>But she shrugged her shoulders, a little nervous, a little -dissatisfied, at his not having listened to her, for this was not the -time for dreams and soft puerilities. It was necessary now for them to -show themselves energetic and prudent, and to find out a way in which -they could continue to love one another without rousing suspicion.</p> - -<p>She said in reply: "Listen, darling! we must thoroughly understand our -position, and commit no mistakes or imprudences. First of all, are you -sure about your servants? The thing to be most feared is lest some one -should give information or write an anonymous letter to my husband. Of -his own accord, he will guess nothing. I know William well."</p> - -<p>This name, twice repeated, all at once had an irritating effect on -Paul's nerves. He said: "Oh! don't speak to me about him this evening."</p> - -<p>She was astonished: "Why? It is quite necessary, however. Oh! I assure -you that he has scarcely anything to do with me."</p> - -<p>She had divined his thoughts. An obscure jealousy, as yet unconscious, -was awakened within him. And suddenly, sinking on his knees and seizing -her hands:</p> - -<p>"Listen, Liane! What terms are you on with him?"</p> - -<p>"Why—why—very good!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I know. But listen—understand me clearly. He is—he is your -husband, in fact—and—and—you don't know how much I have been -brooding over this for some time past—how much it torments, tortures -me. You know what I mean. Tell me!"</p> - -<p>She hesitated a few seconds, then in a flash she realized his entire -meaning, and with an outburst of indignant candor:</p> - -<p>"Oh! my darling!—can you—can you think such a thing? Oh! I am -yours—do you understand?—yours alone—since I love you—oh! Paul!"</p> - -<p>He let his head sink on the young woman's lap, and in a very soft -voice, said:</p> - -<p>"But!—after all, Liane, you know he is your husband. What will you do? -Have you thought of that? Tell me! What will you do this evening or -to-morrow? For you cannot—always, always say 'No' to him!"</p> - -<p>She murmured, speaking also in a very low tone: "I have pretended to -be <i>enceinte</i>, and—and that is enough for him. Oh! there is scarcely -anything between us—Come! say no more about this, my darling. You -don't know how this wounds me. Trust me, since I love you!"</p> - -<p>He did not move, breathing hard and kissing her dress, while she -caressed his face with her amorous, dainty Fingers.</p> - -<p>But, all of a sudden, she said: "We must go back, for they will notice -that we are both absent."</p> - -<p>They embraced each other, clinging for a long time to one another in a -clasp that might well have crushed their bones.</p> - -<p>Then she rushed away so as to be back first and to enter the hotel -quickly, while he watched her departing and vanishing from his sight, -oppressed with sadness, as if all his happiness and all his hopes had -taken flight along with her.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.</a></h5> - - -<h4>THE SPA AGAIN</h4> - - -<p>The station of Enval could hardly be recognized on the first of July -of the following year. On the summit of the knoll, standing between -the two outlets of the valley, rose a building in the Moorish style of -architecture, bearing on its front the word "Casino" in letters of gold.</p> - -<p>A little wood had been utilized for the purpose of creating a small -park on the slope facing the Limagne. Lower down, among the vines, six -chalets here and there showed their <i>façades</i> of polished wood. On the -slope facing the south, an immense structure was visible at a distance -to travelers, who perceived it on their way from Riom.</p> - -<p>This was the Grand Hotel of Mont Oriol. And exactly below it, at the -very foot of the hill, a square house, simpler and more spacious, -surrounded by a garden, through which ran the rivulet which flowed down -from the gorges, offered to invalids the miraculous cure promised by a -pamphlet of Doctor Latonne. On the <i>façade</i> could be read: "Thermal -baths of Mont Oriol." Then, on the right wing, in smaller letters: -"Hydropathy.—Stomach-washing.—Piscina with running water." And, on -the left wing: "Medical institute of automatic gymnastics."</p> - -<p>All this was white, with a fresh whiteness, shining and crude. Workmen -were still occupied in completing it—house-painters, plumbers, and -laborers employed in digging, although the establishment had already -been a month open.</p> - -<p>Its success, moreover, had since the start, surpassed the hopes of -its founders. Three great physicians, three celebrities, Professor -Mas-Roussel, Professor Cloche, and Professor Remusot, had taken the new -station under their patronage, and consented to sojourn for sometime in -the villas of the Bernese "Chalets Mobiles" Company, placed at their -disposal by the Board intrusted with the management of the waters.</p> - -<p>Under their influence a crowd of invalids flocked to the place. The -Grand Hotel of Mont Oriol was full.</p> - -<p>Although the baths had commenced working since the first days of June, -the official opening of the station had been postponed till the first -of July, in order to attract a great number of people. The <i>fête</i> was -to commence at three o'clock with the ceremony of blessing the springs; -and in the evening, a magnificent performance, followed by fireworks -and a ball, would bring together all the bathers of the place, as well -as those of the adjoining stations, and the principal inhabitants of -Clermont-Ferrand and Riom.</p> - -<p>The Casino on the summit of the hill was hidden from view by the flags. -Nothing could be seen any longer but blue, red, white, yellow, a kind -of dense and palpitating cloud; while from the tops of the gigantic -masts planted along the walks in the park, huge oriflammes curled -themselves in the blue sky with serpentine windings.</p> - -<p>M. Petrus Martel, who had been appointed conductor of this new Casino, -seemed to think that under this cloud of flags he had become the -all-powerful captain of some fantastic ship; and he gave orders to the -white-aproned waiters with the resounding and terrible voice which -admirals need in order to exercise command under fire. His vibrating -words, borne on by the wind, were heard even in the village.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, out of breath already, appeared on the terrace. Petrus -Martel advanced to meet him and bowed to him in a lordly fashion.</p> - -<p>"Everything is going on well?" inquired the banker.</p> - -<p>"Everything is going on well, my dear President."</p> - -<p>"If anyone wants me, I am to be found in the medical inspector's study. -We have a meeting this morning."</p> - -<p>And he went down the hill again. In front of the door of the thermal -establishment, the overseer and the cashier, carried off also from the -other Company, which had become the rival Company, but doomed without -a possible contest, rushed forward to meet their master. The ex-jailer -made a military salute. The other bent his head like a poor person -receiving alms. Andermatt asked:</p> - -<p>"Is the inspector here?"</p> - -<p>The overseer replied: "Yes, Monsieur le President, all the gentlemen -have arrived."</p> - -<p>The banker passed through the vestibule, in the midst of bathers and -respectful waiters, turned to the right, opened a door, and found in a -spacious apartment of serious aspect, full of books and busts of men of -science, all the members of the Board at present in Enval assembled: -his father-in-law the Marquis, and his brother-in-law Gontran, the -Oriols, father and son, who had almost been transformed into gentlemen -wearing frock-coats of such length that—with their own tallness, they -looked like advertisements for a mourning-warehouse—Paul Bretigny, and -Doctor Latonne.</p> - -<p>After some rapid hand-shaking, they took their seats, and Andermatt -commenced to address them:</p> - -<p>"It remains for us to regulate an important matter, the naming of -the springs. On this subject I differ entirely in opinion from the -inspector. The doctor proposes to give to our three principal springs -the names of the three leaders of the medical profession who are -here. Assuredly, there would in this be a flattery which might touch -them and win them over to us still more. But be sure, Messieurs, that -it would alienate from us forever those among their distinguished -professional brethren who have not yet responded to our invitation, and -whom we should convince, at the cost of our best efforts and of every -sacrifice, of the sovereign efficacy of our waters. Yes, Messieurs, -human nature is unchangeable; it is necessary to know it and to -make use of it. Never would Professors Plantureau, De Larenard, and -Pascalis, to refer only to these three specialists in affections of the -stomach and intestines, send their patients to be cured by the water -of the Mas-Roussel Spring, the Cloche Spring, or the Remusot Spring. -For these patients and the entire public would in that case be somewhat -disposed to believe that it was by Professors Remusot, Cloche, and -Mas-Roussel that our water and all its therapeutic properties had been -discovered. There is no doubt, Messieurs, that the name of Gubler, with -which the original spring at Chatel-Guyon was baptized, for a long time -prejudiced against these waters, to-day in a prosperous condition, a -section, at least, of the great physicians, who might have patronized -it from the start.</p> - -<p>"I accordingly propose to give quite simply the name of my wife to the -spring first discovered and the names of the Mademoiselles Oriol to -the other two. We shall thus have the Christiane, the Louise, and the -Charlotte Springs. This suits very well; it is very nice. What do you -say to it?"</p> - -<p>His suggestion was adopted even by Doctor Latonne, who added: "We might -then beg of MM. Mas-Roussel, Cloche, and Remusot to be godfathers and -to offer their arms to the godmothers."</p> - -<p>"Excellent, excellent," said Andermatt. "I am hurrying to meet them. -And they will consent. I may answer for them—they will consent. Let -us, therefore, reassemble at three o'clock in the church where the -procession is to be formed."</p> - -<p>And he went off at a running pace. The Marquis and Gontran followed him -almost immediately. The Oriols, father and son, with tall hats on their -heads, hastened to walk in their turn side by side, grave looking and -all in black, on the white road; and Doctor Latonne said to Paul, who -had only arrived the previous evening, to be present at the <i>fête:</i></p> - -<p>"I have detained you, Monsieur, in order to show you a thing from which -I expect marvelous results. It is my medical institute of automatic -gymnastics."</p> - -<p>He took him by the arm, and led him in. But they had scarcely reached -the vestibule when a waiter at the baths stopped the doctor:</p> - -<p>"M. Riquier is waiting for his wash."</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne had, last year, spoken disparagingly of the stomach -washings, extolled and practiced by Doctor Bonnefille, in the -establishment of which he was inspector. But time had modified his -opinion, and the Baraduc probe had become the great instrument of -torture of the new inspector, who plunged it with an infantile delight -into every gullet.</p> - -<p>He inquired of Paul Bretigny: "Have you ever seen this little -operation?"</p> - -<p>The other replied: "No, never."</p> - -<p>"Come on then, my dear fellow—it is very curious."</p> - -<p>They entered the shower-bath room, where M. Riquier, the brick-colored -man, who was this year trying the newly discovered springs, as he had -tried, every summer, every fresh station, was waiting in a wooden -armchair.</p> - -<p>Like some executed criminal of olden times, he was squeezed and choked -up in a kind of straight waistcoat of oilcloth, which was intended to -preserve his clothes from stains and splashes; and he had the wretched, -restless, and pained look of patients on whom a surgeon is about to -operate.</p> - -<p>As soon as the doctor appeared, the waiter took up a long tube, which -had three divisions near the middle, and which had the appearance of -a thin serpent with a double tail. Then the man fixed one of the -ends to the extremity of a little cock communicating with the spring. -The second was let fall into a glass receiver, into which would be -presently discharged the liquids rejected by the patient's stomach; and -the medical inspector, seizing with a steady hand the third arm of this -conduit-pipe, drew it, with an air of amiability, toward M. Riquier's -jaw, passed it into his mouth, and guiding it dexterously, slipped -it into his throat, driving it in more and more with the thumb and -index-finger, in a gracious and benevolent fashion, repeating:</p> - -<p>"Very good! very good! very good! That will do, that will do; that will -do; that will do exactly!"</p> - -<p>M. Riquier, with staring eyes, purple cheeks, lips covered with foam, -panted for breath, gasped as if he were suffocating, and had agonizing -fits of coughing; and, clutching the arms of the chair, he made -terrible efforts to get rid of that beastly india-rubber which was -penetrating into his body.</p> - -<p>When he had swallowed about a foot and a half of it, the doctor said: -"We are at the bottom. Turn it on!"</p> - -<p>The attendant thereupon turned on the cock, and soon the patient's -stomach became visibly swollen, having been filled up gradually with -the warm water of the spring.</p> - -<p>"Cough," said the physician, "cough, in order to facilitate the -descent."</p> - -<p>In place of coughing, the poor man had a rattling in the throat, and -shaken with convulsions, he looked as if his eyes were going to jump -out of his head.</p> - -<p>Then suddenly a light gurgling could be heard on the ground close to -the armchair. The spout of the tube with the two passages had at last -begun to work; and the stomach now emptied itself into this glass -receiver where the doctor searched eagerly for the indications of -catarrh and the recognizable traces of imperfect digestion.</p> - -<p>"You are not to eat any more green peas," said he, "or salad. Oh! no -salad! You cannot digest it at all. No more strawberries either! I have -already repeated to you ten times, no strawberries!"</p> - -<p>M. Riquier seemed raging with anger. He excited himself now without -being able to utter a word on account of this tube, which stopped up -his throat. But when, the washing having been finished, the doctor had -delicately drawn out the probe from his interior, he exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"Is it my fault if I am eating every day filth that ruins my health? -Isn't it you that should watch the meals supplied by your hotel-keeper? -I have come to your new cook-shop because they used to poison me at -the old one with abominable food, and I am worse than ever in your big -barrack of a Mont Oriol inn, upon my honor!"</p> - -<p>The doctor had to appease him, and promised over and over again to have -the invalids' food at the <i>table d'hôte</i> submitted beforehand to his -inspection. Then, he took Paul Bretigny's arm again, and said as he led -him away:</p> - -<p>"Here are the extremely rational principles on which I have established -my special treatment by the self-moving gymnastics, which we are -going to inspect. You know my system of organometric medicine, don't -you? I maintain that a great portion of our maladies entirely proceed -from the excessive development of some one organ which encroaches on -a neighboring organ, impedes its functions, and, in a little while, -destroys the general harmony of the body, whence arise the most serious -disturbances.</p> - -<p>"Now, the exercise is, along with the shower-bath and the thermal -treatment, one of the most powerful means of restoring the equilibrium -and bringing back the encroaching parts to their normal proportions.</p> - -<p>"But how are we to determine the man to make the exercise? There is -not merely the act of walking, of mounting on horseback, of swimming -or rowing—a considerable physical effort. There is also and above -all a moral effort. It is the mind which determines, draws along, and -sustains the body. The men of energy are men of movement. Now energy is -in the soul and not in the muscles. The body obeys the vigorous will.</p> - -<p>"It is not necessary to think, my dear friend, of giving courage to -the cowardly or resolution to the weak. But we can do something else, -we can do more—we can suppress mental energy, suppress moral effort -and leave only physical subsisting. This moral effort, I replace with -advantage by a foreign and purely mechanical force. Do you understand? -No, not very well. Let us go in."</p> - -<p>He opened a door leading into a large apartment, in which were ranged -fantastic looking instruments, big armchairs with wooden legs, horses -made of rough deal, articulated boards, and movable bars stretched -in front of chairs fixed in the ground. And all these objects were -connected with complicated machinery, which was set in motion by -turning handles.</p> - -<p>The doctor went on: "Look here. We have four principal kinds of -exercise. These are walking, equitation, swimming, and rowing. Each of -these exercises develops different members, acts in a special fashion. -Now, we have them here—the entire four—produced by artificial means. -All you have to do is to let yourself act, while thinking of nothing, -and you can run, mount on horseback, swim, or row for an hour, without -the mind taking any part—the slightest part in the world—in this -entirely muscular work."</p> - -<p>At that moment, M. Aubry-Pasteur entered, followed by a man whose -tucked-up sleeves displayed the vigorous biceps on each arm. The -engineer was as fat as ever. He was walking with his legs spread Wide -apart and his arms held out from his body, While he panted for breath.</p> - -<p>The doctor said: "You will understand by looking on at it yourself."</p> - -<p>And addressing his patient: "Well, my dear Monsieur, what are we going -to do to-day? Walking or equitation?"</p> - -<p>M. Aubry-Pasteur, who pressed Paul's hand, replied: "I would like a -little walking seated; that fatigues me less."</p> - -<p>M. Latonne continued: "We have, in fact, walking seated and walking -erect. Walking erect, while more efficacious, is rather painful. I -procure it by means of pedals on which you mount and which set your -legs in motion while you maintain your equilibrium by clinging to -rings fastened to the wall. But here is an example of walking while -seated."</p> - -<p>The engineer had fallen back into a rocking armchair, and he placed his -legs in the wooden legs with movable joints attached to this seat. His -thighs, calves, and ankles were strapped down in such a way that he was -unable to make any voluntary movement; then, the man with the tucked-up -sleeves, seizing the handle, turned it round with all his strength. The -armchair, at first, swayed to and fro like a hammock; then, suddenly, -the patient's legs went out, stretching forward and bending back, -advancing and returning, with extreme speed.</p> - -<p>"He is running," said the doctor, who then gave the order: "Quietly! Go -at a walking pace."</p> - -<p>The man, turning the handle more slowly, caused the fat engineer to -do the sitting walk in a more moderate fashion, which ludicrously -distorted all the movements of his body.</p> - -<p>Two other patients next made their appearance, both of them enormous, -and followed also by two attendants with naked arms.</p> - -<p>They were hoisted upon wooden horses, which, set in motion, began -immediately to jump along the room, shaking their riders in an -abominable manner.</p> - -<p>"Gallop!" cried the doctor. And the artificial animals, rushing like -waves and capsizing like ships, fatigued the two patients so much that -they began to scream out together in a panting and pitiful tone:</p> - -<p>"Enough! enough! I can't stand it any longer! Enough!"</p> - -<p>The physician said in a tone of command: "Stop!" He then added: "Take -breath for a little while. You will go on again in five minutes."</p> - -<p>Paul Bretigny, who was choking with suppressed laughter, drew attention -to the fact that the riders were not warm, while the handle-turners -were perspiring.</p> - -<p>"If you inverted the rôles," said he, "would it not be better?"</p> - -<p>The doctor gravely replied: "Oh! not at all, my dear friend. We must -not confound exercise and fatigue. The movement of the man who is -turning the wheel is injurious, while the movement of the walker or the -rider is beneficial."</p> - -<p>But Paul noticed a lady's saddle.</p> - -<p>"Yes," said the physician; "the evening is reserved for the other sex. -The men are no longer admitted after twelve o'clock. Come, then, and -look at the dry swimming."</p> - -<p>A system of movable little boards screwed together at their ends and at -their centers, stretched out in lozenge-shape or closing into squares, -like that children's game which carries along soldiers who are spurred -on, permitted three swimmers to be garroted and mangled at the same -time.</p> - -<p>The doctor said: "I need not extol to you the benefits of dry -swimming, which does not moisten the body except by perspiration, and -consequently does not expose our imaginary bather to any danger of -rheumatism."</p> - -<p>But a waiter, with a card in his hand, came to look for the doctor.</p> - -<p>"The Duc de Ramas, my dear friend. I must leave you. Excuse me."</p> - -<p>Paul, left there alone, turned round. The two cavaliers were trotting -afresh. M. Aubry-Pasteur was walking still; and the three natives of -Auvergne, with their arms all but broken and their backs cracking with -thus shaking the patients on whom they were operating, were quite out -of breath. They looked as if they were grinding coffee.</p> - -<p>When he had reached the open air, Bretigny saw Doctor Honorat watching, -along with his wife, the preparations for the <i>fête</i>. They began to -chat, gazing at the flags which crowned the hill with a kind of halo.</p> - -<p>"Is it at the church the procession is to be formed?" the physician -asked his wife.</p> - -<p>"It is at the church."</p> - -<p>"At three o'clock?"</p> - -<p>"At three o'clock."</p> - -<p>"The professors will be there?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, they will accompany the lady-sponsors."</p> - -<p>The next persons to stop were the ladies Paille. Then, came the -Monecus, father and daughter. But as he was going to breakfast alone -with his friend Gontran at the Casino Café, he slowly made his way up -to it. Paul, who had arrived the night before, had not had an interview -with his comrade for the past month; and he was longing to tell him -many boulevard stories—stories about gay women and houses of pleasure.</p> - -<p>They remained chattering away till half past two when Petrus Martel -came to inform them that people were on their way to the church.</p> - -<p>"Let us go and look for Christiane," said Gontran.</p> - -<p>"Let us go," returned Paul.</p> - -<p>They found her standing on the steps of the new hotel. She had the -hollow cheeks and the swarthy complexion of pregnant women; and her -figure indicated a near accouchement.</p> - -<p>"I was waiting for you," she said. "William is gone on before us. He -has so many things to do to-day."</p> - -<p>She cast toward Paul Bretigny a glance full of tenderness, and took his -arm. They went quietly on their way, avoiding the stones.</p> - -<p>She kept repeating: "How heavy I am! How heavy I am! I am no longer -able to walk. I am so much afraid of falling!"</p> - -<p>He did not reply, and carefully held her up, without seeking to meet -her eyes which she turned toward him incessantly.</p> - -<p>In front of the church, a dense crowd was awaiting them.</p> - -<p>Andermatt cried: "At last! at last! Come, make haste. See, this is the -order: two choir-boys, two chanters in surplices, the cross, the holy -water, the priest, then Christiane with Professor Cloche, Mademoiselle -Louise with Professor Remusot, and Mademoiselle Charlotte with -Professor Mas-Roussel. Next come the members of the Board, the medical -body, then the public. This is understood. Forward!"</p> - -<p>The ecclesiastical staff thereupon left the church, taking their places -at the head of the procession. Then a tall gentleman with white hair -brushed back over his ears, the typical "scientist," in accordance with -the academic form, approached Madame Andermatt, and saluted her with a -low bow.</p> - -<p>When he had straightened himself up again, with his head uncovered, in -order to display his beautiful, scientific head, and his hat resting -on his thigh with an imposing air as if he had learned to walk at the -Comédie Française, and to show the people his rosette of officer of the -Legion of Honor, too big for a modest man.</p> - -<p>He began to talk: "Your husband, Madame, has been speaking to me -about you just now, and about your condition which gives rise to some -affectionate disquietude. He has told me about your doubts and your -hesitations as to the probable moment of your delivery."</p> - -<p>She reddened to the temples, and she murmured: "Yes, I believed that I -would be a mother a very long time before the event. Now I can't tell -either—I can't tell either——"</p> - -<p>She faltered in a state of utter confusion.</p> - -<p>A voice from behind them said: "This station has a very great future -before it. I have already obtained surprising effects."</p> - -<p>It was Professor Remusot addressing his companion, Louise Oriol. This -gentleman was small, with yellow, unkempt hair, and a frock-coat badly -cut, the dirty look of a slovenly savant.</p> - -<p>Professor Mas-Roussel, who gave his arm to Charlotte Oriol, was a -handsome physician, without beard or mustache, smiling, well-groomed, -hardly turning gray as yet, a little fleshy, and, with his smooth, -clean-shaven face, resembling neither a priest nor an actor, as was the -case with Doctor Latonne.</p> - -<p>Next came the members of the Board, with Andermatt at their head, and -the tall hats of old Oriol and his son towering above them.</p> - -<p>Behind them came another row of tall hats, the medical body of Enval, -among whom Doctor Bonnefille was not included, his place, indeed, being -taken by two new physicians, Doctor Black, a very short old man almost -a dwarf, whose excessive piety had surprised the whole district since -the day of his arrival; then a very good-looking young fellow, very -much given to flirtation, and wearing a small hat, Doctor Mazelli, an -Italian attached to the person of the Duc de Ramas—others said, to the -person of the Duchesse.</p> - -<p>And behind them could be seen the public, a flood of people—bathers, -peasants, and inhabitants of the adjoining towns.</p> - -<p>The ceremony of blessing the springs was very short. The Abbé Litre -sprinkled them one after the other with holy water, which made Doctor -Honorat say that he was going to give them new properties with chloride -of sodium. Then all the persons specially invited entered the large -reading-room, where a collation had been served.</p> - -<p>Paul said to Gontran: "How pretty the little Oriol girls have become!"</p> - -<p>"They are charming, my dear fellow."</p> - -<p>"You have not seen M. le President?" suddenly inquired the ex-jailer -overseer.</p> - -<p>"Yes, he is over there, in the corner."</p> - -<p>"Père Clovis is gathering a big crowd in front of the door."</p> - -<p>Already, while moving in the direction of the springs for the purpose -of having them blessed, the entire procession had filed off in front of -the old invalid, cured the year before, and now again more paralyzed -than ever. He would stop the visitors on the road and the last-comers -as a matter of choice, in order to tell them his story:</p> - -<p>"These waters here, you see, are no good—they cure, 'tis true, but you -relapse again afterward, and after this relapse you're half a corpse. -As for me, my legs were better before, and here I am now with my arms -gone in consequence of the cure. And my legs, they're iron, but iron -that you have to cut before it bends."</p> - -<p>Andermatt, filled with vexation, had tried to prosecute him in a court -of justice and to get him sent to jail for having depreciated the -waters of Mont Oriol and having attempted extortion. But he had not -succeeded in obtaining a conviction or in shutting the old fellow's -mouth.</p> - -<p>The moment he was informed that the old vagabond was babbling before -the door of the establishment, he rushed out to make Clovis keep silent.</p> - -<p>At the side of the highroad, in the center of an excited crowd, he -heard angry voices. People pressed forward to listen and to see. Some -ladies asked: "What is this?" Some men replied: "'Tis an invalid, whom -the waters here have finished." Others believed that an infant had just -been squashed. It was also said that a poor woman had got an attack of -epilepsy.</p> - -<p>Andermatt broke through the crowd, as he knew how to do, by violently -pushing his little round stomach between the stomachs of other people. -"It proves," Gontran remarked, "the superiority of balls to points."</p> - -<p>Père Clovis, sitting on the ditch, whined about his pains, recounted -his sufferings in a sniveling tone, while standing in front of him, -and separating him from the public, the Oriols, father and son, -exasperated, were hurling insults and threats at him as loudly as ever -they could.</p> - -<p>"That's not true," cried Colosse. "This fellow is a liar, a sham, a -poacher, who runs all night through the wood."</p> - -<p>But the old fellow, without getting excited, kept reiterating in a -high, piercing voice which was heard above the vociferations of the two -Oriols: "They've killed me, my good monchieus, they've killed me with -their water. They bathed me in it by force last year. And here I am at -this moment—here I am!"</p> - -<p>Andermatt imposed silence on all, and stooping toward the impotent man, -said to him, looking into the depths of his eyes: "If you are worse, it -is your own fault, mind. If you listen to me, I undertake to cure you, -I do, with fifteen or twenty baths at most. Come and look me up at the -establishment in an hour, when the people have all gone away, my good -father. In the meantime, hold your tongue."</p> - -<p>The old fellow had understood. He became silent, then, after a pause, -he answered: "I'm always willing to give it a fair trial. You'll see."</p> - -<p>Andermatt caught the two Oriols by the arms and quickly dragged them -away; while Père Clovis remained stretched on the grass between his -crutches, at the side of the road, blinking his eyes under the rays of -the sun.</p> - -<p>The puzzled crowd kept pressing round him. Some gentlemen questioned -him, but he did not reply, as though he had not heard or understood; -and as this curiosity, futile just now, ended by fatiguing him, he -began to sing, bareheaded, in a voice as false as it was shrill, an -interminable ditty in an unintelligible dialect.</p> - -<p>The crowd ebbed away gradually. Only a few children remained standing -a long time in front of him, with their fingers in their noses, -contemplating him.</p> - -<p>Christiane, exceedingly tired, had gone in to take a rest. Paul and -Gontran walked about through the new park in the midst of the visitors. -Suddenly they saw the company of players, who had also deserted the old -Casino, to attach themselves to the growing fortunes of the new.</p> - -<p>Mademoiselle Odelin, who had become quite fashionable, was leaning -as she walked on the arm of her mother, who had assumed an air of -importance. M. Petitnivelle, of the Vaudeville, appeared very attentive -to these ladies, who followed M. Lapalme of the Grand Theater of -Bordeaux, arguing with the musicians just as of old, the <i>maestro</i> -Saint Landri, the pianist Javel, the flautist Noirot, and the -double-bass Nicordi.</p> - -<p>On perceiving Paul and Gontran, Saint Landri rushed toward them. He -had, during the winter, got a very small musical composition performed -in a very small out-of-the-way theater; but the newspapers had spoken -of him with a certain favor, and he now treated Massenet, Beyer, and -Gounod contemptuously.</p> - -<p>He stretched forth both hands with an outburst of friendly regard, -and immediately proceeded to repeat what he had been saying to those -gentlemen of the orchestra over whom he was the conductor.</p> - -<p>"Yes, my dear friend, it is finished, finished, finished, the hackneyed -style of the old school. The melodists have had their day. This is -what people cannot understand. Music is a new art, melody is its first -lisping. The ignorant ear loves the burden of a song. It takes a -child's pleasure, a savage's pleasure in it. I may add that the ears -of the people or of the ingenuous public, the simple ears, will always -love little songs, airs, in a word. It is an amusement similar to that -in which the frequenters of <i>café</i> concerts indulge. I am going to -make use of a comparison in order to make myself understood. The eye -of the rustic loves crude colors and glaring pictures; the eye of the -intelligent representative of the middle class who is not artistic -loves shades benevolently pretentious and affecting subjects; but the -artistic eye, the refined eye, loves, understands, and distinguishes -the imperceptible modulations of a single tone, the mysterious -harmonies of light touches invisible to most people.</p> - -<p>"It is the same with literature. Doorkeepers like romances of -adventure, the middle class like novels which appeal to the feelings; -while the real lovers of literature care only for the artistic books -which are incomprehensible to the others. When an ordinary citizen -talks music to me I feel a longing to kill him. And when it is at the -opera, I ask him: 'Are you capable of telling me whether the third -violin has made a false note in the overture of the third act? No. Then -be silent. You have no ear. The man who does not understand, at the -same time, the whole and all the instruments separately in an orchestra -has no ear, and is no musician. There you are! Good night!'"</p> - -<p>He turned round on his heel, and resumed: "For an artist all music is -in a chord. Ah! my friend, certain chords madden me, cause a flood of -inexpressible happiness to penetrate all my flesh. I have to-day an ear -so well exercised, so finished, so matured, that I end by liking even -certain false chords, just like a virtuoso whose fully-developed taste -amounts to a form of depravity. I am beginning to be a vitiated person -who seeks for extreme sensations of hearing. Yes, my friends, certain -false notes. What delights! What perverse and profound delights! How -this moves, how it shakes the nerves! how it scratches the ear—how it -scratches! how it scratches!"</p> - -<p>He rubbed his hands together rapturously, and he hummed: "You shall -hear my opera—my opera—my opera. You shall hear my opera."</p> - -<p>Gontran said: "You are composing an opera?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I have finished it." But the commanding voice of Petrus Martel -resounded:</p> - -<p>"You understand perfectly! A yellow rocket, and off you go!"</p> - -<p>He was giving orders for the fireworks. They joined him, and he -explained his arrangements by showing with his outstretched arm, as -if he were threatening a hostile fleet, stakes of white wood on the -mountain above the gorge, on the opposite side of the valley.</p> - -<p>"It is over there that they are to be shot out. I told my pyrotechnist -to be at his post at half past eight. The very moment the spectacle is -over, I will give the signal from here by a yellow rocket, and then he -will illuminate the opening piece."</p> - -<p>The Marquis made his appearance: "I am going to drink a glass of -water," he said.</p> - -<p>Paul and Gontran accompanied him, and again descended the hill. On -reaching the establishment, they saw Père Clovis, who had got there, -sustained by the two Oriols, followed by Andermatt and by the doctor, -and making, every time he trailed his legs on the ground, contortions -suggestive of extreme pain.</p> - -<p>"Let us go in," said Gontran, "this will be funny."</p> - -<p>The paralytic was placed sitting in an armchair. Then Andermatt said to -him: "Here is what I propose, old cheat that you are. You are going to -be cured immediately by taking two baths a day. And the moment you walk -you'll have two hundred francs."</p> - -<p>The paralytic began to groan: "My legs, they are iron, my good -Monchieu!"</p> - -<p>Andermatt made him hold his tongue, and went on: "Now, listen! You -shall again have two hundred francs every year up to the time of your -death—you understand—up to the time of your death, if you continue to -experience the salutary effect of our waters."</p> - -<p>The old fellow was in a state of perplexity. The continuous cure was -opposed to his plan of action. He asked in a hesitating tone: "But -when—when it is closed up—this box of yours—if this should take hold -of me again—I can do nothing then—I—seeing that it will be shut -up—your water——"</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne interrupted him, and, turning toward Andermatt, said: -"Excellent! excellent! We'll cure him every year. This will be -even better, and will show the necessity of annual treatment, the -indispensability of returning hither. Excellent—this is perfectly -clear!"</p> - -<p>But the old man repeated afresh: "It will not suit this time, my good -Monchieu. My legs, they're iron, iron in bars."</p> - -<p>A new idea sprang up in the doctor's mind: "If I got him to try a -course of seated walking," he said, "I might hasten the effect of the -waters considerably. It is an experiment worth trying."</p> - -<p>"Excellent idea," returned Andermatt, adding: "Now, Père Clovis, take -yourself off, and don't forget our agreement."</p> - -<p>The old fellow went away still groaning; and, when evening came on, -all the directors of Mont Oriol came back to dine, for the theatrical -representation was announced to take place at half past seven.</p> - -<p>The great hall of the new Casino was the place where they were to dine. -It was capable of holding a thousand persons.</p> - -<p>At seven o'clock the visitors who had not numbered seats presented -themselves. At half past seven the hall was filled, and the curtain was -raised for the performance of a vaudeville in two acts, which preceded -Saint Landri's operetta, interpreted by vocalists from Vichy, who had -given their services for the occasion.</p> - -<p>Christiane in the front row, between her brother and her husband, -suffered a great deal from the heat. Every moment she repeated: "I feel -quite exhausted! I feel quite exhausted!"</p> - -<p>After the vaudeville, as the operetta was opening, she was becoming -ill, and turning round to her husband, said: "My dear Will, I shall -have to leave. I am suffocating!"</p> - -<p>The banker was annoyed. He was desirous above everything in the world -that this <i>fête</i> should be a success, from start to finish, without a -single hitch. He replied:</p> - -<p>"Make every effort to hold out. I beg of you to do so! Your departure -would upset everything. You would have to pass through the entire hall!"</p> - -<p>But Gontran, who was sitting along with Paul behind her, had overheard. -He leaned toward his sister: "You are too warm?" said he.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I am suffocating."</p> - -<p>"Good. Stay! You are going to have a laugh."</p> - -<p>There was a window near. He slipped toward it, got upon a chair, and -jumped out without attracting hardly any notice. Then he entered the -<i>café</i>, which was perfectly empty, stretched his hand out under the -bar where he had seen Petrus Martel conceal the signal-rocket, and, -having filched it, he ran off to hide himself under a group of trees, -and then set it on fire. The swift yellow sheaf flew up toward the -clouds, describing a curve, and casting across the sky a long shower -of flame-drops. Almost instantaneously a terrible detonation burst -forth over the neighboring mountain, and a cluster of stars sent flying -sparks through the darkness of the night.</p> - -<p>Somebody exclaimed in the hall where the spectators were gathered, and -where at the moment Saint Landri's chords were quivering: "They're -letting off the fireworks!"</p> - -<p>The spectators who were nearest to the door abruptly rose to their feet -to make sure about it, and went out with light steps. All the rest -turned their eyes toward the windows, but saw nothing, for they were -looking at the Limagne. People kept asking: "Is it true? Is it true?"</p> - -<p>The impatient assembly got excited, hungering above everything for -simple amusements. A voice from outside announced: "It is true! The -firework's are let off!"</p> - -<p>Then, in a second everyone in the hall was standing up. They rushed -toward the door; they jostled against each other; they yelled at those -who obstructed their egress: "Hurry on! hurry on!"</p> - -<p>The entire audience, in a short time, had emerged into the park. Saint -Landri alone, in a state of exasperation continued beating time in -front of his distracted orchestra. Meanwhile, fiery suns succeeded -Roman candles in the midst of detonations.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, a formidable voice sent forth thrice this wild exclamation: -"Stop, in God's name! Stop, in God's name! Stop, in God's name!"</p> - -<p>And, as an immense Bengal fire next illuminated the mountain and -lighted up in red to the right and blue to the left, the enormous rocks -and trees, Petrus Martel could be seen standing on one of the vases of -imitation marble that decorated the terrace of the Casino, bareheaded, -with his arms in the air, gesticulating and howling.</p> - -<p>Then, the great illumination being extinguished, nothing could be seen -any longer save the real stars. But immediately another rocket shot up, -and Petrus Martel, jumping on the ground, exclaimed: "What a disaster! -what a disaster! My God, what a disaster!"</p> - -<p>And he passed through the crowd with tragic gestures, with blows of his -fist in the empty air, furious stampings of his feet, always repeating: -"What a disaster! My God, what a disaster!"</p> - -<p>Christiane had taken Paul's arm to get a seat in the open air, and kept -looking with delight at the rockets which ascended into the sky.</p> - -<p>Her brother came up to her suddenly, and said: "Hey, is it a success? -Do you think it is funny?"</p> - -<p>She murmured: "What, it is you?"</p> - -<p>"Why, yes, it is I. Is it good, hey?"</p> - -<p>She began to laugh, finding it really amusing. But Andermatt arrived in -a state of great mental distress. He did not understand how such a blow -could have come. The rocket had been stolen from the bar to give the -signal agreed upon. Such an infamy could only have been perpetrated by -some emissary of the old Company, some agent of Doctor Bonnefille!</p> - -<p>And he repeated: "'Tis maddening, positively maddening. Here are -fireworks worth two thousand three hundred francs destroyed, entirely -destroyed!"</p> - -<p>Gontran replied: "No, my dear fellow, on a proper calculation, the loss -does not mount up to more than a quarter; let us put it at a third, if -you like; say seven hundred and sixty-six francs. Your guests will, -therefore, have enjoyed fifteen hundred and thirty-four francs' worth -of rockets. This truly is not bad."</p> - -<p>The banker's anger turned against his brother-in-law. He caught him -roughly by the arm: "Gontran, I want to talk seriously to you. Since I -have a hold of you, let us take a turn in the walks. Besides, I have -five minutes to spare."</p> - -<p>Then, turning toward Christiane: "I place you in charge of our friend -Bretigny, my dear; but don't remain a long time out—take care of -yourself. You might catch cold, you know. Be careful! be careful!"</p> - -<p>She murmured: "Never fear, dear."</p> - -<p>So Andermatt carried off Gontran. When they were alone, at a little -distance from the crowd, the banker stopped: "My dear fellow, 'tis -about your financial position that I want to talk."</p> - -<p>"About my financial position?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, you know it well, your financial position."</p> - -<p>"No. But you ought to know it for me, since you lent money to me."</p> - -<p>"Well, yes, I do know it, and 'tis for that reason I want to talk to -you."</p> - -<p>"It seems to me, to say the least of it, that the moment is ill -chosen—in the midst of a display of fireworks!"</p> - -<p>"The moment, on the contrary, is very well chosen. I am not talking to -you in the midst of a display of fireworks, but before a ball."</p> - -<p>"Before a ball? I don't understand."</p> - -<p>"Well, you are going to understand. Here is your position: you have -nothing except debts; and you'll never have anything but debts."</p> - -<p>Gontran gravely replied: "You tell me that a little bluntly."</p> - -<p>"Yes, because it is necessary. Listen to me! You have eaten up the -share which came to you as a fortune from your mother. Let us say no -more about that."</p> - -<p>"Let us say no more about it."</p> - -<p>"As for your father, he possesses a yearly income of thirty thousand -francs, say, a capital of about eight hundred thousand francs. Your -share, later on, will, therefore, be four hundred thousand francs. Now -you owe me—me, personally—one hundred and ninety thousand francs. You -owe money besides to usurers."</p> - -<p>Gontran muttered in a haughty tone: "Say, to Jews."</p> - -<p>"Be it so, to Jews, although among the number there is a churchwarden -from Saint Sulpice who made use of a priest as an intermediary between -himself and you—but I will not cavil about such trifles. You owe, -then, to various usurers, Israelites or Catholics, nearly as much. Let -us put it at a hundred and fifty thousand at the lowest estimate. This -makes a total of three hundred and forty thousand francs, on which you -are paying interest, always borrowing, except with regard to mine, -which you do not pay."</p> - -<p>"That's right," said Gontran.</p> - -<p>"So then, you have nothing more left."</p> - -<p>"Nothing, indeed—except my brother-in-law."</p> - -<p>"Except your brother-in-law, who has had enough of lending money to -you."</p> - -<p>"What then?"</p> - -<p>"What then, my dear fellow? The poorest peasant living in one of these -huts is richer than you."</p> - -<p>"Exactly—and next?"</p> - -<p>"Next—next—? If your father were to die tomorrow, you would no longer -have any resource to get bread—to get bread, mind you—except to take -a post as a clerk in my house. And this again would only be a means of -disguising the pension which I should be allowing you."</p> - -<p>Gontran, in a tone of irritation, said: "My dear William, these things -bore me. I know them, besides, just as well as you do, and, I repeat, -the moment is ill chosen to remind me about them—with—with so little -diplomacy."</p> - -<p>"Allow me, let me finish. You can only extricate yourself from it by a -marriage. Now, you are a wretched match, in spite of your name, which -sounds well without being illustrious. In short, it is not one of those -which an heiress, even a Jewish one, buys with a fortune. Therefore, we -must find you a wife acceptable and rich—which is not very easy——"</p> - -<p>Gontran interrupted him: "Give her name at once—that is the best way."</p> - -<p>"Be it so—one of Père Oriol's daughters, whichever you prefer. And -this is why I wanted to talk to you before the ball."</p> - -<p>"And now explain yourself at greater length," returned Gontran, coldly.</p> - -<p>"It is very simple. You see the success I have obtained at the start -with this station. Now if I had in my hands, or rather if we had in our -hands all the land which this cunning peasant has kept for himself, -I could turn it into gold. To speak only of the vineyards which lie -between the establishment and the hotel and between the hotel and the -Casino, I would pay a million francs for them to-morrow—I, Andermatt. -Now, these vineyards and others all round the knoll will be the dowries -of these girls. The father told me so again a short time since, not -without an object, perhaps. Well, if you were willing, we could do a -big stroke of business there, the two of us."</p> - -<p>Gontran muttered, with a thoughtful air: "'Tis possible. I'll think -over it."</p> - -<p>"Do think over it, my dear boy, and don't forget that I never speak of -things that are not very sure, or without having given matters every -consideration, and realized all the possible consequences and all the -decided advantages."</p> - -<p>But Gontran, lifting up his arm, as if he had suddenly forgotten all -that his brother-in-law had been saying to him: "Look! How beautiful -that is!"</p> - -<p>The bunch of rockets flamed up, in imitation of a burning palace on -which a blazing flag had inscribed on it "Mont Oriol" in letters of -fire perfectly red and, right opposite to it, above the plain, the -moon, red also, seemed to have come out to contemplate this spectacle. -Then, when the palace, after it had been burning for some minutes, -exploded like a ship which is blown up, flinging toward the wide -heavens fantastic stars which burst in their turn, the moon remained -all alone, calm and round, on the horizon.</p> - -<p>The public applauded wildly, exclaiming: "Hurrah! Bravo! bravo!"</p> - -<p>Andermatt, all of a sudden, said: "Let us go and open the ball, my dear -boy. Are you willing to dance the first quadrille face to face with me?"</p> - -<p>"Why, certainly, my dear brother-in-law."</p> - -<p>"Who have you thought of asking to dance with you? As for me, I have -bespoken the Duchesse de Ramas."</p> - -<p>Gontran answered in a tone of indifference: "I will ask Charlotte -Oriol."</p> - -<p>They reascended. As they passed in front of the spot where Christiane -was resting with Paul Bretigny, they did not notice the pair. William -murmured: "She has followed my advice. She went home to go to bed. She -was quite tired out to-day." And he advanced toward the ballroom which -the attendants had been getting ready during the fireworks.</p> - -<p>But Christiane had not returned to her room, as her husband supposed. -As soon as she realized that she was alone with Paul she said to him in -a very low tone, while she pressed his hand:</p> - -<p>"So then you came. I was waiting for you for the past month. Every -morning I kept asking myself, 'Shall I see him to-day?' and every night -I kept saying to myself, 'It will be to-morrow then.' Why have you -delayed so long, my love?"</p> - -<p>He replied with some embarrassment: "I had matters to engage my -attention—business."</p> - -<p>She leaned toward him, murmuring: "It was not right to leave me here -alone with them, especially in my state."</p> - -<p>He moved his chair a little away from her.</p> - -<p>"Be careful! We might be seen. These rockets light up the whole country -around."</p> - -<p>She scarcely bestowed a thought on it; she said: "I love you so much!" -Then, with sudden starts of joy: "Ah! how happy I feel, how happy I -feel at finding that we are once more together, here! Are you thinking -about it? What joy, Paul! How we are going to love one another again!"</p> - -<p>She sighed, and her voice was so weak that it seemed a mere breath.</p> - -<p>"I feel a foolish longing to embrace you, but it is -foolish—there!—foolish. It is such a long time since I saw you!"</p> - -<p>Then, suddenly, with the fierce energy of an impassioned woman, to whom -everything should give way: "Listen! I want—you understand—I want to -go with you immediately to the place where we said adieu to one another -last year! You remember well, on the road from La Roche Pradière?"</p> - -<p>He replied, stupefied: "But this is senseless! You cannot walk farther. -You have been standing all day. This is senseless; I will not allow it."</p> - -<p>She had risen to her feet, and she said: "I am determined on it! If you -do not accompany me, I'll go alone!"</p> - -<p>And pointing out to him the moon which had risen: "See here! It was an -evening just like this! Do you remember how you kissed my shadow?"</p> - -<p>He held her back: "Christiane—listen—this is ridiculous—Christiane!"</p> - -<p>She did not reply, and walked toward the descent leading to the -vineyards. He knew that calm will which nothing could divert from its -purpose, the graceful obstinacy of these blue eyes, of that little -forehead of a fair woman that could not be stopped; and he took her arm -to sustain her on her way.</p> - -<p>"Supposing we are seen, Christiane?"</p> - -<p>"You did not say that to me last year. And then, everyone is at the -<i>fête</i>. We'll be back before our absence can be noticed."</p> - -<p>It was soon necessary to ascend by the stony path. She panted, leaning -with her whole weight on him, and at every step she said:</p> - -<p>"It is good, it is good, to suffer thus!"</p> - -<p>He stopped, wishing to bring her back. But she would not listen to him.</p> - -<p>"No, no. I am happy. You don't understand this, you. Listen! I feel -it leaping in me—our child—your child—what happiness. Give me your -hand."</p> - -<p>She did not realize that he—this man—was one of the race of lovers -who are not of the race of fathers. Since he discovered that she was -pregnant, he kept away from her, and was disgusted with her, in spite -of himself. He had often in bygone days said that a woman who has -performed the function of reproduction is no longer worthy of love. -What raised him to a high pitch of tenderness was that soaring of two -hearts toward an inaccessible ideal, that entwining of two souls which -are immaterial—all those artificial and unreal elements which poets -have associated with this passion. In the physical woman he adored -the Venus whose sacred side must always preserve the pure form of -sterility. The idea of a little creature which owed its birth to him, a -human larva stirring in that body defiled by it and already grown ugly, -inspired him with an almost unconquerable repugnance. Maternity had -made this woman a brute. She was no longer the exceptional being adored -and dreamed about, but the animal that reproduces its species. And even -a material disgust was mingled in him with these loathings of his mind.</p> - -<p>How could she have felt or divined this—she whom each movement of the -child she yearned for attached the more closely to her lover? This man -whom she adored, whom she had every day loved a little more since the -moment of their first kiss, had not only penetrated to the bottom of -her heart, but had given her the proof that he had also entered into -the very depths of her flesh, that he had sown his own life there, that -he was going to come forth from her, again becoming quite small. Yes, -she carried him there under her crossed hands, himself, her good, her -dear, her tenderly beloved one, springing up again in her womb by the -mystery of nature. And she loved him doubly, now that she had him in -two forms—the big, and the little one as yet unknown, the one whom she -saw, touched, embraced, and could hear speaking to her, and the one -whom she could up to this only feel stirring under her skin. They had -by this time reached the road.</p> - -<p>"You were waiting for me over there that evening," said she. And she -held her lips out to him.</p> - -<p>He kissed them, without replying, with a cold kiss.</p> - -<p>She murmured for the second time: "Do you remember how you embraced me -on the ground. We were like this—look!"</p> - -<p>And in the hope that he would begin it all over again she commenced -running to get some distance away from him. Then she stopped, out of -breath, and waited, standing in the middle of the road. But the moon, -which lengthened out her profile on the ground, traced there the -protuberance of her swollen figure. And Paul, beholding at his feet -the shadow of her pregnancy, remained unmoved at sight of it, wounded -in his poetic sense with shame, exasperated that she was not able to -share his feelings or divine his thoughts, that she had not sufficient -coquetry, tact, and feminine delicacy to understand all the shade -which give such a different complexion to circumstances; and he said to -her with impatience in his voice:</p> - -<p>"Look here, Christiane! This child's play is ridiculous."</p> - -<p>She came back to him moved, saddened, with outstretched arms, and, -flinging herself on his breast:</p> - -<p>"Ah! you love me less. I feel it! I am sure of it!"</p> - -<p>He took pity on her, and, encircling her head with his arms, he -imprinted two long sweet kisses on her eyes.</p> - -<p>Then in silence they retraced their steps. He could find nothing to say -to her; and, as she leaned on him, exhausted by fatigue, he quickened -his pace so that he might no longer feel against his side the touch of -this enlarged figure. When they were near the hotel, they separated, -and she went up to her own apartment.</p> - -<p>The orchestra at the Casino was playing dance-music; and Paul went to -look at the ball. It was a waltz; and they were all waltzing—Doctor -Latonne with the younger Madame Paille, Andermatt with Louise Oriol, -handsome Doctor Mazelli with the Duchesse de Ramas, and Gontran with -Charlotte Oriol. He was whispering in her ear in that tender fashion -which denotes a courtship begun; and she was smiling behind her fan, -blushing, and apparently delighted.</p> - -<p>Paul heard a voice saying behind him: "Look here! look here at M. de -Ravenel whispering gallantries to my fair patient."</p> - -<p>He added, after a pause: "And there is a pearl, good, gay, simple, -devoted, upright, you know, an excellent creature. She is worth ten -of the elder sister. I have known them since their childhood—these -little girls. And yet the father prefers the elder one, because -she is more—more like him—more of a peasant—less upright—more -thrifty—more cunning—and more—more jealous. Ah! she is a good girl, -all the same. I would not like to say anything bad of her; but, in -spite of myself, I compare them, you understand—and, after having -compared them, I judge them—there you are!"</p> - -<p>The waltz was coming to an end; Gontran went to join his friend, and, -perceiving the doctor:</p> - -<p>"Ah! tell me now—there appears to me to be a remarkable increase in -the medical body at Enval. We have a Doctor Mazelli who waltzes to -perfection and an old little Doctor Black who seems on very good terms -with Heaven."</p> - -<p>But Doctor Honorat was discreet. He did not like to sit in judgment on -his professional brethren.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.</a></h5> - - -<h4>GONTRAN'S CHOICE</h4> - - -<p>The burning question now was that of the physicians at Enval. They had -suddenly made themselves the masters of the district, and absorbed all -the attention and all the enthusiasm of the inhabitants. Formerly the -springs flowed under the authority of Doctor Bonnefille alone, in the -midst of the harmless animosities of restless Doctor Latonne and placid -Doctor Honorat.</p> - -<p>Now, it was a very different thing. Since the success planned during -the winter by Andermatt had quite taken definite shape, thanks to the -powerful co-operation of Professors Cloche, Mas-Roussel, and Remusot, -who had each brought there a contingent of two or three hundred -patients at least, Doctor Latonne, inspector of the new establishment, -had become a big personage, specially patronized by Professor -Mas-Roussel, whose pupil he had been, and whose deportment and gestures -he imitated.</p> - -<p>Doctor Bonnefille was scarcely ever talked about any longer. Furious, -exasperated, railing against Mont Oriol, the old physician remained the -whole day in the old establishment with a few old patients who had kept -faithful to him.</p> - -<p>In the minds of some invalids, indeed, he was the only person that -understood the true properties of the waters; he possessed, so to -speak, their secret, since he had officially administered them from the -time the station was first established.</p> - -<p>Doctor Honorat barely managed to retain his practice among the natives -of Auvergne. With the moderate income he derived from this source he -contented himself, keeping on good terms with everybody, and consoled -himself by much preferring cards and wine to medicine. He did not, -however, go quite so far as to love his professional brethren.</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne would, therefore, have continued to be the great -soothsayer of Mont Oriol, if one morning there had not appeared a very -small man, nearly a dwarf, whose big head sunk between his shoulders, -big round eyes, and big hands combined to produce a very odd-looking -individual. This new physician, M. Black, introduced into the district -by Professor Remusot immediately excited attention by his excessive -devotion. Nearly every morning, between two visits, he went into a -church for a few minutes, and he received communion nearly every -Sunday. The curé soon got him some patients, old maids, poor people -whom he attended for nothing, pious ladies who asked the advice of -their spiritual director before calling on a man of science, whose -sentiments, reserve, and professional modesty, they wished to know -before everything else.</p> - -<p>Then, one day, the arrival of the Princess de Maldebourg, an old -German Highness, was announced—a very fervent Catholic, who on the -very evening when she first appeared in the district, sent for Doctor -Black on the recommendation of a Roman cardinal. From that moment he -was the fashion. It was good taste, good form, the correct thing, to -be attended by him. He was the only doctor, it was said, who was a -perfect gentleman—the only one in whom a woman could repose absolute -confidence.</p> - -<p>And from morning till evening this little man with the bulldog's head, -who always spoke in a subdued tone in every corner with everybody, -might be seen rushing from one hotel to the other. He appeared to have -important secrets to confide or to receive, for he could constantly be -met holding long mysterious conferences in the lobbies with the masters -of the hotels, with his patients' chambermaids, with anyone who was -brought into contact with the invalids. As soon as he saw any lady of -his acquaintance in the street, he went straight up to her with his -short, quick step, and immediately began to mumble fresh and minute -directions, after the fashion of a priest at confession.</p> - -<p>The old women especially adored him. He would listen to their -stories to the end without interrupting them, took note of all their -observations, all their questions, and all their wishes.</p> - -<p>He increased or diminished each day the proportion of water to be -consumed by his patients, which made them feel perfect confidence in -the care taken of them by him.</p> - -<p>"We stopped yesterday at two glasses and three-quarters," he would -say; "well, to-day we shall only take two glasses and a half, and -to-morrow three glasses. Don't forget! To-morrow, three glasses. I am -very, very particular about it!"</p> - -<p>And all the patients were convinced that he was very particular about -it, indeed.</p> - -<p>In order not to forget these figures and fractions of figures, he -wrote them down in a memorandum-book, in order that he might never -make a mistake. For the patient does not pardon a mistake of a single -half-glass. He regulated and modified with equal minuteness the -duration of the daily baths in virtue of principles known only to -himself.</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne, jealous and exasperated, disdainfully shrugged his -shoulders, and declared: "This is a swindler!" His hatred against -Doctor Black had even led him occasionally to run down the mineral -waters. "Since we can scarcely tell how they act, it is quite -impossible to prescribe every day modifications of the dose, which -any therapeutic law cannot regulate. Proceedings of this kind do the -greatest injury to medicine."</p> - -<p>Doctor Honorat contented himself with smiling. He always took care to -forget, five minutes after a consultation, the number of glasses which -he had ordered. "Two more or less," said he to Gontran in his hours of -gaiety, "there is only the spring to take notice of it; and yet this -scarcely incommodes it!" The only wicked pleasantry that he permitted -himself on his religious brother-physician consisted in describing -him as "the doctor of the Holy Sitting-Bath." His jealousy was of the -prudent, sly, and tranquil kind.</p> - -<p>He added sometimes: "Oh, as for him, he knows the patient thoroughly; -and this is often better than to know the disease!"</p> - -<p>But lo! there arrived one morning at the hotel of Mont Oriol a noble -Spanish family, the Duke and Duchess of Ramas-Aldavarra, who brought -with her her own physician, an Italian, Doctor Mazelli from Milan. He -was a man of thirty, a tall, thin, very handsome young fellow, wearing -only mustaches. From the first evening, he made a conquest of the -<i>table d'hôte</i>, for the Duke, a melancholy man, attacked with monstrous -obesity, had a horror of isolation, and desired to take his meals in -the same dining-room as the other patients. Doctor Mazelli already knew -by their names almost all the frequenters of the hotel; he had a kindly -word for every man, a compliment for every woman, a smile even for -every servant.</p> - -<p>Placed at the right-hand side of the Duchess, a beautiful woman of -between thirty-five and forty, with a pale complexion, black eyes, -blue-black hair, he would say to her as each dish came round:</p> - -<p>"Very little," or else, "No, not this," or else, "Yes, take some of -that." And he would himself pour out the liquid which she was to drink -with very great care, measuring exactly the proportions of wine and -water which he mingled.</p> - -<p>He also regulated the Duke's food, but with visible carelessness. The -patient, however, took no heed of his advice, devoured everything with -bestial voracity, drank at every meal two decanters of pure wine, then -went tumbling about in a chaise for air in front of the hotel, and -began whining with pain and groaning over his bad digestion.</p> - -<p>After the first dinner, Doctor Mazelli, who had judged and weighed all -around him with a single glance, went to join Gontran, who was smoking -a cigar on the terrace of the Casino, told his name, and began to chat. -At the end of an hour, they were on intimate terms. Next day, he got -himself introduced to Christiane just as she was leaving the bath, -won her good-will after ten minutes' conversation, and brought her -that very day into contact with the Duchess, who no longer cared for -solitude.</p> - -<p>He kept watch over everything in the abode of the Spaniards, gave -excellent advice to the chef about cooking, excellent hints to the -chambermaid on the hygiene of the head in order to preserve in her -mistress's hair its luster, its superb shade, and its abundance, very -useful information to the coachman about veterinary medicine; and he -knew how to make the hours swift and light, to invent distractions, -and to pick up in the hotels casual acquaintances but always prudently -chosen.</p> - -<p>The Duchess said to Christiane, when speaking of him: "He is a -wonderful man, dear Madame. He knows everything; he does everything. It -is to him that I owe my figure."</p> - -<p>"How, your figure?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I was beginning to grow fat, and he saved me with his regimen and -his liqueurs."</p> - -<p>Moreover, Mazelli knew how to make medicine itself interesting; he -spoke about it with such ease, with such gaiety, and with a sort -of light scepticism which helped to convince his listeners of his -superiority.</p> - -<p>"'Tis very simple," said he; "I don't believe in remedies—or rather I -hardly believe in them. The old-fashioned medicine started with this -principle—that there is a remedy for everything. God, they believe, -in His divine bounty, has created drugs for all maladies, only He -has left to men, through malice, perhaps, the trouble of discovering -these drugs. Now, men have discovered an incalculable number of them -without ever knowing exactly what disease each of them is suited -for. In reality there are no remedies; there are only maladies. When -a malady declares itself, it is necessary to interrupt its course, -according to some, to precipitate it, according to others, by some -means or another. Each school extols its own method. In the same case, -we see the most antagonistic systems employed, and the most opposed -kinds of medicine—ice by one and extreme heat by the other, dieting by -this doctor and forced nourishment by that. I am not speaking of the -innumerable poisonous products extracted from minerals or vegetables, -which chemistry procures for us. All this acts, 'tis true, but nobody -knows how. Sometimes it succeeds, and sometimes it kills."</p> - -<p>And, with much liveliness, he pointed out the impossibility of -certainty, the absence of all scientific basis as long as organic -chemistry, biological chemistry had not become the starting-point of a -new medicine. He related anecdotes, monstrous errors of the greatest -physicians, and proved the insanity and the falsity of their pretended -science.</p> - -<p>"Make the body discharge its functions," said he. "Make the skin, the -muscles, all the organs, and, above all, the stomach, which is the -foster-father of the entire machine, its regulator and life-warehouse, -discharge their functions."</p> - -<p>He asserted that, if he liked, by nothing save regimen, he could make -people gay or sad, capable of physical work or intellectual work, -according to the nature of the diet which he imposed on them. He could -even act on the faculties of the brain, on the memory, the imagination, -on all the manifestations of intelligence. And he ended jocosely with -these words:</p> - -<p>"For my part, I nurse my patients with massage and curaçoa."</p> - -<p>He attributed marvelous results to massage, and spoke of the Dutchman -Hamstrang as of a god performing miracles. Then, showing his delicate -white hands:</p> - -<p>"With those, you might resuscitate the dead."</p> - -<p>And the Duchess added: "The fact is that he performs massage to -perfection."</p> - -<p>He also lauded alcoholic beverages, in small proportions to excite -the stomach at certain moments; and he composed mixtures, cleverly -prepared, which the Duchess had to drink, at fixed hours, either before -or after her meals.</p> - -<p>He might have been seen each morning entering the Casino Café about -half past nine and asking for his bottles. They were brought to him -fastened with little silver locks of which he had the key. He would -pour out a little of one, a little of another, slowly into a very -pretty blue glass, which a very correct footman held up respectfully.</p> - -<p>Then the doctor would give directions: "See! Bring this to the Duchess -in her bath, to drink it, before she dresses herself, when coming out -of the water."</p> - -<p>And when anyone asked him through curiosity: "What have you put into -it?" he would answer: "Nothing but refined aniseed-cordial, very pure -curaçoa, and excellent bitters."</p> - -<p>This handsome doctor, in a few days, became the center of attraction -for all the invalids. And every sort of device was resorted to, in -order to attract a few opinions from him.</p> - -<p>When he was passing along through the walks in the park, at the hour -of promenade, one heard nothing but that exclamation of "Doctor" on -all the chairs where sat the beautiful women, the young women, who -were resting themselves a little between two glasses of the Christiane -Spring. Then, when he stopped with a smile on his lip, they would draw -him aside for some minutes into the little path beside the river. -At first, they talked about one thing or another; then discreetly, -skillfully, coquettishly, they came to the question of health, but in -an indifferent fashion as if they were touching on sundry topics.</p> - -<p>For this medical man was not at the disposal of the public. He was not -paid by them, and people could not get him to visit them at their own -houses. He belonged to the Duchess, only to the Duchess. This situation -even stimulated people's efforts, and provoked their desires. And, as -it was whispered positively that the Duchess was jealous, very jealous, -there was a desperate struggle between all these ladies to get advice -from the handsome Italian doctor. He gave it without forcing them to -entreat him very strenuously.</p> - -<p>Then, among the women whom he had favored with his advice arose an -interchange of intimate confidences, in order to give clear proof of -his solicitude.</p> - -<p>"Oh! my dear, he asked me questions—but such questions!"</p> - -<p>"Very indiscreet?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! indiscreet! Say frightful. I actually did not know what answers to -give him. He wanted to know things—but such things!"</p> - -<p>"It was the same way with me. He questioned me a great deal about my -husband!"</p> - -<p>"And me, also—together with details so—so personal! These questions -are very embarrassing. However, we understand perfectly well that it is -necessary to ask them."</p> - -<p>"Oh! of course. Health depends on these minute details. As for me, he -promised to perform massage on me at Paris this winter. I have great -need of it to supplement the treatment here."</p> - -<p>"Tell me, my dear, what do you intend to do in return? He cannot take -fees."</p> - -<p>"Good heavens! my idea was to present him with a scarf-pin. He must be -fond of them, for he has already two or three very nice ones."</p> - -<p>"Oh! how you embarrass me! The same notion was in my head. In that case -I'll give him a ring."</p> - -<p>And they concocted surprises in order to please him, thought of -ingenious presents in order to touch him, graceful pleasantries in -order to fascinate him. He became the "talk of the day," the great -subject of conversation, the sole object of public attention, till the -news spread that Count Gontran de Ravenel was paying his addresses to -Charlotte Oriol with a view to marrying her. And this at once led to a -fresh outburst of deafening clamor in Enval.</p> - -<p>Since the evening when he had opened with her the inaugural ball at -the Casino, Gontran had tied himself to the young girl's skirts. He -publicly showed her all those little attentions of men who want to -please without hiding their object; and their ordinary relations -assumed at the same time a character of gallantry, playful and natural, -which seemed likely to lead to love.</p> - -<p>They saw one another nearly every day, for the two girls had conceived -feelings of strong friendship toward Christiane, into which, no -doubt, there entered a considerable element of gratified vanity. -Gontran suddenly showed a disposition to remain constantly at his -sister's side; and he began to organize parties for the morning and -entertainments for the evening, which greatly astonished Christiane and -Paul. Then they noticed that he was devoting himself to Charlotte; he -gaily teased her, paid her compliments without appearing to do so, and -manifested toward her in a thousand ways that tender care which tends -to unite two beings in bonds of affection. The young girl, already -accustomed to the free and familiar manners of this gay Parisian youth, -did not at first see anything remarkable in these attentions; and, -abandoning herself to the impulses of her honest and confiding heart, -she began to laugh and enjoy herself with him as she might have done -with a brother.</p> - -<p>Now, she had returned home with her elder sister, after an evening -party at which Gontran had several times attempted to kiss her in -consequence of forfeits due by her in a game of "fly-pigeon," when -Louise, who had appeared anxious and nervous for some time past, said -to her in an abrupt tone:</p> - -<p>"You would do well to be a little careful about your deportment. M. -Gontran is not a suitable companion for you."</p> - -<p>"Not a suitable companion? What has he done?"</p> - -<p>"You know well what I mean—don't play the ninny! In the way you're -going on, you would soon compromise yourself; and if you don't know how -to watch over your conduct, it is my business to see after it."</p> - -<p>Charlotte, confused, and filled with shame, faltered: "But I don't -know—I assure you—I have seen nothing——"</p> - -<p>Her sister sharply interrupted her: "Listen! Things must not go on this -way. If he wants to marry you, it is for papa—for papa to consider the -matter and to give an answer; but, if he only wants to trifle with you, -he must desist at once!"</p> - -<p>Then, suddenly, Charlotte got annoyed without knowing why or with what. -She was indignant at her sister having taken it on herself to direct -her actions and to reprimand her; and, in a trembling voice, and with -tears in her eyes, she told her that she should not have interfered in -what did not concern her. She stammered in her exasperation, divining -by a vague but unerring instinct the jealousy that had been aroused in -the embittered heart of Louise.</p> - -<p>They parted without embracing one another, and Charlotte wept when she -got into bed, as she thought over things that she had never foreseen or -suspected.</p> - -<p>Gradually her tears ceased to flow, and she began to reflect. It was -true, nevertheless, that Gontran's demeanor toward her had altered. -She had enjoyed his acquaintance hitherto without understanding him. -She understood him now. At every turn he kept repeating to her pretty -compliments full of delicate flattery. On one occasion he had kissed -her hand. What were his intentions? She pleased him, but to what -extent? Was it possible by any chance that he desired to marry her? And -all at once she imagined that she could hear somewhere in the air, in -the silent night through whose empty spaces her dreams were flitting, a -voice exclaiming, "Comtesse de Ravenel."</p> - -<p>The emotion was so vivid that she sat up in the bed; then, with her -naked feet, she felt for her slippers under the chair over which -she had thrown her clothes, and she went to open the window without -consciousness of what she was doing, in order to find space for her -hopes. She could hear what they were saying in the room below stairs, -and Colosse's voice was raised: "Let it alone! let it alone! There will -be time enough to see to it. Father will arrange that. There is no harm -up to this. 'Tis father that will do the thing."</p> - -<p>She noticed that the window in front of the house, just below that at -which she was standing, was still lighted up. She asked herself: "Who -is there now? What are they talking about?" A shadow passed over the -luminous wall. It was her sister. So then, she had not yet gone to bed. -Why? But the light was presently extinguished; and Charlotte began to -think about other things that were agitating her heart.</p> - -<p>She could not go to sleep now. Did he love her? Oh! no; not yet. But he -might love her, since she had caught his fancy. And if he came to love -her much, desperately, as people love in society, he would certainly -marry her.</p> - -<p>Born in a house of vinedressers, she had preserved, although educated -in the young ladies' convent at Clermont, the modesty and humility of a -peasant girl. She used to think that she might marry a notary, perhaps, -or a barrister or a doctor; but the ambition to become a real lady of -high social position, with a title of nobility attached to her name had -never entered her mind. Even when she had just finished the perusal of -some love-story, and was musing over the glimpse presented to her of -such a charming prospect for a few minutes, it would speedily Vanish -from her soul just as chimeras vanish. Now, here was this unforeseen, -inconceivable thing, which had been suddenly conjured up by some words -of her sister, apparently drawing near her after the fashion of a -ship's sail driven onward by the wind.</p> - -<p>Every time she drew breath, she kept repeating with her lips: -"Comtesse de Ravenel." And the shades of her dark eyelashes, as they -closed in the night, were illuminated with visions. She saw beautiful -drawing-rooms brilliantly lighted up, beautiful women greeting her with -smiles, beautiful carriages waiting before the steps of a château, and -grand servants in livery bowing as she passed.</p> - -<p>She felt heated in her bed; her heart was beating. She rose up a second -time in order to drink a glass of water, and to remain standing in her -bare feet for a few moments on the cold floor of her apartment.</p> - -<p>Then, somewhat calmed, she ended by falling asleep. But she awakened at -dawn, so much had the agitation of her heart passed into her veins.</p> - -<p>She felt ashamed of her little room with its white walls, washed -with water by a rustic glazier, her poor cotton curtains, and some -straw-chairs which never quitted their place at the two corners of her -chest of drawers.</p> - -<p>She realized that she was a peasant in the midst of these rude articles -of furniture which bespoke her origin. She felt herself lowly, unworthy -of this handsome, mocking young fellow, whose fair hair and laughing -face had floated before her eyes, had disappeared from her vision and -then come back, had gradually engrossed her thoughts, and had already -found a place in her heart.</p> - -<p>Then she jumped out of bed and ran to look for her glass, her little -toilette-glass, as large as the center of a plate; after that, she got -into bed again, her mirror between her hands; and she looked at her -face surrounded by her hair which hung loose on the white background of -the pillow.</p> - -<p>Presently she laid down on the bedclothes the little piece of glass -which reflected her lineaments, and she thought how difficult it would -be for such an alliance to take place, so great was the distance -between them. Thereupon a feeling of vexation seized her by the throat. -But immediately afterward she gazed at her image, once more smiling at -herself in order to look nice, and, as she considered herself pretty, -the difficulties disappeared.</p> - -<p>When she went down to breakfast, her sister, who wore a look of -irritation, asked her:</p> - -<p>"What do you propose to do to-day?"</p> - -<p>Charlotte replied unhesitatingly: "Are we not going in the carriage to -Royat with Madame Andermatt?"</p> - -<p>Louise returned: "You are going alone, then; but you might do something -better, after what I said to you last night."</p> - -<p>The younger sister interrupted her: "I don't ask for your advice—mind -your own business!"</p> - -<p>And they did not speak to one another again.</p> - -<p>Père Oriol and Jacques came in, and took their seats at the table. The -old man asked almost immediately: "What are you doing to-day, girls?"</p> - -<p>Charlotte said without giving her sister time to answer: "As for me, I -am going to Royat with Madame Andermatt."</p> - -<p>The two men eyed her with an air of satisfaction; and the father -muttered with that engaging smile which he could put on when discussing -any business of a profitable character: "That's good! that's good!"</p> - -<p>She was more surprised at this secret complacency which she observed in -their entire bearing than at the visible anger of Louise; and she asked -herself, in a somewhat disturbed frame of mind: "Can they have been -talking this over all together?"</p> - -<p>As soon as the meal was over, she went up again to her room, put on her -hat, seized her parasol, threw a light cloak over her arm, and she went -off in the direction of the hotel, for they were to start at half past -one.</p> - -<p>Christiane expressed her astonishment at finding that Louise had not -come.</p> - -<p>Charlotte felt herself flushing as she replied: "She is a little -fatigued; I believe she has a headache."</p> - -<p>And they stepped into the landau, the big landau with six seats, which -they always used. The Marquis and his daughter remained at the lower -end, while the Oriol girl found herself seated at the opposite side -between the two young men.</p> - -<p>They passed in front of Tournoel; they proceeded along the foot of -the mountain, by a beautiful winding road, under the walnut and -chestnut-trees. Charlotte several times felt conscious that Gontran was -pressing close up to her, but was too prudent to take offense at it. -As he sat at her right-hand side, he spoke with his face close to her -cheek; and she did not venture to turn round to answer him, through -fear of touching his mouth, which she felt already on her lips, and -also through fear of his eyes, whose glance would have unnerved her.</p> - -<p>He whispered in her ear gallant absurdities, laughable fooleries, -agreeable and well-turned compliments.</p> - -<p>Christiane scarcely uttered a word, heavy and sick from her pregnancy. -And Paul appeared sad, preoccupied. The Marquis alone chatted without -unrest or anxiety, in the sprightly, graceful style of a selfish old -nobleman.</p> - -<p>They got down at the park of Royat to listen to the music, and Gontran, -offering Charlotte his arm, set forth with her in front. The army of -bathers, on the chairs, around the kiosk, where the leader of the -orchestra was keeping time with the brass instruments and the violins, -watched the promenaders filing past. The women exhibited their dresses -by stretching out their legs as far as the bars of the chairs in -front of them, and their dainty summer head-gear made them look more -fascinating.</p> - -<p>Charlotte and Gontran sauntered through the midst of the people who -occupied the seats, looking out for faces of a comic type to find -materials for their pleasantries.</p> - -<p>Every moment he heard some one saying behind them: "Look there! what a -pretty girl!" He felt flattered, and asked himself whether they took -her for his sister, his wife, or his mistress.</p> - -<p>Christiane, seated between her father and Paul, saw them passing -several times, and thinking they exhibited too much youthful frivolity, -she called them over to her to soberize them. But they paid no -attention to her, and went on vagabondizing through the crowd, enjoying -themselves with their whole hearts.</p> - -<p>She said in a whisper to Paul Bretigny: "He will finish by compromising -her. It will be necessary that we should speak to him this evening when -he comes back."</p> - -<p>Paul replied: "I had already thought about it. You are quite right."</p> - -<p>They went to dine in one of the restaurants of Clermont-Ferrand, those -of Royat being no good, according to the Marquis, who was a gourmand, -and they returned at nightfall.</p> - -<p>Charlotte had become serious, Gontran having strongly pressed her hand, -while presenting her gloves to her, before she quitted the table. Her -young girl's conscience was suddenly troubled. This was an avowal! an -advance! an impropriety! What ought she to do? Speak to him? but about -what? To be offended would be ridiculous. There was need of so much -tact in these circumstances. But by doing nothing, by saying nothing, -she produced the impression of accepting his advances, of becoming his -accomplice, of answering "yes" to this pressure of the hand.</p> - -<p>And she weighed the situation, accusing herself of having been too gay -and too familiar at Royat, thinking just now that her sister was right, -that she was compromised, lost! The carriage rolled along the road. -Paul and Gontran smoked in silence; the Marquis slept; Christiane gazed -at the stars; and Charlotte found it hard to keep back her tears—for -she had swallowed three glasses of champagne.</p> - -<p>When they had got back, Christiane said to her father: "As it is dark, -you have to see this young girl home."</p> - -<p>The Marquis, without delay, offered her his arm, and went off with her.</p> - -<p>Paul laid his hands on Gontran's shoulders, and whispered in his ear: -"Come and have five minutes' talk with your sister and myself."</p> - -<p>And they went up to the little drawing-room communicating with the -apartments of Andermatt and his wife.</p> - -<p>When they were seated, Christiane said: "Listen! M. Paul and I want to -give you a good lecture."</p> - -<p>"A good lecture! But about what? I'm as wise as an image for want of -opportunities."</p> - -<p>"Don't trifle! You are doing a very imprudent and very dangerous thing -without thinking on it. You are compromising this young girl."</p> - -<p>He appeared much astonished. "Who is that? Charlotte?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, Charlotte!"</p> - -<p>"I'm compromising Charlotte?—I?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, you are compromising her. Everyone here is talking about it, and -this evening again in the park at Royat you have been very—very light. -Isn't that so, Bretigny?"</p> - -<p>Paul answered: "Yes, Madame, I entirely share your sentiments."</p> - -<p>Gontran turned his chair around, bestrode it like a horse, took a fresh -cigar, lighted it, then burst out laughing.</p> - -<p>"Ha! so then I am compromising Charlotte Oriol?"</p> - -<p>He waited a few seconds to see the effect of his words, then added: -"And who told you I did not intend to marry her?"</p> - -<p>Christiane gave a start of amazement.</p> - -<p>"Marry her? You? Why, you're mad!"</p> - -<p>"Why so?"</p> - -<p>"That—that little peasant girl!"</p> - -<p>"Tra! la! la! Prejudices! Is it from your husband you learned them?"</p> - -<p>As she made no response to this direct argument, he went on, putting -both questions and answers himself:</p> - -<p>"Is she pretty?—Yes! Is she well educated?—Yes! And more ingenuous, -more simple, and more honest than girls in good society. She knows as -much as another, for she can speak both English and the language of -Auvergne—that makes two foreign languages. She will be as rich as any -heiress of the Faubourg Saint-Germain—as it was formerly called (they -are now going to christen it Faubourg Sainte-Deche)—and finally, if -she is a peasant's daughter, she'll be only all the more healthy to -present me with fine children. Enough!"</p> - -<p>As he had always the appearance of laughing and jesting, Christiane -asked hesitatingly: "Come! are you speaking seriously?"</p> - -<p>"Faith, I am! She is charming, this little girl! She has a good heart -and a pretty face, a genial character and a good temper, rosy cheeks, -bright eyes, white teeth, ruby lips, and flowing tresses, glossy, -thick, and full of soft folds. And then her vinedressing father will be -as rich as Croesus, thanks to your husband, my dear sister. What more -do you want? The daughter of a peasant! Well, is not the daughter of a -peasant as good as any of those money-lenders' daughters who pay such -high prices for dukes with doubtful titles, or any of the daughters -born of aristocratic prostitution whom the Empire has given us, or any -of the daughters with double sires whom we meet in society? Why, if I -did marry this girl I should be doing the first wise and rational act -of my life!"</p> - -<p>Christiane reflected, then, all of a sudden, convinced, overcome, -delighted, she exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"Why, all you have said is true! It is quite true, quite right! So then -you are going to marry her, my little Gontran?"</p> - -<p>It was he who now sought to moderate her ardor. "Not so quick—not so -quick—let me reflect in my turn. I only declare that, if I did marry -her, I would be doing the first wise and rational act of my life. That -does not go so far as saying that I will marry her; but I am thinking -over it; I am studying her, I am paying her a little attention to see -if I can like her sufficiently. In short, I don't answer 'yes' or 'no,' -but it is nearer to 'yes' than to 'no.'"</p> - -<p>Christiane turned toward Paul: "What do you think of it, Monsieur -Bretigny?"</p> - -<p>She called him at one time Monsieur Bretigny, and at another time -Bretigny only.</p> - -<p>He, always fascinated by the things in which he imagined he saw an -element of greatness, by unequal matches which seemed to him to exhibit -generosity, by all the sentimental parade in which the human heart -masks itself, replied: "For my part I think he is right in this. If he -likes her, let him marry her; he could not find better."</p> - -<p>But, the Marquis and Andermatt having returned, they had to talk about -other subjects; and the two young men went to the Casino to see whether -the gaming-room was still open.</p> - -<p>From that day forth Christiane and Paul appeared to favor Gontran's -open courtship of Charlotte.</p> - -<p>The young girl was more frequently invited to the hotel by Christiane, -and was treated in fact as if she were already a member of the family. -She saw all this clearly, understood it, and was quite delighted at -it. Her little head throbbed like a drum, and went building fantastic -castles in Spain. Gontran, in the meantime had said nothing definite -to her; but his demeanor, all his words, the tone that he assumed with -her, his more serious air of gallantry, the caress of his glance seemed -every day to keep repeating to her: "I have chosen you; you are to be -my wife."</p> - -<p>And the tone of sweet affection, of discreet self-surrender, of chaste -reserve which she now adopted toward him, seemed to give this answer: -"I know it, and I'll say 'yes' whenever you ask for my hand."</p> - -<p>In the young girl's family, the matter was discussed in confidential -whispers. Louise scarcely opened her lips now except to annoy her with -hurtful allusions, with sharp and sarcastic remarks. Père Oriol and -Jacques appeared to be content.</p> - -<p>She did not ask herself, all the same, whether she loved this -good-looking suitor, whose wife she was, no doubt, destined to become. -She liked him, she was constantly thinking about him; she considered -him handsome, witty, elegant—she was speculating, above all, on what -she would do when she was married to him.</p> - -<p>In Enval people had forgotten the malignant rivalries of the physicians -and the proprietors of springs, the theories as to the supposed -attachment of the Duchess de Ramas for her doctor, all the scandals -that flow along with the waters of thermal stations, in order to occupy -their minds entirely with this extraordinary circumstance—that Count -Gontran de Ravenel was going to marry the younger of the Oriol girls.</p> - -<p>When Gontran thought the moment had arrived, taking Andermatt by the -arm, one morning, as they were rising from the breakfast-table, he said -to him: "My dear fellow, strike while the iron is hot! Here is the -exact state of affairs: The little one is waiting for me to propose, -without my having committed myself at all; but, you may be quite -certain she will not refuse me. It is necessary to sound her father -about it in such a way as to promote, at the same time, your interests -and mine."</p> - -<p>Andermatt replied: "Make your mind easy. I'll take that on myself. I am -going to sound him this very day without compromising you and without -thrusting you forward; and when the situation is perfectly clear, I'll -talk about it."</p> - -<p>"Capital!"</p> - -<p>Then, after a few moments' silence, Gontran added: "Hold on! This is -perhaps my last day of bachelorhood. I am going on to Royat, where I -saw some acquaintances of mine the other day. I'll be back to-night, -and I'll tap at your door to know the result."</p> - -<p>He saddled his horse, and proceeded along by the mountain, inhaling the -pure, genial air, and sometimes starting into a gallop to feel the keen -caress of the breeze brushing the fresh skin of his cheek and tickling -his mustache.</p> - -<p>The evening-party at Royat was a jolly affair. He met some of his -friends there who had brought girls along with them. They lingered a -long time at supper; he returned home at a very late hour. Everyone -had gone to bed in the hotel of Mont Oriol when Gontran went to tap at -Andermatt's door. There was no answer at first; then, as the knocking -became much louder, a hoarse voice, the voice of one disturbed while -asleep, grunted from within:</p> - -<p>"Who's there?"</p> - -<p>"'Tis I, Gontran."</p> - -<p>"Wait—I'm opening the door."</p> - -<p>Andermatt appeared in his nightshirt, with puffed-up face, bristling -chin, and a silk handkerchief tied round his head. Then he got back -into bed, sat down in it, and with his hands stretched over the sheets:</p> - -<p>"Well, my dear fellow, this won't do me. Here is how matters stand: -I have sounded this old fox Oriol, without mentioning you, referring -merely to a certain friend of mine—I have perhaps allowed him to -suppose that the person I meant was Paul Bretigny—as a suitable match -for one of his daughters, and I asked what dowry he would give her. He -answered me by asking in his turn what were the young man's means; and -I fixed the amount at three hundred thousand francs with expectations."</p> - -<p>"But I have nothing," muttered Gontran.</p> - -<p>"I am lending you the money, my dear fellow. If we work this business -between us, your lands would yield me enough to reimburse me."</p> - -<p>Gontran sneered: "All right. I'll have the woman and you the money."</p> - -<p>But Andermatt got quite annoyed. "If I am to interest myself in your -affairs in order that you might insult me, there's an end of it—let us -say no more about it!"</p> - -<p>Gontran apologized: "Don't get vexed, my dear fellow, and excuse me! -I know that you are a very honest man of irreproachable loyalty in -matters of business. I would not ask you for the price of a drink if I -were your coachman; but I would intrust my fortune to you if I were a -millionaire."</p> - -<p>William, less excited, rejoined: "We'll return presently to that -subject. Let us first dispose of the principal question. The old man -was not taken in by my wiles, and said to me in reply: 'It depends -on which of them is the girl you're talking about. If 'tis Louise, -the elder one, here's her dowry.' And he enumerated for me all the -lands that are around the establishment, those which are between the -baths and the hotel and between the hotel and the Casino, all those, -in short, which are indispensable to us, those which have for me an -inestimable value. He gives, on the contrary, to the younger girl the -other side of the mountain, which will be worth as much money later on, -no doubt, but which is worth nothing to me. I tried in every possible -way to make him modify their partition and invert the lots. I was only -knocking my head against the obstinacy of a mule. He will not change; -he has fixed his resolution. Reflect—what do you think of it?"</p> - -<p>Gontran, much troubled, much perplexed, replied: "What do you think -of it yourself? Do you believe that he was thinking of me in thus -distributing the shares in the land?"</p> - -<p>"I haven't a doubt of it. The clown said to himself: 'As he likes -the younger one, let us take care of the bag.' He hopes to give -you his daughter while keeping his best lands. And again perhaps -his object is to give the advantage to the elder girl. He prefers -her—who knows?—she is more like himself—she is more cunning—more -artful—more practical. I believe she is a strapping lass, this -one—for my part, if I were in your place, I would change my stick from -one shoulder to the other."</p> - -<p>But Gontran, stunned, began muttering: "The devil! the devil! the -devil! And Charlotte's lands—you don't want them?"</p> - -<p>Andermatt exclaimed: "I—no—a thousand times, no! I want those which -are close to my baths, my hotel, and my Casino. It is very simple, I -wouldn't give anything for the others, which could only be sold, at a -later period, in small lots to private individuals."</p> - -<p>Gontran kept still repeating: "The devil! the devil! the devil! here's -a plaguy business! So then you advise me?"</p> - -<p>"I don't advise you at all. I think you would do well to reflect before -deciding between the two sisters."</p> - -<p>"Yes—yes—that's true—I will reflect—I am going to sleep first—that -brings counsel."</p> - -<p>He rose up; Andermatt held him back.</p> - -<p>"Excuse me, my dear boy!—a word or two on another matter. I may not -appear to understand, but I understand very well the allusions with -which you sting me incessantly, and I don't want any more of them. -You reproach me with being a Jew—that is to say, with making money, -with being avaricious, with being a speculator, so as to come close to -sheer swindling. Now, my friend, I spend my life in lending you this -money that I make—not without trouble—or rather in giving it to you. -However, let that be! But there is one point that I don't admit! No, -I am not avaricious. The proof of it is that I have made presents to -your sister, presents of twenty thousand francs at a time, that I gave -your father a Theodore Rousseau worth ten thousand francs, to which he -took a fancy, and that I presented you, when you were coming here, with -the horse on which you rode a little while ago to Royat. In what then -am I avaricious? In not letting myself be robbed. And we are all like -that among my race, and we are right, Monsieur. I want to say it to -you once for all. We are regarded as misers because we know the exact -value of things. For you a piano is a piano, a chair is a chair, a pair -of trousers is a pair of trousers. For us also, but it represents, at -the same time, a value, a mercantile value appreciable and precise, -which a practical man should estimate with a single glance, not through -stinginess, but in order not to countenance fraud. What would you say -if a tobacconist asked you four sous for a postage-stamp or for a box -of wax-matches? You would go to look for a policeman, Monsieur, for -one sou, yes, for one sou—so indignant would you be! And that because -you knew, by chance, the value of these two articles. Well, as for -me, I know the value of all salable articles; and that indignation -which would take possession of you, if you were asked four sous for -a postage-stamp, I experience when I am asked twenty francs for an -umbrella which is worth fifteen! I protest against the established -theft, ceaseless and abominable, of merchants, servants, and coachmen. -I protest against the commercial dishonesty of all your race which -despises us. I give the price of a drink which I am bound to give for a -service rendered, and not that which as the result of a whim you fling -away without knowing why, and which ranges from five to a hundred sous -according to the caprice of your temper! Do you understand?"</p> - -<p>Gontran had risen by this time, and smiling with that refined irony -which came happily from his lips:</p> - -<p>"Yes, my dear fellow, I understand, and you are perfectly right, and -so much the more right because my grandfather, the old Marquis de -Ravenel, scarcely left anything to my poor father in consequence of the -bad habit which he had of never picking up the change handed to him -by the shopkeepers when he was paying for any article whatsoever. He -thought that unworthy of a gentleman, and always gave the round sum and -the entire coin."</p> - -<p>And Gontran went out with a self-satisfied air.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.</a></h5> - - -<h4>A MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING</h4> - - -<p>They were just ready to go in to dinner, on the following day, in the -private dining-room of the Andermatt and Ravenel families, when Gontran -opened the door announcing the "Mesdemoiselles Oriol."</p> - -<p>They entered, with an air of constraint, pushed forward by Gontran, who -laughed while he explained:</p> - -<p>"Here they are! I have carried them both off through the middle of the -street. Moreover, it excited public attention. I brought them here by -force to you because I want to explain myself to Madame Louise, and -could not do so in the open air."</p> - -<p>He took from them their hats and their parasols, which they were still -carrying, as they had been on their way back from a promenade, made -them sit down, embraced his sister, pressed the hands of his father, -of his brother-in-law, and of Paul, and then, approaching Louise Oriol -once more, said:</p> - -<p>"Here now, Mademoiselle, kindly tell me what you have against me for -some time past?"</p> - -<p>She seemed scared, like a bird caught in a net, and carried away by the -hunter.</p> - -<p>"Why, nothing, Monsieur, nothing at all! What has made you believe -that?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! everything, Mademoiselle, everything at all! You no longer come -here—you no longer come in the Noah's Ark [so he had baptized the big -landau]. You assume a harsh tone whenever I meet you and when I speak -to you."</p> - -<p>"Why, no, Monsieur, I assure you!"</p> - -<p>"Why, yes, Mam'zelle, I declare to you! In any case, I don't want this -to continue, and I am going to make peace with you this very day. Oh! -you know I am obstinate. There's no use in your looking black at me. -I'll know easily how to get the better of your hoity-toity airs, and -make you be nice toward your sister, who is an angel of grace."</p> - -<p>It was announced that dinner was ready; and they made their way to -the dining-room. Gontran took Louise's arm in his. He was exceedingly -attentive to her and to her sister, dividing his compliments between -them with admirable tact, and remarking to the younger girl: "As for -you, you are a comrade of ours—I am going to neglect you for a few -days. One goes to less expense for friends than for strangers, you are -aware."</p> - -<p>And he said to the elder: "As for you, I want to bewitch you, -Mademoiselle, and I warn you as a loyal foe! I will even make love to -you. Ha! you are blushing—that's a good sign. You'll see that I am -very nice, when I take pains about it. Isn't that so, Mademoiselle -Charlotte?"</p> - -<p>And they were both, indeed, blushing, and Louise stammered with her -serious air: "Oh! Monsieur, how foolish you are!"</p> - -<p>He replied: "Bah! you will hear many things said by others by and by in -society, when you are married, which will not be long. 'Tis then they -will really pay you compliments."</p> - -<p>Christiane and Paul Bretigny expressed their approval of his action in -having brought back Louise Oriol; the Marquis smiled, amused by these -childish affectations. Andermatt was thinking: "He's no fool, the sly -dog." And Gontran, irritated by the part which he was compelled to -play, drawn by his senses toward Charlotte and by his interests toward -Louise, muttered between his teeth with a sly smile in her direction: -"Ah! your rascal of a father thought to play a trick upon me; but I am -going to carry it with a high hand over you, my lassie, and you will -see whether I won't go about it the right way!"</p> - -<p>And he compared the two, inspecting them one after the other. -Certainly, he liked the younger more; she was more amusing, more -lively, with her nose tilted slightly, her bright eyes, her straight -forehead, and her beautiful teeth a little too prominent in a mouth -which was somewhat too wide.</p> - -<p>However, the other was pretty, too, colder, less gay. She would never -be lively or charming in the intimate relations of life; but when at -the opening of a ball "the Comtesse de Ravenel" would be announced, she -could carry her title well—better perhaps than her younger sister, -when she got a little accustomed to it, and had mingled with persons -of high birth. No matter; he was annoyed. He was full of spite against -the father and the brother also, and he promised himself that he would -pay them off afterward for his mischance when he was the master. When -they returned to the drawing-room, he got Louise to read the cards, as -she was skilled in foretelling the future. The Marquis, Andermatt, and -Charlotte listened attentively, attracted, in spite of themselves, by -the mystery of the unknown, by the possibility of the improbable, by -that invincible credulity with reference to the marvelous which haunts -man, and often disturbs the strongest minds in the presence of the -silly inventions of charlatans.</p> - -<p>Paul and Christiane chatted in the recess of an open window. For some -time past she had been miserable, feeling that she was no longer loved -in the same fashion; and their misunderstanding as lovers was every day -accentuated by their mutual error. She had suspected this unfortunate -state of things for the first time on the evening of the <i>fête</i> when -she brought Paul along the road. But while she understood that he had -no longer the same tenderness in his look, the same caress in his -voice, the same passionate anxiety about her as in the days of their -early love, she had not been able to divine the cause of this change.</p> - -<p>It had existed for a long time now, ever since the day when she -had said to him with a look of happiness on reaching their daily -meeting-place: "You know, I believe I am really <i>enceinte</i>." He had -felt at that moment an unpleasant little shiver running all over his -skin. Then at each of their meetings she would talk to him about her -condition, which made her heart dance with joy; but this preoccupation -with a matter which he regarded as vexatious, ugly, and unclean clashed -with his devoted exaltation about the idol that he had adored. At a -later stage, when he saw her altered, thin, her cheeks hollow, her -complexion yellow, he thought that she might have spared him that -spectacle, and might have vanished for a few months from his sight, to -reappear afterward fresher and prettier than ever, thus knowing how to -make him forget this accident, or perhaps knowing how to unite to her -coquettish fascinations as a mistress, another charm, the thoughtful -reserve of a young mother, who only allows her baby to be seen at a -distance covered up in red ribbons.</p> - -<p>She had, besides, a rare opportunity of displaying that tact which -he expected of her by spending the summer apart from him at Mont -Oriol, and leaving him in Paris so that he might not see her robbed -of her freshness and beauty. He had fondly hoped that she might have -understood him.</p> - -<p>But, immediately on reaching Auvergne, she had appealed to him in -incessant and despairing letters so numerous and so urgent that he had -come to her through weakness, through pity. And now she was boring him -to death with her ungracious and lugubrious tenderness; and he felt an -extreme longing to get away from her, to see no more of her, to listen -no longer to her talk about love, so irritating and out of place. He -would have liked to tell her plainly all that he had in his mind, -to point out to her how unskillful and foolish she showed herself; -but he could not bring himself to do this, and he dared not take his -departure. As a result he could not restrain himself from testifying -his impatience with her in bitter and hurtful words.</p> - -<p>She was stung by them the more because, every day more ill, more heavy, -tormented by all the sufferings of pregnant women, she had more need -than ever of being consoled, fondled, encompassed with affection. She -loved him with that utter abandonment of body and soul, of her entire -being, which sometimes renders love a sacrifice without reservations -and without bounds. She no longer looked upon herself as his mistress, -but as his wife, his companion, his devotee, his worshiper, his -prostrate slave, his chattel. For her there seemed no further need of -any gallantry, coquetry, constant desire to please, or fresh indulgence -between them, since she belonged to him entirely, since they were -linked together by that chain so sweet and so strong—the child which -would soon be born. When they were alone at the window, she renewed her -tender lamentation: "Paul, my dear Paul, tell me, do you love me as -much as ever?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, certainly! Come now, you keep repeating this every day—it will -end by becoming monotonous."</p> - -<p>"Pardon me. It is because I find it impossible to believe it any -longer, and I want you to reassure me; I want to hear you saying it to -me forever that word which is so sweet; and, as you don't repeat it to -me so often as you used to do, I am compelled to ask for it, to implore -it, to beg for it from you."</p> - -<p>"Well, yes, I love you! But let us talk of something else, I entreat of -you."</p> - -<p>"Ah! how hard you are!"</p> - -<p>"Why, no! I am not hard. Only—only you do not understand—you do not -understand that——"</p> - -<p>"Oh! yes! I understand well that you no longer love me. If you knew how -I am suffering!"</p> - -<p>"Come, Christiane, I beg of you not to make me nervous. If you knew -yourself how awkward what you are now doing is!"</p> - -<p>"Ah! if you loved me, you would not talk to me in this way."</p> - -<p>"But, deuce take it! if I did not love you, I would not have come."</p> - -<p>"Listen. You belong to me now. You are mine; I am yours. There is -between us that tie of a budding life which nothing can break; but will -you promise me that, if one day, you should come to love me no more, -you will tell me so?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do promise you."</p> - -<p>"You swear it to me?"</p> - -<p>"I swear it to you."</p> - -<p>"But then, all the same, we would remain friends, would we not?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly, let us remain friends."</p> - -<p>"On the day when you no longer regard me with love you'll come to find -me and you'll say to me: 'My little Christiane, I am very fond of -you, but it is not the same thing any more. Let us be friends, there! -nothing but friends.'"</p> - -<p>"That is understood; I promise it to you."</p> - -<p>"You swear it to me?"</p> - -<p>"I swear it to you."</p> - -<p>"No matter, it would cause me great grief. How you adored me last -year!"</p> - -<p>A voice called out behind them: "The Duchess de Ramas-Aldavarra."</p> - -<p>She had come as a neighbor, for Christiane held receptions each day -for the principal bathers, just as princes hold receptions in their -kingdoms.</p> - -<p>Doctor Mazelli followed the lovely Spaniard with a smiling and -submissive air. The two women pressed one another's hands, sat down, -and commenced to chat.</p> - -<p>Andermatt called Paul across to him: "My dear friend come here! -Mademoiselle Oriol reads the cards splendidly; she has told me some -astonishing things!"</p> - -<p>He took Paul by the arm, and added: "What an odd being you are! At -Paris, we never saw you, even once a month, in spite of the entreaties -of my wife. Here it required fifteen letters to get you to come. And -since you have come, one would think you are losing a million a day, -you look so disconsolate. Come, are you hearing any matter that ruffles -you? We might be able to assist you. You should tell us about it."</p> - -<p>"Nothing at all, my dear fellow. If I haven't visited you more -frequently in Paris—'tis because at Paris, you understand——"</p> - -<p>"Perfectly—I grasp your meaning. But here, at least, you ought to be -in good spirits. I am preparing for you two or three <i>fêtes</i>, which -will, I am sure, be very successful."</p> - -<p>"Madame Barre and Professor Cloche" were announced. He entered with his -daughter, a young widow, red-haired and bold-faced. Then, almost in the -same breath, the manservant called out: "Professor Mas-Roussel."</p> - -<p>His wife accompanied him, pale, worn, with flat headbands drawn over -her temples.</p> - -<p>Professor Remusot had left the day before, after having, it was said, -purchased his chalet on exceptionally favorable conditions.</p> - -<p>The two other doctors would have liked to know what these conditions -were, but Andermatt merely said in reply to them: "Oh! we have made -little advantageous arrangements for everybody. If you desired to -follow his example, we might see our way to a mutual understanding—we -might see our way. When you have made up your mind, you can let me -know, and then we'll talk about it."</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne appeared in his turn, then Doctor Honorat, without his -wife, whom he did not bring with him. A din of voices now filled the -drawing-room, the loud buzz of conversation. Gontran never left Louise -Oriol's side, put his head over her shoulder in addressing her, and -said with a laugh every now and again to whoever was passing near him: -"This is an enemy of whom I am making a conquest."</p> - -<p>Mazelli took a seat beside Professor Cloche's daughter. For some days -he had been constantly following her about; and she had received his -advances with provoking audacity.</p> - -<p>The Duchess, who kept him well in view, appeared irritated and -trembling. Suddenly she rose, crossed the drawing-room, and interrupted -her doctor's confidential chat with the pretty red-haired widow, -saying: "Come, Mazelli, we are going to retire. I feel rather ill at -ease."</p> - -<p>As soon as they had gone out, Christiane drew close to Paul's side, -and said to him: "Poor woman! she must suffer so much!"</p> - -<p>He asked heedlessly: "Who, pray?"</p> - -<p>"The Duchess! You don't see how jealous she is."</p> - -<p>He replied abruptly: "If you begin to groan over everything you can lay -hold of now, you'll have no end of weeping."</p> - -<p>She turned away, ready, indeed, to shed tears, so cruel did she find -him, and, sitting down near Charlotte Oriol, who was all alone in a -dazed condition, unable to comprehend the meaning of Gontran's conduct, -she said to the young girl, without letting the latter realize what her -words conveyed: "There are days when one would like to be dead."</p> - -<p>Andermatt, in the midst of the doctors, was relating the extraordinary -case of Père Clovis, whose legs were beginning to come to life again. -He appeared so thoroughly convinced that nobody could doubt his good -faith.</p> - -<p>Since he had seen through the trick of the peasants and the paralytic, -understood that he had let himself be duped and persuaded, the year -before, through the sheer desire to believe in the efficacy of the -waters with which he had been bitten, since, above all, he had not been -able to free himself, without paying, from the formidable complaints -of the old man, he had converted it into a strong advertisement, and -worked it wonderfully well.</p> - -<p>Mazelli had just come back, after having accompanied his patient to her -own apartments.</p> - -<p>Gontran caught hold of his arm: "Tell me your opinion, my good doctor. -Which of the Oriol girls do you prefer?"</p> - -<p>The handsome physician whispered in his ear: "The younger one, to love; -the elder one, to marry."</p> - -<p>"Look at that! We are exactly of the same way of thinking. I am -delighted at it!"</p> - -<p>Then, going over to his sister, who was still talking to Charlotte: -"You are not aware of it? I have made up my mind that we are to visit -the Puy de la Nugère on Thursday. It is the finest crater of the chain. -Everyone consents. It is a settled thing."</p> - -<p>Christiane murmured with an air of indifference: "I consent to anything -you like."</p> - -<p>But Professor Cloche, followed by his daughter, was about to take his -leave, and Mazelli, offering to see them home, started off behind the -young widow. In five minutes, everyone had left, for Christiane went -to bed at eleven o'clock. The Marquis, Paul, and Gontran accompanied -the Oriol girls. Gontran and Louise walked in front, and Bretigny, some -paces behind them, felt Charlotte's arm trembling a little as it leaned -on his.</p> - -<p>They separated with the agreement: "On Thursday at eleven for breakfast -at the hotel!"</p> - -<p>On their way back they met Andermatt, detained in a corner of the park -by Professor Mas-Roussel, who was saying to him: "Well, if it does not -put you about, I'll come and have a chat with you to-morrow morning -about that little business of the chalet."</p> - -<p>William joined the young men to go in with them, and, drawing himself -up to his brother-in-law's ear, said: "My best compliments, my dear -boy! You have acted your part admirably."</p> - -<p>Gontran, for the past two years, had been harassed by pecuniary -embarrassments which had spoiled his existence. So long as he was -spending the share which came to him from his mother, he had allowed -his life to pass in that carelessness and indifference which he -inherited from his father, in the midst of those young men, rich, -<i>blasé</i>, and corrupted, whose doings we read about every morning in the -newspapers, who belong to the world of fashion but mingle in it very -little, preferring the society of women of easy virtue and purchasable -hearts.</p> - -<p>There were a dozen of them in the same set, who were to be found every -night at the same <i>café</i> on the boulevard between midnight and three -o'clock in the morning. Very well dressed, always in black coats and -white waistcoats, wearing shirt-buttons worth twenty louis changed -every month, and bought in one of the principal jewelers' shops, -they lived careless of everything, save amusing themselves, picking -up women, making them a subject of talk, and getting money by every -possible means.</p> - -<p>As the only things they had any knowledge of were the scandals of the -night before, the echoes of alcoves and stables, duels and stories -about gambling transactions, the entire horizon of their thoughts was -shut in by these barriers. They had had all the women who were for sale -in the market of gallantry, had passed them through their hands, given -them up, exchanged them with one another, and talked among themselves -as to their erotic qualities as they might have talked about the -qualities of race-horses. They also associated with people of rank -whose voluptuous habits excited comment and whose women nearly all -kept up intrigues which were matters of notoriety, under the eyes of -husbands indifferent or averted or closed or devoid of perception; and -they passed judgment on these women as on the others, forming much the -same estimate about them, save that they made a slight distinction on -the grounds of birth and social position.</p> - -<p>By dint of resorting to dodges to get the money necessary for the life -which they led, outwitting usurers, borrowing on all sides, putting -off tradesmen, laughing in the faces of their tailors when presented -with a big bill every six months, listening to girls telling about the -infamies they perpetrated in order to gratify their feminine greed, -seeing systematic cheating at clubs, knowing and feeling that they -were individually robbed by everyone, by servants, merchants, keepers -of big restaurants and others, becoming acquainted with certain sharp -practices and shady transactions in which they themselves had a hand in -order to knock out a few louis, their moral sense had become blunted, -used up, and their sole point of honor consisted in fighting duels when -they realized that they were suspected of all the things of which they -were either capable or actually guilty.</p> - -<p>Everyone of these young <i>roués</i>, after some years of this existence, -ended with a rich marriage, or a scandal, or a suicide, or a mysterious -disappearance as complete as death. But they put their principal -reliance on the rich marriage. Some trusted to their families to -procure such a thing for them; others looked out themselves for it -without letting it be noticed; and they had lists of heiresses just -as people have lists of houses for sale. They kept their eyes fixed -especially on the exotics, the Americans of the north and of the south, -whom they dazzled by their "chic," by their reputation as fast men, by -talk about their successes, and by the elegance of their persons. And -their tradesmen also placed reliance on the rich marriage.</p> - -<p>But this hunt after the girl with a fortune was bound to be protracted. -In any case it involved inquiries, the trouble of winning a female -heart, fatigues, visits, all that exercise of energy of which Gontran, -careless by nature, remained utterly incapable. For a long time -past, he had been saying to himself, feeling each day more keenly -the unpleasantness of impecuniosity: "I must, for all that, think -over it." But he did not think over it, and so he found nothing. He -had been reduced to the ingenious pursuit of paltry sums, to all the -questionable steps of people at the end of their resources, and, to -crown all, to long sojourns in the family, when Andermatt had suddenly -suggested to him the idea of marrying one of the Oriol girls.</p> - -<p>He had, at first, said nothing through prudence, although the young -girl appeared to him, at first blush, too much beneath him for him to -consent to such an unequal match. But a few minutes' reflection had -very speedily modified his view; and he forthwith made up his mind -to make love to her in a bantering sort of way—the love-making of a -spa—which would not compromise him, and would permit him to back out -of it.</p> - -<p>Thoroughly acquainted with his brother-in-law's character, he knew that -this proposition must have been cogitated for a long time, and weighed -and matured by him—that she meant to him a valuable prize such as it -would be hard to find elsewhere.</p> - -<p>It would cost him no trouble but that of stooping down and picking up -a pretty girl, for he liked the younger sister very much, and he had -often said to himself that she would be nice to associate with later -on. He had accordingly selected Charlotte Oriol; and in a little time -would have brought matters to the point when a regular proposal might -have been made to her.</p> - -<p>Now, as the father was bestowing on his other daughter the dowry -coveted by Andermatt, Gontran had either to renounce this union or -turn round to the elder sister. He felt intense dissatisfaction with -this state of affairs and he had been thinking in his first moments of -vexation of sending his brother-in-law to the devil and remaining a -bachelor until a fresh opportunity arose. But just at that very time -he found himself quite cleaned out, so that he had to ask, for his -play at the Casino, a sum of twenty-five louis from Paul, after many -similar loans, which he had never paid back. And again, he would have -to look for a rich wife, find her, and captivate her, while without any -change of place, with only a few days of attention and gallantry, he -could capture the elder of the Oriol girls just as he had been able to -make a conquest of the younger. In this way he would make sure in his -brother-in-law of a banker whom he might render always responsible, on -whom he might cast endless reproaches, and whose cash-box would always -be open for him.</p> - -<p>As for his wife, he could bring her to Paris, and there introduce her -into society as the daughter of Andermatt's partner. Moreover, she bore -the name of the spa, to which he would never bring her back! Never! -never! in virtue of the natural law that streams do not return to their -sources. She had a nice face and figure, sufficiently distinguished -already to become entirely so, sufficiently intelligent to understand -the ways of society, to hold her own in it, to make a good show in -it, and even to do him honor. People would say: "This joker here has -married a lovely girl, at whom he looks as if he were not making a bad -joke of it." And he would not make a bad joke of it, in fact, for he -counted on resuming by her side his bachelor existence with the money -in his pockets.</p> - -<p>So he turned toward Louise Oriol, and, taking advantage of the jealousy -awakened in the skittish heart of the young girl, without being aware -of it, had excited in her a coquetry which had hitherto slumbered, and -a vague desire to take away from her sister this handsome lover whom -people addressed as "Monsieur le Comte."</p> - -<p>She had not said this in her own mind. She had neither thought it out -nor contrived it, being surprised at their being thrown together and -going off in one another's company. But when she saw him assiduous -and gallant toward her, she felt from his demeanor, from his glances, -and his entire attitude, that he was not enamored of Charlotte, and -without trying to see beyond that, she was in a happy, joyous, almost -triumphant frame of mind as she lay down to sleep.</p> - -<p>They hesitated for a long time on the following Thursday before -starting for the Puy de la Nugère. The gloomy sky and the heavy -atmosphere made them anticipate rain. But Gontran insisted so strongly -on going that he carried the waverers along with him. The breakfast -was a melancholy affair. Christiane and Paul had quarreled the night -before, without apparent cause. Andermatt was afraid that Gontran's -marriage might not take place, for Père Oriol had, that very morning, -spoken of him in equivocal terms. Gontran, on being informed of this, -got angry and made up his mind that he would succeed. Charlotte, -foreseeing her sister's triumph, without at all understanding this -transfer of Gontran's affections, strongly desired to remain in the -village. With some difficulty they prevailed on her to come.</p> - -<p>Accordingly the Noah's Ark carried its full number of ordinary -passengers in the direction of the high plateau which looks down on -Volvic. Louise Oriol, suddenly becoming loquacious, acted as their -guide along the road. She explained how the stone of Volvic, which -is nothing else but the lava-current of the surrounding peaks, had -helped to build all the churches and all the houses in the district—a -circumstance which gives to the towns in Auvergne the dark and -charred-looking aspect that they present.</p> - -<p>She pointed out the yards where this stone was cut, showed them the -molten rock that was worked as a quarry, from which was extracted the -rough lava, and made them view with admiration, standing on a hilltop -and bending over Volvic, the immense black Virgin who protects the -town. Then they ascended toward the upper plateau, embossed with -extinct volcanoes. The horses went at a walking pace over the long and -toilsome road. Their path was bordered with beautiful green woods, and -nobody talked any longer.</p> - -<p>Christiane was thinking about Tazenat. It was the same carriage; -they were the same persons; but their hearts were no longer the -same. Everything seemed as it had been—and yet? and yet? What then -had happened? Almost nothing. A little love the more on her part! A -little love the less on his! Almost nothing—the invisible rent which -weariness makes in an intimate attachment—oh! almost nothing—and the -look in the changed eyes, because the same eyes no longer saw the same -faces in the same way. What is this but a look? Almost nothing!</p> - -<p>The coachman drew up, and said: "It is here, at the right, through that -path in the wood. You have only to follow it in order to get there."</p> - -<p>All descended, save the Marquis, who thought the weather too warm. -Louise and Gontran went on in front, and Charlotte remained behind with -Paul and Christiane, who found difficulty in walking. The path appeared -to them long, right through the wood; then they reached a crest covered -with tall grass which led by a steep ascent to the sides of the old -crater. Louise and Gontran, halting when they got to the top, both -looking tall and slender, had the appearance of standing in the clouds. -When the others had come up with them, Paul Bretigny's enthusiastic -soul was inflamed with poetic rapture.</p> - -<p>Around them, behind them, to right, to left, they were surrounded by -strange cones, decapitated, some shooting forth, others crushed into a -mass, but all preserving their fantastic physiognomy of dead volcanoes. -These heavy fragments of mountains with flat summits rose from south to -west along an immense plateau of desolate appearance, which, itself a -thousand meters above the Limagne, looked down upon it, as far as the -eye could reach, toward the east and the north, on to the invisible -horizon, always veiled, always blue.</p> - -<p>The Puy de Dome, at the right, towered above all its fellows, with from -seventy to eighty craters now gone to sleep. Further on were the Puy de -Gravenoire, the Puy de Crouel, the Puy de la Pedge, the Puy de Sault, -the Puy de Noschamps, the Puy de la Vache. Nearer, were the Puy de -Come, the Puy de Jumes, the Puy de Tressoux, the Puy de Louchadière—a -vast cemetery of volcanoes.</p> - -<p>The young men gazed at the scene in amazement. At their feet opened -the first crater of La Nugère, a deep grassy basin at the bottom of -which could be seen three enormous blocks of brown lava, lifted up with -the monster's last puff and then sunk once more into his throat as he -expired, remaining there from century to century forever.</p> - -<p>Gontran exclaimed: "As for me, I am going down to the bottom. I want -to see how they give up the ghost—creatures of this sort. Come along, -Mesdemoiselles, for a little run down the slope." And seizing Louise's -arm, he dragged her after him. Charlotte followed them, running after -them. Then, all of a sudden, she stopped, watched them as they flew -along, jumping with their arms linked, and, turning back abruptly, she -reascended toward Christiane and Paul, who were seated on the grass -at the top of the declivity. When she reached them, she fell upon her -knees, and, hiding her face in the young girl's robe she wore, she -burst out sobbing.</p> - -<p>Christiane, who understood what was the matter, and whom all the -sorrows of others had, for some time past, pierced like wounds -inflicted upon herself, flung her arms around the girl's neck, and, -moved also by her tears, murmured: "Poor little thing! poor little -thing!" The girl kept crying incessantly, and with her hands dropping -listlessly to the ground, she tore up the grass unconscious of what she -was doing.</p> - -<p>Bretigny had risen up in order to avoid the appearance of having -observed her, but this misery endured by a young girl, this distress -of an innocent creature, filled him suddenly with indignation against -Gontran. He, whom Christiane's deep anguish only exasperated, was -touched to the bottom of his heart by a girl's first disillusion.</p> - -<p>He came back, and kneeling down in his turn, in order to speak to her, -said: "Come, calm yourself, I beg of you. They are going to return -presently. They must not see you crying."</p> - -<p>She sprang to her feet, scared by this idea that her sister might find -her with tears in her eyes. Her throat remained choking with sobs, -which she held back, which she swallowed down, which she sent back -into her heart, filling it with more poignant grief. She faltered: -"Yes—yes—it is over—it is nothing—it is over. Look here! It cannot -be noticed now. Isn't that so? It cannot be noticed now."</p> - -<p>Christiane wiped her cheeks with her handkerchief, then passed it also -across her own. She said to Paul:</p> - -<p>"Go, pray, and see what they are doing. We cannot see them any longer. -They have disappeared under the blocks of lava. I will look after this -little one, and console her."</p> - -<p>Bretigny had again stood up, and in a trembling voice, said: "I am -going there—and I'll bring them back, but it will be my affair—your -brother—this very day—and he shall give me an explanation of his -unjustifiable conduct, after what he said to us the other day." He -began to descend, running toward the center of the crater.</p> - -<p>Gontran, hurrying Louise along, had pulled her with all his strength -over the steep side of the chasm, in order to hold her up, to sustain -her, to put her out of breath, to make her dizzy, and to frighten her. -She, carried along by his wild rush, attempted to stop him, gasping: -"Oh! not so quickly—I'm going to fall—why, you're mad—I'm going to -fall!"</p> - -<p>They knocked against the blocks of lava, and remained standing up, both -breathless. Then they walked round the crater staring at the big gaps -which formed below a kind of cavern, with a double outlet.</p> - -<p>When at the end of its life, the volcano had cast out this last -mouthful of foam, unable to shoot it up to the sky as in former times, -he had spat it forth, so that, thick and half-cooled, it fixed itself -upon his dying lips.</p> - -<p>"We must enter under there," said Gontran. And he pushed the young -girl before him. Then, when they were in the grotto, he said: "Well, -Mademoiselle, this is the moment to make a declaration to you."</p> - -<p>She was stupefied: "A declaration—to me!"</p> - -<p>"Why, yes, in four words—I find you charming!"</p> - -<p>"It is to my sister you should say that!"</p> - -<p>"Oh! you know well that I am not making a declaration to your sister."</p> - -<p>"Come, now!"</p> - -<p>"Look here! you would not be a woman if you did not understand that I -have paid attentions to her to see what you would think of it!—and -what looks you gave me on account of it. Why, you looked daggers at me! -Oh! I'm quite satisfied. So then I have tried to prove to you, by all -the consideration in my power, how much I thought about you."</p> - -<p>Nobody had ever before talked to her in this way. She felt confused and -delighted, her heart full of joy and pride. He went on: "I know well -that I have been nasty toward your little sister. So much the worse. -She is not deceived by it, never fear. You see how she remained on the -hillside, how she was not inclined to follow us. Oh! she understands! -she understands!"</p> - -<p>He had caught hold of one of Louise Oriol's hands, and he kissed the -ends of her fingers softly, gallantly, murmuring: "How nice you are! -How nice you are!"</p> - -<p>She, leaning against the wall of lava, heard his heart beating with -emotion without uttering a word. The thought, the sole thought, which -floated in her agitated mind, was one of triumph; she had got the -better of her sister! But a shadow appeared at the entrance to the -grotto. Paul Bretigny was looking at them. Gontran, in a natural -fashion, let fall the little hand which he had been raising to his -lips, and said: "Hallo! you here? Are you alone?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. We were surprised to see you disappearing down here."</p> - -<p>"Oh! well, let us go back. We were looking at this. Isn't it rather -curious?"</p> - -<p>Louise, flushed up to her temples, went out first, and began to -reascend the slope, followed by the two young men, who were talking -behind in a low tone.</p> - -<p>Christiane and Charlotte saw them approaching, and awaited them with -clasped hands.</p> - -<p>They went back to the carriage in which the Marquis had remained, and -the Noah's Ark set out again for Enval.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, in the midst of a little forest of pine-trees the landau -stopped, and the coachman began to swear. An old dead ass blocked the -way.</p> - -<p>Everyone wanted to look at it, and they got down off the carriage. He -lay stretched on the blackened dust, himself discolored, and so lean -that his worn skin at the places where the bones projected seemed as if -it would have been burst through if the animal had not breathed forth -his last sigh. The entire carcass outlined itself under the gnawed -hair of his sides, and his head looked enormous—a poor-looking head, -with the eyes closed, tranquil now on its bed of broken stones, so -tranquil, so calm in death, that it appeared happy and surprised at -this new-found rest. His big ears, now relaxed, lay like rags. Two raw -wounds on his knees told how often he had fallen that very day before -sinking down for the last time; and another wound on the side showed -the place where his master, for years and years, had been pricking him -with an iron spike attached to the end of a stick, to hasten his slow -pace.</p> - -<p>The coachman, having caught its hind legs, dragged it toward a ditch, -and the neck was strained as if the dead brute were going to bray once -more, to give vent to a last complaint. When this was done, the man, -in a rage, muttered: "What brutes, to leave this in the middle of the -road!"</p> - -<p>No other person had said a word; they again stepped into the carriage. -Christiane, heartbroken, crushed, saw all the miserable life of this -animal ended thus at the side of the road: the merry little donkey -with his big head, in which glittered a pair of big eyes, comical and -good-tempered, with his rough hair and his long ears, gamboling about, -still free, close to his mother's legs; then the first cart; the first -uphill journey; the first blows; and, after that, the ceaseless and -terrible walking along interminable roads, the overpowering heat of the -sun, and nothing for food save a little straw, a little hay, or some -branches, while all along the hard roads there was the temptation of -the green meadows.</p> - -<p>And then, again, as age came upon him, the iron spike replacing the -pliant switch; and the frightful martyrdom of the animal, worn out, -bereft of breath, bruised, always dragging after it excessive loads, -and suffering in all its limbs, in all its old body, shabby as a -beggar's cart. And then the death, the beneficent death, three paces -away from the grass of the ditch, to which a man, passing by, drags it -with oaths, in order to clear the road.</p> - -<p>Christiane, for the first time, understood the wretchedness of enslaved -creatures; and death appeared to her also a very good thing at times.</p> - -<p>Suddenly they passed by a little cart, which a man nearly naked, a -woman in tatters, and a lean dog were dragging along, exhausted by -fatigue. The occupants of the carriage noticed that they were sweating -and panting. The dog, with his tongue out, fleshless and mangy, was -fastened between the wheels. There were in this cart pieces of wood -picked up everywhere, stolen, no doubt, roots, stumps, broken branches, -which seemed to hide other things; then over these branches rags, and -on these rags a child, nothing but a head starting out through gray old -scraps of cloth, a round ball with two eyes, a nose, and a mouth!</p> - -<p>This was a family, a human family! The ass had succumbed to fatigue, -and the man, without pity for his dead servant, without pushing it even -into the rut, had left it in the open road, in front of any vehicles -which might be coming up. Then, yoking himself in his turn with his -wife in the empty shafts, they proceeded to drag it along as the beast -had dragged it a short time before. They were going on. Where? To do -what? Had they even a few sous? That cart—would they be dragging it -forever, not being in a position to buy another animal? What would they -live on? Where would they stop? They would probably die as their donkey -had died.</p> - -<p>Were they married, these beggars, or merely living together? And their -child would do the same as they did, this little brute as yet unformed, -concealed under sordid wrappings. Christiane was thinking on all these -things; and new sensations rose up in the depths of her pitying soul. -She had a glimpse of the misery of the poor.</p> - -<p>Gontran said, all of a sudden: "I don't know why, but I would think -it a delicious thing if we were all to dine together this evening at -the Café Anglais. It would give me pleasure to have a look at the -boulevard."</p> - -<p>And the Marquis muttered: "Bah! we are well enough here. The new hotel -is much better than the old one."</p> - -<p>They passed in front of Tournoel. A recollection of the spot -made Christiane's heart palpitate, as she recognized a certain -chestnut-tree. She glanced toward Paul, who had closed his eyes, so -that he did not see her meek, appealing face.</p> - -<p>Soon they perceived two men before the carriage, two vinedressers -returning from work carrying their rakes on their shoulders, and -walking with the long, weary steps of laborers. The Oriol girls -reddened to their very temples. It was their father and their brother, -who had gone back to their vine-lands as in former times, and passed -their days sweating over the soil which they had enriched, and bent -double, with their buttocks in the air, kept toiling at it from morning -until evening, while the fine frock-coats, carefully folded up, were at -rest in the chest of drawers, and the tall hats in a press.</p> - -<p>The two peasants bowed with a friendly smile, while everyone in the -landau waved a hand in response to their "Good evening."</p> - -<p>When they got back, just as Gontran was stepping out of the Ark to go -up to the Casino, Bretigny accompanied him, and stopping on the first -steps, said:</p> - -<p>"Listen, my friend! What you're doing is not right, and I've promised -your sister to speak to you about it."</p> - -<p>"To speak about what?"</p> - -<p>"About the way you have been acting during the last few days."</p> - -<p>Gontran had resumed his impertinent air.</p> - -<p>"Acting? Toward whom?"</p> - -<p>"Toward this girl whom you are meanly jilting."</p> - -<p>"Do you think so?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do think so—and I am right in thinking so."</p> - -<p>"Bah! you are becoming very scrupulous on the subject of jilting."</p> - -<p>"Ah, my friend, 'tis not a question of a loose woman here, but of a -young girl."</p> - -<p>"I know that perfectly; therefore, I have not seduced her. The -difference is very marked."</p> - -<p>They went on walking together side by side. Gontran's demeanor -exasperated Paul, who replied:</p> - -<p>"If I were not your friend, I would say some very severe things to you."</p> - -<p>"And for my part I would not permit you to say them."</p> - -<p>"Look here, listen to me, my friend! This young girl excites my pity. -She was weeping a little while ago."</p> - -<p>"Bah! she was weeping! Why, that's a compliment to me!"</p> - -<p>"Come, don't trifle! What do you mean to do?"</p> - -<p>"I? Nothing!"</p> - -<p>"Just consider! You have gone so far with her that you have compromised -her. The other day you told your sister and me that you were thinking -of marrying her."</p> - -<p>Gontran stopped in his walk, and in that mocking tone through which a -menace showed itself:</p> - -<p>"My sister and you would do better not to bother yourselves about -other people's love affairs. I told you that this girl pleases me well -enough, and that if I happened to marry her, I would be doing a wise -and reasonable act. That's all. Now it turns out that to-day I like the -elder girl better. I have changed my mind. That's a thing that happens -to everyone."</p> - -<p>Then, looking him full in the face: "What is it that you do yourself -when you cease to care about a woman? Do you look after her?"</p> - -<p>Paul Bretigny, astonished, sought to penetrate the profound meaning, -the hidden sense, of these words. A little feverishness also mounted -into his brain. He said in a violent tone:</p> - -<p>"I tell you again this is not a question of a hussy or a married woman, -but of a young girl whom you have deceived, if not by promises, at -least by your advances. That is not, mark you, the part of a man of -honor!—or of an honest man!"</p> - -<p>Gontran, pale, his voice quivering, interrupted him: "Hold your tongue! -You have already said too much—and I have listened to too much of -this. In my turn, if I were not your friend I—I might show you that I -have a short temper. Another word, and there is an end of everything -between us forever!"</p> - -<p>Then, slowly weighing his words, and flinging them in Paul's face, -he said: "I have no explanations to offer you—I might rather have -to demand them from you. There is a certain kind of indelicacy of -which it is not the part of a man of honor or of an honest man to be -guilty—which might take many forms—from which friendship ought to -keep certain people—and which love does not excuse."</p> - -<p>All of a sudden, changing his tone, and almost jesting, he added:</p> - -<p>"As for this little Charlotte, if she excites your pity, and if you -like her, take her, and marry her. Marriage is often a solution of -difficult cases. It is a solution, and a stronghold, in which one may -barricade himself against desperate obstacles. She is pretty and rich! -It would be very desirable for you to finish with an accident like -this!—it would be amusing for us to marry here, the same day, for -I certainly will marry the elder one. I tell it to you as a secret, -and don't repeat it as yet. Now don't forget that you have less right -than anyone else yourself ever to talk about integrity in matters of -sentiment, and scruples of affection. And now go and look after your -own affairs. I am going to look after mine. Good night!"</p> - -<p>And suddenly turning off in another direction, he went down toward the -village. Paul Bretigny, with doubts in his mind and uneasiness in his -heart, returned with lingering steps to the hotel of Mont Oriol.</p> - -<p>He tried to understand thoroughly, to recall each word, in order to -determine its meaning, and he was amazed at the secret byways, shameful -and unfit to be spoken of, which may be hidden in certain souls.</p> - -<p>When Christiane asked him: "What reply did you get from Gontran?"</p> - -<p>He faltered: "My God! he—he prefers the elder, just now. I believe he -even intends to marry her—and in answer to my rather sharp reproaches -he shut my mouth by allusions that are—disquieting to both of us."</p> - -<p>Christiane sank into a chair, murmuring: "Oh! my God! my God!"</p> - -<p>But, as Gontran had just come in, for the bell had rung for dinner, he -kissed her gaily on the forehead, asking: "Well, little sister, how do -you feel now? You are not too tired?"</p> - -<p>Then he pressed Paul's hand, and, turning toward Andermatt, who had -come in after him:</p> - -<p>"I say, pearl of brothers-in-law, of husbands, and of friends, can you -tell me exactly what an old ass dead on a road is worth?"</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII.</a></h5> - - -<h4>A Betrothal</h4> - - -<p>Andermatt and Doctor Latonne were walking in front of the Casino on a -terrace adorned with vases made of imitation marble.</p> - -<p>"He no longer salutes me," the doctor was saying, referring to his -brother-physician Bonnefille. "He is over there in his pit, like a -wild-boar. I believe he would poison our springs, if he could!"</p> - -<p>Andermatt, with his hands behind his back and his hat—a small round -hat of gray felt—thrown back over his neck, so as to let the baldness -above his forehead be seen, was deeply plunged in thought. At length he -said:</p> - -<p>"Oh! in three months the Company will have knuckled under. We might -buy it over at ten thousand francs. It is that wretched Bonnefille who -is exciting them against me, and who makes them fancy that I will give -way. But he is mistaken."</p> - -<p>The new inspector returned: "You are aware that they have shut up their -Casino since yesterday. They have no one any longer."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I am aware of it; but we have not enough of people here -ourselves. They stick in too much at the hotels; and people get bored -in the hotels, my dear fellow. It is necessary to amuse the bathers, -to distract them, to make them think the season too short. Those -staying at our Mont Oriol hotel come every evening, because they are -quite near, but the others hesitate and remain in their abodes. It is -a question of routes—nothing else. Success always depends on certain -imperceptible causes which we ought to know how to discover. It is -necessary that the routes leading to a place of recreation should be a -source of recreation in themselves, the commencement of the pleasure -which one will be enjoying presently.</p> - -<p>"The ways which lead to this place are bad, stony, hard; they cause -fatigue. When a route which goes to any place, to which one has a -vague desire of paying a visit, is pleasant, wide, and full of shade -in the daytime, easy and not too steep at night, one selects it -naturally in preference to others. If you knew how the body preserves -the recollection of a thousand things which the mind has not taken -the trouble to retain! I believe this is how the memory of animals is -constructed. Have you felt too hot when repairing to such a place? Have -you tired your feet on badly broken stones? Have you found an ascent -too rough, even while you were thinking of something else? If so, you -will experience invincible repugnance to revisiting that spot. You were -chatting with a friend; you took no notice of the slight annoyances of -the journey; you were looking at nothing, remarking notice; but your -legs, your muscles, your lungs, your whole body have not forgotten, -and they say to the mind, when it wants to take them along the same -route: 'No, I won't go; I have suffered too much there.' And the mind -yields to this refusal without disputing it, submitting to this mute -language of the companions who carry it along.</p> - -<p>"So then, we want fine pathways, which comes back to saying that I -require the bits of ground belonging to that donkey of a Père Oriol. -But patience! Ha! with reference to that point, Mas-Roussel has become -the proprietor of his own chalet on the same conditions as Remusot. -It is a trifling sacrifice for which he will amply indemnify us. Try, -therefore, to find out exactly what are Cloche's intentions."</p> - -<p>"He'll do just the same thing as the others," said the physician. "But -there is something else, of which I have been thinking for the last few -days, and which we have completely forgotten—it is the meteorological -bulletin."</p> - -<p>"What meteorological bulletin?"</p> - -<p>"In the big Parisian newspapers. It is indispensable, this is! It is -necessary that the temperature of a thermal station should be better, -less variable, more uniformly mild than that of the neighboring and -rival stations. You subscribe to the meteorological bulletin in the -leading organs of opinion, and I will send every evening by telegraph -the atmospheric situation. I will do it in such a way that the average -arrived at when the year is at an end may be higher than the best -mean temperatures of the surrounding stations. The first thing that -meets our eyes when we open the big newspapers are the temperatures -of Vichy, of Royat, of Mont Doré, of Chatel-Guyon, and other -places during the summer season, and, during the winter season, the -temperatures of Cannes, Mentone, Nice, Saint Raphael. It is necessary -that the weather should always be hot and always fine in these places, -in order that the Parisian might say: 'Christi! how lucky the people -are who go down there!'"</p> - -<p>Andermatt exclaimed: "Upon my honor, you're right. Why have I never -thought of that? I will attend to it this very day. With regard to -useful things, have you written to Professors Larenard and Pascalis? -There are two men I would like very much to have here."</p> - -<p>"Unapproachable, my dear President—unless—unless they are satisfied -of themselves after many trials that our waters are of a superior -character. But, as far as they are concerned, you will accomplish -nothing by persuasion—by anticipation."</p> - -<p>They passed by Paul and Gontran, who had come to take coffee after -luncheon. Other bathers made their appearance, especially men, for the -women, on rising from the table, always went up to their rooms for an -hour or two. Petrus Martel was looking after his waiters, and crying -out: "A kummel, a nip of brandy, a glass of aniseed cordial," in the -same rolling, deep voice which he would assume an hour later while -conducting rehearsals, and giving the keynote to the young <i>première</i>.</p> - -<p>Andermatt stopped a few moments for a short chat with the two young -men; then he resumed his promenade by the side of the inspector.</p> - -<p>Gontran, with legs crossed and folded arms, lolling in his chair, with -the nape of his neck against the back of it, and his eyes and his -cigar facing the sky, was puffing in a state of absolute contentment.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, he asked: "Would you mind taking a turn, presently, in the -valley of Sans-Souci? The girls will be there."</p> - -<p>Paul hesitated; then, after some reflection: "Yes, I am quite willing." -Then he added: "Is your affair progressing?"</p> - -<p>"Egad, it is! Oh! I have a hold of her. She won't escape me now."</p> - -<p>Gontran had, by this time, taken his friend into his confidence, and -told him, day by day, how he was going on and how much ground he -had gained. He even got him to be present, as a confederate, at his -appointments, for he had managed to obtain appointments with Louise -Oriol by a little bit of ingenuity.</p> - -<p>After their promenade at the Puy de la Nugère, Christiane put an end to -these excursions by not going out at all, and so rendered it more and -more difficult for the lovers to meet. Her brother, put out at first by -this attitude on her part, bethought him of some means of extricating -himself from this predicament. Accustomed to Parisian morals, according -to which women are regarded by men of his stamp as game, the chase of -which is often no easy one, he had in former days made use of many -artifices in order to gain access to those for whom he had conceived a -passion. He knew better than anyone else how to make use of pimps, to -discover those who were accommodating through interested motives, and -to determine with a single glance the men or women who were disposed to -aid him in his designs.</p> - -<p>The unconscious support of Christiane having suddenly been withdrawn -from him, he had looked about him for the requisite connecting link, -the "pliant nature," as he expressed it himself, whereby he could -replace his sister; and his choice speedily fixed itself on Doctor -Honorat's wife. Many reasons pointed at her as a suitable person. In -the first place, her husband, closely associated with the Oriols, -had been for the past twenty years attending this family. He had -been present at the birth of the children, had dined with them every -Sunday, and had entertained them at his own table every Tuesday. His -wife, a fat old woman of the lower-middle class, trying to pass as a -lady, full of pretension, easy to overcome through her vanity, was -sure to lend both hands to every desire of the Comte de Ravenel, whose -brother-in-law owned the establishment of Mont Oriol.</p> - -<p>Besides, Gontran, who was a good judge of a go-between, had satisfied -himself that this woman was naturally well adapted for the part, by -merely seeing her walking through the street.</p> - -<p>"She has the physique," was his reflection, "and when one has the -physique for an employment, one has the soul required for it, too!"</p> - -<p>Accordingly, he made his way into her abode, one day, after having -accompanied her husband to his own door. He sat down, chatted, -complimented the lady, and, when the dinner-bell rang, he said, as he -rose up: "You have a very savory smell here. You cook better than they -do at the hotel."</p> - -<p>Madame Honorat, swelling with pride, faltered: "Good heavens! if I -might make so bold—if I might make so bold, Monsieur le Comte, as——"</p> - -<p>"If you might make so bold as what, dear Madame?"</p> - -<p>"As to ask you to share our humble meal."</p> - -<p>"Faith—faith, I would say 'yes.'"</p> - -<p>The doctor, ill at ease, muttered: "But we have nothing, nothing—soup, -a joint of beef, and a chicken, that's all!"</p> - -<p>Gontran laughed: "That's quite enough for me. I accept the invitation."</p> - -<p>And he dined at the Honorat household. The fat woman rose up, went to -take the dishes out of the servant-maid's hands, in order that the -latter might not spill the sauce over the tablecloth, and, in spite of -her husband's impatience, insisted on attending at table herself.</p> - -<p>The Comte congratulated her on the excellence of the cooking, on the -good house she kept, on her attention to the duties of hospitality, and -he left her inflamed with enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>He returned to leave his card, accepted a fresh invitation, and -thenceforth made his way constantly to Madame Honorat's house, to which -the Oriol girls had paid visits frequently also for many years as -neighbors and friends.</p> - -<p>So then he spent hours there, in the midst of the three ladies, -attentive to both sisters, but accentuating clearly, from day to day, -his marked preference for Louise.</p> - -<p>The jealousy that had sprung up between the girls since the time -when he had begun to make love to Charlotte had assumed an aspect of -spiteful hostility on the side of the elder girl and of disdain on the -side of the younger. Louise, with her reserved air, imported into her -reticences and her demure ways in Gontran's society much more coquetry -and encouragement than the other had formerly shown with all her free -and joyous unconstraint. Charlotte, wounded to the quick, concealed -through pride the pain that she endured, pretended not to see or hear -anything of what was happening around her, and continued her visits -to Madame Honorat's house with a beautiful appearance of indifference -to all these lovers' meetings. She would not remain behind at her own -abode lest people might think that her heart was sore, that she was -weeping, that she was making way for her sister.</p> - -<p>Gontran, too proud of his achievement to throw a veil over it, could -not keep himself from talking about it to Paul. And Paul, thinking it -amusing, began to laugh. He had, besides, since the first equivocal -remarks of his friend, resolved not to interfere in his affairs, and he -often asked himself with uneasiness: "Can it be possible that he knows -something about Christiane and me?"</p> - -<p>He knew Gontran too well not to believe him capable of shutting his -eyes to an intrigue on the part of his sister. But then, why did he -not let it be understood sooner that he guessed it or was aware of -it? Gontran was, in fact, one of those in whose opinion every woman -in society ought to have a lover or lovers, one of those for whom the -family is merely a society of mutual help, for whom morality is an -attitude that is indispensable in order to veil the different appetites -which nature has implanted in us, and for whom worldly honor is a front -behind which amiable vices should be hidden. Moreover, if he had egged -on his dear sister to marry Andermatt was it not with the vague, if not -clearly-defined, idea that this Jew might be utilized, in every way, -by all the family?—and he would probably have despised Christiane for -being faithful to this husband of convenience, of utility, just as much -as he would have despised himself for not borrowing freely from his -brother-in-law's purse.</p> - -<p>Paul pondered over all this, and it disturbed his modern Don Quixote's -soul, which, in any event, was disposed toward compromise. He had, -therefore, become very reserved with this enigmatic friend of his. -When, accordingly, Gontran told him the use that he was making of -Madame Honorat, Bretigny burst out laughing; and he had even, for some -time past, allowed himself to be brought to that lady's house, and -found great pleasure in chatting with Charlotte there.</p> - -<p>The doctor's wife lent herself, with the best grace in the world, -to the part she was made to play, and offered them tea about five -o'clock, like the Parisian ladies, with little cakes manufactured by -her own hands. On the first occasion when Paul made his way into this -household, she welcomed him as if he were an old friend, made him sit -down, removed his hat herself, in spite of his protests, and placed it -beside the clock upon the mantelpiece. Then, eager, bustling, going -from one to the other, tremendously big and fat, she asked:</p> - -<p>"Do you feel inclined for a little dinner?"</p> - -<p>Gontran told funny stories, joked, and laughed quite at his ease. Then, -he took Louise into the recess of a window under the troubled eyes of -Charlotte.</p> - -<p>Madame Honorat, who sat chatting with Paul, said to him in a maternal -tone:</p> - -<p>"These dear children, they come here to have a few minutes' -conversation with one another. 'Tis very innocent—isn't it, Monsieur -Bretigny?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! very innocent, Madame!"</p> - -<p>When he came the next time, she familiarly addressed him as "Monsieur -Paul," treating him more or less as a crony.</p> - -<p>And from that time forth, Gontran told him, with a sort of teasing -liveliness, all about the complaisant behavior of the doctor's wife, to -whom he had said, the evening before: "Why do you never go out for a -walk along the Sans-Souci road?"</p> - -<p>"But we will go, M. le Comte—we will go."</p> - -<p>"Say, to-morrow about three o'clock."</p> - -<p>"To-morrow, about three o'clock, M. le Comte."</p> - -<p>And Gontran explained to Paul: "You understand that in this -drawing-room, I cannot say anything of a very confidential nature to -the elder girl before the younger. But in the wood I can go on before -or remain behind with Louise. So then you will come?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I have no objection."</p> - -<p>"Let us go on then."</p> - -<p>And they rose up, and set forth at a leisurely pace along the highroad; -then, having passed through La Roche Pradière, they turned to the left -and descended into the wooded glen in the midst of tangled brushwood. -When they had passed the little river, they sat down at the side of the -path and waited.</p> - -<p>The three ladies soon arrived, walking in single file, Louise in front, -and Madame Honorat in the rear. They exhibited surprise on both sides -at having met in this way. Gontran exclaimed: "Well, now, what a good -idea this was of yours to come along here!"</p> - -<p>The doctor's wife replied: "Yes, the idea was mine."</p> - -<p>They continued their walk. Louise and Gontran gradually quickened -their steps, went on in advance, and rambled so far together that they -disappeared from view at a turn of the narrow path.</p> - -<p>The fat lady, who was breathing hard, murmured, as she cast an -indulgent eye in their direction: "Bah! they're young—they have legs. -As for me, I can't keep up with them."</p> - -<p>Charlotte exclaimed: "Wait! I'm going to call them back!"</p> - -<p>She was rushing away. The doctor's wife held her back: "Don't interfere -with them, child, if they want to chat! It would not be nice to disturb -them. They will come back all right by themselves."</p> - -<p>And she sat down on the grass, under the shade of a pine-tree, fanning -herself with her pocket-handkerchief. Charlotte cast a look of distress -toward Paul, a look imploring and sorrowful.</p> - -<p>He understood, and said: "Well, Mademoiselle, we are going to let -Madame take a rest, and we'll both go and overtake your sister."</p> - -<p>She answered impetuously: "Oh, yes, Monsieur."</p> - -<p>Madame Honorat made no objection: "Go, my children, go. As for me, I'll -wait for you here. Don't be too long."</p> - -<p>And they started off in their turn. They walked quickly at first, as -they could see no sign of the two others, and hoped to come up with -them; then, after a few minutes, it struck them that Louise and -Gontran might have turned off to the right or to the left through the -wood, and Charlotte began to call them in a trembling and undecided -voice. There was no response. She exclaimed: "Oh! good heavens, where -can they be?"</p> - -<p>Paul felt himself overcome once more by that profound pity, by that -sympathetic tenderness toward her which had previously taken possession -of him on the edge of the crater of La Nugère.</p> - -<p>He did not know what to say to this afflicted young creature. He felt -a longing, a paternal and passionate longing to take her in his arms, -to embrace her, to find sweet and consoling words with which to soothe -her. But what words?</p> - -<p>She looked about on every side, searched the branches with wild -glances, listening to the faintest sounds, murmuring: "I think that -they are here—No, there—Do you hear nothing?"</p> - -<p>"No, Mademoiselle, I don't hear anything. The best thing we can do is -to wait here."</p> - -<p>"Oh! heavens, no. We must find them!"</p> - -<p>He hesitated for a few seconds, and then said to her in a low tone: -"This, then, causes you much pain?"</p> - -<p>She raised toward his her eyes, in which there was a look of wild -alarm, while the gathering tears filled them with a transparent watery -mist, as yet held back by the lids, over which drooped the long, brown -lashes. She strove to speak, but could not, and did not venture to open -her lips. But her heart swollen, choked with grief, was yearning to -pour itself out.</p> - -<p>He went on: "So then you loved him very much. He is not worthy of your -love. Take heart!"</p> - -<p>She could not restrain herself any longer, and hiding with her hands -the tears that now gushed forth from her eyes, she sobbed: "No!—no!—I -do not love him—he—it is too base to have acted as he did. He made a -tool of me—it is too base—too cowardly—but, all the same, it does -pain me—a great deal—for it is hard—very hard—oh! yes. But what -grieves me most is that my sister—my sister does not care for me any -longer—she who has been even more wicked than he was! I feel that -she no longer cares for me—not a bit—that she hates me—I have only -her—I have no one else—and I, I have done nothing!"</p> - -<p>He only saw her ear and her neck with its young flesh sinking into -the collar of her dress under the light material she wore till it was -lost in the curves of her bust. And he felt himself overpowered with -compassion, with sympathy, carried away by that impetuous desire of -self-devotion which got the better of him every time that a woman -touched his heart. And that heart of his, responsive to outbursts of -enthusiasm, was excited by this innocent sorrow, agitating, ingenuous, -and cruelly charming.</p> - -<p>He stretched forth his hand toward her with an unstudied movement such -as one might use in order to caress, to calm a child, and he drew it -round her waist from behind over her shoulder. Then he felt her heart -beaming with rapid throbs, as he might have heard the little heart of -a bird that he had caught. And this beating, continuous, precipitate, -sent a thrill all over his arm into his heart, accelerating its -movements. And he felt those quick heart-beats coming from her and -penetrating him through his flesh, his muscles, and his nerves, so that -between them there was now only one heart wounded by the same pain, -agitated by the same palpitation, living the same life, like clocks -connected by a string at some distance from one another and made to -keep time together second by second.</p> - -<p>But suddenly she uncovered her flushed face, still tear-dimmed, quickly -wiped it, and said:</p> - -<p>"Come, I ought not to have spoken to you about this. I am foolish. Let -us go back at once to Madame Honorat, and forget. Do you promise me?"</p> - -<p>"I do promise you."</p> - -<p>She gave him her hand. "I have confidence in you. I believe you are -very honest!"</p> - -<p>They turned back. He lifted her up in crossing the stream, just as he -had lifted up Christiane, the year before. How often had he passed -along this path with her in the days when he adored her! He reflected, -wondering at his own changed feelings: "How short a time this passion -lasted!"</p> - -<p>Charlotte, laying a finger on his arm, murmured: "Madame Honorat is -asleep. Let us sit down without making a noise."</p> - -<p>Madame Honorat was, indeed, slumbering, with her back to a pine-tree, -her handkerchief over her face and her hands crossed over her stomach. -They seated themselves a few paces away from her, and refrained from -speaking in order not to awaken her. Then the stillness of the wood -was so profound that it became as painful to them as actual suffering. -Nothing could be heard save the water gurgling over the stones, a -little lower down, then those imperceptible quiverings of insects -passing by, those light buzzings of flies or of other living creatures -whose movements made the dead leaves flutter.</p> - -<p>Where then were Louise and Gontran? What were they doing? All at once, -the sound of their voices reached them from a distance. They were -returning. Madame Honorat woke up and looked astonished.</p> - -<p>"What! you are here again! I did not notice you coming back. And the -others, have you found them?"</p> - -<p>Paul replied: "There they are! They are coming."</p> - -<p>They recognized Gontran's laughter. This laughter relieved Charlotte -from a crushing weight, which had oppressed her mind—she could not -have explained why.</p> - -<p>They were soon able to distinguish the pair. Gontran had almost broken -into a running pace, dragging by the arm the young girl, who was quite -flushed. And, even before they had come up, so great a hurry was he in -to tell his story, he shouted:</p> - -<p>"You don't know what we surprised. I give you a thousand guesses to -discover it! The handsome Doctor Mazelli along with the daughter of -the illustrious Professor Cloche, as Will would say, the pretty widow -with the red hair. Oh! yes, indeed—surprised, you understand? He was -embracing her, the scamp. Oh! yes—oh! yes."</p> - -<p>Madame Honorat, at this immoderate display of gaiety, made a dignified -movement:</p> - -<p>"Oh! M. le Comte, think of these young ladies!"</p> - -<p>Gontran made a respectful obeisance.</p> - -<p>"You are perfectly right, dear Madame, to recall me to the proprieties. -All your inspirations are excellent."</p> - -<p>Then, in order that they might not be all seen going back together, the -two young men bowed to the ladies, and returned through the wood to the -village.</p> - -<p>"Well?" asked Paul.</p> - -<p>"Well, I told her that I adored her and that I would be delighted to -marry her."</p> - -<p>"And she said?"</p> - -<p>"She said, with charming discretion, 'That concerns my father. It is to -him that I will give my answer.'"</p> - -<p>"So then you are going to——"</p> - -<p>"To intrust my ambassador Andermatt at once with the official -application. And if the old boor makes any row about it, I'll -compromise his daughter with a splash."</p> - -<p>And, as Andermatt was again engaged in conversation with Doctor Latonne -on the terrace of the Casino, Gontran stopped here, and immediately -made his brother-in-law acquainted with the situation.</p> - -<p>Paul went off along the road to Riom. He wanted to be alone so much -did he find himself invaded by that agitation of the entire mind and -body into which every meeting with a woman casts a man who is on the -point of falling in love. For some time past he had felt, without -quite realizing it, the penetrating and youthful fascination of this -forsaken girl. He found her so nice, so good, so simple, so upright, -so innocent, that from the first he had been moved by compassion for -her, by that tender compassion with which the sorrows of women always -inspire us. Then, when he had seen her frequently, he had allowed to -bud forth in his heart that grain, that tiny grain, of tenderness -which they sow in us so quickly, and which grows to such a height. And -now, for the last hour especially, he was beginning to feel himself -possessed, to feel within him that constant presence of the absent -which is the first sign of love. He proceeded along the road, haunted -by the remembrance of her glance, by the sound of her voice, by the way -in which she smiled or wept, by the gait with which she walked, even by -the color and the flutter of her dress. And he said to himself:</p> - -<p>"I believe I am bitten. I know it. It is annoying, this! The best -thing, perhaps, would be to go back to Paris. Deuce take it, it is a -young girl! However, I can't make her my mistress."</p> - -<p>Then, he began dreaming about it, just as he had dreamed about -Christiane, the year before. How different was this one, too, from -all the women he had hitherto known, born and brought up in the city, -different even from those young maidens sophisticated from their -childhood by the coquetry of their mothers or the coquetry which shows -itself in the streets. There was in her none of the artificiality of -the woman prepared for seduction, nothing studied in her words, nothing -conventional in her actions, nothing deceitful in her looks. Not only -was she a being fresh and pure, but she came of a primitive race; she -was a true daughter of the soil at the moment when she was about to be -transformed into a woman of the city.</p> - -<p>And he felt himself stirred up, pleading for her against that vague -resistance which still struggled in his breast. The forms of heroines -in sentimental novels passed before his mind's eye—the creations of -Walter Scott, of Dickens, and of George Sand, exciting the more his -imagination, always goaded by ideal pictures of women.</p> - -<p>Gontran passed judgment on him thus: "Paul! he is a pack-horse with a -Cupid on his back. When he flings one on the ground, another jumps up -in its place." But Bretigny saw that night was falling. He had been a -long time walking. He returned to the village.</p> - -<p>As he was passing in front of the new baths, he saw Andermatt and the -two Oriols surveying and measuring the vinefields; and he knew from -their gestures that they were disputing in an excited fashion.</p> - -<p>An hour afterward, Will, entering the drawing-room, where the entire -family had assembled, said to the Marquis: "My dear father-in-law, I -have to inform you that your son Gontran is going to marry, in six -weeks or two months, Mademoiselle Louise Oriol."</p> - -<p>M. de Ravenel was startled: "Gontran? You say?"</p> - -<p>"I say that he is going to marry in six weeks or two months, with your -consent, Mademoiselle Louise Oriol, who will be very rich."</p> - -<p>Thereupon the Marquis said simply: "Good heavens! if he likes it, I -have no objection."</p> - -<p>And the banker related how he had dealt with the old countryman. As -soon as he had learned from the Comte that the young girl would -consent, he wanted to obtain, at one interview, the vinedresser's -assent without giving him time to prepare any of his dodges. He -accordingly hurried to Oriol's house, and found him making up his -accounts with great difficulty, assisted by Colosse, who was adding -figures together with his fingers.</p> - -<p>Seating himself: "I would like to drink of your excellent wine," said -he.</p> - -<p>When big Colosse had returned with the glasses and the jug brimming -over, he asked whether Mademoiselle Louise had come home; then he -begged of them to send for her. When she stood facing him, he rose, -and, making her a low bow:</p> - -<p>"Mademoiselle, will you regard me at this moment as a friend to whom -one may say everything? Is it not so? Well, I am charged with a very -delicate mission with reference to you. My brother-in-law, Comte -Raoul-Olivier-Gontran de Ravenel, is smitten with you—a thing for -which I commend him—and he has commissioned me to ask you, in the -presence of your family, whether you will consent to become his wife."</p> - -<p>Taken by surprise in this way, she turned toward her father her eyes, -which betrayed her confusion. And Père Oriol, scared, looked at his -son, his usual counselor, while Colosse looked at Andermatt, who went -on, with a certain amount of pomposity:</p> - -<p>"You understand, Mademoiselle, that I am only intrusted with this -mission on the terms of an immediate reply being given to my -brother-in-law. He is quite conscious of the fact that you may not care -for him, and in that case he will quit this neighborhood to-morrow, -never to come back to it again. I am aware, besides, that you know him -sufficiently to say to me, a simple intermediary, 'I consent,' or 'I do -not consent.'"</p> - -<p>She hung down her head, and, blushing, but resolute, she faltered: "I -consent, Monsieur."</p> - -<p>Then she fled so quickly that she knocked herself against the door as -she went out.</p> - -<p>Thereupon, Andermatt sat down, and, pouring out a glass of wine after -the fashion of peasants:</p> - -<p>"Now we are going to talk about business," said he.</p> - -<p>And, without admitting the possibility even of hesitation, he attacked -the question of the dowry, relying on the declarations made to him by -the vinedresser three months before. He estimated at three hundred -thousand francs, in addition to expectations, the actual fortune of -Gontran, and he let it be understood that if a man like the Comte de -Ravenel consented to ask for the hand of Oriol's daughter, a very -charming young lady in other respects, it was unquestionable that the -girl's family were bound to show their appreciation of this honor by a -sacrifice of money.</p> - -<p>Then the countryman, much disconcerted, but flattered—almost disarmed, -tried to make a fight for his property. The discussion was a long one. -An admission on Andermatt's part had, however, rendered it easy from -the start:</p> - -<p>"We don't ask for ready money nor for bills—nothing but the lands, -those which you have already indicated as forming Mademoiselle Louise's -dowry, in addition to some others which I am going to point you."</p> - -<p>The prospect of not having to pay money, that money slowly heaped -together, brought into the house franc after franc, sou after sou, -that good money, white or yellow, worn by the hands, the purses, the -pockets, the tables of <i>cafés</i>, the deep drawers of old presses, -that money in whose ring was told the history of so many troubles, -cares, fatigues, labors, so sweet to the heart, to the eyes, to the -fingers of the peasant, dearer than the cow, than the vine, than the -field, than the house, that money harder to part with sometimes than -life itself—the prospect of not seeing it go with the girl brought -on immediately a great calm, a desire to conciliate, a secret but -restrained joy, in the souls of the father and the son.</p> - -<p>They continued the discussion, however, in order to keep a few more -acres of soil. On the table was spread out a minute plan of Mont Oriol; -and they marked one by one with a cross the portions assigned to -Louise. It took an hour for Andermatt to secure the last two pieces. -Then, in order that there might not be any deceit on one side or the -other, they went over all the places on the plan. After that, they -identified carefully all the slices designated by crosses, and marked -them afresh.</p> - -<p>But Andermatt got uneasy, suspecting that the two Oriols were capable -of denying, at their next interview, a part of the grants to which they -had consented and would seek to take back ends of vinefields, corners -useful for his project; and he thought of a practical and certain means -of giving definiteness to the agreement.</p> - -<p>An idea crossed his mind, made him smile at first, then appeared to him -excellent, although singular.</p> - -<p>"If you like," said he, "we'll write it all out, so as not to forget it -later on."</p> - -<p>And as they were entering the village, he stopped before a -tobacconist's shop to buy two stamped sheets of paper. He knew that -the list of lands drawn up on these leaves with their legal aspect -would take an almost inviolable character in the peasant's eyes, for -these leaves would represent the law, always invisible and menacing, -vindicated by gendarmes, fines, and imprisonment.</p> - -<p>Then he wrote on one sheet and copied on the other:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"In pursuance of the promise of marriage exchanged between -Comte Gontran de Ravenel and Mademoiselle Louise Oriol, M. -Oriol, Senior, surrenders as a dowry to his daughter the -lands designated below——"</p></blockquote> - -<p>And he enumerated them minutely, with the figures attached to them in -the register of lands for the district.</p> - -<p>Then, having dated and signed the document, he made Père Oriol affix -his signature, after the latter had exacted in turn a written statement -of the intended husband's fortune, and he went back to the hotel with -the document in his pocket.</p> - -<p>Everyone laughed at his narrative and Gontran most of all. Then the -Marquis said to his son with a lofty air of dignity: "We shall both go -this evening to pay a visit to this family, and I shall myself renew -the application previously made by my son-in-law in order that it may -be more regular."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII.</a></h5> - - -<h4>Paul Changes His Mind</h4> - - -<p>Gontran made an admirable <i>fiancé</i>, as courteous as he was assiduous. -With the aid of Andermatt's purse, he made presents to everyone; and -he constantly visited the young girl, either at her own house, or that -of Madame Honorat. Paul nearly always accompanied him now, in order to -have the opportunity of meeting Charlotte, saying to himself, after -each visit, that he would see her no more.</p> - -<p>She had bravely resigned herself to her sister's marriage, and she -referred to it with apparent unconcern, as if it did not cause her the -slightest anxiety. Her character alone seemed a little altered, more -sedate, less open. While Gontran was talking soft nothings to Louise in -a half-whisper in a corner, Bretigny conversed with her in a serious -fashion, and allowed himself to be slowly vanquished, allowed this -fresh love to inundate his soul like a flowing tide. He knew what was -happening to him, and gave himself up to it, thinking: "Bah! when the -moment arrives. I will make my escape—that's all."</p> - -<p>When he left her, he would go up to see Christiane, who now lay from -morning till night stretched on a long chair. At the door, he could not -help feeling nervous and irritated, prepared beforehand for those light -quarrels to which weariness gives birth. All that she said, all that -she was thinking of, annoyed him, even ere she had opened her lips. Her -appearance of suffering, her resigned attitude, her looks of reproach -and of supplication, made words of anger rise to his lips, which he -repressed through good-breeding; and, even when by her side, he kept -before his mind the constant memory, the fixed image, of the young girl -whom he had just quitted.</p> - -<p>As Christiane, tormented with seeing so little of him, overwhelmed -him with questions as to how he spent his days, he invented stories, -to which she listened attentively, seeking to find out whether he was -thinking of some other woman. The powerlessness which she felt in -herself to keep a hold on this man, the powerlessness to pour into -him a little of that love with which she was tortured, the physical -powerlessness to fascinate him still, to give herself to him, to win -him back by caresses, since she could not regain him by the tender -intimacies of love, made her suspect the worst, without knowing on what -to fix her fears.</p> - -<p>She vaguely realized that some danger was lowering over her, some great -unknown danger. And she was filled with undefined jealousy, jealousy of -everything—of women whom she saw passing by her window, and whom she -thought charming, without even having any proof that Bretigny had ever -spoken to them.</p> - -<p>She asked of him: "Have you noticed a very pretty woman, a brunette, -rather tall, whom I saw a little while ago, and who must have arrived -here within the past few days?"</p> - -<p>When he replied, "No, I don't know her," she at once jumped to the -conclusion that he was lying, turned pale, and went on: "But it is not -possible that you have not seen her. She appears to me very beautiful."</p> - -<p>He was astonished at her persistency. "I assure you I have not seen -her. I'll try to come across her."</p> - -<p>She thought: "Surely it must be she!" She felt persuaded, too, on -certain days, that he was hiding some intrigue in the locality, that -he had sent for his mistress, an actress perhaps. And she questioned -everybody, her father, her brother, and her husband, about all the -women young and desirable, whom they observed in the neighborhood of -Enval. If only she could have walked about, and seen for herself, she -might have reassured herself a little; but the almost complete loss -of motion which her condition forced upon her now made her endure an -intolerable martyrdom.</p> - -<p>When she spoke to Paul, the tone of her voice alone revealed her -anguish, and intensified his nervous impatience with this love, which -for him was at an end. He could no longer talk quietly about anything -with her save the approaching marriage of Gontran, a subject which -enabled him to pronounce Charlotte's name, and to give vent to his -thoughts aloud about the young girl. And it was a mysterious source of -delight to him even to hear Christiane articulating that name, praising -the grace and all the qualities of this little maiden, compassionating -her, regretting that her brother should have sacrificed her, and -expressing a desire that some man, some noble heart, should appreciate -her, love her, and marry her.</p> - -<p>He said: "Oh! yes, Gontran acted foolishly there. She is perfectly -charming, that young girl."</p> - -<p>Christiane, without any misgiving, echoed: "Perfectly charming. She is -a pearl! a piece of perfection!"</p> - -<p>Never had she thought that a man like Paul could love a little maid -like this, or that he would be likely to marry her. She had no -apprehensions save of his mistresses. And it was a singular phenomenon -of the heart that praise of Charlotte from Christiane's lips assumed in -his eyes an extreme value, excited his love, whetted his desire, and -surrounded the young girl with an irresistible attraction.</p> - -<p>Now, one day, when he called at Madame Honorat's house to meet there -the Oriol girls, they found Doctor Mazelli installed there as if he was -at home. He stretched forth both hands to the two young men, with that -Italian smile of his, which seemed to give away his entire heart with -every word and every movement.</p> - -<p>Gontran and he were linked by a friendship at once familiar and futile, -made up of secret affinities, of hidden likenesses, of a sort of -confederacy of instincts, rather than any real affection or confidence.</p> - -<p>The Comte asked: "What about your little blonde of the Sans-Souci wood?"</p> - -<p>The Italian smiled: "Bah! we are on terms of indifference toward one -another. She is one of those women who offer everything and give -nothing."</p> - -<p>And they began to chat. The handsome physician performed certain -offices for the young girls, especially for Charlotte. When addressing -women, he manifested a perpetual adoration in his voice, his gestures, -and his looks. His entire person, from head to foot, said to them, -"I love you" with an eloquence in his attitude which never failed to -win their favor. He displayed the graces of an actress, the light -pirouettes of a <i>danseuse</i>, the supple movements of a juggler, -an entire science of seduction natural and acquired, of which he -constantly made use.</p> - -<p>Paul, when returning to the hotel with Gontran, exclaimed in a tone of -sullen vexation: "What does this charlatan come to that house for?"</p> - -<p>The Comte replied quietly: "How can you ever tell when dealing with -such adventurers? These sort of people slip in everywhere. This -fellow must be tired of his vagabond existence, and of giving way to -every caprice of his Spaniard, of whom he is rather the valet than -the physician—and perhaps something more. He is looking about him. -Professor Cloche's daughter was a good catch—he has failed with her, -he says. The second of the Oriol girls would not be less valuable -to him. He is making the attempt, feeling his way, smelling about, -sounding. He would become co-proprietor of the waters, would try to -knock over that idiot, Latonne, would in any case get an excellent -practice here every summer for himself, which would last him over the -winter. Faith! this is his plan exactly—no doubt of it!"</p> - -<p>A dull rage, a jealous animosity, was aroused in Paul's heart. A -voice exclaimed: "Hey! hey!" It was Mazelli, who had overtaken them. -Bretigny said to him, with aggressive irony: "Where are you rushing -so quickly, doctor? One would say that you were pursuing fortune." -The Italian smiled, and, without stopping, but skipping backward, he -plunged, with a mimic's graceful movement, his hands into his two -pockets, quickly turned them out and showed them, both empty, holding -them wide between two fingers by the ends of the seams. Then he said: -"I have not got hold of it yet." And, turning on his toes, he rushed -away like a man in a great hurry.</p> - -<p>They found him again several times, on the following days, at Doctor -Honorat's house, where he made himself useful to the three ladies by a -thousand graceful little services, by the same clever tactics which he -had no doubt adopted when dealing with the Duchess. He knew how to do -everything to perfection, from paying compliments to making macaroni. -He was, moreover, an excellent cook, and protecting himself from stains -by means of a servant's blue apron, and wearing a chef's cap made of -paper on his head, while he sang Neapolitan ditties in Italian, he did -the work of a scullion, without appearing a bit ridiculous, amusing and -fascinating everybody, down to the half-witted housekeeper, who said of -him: "He is a marvel!"</p> - -<p>His plans were soon obvious, and Paul no longer had any doubt that he -was trying to get Charlotte to fall in love with him. He seemed to be -succeeding in this. He was so profuse of flattery, so eager, so artful -in striving to please, that the young girl's face had, when she looked -at him, that air of contentment which indicates that the heart is -gratified.</p> - -<p>Paul, in his turn, without being even able to account to himself for -his conduct, assumed the attitude of a lover, and set himself up as -a rival. When he saw the doctor with Charlotte, he would come on the -scene, and, with his more direct manner, exert himself to win the young -girl's affections. He showed himself straightforward and sympathetic, -fraternal, devoted, repeating to her, with the sincerity of a friend, -in a tone so frank that one could scarcely see in it an avowal of love: -"I am very fond of you; cheer up!"</p> - -<p>Mazelli, astonished at this unexpected rivalry, had recourse to all -his powers of captivation; and, when Bretigny, bitten with jealousy, -that naïve jealousy which takes possession of a man when he is dealing -with any woman, even without being in love with her, provided only he -has taken a fancy to her—when, filled with this natural violence, he -became aggressive and haughty, the other, more pliant, always master -of himself, replied with sly allusions, witticisms, well-turned and -mocking compliments.</p> - -<p>It was a daily warfare which they both waged fiercely, without either -of them perhaps having a well-defined object in view. They did not want -to give way, like two dogs who have gained a grip of the same quarry.</p> - -<p>Charlotte had recovered her good humor, but along with it she now -exhibited a more biting waggery, a certain sphinx-like attitude, -less candor in her smile and in her glance. One would have said that -Gontran's desertion had educated her, prepared her for possible -deceptions, disciplined, and armed her.</p> - -<p>She played off her two admirers against one another in a sly and -dexterous fashion, saying to each of them what she thought necessary, -without letting the one fall foul of the other, without ever letting -the one suppose that she preferred the other, laughing slightly at each -of them in turn in the presence of his rival, leaving them an equal -match without appearing even to take either of them seriously. But all -this was done simply, in the manner of a schoolgirl rather than in that -of a coquette, with that mischievous air exhibited by young girls which -sometimes renders them irresistible.</p> - -<p>Mazelli, however, seemed suddenly to be having the advantage. He had -apparently become more intimate with her, as if a secret understanding -had been established between them. While talking to her, he played -lightly with her parasol and with one of the ribbons of her dress, -which appeared to Paul, as it were, an act of moral possession, and -exasperated him so much that he longed to box the Italian's ears.</p> - -<p>But, one day, at Père Oriol's house, while Bretigny was chatting with -Louise and Gontran, and, at the same time, keeping his eye fixed on -Mazelli, who was telling Charlotte in a subdued voice some things that -made her smile, he suddenly saw her blush with such an appearance of -embarrassment as to leave no doubt for one moment on his mind that the -other had spoken of love. She had cast down her eyes, and ceased to -smile, but still continued listening; and Paul, who felt disposed to -make a scene, said to Gontran: "Will you have the goodness to come out -with me for five minutes?"</p> - -<p>The Comte made his excuses to his betrothed, and followed his friend.</p> - -<p>When they were in the street, Paul exclaimed: "My dear fellow, this -wretched Italian must, at any cost, be prevented from inveigling this -girl, who is defenseless against him."</p> - -<p>"What do you wish me to do?"</p> - -<p>"To warn her of the fact that he is an adventurer."</p> - -<p>"Hey, my dear boy, those things are no concern of mine."</p> - -<p>"After all, she is to be your sister-in-law."</p> - -<p>"Yes, but there is nothing to show me conclusively that Mazelli has -guilty designs upon her. He exhibits the same gallantry toward all -women, and he has never said or done anything improper."</p> - -<p>"Well, if you don't want to take it on yourself, I'll do it, although -it concerns me less assuredly than it does you."</p> - -<p>"So then you are in love with Charlotte?"</p> - -<p>"I? No—but I see clearly through this blackguard's game."</p> - -<p>"My dear fellow, you are mixing yourself up in matters of a delicate -nature, and—unless you are in love with Charlotte——"</p> - -<p>"No—I am not in love with her—but I am hunting down imposters, that's -what I mean!"</p> - -<p>"May I ask what you intend to do?"</p> - -<p>"To thrash this beggar."</p> - -<p>"Good! the best way to make her fall in love with him. You fight with -him, and whether he wounds you, or you wound him, he will become a hero -in her eyes."</p> - -<p>"What would you do then?"</p> - -<p>"In your place?"</p> - -<p>"In my place."</p> - -<p>"I would speak to the girl as a friend. She has great confidence -in you. Well, I would say to her simply in a few words what these -hangers-on of society are. You know very well how to say these things. -You possess an eloquent tongue. And I would make her understand, -first, why he is attached to the Spaniard; secondly, why he attempted -to lay siege to Professor Cloche's daughter; thirdly, why, not having -succeeded in this effort, he is striving, in the last place, to make a -conquest of Mademoiselle Charlotte Oriol."</p> - -<p>"Why do you not do that, yourself, who will be her brother-in-law?"</p> - -<p>"Because—because—on account of what passed between us—come! I can't."</p> - -<p>"That's quite right. I am going to speak to her."</p> - -<p>"Do you want me to procure for you a private conversation with her -immediately?"</p> - -<p>"Why, yes, assuredly."</p> - -<p>"Good! Walk about for ten minutes. I am going to carry off Louise and -Mazelli, and, when you come back, you will find the other alone."</p> - -<p>Paul Bretigny rambled along the side of the Enval gorges, thinking over -the best way of opening this difficult conversation.</p> - -<p>He found Charlotte Oriol alone, indeed, on his return, in the cold, -whitewashed parlor of the paternal abode; and he said to her, as he sat -down beside her: "It is I, Mademoiselle, who asked Gontran to procure -me this interview with you."</p> - -<p>She looked at him with her clear eyes: "Why, pray?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! it is not to pay you insipid compliments in the Italian fashion. -It is to speak to you as a friend—as a very devoted friend, who owes -you good advice."</p> - -<p>"Tell me what it is."</p> - -<p>He took up the subject in a roundabout style, dwelt upon his own -experience, and upon her inexperience, so as to lead gradually by -discreet but explicit phrases to a reference to those adventurers who -are everywhere going in quest of fortune, taking advantage with their -professional skill of every ingenuous and good-natured being, man or -woman, whose purses or hearts they explored.</p> - -<p>She turned rather pale as she listened to him.</p> - -<p>Then she said: "I understand and I don't understand. You are speaking -of some one—of whom?"</p> - -<p>"I am speaking of Doctor Mazelli."</p> - -<p>Then, she lowered her eyes, and remained a few seconds without -replying; after this, in a hesitating voice: "You are so frank that I -will be the same with you. Since—since my sister's marriage has been -arranged, I have become a little less—a little less stupid! Well, I -had already suspected what you tell me—and I used to feel amused of my -own accord at seeing him coming."</p> - -<p>She raised her face to his as she spoke, and in her smile, in her arch -look, in her little <i>retroussé</i> nose, in the moist and glittering -brilliancy of her teeth which showed themselves between her lips, so -much open-hearted gracefulness, sly gaiety, and charming frolicsomeness -appeared that Bretigny felt himself drawn toward her by one of those -tumultuous transports which flung him distracted with passion at the -feet of the woman who was his latest love. And his heart exulted with -joy because Mazelli had not been preferred to him. So then he had -triumphed.</p> - -<p>He asked: "You do not love him, then?"</p> - -<p>"Whom? Mazelli?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>She looked at him with such a pained expression in her eyes that he -felt thrown off his balance, and stammered, in a supplicating voice: -"What?—you don't love—anyone?"</p> - -<p>She replied, with a downward glance: "I don't know—I love people who -love me."</p> - -<p>He seized the young girl's two hands, all at once, and kissing them -wildly in one of those moments of impulse in which the head loses its -controlling power, and the words which rise to the lips come from the -excited flesh rather than the wandering mind, he faltered:</p> - -<p>"I!—I love you, my little Charlotte; yes, I love you!"</p> - -<p>She quickly drew away one of her hands, and placed it on his mouth, -murmuring: "Be silent!—be silent, I beg of you! It would cause me too -much pain if this were another falsehood."</p> - -<p>She stood erect; he rose up, caught her in his arms, and embraced her -passionately.</p> - -<p>A sudden noise parted them; Père Oriol had just come in, and he was -gazing at them, quite scared. Then, he cried: "Ah! bougrrre! ah! -bougrrre! ah! bougrrre of a savage!"</p> - -<p>Charlotte had rushed out, and the two men remained face to face. -After some seconds of agitation, Paul made an attempt to explain his -position.</p> - -<p>"My God! Monsieur—I have conducted myself—it is true—like a——"</p> - -<p>But the old man would not listen to him. Anger, furious anger, had -taken possession of him, and he advanced toward Bretigny, with clenched -fists, repeating:</p> - -<p>"Ah! bougrrre of a savage——"</p> - -<p>Then, when they were nose to nose, he seized Paul by the collar with -his knotted peasant's hands.</p> - -<p>But the other, as tall, and strong with that superior strength acquired -by the practice of athletics, freed himself with a single push from the -countryman's grip, and, pushing him up against the wall:</p> - -<p>"Listen, Père Oriol, this is not a matter for us to fight about, but to -settle quietly. It is true, I was embracing your daughter. I swear to -you that this is the first time—and I swear to you, too, that I desire -to marry her."</p> - -<p>The old man, whose physical excitement had subsided under the assault -of his adversary, but whose anger had not yet been calmed, stuttered:</p> - -<p>"Ha! that's how it is! You want to steal my daughter; you want my -money. Bougrrre of a deceiver!"</p> - -<p>Thereupon, he allowed all that was on his mind to escape from him in a -heap of grumbling words. He found no consolation for the dowry promised -with his elder girl, for his vinelands going into the hands of these -Parisians. He now had his suspicions as to Gontran's want of money, -Andermatt's craft, and, without forgetting the unexpected fortune -which the banker brought him, he vented his bile and his secret rancor -against those mischievous people who did not let him sleep any longer -in peace.</p> - -<p>One would have thought that his family and his friends were coming -every night to plunder him, to rob him of everything, his lands, his -springs, and his daughters. And he cast these reproaches into Paul's -face, accusing him also of wanting to get hold of his property, of -being a rogue, and of taking Charlotte in order to have his lands.</p> - -<p>The other, soon losing all patience, shouted under his very nose: "Why, -I am richer than you, you infernally currish old donkey. I would bring -you money."</p> - -<p>The old man listened in silence to these words, incredulous but -vigilant, and then, in a milder tone, he renewed his complaints.</p> - -<p>Paul then answered him and entered into explanations; and, believing -that an obligation was imposed on him, owing to the circumstances under -which he had been surprised, and for which he was solely responsible, -he proposed to marry the girl without asking for any dowry.</p> - -<p>Père Oriol shook his head and his ears, heard Paul reiterating his -statements, but was unable to understand. To him this young man seemed -still a pauper, a penniless wretch.</p> - -<p>And, when Bretigny, exasperated, yelled, in his teeth: "Why, you old -rascal, I have an income of more than a hundred and twenty thousand -francs a year—do you understand?—three millions," the other suddenly -asked: "Will you write that down on a piece of paper?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I will write it down!"</p> - -<p>"And you'll sign it?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I will sign it."</p> - -<p>"On a sheet of notary's paper?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, certainly—on a sheet of notary's paper!"</p> - -<p>Thereupon, he rose up, opened a press, took out of it two leaves marked -with the Government stamp, and, seeking for the undertaking which -Andermatt, a few days before, had required from him, he drew up an odd -promise of marriage, in which it was made a condition that the <i>fiancé</i> -vouched for his being worth three millions; and, at the end of it -Bretigny affixed his signature.</p> - -<p>When Paul found himself in the open air once more, he felt as if the -earth no longer turned round in the same way. So then, he was engaged, -in spite of himself, in spite of her, by one of those accidents, by one -of those tricks of circumstance, which shut out from you every point of -escape. He muttered: "What madness!" Then he reflected: "Bah! I could -not have found better perhaps in all the world!"</p> - -<p>And in his secret heart he rejoiced at this snare of destiny.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h5><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV.</a></h5> - - -<h4>Christiane's Via Crucis</h4> - - -<p>The dawn of the following day brought bad news to Andermatt. He learned -on his arrival at the bath-establishment that M. Aubry-Pasteur had died -during the night from an attack of apoplexy at the Hotel Splendid.</p> - -<p>In addition to the fact that the deceased was very useful to him on -account of his vast scientific attainments, disinterested zeal, and -attachment to the Mont Oriol station, which, in some measure, he looked -upon as a daughter, it was much to be regretted that a patient who had -come there to fight against a tendency toward congestion should have -died exactly in this fashion, in the midst of his treatment, in the -very height of the season, at the very moment when the rising spa was -beginning to prove a success.</p> - -<p>The banker, exceedingly annoyed, walked up and down in the study of the -absent inspector, thinking of some device whereby this misfortune might -be attributed to some other cause, such as an accident, a fall, a -want of prudence, the rupture of an artery; and he impatiently awaited -Doctor Latonne's arrival in order that the decease might be ingeniously -certified without awakening any suspicion as to the initial cause of -the fatality.</p> - -<p>All at once, the medical inspector appeared on the scene, his face pale -and indicative of extreme agitation; and, as soon as he had passed -through the door, he asked: "Have you heard the lamentable news?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, the death of M. Aubry-Pasteur."</p> - -<p>"No, no, the flight of Doctor Mazelli with Professor Cloche's daughter."</p> - -<p>Andermatt felt a shiver running along his skin.</p> - -<p>"What? you tell me——"</p> - -<p>"Oh! my dear manager, it is a frightful catastrophe, a crash!"</p> - -<p>He sat down and wiped his forehead; then he related the facts as he -got them from Petrus Martel, who had learned them directly through the -professor's valet.</p> - -<p>Mazelli had paid very marked attentions to the pretty red-haired -widow, a coarse coquette, a wanton, whose first husband had succumbed -to consumption, brought on, it was said, by excessive devotion to his -matrimonial duties. But M. Cloche, having discovered the projects of -the Italian physician, and not desiring this adventurer as a second -son-in-law, violently turned him out of doors on surprising him -kneeling at the widow's feet.</p> - -<p>Mazelli, having been sent out by the door, soon re-entered through the -window by the silken ladder of lovers. Two versions of the affair -were current. According to the first, he had rendered the professor's -daughter mad with love and jealousy; according to the second, he had -continued to see her secretly, while pretending to be devoting his -attention to another woman; and ascertaining finally through his -mistress that the professor remained inflexible, he had carried her -off, the same night, rendering a marriage inevitable, in consequence of -this scandal.</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne rose up and, leaning his back against the mantelpiece, -while Andermatt, astounded, continued walking up and down, he exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"A physician, Monsieur, a physician to do such a thing!—a doctor of -medicine!—what an absence of character!"</p> - -<p>Andermatt, completely crushed, appreciated the consequences, classified -them, and weighed them, as one does a sum in addition. They were: -"First, the disagreeable report spreading over the neighboring spas -and all the way to Paris. If, however, they went the right way about -it, perhaps they could make use of this elopement as an advertisement. -A fortnight's echoes well written and prominently printed in the -newspapers would strongly attract attention to Mont Oriol. Secondly: -Professor Cloche's departure an irreparable loss. Thirdly: The -departure of the Duchess and the Duke de Ramas-Aldavarra, a second -inevitable loss without possible compensation. In short, Doctor Latonne -was right. It was a frightful catastrophe."</p> - -<p>Then, the banker, turning toward the physician: "You ought to go at -once to the Hotel Splendid, and draw up the certificate of the death of -Aubry-Pasteur in such a way that no one could suspect it to be a case -of congestion."</p> - -<p>Doctor Latonne put on his hat; then just as he was leaving: "Ha! -another rumor which is circulating! Is it true that your friend Paul -Bretigny is going to marry Charlotte Oriol?"</p> - -<p>Andermatt gave a start of astonishment.</p> - -<p>"Bretigny? Come-now!—who told you that?"</p> - -<p>"Why, as in the other case, Petrus Martel, who had it from Père Oriol -himself."</p> - -<p>"From Père Oriol?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, from Père Oriol, who declared that his future son-in-law -possessed a fortune of three millions."</p> - -<p>William did not know what to think. He muttered: "In point of fact, it -is possible. He has been rather hot on her for some time past! But in -that case the whole knoll is ours—the whole knoll! Oh! I must make -certain of this immediately." And he went out after the doctor in order -to meet Paul before breakfast.</p> - -<p>As he was entering the hotel, he was informed that his wife had several -times asked to see him. He found her still in bed, chatting with her -father and with her brother, who was looking through the newspapers -with a rapid and wandering glance. She felt poorly, very poorly, -restless. She was afraid, without knowing why. And then an idea had -come to her, and had for some days been growing stronger in her brain, -as usually happens with pregnant women. She wanted to consult Doctor -Black. From the effect of hearing around her some jokes at Doctor -Latonne's expense, she had lost all confidence in him, and she wanted -another opinion, that of Doctor Black, whose success was constantly -increasing. Fears, all the fears, all the hauntings, by which women -toward the close of pregnancy are besieged, now tortured her from -morning until night. Since the night before, in consequence of a dream, -she imagined that the Cæsarian operation might be necessary. And she -was present in thought at this operation performed on herself. She saw -herself lying on her back in a bed covered with blood, while something -red was being taken away, which did not move, which did not cry, and -which was dead! And for ten minutes she shut her eyes, in order to -witness this over again, to be present once more at her horrible and -painful punishment. She had, therefore, become impressed with the -notion that Doctor Black alone could tell her the truth, and she wanted -him at once; she required him to examine her immediately, immediately, -immediately! Andermatt, greatly agitated, did not know what answer to -give her.</p> - -<p>"But my dear child, it is difficult, having regard to my relations -with Latonne it is even impossible. Listen! an idea occurs to me: I -will look up Professor Mas-Roussel, who is a hundred times better than -Black. He will not refuse to come when I ask him."</p> - -<p>But she persisted. She wanted Black, and no one else. She required to -see him with his big bulldog's head beside her. It was a longing, a -wild, superstitious desire. She considered it necessary for him to see -her.</p> - -<p>Then William attempted to change the current of her thoughts:</p> - -<p>"You haven't heard how that intriguer Mazelli carried off Professor -Cloche's daughter the other night. They are gone away; nobody can tell -where they levanted to. There's a nice story for you!"</p> - -<p>She was propped up on her pillow, her eyes strained with grief, and she -faltered: "Oh! the poor Duchess—the poor woman—how I pity her!" Her -heart had long since learned to understand that other woman's heart, -bruised and impassioned! She suffered from the same malady and wept the -same tears. But she resumed: "Listen, Will! Go and find M. Black for -me. I know I shall die unless he comes!"</p> - -<p>Andermatt caught her hand, and tenderly kissed it:</p> - -<p>"Come, my little Christiane, be reasonable—understand."</p> - -<p>He saw her eyes filled with tears, and, turning toward the Marquis:</p> - -<p>"It is you that ought to do this, my dear father-in-law. As for me, I -can't do it. Black comes here every day about one o'clock to see the -Princess de Maldebourg. Stop him in the passage, and send him in to -your daughter. You can easily wait an hour, can you not, Christiane?"</p> - -<p>She consented to wait an hour, but refused to get up to breakfast with -the men, who passed alone into the dining-room.</p> - -<p>Paul was there already. Andermatt, when he saw him, exclaimed: "Ah! -tell me now, what is it I have been told a little while ago? You are -going to marry Charlotte Oriol? It is not true, is it?"</p> - -<p>The young man replied in a low tone, casting a restless look toward the -closed door: "Good God! it is true!" Nobody having been sure of it till -now, the three stared at him in amazement.</p> - -<p>William asked: "What came over you? With your fortune, to marry—to -embarrass yourself with one woman, when you have the whole of them? -And then, after all, the family leaves something to be desired in the -matter of refinement. It is all very well for Gontran, who hasn't a -sou!"</p> - -<p>Bretigny began to laugh: "My father made a fortune out of flour; he was -then a miller on a large scale. If you had known him, you might have -said he lacked refinement. As for the young girl——"</p> - -<p>Andermatt interrupted him: "Oh! perfect—charming—perfect—and you -know—she will be as rich as yourself—if not more so. I answer for -it—I—I answer for it!"</p> - -<p>Gontran murmured: "Yes, this marriage interferes with nothing, and -covers retreats. Only he was wrong in not giving us notice beforehand. -How the devil was this business managed, my friend?"</p> - -<p>Thereupon, Paul related all that had occurred with some slight -modifications. He told about his hesitation, which he exaggerated, -and his sudden determination on discovering from the young girl's own -lips that she loved him. He described the unexpected entrance of Père -Oriol, their quarrel, which he enlarged upon, the countryman's doubts -concerning his fortune, and the incident of the stamped paper drawn by -the old man out of the press.</p> - -<p>Andermatt, laughing till the tears ran down his face, hit the table -with his fist: "Ha! he did that over again, the stamped paper touch! -It's my invention, that is!"</p> - -<p>But Paul stammered, reddening a little: "Pray don't let your wife know -about it yet. Owing to the terms which we are on at present, it is -more suitable that I should announce it to her myself."</p> - -<p>Gontran eyed his friend with an odd, good-humored smile, which seemed -to say: "This is quite right, all this, quite right! That's the way -things ought to end, without noise, without scandals, without any -dramatic situations."</p> - -<p>He suggested: "If you like, my dear Paul, we'll go together, after -dinner, when she's up, and you will inform her of your decision."</p> - -<p>Their eyes met, fixed, full of unfathomable thoughts, then looked in -another direction. And Paul replied with an air of indifference:</p> - -<p>"Yes, willingly. We'll talk about this presently."</p> - -<p>A waiter from the hotel came to inform them that Doctor Black had just -arrived for his visit to the Princess; and the Marquis forthwith went -out to catch him in the passage. He explained the situation to the -doctor, his son-in-law's embarrassment and his daughter's earnest wish, -and he brought him in without resistance.</p> - -<p>As soon as the little man with the big head had entered Christiane's -apartment, she said: "Papa, leave us alone!" And the Marquis withdrew.</p> - -<p>Thereupon, she enumerated her disquietudes, her terrors, her -nightmares, in a low, sweet voice, as though she were at confession. -And the physician listened to her like a priest, covering her sometimes -with his big round eyes, showed his attention by a little nod of the -head, murmured a "That's it," which seemed to mean, "I know your case -at the end of my fingers, and I will cure you whenever I like."</p> - -<p>When she had finished speaking, he began in his turn to question her -with extreme minuteness of detail about her life, her habits, her -course of diet, her treatment. At one moment he appeared to express -approval with a gesture, at another to convey blame with an "Oh!" full -of reservations. When she came to her great fear that the child was -misplaced, he rose up, and with an ecclesiastical modesty, lightly -passed his hand over the counterpane, and then remarked, "No, it's all -right."</p> - -<p>And she felt a longing to embrace him. What a good man this physician -was!</p> - -<p>He sat down at the table, took a sheet of paper, and wrote out the -prescription. It was long, very long. Then he came back close to the -bed, and, in an altered tone, clearly indicating that he had finished -his professional and sacred duty, he began to chat. He had a deep, -unctuous voice, the powerful voice of a thickset dwarf, and there -were hidden questions in his most ordinary phrases. He talked about -everything. Gontran's marriage seemed to interest him considerably. -Then, with his ugly smile like that of an ill-shaped being:</p> - -<p>"I have said nothing yet to you about M. Bretigny's marriage, although -it cannot be a secret, for Père Oriol has told it to everybody."</p> - -<p>A kind of fainting fit took possession of her, commencing at the end -of her fingers, then invading her entire body—her arms, her breast, -her stomach, her legs. She did not, however, quite understand; but a -horrible fear of not learning the truth suddenly restored her powers -of observation, and she faltered: "Ha! Père Oriol has told it to -everybody?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes. He was speaking to myself about it less than ten minutes -ago. It appears that M. Bretigny is very rich, and that he has been in -love with little Charlotte for some time past. Moreover, it is Madame -Honorat who made these two matches. She lent her hands and her house -for the meetings of the young people."</p> - -<p>Christiane had closed her eyes. She had lost consciousness. In answer -to the doctor's call, a chambermaid rushed in; then appeared the -Marquis, Andermatt, and Gontran, who went to search for vinegar, -ether, ice, twenty different things all equally useless. Suddenly, the -young woman moved, opened her eyes, lifted up her arms, and uttered a -heartrending cry, writhing in the bed. She tried to speak, and in a -broken voice said:</p> - -<p>"Oh! what pain I feel—my God!—what pain I feel—in my back—something -is tearing me—Oh! my God!" And she broke out into fresh shrieks.</p> - -<p>The symptoms of confinement were speedily recognized. Then Andermatt -rushed off to find Doctor Latonne, and came upon him finishing his meal.</p> - -<p>"Come on quickly—my wife has met with a mishap—hurry on!" Then he -made use of a little deception, telling how Doctor Black had been found -in the hotel at the moment of the first pains. Doctor Black himself -confirmed this falsehood by saying to his brother-physician:</p> - -<p>"I had just come to visit the Princess when I was informed that Madame -Andermatt was taken ill. I hurried to her. It was time!"</p> - -<p>But William, in a state of great excitement, his heart beating, his -soul filled with alarm was all at once seized with doubts as to the -competency of the two professional men, and he started off afresh, -bareheaded, in order to run in the direction of Professor Mas-Roussel's -house, and to entreat him to come. The professor consented to do so -at once, buttoned on his frock-coat with the mechanical movement of a -physician going out to pay a visit, and set forth with great, rapid -strides, the eager strides of an eminent man whose presence may save a -life.</p> - -<p>When he arrived on the scene, the two other doctors, full of deference, -consulted him with an air of humility, repeating together or nearly at -the same time:</p> - -<p>"Here is what has occurred, dear master. Don't you think, dear master? -Isn't there reason to believe, dear master?"</p> - -<p>Andermatt, in his turn, driven crazy with anguish at the moanings of -his wife, harassed M. Mas-Roussel with questions, and also addressed -him as "dear master" with wide-open mouth.</p> - -<p>Christiane, almost naked in the presence of these men, no longer saw, -noticed, or understood anything. She was suffering so dreadfully that -everything else had vanished from her consciousness. It seemed to her -that they were drawing from the tops of her hips along her side and her -back a long saw, with blunt teeth, which was mangling her bones and -muscles slowly and in an irregular fashion, with shakings, stoppages, -and renewals of the operation, which became every moment more and more -frightful.</p> - -<p>When this torture abated for a few seconds, when the rendings of her -body allowed her reason to come back, one thought then fixed itself -in her soul, more cruel, more keen, more terrible, than her physical -pain: "He was in love with another woman, and was going to marry her!"</p> - -<p>And, in order to get rid of this pang, which was eating into her brain, -she struggled to bring on once more the atrocious torment of her -flesh; she shook her sides; she strained her back; and when the crisis -returned again, she had, at least, lost all capacity for thought.</p> - -<p>For fifteen hours she endured this martyrdom, so much bruised by -suffering and despair that she longed to die, and strove to die in -those spasms in which she writhed.</p> - -<p>But, after a convulsion longer and more violent than the rest, it -seemed to her that everything inside her body suddenly escaped from -her. It was over; her pangs were assuaged, like the waves of the sea, -when they are calmed; and the relief which she experienced was so -intense that, for a time, even her grief became numbed. They spoke to -her. She answered in a voice very weak, very low.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, Andermatt stooped down, his face toward hers, and he said: -"She will live—she is almost at the end of it. It is a girl!"</p> - -<p>Christiane was only able to articulate: "Ah! my God!"</p> - -<p>So then she had a child, a living child, who would grow big—a child of -Paul! She felt a desire to cry out, all this fresh misfortune crushed -her heart. She had a daughter. She did not want it! She would not look -at it! She would never touch it!</p> - -<p>They had laid her down again on the bed, taken care of her, tenderly -embraced her. Who had done this? No doubt, her father and her husband. -She could not tell. But he—where was he? What was he doing? How happy -she would have felt at that moment, if only he still loved her!</p> - -<p>The hours dragged along, following each other without any distinction -between day and night so far as she was concerned, for she felt only -this one thought burning into her soul: he loved another woman.</p> - -<p>Then she said to herself all of a sudden: "What if it were false? Why -should I not have known about his marriage sooner than this doctor?" -After that, came the reflection that it had been kept hidden from her. -Paul had taken care that she should not hear about it.</p> - -<p>She glanced around her room to see who was there. A woman whom she did -not know was keeping watch by her side, a woman of the people. She did -not venture to question her. From whom, then, could she make inquiries -about this matter?</p> - -<p>The door was suddenly pushed open. Her husband entered on the tips of -his toes. Seeing that her eyes were open, he came over to her.</p> - -<p>"Are you better?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, thanks."</p> - -<p>"You frightened us very much since yesterday. But there is an end of -the danger! By the bye, I am quite embarrassed about your case. I -telegraphed to our friend, Madame Icardon, who was to have come to stay -with you during your confinement, informing her about your premature -illness, and imploring her to hasten down here. She is with her nephew, -who has an attack of scarlet fever. You cannot, however, remain -without anyone near you, without some woman who is a little—a little -suitable for the purpose. Accordingly, a lady from the neighborhood has -offered to nurse you, and to keep you company every day, and, faith, I -have accepted the offer. It is Madame Honorat."</p> - -<p>Christiane suddenly remembered Doctor Black's words. A start of fear -shook her; and she groaned: "Oh! no—no—not she!"</p> - -<p>William did not understand, and went on: "Listen, I know well that she -is very common; but your brother has a great esteem for her; she has -been of great service to him; and then it has been thrown out that she -was originally a midwife, whom Honorat made the acquaintance of while -attending a patient. If you take a strong dislike to her, I will send -her away the next day. Let us try her at any rate. Let her come once or -twice."</p> - -<p>She remained silent, thinking. A craving to know, to know everything, -entered into her, so violent that the hope of making this woman chatter -freely, of tearing from her one by one the words that would rend her -own heart, now filled her with a yearning to reply: "Go, go, and look -for her immediately—immediately. Go, pray!"</p> - -<p>And to this irresistible desire to know was also superadded a strange -longing to suffer more intensely, to roll herself about in her misery, -as she might have rolled herself on thorns, the mysterious longing, -morbid and feverish, of a martyr calling for fresh pain.</p> - -<p>So she faltered: "Yes, I have no objection. Bring me Madame Honorat."</p> - -<p>Then, suddenly, she felt that she could not wait any longer without -making sure, quite sure, of this treason; and she asked William in a -voice weak as a breath:</p> - -<p>"Is it true that M. Bretigny is getting married?"</p> - -<p>He replied calmly: "Yes, it is true. We would have told you before this -if we could have talked with you."</p> - -<p>She continued: "With Charlotte?"</p> - -<p>"With Charlotte."</p> - -<p>Now William had also a fixed idea himself which from this time forth -never left him—his daughter, as yet barely alive, whom every moment -he was going to look at. He felt indignant because Christiane's first -words were not to ask for the baby; and in a tone of gentle reproach: -"Well, look here! you have not yet inquired about the little one. You -are aware that she is going on very well?"</p> - -<p>She trembled as if he had touched a living wound; but it was necessary -for her to pass through all the stations of this Calvary.</p> - -<p>"Bring her here," she said.</p> - -<p>He vanished to the foot of the bed behind the curtain, then he came -back, his face lighted up with pride and happiness, and holding in his -hands, in an awkward fashion, a bundle of white linen.</p> - -<p>He laid it down on the embroidered pillow close to the head of -Christiane, who was choking with emotion, and he said: "Look here, see -how lovely she is!"</p> - -<p>She looked. He opened with two of his fingers the fine lace with which -was hidden from view a little red face, so small, so red, with closed -eyes, and mouth constantly moving.</p> - -<p>And she thought, as she leaned over this beginning of being: "This is -my daughter—Paul's daughter. Here then is what made me suffer so much. -This—this—this is my daughter!"</p> - -<p>Her repugnance toward the child, whose birth had so fiercely torn her -poor heart and her tender woman's body had, all at once, disappeared; -she now contemplated it with ardent and sorrowing curiosity, with -profound astonishment, the astonishment of a being who sees her -firstborn come forth from her.</p> - -<p>Andermatt was waiting for her to caress it passionately. He was -surprised and shocked, and asked: "Are you not going to kiss it?"</p> - -<p>She stooped quite gently toward this little red forehead; and in -proportion as she drew her lips closer to it, she felt them drawn, -called by it. And when she had placed them upon it, when she touched -it, a little moist, a little warm, warm with her own life, it seemed -to her that she could not withdraw her lips from that infantile flesh, -that she would leave them there forever.</p> - -<p>Something grazed her cheek; it was her husband's beard as he bent -forward to kiss her. And when he had pressed her a long time against -himself with a grateful tenderness, he wanted, in his turn, to kiss his -daughter, and with his outstretched mouth he gave it very soft little -strokes on the nose.</p> - -<p>Christiane, her heart shriveled up by this caress, gazed at both of -them there by her side, at her daughter and at him—him!</p> - -<p>He soon wanted to carry the infant back to its cradle.</p> - -<p>"No," said she, "let me have it a few minutes longer, that I may feel -it close to my face. Don't speak to me any more—don't move—leave us -alone, and wait."</p> - -<p>She passed one of her arms over the body hidden under the -swaddling-clothes, put her forehead close to the little grinning face, -shut her eyes, and no longer stirred, or thought about anything.</p> - -<p>But, at the end of a few minutes, William softly touched her on the -shoulder: "Come, my darling, you must be reasonable! No emotions, you -know, no emotions!"</p> - -<p>Thereupon, he bore away their little daughter, while the mother's eyes -followed the child till it had disappeared behind the curtain of the -bed.</p> - -<p>After that, he came back to her: "Then it is understood that I am to -bring Madame Honorat to you to-morrow morning, to keep you company?"</p> - -<p>She replied in a firm tone: "Yes, my dear, you may send her to -me—to-morrow morning."</p> - -<p>And she stretched herself out in the bed, fatigued, worn out, perhaps a -little less unhappy.</p> - -<p>Her father and her brother came to see her in the evening, and told -her news about the locality—the precipitate departure of Professor -Cloche in search of his daughter, and the conjectures with reference to -the Duchess de Ramas, who was no longer to be seen, and who was also -supposed to have started on Mazelli's track. Gontran laughed at these -adventures, and drew a comic moral from the occurrences:</p> - -<p>"The history of those spas is incredible. They are the only fairylands -left upon the earth! In two months more things happen in them than in -the rest of the universe during the remainder of the year. One might -say with truth that the springs are not mineralized but bewitched. And -it is everywhere the same, at Aix, Royat, Vichy, Luchon, and also at -the sea-baths, at Dieppe, Étretat, Trouville, Biarritz, Cannes, and -Nice. You meet there specimens of all kinds of people, of every social -grade—admirable adventures, a mixture of races and people not to be -found elsewhere, and marvelous incidents. Women play pranks there with -facility and charming promptitude. At Paris one resists temptation—at -the waters one falls; there you are! Some men find fortune at them, -like Andermatt; others find death, like Aubry-Pasteur; others find -worse even than that—and get married there—like myself and Paul. -Isn't it queer and funny, this sort of thing? You have heard about -Paul's intended marriage—have you not?"</p> - -<p>She murmured: "Yes; William told me about it a little while ago."</p> - -<p>Gontran went on: "He is right, quite right. She is a peasant's -daughter. Well, what of that? She is better than an adventurer's -daughter or a daughter who's too short. I knew Paul. He would have -ended by marrying a street-walker, provided she resisted him for six -months. And to resist him it needed a jade or an innocent. He has -lighted on the innocent. So much the better for him!"</p> - -<p>Christiane listened, and every word, entering through her ears, went -straight to her heart, and inflicted on her pain, horrible pain.</p> - -<p>Closing her eyes, she said: "I am very tired. I would like to have a -little rest."</p> - -<p>They embraced her and went out.</p> - -<p>She could not sleep, so wakeful was her mind, active and racked with -harrowing thoughts. That idea that he no longer loved her at all became -so intolerable that, were it not for the presence of this woman, this -nurse nodding asleep in the armchair, she would have got up, opened -the window, and flung herself out on the steps of the hotel. A very -thin ray of moonlight penetrated through an opening in the curtains, -and formed a round bright spot on the floor. She observed it; and in a -moment a crowd of memories rushed together into her brain: the lake, -the wood, that first "I love you," scarcely heard, so agitating, at -Tournoel, and all their caresses, in the evening, beside the shadowy -paths, and the road from La Roche Pradière.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, she saw this white road, on a night when the heavens were -filled with stars, and he, Paul, with his arm round a woman's waist, -kissing her at every step they walked. It was Charlotte! He pressed -her against him, smiled as he knew how to smile, murmured in her ear -sweet words, such as he knew how to utter, then flung himself on his -knees and kissed the ground in front of her, just as he had kissed it -in front of herself! It was so hard, so hard for her to bear, that -turning round and hiding her face in the pillow, she burst out sobbing. -She almost shrieked, so much did despair rend her soul. Every beat of -her heart, which jumped into her throat, which throbbed in her temples, -sent forth from her one word—"Paul—Paul—Paul"—endlessly re-echoed. -She stopped up her ears with her hands in order to hear nothing more, -plunged her head under the sheets; but then his name sounded in the -depths of her bosom with every pant of her tormented heart.</p> - -<p>The nurse, waking up, asked of her: "Are you worse, Madame?"</p> - -<p>Christiane turned round, her face covered with tears, and murmured: -"No, I was asleep—I was dreaming—I was frightened."</p> - -<p>Then, she begged of her to light two wax-candles, so that the ray of -moonlight might be no longer visible. Toward morning, however, she -slumbered.</p> - -<p>She had been asleep for a few hours when Andermatt came in, bringing -with him Madame Honorat. The fat lady, immediately adopting a familiar -tone, questioned her like a doctor; then, satisfied with her answers, -said: "Come, come! you're going on very nicely!" Then she took off her -hat, her gloves, and her shawl, and, addressing the nurse: "You may go, -my girl. You will come when we ring for you."</p> - -<p>Christiane, already inflamed with dislike to the woman, said to her -husband: "Give me my daughter for a little while."</p> - -<p>As on the previous day, William carried the child to her, tenderly -embracing it as he did so, and placed it upon the pillow. And, as on -the previous day, too, when she felt close to her cheek, through the -wrappings, the heat of this little stranger's body, imprisoned in -linen, she was suddenly penetrated with a grateful sense of peace.</p> - -<p>Then, all at once, the baby began to cry, screaming out in a shrill and -piercing voice. "She wants nursing," said Andermatt.</p> - -<p>He rang, and the wet-nurse appeared, a big red woman, with a mouth -like an ogress, full of large, shining teeth, which almost terrified -Christiane. And from the open body of her dress she drew forth a -breast, soft and heavy with milk. And when Christiane beheld her -daughter drinking, she felt a longing to snatch away and take back the -baby, moved by a certain sense of jealousy. Madame Honorat now gave -directions to the wet-nurse, who went off, carrying the baby in her -arms. Andermatt, in his turn, went out, and the two women were left -alone together.</p> - -<p>Christiane did not know how to speak of what tortured her soul, -trembling lest she might give way to too much emotion, lose her head, -burst into tears, and betray herself. But Madame Honorat began to -babble of her own accord, without having been asked a single question. -When she had related all the scandalous stories that were circulating -through the neighborhood, she came to the Oriol family: "They are good -people," said she, "very good people. If you had known the mother, what -a worthy, brave woman she was! She was worth ten women, Madame. The -girls take after her, for that matter."</p> - -<p>Then, as she was passing on to another topic, Christiane asked: "Which -of the two do you prefer, Louise or Charlotte?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! for my own part, Madame, I prefer Louise, your brother's intended -wife; she is more sensible, more steady. She is a woman of order. But -my husband likes the other better. Men you know, have tastes different -from ours."</p> - -<p>She ceased speaking. Christiane, whose strength was giving way, -faltered: "My brother has often met his betrothed at your house."</p> - -<p>"Oh! yes, Madame—I believe really every day. Everything was brought -about at my house, everything! As for me, I let them talk, these young -people, I understood the thing thoroughly. But what truly gave me -pleasure was when I saw that M. Paul was getting smitten by the younger -one."</p> - -<p>Then, Christiane, in an almost inaudible voice: "Is he deeply in love -with her?"</p> - -<p>"Ah! Madame, is he in love with her? He had lost his head about her -some time since. And then, when the Italian—he who ran off with -Doctor Cloche's daughter—kept hanging about the girl a little, it -was something worth seeing and watching—I thought they were going to -fight! Ah! if you had seen M. Paul's eyes. And he looked upon her as -if she were a holy Virgin, nothing less—it's a pleasant thing to see -people so much in love as that!"</p> - -<p>Thereupon, Christiane asked her about all that had taken place in her -presence, about all they had said, about all they had done, about their -promenades in the glen of Sans-Souci, where he had so often told her -of his love for her. She put unexpected questions, which astonished -the fat lady, about matters that nobody would have dreamed of, for she -was constantly making comparisons; she recalled a thousand details of -what had occurred the year before, all Paul's delicate gallantries, -his thoughtfulness about her, his ingenious devices to please her, all -that display of charming attentions and tender anxieties which on the -part of a man show an imperious desire to win a woman's affections; and -she wanted to find out whether he had manifested the same affectionate -interest toward the other, whether he had commenced afresh this siege -of a soul with the same ardor, with the same enthusiasm, with the same -irresistible passion.</p> - -<p>And every time she recognized a little circumstance, a little trait, -one of those nothings which cause such exquisite bliss, one of those -disquieting surprises which cause the heart to beat fast, and of which -Paul was so prodigal when he loved, Christiane, as she lay prostrate in -the bed, gave utterance to a little "Ah!" expressive of keen suffering.</p> - -<p>Amazed at this strange exclamation, Madame Honorat declared more -emphatically: "Why, yes. 'Tis as I tell you, exactly as I tell you. I -never saw a man so much in love!"</p> - -<p>"Has he recited verses to her?"</p> - -<p>"I believe so indeed, Madame, and very pretty ones, too!"</p> - -<p>And, when they had relapsed into silence, nothing more could be heard -save the monotonous and soothing song of the nurse as she rocked the -baby to sleep in the adjoining room.</p> - -<p>Steps were drawing near in the corridor outside. Doctors Mas-Roussel -and Latonne had come to visit their patient. They found her agitated, -not quite so well as she had been on the previous day.</p> - -<p>When they had left, Andermatt opened the door again, and without coming -in: "Doctor Black would like to see you. Will you see him?"</p> - -<p>She exclaimed, as she raised herself up in the bed: "No—no—I will -not—no!"</p> - -<p>William came over to her, looking quite astounded: "But listen to me -now—it would only be right—it is his due—you ought to!"</p> - -<p>She looked, with her wide-open eyes and quivering lips, as if she had -lost her reason. She kept repeating in a piercing voice, so loud that -it must have penetrated through the walls: "No!—no!—never!" And then, -no longer knowing what she said, and pointing with outstretched arm -toward Madame Honorat, who was standing in the center of the apartment:</p> - -<p>"I do not want her either!—send her away!—I don't want to see -her!—send her away!"</p> - -<p>Then he rushed to his wife's side, took her in his arms, and kissed her -on the forehead: "My little Christiane, be calm! What is the matter -with you?—come now, be calm!"</p> - -<p>She had by this time lost the power of raising her voice. The tears -gushed from her eyes.</p> - -<p>"Send them all away," said she, "and remain alone with me!"</p> - -<p>He went across, in a distracted frame of mind, to the doctor's wife, -and gently pushing her toward the door: "Leave us for a few minutes, -pray. It is the fever—the milk-fever. I will calm her. I will look for -you again by and by."</p> - -<p>When he came back to the bedside Christiane was lying down, weeping -quietly, without moving in any way, quite prostrated.</p> - -<p>And then, for the first time in his life, he, too, began to weep.</p> - -<p>In fact, the milk-fever had broken out during the night, and delirium -supervened. After some hours of extreme excitement, the recently -delivered woman suddenly began to speak.</p> - -<p>The Marquis and Andermatt, who had resolved to remain near her, and -who passed the time playing cards, counting the tricks in hushed tones, -imagined that she was calling them, and, rising up, approached the -bed. She did not see them; she did not recognize them. Intensely pale, -on her white pillow, with her fair tresses hanging loose over her -shoulders, she was gazing, with her clear blue eyes, into that unknown, -mysterious, and fantastic world, in which dwell the insane.</p> - -<p>Her hands, stretched over the bedclothes, stirred now and then, -agitated by rapid and involuntary movements, tremblings, and starts.</p> - -<p>She did not, at first, appear to be talking to anyone, but to be -seeing things and telling what she saw. And the things she said seemed -disconnected, incomprehensible. She found a rock too high to jump off. -She was afraid of a sprain, and then she was not on intimate terms -enough with the man who reached out his arms toward her. Then she spoke -about perfumes. She was apparently trying to remember some forgotten -phrases. "What can be sweeter? This intoxicates one like wine—wine -intoxicates the mind, but perfume intoxicates the imagination. With -perfume you taste the very essence, the pure essence of things and -of the universe—you taste the flowers—the trees—the grass of the -fields—you can even distinguish the soul of the dwellings of olden -days which sleeps in the old furniture, the old carpets, and the old -curtains." Then her face contracted as if she had undergone a long -spell of fatigue. She was ascending a hillside slowly, heavily, and was -saying to some one: "Oh! carry me once more, I beg of you. I am going -to die here! I can walk no farther. Carry me as you did above the -gorges. Do you remember?—how you loved me!"</p> - -<p>Then she uttered a cry of anguish—a look of horror came into her -eyes. She saw in front of her a dead animal, and she was imploring -to have it taken away without giving her pain. The Marquis said in a -whisper to his son-in-law: "She is thinking about an ass that we came -across on our way back from La Nugère." And now she was addressing this -dead beast, consoling it, telling it that she, too, was very unhappy, -because she had been abandoned.</p> - -<p>Then, on a sudden, she refused to do something required of her. She -cried: "Oh! no, not that! Oh! it is you, you who want me to drag this -cart!"</p> - -<p>Then she panted, as if indeed she were dragging a vehicle along. She -wept, moaned, uttered exclamations, and always, during a period of half -an hour, she was climbing up this hillside, dragging after her with -horrible efforts the ass's cart, beyond a doubt.</p> - -<p>And some one was harshly beating her, for she said: "Oh! how you hurt -me! At least, don't beat me! I will walk—but don't beat me any more, I -entreat you! I'll do whatever you wish, but don't beat me any more!"</p> - -<p>Then her anguish gradually abated, and all she did was to go on quietly -talking in her incoherent fashion till daybreak. After that, she became -drowsy, and ended by going to sleep.</p> - -<p>Until the following day, however, her mental powers remained torpid, -somewhat wavering, fleeting. She could not immediately find the words -she wanted, and fatigued herself terribly in searching for them. But, -after a night of rest, she completely regained possession of herself.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, she felt changed, as if this crisis had transformed her -soul. She suffered less and thought more. The dreadful occurrences, -really so recent, seemed to her to have receded into a past already -far off; and she regarded them with a clearness of conception with -which her mind had never been illuminated before. This light, which -had suddenly dawned on her brain, and which comes to certain beings in -certain hours of suffering, showed her life, men, things, the entire -earth and all that it contains as she had never seen them before.</p> - -<p>Then, more than on the evening when she had felt herself so much -alone in the universe in her room, after her return from the lake of -Tazenat, she looked upon herself as utterly abandoned in existence. She -realized that all human beings walk along side by side in the midst of -circumstances without anything ever truly uniting two persons together. -She learned from the treason of him in whom she had reposed her entire -confidence that the others, all the others, would never again be to her -anything but indifferent neighbors in that journey short or long, sad -or gay, that followed to-morrows no one could foresee.</p> - -<p>She comprehended that even in the clasp of this man's arms, when she -believed that she was intermingling with him, entering into him, when -she believed that their flesh and their souls had become only one flesh -and one soul, they had only drawn a little nearer to one another, so as -to bring into contact the impenetrable envelopes in which mysterious -nature has isolated and shut up each human creature. And she saw as -well that nobody has ever been able, or ever will be able, to break -through that invisible barrier which places living beings as far from -each other as the stars of heaven. She divined the impotent effort, -ceaseless since the first days of the world, the indefatigable effort -of men and women to tear off the sheath in which their souls forever -imprisoned, forever solitary, are struggling—an effort of arms, of -lips, of eyes, of mouths, of trembling, naked flesh, an effort of love, -which exhausts itself in kisses, to finish only by giving life to some -other forlorn being.</p> - -<p>Then an uncontrollable desire to gaze on her daughter took possession -of her. She asked for it, and when it was brought to her, she begged to -have it stripped, for as yet she only knew its face.</p> - -<p>The wet-nurse thereupon unfastened the swaddling-clothes, and -discovered the poor little body of the newborn infant agitated by those -vague movements which life puts into these rough sketches of humanity. -Christiane touched it with a timid, trembling hand, then wanted to kiss -the stomach, the back, the legs, the feet, and then she stared at the -child full of fantastic thoughts.</p> - -<p>Two beings came together, loved one another with rapturous passion; -and from their embrace, this being was born. It was he and she -intermingled; until the death of this little child, it was he and she, -living again both together; it was a little of him, and a little of -her, with an unknown something which would make it different from them. -It reproduced them both in the form of its body as well as in that of -its mind, in its features, its gestures, its eyes, its movements, its -tastes, its passions, even in the sound of its voice and its gait in -walking, and yet it would be a new being!</p> - -<p>They were separated now—he and she—forever! Never again would their -eyes blend in one of those outbursts of love which make the human race -indestructible. And pressing the child against her heart, she murmured: -"Adieu! adieu!" It was to him that she was saying "adieu" in her baby's -ear, the brave and sorrowing "adieu" of a woman who would yet have much -to suffer, always, it might be, but who would know how to hide her -tears.</p> - -<p>"Ha! ha!" cried William through the half-open door. "I catch you there! -Will you be good enough to give me back my daughter?"</p> - -<p>Running toward the bed, he seized the little one in his hands already -practiced in the art of handling it, and lifting it over his head, -he went on repeating: "Good day, Mademoiselle Andermatt—good day, -Mademoiselle Andermatt."</p> - -<p>Christiane was thinking: "Here, then, is my husband!"</p> - -<p>And she contemplated him, with eyes as astonished as if they were -beholding him for the first, time. This was he, the man who ought to -be, according to human ideas of religion, of society, the other half -of her—more than that, her master, the master of her days and of her -nights, of her heart and of her body! She felt almost a desire to -smile, so strange did this appear to her at the moment, for between her -and him no bond could ever exist, none of those bonds alas! so quickly -broken, but which seem eternal, ineffably sweet, almost divine.</p> - -<p>No remorse even came to her for having deceived him, for having -betrayed him. She was surprised at this, and asked herself why it was. -Why? No doubt, there was too great a difference between them, they were -too far removed from one another, of races too widely dissimilar. He -did not understand her at all; she did not understand him at all. And -yet he was good, devoted, complaisant.</p> - -<p>But only perhaps beings of the same shape, of the same nature, of the -same moral essence can feel themselves attached to one another by the -sacred bond of voluntary duty.</p> - -<p>They dressed the baby again. William sat down.</p> - -<p>"Listen, my darling," said he; "I don't venture to announce Doctor -Black's visit to you, since you have been so nice toward myself. There -is, however, one person whom I would very much like you to see—I mean -Doctor Bonnefille."</p> - -<p>Then, for the first time, she laughed, with a colorless sort of laugh, -which fixed itself on her lips, without going near her heart; and she -asked:</p> - -<p>"Doctor Bonnefille! what a miracle! So then you are reconciled?"</p> - -<p>"Why, yes! Listen! I am going to tell you, as a secret, a great bit -of news. I have just bought up the old establishment. I have all the -district now. Hey! what a victory. That poor Doctor Bonnefille knew -it before anybody, be it understood. So then he has been sly. He came -every day to obtain information as to how you were, leaving his card -with a word of sympathy written on it. For my part, I responded to -these advances with a single visit; and at present we are on excellent -terms."</p> - -<p>"Let him come," said Christiane, "whenever he likes. I will be glad to -see him."</p> - -<p>"Good. Thank you. I'll bring him here to you tomorrow morning. I need -scarcely tell you that Paul is constantly asking me to convey to you a -thousand compliments from him, and he inquires a great deal about the -little one. He is very anxious to see her."</p> - -<p>In spite of her resolutions she felt a sense of oppression. She was -able, however, to say: "You will thank him on my behalf."</p> - -<p>Andermatt rejoined: "He was very uneasy to learn whether you had been -told about his intended marriage. I informed him that you had; then he -asked me several times what you thought about it."</p> - -<p>She exerted her strength to the utmost, and felt able to murmur: "You -will tell him that I entirely approve of it."</p> - -<p>William, with cruel persistency, went on: "He wishes also to know for -certain what name you mean to call your daughter. I told him we were -hesitating between Marguerite and Genevieve."</p> - -<p>"I have changed my mind," said she. "I intend to call her Arlette."</p> - -<p>Formerly, in the early days of her pregnancy, she had discussed with -Paul the name which they ought to select whether for a son or for -a daughter; and for a daughter they had remained undecided between -Genevieve and Marguerite. She no longer wanted these two names.</p> - -<p>William repeated: "Arlette! Arlette! That's a very nice name—you are -right. For my part, I would have liked to call her Christiane, like -you. I adore that name—Christiane!"</p> - -<p>She sighed deeply: "Oh! it forebodes too much suffering to bear the -name of the Crucified."</p> - -<p>He reddened, never having dreamed of this comparison, and rising up: -"Besides, Arlette is very nice. By-bye, my darling."</p> - -<p>As soon as he had left the room, she called the wet-nurse, and directed -her for the future to place the cradle beside the bed.</p> - -<p>When the little couch in the form of a wherry, always rocking, and -carrying its white curtain like a sail on its mast of twisted copper, -had been rolled close to the big bed, Christiane stretched out her -hand to the sleeping infant, and she said in a very hushed voice: "Go -by-bye, my baby! You will never find anyone who will love you as much -as I."</p> - -<p>She passed the next few days in a state of tranquil melancholy, -thinking a great deal, building up within herself a resisting soul, an -energetic heart, in order to resume her life again in a few weeks. Her -chief occupation now consisted in gazing into the eyes of her child, -seeking to surprise in them a first look, but only seeing there two -little bluish caverns invariably turned toward the sunlight coming in -through the window.</p> - -<p>And she experienced a feeling of profound sadness as she reflected -that these eyes now closed in sleep would look out on the world, as -she herself had looked on it, through the illusion of those secret -dreamings which make the souls of young women trustful and joyous. -They would love all that she had loved, the beautiful bright days, the -flowers, the wood, and alas! living beings too! They would, no doubt, -love a man! They would carry in their depths his image, well known, -cherished, would see it when he would be far away, would be inflamed on -seeing him again. And then—and then they would learn to weep! Tears, -horrible tears, would flow over these little cheeks. And the frightful -sufferings of love betrayed would render them unrecognizable, those -poor wandering eyes which would be blue.</p> - -<p>And she wildly embraced the child, saying to it: "Love me alone, my -child!"</p> - -<p>At length, one day, Professor Mas-Roussel, who came every morning to -see her, declared: "You can soon get up for a little, Madame."</p> - -<p>Andermatt, when the physician had left, said to his wife: "It is very -unfortunate that you are not quite well, for we have a very interesting -experiment to-day at the establishment. Doctor Latonne has performed -a real miracle with Père Clovis by subjecting him to his system of -self-moving gymnastics. Just imagine! This old vagabond is now able to -walk as well as anyone. The progress of the cure, moreover, is manifest -after each exhibition!"</p> - -<p>To please him, she asked: "And are you going to have a public -exhibition?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, and no. We are having an exhibition before the medical men and a -few friends."</p> - -<p>"At what hour?"</p> - -<p>"Three o'clock."</p> - -<p>"Will M. Bretigny be there?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes. He promised me that he would come to it. From a medical -point of view, it is exceedingly curious."</p> - -<p>"Well," she said, "as I'll just have risen myself at that time, you -will ask M. Bretigny to come and see me. He will keep me company while -you are looking at the experiment."</p> - -<p>"Yes, my darling."</p> - -<p>"You won't forget?"</p> - -<p>"No, no. Make your mind easy."</p> - -<p>And he went off in search of those who were to witness the exhibition.</p> - -<p>After having been imposed upon by the Oriols at the time of the first -treatment of the paralytic, he had in his turn imposed upon the -credulity of invalids—so easy to get the better of, when it is a -question of curing. And now he imposed upon himself with the farce of -this cure, talking about it so frequently, with so much ardor and such -an air of conviction that it would have been hard to determine whether -he believed or disbelieved in it.</p> - -<p>About three o'clock, all the persons whom he had induced to -attend found themselves gathered together before the door of the -establishment, expecting Père Clovis's arrival. He made his appearance, -leaning on two walking-sticks, always dragging his legs after him, and -bowing politely to everyone as he passed.</p> - -<p>The two Oriols followed him, together with the two young girls. Paul -and Gontran accompanied their intended wives.</p> - -<p>In the great hall where the articulated instruments were fixed, Doctor -Latonne was waiting, and killed time by chatting with Andermatt and -Doctor Honorat.</p> - -<p>When he saw Père Clovis, a smile of delight passed over his -clean-shaven lips. He asked: "Well! how are we going on to-day?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! all right, all right."</p> - -<p>Petrus Martel and Saint Landri presented themselves. They wanted to -satisfy their minds. The first believed; the second doubted. Behind -them, people saw with astonishment Doctor Bonnefille coming up, -saluting his rival, and extending his hand toward Andermatt. Doctor -Black was the last to arrive.</p> - -<p>"Well, Messieurs and Mesdemoiselles," said Doctor Latonne, as he bowed -to Louise and Charlotte Oriol, "you are going to witness a very curious -phenomenon. Observe first, before the experiment, this worthy fellow -walking a little, but very little. Can you walk without your sticks, -Père Clovis?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! no, Mochieu!"</p> - -<p>"Good, then let us begin."</p> - -<p>The old fellow was hoisted on the armchair; his legs were strapped to -the movable feet of the sitting-machine; then, at the command of the -inspector: "Go quietly!" the attendant, with bare arms, turned the -handle.</p> - -<p>Thereupon, the right knee of the vagabond was seen rising up, -stretching out, bending, then moving forward again; after that, the -left knee did the same; and Père Clovis, seized with a sudden delight, -began to laugh, while he repeated with his head and his long, white -beard all the movements imposed on his legs.</p> - -<p>The four physicians and Andermatt, stooping over him, examined him with -the gravity of augurs, while Colosse exchanged sly winks with the old -chap.</p> - -<p>As the door had been left open, other persons kept constantly crowding -in, and convinced and anxious bathers pressed forward to behold the -experiment.</p> - -<p>"Quicker!" said Doctor Latonne; and, in obedience to his command, -the man who worked the handle turned it with greater energy. The old -fellow's legs began to go at a running pace, and he, seized with -irresistible gaiety, like a child being tickled, laughed as loudly -as ever he could, moving his head about wildly. And, in the midst of -his peals of laughter, he kept repeating: "What a <i>rigolo!</i> what a -<i>rigolo!</i>" having, no doubt, picked up this word from the mouth of some -foreigner.</p> - -<p>Colosse, in his turn, broke out, and, stamping on the ground with -his foot and striking his thighs with his hands, he exclaimed: "Ha! -bougrrre of a Cloviche! bougrrre of a Cloviche!"</p> - -<p>"Enough!" was the inspector's next command.</p> - -<p>The vagabond was unfastened, and the physicians drew apart in order to -verify the result.</p> - -<p>Then Père Clovis was seen rising from the armchair, stepping on the -ground, and walking. He proceeded with short steps, it was true, quite -bent, and grimacing from fatigue at every effort, but still he walked!</p> - -<p>Doctor Bonnefille was the first to declare: "This is quite a remarkable -case!" Doctor Black immediately improved upon his brother-physician. -Doctor Honorat, alone, said nothing.</p> - -<p>Gontran whispered in Paul's ear: "I don't understand. Look at their -heads. Are they dupes or humbugs?"</p> - -<p>But Andermatt was speaking. He told the history of this cure since the -first day, the relapse, and the final recovery which was declared to -be settled and absolute.</p> - -<p>He gaily added: "If our patient goes back a little every winter, we'll -cure him again every summer."</p> - -<p>Then he pompously eulogized the waters of Mont Oriol, extolled their -properties, all their properties:</p> - -<p>"For my own part," said he; "I have had a proof of their efficacy in -the case of a being who is very dear to me; and, if my family is not -extinct, it is to Mont Oriol that I will owe it."</p> - -<p>But, all at once, he had a flash of recollection. He had promised -his wife a visit from Paul Bretigny. He was filled with regret for -his forgetfulness, as he was most anxious to gratify her every wish. -Accordingly he glanced around him, espied Paul, and coming up to him: -"My dear friend, I completely forgot to tell you that Christiane is -expecting you at this moment."</p> - -<p>Bretigny said falteringly: "Me—at this moment?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, she has got up to-day; and she desires to see you before anyone. -Hurry then as quickly as possible, and excuse me."</p> - -<p>Paul directed his steps toward the hotel, his heart throbbing with -emotion. On his way he met the Marquis de Ravenel, who said to him:</p> - -<p>"My daughter is up, and is surprised at not having seen you yet."</p> - -<p>He halted, however, on the first steps of the staircase in order to -consider what he would say to her. How would she receive him? Would she -be alone? If she spoke about his marriage, what reply should he make?</p> - -<p>Since he had heard of her confinement, he could not think about her -without groaning, so uneasy did he feel; and the thought of their first -meeting, every time it floated through his mind, made him suddenly -redden or grow pale with anguish. He had also thought with deep anxiety -of this unknown child, of which he was the father; and he remained -harassed by a desire to see it, mingled with a dread of looking at it. -He felt himself sunk in one of those moral foulnesses which stain a -man's conscience up to the hour of his death. But he feared above all -the glance of this woman, for whom his love had been so fierce and so -short-lived.</p> - -<p>Would she meet him with reproaches, with tears, or with disdain? Would -she receive him, only to drive him away?</p> - -<p>And what attitude ought he to assume toward her? Humble, crushed, -suppliant, or cold? Should he explain himself or should he listen -without replying? Ought he to sit down or to remain standing?</p> - -<p>And when the child was shown to him, what should he do? What should he -say? With what feeling should he appear to be agitated?</p> - -<p>Before the door he stopped again, and at the moment when he was on the -point of ringing, he noticed that his hand was trembling. However, he -placed his finger on the little ivory button, and he heard the sound of -the electric bell coming from the interior of the apartment.</p> - -<p>A female servant opened the door, and admitted him. And, at the -drawing-room door, he saw Christiane, at the end of the second room, -lying on her long chair with her eyes fixed upon him.</p> - -<p>These two rooms seemed to him interminable as he was passing through -them. He felt himself tottering. He was afraid of knocking against the -seats, and he did not venture to look down toward his feet in order to -avoid lowering his eyes. She did not make a single gesture, or utter a -single word. She waited till he was close beside her. Her right hand -remained stretched out over her robe and her left leaned over the side -of the cradle, covered all round with its curtains.</p> - -<p>When he was three paces away from her he stopped, not knowing what best -to do. The chambermaid had closed the door after him.</p> - -<p>They were alone!</p> - -<p>Then, he felt a longing to sink upon his knees, and implore her pardon. -But she slowly raised the hand which had rested on her robe, and, -extending it slightly toward him, said, "Good day," in a grave tone.</p> - -<p>He did not venture to touch her fingers, which, however, he brushed -with his lips, while he bowed to her.</p> - -<p>She added: "Sit down." And he sat down on a lower chair, close to her -feet.</p> - -<p>He felt that he ought to speak, but he could not find a word or -an idea, and he dared not even look at her. However, he ended by -stammering out: "Your husband forgot to let me know that you were -waiting for me; but for that, I would have come sooner."</p> - -<p>She replied: "Oh! it matters little, since we were bound to see one -another again—a little sooner—a little later!"</p> - -<p>As she added nothing more, he hastened to say in an inquiring tone: "I -hope you are getting on well by this time?"</p> - -<p>"Thanks. As well as one can get on, after such shocks!"</p> - -<p>She was very pale and thin, but prettier than before her confinement. -Her eyes especially had gained a depth of expression which he had never -seen in them before. They seemed to have acquired a darker shade, a -blue less clear, less transparent, more intense. Her hands were so -white that their flesh looked like that of a corpse.</p> - -<p>She went on: "Those are hours very hard to live through. But, when one -has suffered thus, one feels strong till the end of one's days."</p> - -<p>Much affected, he murmured: "Yes; they are terrible experiences!"</p> - -<p>She repeated, like an echo: "Terrible."</p> - -<p>For some moments there had been light movements in the cradle—the all -but imperceptible sounds of an infant awakening from sleep. Bretigny -could not longer avert his gaze, preyed upon by a melancholy, morbid -yearning which gradually grew stronger, tortured by the desire to -behold what lived within there.</p> - -<p>Then he observed that the curtains of the tiny bed were fastened from -top to bottom with the gold pins which Christiane was accustomed to -wear in her corsage. Often had he amused himself in bygone days by -taking them out and pinning them again on the shoulders of his beloved, -those fine pins with crescent-shaped heads. He understood what she -meant; and a poignant emotion seized him, made him feel shriveled up -before this barrier of golden spikes which forever separated him from -this child.</p> - -<p>A little cry, a shrill plaint arose in this white prison. Christiane -quickly rocked the wherry, and in a rather abrupt tone:</p> - -<p>"I must ask your pardon for allowing you so little time; but I must -look after my daughter."</p> - -<p>He rose, and once more kissed the hand which she extended toward him; -and, as he was on the point of leaving, she said:</p> - -<p>"I pray that you may be happy."</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Mont Oriol or A Romance of Auvergne, by -Guy de Maupassant - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MONT ORIOL, ROMANCE OF AUVERGNE *** - -***** This file should be named 50311-h.htm or 50311-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/3/1/50311/ - -Produced by Dagny and Marc D'Hooghe at -http://www.freeliterature.org (Images generously made -available by the Internet Archive.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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