diff options
| author | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-01-23 02:51:03 -0800 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-01-23 02:51:03 -0800 |
| commit | 6e8b3dc6f28206d592dc8b23349d27834d14e296 (patch) | |
| tree | 6b904815299be934e52156be018c246ca0ca5189 | |
| parent | 98e16991687604c7bdbe529da50e153b87a972b0 (diff) | |
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65170-0.txt | 9899 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65170-0.zip | bin | 193658 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65170-h.zip | bin | 2647774 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65170-h/65170-h.htm | 13754 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65170-h/images/antonia_cover.jpg | bin | 293379 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65170-h/images/figure01.jpg | bin | 333580 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65170-h/images/figure02.jpg | bin | 303618 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65170-h/images/figure03.jpg | bin | 282742 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65170-h/images/figure04.jpg | bin | 463196 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65170-h/images/figure05.jpg | bin | 485395 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65170-h/images/figure06.jpg | bin | 402803 -> 0 bytes |
14 files changed, 17 insertions, 23653 deletions
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..86edafd --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #65170 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65170) diff --git a/old/65170-0.txt b/old/65170-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4fbe284..0000000 --- a/old/65170-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9899 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Antonia, by George Sand - -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 -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Antonia - The masterpieces of George Sand. Vol. 13 - -Author: George Sand - -Translator: George Burnham Yves - -Release Date: April 26, 2021 [eBook #65170] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Dagny and Laura Natal Rodrigues at Free Literature (Images - generously made available by Hathi Trust Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANTONIA *** - -NOVELS - -BY - -GEORGE SAND - - - - -VOLUME XIII - - -ANTONIA - - - - -THE JEFFERSON PRESS -BOSTON, NEW YORK - - -[Illustration 01: _THE LOVERS' TRYST_ -_They sat there in the darkness, amid bushes laden -with flowers, in the splendor of early summer, which -retains all the charm of spring._] - - -CONTENTS -CHAPTER I -CHAPTER II -CHAPTER III -CHAPTER IV -CHAPTER V -CHAPTER VI -CHAPTER VII -CHAPTER VIII - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS -THE LOVERS' TRYST -JULIEN'S RUSE -A DISTURBED CONFERENCE -JULIEN ESCORTS MADAME D'ESTRELLE -JULIE AT THE CONVENT AT CHAILLOT -THE CHRISTENING OF THE LILY - - - - -ANTONIA - - - - -_To M. EDOUARD RODRIGUES_ - -To you who adopt orphan children, and who do good -modestly, with both hands and at sight, as you read Mozart -and Beethoven. - -GEORGE SAND - - - - -I - - -The time was the month of April, 1785, and the place Paris, where the -spring that year was a genuine spring. The garden was in holiday attire, -the greensward was studded with marguerites, the birds were singing, and -the lilacs grew so straight and so close to Julien's window, that their -fragrant clusters actually entered his room and strewed the white tiled -floor of his studio with their little violet crosses. - -Julien Thierry was a painter of flowers, like his father André Thierry, -renowned under Louis XV. in the art of decorating spaces over doors, -dining-room panels and boudoir ceilings. Those dainty ornaments became, -under his skilful hands, objects of genuine, serious art, so that the -artisan had became an artist, highly esteemed by people of taste, -handsomely paid, and a person of much consideration in society. Julien, -his pupil, had confined himself to painting on canvas. The fashion of -his time frowned upon the fanciful and charming decorations of the -Pompadour style. The Louis XVI. style was more severe; flowers were no -longer strewn upon walls and ceilings, but were framed. Julien, then, -painted flower and fruit pieces of the Mignon variety, mother-of-pearl -shells, multi-colored butterflies, green lizards and drops of dew. He -had much talent, he was handsome, he was twenty-four years old, and his -father had left him nothing but debts. - -André Thierry's widow was there in the studio where Julien was at work, -and where the clusters of lilac shed their petals under the soft touch -of a warm breeze. She was a woman of sixty, well-preserved, with eyes -that were still beautiful, hair almost black, and slim, delicate hands. -Short, slight, pale, dressed poorly, but with studied neatness, Madame -Thierry was knitting mittens, and from time to time raised her eyes to -glance at her son, who was absorbed in the study of a rose. - -"Julien," she said, "why is it, I wonder, that you don't sing now when -you are working? You might induce the nightingale to let us hear his -voice." - -"Listen, mother, there he is now," Julien replied. "He doesn't need -anybody to give him the key." - -And at that moment they did in fact hear the pure, sweet and resonant -notes of the nightingale for the first time that year. - -"Ah! so he has come!" exclaimed Madame Thierry. "To think that a whole -year has passed!--Can you see him, Julien?" she asked, as the young man, -putting aside his work, scrutinized the shrubs massed in front of the -window. - -"I thought I saw him," he replied with a sigh, "but I was mistaken." - -And he returned to his easel. His mother watched him more closely, but -she dared not question him. - -"Never mind," she began after a few moments, "you have a beautiful voice -too, and I used to love to hear you sing the pretty ballads your poor -father sang so well--only last year at just this time!" - -"Yes," Julien replied, "you insist on my singing them, and then you -weep. No, I don't propose to sing any more!" - -"I won't weep, I promise you! Sing me a lively one, and I will laugh--as -if he were here!" - -"No! don't ask me to sing. It makes me feel sad too! Later, later! it -will come back gradually. Let us not force our sorrow!" - -"Julien, we must not talk about sorrow any more," said the mother in a -tone of gentle but indubitably strong determination. "I was a little -weak at the beginning; you will forgive me, won't you? To lose thirty -years of happiness in a day! But I ought to have reflected that you lost -more than I did, because I still have you, while I am good for nothing -except to love you." - -"And what more can I want?" said Julien, kneeling in front of his -mother. "You love me as no one else will ever love me, I know! and I do -not say that you were weak. You concealed from me at least half of your -suffering, I saw it and understood it. I gave you full credit for it, -never fear, and I thank you for it, my dear mother! You sustained me -when I needed it sadly; for I suffered on your account at least as much -as on my own, and, when I saw how brave you were, I was always certain -that God would perform a miracle to keep you alive and well for me, -despite the most cruel of trials. He owed us that much, and He did it. -Now, mother, you do not feel weak and disheartened any more, do you?" - -"Now, my child, I am really happy. You are right in thinking that God -sustains those who do not despair, and that He gives strength to those -who pray to Him for it with all their hearts. Do not think that I am -unhappy; I have wept bitterly; but how could I do otherwise? he was so -lovely, so kind to us! and he always seemed to be so happy! He might -have lived a long while--but that was not God's will. I have had such a -beautiful life that I really had no right to ask for anything more. And -see what the divine goodness has left me! the best and most dearly loved -of sons! Should I complain? Should I pray for death? No, no! I will join -your dear father when my time comes, and he will say to me: 'You did -well to remain on earth as long as you could, and not leave our beloved -son too soon.'" - -"So you see," said Julien, putting his arms around his mother, "that we -are no longer unhappy, and that there is no need for me to sing to -divert our thoughts. We can think of him without bitterness and of each -other without selfishness." - -They remained in a close embrace for an instant, then returned to their -respective occupations. - -This took place in Rue de Babylone, in a sort of pavilion, already very -old, for it dated from the reign of Louis XIII., and stood by itself at -the end of the street, whose most modest structure--and at the same time -the one nearest the said pavilion--was the house, to-day torn down, -which was then called the hôtel d'Estrelle. - -While Julien and his mother were engaged in the conversation we have -just reported, two other persons were talking in a dainty little salon -of the aforesaid hôtel d'Estrelle, a cool, homelike apartment, -decorated in the style of the last years of Louis XVI., a pretty bastard -Greek style, a little stiff in outline, but harmonious in tone and set -off by much gilding against a pearl-white ground. The Comtesse -d'Estrelle was simply dressed in a half-mourning gown of gray silk, and -her friend the Baronne d'Ancourt in a morning visiting costume--that is -to say, in an elaborate combination of muslins, ribbons and lace. - -"Dear heart," she was saying to the countess, "I don't understand you at -all. You are twenty years old; you are as beautiful as the Loves, and -you persist in living in solitude like the wife of a petty bourgeois! -You have put off your mourning, and everybody knows that you had no -reason to regret your husband, the least regrettable of mankind. He left -you a fortune; that is the only reasonable thing he ever did in his -life." - -"And as to that, my dear baroness, you are entirely mistaken. The -fortune the count left me is overburdened with debts; I was told that, -by making a few sacrifices and depriving myself of some luxuries, I -might clear myself in a few years. So I accepted the succession without -looking into it very carefully, and the result is that to-day, after two -years of uncertainty and long explanations of which I did not understand -a word, my new solicitor, who is a very honorable man, assures me that I -have been deceived and that I am much nearer being poor than rich. The -case is so serious, my dear, that I have been in consultation with him -this morning to decide whether or not I could keep this house." - -"What! sell your house! Why, that is impossible, my dear! It would be a -stain on your husband's memory. His family will never consent to that." - -"His family say that they will not consent, but they also say that they -will not help me in any way. What do they want, and what do they expect -me to do?" - -"They are a detestable family!" cried the baroness, "but I ought not to -be astonished at anything that the old marquis and his bigot of a wife -may do!" - -At that moment Monsieur Marcel Thierry was announced. - -"Show him in," said the countess; and she added, addressing the -baroness: "it is the very person of whom I was just speaking--my -solicitor." - -"In that case I will leave you." - -"That is not necessary. He has but a word to say to me, and as you know -my plight----" - -"And am deeply interested in it. I will remain." - -The solicitor entered. - -He was a man of about forty, balder than was natural at his age, but -with a pleasant face, good-humored and frank, although remarkably shrewd -and even satirical. One could see that much experience of the conduct of -men at odds with their selfish interests had made him thoroughly -practical, perhaps sceptical, but that it had not destroyed his ideal of -uprightness and sincerity, which he was all the better able to recognize -and appreciate. - -"Well, Monsieur Thierry," said the countess, motioning to a chair, "is -there anything new since this morning that you have taken the trouble to -return?" - -"Yes, madame," the solicitor replied, "there is something new. Monsieur -le Marquis d'Estrelle sent his man of business to me with an offer which -I have accepted in your behalf, subject to your assent, which I have -come to obtain. He suggests coming to your assistance by turning over a -few unimportant pieces of property, the total value of which, to be -sure, will not pay all the debts which are hanging over you, but which -will allay your anxieties for a moment and delay the sale of your house -by enabling you to give your creditors something on account." - -"Something _on account!_ Is that all?" cried the Baroness d'Ancourt -indignantly. "That is all that the Estrelle family can do for the widow -of a spendthrift? Why, it is a perfect outrage, monsieur le procureur!" - -"It is at the best a pitifully mean performance," rejoined Marcel -Thierry; "I wasted my eloquence, and this is where we stand. As madame -la comtesse has no fortune of her own, she is forced, in order to retain -even a paltry dower, to submit to the conditions imposed by a family -devoid of consideration and generosity." - -"Say of heart and honor!" exclaimed the baroness. - -"Say nothing at all," added the countess, who had listened with a -resigned expression. "The family is what it is; it is not for me to pass -judgment on them, bearing their name as I do. In every other respect I -am a stranger to them, and lamentations would come with a very bad grace -from me, for I alone am to blame." - -"You to blame!" repeated the solicitor, with an incredulous smile. - -"Yes," continued Madame d'Estrelle. "I have committed one great sin in -my life. I consented to that marriage, against which my heart and my -instincts rebelled. I was a coward! I was a mere child, and they gave me -my choice between a convent and a disagreeable husband; I was afraid of -everlasting seclusion, so I accepted the everlasting humiliation of an -ill-assorted marriage. I did as so many other women have done, I thought -that wealth would take the place of happiness. Happiness! I did not -know, I have never known what it is. I was told that it consisted, above -all things, in riding in a carriage, wearing diamonds, and having a box -at the opera. My head was turned, I was intoxicated, put to sleep with -presents. I must not say that my hand was forced, for that would not be -true. To be sure there were locks and bolts and bars, imprisonment for -life in the cloister, before me in case of refusal; but there was -neither axe nor executioner, and I might have said no if I had had any -courage. But we have none, my dear baroness, we may as well admit it; we -women cannot make up our minds to resign frankly, and conceal our -spring-time under the veil of a nun, which, however, would be more -dignified, more honest and perhaps pleasanter in the end than to throw -ourselves into the arms of the first stranger who presents himself. That -then was my cowardice, my blindness, my folly, my vanity, my neglect of -myself--in a word, my sin! I hope never to commit another; but I cannot -forget that my punishment has come through my sin. I allowed puerile -ambition to dispose of my life, and to-day I see that I was deceived, -that I am not rich, that I must sell diamonds and horses, and that there -is great danger that before long I shall not have over my head the roof -of a house that bears my crest. That is as it should be--I feel it and -admit it; I am penitent, but I do not want to be pitied, and I shall -accept without discussion such alms as my husband's relations choose to -bestow upon me in order to save his honor." - -A pause of amazement and emotion succeeded this declaration from Julie -d'Estrelle. She had spoken with ill-concealed distress, like one weary -of discussing pecuniary interests, who gives way to the craving to pass -her mental life in review and to discover the philosophical formula for -her situation. The proud Amélie d'Ancourt was more scandalized than -moved by an avowal which condemned her own ideas and the customs of her -caste; moreover, she considered this effusive outburst on her friend's -part, in the presence of a petty attorney, a little dangerous. - -As for the attorney, he was sincerely touched; but he did not allow it -to appear, being accustomed to see such explosions of secret feeling -override the proprieties, even among people of the highest rank. - -"My fair client is a sincere and touching creature," he said to himself; -"she is right to accuse herself; there is no human law which can force a -_yes_ from the mouth which is determined to say _no_. She sinned like -other women, because she longed for glittering gewgaws; but she sadly -admits it, and in that she shows herself superior to most of her -sisters. It is not for me to console her; I will confine myself to -saving her, if I can.--Madame," he said aloud, after turning over these -reflections in his mind, "you can augur better for your interests in the -future than in the past. The present shows that monsieur le marquis will -not easily make up his mind to set you free, but that he will not make -up his mind to abandon you in any event. The paltry assistance which he -offers you is not to be the last, so I was given to understand, and I am -certain of it. Wait a few months, allow his son's creditors to threaten -you, and you will find that he will put his hand in his pocket again to -prevent the sale of this house. Forget these worries, do not think of -moving, trust to time and circumstances." - -"Very good, monsieur," said the baroness, who was in haste to give her -opinion and display her pride of rank. "That is very excellent advice of -yours; but, if I were in madame la countesse's place, I would not follow -it. I would flatly refuse these miserable little charities! Yes, indeed, -I should blush to accept them! I would go from this house with head -erect, and live in a convent; or, better still, I would go to some one -of my friends, Baronne d'Ancourt for example, and I would say to the -marquis and marchioness: 'Arrange matters to suit yourselves; I will let -the house be sold. I have incurred no debts, and I do not worry about -those left by monsieur your son. Pay them with the tattered remnants of -a fortune that he left me, and we will see whether you will put up with -the public spectacle of my destitution.'--Yes, my dear Julie, that is -what I would do, and I promise you that the marquis, who is very rich by -his second marriage, would retract these infamous propositions he makes -to-day." - -"Does Madame la Comtesse d'Estrelle coincide with that opinion," said -the solicitor, "and am I to burn our bridges?" - -"No," replied the countess. "Tell me in two words of what my -father-in-law's contribution consists, and, whatever it may be, I accept -it." - -"It consists," replied Marcel Thierry, "of a small farm in the -Beauvoisis, worth about twenty thousand francs, and a very old, but not -badly dilapidated pavilion, situated on your street at the end of the -garden of your hôtel." - -"Ah! that old pavilion of Richelieu's day?" said the countess -indifferently. - -"A mere hovel!" said the baroness; "it is good for nothing but to pull -down!" - -"Possibly," replied Marcel; "but the land has some value, and as the -street is being built up, you might find a purchaser for it." - -"And allow a house to be built so near my own," said Julie, "overlooking -my garden, and almost overlooking my apartments." - -"No, you would require that the house should turn its back to you and -_take the air_ from the street or from my uncle's garden." - -"Who might your uncle be?" queried the baroness, with an indescribable -touch of contempt in her tone. - -"Monsieur Marcel Thierry," said the countess, "is a near relative of my -wealthy neighbor, Monsieur Antoine Thierry, of whom you must certainly -have heard." - -"Oh! yes, a former tradesman." - -"An armorer," rejoined Marcel. "He made his fortune in the colonies -without ever setting foot on a ship, and, thanks to shrewd planning and -good luck, he made several millions in his chimney corner, you might -say." - -"I congratulate him," replied the baroness. "And he lives in this -neighborhood?" - -"His house faces the new court; but his garden is separated only by a -wall from the Comtesse d'Estrelle's, and the pavilion forms a sort of -elbow between the two estates. Now my uncle might purchase the pavilion, -either to straighten his own lines by destroying it, or to repair it and -turn it into a green-house or gardener's lodge." - -"So the wealthy Monsieur Thierry has his eye on the pavilion," observed -the baroness, "and perhaps he has commissioned you----" - -"He has commissioned me to do nothing," Marcel interrupted in a firm -tone. "He has no knowledge whatever of the affairs of my other clients." - -"Then you are his solicitor also?" - -"Naturally, madame la baronne; but that will not prevent me from making -him pay the highest possible price for whatever it may please madame la -comtesse to sell him, and he will not take it ill of me. He is too good -a man of business not to know the value of a piece of real estate that -he really wants." - -"But I have not decided to sell the property we are talking about," said -the countess, emerging from a sort of vague reverie. "It does not annoy -me at all. It is occupied, I am told, by a most excellent person of -quiet habits." - -"True, madame," said Marcel; "but the rent is so small that it will -increase your income very slightly. However, if you prefer to keep it, -it will be of use to you, in that it represents a substantial security -for the interest on your debts." - -"We will talk about this again, Monsieur Thierry. I will think it over -and you will advise me further. Tell me the total amount of the gift to -be made to me." - -"About thirty thousand francs." - -"Should I express my thanks for it?" - -"If I were in your place, I would do nothing of the kind!" cried the -baroness. - -"Do so by all means," said the solicitor in an undertone. "A word of -amiable and modest resignation costs a heart like yours nothing at all." - -The countess wrote two lines and handed them to Marcel. - -"Let us hope," he said, as he rose to go, "that the Marquis d'Estrelle -will be touched by your gentleness." - -"He is not a bad man," replied Julie, "but he is very old and feeble, -and his second wife governs him completely." - -"She is a genuine plague spot, that ex-Madame d'Orlandes!" cried the -baroness. - -"Do not speak ill of her, madame la baronne," retorted Marcel; "she -belongs to that society and entertains those opinions which you -certainly look upon as the law and the prophets." - -"What is that, monsieur le procureur?" - -"She abhors the new ideas and considers the privileges of birth the -blessed ark of tradition." - -"Do not insult me by comparing me to that woman," said the baroness; -"that her ideas are all right is very possible; but her actions are all -wrong. She is miserly, and people say that she would even desert her -opinions for money." - -"Oh! in that case," said Marcel, with an equivocal smile which Madame -d'Ancourt took for an act of homage, "I can understand that madame la -baronne must regard her with profound aversion." - -He bowed and retired. - -"That man is not by any means ill-bred!" said the baroness, who had -observed the dignified and respectful ease of his exit. "His name is -Thierry, you say?" - -"Like his uncle's the rich man, and like his other uncle, much more -favorably known, Thierry the painter of flowers." - -"Ah! the painter? I almost knew the excellent Thierry. My husband used -to receive him in the morning." - -"Everybody received him at all hours, my dear love, at least all people -of taste and intelligence; for he was a charming old man, extremely well -educated and most agreeable in conversation." - -"Baron d'Ancourt apparently lacks taste and intelligence, for he did not -choose to have him to dinner." - -"I do not say that the baron lacks----" - -"Say it, say it, I don't care; I know more about it than you do." - -And, having delivered that double-edged retort, the baroness, who had a -sovereign contempt for her husband's intellect, but forgave him in -consideration of his eminent qualities in the matter of noble birth, -indulged in a hearty and good-humored peal of laughter. - -"Let us return to these Thierrys," she said. "Do I understand that you -were well acquainted with the artist?" - -"No, I did not know him. You know that Comte d'Estrelle fell sick -immediately after our marriage, that I went with him to take the waters, -and that as a matter of fact I have never received visitors at all, for -he simply languished and languished until he died." - -"That is why you have never seen society and know nothing about it. Poor -dear, after sacrificing yourself for a brilliant life, you have known -nothing except the duties due to a dying man, the crêpe of mourning, -and the annoyances of business! Come, you must leave all this behind -you, my dear Julie; you must marry again." - -"Ah! God forbid!" cried the countess. - -"You propose to live alone and bury yourself, at your age? Impossible!" - -"I cannot say that is to my taste, for I have no idea. I have -passed so entirely beside everything that goes to make up the life of -young women--marriage, wealth and liberty--that I am hardly acquainted -with myself. I know that I have consumed two years in ennui and -melancholy, and thus far in my solitude, except for these money -troubles, which are exceedingly distasteful to me, but which I do my -best to endure without bitterness, I find myself in a more tolerable -condition than in those through which I have previously passed. It may -be that my character lacks energy just as my mind lacks variety. Being -driven to some occupation to kill time, I have taken a liking to quiet -amusements. I read a great deal, I draw a little, I play on the piano, I -embroider, I write occasional letters to my old friends at the convent. -I receive four or five people of a serious turn of mind, but -good-tempered, and always the same, so that I am habitually placid and -free from excitement. In a word, I do not suffer, and I am not bored; -and that is a good deal to one who has always suffered or yawned with -ennui hitherto. So leave me as I am, my friend. Come to see me as often -as you can without interfering with your pleasures, and do not worry -about my lot, which is not so bad as it might be." - -"All this will do very well for a while, my dear, and you act like a -woman of spirit by meeting misfortune with a stout heart; but all things -have their day, and you must not sacrifice too much of the age of beauty -and the advantages which it procures. You are not, be it said without -offence, of very exalted birth, but your unfortunate marriage gave you a -fine name and a title which placed you on a higher social level. You are -a widow, which enables you to go about and be seen and known, and you -have no children; so that you are still in all the bloom of your youth. -You have no fortune; but, as your dower, overladen with debts as it is, -will be no great loss, you can very well hold it cheap, and renounce it -for a more eligible suitor than the first. If you choose to put yourself -in my hands, I will undertake to arrange the sort of marriage for you to -which you have a perfect right to aspire." - -"The sort of marriage? You surprise me; explain yourself!" - -"I mean to say that you are too fascinating not to be married for love." - -"Very good; but will it be someone whom I shall be able to love?" - -"If the man, instead of being a spendthrift and a fool, is really rich -and well-born, for that is most important of all, and you cannot descend -socially without blame; if he has breeding, tact, and the instincts of a -man of quality; and, lastly, if he is an honorable man--what more can -you ask? You must not expect that he will be in his first youth, and -built like the hero of a novel.--We see but few of those magnificent -creatures who are disposed to select a person of great merit for her -lovely eyes; everybody is more or less hard up in these days!" - -"I understand you," replied Madame d'Estrelle, with a sad smile. "You -wish me to marry some excellent old man, some friend of yours, for I do -not believe that you would propose a monster to me. Thanks, my dear -baroness, I don't propose again to hire myself out to an invalid for -large wages; for, to put things baldly, that is the sort of good-fortune -which you have in mind for me. But, although I should be capable of -waiting upon and nursing a father, if I had one, with the utmost -tenderness, or even an old friend who needed me, I am firmly resolved -never again to put my neck in the yoke of an infirm and morose stranger. -I conscientiously fulfilled those depressing duties to Monsieur -d'Estrelle, and everybody gave me credit for it. Now I am free, and I -propose to remain free. I have no relatives left--only a few friends. I -desire nothing more, and I ask you in all seriousness not to seek -happiness for me according to your ideas, which I do not share. You, my -friend, are still what I was at sixteen, when I was married. You have -retained the illusions which were dinned into my ears; you believe that -one cannot do without wealth and show, and, therefore, are younger than -I. So much the better for you, since fate has bound you to a husband who -denies you nothing. That is all that you need, is it not? But I should -be more exacting; I should like to love. You laugh? Ah! yes, I know your -theories. 'The honeymoon is short,' you have said to me a hundred times; -'but the golden moon is the light which never goes out.' For my part, I -am foolish enough to say to myself that on the first day of my married -life I propose to love and believe, even though it last but a day! -Otherwise, I know by experience, marriage is a shame and a martyrdom." - -"If that is so," said the baroness, rising, "I leave you to your -reveries, my dear friend, and humbly beg pardon for interrupting them." - -She took her leave somewhat piqued, for she was perspicacious, although -foolish, and she realized that the gentle-mannered Julie, in that -outbreak of rebellion, had told her a home-truth; but she was not -evil-minded, and an hour later had forgotten her spleen. Indeed, she -felt a little depressed, and at times was quite ready to say to herself: - -"Perhaps Julie is right!" - -Julie, on her part, felt that all her courage failed her as soon as she -was left alone, and her pride melted away in tears. She was strong only -as a result of nervous reactions, and perhaps of a more eager craving -for love than she confessed to herself. Naturally she was timid, even -shrinking. She knew the baroness's kind heart too well to fear a real -rupture with her; but she too said to herself: - -"Perhaps Amélie is right! I seek the impossible, the surroundings of -rank and fortune in conjunction with love! Who ever obtains that? No one -in my position. For lack of the best, I may be going to fall into the -worst, which is solitude and sadness." - -She took her parasol, one of those flat white parasols which produced a -prettier effect among the shrubbery than our modern mushrooms, and -placing the heels of her little slippers softly on the turf, her skirt -turned gracefully back over the straight petticoat, she strolled -pensively along under the lilac bushes in her garden, inhaling the air -of spring in silent misery, starting at the voice of the nightingale, -thinking of nobody, yet carried outside of herself by a boundless -aspiration. - -She went from lilac to lilac until she drew near the pavilion, where, an -hour earlier, Julien Thierry, the painter's son, the rich man's nephew, -the solicitor's cousin, was at work. The garden was large for a garden -in Paris, and was beautiful, both as to its arrangement and its -contents. Every day Madame d'Estrelle walked around it two or three -times, casting a melancholy or loving glance at each of the flower-beds -with which the turf was studded. When she came in sight of the windows -of the Louis XIII. pavilion, she did not turn away nor worry about being -seen, for the pavilion had been long unoccupied. Julien and his mother -had been settled there only a month; Madame d'Estrelle had complained to -Marcel Thierry because the marquis, her father-in-law, being unwilling -to sacrifice the trifling revenue from so worthless a piece of property, -had let it to strange tenants. Marcel had reassured her by informing her -that the new tenant was the venerable and most respectable widow of his -uncle the artist. He had not mentioned Julien. It may be that the -countess did not know that the painter had left a son. At all events it -had not occurred to her to make inquiries about him. She had never seen -him at the windows, in the first place because she was very near-sighted -and the young women in those days did not wear glasses; and secondly, -because Julien, being informed of the proximity of a person of rigid -morals, had taken great pains not to show himself. Sometimes Madame -d'Estrelle had seen at the first floor window a pale, refined face -surmounted by a white cap, which saluted her with deferential reserve. -She had returned the sweet-faced widow's salutation pleasantly, even -with respect; but they had not as yet exchanged a word. - -On this day Julie, seeing that the ground-floor window was partly open, -began to ask herself for the first time why she had not entered into -neighborly relations with Madame Thierry. She examined the wall of the -little building, and noticed that the door at the end of the garden was -locked on the outside, as when the house was unoccupied. Madame Thierry -could see nothing but the shrubbery, which concealed the countess's -mansion and a part of the principal lawn. She had no right even to sit -in the sunshine, along the wall of her house, under those flowering -shrubs which actually entered her rooms, and which she had no right to -prune. Moreover, she was forbidden, by the terms of her lease, to walk -on the gravelled walk that ran inside the street wall. In a word, the -door was condemned, and the tenant had made no vexatious demands on that -subject. - -It is true that the countess had anticipated such a demand with the -determination to comply with it; but she had not noticed the feeling of -timidity or pride which prevented Madame Thierry from making it. She -thought of it on that day of self-condemnation, and reproached herself -for not forestalling the poor widow's presumed desire. - -"If it had been some ruined great lady," she thought, "I should have -been careful not to forget the consideration due to age or misfortune. -There is another proof of what I was just saying to the baroness: our -minds are given a false direction and our hearts are withered by being -brought up in the prejudices of rank. I feel that I have been selfish -and discourteous in my treatment of this lady, who, as I have been told, -is eminently respectable and in very straitened circumstances. How can -I have forgotten a bounden duty? But here is an opportunity to make up -for everything, and I will not throw it away; for I long to make peace -with myself to-day." - -The countess resolutely approached the window and coughed two or three -times as if to give notice of her presence; and as no one stirred she -ventured to tap on the glass. - -Julien had gone out, but Madame Thierry was at home. Greatly surprised, -she came to the window, and, when she saw that beautiful lady whom she -knew perfectly well by sight, although she had never spoken to her, she -threw it wide open. - -"Excuse me, madame," said the countess, "for choosing this method of -making your acquaintance; but I am not quite out of mourning yet, as you -see; I do not pay visits, and I have something to say to you with your -permission. Can you listen to me for a moment where you are?" - -"Assuredly, madame, and with very great pleasure," replied Madame -Thierry in a dignified and amiable tone, and with a perfect ease of -manner in which there was nothing of the petty bourgeoise dazzled by an -overture from one of more exalted station. - -The countess was deeply impressed by the distinction of her face, by the -excellent taste of her simple dress, by her sweet voice, and by an -indefinable savor of refinement exhaled by her whole person. - -"Be seated, I beg," she said, spying the arm-chair in the window recess; -"I do not wish to keep you standing." - -"But you, madame?" rejoined the widow with a smile. "Ah! I have an idea. -With your permission I will pass you a chair." - -"No, do not take that trouble!" - -"Yes, indeed! Here is a very light straw chair; and between us----" - -Between them they succeeded in passing the chair over the window-sill, -one holding it, the other receiving it, and smiling both at that -unceremonious performance, which created a sort of intimacy between them -at once. - -"This is what I had to say," said Madame d'Estrelle when she was seated. -"Hitherto, you have been living in a house belonging to the Marquis -d'Estrelle, my father-in-law; but to-day you are living in my house, -monsieur le marquis having presented it to me. I do not know as yet the -terms of your lease; but there is one which I presume you will consent -to modify." - -"Be kind enough to tell me which one you refer to, madame la comtesse," -replied the widow, bowing slightly, and with a faint cloud upon her face -in anticipation of some disagreement. - -"I refer," said the countess, "to keeping this miserable door always -locked and bolted between us; it is a perfect eyesore to me. If you -consent, I propose to have it opened to-morrow. I will give you the -keys, and I invite you to walk in my garden for exercise or diversion as -much as you please. It will be a great pleasure to me to meet you here. -I live very much alone, and if you are willing to stop and rest -sometimes in the house I live in, I will do my utmost to prevent your -being dissatisfied with me as a neighbor." - -Madame Thierry's face had lighted up. The countess's offer gave her -genuine pleasure. To have a beautiful garden under one's eyes every hour -in the day and not be able to set foot inside it, is a sort of torture. -Moreover, she was deeply touched by the graceful way in which the -invitation was given, and she realized at once that she had to do with a -lovable and noble-hearted woman. She thanked her with charming warmth, -abating nothing of the gentle dignity of her manners, and they at once -began to converse as if they had always known each other, the -instinctive sympathy between them was so quick and so entirely -reciprocal. - -"You live alone, you say?" said Madame Thierry; "surely it is a merely -temporary condition of affairs, and not a matter of inclination?" - -"It is partly because I shrink from society and distrust myself. Do you -like society, madame?" - -"I do not hate it," said the widow. "I left it because I was in love; I -forgot it, then returned to it without an effort and without losing my -head. Then I left it again, from necessity and without regret. All this -seems a little obscure to you, does it not?" - -"I know that Monsieur Thierry was in very comfortable circumstances and -had most desirable social connections; that he went into society and -received at his own house the very elite of persons of intellect." - -"But you do not know of our earlier life? It made some noise at the -time; but that was a long while ago and you are so young!" - -"Stay!" said the countess. "I beg your pardon for my forgetfulness. Now, -I remember: you are of noble birth?" - -"Yes; I was Mademoiselle de Meuil, of a good old noble family of -Lorraine. Indeed I might have been quite wealthy if I had consented to -marry at the bidding of my guardians. I loved Monsieur Thierry, who was -then only a journeyman painter, without a name and without means. I left -everything, broke with everything, threw everything to the winds to -become his wife. Little by little he became famous, and just as he began -to earn money rapidly, I received my inheritance. So we were repaid for -our constancy, not only by thirty years of happiness, but by more or -less prosperity in our old age." - -"And now----?" - -"Oh! now it's a different story! I am happy still, but in another way. I -have lost my dearly loved companion, and with him all material comfort; -but I still have such great consolation----" - -She was about to mention her son, when a servant in livery came and -informed the countess that her old friend Madame Desmorges was waiting -for her in the house. - -"To-morrow," said Julie as she rose to go, "we will talk at our ease, in -your house or mine. I am anxious to know all about you, for I feel that -I love you dearly. Forgive me for saying it so bluntly, but it is the -truth! I must go to receive an elderly lady whom I cannot keep waiting; -but I will give orders now for the workmen to come here to-morrow and -open your prison door." - -Madame Thierry was enchanted with Madame d'Estrelle. She was a woman of -keen and spontaneous sympathies, still young in heart and full of -enthusiasm, because she had lived in the enthusiastic atmosphere that -surrounds a beloved artist, and she was more or less romantic, as a -woman must be who has sacrificed everything to love. In the first flush -of excitement, she would have told her son what had happened; but he was -not there, and she exerted her ingenuity to arrange for him the same -surprise she had enjoyed. Many times, as they were passing from -comparative opulence to their present straitened and harassing -condition, Julien had taken alarm at the privations with which his -mother was threatened. They had had a pretty little cottage at Sèvres, -with a fine garden, where Madame Thierry tended lovingly with her own -hands the flowers which her husband and son used as models. They had had -to sell everything. Julien's heart ached when he saw the poor old woman -confined in Paris, in that pavilion, which they hired at a very modest -rate. He hoped at first that they could enjoy the surrounding gardens; -but the lease informed him that neither the Marquis d'Estrelle, their -landlord, nor the wealthy Monsieur Thierry, their near neighbor and near -kinsman, would allow them to walk elsewhere than in the street, which -was always filled with workmen and with materials for buildings under -construction. - -"He complained bitterly of that condemned door," said Madame Thierry to -herself, as she thought of her son. "A score of times he has had an idea -of going and asking the countess to remove the prohibition for my -benefit, promising on his honor that he himself would never cross the -threshold of the pavilion. I have always dissuaded him from taking a -step which might have subjected us to humiliation. How glad he will be -to see me at liberty! But how shall I arrange matters to give him a -little surprise? Suppose I should send him on an errand to-morrow -morning, while the workmen are here?" - -She was arranging her plan in her head, when Julien came home to dinner. -The straw chair was still in the garden near the window. Madame -d'Estrelle had placed her white parasol on the ground against the chair, -and had forgotten to take it. Madame Thierry had gone into the kitchen -to tell her only servant, a strapping Norman wench, to bring in the -chair. So Julien saw those two objects, without any previous warning. He -divined without comprehending; his head swam, his heart beat fast, and -his mother found him so confused, so excited, so strange, that she was -frightened, thinking that something had happened to him. - -"What is it, in heaven's name?" she cried, running to him. - -"Nothing, mother," said Julien, after a slight struggle with himself to -overcome his emotion. "I hurried home and I was very warm, so that the -cool air of the studio gave me a chill. I am hungry, let's have dinner; -you can explain to me at the table the meaning of this visit you have -received." - -He took in the chair, unfolded and refolded the parasol, and kept it in -his hands a long while, with an affectation of indifference; but his -hands trembled, and he could not meet his mother's eyes. - -"_Mon Dieu!_" she said to herself, "can it be that this increase of -melancholy during the past fortnight, this refusal to sing, these -stifled sighs, this peculiar behavior, this sleeplessness and loss of -appetite are due to--But he doesn't know her, he has hardly seen her in -the distance. Oh! my poor child, can it be possible?" - -They took their places at the table. Julien questioned his mother calmly -enough. She described the countess's visit with much discretion, -restraining the impulse of her heart, which would have made her eloquent -on the subject, had it not been for the discovery she had made, or the -danger she began to foresee. - -Julien felt that his mother was watching him, and he kept a close watch -upon himself. He had never before had any secrets from her; but, during -the last few days he had had one, and the fear of alarming her made him -cunning. - -"This step of Madame d'Estrelle," he said, "shows that she is a prudent -and gracious woman. She has realized--a little tardily perhaps--that she -owed you some consideration. Let us be grateful to her for her kindness -of heart. You told her, I presume, that I had sufficient good sense not -to consider myself included in the permission she has given you?" - -"That goes without saying. I didn't mention you to her at all." - -"Indeed, she probably is not aware of my existence, and perhaps it will -be as well for you never to mention your son to her, so that she may not -repent of her gracious behavior." - -"Why shouldn't I mention you to her? I shall or shall not, according to -the turn the conversation happens to take." - -"You expect to see her often then? to go to her house perhaps?" - -"To meet her in the garden unquestionably; whether I go to her house or -not will depend on the duration of her kindly disposition." - -"Was she agreeable?" - -"Very agreeable and natural." - -"Is she bright?" - -"I don't know; she has plenty of good sense, I think." - -"None of the arrogance of a _grande dame_?" - -"She showed me none of it." - -"Is she young?" - -"Why, yes." - -"And quite pretty, so they say?" - -"Fie! do you mean to say you have never seen her?" - -"I have, but at a distance. I have never happened to be near the window -when she walked along our path." - -"But you know that she walks there every day?" - -"It was you who told me so. You must think I am very inquisitive, to -watch all the beautiful women who pass? I am no longer a schoolboy, -little mamma, I am a man, and my mind has been matured by disaster." - -"Did you learn any more unpleasant news at Marcel's?" - -"On the contrary, Uncle Antoine has agreed to become responsible for -us." - -"Ah! at last! and you didn't tell me!" - -"You have been talking about something else." - -"Which was more interesting to you?" - -"Frankly, yes, for the moment! I am really overjoyed to think that you -can walk in yonder garden at any time. I shall not be there to give you -my arm, for naturally, I shall not be allowed to do that; but I shall -see you go out and come back with more color and a little appetite, I -hope!" - -"Appetite! you are the one who has no appetite! You have eaten almost -nothing to-day, and yet you said that you were hungry. Where are you -going, pray?" - -"To take Madame d'Estrelle's parasol to the porter at the hôtel. It -would not be polite to neglect it." - -"You are right, but Babet will take it. It is quite useless to show -yourself to the people there. It might cause talk." - -Madame Thierry took the parasol and placed it in her servant's hands -herself. - -"Not that way!" cried Julien, taking it from her. "Babet will spot the -silk with her hot hands." - -He carefully wrapped the parasol in white paper, and handed it to Babet, -not without regret, but without hesitation. He saw clearly enough the -anxiety of his mother, who was watching him closely. - -Babet remained away ten minutes; that was more time than she needed to -walk the length of the garden on the street, enter the courtyard and -return. She reappeared at last with the parasol and a note from the -countess. - -"Madame, - -"You need a parasol as you will be exposed to the sunshine. Be kind -enough to use mine; I desire to deprive you of every pretext for not -coming to call upon - -"Your servant, - -"JULIE D'ESTRELLE." - -Madame Thierry glanced again at Julien, who controlled himself perfectly -as he removed the paper in which he had wrapped the parasol. As soon as -her back was turned, he covered it with kisses, like the romantic, -excitable child he was, despite his claim to be a mature man. As for the -poor mother, in her distrust and uncertainty she said to herself that -every joy is attended by danger in this world, and that she might -perhaps have reason to regret the amiable overtures of her too -fascinating neighbor. - -The next day the door swung on its hinges, and the keys were handed to -Madame Thierry, who, urged on by Julien, ventured timidly to enter the -countess's flowery domain. That lady had determined to do the honors of -her primroses and hyacinths in person, but an inevitable disclosure by -Marcel had changed the course of her ideas and cooled her zeal in some -measure. - -The solicitor had called again to discuss her affairs. She made haste to -tell him that she had made his aunt's acquaintance, and spoke of her in -the warmest possible terms. Then she went on to ask questions. - -"The charming woman told me of her birth, her love and her past -happiness, and she was on the point of telling me about what she calls -her present happiness, when we were interrupted. I supposed, on the -other hand, that she was very unhappy. Have I not heard that she had -been forced to sell all that she had?" - -"That is the truth," Marcel replied; "but there is something in my -excellent aunt's character which not everybody can understand, but which -you will understand perfectly, madame la comtesse. I can tell you her -husband's story and hers in a word. My uncle the artist had a great -heart, much talent and wit, but very little method and no foresight at -all. As he had never had anything in his youth, and earned from day to -day, first the bare necessaries of life, afterward the luxuries, he -allowed himself to be carried along by his natural recklessness; and as -he had some rather extravagant tastes--an artist's tastes, that tells -the whole story--he soon established his outlay upon a very agreeable -but very hazardous footing. He loved society and was popular; he never -went on foot, he had a carriage; he gave exquisite little dinners in -what he called his hut at Sèvres, which was crowded with sumptuous -trinkets and artistic objects, for which he paid great prices; so that -he ran in debt. His wife's property paid his debts, and enabled them to -continue this risky but delightful life. When he died he was over head -and ears in debt once more. My dear aunt knew it, but did not choose to -cast a shadow on his heedless and light-hearted old age by showing the -slightest concern for their son's future. 'My son is sensible,' she -said; 'he is studying his art with passionate zeal. He will have as much -talent as his father. He will be poor, and he will make his fortune. He -will pass through the trials and triumphs which his father passed -through honorably and courageously, and, knowing him as I do, I know -that he will never reproach me for placing all my confidence in his -noble heart.'--It turned out as she had foreseen. On his father's death, -Julien Thierry, discovering that he had inherited nothing but debts, set -bravely to work to pay them all, and, far from complaining of his -mother, he told her that she had done well never to annoy the best of -fathers. I confess that I do not agree with him there. The best of -fathers is the one who sacrifices his tastes and his pleasures to the -welfare of those who will probably survive him. My uncle the painter was -a great man, I might better say a great child. Genius is a very fine -thing; but devotion to those whom one loves is a vastly finer thing, -and, let me say it under my breath, my uncle's widow and son seem to me -to be much greater than he. What is madame la comtesse's opinion?" - -The countess had become very thoughtful, although she listened -attentively. - -"I think as you do, Monsieur Thierry," she replied, "and I admire your -aunt and cousin with all my heart." - -"But my story seems to have saddened you," said Marcel. - -"Perhaps; it gives me something to think about. Do you know, I am deeply -impressed by the example set us by some lives? I see that Madame Thierry -is like me, being a widow and ruined; but I see that she is happy none -the less, while I am not. She is proud to pay the debts of a husband -whom she loved dearly,--and I--But I do not propose to retract the -confession that escaped my lips yesterday in your presence. I wish to -ask you one question. This son, this most excellent son of the worthy -widow--where is he?" - -"In Paris, madame, where he is working very hard and beginning to pay -off the debts by painting pictures which are already almost as good as -his father's. Some influential friends have become interested in him, -and would push him ahead more rapidly if he were less scrupulous and -proud; but with a little time he will be rich in his turn, indeed he now -owes only a mere trifle, for which our Uncle Antoine has decided to -become responsible, inasmuch as there is no longer any risk in so -doing." - -"This rich uncle seems to be about as timid and economical as my -father-in-law the marquis?" - -"No, madame; his is an entirely different sort of selfishness. It would -take a long while to tell you about him, and it is time for me to be at -the Palais." - -"Of course, of course, some other time, Monsieur Thierry. Go and attend -to your business. Here are the papers all signed; come again soon!" - -"As soon as your affairs require it; rely upon my promptitude, madame la -comtesse." - -"Do not be so ceremonious. Come to see me when you have time, without -regard to business. I am greatly indebted to you, Monsieur Thierry. You -have not only given me the clear understanding of my position which was -so necessary to me. You have given me good advice and have not led my -honor astray in order to protect my selfish interests. In fact I see -that you feel perhaps a little friendliness for me, and I thank you with -all my heart." - -The countess had a way of saying such simple things which made her -extremely charming. Modest and dignified in her every act and every -word, there was in her manners an indefinable suggestion of restrained -emotion which denoted a too full heart, a heart seeking a fit receptacle -for its overflow. The baroness would surely have considered that she was -altogether too grateful and effusive to the pettifogger, who was only -too happy to act for her. She would have told her that one must not -spoil people of that sort by letting them see that they are necessary to -one. Julie, being perfectly sure of herself, notwithstanding her -pathetic humility, was not afraid of placing her friendship too low by -bestowing it on a clever and honorable man; and, moreover, there was -taking place within her, as we have seen, an insensible yet rapid -reaction against the circle in which she had hitherto lived. - -"A most delightful woman!" said Marcel Thierry to himself as he left -her. "Deuce take me! if I were not an attorney, married to the best -woman on earth, and the father of a bouncing boy--all of which things -tend to guarantee the strength of a man's brain--I should be in love -with this countess myself! oh! head over heels in love, I verily -believe! I will tell my wife so this evening, and we will have a good -laugh over it." - -"How did it happen," Madame d'Estrelle was thinking at that moment, -"that I did not ask Thierry what it is most important for me to know? I -thought of it, and then I forgot it. I must find out, however! If this -young Thierry lives with his mother, it will not be proper for him to -make my garden his usual place of promenade. But perhaps he is not a -young man. Did he say that he was young? His father was very old. But -did he say that he was so very old? I cannot remember at all. However, -my servants must know. Servants know everything." - -She rang. - -"Camille," she said to her maid, "has this Madame Thierry, who lives in -the old pavilion yonder,--a most excellent person, I know--has she any -children? I talked with her yesterday, but I didn't think of asking -her." - -"She has a son," Camille replied. - -"About how old?" - -"Twenty-five, judging from his face." - -"He is married, of course?" - -"No, madame." - -"Where does he live?" - -"At the pavilion, with his mother." - -"Is he a good sort of man? What do people say of him?" - -"He is a most excellent young man, madame la comtesse. Everybody speaks -well of him. They are very poor, and they pay all their bills, never -keep anybody waiting. And yet they are not stingy, they never do -anything mean. One would say that they must be people of quality." - -Camille did not mean to flatter her mistress by speaking in that way. -She, too, claimed to be well-born and to have known better days. She -claimed that some of her ancestors had been sheriffs. - -"_Mon Dieu_, Camille, birth is of no consequence," said the countess, -who was often vexed by her maid's airs. - -"I beg pardon, madame la comtesse," rejoined Camille, tartly, "I thought -that it was of the greatest consequence." - -"As you please, my dear. Go and bring me my gray parasol. There is so -much of this pride on all sides," thought Madame d'Estrelle, "that it -will disgust me with all prejudices; it will make me more fond of -Jean-Jacques Rousseau than I ought to be; and really I am beginning to -wonder if the great are not living a little on their past, and if all -this antiquated nonsense is not becoming useful to amuse our servants." - -She took her gray parasol, with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction; then -sat down in her salon, open to the April sun, saying to herself that she -must not go in the direction of the pavilion any more, and perhaps not -into her garden at all. - -Then it was that Madame Thierry, finding that she did not come to meet -her as she expected, ventured to go as far as the house, to pay her -respects to her and thank her. Madame d'Estrelle received her with great -courtesy, but the widow was too keen not to detect a shade of -embarrassment in her greeting, and she had hardly seated herself before -she thanked her and rose to go. - -"Already?" said the countess. "You find me ungracious, I am sure, and I -confess that I feel some slight embarrassment with you to-day which -makes me act foolishly. So let us have done at once with this nonsense, -which I am sure you will forgive. When I came and spoke to you -yesterday, I had no idea that you had a son, a young and estimable man, -I am told, who lives with you." - -"Let me tell the rest, madame la comtesse. You are afraid----" - -"Oh! _mon Dieu!_ I am afraid that people will talk, that is all. I am -young, alone in the world, with no immediate protector; a stranger in a -family which accepted me only with regret, as I learned too late, and -which blames me for not choosing to pass my period of mourning in a -convent." - -"I know all that, madame la comtesse; my nephew Marcel told me. As I am -most solicitous for your good name, I do not propose that your kindness -of heart shall carry you too far. You must not come to the pavilion so -long as I live there, nor must I come into the garden or to your house. -That is what I came to say to you. It is not necessary for me to add -that my son never for an instant supposed that he was included in the -permission which you so graciously gave me yesterday." - -"Very good!" cried the countess, "this last point is all that is -necessary. I thank you for your delicacy, which makes it possible for me -not to return your visits; but as to the other point, I do not agree -with you. You will walk in my garden and you will come to see me." - -"Perhaps it would be better that I should not come." - -"No, no," replied Julie, earnestly, "you must come, I insist upon it! -and, if you don't come, I shall be obliged to go to fetch you and knock -at your window again, which will compromise me. Tell me," she added with -a smile, "if you wish me to _ruin_ myself for you? I warn you that I am -capable of it." - -Madame Thierry could not resist the fascination of this artless -generosity. She yielded, making a mental vow that she would fly to the -other end of Paris, if her presentiment of Julien's passion proved not -to be a dream of her maternal imagination. - -"Now," said the countess, "let us arrange the conditions of our -intercourse, in order to put an end to all danger of evil-speaking. The -pavilion has only four windows looking on my garden. The two lower -ones--I do not know the arrangement of the rooms." - -"The two lower ones are in the room which my son uses as a studio and I -as a salon. We always sit there; but the lower sash, with four panes of -ground glass, is stationary, and we open only the upper sashes; but they -are often open at this season." - -"Then you cannot look into my house, as I was told. But that sash with -the ground glass was not stationary yesterday; it was partly open." - -"True, madame la comtesse; there was a broken pane which you may have -noticed." - -"No; my sight is bad, consequently I don't look very closely." - -"For that reason I had to open that sash, a very unusual thing. But it -was repaired and fastened again this morning. Light from below would be -very inconvenient for my son in his painting, and he stretches a green -cloth over the window on the inside. So he would have to stand on a -chair to look into your garden, and, as he is a serious-minded man, and -not an ill-taught schoolboy----" - -"Very well, very well! My mind is at rest concerning the lower floor. -The windows above----" - -"Are in my bedroom. My son's room looks on the street." - -"And he never sits in your room? No one in my garden will ever see a man -at your windows?" - -"It never has happened and never will happen. I will answer for it." - -"Nor will he ever come to the garden door, even for an instant? You will -warn him." - -"Be perfectly at ease in that respect. My son is a man of honor." - -"I do not doubt it. Commend my honor to him, and let us say no more -about him; that is to say let us say no more about me, for to forbid you -to speak of him would be very cruel. I know that he is your pride and -your joy, and I congratulate you." - -Madame Thierry had made up her mind not to say another word about -Julien, but it was impossible for her to keep to her determination. Step -by step she finally reached the point where she gave full expression to -her idolatry of that adored son, who well deserved to be adored. The -countess listened without any uncalled-for scruples to her enumeration -of the young artist's talents and virtues. But she became a little -melancholy at the thought that she should probably never have children -to afford occupation for her youth and console her old age. Madame -Thierry divined her secret thought and changed the subject. - -[Illustration 02: _JULIEN'S RUSE_ -_He went to the window, the lower sash of which -was really nailed in its place and covered with a -green cloth; but there was an imperceptible slit in -that cloth, there was a scratch on the ground glass, -and through that treacherous crevice, cunningly -made and cunningly concealed, he saw Madame -d'Estrelle every day._] - -What was Julien doing while they were talking about him in the little -summer salon of the hôtel d'Estrelle? He was working, or was supposed -to be working. He constantly changed his position, he was hot and cold, -he started at the slightest sound. He said to himself that perhaps his -name was on the countess's lips at that moment, that perhaps she was -asking some question about him, merely as a matter of form, without -listening to the answer. He went to the window, the lower sash of which -was really nailed in its place and covered with a green cloth; but there -was an imperceptible slit in that cloth, there was a scratch on the -ground glass, and through that treacherous crevice, cunningly made and -cunningly concealed, he saw Madame d'Estrelle every day, strolling among -the shrubbery in her garden, and walking along the path which was in -full view from the pavilion. Julien knew almost to a minute her regular -hours for that walk. When some accident interfered with her usual -practice, then mysterious presentiments, the divinatory instinct which -belongs only to love, and especially to a first love, warned him of -Julie's approach. Then he invented a thousand pretexts, each more -ingenious than the last, for turning his mother's vigilant eye in some -other direction and gazing at his fair neighbor; or else he would find -that he had to go and get something in his bedroom, and would go -upstairs, his mother remaining below, enter her room and look through -the blind. In fact he had adored Julie for a fortnight, and Julie -thought that he had never seen her, and Madame Thierry lied -unconsciously when she said that her son could see nothing from the -studio, and that he had never looked out of her bedroom windows. - -To Julien himself there was something insane, or at all events -inexplicable, in that sudden passion which had taken possession of him, -who was so sensible in all other respects; but as there is a cause for -every effect, it is our place to seek it, and not be too free to admit -the improbability of actual occurrences. - -Marcel came very often, with or without his wife, to pass a portion of -the evening with his aunt Thierry. Julien and he were much attached to -each other, and although they often disagreed, Marcel considering Julien -too romantic, and Julien considering Marcel too practical, they would -have died for each other. Marcel talked freely about his practice, which -was rapidly increasing. When Julien asked him: "Is your office -flourishing?" he would answer: "It is budding, my boy, it is budding! I -often have clients who bring me more honor than profit, and they are not -the ones of whom I think the least."--Among those clients who were not -fond of litigation, but to whom he owed pleasant or profitable -connections, Marcel placed the Comtesse d'Estrelle in the first rank. He -mentioned her so often and in such enthusiastic terms, he thought and -spoke so severely of the lovely widow's unworthy husband, he inveighed -so bitterly against the inhuman avarice of the family, he took such a -profound interest in Julie's gentle and noble character, he -involuntarily extolled her charms so warmly, that Julien was curious to -see her; he saw her and loved her, if indeed he did not love her before -he saw her. - -Julien had never loved before. He had led a very virtuous life, he had -experienced a great sorrow, he was at the height of his physical and -mental development; his susceptibility was overstrained by the -courageous efforts he had made, by a constant exchange of fervent -affection with his loving mother, by a tendency to enthusiasm which he -derived from long association with an enthusiastic father. He lived in -seclusion, he denied himself all diversion and worked with intense -eagerness to preserve the honor of his name and to save his mother from -want. All this must inevitably find a vent, and that generous heart -discharge its surplus emotion. We will say no more about it; indeed we -have already said far too much in explanation of that impossible -phenomenon which we see every day--a persistent, violent, boundless -aspiration toward an object which is known to be unattainable. Long, -long before, La Fontaine had written this refrain, which had passed into -a proverb: - - - -"Love, love! when thou dost hold us, -Well may we say: 'Prudence, farewell!'" - - - - -II - - -Now, while the countess was talking to Madame Thierry, and Julien to -himself, Marcel Thierry was talking not far away with his uncle Antoine, -the old bachelor, the ex-armorer, the rich man of the family. - -Gentle reader--as they used to say at the time when these events took -place--be kind enough to accompany us to Rue Blomet from the hôtel -d'Estrelle on Rue de Babylone; skirting the garden wall for five -minutes, passing in front of the Louis XIII. pavilion, then skirting the -wall of another garden much larger than Madame d'Estrelle's, along a -lane grass-grown on the edges, muddy and full of holes in the centre, -destined at some time to be an extension of Rue de Babylone; then -turning to the left and passing along another street in embryo to the -corner of Rue Blomet, where stands a large house of the Louis XIV. style -of architecture, formerly the hôtel de Melcy, recently purchased and -occupied by Monsieur Antoine Thierry. If Monsieur Antoine Thierry would -have allowed us to pass through his extensive grounds, we might have -started from Julien's house and walked straight through the nursery to -the rear of the mansion; but Uncle Antoine is determined to be master on -his own estate, and he will not grant any easement whatsoever, even in -favor of his brother's widow and son. Marcel, therefore, on leaving the -countess, had taken this walk, half in the city, half in the country; -and now behold him seated in the rich man's study, formerly a boudoir -with painted and gilded ceiling, now filled with shelves and tables -covered with bags of seeds, specimens of fruit moulded in wax, and -baskets of tools and other articles connected with horticulture. - -To reach this study, the proprietor's favorite retreat, he has had to -pass through galleries and immense salons overweighted with gilt -decorations in relief, grand in conception, but blackened by neglect and -dampness; for the windows are shut and the shutters tightly closed in -all weathers; the rich man never tarries in those majestic apartments, -he never receives visitors there, he never gives parties or banquets, he -cares for no one, he is suspicious of everybody. He loves rare flowers -and exotic shrubs, he also esteems the product of fruit trees, and he is -constantly deliberating upon the trimming and grafting of his -_subjects_. He overlooks and directs in person a score of gardeners, -whom he pays handsomely, and whose families he takes under his -protection. Never attempt to interest him in any other people than those -who flatter or subserve his caprices or his vanity. - -This passion for gardening he acquired by a mere chance. One of the -vessels which sailed to the far east on his account and for his profit -brought from China a parcel of seeds which he carelessly dropped in an -urn filled with earth. The seeds sprouted, the plants grew and were -covered with lovely flowers. The armorer, who did not anticipate that -result, and who, moreover, had never in his life looked at a plant, paid -very little heed at first; but another accident brought to his house a -connoisseur who went into ecstasies, and declared the priceless plant to -be absolutely new and unknown to science. - -This discovery exerted a decisive influence on Monsieur Antoine's life. -He had always despised flowers: it was probable that he would never -really understand them, for he was entirely devoid of the artistic -sense; but his vanity, which was stifling him for lack of nourishment, -pounced upon that windfall and pointed out to him the only way in which -he could attain renown. He had a brother who painted flowers, who -interpreted them, who loved them and gave his life to them. His brother -was much admired; a trivial sketch from his brush made more noise than -all of his older brother's great wealth. The older brother knew it, and -was jealous of him. He could never hear the word art mentioned without -shrugging his shoulders. He considered that the world was unjust and -idiotic to be amused by trifles and not to admire the shrewdness of a -man who, having started from nothing, counted his gold-pieces by the -shovelful. He was disappointed, perturbed in mind.--But suddenly all was -changed; he, too, was going to become a celebrity. The flowers which his -brother summoned forth from the canvas he would summon from the earth, -and they would not be mere every-day flowers which everybody knew and -could name at sight; they would be rarities, plants from the four -corners of the world, which scholars would have to cudgel their brains -to define and classify and baptize. The most wonderful should bear his -name! It had been suggested that his name should be given to several of -his nurslings, but there was no hurry, since his collection was enriched -every year by some marvel from the metropolis. He determined to wait, -and was still waiting for a certain lily, which was likely to surpass -all the rest, and which should bear, in addition to its generic name, -the specific designation of _Antonia Thierrii._ - -There was still time enough, for the uncle, although seventy-five years -old, was still hale and hearty. He was a short man, rather slight, with -a very good figure, but the hands hardened by constant contact with the -soil, the skin tanned by constant exposure to the air, the neglected -hair and dusty clothes, the back bent by bodily toil, presented the -incongruous image of a villager with rustic manners, tenacious in his -ideas, of an overbearing and surly disposition, ungrammatical, imperious -and peremptory, planted in the heart of Paris, in a mansion of which he -was the heedless and preoccupied master. - -Marcel saluted his uncle with more familiarity than deference. He knew -that flattery would be a waste of time; that the ex-armorer could be -brought to terms on any subject only by a contest in obstinacy, in harsh -language at need. He knew that his first impulse would be to say no; -that no perhaps would be his last word; but that, in order to obtain one -poor _yes_ among a hundred _noes_ he must fight without losing heart for -a moment. Marcel was of a stout temper--it was a family trait--and he -was so accustomed to fighting, especially against his uncle, that he -derived a sort of painful pleasure from that occupation, which would -have disgusted an artist in an instant. - -"I have brought you something to sign," he began. - -"I will not sign anything; my word is good enough." - -"True, with those who know you." - -"Everybody knows me." - -"Almost everybody; but I am dealing with idiots. Come, sign, sign!" - -"No, you might just as well sign it. My word's as good as gold; all the -worse for the man who doubts it." - -"Then you will see the creditor take possession of the house at Sèvres. -He will be satisfied then, no doubt, but until then he will doubt my -authority." - -"So you have a bad reputation, have you?" - -"Apparently." - -"The idea of your saying that!" - -"What do you want me to say? If I should say no, you would not sign, and -I want to induce you to sign." - -"Oh! you do! Why, I should like to know?" - -"Because it bores me, tires me and annoys me to return to Sèvres and -wait for them to make up their minds to come to see you, when the -despatch of this paper by my clerk will remove all difficulties and save -me expense and many steps. Do you understand?" - -"You do whatever you please with me," replied the armorer, taking his -pen. He dipped it in the ink three times before deciding, read and -reread the document whereby he guaranteed the payment of the last six -thousand francs of his brother's debts, looked Marcel in the eye to see -if he was anxious or impatient, and, seeing that he was unmoved, -regretfully renounced the pleasure of driving him into a passion. He -signed the paper and tossed it in his face, with a wicked laugh, saying: - -"Off with you, rascal! You never come to my house unless you want to get -something out of me. You might have guaranteed the debts in my place, -for you're rich enough!" - -"If I were, be sure that it would be done already; but I am making the -final payments for my practice, and I cannot deceive Julien any longer -as to the sacrifices I am making for him. He is deeply concerned; his -mother is in despair----" - -"Oh! his mother, his mother!" sneered the rich man in a tone of profound -aversion. - -"You are not fond of her, as everyone knows; so she will never ask you -for anything, never fear; but I am fond of my aunt, if you have no -objection, and Julien adores her. Between them--between us three, if -necessary--we will have everything paid within two years, and I flatter -myself that you will not have to spend a sou." - -"Well, I don't flatter myself that I shall not! No matter! I will do -them this favor, which will be the last." - -"And the first, too, my dear uncle!" - -And, as the document was signed, folded and safely in his pocket, Marcel -added, resting his elbows on the table and looking his uncle straight in -the face: - -"Do you know, my dear uncle of the good Lord, you must be a very mean -fellow to allow your brother's country house to be sold." - -"Ah! there we are again!" shouted Monsieur Antoine, rising and smiting -the table a genuine peasant's blow with his fist. "You would like to see -me use my money, earned by the sweat of my brow, to pay for the follies -of a spendthrift! Since when have artists needed to have houses of their -own and fill them with a heap of gimcracks that cost the eyes out of -your head, and make gardens for themselves, with bridges and -summer-houses, when they don't even know how to grow a bit of milkweed? -What difference does it make to me whether my brother's folly is sold, -and his widow doesn't now have any great chefs in her kitchen and great -noblemen at her table? They made all the trouble for themselves when -they chose to receive counts and marquises, and madame would say: 'My -house, my servants, my horses!'--I knew well enough where all that -nonsense would bring them up! And now to-day they find they need the old -rat who lives in his corner like a wise man and a philosopher, despising -society, scorning luxury and giving all his time to useful work! They -lower their crests and put out their paws, and he--he wouldn't give -anything from pity--those people don't deserve it--he gives from pride, -and that's how he gets his revenge. Go and tell that to your aunt, the -beautiful princess in distress: that's the errand your mean dog of an -uncle gives you to do. Go, I say, you dog of a pettifogger! What are you -standing there for, staring at me?" - -Marcel was in fact studying his uncle's expression and attitude with his -sharp gray eyes, as if he would search the lowest depths of his -conscience. - -"Bah!" he exclaimed abruptly, as he rose, "you are very harsh, very -mean, I say it again; but you are not so cruel as that! You have some -reason for hating your sister-in-law which nobody has ever been able to -understand, which you don't understand very clearly yourself, I fancy, -but which I shall succeed in unearthing, my dear uncle, never fear, for -I propose to go to work upon it, and you know that when I have set my -heart upon a thing, I am like you, I never let go." - -As he spoke Marcel kept his eyes fixed on the rich man, and he detected -a notable change in his manner. A sudden pallor drove the coarse flush -from his face, which was already burned afresh by the sun of the new -spring. His lips trembled, he pulled his hat down to his bushy black -eyebrows, turned his back, and went out into his garden without a word. - -It was not a garden with little pieces of rockery, little summer-houses, -and little terra cotta cows lying in the grass, like those which were so -common at that period, in imitation of the rustic style adopted at -Trianon. Nor was there an undulating lawn with winding paths, clumps of -trees at regular intervals, and truncated columns reflected in limpid -ponds, like the garden of the hôtel d'Estrelle, one of the first -picturesque attempts at the modern garden _à l'anglaise_. Nor were there -the old-fashioned flower-beds and long regular borders of the time of -Louis XIV.; everywhere the ground was turned up and cut by Monsieur -Antoine's experiments. On all sides were beds in the shape of baskets, -hearts, stars, triangles, ovals, shields and trefoils, surrounded by -green borders and narrow paths forming a perfect labyrinth. There were -flowers of all sorts, beautiful or curious, but deprived of all their -national grace by cages made of rushes, nets of wire, umbrellas of -reeds, supports and props of all sorts, to protect them from being -marred by the dirt, burned by the sun or broken by the wind. His -rosebushes, being constantly trimmed and watered, had an artificial -look, they were so exceedingly tidy and shiny. His peonies were -ball-shaped at the top, like a grenadier's _pompon_, and his tulips -shone like metal in the sun. Around the flower-garden were immense, -melancholy-looking nurseries, like rows of stakes with scraggy bunches -of leaves at the top. All this rejoiced the horticulturist's eyes and -banished his gloom. - -A single corner of his garden, nearest the pavilion occupied by Madame -Thierry, afforded a pleasant promenade. That corner he had devoted for -twenty years to the acclimatation of exotic ornamental trees. They were -beautiful now, and cast considerable shade; but Monsieur Antoine, as it -was no longer necessary to take particular pains with them, had almost -lost his interest in them, and much preferred a shoot of pine or acacia -just raised under glass. - -His hothouse was wonderfully beautiful. He hurried thither to bury the -bitter memories which Marcel had recalled. He went in and out among his -favorite plants, the lilies, and, after assuring himself of the good -health of those which were in bloom, he halted beside a small porcelain -vase wherein an unknown bulb was just beginning to put forth shoots of a -dark and glossy green. - -"What will this be?" he thought. "Will it mark an epoch in the history -of gardening, like so many others that owe their fame to me? It seems a -long while since anything has happened in my garden, and people don't -talk about me so much as they ought to." - -Meanwhile Marcel went away, deep in thought, for Monsieur Antoine -Thierry's miserliness was of a very curious sort. The curious thing -about it was that Monsieur Thierry was not miserly. He did not hoard his -money, he did not lend money and never had done so, he denied himself -nothing that caught his fancy, and he even did a good deed sometimes -under the spur of self-love. How did it happen that he had let slip so -excellent an opportunity of purchasing his late brother's property for -his nephew? That generous performance would have given him much more -celebrity than the future _Antonia Thierrii._ That is precisely the -problem which Marcel was trying to solve. He knew that the old armorer -had always been jealous, not of his artist brother's talent, which he -despised, but of his renown and social success; but should not that -jealousy have died with old André? Ought his widow and son to have that -unfortunate inheritance forced upon them? - -An idea passed through Marcel's mind; he retraced his steps and -interrupted Monsieur Antoine's horticultural reveries. - -"By the way, my gallant uncle," he said in a playful tone, "don't you -want to buy the hôtel d'Estrelle pavilion?" - -"The pavilion is for sale, and you didn't tell me, you idiot?" - -"I forgot it. Well, how much will you give for it?" - -"What is it worth?" - -"I have told you a hundred times: to Comtesse d'Estrelle, who has just -accepted it as a gift, it is worth ten thousand francs; to you, who want -it and need it, it is worth twice that. It remains to be seen whether -the countess won't ask three times ten thousand." - -"Ah! that's like your great folk! sharper and stingier than the parvenus -they despise!" - -"The Comtesse d'Estrelle despises no one." - -"Yes, she does! she's a fool like all the others. We are separated by a -wall, and in the four years she's been living in the hôtel d'Estrelle, -she's never had the curiosity to look into my garden." - -"Perhaps she doesn't know anything about rare plants." - -"Say rather that she would consider herself dishonored if she put her -foot inside a _plebeian's_ door!" - -"Bah! do you expect a young woman in mourning to compromise herself by -strolling about in the garden of a bachelor of your age?" - -"Of my age? You are joking, I suppose! Am I of an age to make people -talk?" - -"Why, who can say? you used to be a volcano once!" - -"I! What are you saying, you brute?" - -"You cannot make me believe that you were never in love." - -"What's that? I have never been in love! No such fool!" - -"Yes, you have been in love, a fool if you please, at least once in your -life! Try to insist that you haven't," added Marcel, as he saw that the -horticulturist turned pale and seemed perturbed once more. - -"Enough of this nonsense!" retorted the uncle, tapping the floor angrily -with his foot. "You are Madame d'Estrelle's attorney; are you instructed -to sell the pavilion?" - -"No, but I have the right to suggest it. How much will you give?" - -"Not a sou. Let me alone." - -"Then I can offer it to another purchaser?" - -"What other?" - -"There is no other in view at this moment. I am not given to lying, and -I shall not deal falsely with you in the matters you have placed in my -charge; but you are well aware that the street is being built up, and -that by to-morrow, perhaps to-night, people will be fighting for the -pavilion." - -"Let Madame d'Estrelle take the trouble to enter into negotiations with -me." - -"Do you want her to receive you? Very good!" - -"Would she receive me?" said Monsieur Antoine, and his round eyes -gleamed for an instant. - -"Why not?" said Marcel. - -"Oh! yes, she would receive me in her courtyard, or at best in her -ante-chamber, standing up, between two doors, as she receives a dog or -an attorney!" - -"You are a great stickler for manners, aren't you, for a man who won't -take his hat off his head for anybody? But never fear: Madame d'Estrelle -is as courteous to decent people of our class as to the greatest -aristocrats. To prove it, she is on the best of terms with my aunt -Thierry, and they are almost friends already." - -"Ah!--Well, that is because madame your aunt is noble! The nobles -understand each other like thieves at a fair!" - -"_Sapristi!_ uncle, once more I ask you what in heaven's name you have -against your sister-in-law?" - -"I have--Well, I detest her!" - -"So I see; but why?" - -"Because she is noble. Don't talk to me about your nobles! They are all -heartless and ungrateful!" - -"Did you love her, I wonder?" - -This direct question was too much for Monsieur Antoine. He turned -deathly pale, then flushed with anger, swore, tore his hair and shouted -in a frenzy of rage: - -"Did she tell you that? She pretends, she dares to say----" - -"Nothing at all. I have never been able to extort a word from her about -you; but I have had my suspicions, and now you have confessed. Tell me -everything, uncle; that will be the best way, for it will relieve you, -and you will have had a good heart-searching for once in your life." - -Fully half an hour passed before the ex-armorer had exhausted all the -spleen and bile of which his heart was full against Marcel, against -Madame Thierry and against his deceased brother. When Marcel, who -worried him cruelly, had succeeded in exhausting him, he carried his -point, and old Antoine told him what follows, by fits and starts, -forcing his nephew to extract from him bit by bit the secret of his -life, which was also the secret of his character. - -Forty years prior to the period of this narrative, Mademoiselle de -Meuil, having eloped with André Thierry, had gone with her fiancé to -seek shelter with Antoine Thierry, who was already rich and still quite -young. Until that time the two brothers had lived on good terms with -each other. While she remained in hiding at the hôtel de Melcy, -Mademoiselle de Meuil had manifested sincere friendship for the armorer -and perfect confidence in him. André, being prosecuted by the Meuil -family and in danger of being consigned to the Bastille, had been -compelled to leave Paris, to avert suspicion from the right quarter, -while certain influential friends of his endeavored to adjust his -affairs and gradually succeeded in so doing. - -During this separation of several months, Mademoiselle de Meuil, -constantly beset by the most painful anxiety, was more than once tempted -to return to her parents in order to relieve the man she loved from the -dangers and misfortunes which threatened him. More than once she -discussed the subject frankly with André's brother, setting forth her -fears and asking his advice. Then it was that Antoine conceived a -strange idea, not treacherous and in no wise induced by passion, but in -which his sensitive self-esteem was soon deeply involved. We will allow -him to speak for a moment. - -"The girl was ruined, although she had not lived with my brother as his -wife. She was too far compromised to be taken back into the family, and -the very best that she could hope for was to end her days in a convent. -My brother seemed to me even more completely ruined than she was. A -_lettre de cachet_ had been issued against him, and that was no joke in -those days. He might be shut up for twenty years, or for his whole -life--who could say? And as the young lady told me all this herself, -crying out every minute: 'What shall I do, Monsieur Antoine? _Mon Dieu!_ -what shall I do?' the idea came into my head of saving them both by -marrying the girl. I was not in love with her, no! the devil take me if -I lie! I should have loved any other woman as much, and I had never -given a thought to marriage. If she had not been of noble birth, which -gave her--not in my eyes, for I have no prejudices--in many people's -eyes a sort of distinction, I shouldn't have paid much attention to her. -Are you laughing? What are you laughing at, you ass of an attorney?" - -"I am not laughing," said Marcel. "Go on. You were telling me about the -bright idea that came into your head." - -"So it did, and it wasn't any more foolish than my excellent brother's -idea. Was he an eagle in those days, I would ask? No, he was a little -dauber, who hadn't succeeded in laying by four sous, and no one thought -anything of him. Was he any better looking than I was, or younger, or -better bred? We were both brought up just alike; I was five years older, -that's all. I wasn't the ugliest, and he wasn't a beauty by any means! -He knew how to talk; he was always a chatterer. I said less, but what I -said was solid. Neither one of us was more of a plebeian than the other, -for we had the same father and mother. I had already saved nearly a -million which no one knew anything about! With a million a man can do -many things that my brother couldn't do: he can put the law to sleep and -appease angry parents, and obtain patrons who never sleep; with a -million one can even reach the king's ear, and surely one can marry a -girl who has nothing at all. If society makes a fuss, it's because -everyone would like to have the million in his own pocket. In fact, my -million proved that even if I was not quite so fine a talker as my -brother, it wasn't for want of wit and genius. That is what the girl -ought to have understood. I didn't ask her to love me right away, but to -love her André enough to forget him and keep him from going to prison -and rotting there. Very good; instead of appreciating my good sense and -generosity, lo and behold! the prude loses her temper, calls me a boor -and a wicked brother and a dishonorable man, and decamps from my house -without telling me where she's going, staking all to win all, and -leaving a letter for me in which all the thanks she gives me is a -promise never to betray my treachery to Monsieur André! I confess that -I have never forgiven her for that, and that I never shall forgive her. -As for my excellent brother, he behaved in a way that disgusted me -almost as much as madame did. I didn't choose to wait till his prude of -a wife had sold me. When I saw that he was out of his difficulties and -married, I told him the whole story, just as I have told it to you. He -didn't lose his temper; on the contrary, he thanked me for my good -intentions, but then he began to laugh. You know what a frivolous, -weak-brained creature he was! Well, my idea struck him as very comical, -and he made fun of me. Thereupon I broke with him, and I would never see -the wife or the husband again." - -"At last!" said Marcel, "now I know where we are. But Julien? Why do you -bear Julien a grudge, for he wasn't born at the time of your grievance?" - -"I don't bear Julien a grudge; but he is his mother's son, and I am sure -that he hates me." - -"Upon my honor, Julien knows nothing of what you have told me, and he -knows you only by your conduct of late. Do you think that he can -possibly approve it? Shouldn't you have redeemed his mother's house, -when he swore by all that is most sacred that he would devote his life -to the payment of his debt to you?" - -"A fine security, the life of a painter! Where did painting land his -father, who was _famous?_" - -"And suppose you had lost a matter of fifty thousand francs, you who -certainly have more than----" - -"Hush! you should never mention the amount of a man's fortune. When such -figures are in the air, the walls and trees, even the flower-pots, have -ears." - -"You agree that the amount is so large that the Sèvres affair would -have been a mere trifle, don't you?" - -"Do you propose to make me out a miser?" - -"I know that you are not one, but I shall believe that you are cruel, -and that you like to see people suffer whom you believe to be your -enemies." - -"Well, isn't that my right? Since when have we been forbidden to seek -revenge?" - -"Since we began to be something more than savages." - -"Am I a savage then?" - -"Yes." - -"Be off, you are tiresome after a while! Look out that I don't set -myself against you too?" - -"I defy you to do it." - -"Why so?" - -"Because you know that I am the only person on earth who is just a -little attached to you and devoted to you, in spite of all your -shortcomings." - -"You see! You admit now that Julien detests me." - -"Make him love you; then you will have two friends instead of one." - -"Ah! yes! you want me to redeem the house! Very good, when Julien is an -orphan, I will look after him, on condition that he never mentions his -mother to me." - -"Perhaps you would like to have him kill her, would you? I tell you, -uncle, you are mad, nothing more nor less. You are immeasurably vain, -and you have the prejudices of the nobility in a more virulent form than -any of the people who have ancestors. You were not in love with -Mademoiselle de Meuil, I am sure; but her rank made you long to supplant -your brother with her. You were frantically jealous of poor André, not -because of that lovely and lovable young woman, but because of the -parchments which she brought him with her dowry, and because of the sort -of lustre that was reflected on him. In a word, you do not hate the -nobles, you adore them, you envy them, you would give all your millions -to have been _born_ somebody, and your outbreaks of rage against them on -every occasion are simply the spleen of a discarded lover, just as your -hatred of my aunt is the spleen of a wounded and humiliated plebeian. -That is your mania, my poor uncle; every man has his own, they say, but -this one makes you cruel, and I am very sorry for you." - -Perhaps the ex-armorer felt that Marcel was right; consequently he was -about to get more angry than ever, but Marcel turned his back on him -with a shrug, and went away, paying no heed to his invectives. - -In reality Marcel was very glad to be in possession at last of the ideas -and recollections which underlay his uncle's actions. He promised -himself that he would take advantage of his knowledge to induce him to -mend his ways. Did he succeed? The sequel will tell us. - -"Madame," said Marcel to the Comtesse d'Estrelle the next morning, "you -must sell the pavilion." - -"Why?" said Julie. "It is so old and such a paltry affair, and of such -trifling value too!" - -"It has a value due to its location, which you must not overlook. My -uncle will give you thirty thousand francs for it, perhaps more." - -"This is the first time, my dear adviser, that you have advised me ill. -I am very reluctant to extort money from a neighbor. What is it but -speculating on the need he may have of that old building?" - -"Wait a moment, my noble client! My uncle does not need the pavilion; he -wants it, which is a very different matter. He is rich enough to pay for -his whims. And what would you say if he were grateful to you for your -extortion?" - -"How can that be?" - -"Enter into personal relations with him and he will offer you a bonus -over and above the price." - -"Fie! Monsieur Thierry! you would have me pay court to his gold?" - -"No, but simply bestow upon it a kindly, patronizing smile, and it will -come to you of itself. Moreover, you will do a kind deed." - -"Tell me what you mean." - -"You will show my uncle that you have much esteem and affection for my -aunt and cousin, and thus you will induce the old Crœsus to assist them -seriously in their distress." - -"Then I will do it with all my heart, Monsieur Thierry; but, while I am -already able to appreciate the worth of madame your aunt, what can I say -of your cousin, whom I do not know?" - -"No matter, speak of him with perfect confidence. My Julien has a heart -of gold, the high spirit of a man of birth, and a mind above his -condition; he is the best of sons, the truest of friends, the most -honorable of men, and the most reasonable of artists. Say all that, -madame la comtesse, and if Julien's life ever offers the slightest -contradiction to your words, drive me from your presence, and never -again give me your esteem or confidence." - -Marcel spoke so vehemently that Julie was impressed. She abstained from -asking questions, but she listened, without losing a word, to what -followed this eulogy, when Marcel entered into details by which only the -hardest of hearts could have failed to be moved. He told of Julien's -care of his mother, of the privations which he endured without her -knowledge, even going without proper food so that she might have enough. -Therein Marcel, like Madame Thierry, unwittingly said what was not true. -Julien had lost his appetite because he was in love, and Marcel, who had -no suspicion of it, thought that he had divined the cause of that -involuntary abstemiousness. But Julien was capable of doing much more -for his mother than holding his appetite in check. He would have given -the last drop of his blood for her; thus, while he did not tell the -exact truth at that moment, Marcel said far less than the truth. - -His panegyric of Julien was so generous and so affecting that the -countess authorized Marcel to say to Uncle Antoine from her that she -would like very much to see his rare flowers and inspect his extensive -and interesting grounds. Uncle Antoine received this message with a -haughty and sceptical air. - -"I see," said he, "she wants to sell at a high price, and this -condescension will cost me the eyes out of my head." - -Marcel allowed him to talk, but was not deceived. The rich man's -gratification was too evident. - -On the appointed day Madame d'Estrelle resumed her deep mourning, -entered her carriage and drove to the hôtel de Melcy. Marcel was at the -door awaiting her. He offered her his hand, and as they went up the -steps Uncle Antoine appeared in all his glory, in gardening costume. -That was by no means ill-advised on the part of so stupid a man. He had -duly considered, without mentioning it to Marcel, the plan of appearing -in magnificent array; he was rich enough to have every seam stitched -with gold; but the dread of ridicule deterred him, and, as he prided -himself on being a great horticulturist before everything, he had the -wit to appear in a strictly rustic costume. - -Despite the asperity of his disposition and of his ordinary manners, -despite his secret longing to assert his independence of mind and his -philosophical pride before Marcel, he suddenly lost countenance before -the fair Julie's gracious salutation and her sincere and limpid glance, -and for the first time in thirty years removed his three-cornered hat -and, instead of replacing it at once on his head, held it awkwardly, but -respectfully, under his arm throughout the visit. - -Julie did not resort to the vulgar ruse of trying to flatter his -caprice; she was really interested in the treasures of horticulture -which were exhibited to her. Herself a flower, she loved flowers. This -is no madrigal,--to use a phrase then in vogue. There is a natural -affinity between all divine creations, and in all ages symbols have been -used to express realities. - -The rich man, although he had little of the rose about him, bloomed -resplendent at the sincere admiration bestowed on his beloved plants. -Little by little his assumed haughtiness vanished before the sylph whose -feet hardly grazed his lawns, and who flitted among his flower-beds like -a caressing breeze. He awaited with entire resignation the announcement -of the price fixed for the pavilion. - -"Come, my dear uncle," said Marcel, seeing that Madame d'Estrelle had -apparently forgotten the affair, "tell madame la comtesse of your desire -to purchase--" - -"True," said the rich man, careful not to commit himself too far, "I -have had some idea of buying the pavilion; but now if madame does not -wish to part with it----" - -"I have but one reason for not wishing to part with it. It is occupied -by some people whom I esteem, and whom I would not disturb on any -consideration." - -"They have a lease, I suppose?" said Monsieur Thierry, who knew all -about it. - -"Why, of course," said Marcel; "you would have to pay them a fair -indemnity in case they should consent to cancel the lease, for you know -they took it very recently." - -"A fair indemnity!" repeated the uncle, with a frown. - -"I would gladly undertake to pay that," said Madame d'Estrelle, "if----" - -"If I would pay more for the place in proportion!" - -"That is not what I was about to say," rejoined Julie, in a dignified -tone which cut short all discussion. "I intended to say, and I say now -that, if Madame Thierry, your sister-in-law, has the slightest objection -to leaving that house, I propose to uphold her right to remain -throughout the term of the lease; and that is a condition which the -purchaser cannot evade on any pretext." - -"That will delay the transaction and make it less advantageous to -madame," said Monsieur Antoine, who, was consumed with longing to utter -the fascinating title of _countess_, but could not quite make up his -mind to do it. - -"I do not say no to that, Monsieur Thierry," replied Julie, with an -indifference which the rich man considered a fair artifice. - -"However," he began after a pause, "what price does----" - -Marcel was about to reply. Julie, who evidently knew nothing about -business, paid no heed to him, but answered ingenuously: - -"Oh! I know nothing about that. You are well-known to be a shrewd and -fair-minded man; you may fix the price yourself." - -Regardless of her solicitor's reproachful glance, she continued: - -"You cannot believe, Monsieur Thierry, that the purpose of my visit to -your garden was to haggle with you over the price of my small property. -I know that it will probably be of advantage to you to own it, and you -know that I am in straitened circumstances; that is no reason why we -should be unreasonable in our demands upon each other; but in justice to -myself I must tell you this, that I would not for a million francs -consent to distress madame your sister-in-law, because I love and honor -her especially. That being understood, you can think it over and let me -know your decision; for you owe me a call now, my dear neighbor, and I -shall not release you from the debt, whether we come to terms or not." - -The countess withdrew, leaving the rich man dazzled by her charms; but, -as he did not choose to allow Marcel to see his emotion, he pretended to -exult for another reason. - -"Well, attorney," he said triumphantly, "so you are fairly caught, and -sheepish enough! What did you say about that lady's demands? She has -more sense than you, and is willing to take my valuation----" - -"Very good, very good, rejoice at her charming manners," replied Marcel, -"and make the most of the praise which you owe to her politeness; but -try to understand and to rise to the level of the rôle which she -ascribes to you!" - -"After all," rejoined Antoine, who was a very shrewd man of business, -"when you say to a man like me: 'Pay what you choose,' it means: 'Pay -like a great nobleman!' Very good, I will pay you a good price, _mordi!_ -and the great lady shall see whether I'm an old curmudgeon like her -father-in-law the marquis! There is one thing that surprises me on the -part of a woman who seems to be no fool: and that is the fuss she makes -about my sister-in-law! I am not quite sure whether she meant to be -agreeable to me or to make sport of me when she was talking about her." - -"She meant to be agreeable to you." - -"Of course, as she needs me; but then my sister-in-law must have made me -out a miser?" - -"My aunt has not mentioned you. Act in such a way that she will have no -reason to complain." - -"Let her complain if she chooses! what do I care? What do I want of this -countess's esteem and friendship?" - -"True," said Marcel, taking his hat, "it is all a matter of the utmost -indifference to you! No matter, don't try to make yourself out a boor, -and let us agree on a day so that I can announce your visit." - -Antoine selected the second day thereafter, and they parted; but on the -next day, without a word to Marcel, he took measures, indirectly but -adroitly, to repurchase the house at Sèvres without loss to himself. -Had he decided to make his nephew that present, to give his -sister-in-law that pleasure? No indeed. There never was a more -vindictive man, because nothing had occurred to wear out his passions, -good or evil. There had been nothing in his narrow life of sufficient -importance to soften the asperities of his nature. But a blow had been -dealt at his secret vanity, and Julie d'Estrelle, without artifice, -without scheming to that end, had subdued that savage spirit. He found -in her an irresistible charm and an unaffected tone of equality, which, -to be sure, he attributed to her need of money, but which flattered him -as he had never been flattered in his life before. He had determined -therefore to pretend to feel something like compassion for Madame -Thierry. He was afraid that she would really do him an injury in Julie's -estimation, and by purchasing the house at Sèvres in his own name, he -persuaded himself that he would hold his foe in respect by the hope that -that transaction would prove to be for Julien's benefit. - -Meanwhile Marcel continued his efforts to relieve Madame d'Estrelle -gradually from her burden, and on the evening of the day of her visit to -Monsieur Antoine, he called upon her to scold her for her recklessness, -and to insist that she should make the purchaser jump high for the -sugar-plum. He found her disinclined to assent to any manœuvring to -secure the desired result. - -"Do as you think best, my dear Monsieur Thierry," she said; "but do not -ask me to assist you. You told me that your uncle was a little vain, -that I could easily gain some influence over him by virtue of my title, -and that, by means of that influence, I could arouse his interest in his -sister-in-law's lot. I made haste to test my power. You tell me that you -hope for some good result; I did what my heart dictated, do not ask me -to do anything more. Why are you in such a hurry to sell the pavilion? -Didn't you tell me that my husband's creditors would be patient when -they found that I was provided with an additional piece of real estate, -that the marquis would never allow the hôtel d'Estrelle to be sold, and -that I might venture to forget my troubles for some time? Keep your word -and let your uncle hover about the pavilion, for that will give me an -excuse for pleading Madame Thierry's cause. I told the truth when I said -that I did not propose that she should be turned out of her present -quarters against her will, and I tell you now that I should regret -exceedingly to lose her as a neighbor." - -Marcel, being unable to shake her determination, went to see his aunt -Thierry and told her and Julien of the countess's generous action and of -her kindly feeling for them. Madame Thierry was affected to tears, and, -as Julien was careful to play his part well, so that certain suspicions -might be dissipated, she ventured to express herself freely in praise of -Julie d'Estrelle. Her heart was overflowing with gratitude which she had -with difficulty restrained for two days past. Thus did the poor mother -herself pour oil on the flame. - -However, her suspicions came to life again more than once. She watched -Julien furtively at every word that she uttered, and he seemed always -perfectly tranquil; but suddenly there came a revelation. As she was -saying to Marcel that she did not wish to stand in the way of Julie's -selling the pavilion, and that she would pretend not to regret the -necessity of moving, Julien warmly remonstrated. - -"Move again?" he said. "We cannot do it. We spent a great deal, -considering our income, in getting settled here." - -"Our uncle will attend to that," said Marcel; "if he makes you move, I -will undertake to make him pay----" - -"My dear fellow," replied Julien, still very earnest, "you are full of -zeal and kindness for us; but you know very well that my mother does not -like your appeals to Uncle Antoine, that you have made them in a measure -against her will, and that, if my interests were not involved, she would -have peremptorily forbidden them. Whether she is right or wrong in -considering Monsieur Thierry a detestable creature is not for us to -judge. For my own part, however painful it may be to me, I will make all -possible concessions to our kinsman's extraordinary character; but I do -not propose that my mother's pride shall be wounded in her relations -with him." - -"No, no! I have no pride," cried Madame Thierry. "I have none now, -Julien! You work too hard, you will surely be sick if we refuse to treat -with Monsieur Antoine. Whatever Marcel does, I approve, and if I must -humble myself, I shall be happy to do it! Let us do our duty, pay all -our debts before everything. Let us say to the countess that it makes -little difference to us whether we live here or somewhere else, so that -she can sell at once; and let Marcel say to Monsieur Thierry that we -demand our rights or that we appeal to his generosity--anything will -satisfy me that will restore your health and peace of mind." - -"My health is excellent," replied Julien warmly, "and nothing except -moving again would disturb my peace of mind. I like my studio, I have a -picture under way." - -"But you are talking selfishly, my child! You forget that the countess -is having trouble with her creditors as we are, even more than we are -just now." - -"And do you think that Monsieur Antoine will save her by buying this old -barrack? Marcel knows better." - -"What I think," said Marcel, "is that Uncle Antoine will submit to any -conditions that the Comtesse d'Estrelle chooses to impose on him; he -will pay a high price and he won't turn you out. Leave it to me and I -may bring him to something even better." - -"To what, pray?" - -"That is my secret. You shall know later, if I do not fail." - -"Bless my soul!" said Madame Thierry, abruptly changing the subject, "I -forgot to bring my snuff-box; go and get it for me, Julien." - -Julien went upstairs and his mother took advantage of the opportunity to -say hastily to Marcel: - -"Be careful, my dear child! a great disaster is hanging over us: Julien -is in love with the countess!" - -"Nonsense!" cried Marcel in utter stupefaction; "you are dreaming, my -dear aunt, it isn't possible!" - -"Speak lower. It is possible, it is a fact. Arrange for us to leave -these dangerous quarters at once. Find some way without letting him -suspect what I say. Save him and save me! Hush! he is coming down -again!" - -Julien had done the errand in a moment. He was in a hurry to resume the -conversation; but he noticed a shade of constraint in his mother's -glance, a suggestion of bewilderment and surprise in Marcel's manner. He -suspected that he had betrayed himself, and he at once assumed a -cheerful and indifferent air, which did not deceive Madame Thierry, but -which reassured the solicitor. So Marcel took his leave, saying to -himself that he would sound his cousin some day, but fully persuaded -that his aunt was losing her wits a little, in the midst of all her -excitement. - -But Marcel made a much more astonishing discovery, a discovery so truly -astonishing that we beg our readers to prepare themselves for it a long -while beforehand. - -Uncle Antoine paid his visit to Madame d'Estrelle. Madame d'Estrelle, -without preparation or effort, was as charming, perhaps more charming -than at their first interview. She received the horticulturist with -neither more nor less affability than a person of her own station. Being -gifted with a penetration which made up for his lack of experience, he -realized that his reception was unexceptionable, and felt that he had -never been so well treated by a person of such high rank. He recognized, -moreover, that she was entirely indifferent to the question of money, -and that her condescension concealed no ulterior motive, not even the -motive of effecting a reconciliation between himself and Madame Thierry, -as she avowed it frankly and with a most earnest and confident -expression of her desire. - -Marcel, seeing the gratification which his uncle derived from that -interview, and which he almost forgot to conceal, realized that perfect -sincerity was in some cases the shrewdest diplomacy, and that Madame -d'Estrelle had accomplished more for her protégés and herself than if -she had attempted to use craft. - -"Now," said Monsieur Antoine, without waiting to be questioned, "we must -settle this business of the pavilion. It is worth forty thousand francs -to me, I know; I will give that amount, and as I propose to take -possession at once, I owe it to Madame Thierry to submit to any claims -she may make. I don't propose to have any discussion with that woman. So -tell her that I will pay the six thousand francs for which I made myself -responsible, and release her from any claim on that account; here is my -receipt. And if she needs a few more francs to pay the expenses of -moving, I won't refuse to let her have them. Go, and don't let me hear -any more of her troubles; but, first of all, take the countess my offer, -which I think is rather generous, and tell her of my promise to -indemnify her protégés to their satisfaction." - -Marcel, amazed but overjoyed, carried the good news first to Madame -Thierry, who thanked heaven, and was very near blessing her -brother-in-law for his determination to make her move instantly and at -any price. - -Madame d'Estrelle was not so well pleased; she had seen the attractive -widow again, and had already become very fond of talking with her; -moreover, she had some scruples; Monsieur Antoine's munificence seemed -to her the foolish act of a parvenu and therefore humiliating to her. - -"He will think," she said, "that I schemed to induce him to make this -sacrifice, and that idea is abhorrent to me. No, I will accept only half -of that sum. I much prefer to retain his esteem and my influence in -behalf of the poor Thierrys. Go and tell him that I want but twenty -thousand francs and a renewal of your aunt's lease." - -"But my aunt is most anxious to move," Marcel replied. "Remember that a -sum of considerable importance to her is involved." - -"In that case give no more attention to her affairs in my name, but take -special care of my dignity, which I place in your hands." - -This reply, being duly transmitted to Monsieur Antoine, caused an -explosion which astonished Marcel. - -"So she declines my services," cried the rich man, "for I did intend to -do her a service, knowing her embarrassment, and I went to her as a -friend, since she had treated me like a friend! Ah! you see, Marcel, she -is proud, she despises me, and she lied when she told me that she -esteemed me! Very good, if that's how it is, I'll have my revenge. Yes, -I'll have a cruel revenge, and she shall have only what she deserves, -and, death of my life! I'll force her to go on her knees to me!" - -Marcel silently scrutinized the angry rich man's still handsome and -decidedly cruel face. - -"What is this new mystery?" he said to himself, as he watched the black -eyes, made larger by the fierce wrath which caused them to emit -threatening flames. "Can wounded vanity cause such an outbreak? Can it -be that my uncle is on the verge of madness? Is this solitary, -monotonous, preoccupied life too much for his strength, and has his -persistent turning of his back on everything that gives light and warmth -to the lives of other men finally caused derangement in his brain?" - -Antoine continued vehemently, heedless of Marcel's careful study of his -person: - -"I see what the game is! She wants my sacrifices to help Madame Thierry. -Well, I tell you that I snap my fingers at Mademoiselle de Meuil! It's a -long time since I ceased to have either hatred or affection for her. Let -her go to the devil, and don't let me hear her name again! I will pay -forty thousand francs for the pavilion, or I won't buy it. That's my way -of thinking." - -Matters remained in this position for several days; Madame d'Estrelle -laughing at what she considered an attack of madness on the part of the -old parvenu, and he, without Marcel's knowledge, acting in such a way as -to put the finishing touch to that madness. - -He purchased secretly all the debts which were hanging over the Comte -d'Estrelle's widow, and, without saying a word, placed himself in a -position where he could ruin her or save her, according to the attitude -she might assume with respect to him. He purchased on his own account, -but under a fictitious name, and with a deed of defeasance, the house at -Sèvres with all its beautiful and costly contents. He did not let it, -but placed a caretaker there to keep it in order. All this was done in a -few days and without regard to cost; then, having artfully made -inquiries of Marcel as to Madame d'Estrelle's intimate friends, he -called upon the Baronne d'Ancourt, who received him with her grandest -manner, but condescended to listen attentively when she learned that he -had come to place her in a position to save Madame d'Estrelle from -certain ruin. - -Their interview was long and mysterious. The servants at the hôtel -d'Ancourt, who were exceedingly puzzled by such a conference between -their haughty mistress and a man dressed like a peasant, heard the -baroness's shrill tones, then the rustic voice in labored and emphatic -declamation--a dispute, in short, with intervals of raillery or -merriment; for at times the baroness laughed until the windows shook. - -An hour later the baroness hurried to Madame d'Estrelle. - -"My dear," she said in great excitement, "I bring you five millions or -poverty; choose." - -"Ah! an old husband, I suppose?" said Julie; "you cling to your idea, do -you?" - -"A very old husband; but five millions!" - -"With a great name, of course?" - -"Not the faintest shadow of a name! a downright plebeian; but five -millions, Julie!" - -"An honorable man, at all events?" - -"He is so considered. Have you decided?" - -"Yes, I refuse. Wouldn't you do as much? Would you think well of me if I -should accept?" - -"I said just what you say: I sent my man about his business, I laughed -at him. He replied obstinately; 'Five millions, madame, five millions!'" - -"And he must have convinced you, since you are here?" - -"Convinced or not, I was surprised, dazzled. I said, like the queen: -'You persuade me strongly!'" - -"Then you advise me to say yes?" - -"Don't say yes, say _perhaps_; then you can reflect and I will reflect -for you; for at this moment my brain is a little confused: those -millions intoxicated me. What would you have? The man is old, and before -long you will be free and people will have done crying out against the -misalliance; besides, everybody knows that your own descent is not very -distinguished. You will open a salon which will eclipse all Paris, and -where all Paris will trample upon itself to take part in your -entertainments; for, when all is said, all Paris has only one thing in -its head, which is to be amused and to go where people are amused. You -will give balls, concerts and theatricals; you will have artists, fine -singers and fine talkers; in a word, bright people to stir up and amuse -the people of quality, who are not bright. Ah! if I had millions--if I -had just two--I should know what to do with them! Come, don't think I am -mad, and don't be cowardly. Accept the plebeian and opulence." - -"And what about the husband's old age?" - -"An additional reason!" - -Julie was indignant, Amélie was offended; they had a falling-out. -Madame d'Ancourt had not mentioned the suitor's name--it had not -occurred to Julie to inquire. She placed the matter in Marcel's hands, -desiring that her refusal should be placed beyond question. She was -afraid that her impulsive friend, in her anger, would compromise her by -giving her protégé some reason to hope. Marcel went to Madame -d'Ancourt to learn the name of the man with the five millions. - -"Ah! she thinks better of it, does she?" cried the baroness. - -"No, madame, quite the reverse." - -"Very well, I shall not tell you. I gave my word of honor not to mention -any names, if the offer was rejected." - -Marcel went to his uncle; he had a suspicion of the truth, but he had -not dared suggest it to Madame d'Estrelle, thinking justly that she -would reproach him for having brought her into relations with an insane -old man. Moreover, he knew nothing of his uncle's fortune beyond the two -millions which he admitted, and that figure, which had been often -repeated to Julie, and so had prevented her from suspecting the truth, -went far to destroy Marcel's suspicions. - -"Well, my little uncle," he said abruptly as soon as he entered the room -"so you have five millions, have you?" - -"Why not thirty?" retorted the old man with a shrug; "have you gone -mad?" - -Marcel worried him with questions to no purpose; the uncle was -inscrutable. Moreover, a most momentous event had come to pass on his -domain, and his thoughts were completely diverted from his dreams of -marriage. The mysterious lily, at which he had so often gazed, which he -had watched and nurtured and watered so carefully, in the hope of being -able to give it his name, had unexpectedly, during those few days of -forgetfulness and neglect, put forth a sturdy shoot, which was already -laden with swelling buds; indeed, one of the buds had partly opened, -displaying a corolla soft as satin, of an incomparable sheeny white, -with bright red stripes. That exotic plant surpassed in oddity and in -beauty all its congeners, and the frantic horticulturist, endowed with -new life and almost consoled for his matrimonial mishap, exclaimed again -and again, as he paced his hothouse floor in intense excitement, pausing -at intervals to gloat over the budding of his plant: - -"There it is! there it is! my reputation is made. That shall be the -_Antonia Thierrii_, and all the collectors in Europe may burst with rage -if they choose." - -"Well, well!" said Marcel to himself, "is it the _Antonia_ or the -countess that my uncle is in love with?" - - - - -III - - -Marcel, seeing that his uncle's vanity as a horticulturist had resumed -the upper hand, and thinking that he might exploit his delight to the -advantage of his aunt and cousin, lavished the most fulsome praise on -the future Antonia. - -"You intend, of course, to present it to the Royal Garden. The learned -professors will hold you in the greatest esteem!" - -"Oh! as to that, not much!" replied Monsieur Antoine; "they can look at -it to their heart's content, describe it in their fine language, -_specificize_ it as they say; but it's the only specimen of its kind, -and I won't part with it until I have a lot of bulbs." - -"But what if it dies without offspring?" - -"Why, then my name will live in the catalogues!" - -"That isn't enough! If I were in your place I would have it painted, in -case of accident." - -"How painted? do you mean to say that they paint flowers now? Ah! I -understand, you mean that I ought to have a portrait made of it? I have -thought of that for some of my other rare plants; but I was on bad terms -with my brother, and when I went to other painters I was never satisfied -with their crazy daubing. I paid big prices and then slashed the canvas -or tore the paper." - -"And you have never thought of Julien?" - -"Bah! Julien! an apprentice!" - -"Have you ever seen any of his work?" - -"No, nothing, faith!" - -"Do you want me to bring----" - -"No, nothing, I tell you. We are not on good terms." - -"Yes you are! He has always called on you on the first of January every -year, and you have never had any fault to find with his manner toward -you." - -"True, he is well brought up, he isn't stupid or bad-looking; but since -I refused to advance him the money to redeem the house at Sèvres----" - -"Julien has never uttered a word of blame or dissatisfaction, I give you -my word of honor." - -"All that doesn't prove that he has the necessary talent!" - -"Look! a small specimen tells the story as well as a large one. Take -your magnifying glass and look at this." - -Marcel took from his pocket a pretty little tortoise-shell snuff-box, on -the lid of which was a bouquet painted in miniature by Julien. Although -it was not in his regular line of work, he had made a microscopic -reproduction of one of his large canvases to decorate this gift for -Marcel, and it was in truth a little _chef-d'œuvre._ - -Uncle Antoine did not know enough about painting to appreciate its -artistic qualities; but he knew the structure of every detail of a plant -as well as the most accomplished botanist, and, armed with his -magnifying glass, if he could not count the stamens of each flower and -the veins of each leaf, he could at all events assure himself that, in -the sacrifices which the artist had made in favor of the general effect, -there was involved no error, no caprice of the imagination, no offence, -however slight, against the unchangeable laws of creation. - -He looked a long while, then ingenuously inquired if Julien was capable -of painting flowers as large as life, and upon Marcel's replying in the -affirmative he decided that Julien should paint the portrait of the -_Antonia Thierrii_, but that it must be done under his eyes, so that he -could see to it that it was absolutely exact in the smallest details. - -"I know what these painters are!" he said; "they always want to invent, -to improve on the original. They talk to you about _style_ and _light_ -and _effect!_ Oh! I remember all their foolish words! If Julien chooses -to obey me, between us we may perhaps succeed in producing something -fine! Go and tell him, so that he will be ready to come and pass an hour -here the day after to-morrow; it will be in full flower then." - -Marcel went to consult Julien, then returned and told his uncle that he -would require at least two days to study his model, and that he must let -him work at it without making any suggestions until he should ask for -them, when he would comply with them if they seemed judicious to him. - -"He is very proud!" said the uncle angrily. "Here he is, raising -objections already, like his father! Does he think that I ask him to do -this as a favor? I intend to pay him, and to pay him as well as any -other man would. What is a day of any gentleman's work worth?" - -"He doesn't want to be paid. If you are satisfied with what he does, he -will ask you for your custom." - -"I know what that means; he will ask me----" - -"Nothing. You can settle everything yourself. We know that you are -generous with people you don't hate, and you won't hate Julien when you -know him better." - -"Very well, let him come at once; let him begin." - -"No, he has some work that is urgent; he will give you a few hours -to-morrow for a beginning." - -On the following day Julien began to study the plant, and made several -sketches of it, taking them from different points of view. Monsieur -Antoine, faithful to the conditions exacted, did not see these sketches -until they were submitted to him. He was more pleased with them than he -chose to say. That conscientious method of studying the structure and -bearing of the plant surprised and gratified him. Julien said little, -but kept his eyes constantly on his model and seemed to love it -passionately. The horticulturist began to feel some esteem for him, and -as Madame Thierry had never mentioned to her son her brother-in-law's -strange conduct toward her, as nothing in the young man's face or -manners betrayed the slightest feeling of aversion, Antoine, who had the -greater longing to become attached to some one as he became more -selfish, conceived a latent, and if we may say so, an underground sort -of friendship for him. - -On the second day Julien began to paint; thereupon the uncle ceased to -understand what he was doing and began to be uneasy. It was much worse -when Julien informed him that he must finish the work in his studio, -where the light was arranged as he wanted it, and where he had a -multitude of little things which he could not carry back and forth -without forgetting some of them. It was some distance from the pavilion -to the hôtel de Melcy, and he would have no time to waste going to and -fro the next day, for it was most essential to seize on the wing the -plant's expression when it was in full bloom. - -But to transport the model was to put it in peril, to hasten its -blooming, weaken its stalk, deaden its lustre! Uncle Antoine, finding -the artist immovable, determined to carry the priceless _Antonia_ to the -studio himself, with the greatest possible care, even at the risk of -meeting Madame Thierry and being obliged to salute her. - -In forcing this unpleasant sacrifice upon Uncle Antoine, Julien was not -governed by the petty crotchets of a finical artist. He was following -Marcel's advice, who was bent upon bringing about some sort of -reconciliation between the relations, and who, having abandoned all hope -of inducing Madame Thierry to make the slightest advance, had considered -it necessary to surprise her by an unexpected meeting with her enemy. - -Madame Thierry, whom we have represented to you as perfect in every -respect, and who was as perfect as a woman can be, had nevertheless one -little failing. Although she was not coquettish, although she did not -pretend or believe herself to be still young, she had never said to -herself: "I am an old woman."--What woman in her day was more sensible -or more clear-sighted? Her youth had burst into flower among madrigals -and gallant speech and manners. She had been so pretty, and she was so -well preserved! Her husband, although he ruined her by his recklessness, -had been in love with her to his last day, and it really seemed as if -that old couple were destined to reproduce the legend of Philemon and -Baucis. By dint of being told that she was still charming, which was -perfectly true considering her age, good Madame Thierry still thought -and felt herself to be all a woman, and after thirty-five years she had -not forgotten how deeply the ex-armorer's proposal had wounded her pride -and her self-esteem. That brutal man, who had had the audacity to say to -her: "I am here, I am rich, you may as well love me instead of my -brother," had caused her the only real mortification connected with what -society in those days called "her fault." Later, her charm and loyalty -had caused her husband's admirers to seek her society. She was able to -hold her head erect, to triumph over prejudice, to occupy a place apart, -an exceptional and most desirable place in public opinion. She was happy -therefore except for a single wound, still bleeding, in the depths of -her heart. It seemed to her that her honor had been sullied once in her -life, by Monsieur Antoine's offers and aspirations. - -Marcel was unable to penetrate this labyrinth of feminine refinements. -He believed that time had wiped out the last trace of that absurd -episode, and that Madame Thierry told the truth when she declared that -she was ready to forgive everything in order to obtain for Julien his -wealthy kinsman's favor. - -Julien was not the man to covet Uncle Antoine's wealth. He had never -said to himself that by fawning upon him he might make sure of a goodly -share of his inheritance. For a long time he had fought against the idea -of asking him for a slight service; but the longing to recover for his -mother, by hard work, the house in which she had been so happy, had -overcome his pride. Determined to devote his whole life, if necessary, -to the task of paying his debt, he no longer blushed at the measures -which Marcel took to induce Antoine to advance the necessary funds. - -But, when it was time for his uncle to appear, Julien had some scruples -about deceiving his mother. He was afraid that the surprise would be too -great, and he tried to prepare her for the visit he expected. Madame -Thierry made the best of it; but she had hardly saluted Monsieur Antoine -when she went up to her room on the first pretext that occurred to her, -and there remained, unable to make up her mind to face that antipathetic -individual. Antoine, who had not seen her for thirty years or more, did -not recognize her at once, and had not the presence of mind to -apologize. He had walked across his grounds, which had a servants' gate -opening on Rue de Babylone, near the pavilion. As he would trust no one -but himself to touch his beplumed lily, he had brought it in with his -own hands. He placed it with his own hands on the table in the little -studio. He removed with his own hands the enormous horn of white paper -which protected it; and when he saw that the artist was fairly at work, -he took a newspaper which Madame d'Estrelle sent to Madame Thierry every -morning, and dozed in a corner of the studio. - -Julien expected Marcel, who had promised to attempt to effect the -reconciliation which he had planned; but Marcel was detained by -unexpected business and did not appear. Madame Thierry did not come -down. Julien felt that he could not break the ice unassisted by his -cousin; so he did not speak, but worked on, did his best, and thought of -Julie. - -Uncle Antoine slept with one eye open. He felt agitated, excited, -constrained, in the house of the woman he hated, and in sight of the -hôtel d'Estrelle, where his new inamorata lived. He rose, walked back -and forth in his squeaking shoes, sat down again, and, forgetting his -lily for a moment, tried to talk with Julien. - -"Do you have much work?" he asked. - -"A good deal." - -"And people pay you well?" - -"Well enough. I have no reason to complain." - -"How much do you earn a day?" - -"About thirty francs, taking one day with another," said Julien, with a -smile. - -"That's not very much; but your father at your age didn't earn so much -as that, and you will increase your prices from year to year, I -suppose?" - -"I hope so and expect so." - -"You lead a temperate and regular life, so I am told?" - -"I am forced to do so, uncle." - -"You don't go into society, I imagine?" - -"I have no time for that." - -"But you know some people of quality?" - -"Those who were friends of my father have not forgotten me." - -"Do you sometimes pay visits?" - -"Rarely, and only when it is necessary." - -"Do you know the Baronne d'Ancourt?" - -"I know her name, nothing more." - -"Isn't she a friend of Madame d'Estrelle?" - -"I have no idea." - -"But you know Madame d'Estrelle?" - -"No, uncle." - -"You have never seen her?" - -"Never." - -Julien told this lie with resolution. It seemed to him that everybody -was trying to pry into his secret, and he had determined to conceal it -more securely with a cloak of savage distrust. - -"That's funny," continued Uncle Antoine, who may have conceived some -suspicions of his own in order to remain true to his habit of suspecting -everybody. "Your mother passes hours and days in her garden, even in her -salon, they say, and you----" - -"I am not my mother." - -"You mean that you are not noble?" - -"I mean that I am not old enough to call on a person who receives only -older people." - -"Perhaps you regret that you are too young, eh?" - -"I am very glad that I am young, I assure you!" replied Julien, laughing -at his uncle's peculiar reflections. - -The uncle, foiled in his attack, began to pace the floor again with a -jerky, nerve-wearing step; then he said to Julien: - -"Will it take you much longer?" - -"Two or three hours." - -"May I look?" - -"If you choose." - -"Oho! that's not bad; that begins to look like something. But you're -painting the whole background; where will you put the plant's name? I -want it in big gold letters." - -"Then I won't put it anywhere. It would spoil my effect." - -"Ah! upon my word! But I will have my name!" - -"You can have it put in large black letters on a raised plate at the top -or bottom of the gilt frame." - -"Good! that's a good idea! If you give me a masterpiece, I'll invite you -to the ceremony of baptism." - -"Pshaw! a ceremony?" - -"Oh! yes, the gentlemen from the Royal Garden are coming to breakfast -with me to-morrow. I have invited them. I expect they'll come, and, as -it tires me to sit in one place with folded arms, I'll just go home and -see if everything is going on all right, for I mean to have a sort of -party. Take good care of my lily, don't let anyone disturb you, work -without stopping. I will come back in an hour." - -And as each touch of the brush, wielded by Julien with an enthusiastic -and unerring hand, seemed to make the marvellous plant actually live on -the canvas, the uncle was profoundly impressed, smiled, and softened so -far as to pat the young man's shoulder, saying: - -"Courage, my boy, courage! Satisfy me, and perhaps you won't be sorry." - -He went out, but, instead of returning to his own house, he bent his -steps mechanically in the direction of the hôtel d'Estrelle. A confused -multitude of ideas, alluring, disturbing, audacious, caused a mad whirl -in that poor brain, at once enfeebled and excited by isolation, wealth, -ennui and vanity. - -"I made a mistake," he said to himself, "in entrusting my proposal to -that rattle-pated baroness. She went about it the wrong way; she didn't -even mention my name! She said that I was an old _roturier_--that was -all; and the little countess never guessed that she was referring to a -well-preserved man, whom she herself praised for his excellent health -and fine appearance; a man she knows to be generous and big-hearted, and -whose talents as an amateur gardener and producer of varieties are not -to be despised. I propose to straighten matters out. I am going to -declare myself, and find out whether I am to love her or hate her." - -He resolutely entered the house, and asked for an interview with the -countess on business. She hesitated a little about receiving him; she -knew that he was queer and she considered him a sort of maniac. She -would have liked Marcel to be present at the interview; but she knew her -old neighbor's sensitiveness, and she was afraid that she might impair -Madame Thierry's interests by refusing to see him. So she bade her -servant show him in. She was alone, but she thought that it would be the -most absurd prudery to take alarm at a tête-à-tête with an old man -whose rigid morals were well-known. - -The rich man arrived prepared for a struggle; he imagined that he would -have to fight to obtain this tête-à-tête. When he found that it was -accorded him with no other obstacle than about two minutes of waiting, -when he saw the slightly reserved but always courteous and affable -greeting of his fair neighbor, his courage failed him. Like all those -who have no opportunity to exchange their thoughts and no one to -contradict them, he was as bold as any man could be in his projects; it -was that boldness which had made him rich, and he had full confidence in -it; but as he had never acted except behind the scenes, he was as -incapable of taking a step in his own person on the stage of the world -and of speaking to a lady, as he would have been of commanding a ship -and negotiating with the Algonquin Indians. He turned pale, stammered, -replaced his hat on his head, and fell into such dire confusion that -Madame d'Estrelle, surprised and disturbed, was forced to come to his -assistance by broaching the subject which, in her mind, was the motive -of his visit. - -"So we seem to be treading on delicate ground, my dear neighbor," she -said to him in an amiable tone, "with respect to that wretched pavilion, -which, I fondly hoped, was to establish a good understanding between us -and put us on a neighborly footing. Do you know that I consider you -unreasonable and that I am inclined to scold you?" - -"I am mad, everyone knows that," rejoined Antoine sulkily. "If people -keep on telling me so, they will end by making me believe it!" - -"I ask nothing better than to be proved in the wrong," replied Julie; -"but give me some good reason for accepting the gift you offer. I defy -you to do it." - -"You defy me? Then you wish me to speak? The reason is plain enough. I -am interested in you." - -"You are very kind!" said Julie, with an imperceptible smile of irony; -"but----" - -"But it's a fact, madame la comtesse, that you are made to make people -think about you--and I was thinking about you, deuce take me! I said to -myself: 'It's a pity that a person so--a lady who--in fact, a good woman -should be hunted by bailiffs. I am only a vulgar fellow, but I have an -idea that I'm not such a curmudgeon as the fine gentlemen and ladies of -her family.'--That is why I said what I said; and you took offence at -it, which shows that you look down on me." - -"Oh! not that, no indeed!" cried the countess. "Look down on you because -you wanted to do a kind deed? No, a hundred times, no! You know that -that is impossible!" - -"Then why refuse?" - -"Listen, Monsieur Thierry; will you give me your word as a man of honor -that you fully understand me, that you are quite sure of the sincerity -and unselfishness of my behavior toward you?" - -"Yes, madame, I give you my word of honor. If that wasn't so, _mordié!_ -do you suppose I would have come to see you again?" - -"Very well, then I accept," said Julie, offering him her hand; "but on -one condition, and that is that you give me back your good will." - -Old Antoine lost his head when he felt that soft little hand in his hard -dry one. He had a sort of dizzy feeling, and, in his uncertainty what to -do with that hand, which he thought that he ought not to kiss, and which -he dared not press, he let it fall again, and stammered out his thanks -incoherently, but with something like warmth. - -"Since you treat me as if you were my debtor," continued Madame -d'Estrelle, "I warn you that I shall be very exacting. As a matter of -fact, I need only twenty thousand francs for the moment. Authorize me to -offer the other twenty thousand to Madame Thierry as from you." - -"Oh! that isn't possible!" said Antoine angrily. "She will -refuse.--There's a person who detests me! I have just been to call on -her. She turned tail and ran up into her garret!" - -"Is it that you have wronged her in some way then, neighbor?" - -"Never! If she chooses to think otherwise--But let her say what she -will, I am an honorable man." - -"She has never said that you weren't." - -"Has she never spoken to you about me? Come, on _your_ word of honor?" - -"On my honor, never!" - -"In that case--look you! tell her to respect me as she ought, and don't -talk about giving her money that belongs to you; for, deuce take me! if -you choose to think well of me and not blush at my friendship, I'll toss -her a pretty little present! I'll redeem her house at Sèvres. What -would you say to that, eh?" - -"I should say, my dear neighbor," exclaimed Madame d'Estrelle, deeply -touched, "that you are the best of men!" - -"The best, honor bright?" said the rich man, flattered to the last -degree in his pride; "the best, you say?" - -"Yes, the best rich man whom I know." - -"Then it's as good as done! Will you come to breakfast at my house -to-morrow with some scientific men, very famous men of intellect, and -attend a christening? Will you be godmother and stand up with me?" - -"Yes, at what hour?" - -"Twelve o'clock." - -"I will come! but I must come with some one, as you are to have men -there who do not know me. I will come with----" - -"With my sister-in-law; I see what you are coming at!" - -"Do you forbid me?" - -"Forbid you? Do you know that you talk as if I were your master?" he -rejoined, with a fatuous, mysterious air. - -"As if you were my father," replied Julie artlessly. - -An old man of impure morals would have been wounded by that remark; but -Antoine was virtuous in his madness, and we have no hesitation in -asserting that he was not in love with Julie. The countess alone, not -the woman, was the object of his passion. It mattered little to him -whether she was his adopted daughter or his wife. Provided that he could -show her to his grave and learned guests on the morrow, to Marcel, to -Julien, to Madame Thierry above all, and to all his gardeners, leaning -on his arm or seated at his table, and manifesting a sort of filial -affection for him, undisturbed by any thought of what people might say, -it seemed to him that he should be perfectly happy. - -"And if I am not satisfied yet," he mused, speaking to himself of -himself with boundless affection, "I shall be in time to tame her and -lead her on to marriage, to sacrifice her title for the name of Thierry -senior, which will then be quite as illustrious as that of my brother, -Thierry the painter!--Since you are so _polite_," he said to Julie, "I -will not be outdone. I will do all that you want me to do. For instance, -be kind enough to invite Madame André Thierry in my name, and say to -her that if you should fail to keep your appointment to-morrow through -her fault, I will never forgive her as long as I live." - -"I will answer for her, neighbor. Until to-morrow, and have no fear!" - -"Would it trouble you to say _my friend_?" said Antoine, whose tongue -was loosened under the influence of internal well-being. - -"It would not trouble me at all," replied Julie, laughingly; "I will -call you that to-morrow, if you keep your word." - -"You will call me that--in public?" - -"In public, with all my heart." - -The old man took his leave, staggering like a drunken man. In the street -he muttered to himself, with gleaming eyes and vehement gestures. The -people he met took him for an escaped lunatic. - -He followed the wall of the Estrelle garden, instinctively turning to -see if Julien was still working and if his lily was uninjured. Suddenly -it occurred to him that Madame d'Ancourt might ruin everything if she -should reveal to Madame d'Estrelle the name of the suitor she had -described. Julie evidently had no suspicion; evidently she saw no -ulterior purpose behind her old neighbor's attachment. There was no -reason why she should not come around gradually to the point of -accepting him for a husband as she had more experience of his -munificence; but he had undertaken to progress too rapidly; he had come -within an ace of spoiling everything. As the baroness was not opposed to -his success, he must hasten to her before thinking of anything else, -tell her how matters had progressed and enjoin silence upon her. He -jumped into an empty cab which happened to pass, and ordered the cabman -to take him to the hôtel d'Ancourt. - -Julie was profoundly moved; like every generous heart which has set on -foot and carried through a good action, she was happy in absolute -forgetfulness of self. That forgetfulness of self was so complete that -she threw over her shoulders a light cape of violet silk and ran to the -pavilion, impatient to announce the great news to Madame André, and to -make her promise to chaperone her at the banquet at the hôtel de Melcy. -She was thinking no more of Julien than if he had never existed, or, if -she did think of him, she had no conception of the danger she ran in -meeting him. That danger, of the gravity of which she was entirely -ignorant, seemed to her a trifle in comparison with the great event -which led her to go to his mother. Moreover, she was alone. No one in -her salon, no one in the garden. Would the roses be scandalized by her -action, would the nightingales cry out over the walls that Madame -d'Estrelle was going into a house where there might be a young man whom -she had never seen? - -At that moment Julien had no leisure to watch for Julie's approach. He -must paint rapidly and without distraction. The lily could not promise -not to fade and curl at the edges before the last stroke of the brush. -Madame Thierry was in her room with Marcel, who, after exchanging a few -words with Julien, was attempting to confess and convince his aunt by -lecturing her in private, as the subject of his homily had thus far been -kept from the young artist, and it was thought best to keep him in -ignorance of it. - -Madame d'Estrelle tapped gently at the door of the pavilion. A huge dray -laden with stone was passing along the street at that moment. The -creaking of the wheels, the shouts of the drayman and the cracking of -his whip drowned the faint sound of her knocking. Being most anxious to -see Madame Thierry before she was informed of what had happened, and -offended by some gruff message from the eccentric Antoine, Madame -d'Estrelle resolutely opened the outer door, then a second one, and -found herself in Julien's studio, face to face with him; for his model -was placed in the light that shone through the window upon that door, -and Julie appeared to the artist in a flood of radiance, as if she had -come to him in a sunbeam. - -He was so unprepared for that vision that he nearly fell senseless. All -his blood rushed to his heart and his face turned whiter than Monsieur -Antoine's lily. He could neither speak nor bow; he stood rooted to the -floor, palette in hand, with staring eyes and as if actually turned to -stone. - -What analogous process was taking place in the lovely countess's heart -and senses? It is certain that at the sight of that wonderfully -beautiful young man, of a type of beauty wherein nobility of outline was -surpassed only by intelligence of expression, she had a sort of -instinctive feeling of respect; for he was not really a stranger to her. -She knew the whole story of his upright, noble labor, his persistence in -working earnestly and regularly, his filial love, his generous -aspirations, the esteem and affection which he deserved, and which -nobody who knew him could deny him. It may be that she had sometimes -been curious to see him, but if so she had forbidden herself to give way -to curiosity, whether because it seemed childish to her, or because she -had a vague presentiment of some danger to herself. - -Let us not attempt to dissect her feelings farther. She was apparently -all ready for the invasion of the sentiment which was to decide her -fate. She received a terrible shock; the confusion which paralyzed -Julien took complete possession of her, and for a moment she was as -silent and motionless as he. - -If anyone had seen that beautiful couple, fashioned by the hands of God, -in some region inaccessible to social prejudices, coming together under -the natural and awe-inspiring conditions of the all-governing logic, he -would have said unhesitatingly that logic, born of God, had made -that magnificent man for that fascinating woman, and that sensible, -genuine woman for that high-spirited and earnest man. All was charm and -gentleness in Julie's grace; all was passion and unselfishness in -Julien's beauty. As at last their glances met in the bright radiance of -that May sun, redolent with the fragrance of nature's new light, each -one uttered mentally, as it were an outcry of irresistible love, the -names which chance had given them--_Julie, Julien_--as if they were -destined to have but one name between them. - -Thus it required a mighty effort of will for them to remember the -distance that separated them socially. - -"Of course, it is the young painter," thought Julie; "I fancied for a -moment that I saw a demi-god." - -"Alas!" said Julien to himself, "it is the _grande dame_; I fancied for -a moment that I saw the half of myself." - -She bowed first, and asked him if he were Monsieur Julien Thierry. He -bowed to the ground as he said with a hypocritical expression of doubt: - -"Madame la Comtesse d'Estrelle?" - -What trifling! as if they had any occasion to ask questions before -taking possession of each other. - -"Is madame your mother out?" - -"No, madame, I will call her." - -And he did not stir; his feet seemed to be nailed to the floor. - -"She is with my cousin Marcel Thierry," he added; "shall I tell him to -come down and receive his orders?" - -"Do not call anybody. I will go up if you will show me the way. But -stay," she added, seeing that Julien was incapable of moving. "Perhaps -it will be well to notify madame your mother. I did not see her -yesterday; perhaps she is not well?" - -"She is a little indisposed," said Julien. - -"Then--yes, you must prepare her for a--pleasant surprise, thank God! -which might, however, give her too great a shock. Tell her gently that I -bring great and good news from Monsieur Antoine Thierry in relation to -the house at Sèvres." - -Julien could not nor did not think that he should resist the desire to -thank Madame d'Estrelle. As he had recovered his presence of mind to -some extent, he blessed her for what she was doing for his mother, in -terms so overflowing with emotion and delicacy of sentiment, that she -was profoundly touched, but not surprised. With such a nature as his and -such an irresistible face Julien could not express himself otherwise. -Thereupon the ice was broken and all the rigid rules of etiquette were -forgotten, as if distrust would have been a mutual insult; and they -talked for a moment with an extraordinary absence of constraint. - -"I am overjoyed to have been of assistance to your mother," said Julie, -"as you must know. She cannot have failed to tell you how dearly I love -her!" - -"You are quite right to love her, you will never repent it. Her heart is -worthy of yours." - -"I should be very glad if I could say that my heart is worthy of her -confidence. Oh! she has told me about you! You adore her, I know; and -God will bless you for that boundless filial love." - -"He blesses me already, since it is you who say so." - -"And I do say so with all my heart. Why should I not say so to you? -There are so few persons whom one can esteem without reserve!" - -"There are some whose esteem is so great a blessing, that, in order to -obtain it one would accept the hatred and contempt of all the rest of -mankind." - -"Oh! that is mere politeness; you do not know me well enough----" - -"I know you, madame, by your acts of kindness, by the nobleness and -delicacy of your heart. One must needs be deaf not to know you, blind -not to understand you; and the calling down of one more blessing on your -head cannot surprise you, provided that it be done humbly by one forever -prostrate at your feet." - -Julie felt that the atmosphere she breathed was beginning to glow. She -instinctively tried to recover her self-possession, but could not find -the necessary courage to run away from that perilous interview. - -"Are you also pleased," she said, "to recover the house in which you -grew up?" - -"Pleased for my poor mother's sake, oh! yes, madame; but on my own -account--no!" - -"Are you attached to Paris?" - -"No, not at all; but----" - -Julien's glowing, melting eyes said plainly enough what his thoughts -were. Julie understood only too well. She tried to change the subject; -she looked at the artist's pictures, she praised his talent, which was -revealed to her simultaneously with his love, and she thought that she -was telling him that she understood his art; but really it was his -passion that she understood, and each word they uttered betrayed the -all-absorbing thought that was in their minds. They both suddenly became -so confused that they had no idea what they were talking about, and -Madame d'Estrelle pounced upon Monsieur Antoine's lily in order to seem -to be talking about something. - -"Ah! what a lovely flower," she said, "and how sweet it smells!" - -"Do you like it?" cried Julien. - -And with the heedless impetuosity of a lover drunk with joy, he broke -the stalk of the _Antonia Thierrii_, and presented the superb flower to -Julie. - -Julie knew nothing whatever of the affair in which that plant played so -important a part; she had not seen Marcel for three days, and as Madame -Thierry carefully avoided any mention of Monsieur Antoine's name, -nothing had been told her. When she was invited to a christening at the -hôtel de Melcy on the following day, she naturally supposed that the -subject was the child of some favorite gardener. In short she was a -hundred leagues from imagining that by breaking that stalk Julien broke -off all relations with his uncle, and cast, it might be, a whole -lifetime of affluence at the feet of his idol. - -And yet she uttered a cry of surprise and terror when she saw the -artist's impulsive act. - -"Ah! _mon Dieu!_" she exclaimed, "what are you doing? Your model!" - -"I have finished," Julien replied hastily. - -"No, you have not finished, I can see that plainly enough!" - -"I can finish without a model: I know it by heart!" - -And as he cast a last glance of mental possession on the lily, yielding -for a moment to his love for his art, Julie replaced it on its stalk and -held it there, saying with playful and utterly unconscious grace: - -"I will hold it, finish your work; it will not wither at once. Come, -make haste. The painting is so lovely! I should never forgive myself if -I were the cause of your giving it up. Work away, I insist upon it!" - -"You insist?" said the bewildered Julien. - -And as there was another fresh piece of canvas behind his picture, he -drew and painted with furious ardor Madame d'Estrelle's shapely and -beautiful hand. The lily did not progress. It stood on its stalk to no -purpose, while the unconscious Julie held it there waiting until it -should droop never to rise again. - -O Uncle Antoine! where were you while such a crime was being committed, -fearlessly and remorselessly, under the eye of a drowsing or evil-minded -Providence? - -A noise on the stairs recalled Julie to herself; it was Marcel coming -down to tell Julien that his mother had agreed to see Monsieur Antoine -when he returned to the pavilion. Madame d'Estrelle, ashamed to be -surprised in that tête-à-tête and on such extraordinarily familiar -terms with the artist, hurriedly pushed the stalk of the _Antonia_ into -the light, moist earth in the pot. The _Antonia_ seemed to have noticed -nothing and preserved its freshness and beauty, Marcel entered and did -not discover the catastrophe. - -The countess's presence was enough of a surprise for him. She felt -exceedingly shamefaced before him, and Julien observed it. He at once, -with true manliness, surmounted all emotion, and with imperturbable -self-possession informed Marcel that madame la comtesse had just arrived -and wished to speak with his mother. At the same time he brought a chair -forward for Julie, as if she had not been seated at all, then left the -room to tell Madame Thierry, saluting his visitor with respectful -dignity. - -Madame d'Estrelle was infinitely grateful to the artist for this sudden -resolution. Even that slight indication showed her that he was no child -capable of compromising her by ill-timed ingenuousness, but a man fully -armed and ready to protect her against all the world, to save her at -need from the consequences of her own rashness. She loved him altogether -for it, but she felt at the same time that he was the master of her -destiny, since there was already a secret between them to be concealed -from the searching glances of their common friends. - -While she tried to give Marcel a rapid _résumé_ of her conversation -with Monsieur Antoine, Julien entered his mother's room. She saw such a -radiant expression on his face that she cried out: - -"_Mon Dieu!_ how beautiful your eyes are this morning! What on earth has -happened?" - -"Madame d'Estrelle is downstairs," said Julien. "She brings you joy and -comfort. She has induced Monsieur Antoine to redeem your dear little -_cabin._ Come quickly! put up your hair and come down to thank your good -angel." - -Madame Thierry, surprised, overjoyed, and at the same time dismayed--for -the mother's eye could not be deceived, but saw clearly the restrained -passion under Julien's apparent frankness,--was so overwhelmed that she -burst into tears. - -"Well, well," said Julien, "what does this mean? Poor mother! you are so -stout-hearted in misfortune; can't you endure joy? Come, let your hair -hang down, if you can't put it up and come down just as you are. Madame -d'Estrelle will see you weeping for joy, and that will not make her feel -hurt, I promise you!" - -"Julien! Julien! there is pain blended with my pleasure! yes, and fear -too!" - -"You are afraid you will have to thank Monsieur Antoine? Nonsense, you -unforgiving creature! that is too childish!" - -Madame Thierry was on the point of swooning. Julien almost lost patience -with her, for her agitation caused him to lose minutes, seconds which he -might have passed with Julie. Marcel, who was delighted by the good news -she had brought, was also vexed by his aunt's delay, and went upstairs -to hurry her. So that Julie was left alone in the studio for several -moments. - -Those moments, swiftly as they passed, seemed afterward like a century -in her memory, for the light shone into her heart in a single dazzling -ray. "Your happiness is found," said an inward voice in a tone of -sovereign authority: "it is here. It consists in nothing less than the -possession of a boundless love concealed in the bosom of a narrow, -straitened existence. Julien's mother knew and enjoyed that happiness -throughout her youth. Intercourse with the world and opulence added -nothing to her happiness. They rather diminished it by introducing ideas -foreign to love. Forget society, you will be the better for it. Break -with your whole past, which deceived you and set you at odds with -yourself. Become reconciled to your own beginnings, which are more -nearly connected with the third estate than with the nobility; and to -your conscience, which reproaches you for having listened to the advice -of false glory and for having yielded to the threats of your ambitious -kinsfolk; seek to be received back into favor by the God who abandons -souls which are enamored of false joys; be true, be strong like this -young man who adores you, and who has just revealed to you in a glance -the greatest and noblest passion you will ever inspire!" - -As she listened to this mysterious voice in her own heart, Julie looked -about her and was surprised to find that a divine tranquillity succeeded -to the agitation which had overwhelmed her. She thoroughly relished the -charm of a very simple little phenomenon. Short-sighted though she was, -she was able to see everything in a room so much smaller than those to -which she was accustomed. A very humble dwelling was that Louis XIII. -pavilion; but it was embellished by a tastefulness of arrangement which -revealed the artist whose love of refinement was not lessened by -poverty. The building was not ugly in itself. The deep, broad -window-recess where the widow had installed her arm-chair as in a little -sanctum, with her spinning-wheel, her little table and the cushion for -her feet, imparted a sort of homelike Flemish aspect to that part of the -studio; the rest had been recently restored, but with the strictest -economy. Plain gray wainscoting with raised borders to the panels; -straight lines everywhere, but nothing out of proportion; a white -ceiling, rather low, but devoid of any crushing effect; above the doors, -oval spaces with very simple garlands of foliage carved on wood and -painted, as was the beading of the panels, a deeper shade of gray than -the rest; two or three beautiful fruit and flower pieces, highly prized -specimens of André Thierry's work, with several sketches and one or two -small studies by Julien; a large bowl of Rouen porcelain, standing on a -console in front of a mirror, and filled with wild flowers and green -branches gracefully arranged and hanging to the floor; a small rug -before the couch, two or three easels, shells, boxes of insects, -statuettes and engravings on a large table; cane-seated oak chairs, and -a small harp, whose old gilded frame glistened in a dark corner, the -only brilliant object in the whole room: surely there was nothing in all -this to denote great affluence; but over it all there was a varnish of -exquisite neatness, an atmosphere of freshness and a soft light most -conducive to revery. The studio was darkened a little by the lilacs in -the garden, which were too near and too dense; but there was a strange -fascination in that greenish light, and there was in the air an -indefinable invitation to rapt contemplation, which Julie felt most -profoundly. What more did one need than that humble and unpretentious -retreat to taste the pure joy and unending bliss of moral security? Of -what benefit was it to Julie to have magnificent furniture, a thousand -trinkets on her what-nots at which she never looked, blue ceilings -starred with gold over her head, Gobelin carpets under her feet, Sèvres -vases to hold her bouquets, lackeys in gold lace to announce her -friends, her pockets full of Chinese fans, and her jewel-cases of -diamonds? All those things had amused her but a single day, and what -playthings can divert a heart that is bored? Julien's austere and -laborious life, his pathetic, never-ending tête-à-tête with his -mother, his love, concealed and prostrate as he himself had said,--these -were surely purer and nobler than the existence, surrounded by flattery, -of a frivolous or blasé nobleman. - -A sparrow which Julien had tamed, and which lived among the neighboring -trees, entered the studio and lighted familiarly on Julie's shoulder. -She was surprised for a moment and thought that it was a miracle, a -presage of happiness or of victory. She was really bewildered with -emotion. - -At last Madame Thierry appeared, sorely perturbed and deeply moved. She -had insisted upon being left alone with the countess for an instant. She -threw herself at her feet, and, being at once compelled by her to rise, -spoke thus to her: - -"You are as kind as the angels, my lovely neighbor. I bless you a -thousand times! But I must tell you of my sorrow as well as my joy: my -son, my dear Julien, is lost if he does not abandon all hope of ever -seeing you again. He loves you, madame, he loves you madly! He deceived -me, he told me that he had hardly seen you in the distance; but he sees -you every day, he gazes at you stealthily, he is driving himself wild, -he is killing himself, by looking at you. He doesn't eat, he doesn't -sleep, he has lost all his cheerfulness, his eyes are hollow, his voice -rings with fever. He has never loved before, but I know how he will -love, how he loves already. Alas! he has an excitable temperament, with -a mind of extraordinary constancy. Discourage him if possible, madame, -by not looking at him, by not speaking to him, by never seeing him -again. Have mercy on him and on me, and do not come to our house again! -In a few days we shall go away; absence will cure him perhaps. If it -does not cure him, I do not know what I shall do to avoid dying of -grief." - -Madame Thierry sobbed bitterly, and there was in her tears an eloquence -born of conviction which dealt Julie the last blow. Her whole dream of -happiness seemed destined to vanish in face of this mother's despair. -That delicious revery which had poured such balm into her heart was a -mere vagary at which she herself would smile when she returned home. Had -she decided to break all social bonds in order to throw herself into the -arms of a man whom she had just seen for the first time? That was a most -absurd idea, and Madame Thierry was a thousand times right in looking -upon it as impossible. Julie made an effort to agree with her and to -drive away the vertigo that had assailed her; but the charm must have -been exceedingly potent, for it seemed to her that reason had torn the -heart out of her breast, and, instead of devising some dignified and -sensible response to encourage the poor mother, she threw herself into -her arms and followed her example by bursting into tears. - -These tears so surprised Madame Thierry that she nearly lost her head. -She dared not ask for an explanation of them; nor indeed had she any -time to do so, for Julien and Marcel entered the room. - -"Come, come, my dear mother," said the former, "you weep too much, and I -am sure that you have forgotten to thank madame and make up your mind -what to do. Marcel tells me that you ought also to thank Monsieur -Thierry in person, and to go to his house to-morrow to----" - -At that moment Julien, who was trying to see Julie's face, which was -turned toward the window, detected the furtive movement she made to -conceal and wipe away her tears. He forced back an exclamation, and -involuntarily stepped toward her. Marcel, who saw the extraordinary -confusion of the two women, but could not understand it at all, unless -it meant that Madame Thierry had had an attack of hysterics and had said -something too affecting to the countess, tried to take up Julien's -interrupted sentence and continue the conversation. - -"Yes, yes," he said, "to-morrow we are to attend the christening of----" - -But he followed Julien's example, and stood with staring eye and parted -lips, unable to utter another word; for he had glanced, not at Julie, -but at the plant which he was about to name, and saw that it was reduced -to a parcel of leaves from which protruded a broken stalk, wet with the -sap that dropped from it like tears. - -"Where is it?" he cried in dismay. "Great God, Julien, what have you -done with it? where is the _Antonia?_" - -Nobody answered. Madame Thierry looked at Julien, who looked at nobody -but Madame d'Estrelle, and Madame d'Estrelle, who knew nothing about the -lily, did not know what to think of her solicitor's unaffected dismay. - -"What are you looking for, pray?" she said, rising. - -And as she rose she dropped at her feet the _Antonia_, which, when she -was left alone, she had taken from the vase again and laid lovingly on -her knees. - -Madame Thierry understood at once. Marcel simply noticed the fact; he -had no suspicion of the real explanation. - -"Ah! madame," he exclaimed, "to any other than you I should say that you -have ruined us! But what can I say to you? And, after all, why need we -fear, when you are the culprit? Uncle Antoine cannot possibly be angry -with you, as you did not know. Did not Julien tell you?" - -"Evidently Julien did not explain matters to our benefactress," said -Madame Thierry; "but she must see that everybody here is not in his -right mind, and that, by seeking to assist us, she runs the risk of -adding to our woes." - -"You are the one who is not in her right mind, mother," cried Julien, -vehemently. "Really I don't understand you to-day! You are over-excited; -your words betray your thoughts. It seems that, instead of thanking -Madame d'Estrelle, you have been confiding to her some dreams or other." - -Julien continued to scold his mother, who began to weep afresh. Marcel, -observing Madame d'Estrelle's stupefaction, led her aside and gave her -in three words the key to the mystery, and with it tangible proof, so to -speak, of the young artist's ardent passion. She was profoundly affected -at first, but she recovered her presence of mind and summoned all her -strength to turn aside the blow which threatened the family. - -[Illustration 03: _A DISTURBED CONFERENCE_ -_Julien roughly enjoined silence on Marcel, grasping -his arm and whispering_: -"_For God's sake, hush! there is somebody outside -listening!_"] - -"Leave it to me," she said to Madame Thierry, striving to be cheerful; -"I take everything on myself. It was I who committed the sin, it is for -me to repair it." - -"The sin! What sin?" cried Julien. - -"Yes, yes, I took a fancy to that flower and asked you for it! No, no! -what am I saying? I am losing my mind! It was I who broke it, a foolish -caprice--in a fit of absent-mindedness! You were not here. I am awkward, -I can't see very well--However, I will explain it all to your uncle. -_Mon Dieu!_ what do you expect that he will do? He won't beat me. I will -humbly beg his forgiveness; he is not so hard-hearted!" - -"Alas!" said Madame Thierry, "unfortunately he is very hard-hearted when -he is injured, and if he knew that Julien had committed this -sacrilege----" - -"So it was really Julien who did it?" said Marcel, utterly dumbfounded. -"This is very strange!" - -"Well, yes, it was I, I alone!" replied Julien, vehemently, "and there -is nothing strange about it." - -"Yes indeed there is!" said Marcel in an undertone, his eyes suddenly -opened to the secret of the catastrophe. "You are a little too mad, my -boy, and your heart must be as fickle as your brain to sacrifice your -mother's future and your own in this way; to say nothing of the fact -that Madame d'Estrelle is too kind, and that she would have done much -better to teach you your place." - -"Hush, Marcel, hush!" said Julien, "you are talking nonsense; you don't -understand." - -"I understand too well," replied Marcel, "and, on my word, I agree with -your mother now, I say that you are losing your wits!" - -This dialogue in undertones was carried on in the window-recess, while -the two women stood together near the vase in which Madame Thierry was -trying to replant the stalk of the beheaded lily, talking at random, and -saying nothing which had the slightest meaning; for her greatest source -of perturbation was not the _Antonia_, but the storm of passion which -had caused its destruction. Suddenly Julien, who was in the habit of -handling the curtain and examining the slit through which he looked into -the garden, roughly enjoined silence on Marcel, grasping his arm and -whispering: - -"For God's sake, hush! there is somebody outside listening!" - - - - -IV - - -There was someone there in truth, and it was too late to keep silent. -Uncle Antoine had overheard all. How he came to be there, prowling about -and spying, in Madame d'Estrelle's garden, we shall soon learn. Marcel -felt Julien's gesture, discovered the slit in the curtain, and, looking -out in his turn, saw the ogre listening. He left the window and warned -Madame d'Estrelle. They talked together for a moment in pantomime. They -had not been able to decide what course they should pursue, when -Antoine, hearing nothing more, knocked at the garden door. - -It was a good deal like the arrival of the statue at Pierre's festival. -Julien was about to open the door, when Madame d'Estrelle, with a rapid -forecast of the absurd scene to which her presence would give rise and -of the deplorable outbreak which might follow if she were not present, -instantly made up her mind as to her own course, detained Julien -authoritatively by placing her hand on the young artist's quivering arm, -and, motioning to him and to the others not to stir, she went into the -vestibule, opened the door herself, and found herself face to face with -Monsieur Antoine. Although he had prepared his part, he was a little -surprised himself, whereas he expected to surprise everybody. - -"You, neighbor?" said Julie, feigning astonishment. "What are you doing -here? Did you come back to my house? Who told you where I was? and what -induced you to pass through my garden?" - -And, without waiting for his reply, she passed her arm through the -horticulturist's and led him some distance from the pavilion to the -shore of the little pond in the centre of the lawn in front of the -mansion. - -"Why--I was going to the pavilion," stammered Monsieur Antoine. - -"So I assume, as I found you at the door." - -"I was going there--with kindly intentions; but----" - -"Who doubts it? Not I certainly, my friend." - -"Ah! at last you call me what I want you to call me! Very good, then you -are willing to talk with me alone, I see--The same with me; I want to -talk to you about an idea of mine----" - -"Let us sit down on this bench, neighbor, and I will listen to you; but -first you must listen to me, for I have a confession to make to you." - -"Pshaw! pshaw! I know what your confession is; you plucked my lily, -didn't you?" - -"Ah! _mon Dieu!_ how did you know it?" - -"I overheard a few words and I guessed the rest. Why need you have -broken the poor flower? Couldn't you have asked me for it? couldn't you -wait till to-morrow? I intended to give it to you." - -"But--suppose I did not do it on purpose?" - -"You didn't do it on purpose?" - -Julie felt that she was blushing, for Antoine scrutinized her closely, -and there was a half bitter, half tender irony in his little black eyes. - -"Really," she replied, trying to save herself by a Jesuitical expedient, -"the accident happened against my desire." - -"Good," rejoined Antoine, still staring at her, "put it that way, I like -that better." - -"You like that better--than what?" - -"_Mordié!_ yes, I like it better. Come, abandon the worthless cause you -are trying to plead; condemn Master Julien's madness and disloyalty -without reserve; let me punish him as I think best." - -"But what makes you think that Master Julien----" - -"Oh! don't try to lie any more," cried Monsieur Antoine, springing to -his feet as if impelled by the quivering of his whole irritable and -passionate little being; "it isn't becoming in you to lie, you know! And -then it's no use, for I tell you I heard everything, and as I'm no fool -I concluded--Julien has taken a fancy to you, and the rascal would tell -you so if he dared!" - -"What do you say, Monsieur Thierry?" - -"I say--I say things as they are. Mademoiselle de Meuil was as proud as -you can possibly be; my brother André told her fairy stories, and he -ended by making her listen to him. All men and all women are made of the -same stuff, I tell you! There's only one question of any importance now: -does Julien take your fancy, yes or no?" - -"Monsieur Thierry, if I did not know that you have a kind heart, your -wretched manners would disgust me! Be kind enough to adopt a different -tone, or I shall leave you." - -"Ah! you propose to be angry, do you? Your pride has taken hold of you -again, and you are going to turn your back on me? Why? All this is no -concern of yours! Julien did the crazy thing, it is for him to pay for -it." - -"No, Monsieur Thierry, that is my place. My bungling caused the -accident; if I had not admired and praised the flower too -enthusiastically--He felt obliged to offer it to me--courtesy----" - -"Poor reasons, poor reasons, my fair lady! The rascal knew perfectly -well that I would have thrown the flower, the plant, the garden, aye, -and the gardener to boot, at your feet. If he didn't know it, he should -have guessed it, and, in any event, he had no right to play the gallant -with my property; it's kidnapping, it's an abuse of confidence and a -theft. He will live to rue it and his dear mamma will find out what it -costs to have an ill-bred son play the courtier to great ladies at just -the wrong time." - -"Come, come, my good neighbor," cried Madame d'Estrelle, deeply -distressed and annoyed, "surely you do not propose to withdraw your -favor from them; you are not going to give me the lie, for I placed you -on a pedestal; you are not going to break off the friendship which you -and I contracted to-day, just for a flower more or less in your -collection? Your fortune makes a loss so easily repaired of little -consequence." - -"You talk very jauntily about it! There are some things which millions -can't replace, and which a man of taste considers beyond all price!" - -"Oh! _mon Dieu! mon Dieu!_ who could have guessed that?" - -"Julien knew it." - -"Impossible!" - -"I tell you he knew it." - -"Then he is mad; but that is not his mother's fault: she was not there." - -"It is his mother's fault! She encourages him to love you, she scrapes -acquaintance with you in order to induce you to do what she did for her -husband." - -"No! as to that, I give you my word of honor you are wrong, Monsieur -Thierry! She is in despair----" - -"At what? Ah! you see, she has spoken to you about it, and you knew of -the young man's presumption." - -Madame d'Estrelle struggled to no purpose. All the prudence of her sex, -all the pride of her rank, all her natural shrewdness, and all her -familiarity with society went for naught against the rich man's narrow -and uncompromising logic. She was as if caught in a vise, and felt -shamefaced, awkward, helpless, at the end of a no thoroughfare. What -should she do? Turn out this boor who forced her to submit to a -distasteful examination, and thereby abandon the cause of the poor -Thierrys and turn them over to his vengeance; or restrain herself, -defend herself as best she could, and submit to the humiliation of the -most untimely of reprimands? - -"It seems," she said with sorrowful resignation, "that I made a very -great mistake in going into that pavilion! I was very far from having -any such idea, I had never seen Master Julien Thierry, and I started out -with my mind full of your fine promises, to carry joy to his poor -mother! I am well punished now for being so enthusiastic about you, -Monsieur Thierry, since you consider that you are entitled to lecture me -as if I were a little girl, and to call me to account for the most -innocent if not the most honorable step that one woman can take toward -another!" - -"For that reason you are not the one whom I blame," replied Monsieur -Antoine, softened in one direction and proportionately more irritated in -the other; "the true culprits are the ones I blame without appeal. Do -you know what would have happened if I had entered just at the moment -when Master Julien was breaking my lily? Why, I would have broken Master -Julien! Yes, as sure as I am talking to you, the head of this cane would -have broken his painter's head!" - -Madame d'Estrelle was alarmed by Monsieur Antoine's excited, vindictive -manner; she was really afraid of him and involuntarily looked about her, -as if in search of protection in case his wrath should turn against -herself. She fancied that she could hear a rustling in the dense foliage -behind the bench, and although it might have been only a bird hopping -among the branches, she felt vaguely reassured. - -"No, my good neighbor," she rejoined with courageous mildness, "you -cannot make me believe that you are a bad man, and you will do nothing -unkind to anyone. You may vent your wrath on me alone, within the limits -of your rights in that direction. You may scold me--and I will accept -the rebuke. I will promise you what I have already promised myself, -never to set foot in that pavilion again. What more can I do? Come, tell -me." - -At that moment the foliage stirred again, and Julien's tame sparrow came -and perched on Madame d'Estrelle's shoulder, as if sent by him to ask -her forgiveness. She was more deeply moved by that little incident than -she chose to admit, and she took the little creature, which was already -on familiar terms with her, in her hand, with a sort of affection. - -"_Hum!_" said Monsieur Antoine, whose piercing eyes seemed to possess -the power of divination; "that's a strange kind of a companion! Is it -yours?" - -"Yes," replied Julie, fearful of some revengeful act against Julien. - -"A sparrow! Vile beasts! they do nothing but harm. If it wasn't -yours--Did Julien give it to you?" - -"Nonsense! you think of nothing but Julien!" said Madame d'Estrelle, -losing patience; "really I don't know what direction our explanation is -taking. I am very, very sorry for what has happened, I regret extremely -that I was the cause of it; but can you not tell me how I can repair it, -instead of hurling all these offensive insinuations at my head?" - -"Do you want me to tell you?" - -"Yes! have I not promised to go to your house to-morrow to attend a -family festival?" - -"The christening of my poor _Antonia!_ That is out of the question now. -The child is dead, or at all events disfigured. I ought to invite my -friends to a funeral. And then, you see, this idea of inviting Madame -André and making the best of a bad business with her son--that isn't to -my liking--that is to say it is no longer to my liking, unless----" - -"Speak," said Madame d'Estrelle eagerly, for she began to think that the -rich man, repenting of his munificence, might contemplate a reduction in -the price he had offered for the pavilion. "I agree to anything that -will indemnify and pacify you." - -Master Antoine's vanity was immeasurable. Madame d'Ancourt, whom he had -seen an hour earlier, had, in her spite against Julie, puffed him up by -confirming his presumptuous hopes. He had returned with the intention of -offering himself. Not finding Julie in her salon, he had mustered -courage to surprise her in the garden. The incident of the broken lily -seemed to hasten forward the opportunity. His brain whirled with insane -conceit and he made his declaration. - -"Madame," he said, "you force me to it with your pretty words and your -gentle manners; I am going to stake all to win all, and if you are angry -at what I say, the fault is your own. Let us see! you are not rich, and -I know that you weren't born on the steps of a throne. I believe that -you are not proud either, since you go to a poor painter's studio and -accept his attentions--at my expense!--a good joke, eh? But no matter; -let us laugh over it, but let us come to something reasonable at last. -It makes no difference if Julien has ancestors on his mother's side, -he's my nephew, he's a plebeian. Do you despise him for that?" - -"No indeed!" - -"Then his crime is being poor, eh? But suppose he was rich, very rich, -then what would you say to him?" - -"Do you propose to give him a dowry, so that I can marry him?" cried -Madame d'Estrelle in utter amazement. - -"Who said anything about that?" - -"Excuse me! I thought----" - -"You thought that I was suggesting an idiotic performance to you! What -is an artist? It would be of no use for me to give him a dowry; money I -had earned wouldn't raise him in your eyes, I fancy. Consideration -belongs of right to those who have carved out their own lot in life and -have earned success by their shrewdness in business. Come, you -understand what I mean! I offer you an excellent match, a good-sized -fortune, and a name that makes some noise in the world. The man is one -who will gratify all your wishes as long as he lives and leave you all -his property after his death; who has no former mistresses nor unlawful -children, nor debts, nor worries, nor ties of any sort. Lastly he is a -man who might be your grandfather, and whom no one will ever accuse you -of choosing from caprice or coquetry, but who will do credit to your -good sense and your honorable feelings; for you have debts, more debts -than property. I know the amount of 'em! It is pretty big, and if Marcel -were a good calculator, he wouldn't tell you to go to sleep. Reflect on -what I say! Great annoyances are in store for you if you say no, while -everybody will congratulate you on making a sensible match. You seem -tremendously surprised, and yet your friend the baroness told you--but -perhaps she didn't tell you the amount?" - -"Five millions, isn't it?" replied Julie, who had become pale and -reserved. "So it was you she referred to, and you are talking about -yourself?" - -"Very well, what then? It scandalizes you, it insults you, does it?" - -"No, Monsieur Thierry," Julie replied with a mighty effort. "On the -contrary I am highly honored by your offers, but----" - -"But what? my age? Do you suppose I propose to play the lover? No! thank -God, I never had that weakness, and I don't propose to make myself -ridiculous at my age. I simply propose to be your father by contract, -and to employ marriage as a means of making you my heiress. Well, that's -enough of talk. You must say yes or no, for I am not of a disposition to -remain in doubt, and I don't choose to be humiliated, do you -understand?" - -Monsieur Antoine spoke in a curiously imperious tone; Julie was afraid -that a refusal would exasperate him. - -"You go too fast," she said; "as it happens, I am naturally hesitating -and timid. You must give me time to reflect." - -"Then you don't say no?" rejoined the old man, evidently flattered by -the hope that he was allowed to retain. - -"I say nothing," replied Madame d'Estrelle, who had risen and was -walking toward her house with some anxiety. "At this moment I am utterly -bewildered by an offer which I did not expect. Give me a few days to -think, to consult my feelings.--Really, I am deeply moved, deeply -touched by your friendship, and also very much alarmed, for I had sworn -to remain free! Adieu, Monsieur Thierry, leave me! I really long to be -left alone with my conscience, and I do not want you to try to take it -by surprise by your kindness." - -Julie made her escape, and Uncle Antoine left the garden, forgetting the -pavilion, the picture, the lily, everything, and in the throes of a -fever of hope which made him act more like a madman than ever; but, when -he found himself on Rue de Babylone, in front of the pavilion, he was -seized with a fierce longing to torment and puzzle and confound his -relations. He rang and was admitted by Marcel, who was anxiously -awaiting the result of his interview with Julie. - -"Well," he said abruptly, "where is my plant? has Master Julien finished -my picture?" - -"Go into the studio," said Marcel; "you will see your picture all -finished, and your lily as fresh as if nothing had happened to it." - -"Oh! yes," muttered Antoine satirically, "of course it did it good to be -broken!" - -And he entered the studio with his hat on, without glancing at or seeing -his sister-in-law, who was sitting in her little straw arm-chair in the -window-recess, thoughtful and downcast. He walked straight to his lily, -examined the fracture, and looked carefully at the flower, which was -still blooming in the moist earth. Then he looked at the picture of the -_Antonia_ and said: - -"I am satisfied with it; but you shan't have my custom, I tell you!" - -Then he walked across the studio, passed close to Madame Thierry and saw -her, put his hand to the brim of his hat, saying in a surly tone: "Your -servant, madame!" returned to Marcel, laughed in his face for no -apparent cause, like a crazy man, and at last strode toward the door, -frantic because he could find nothing to say to satisfy his thirst for -revenge, without sacrificing the good opinion of his conduct which he -wished his _fiancée_ to retain. - -Marcel, seeing his agitation, detained him. - -"Come, come, uncle," he said, "we must find out where we are! Has the -Comtesse d'Estrelle obtained our forgiveness, or must I sell my office -to pay for the damage?" - -"The Comtesse d'Estrelle," replied the old man, "is a judicious person, -who knows how to tell the difference between people without brains and a -man of sound sense. You will see the proof of it some day or other." - -Madame Thierry, who could not endure her brother-in-law's overbearing -manner, and who fancied that he meant to defy her, rose to go up to her -room. Antoine bowed very slightly and added: - -"I didn't say that for your benefit, Madame André. I have nothing to -say to you." - -"Nor I to you," retorted the widow, in a tone whose disdainful -bitterness she strove in vain to stifle, as a matter of prudence. - -And with a courtesy to Monsieur Antoine she withdrew. - -Julien chafed at his bit in silence, incapable of humiliating himself by -apologies, and Marcel followed with a keen glance the horticulturist's -awkward and excited movements. - -"What's the matter, uncle?" he said when Madame Thierry had gone out. -"You are brooding over something good or something evil. Tell us the -truth, that will be the better way." - -"The truth, the truth," rejoined Monsieur Antoine, "we shall see the -truth, aye, and know it when the time comes! And perhaps everybody won't -laugh at it!" - -Julien, who was still painting, lost his patience. He put down his -palette, and, removing the carelessly twisted handkerchief which the -painters of that time wore in the studio instead of a cap, he walked -straight to Monsieur Thierry and forcibly interrupted his noisy, excited -promenade. Then, with a serious and determined expression, he asked him -to explain his vague threats. - -"Monsieur my uncle," he said, "you act as if you propose to drive me to -extremities; but I shall not on that account fail in the respect I owe -you. Consider simply, I beg you, that I am not a child who can be made -to tremble by contracting the eyebrows and assuming a deep voice. You -would do better to observe and understand the real fact, that is to say -the sorrow which I really feel for having offended you. Do not ask me -how that disaster happened: oblivion of one's surroundings, -absent-mindedness cannot be explained; but, since the thing is done, -what do you propose to do to punish me, or what do you require me to do -to atone for it? I am ready to prove my repentance or to submit to the -consequences of my wrong-doing. Decide and do not threaten any more; -that will be more worthy of you and of me." - -Monsieur Antoine stopped short, apparently unmoved, but in reality -greatly mortified by the superiority of the defendant's attitude over -the judge's at that moment. He was afraid in a measure of appearing -ridiculous, and a diabolical idea suggested itself to his mind as a -means of putting an end to his embarrassment. - -"Everything depends on Madame d'Estrelle," he said. "If she wishes, if -she demands it, I will do all that I had promised to do for your mother, -and I will even forgive you, notwithstanding the wicked thing you did; -but I will do it on the condition that she comes to my house to-morrow -with the rest of you, as she promised." - -"But," said Marcel, "if everything is made up between you, didn't you -remind her just now of the appointment?" - -"I am not speaking to you, attorney," retorted Antoine; "do me the favor -to leave the room, I want to talk with Master Julien alone." - -"Go on, go on," said Marcel. "I am just going, for someone has been -waiting in my office for me fully an hour. I will return and find out -what you have decided." - -When Julien and his uncle were alone, the latter assumed an even more -comical air of solemnity. - -"Listen," he said, "I want you to do an errand for me. You must go to -the hôtel d'Estrelle." - -"Excuse me, uncle, I shall not go there, for I should not be admitted." - -"I count on your not being admitted. You will carry a letter, wait for -the answer in the antechamber, and bring it back to me." - -"Very well," said Julien, thinking that he could stop at the porter's -lodge. "Where is the letter?" - -"Give me something to write with." - -"Here," said Julien, opening the drawer of his table. The horticulturist -sat down and wrote rapidly; then he called Julien, who dissembled his -impatience by removing his working jacket and putting on his coat, which -he had dropped on a chair. - -"Will you have a seal?" he inquired. - -"Not yet. I want you to correct my note. I don't pride myself on my -knowledge, and I may have made mistakes in spelling. Read it over for -me, read it aloud, and then correct it, periods, commas and everything." - -Julien, feeling that a trap was being set for him, cast a rapid glance -over the few lines which his uncle had written in a firm hand. His head -swam, and he was very near tearing the paper in his indignation; but he -thought that he was being subjected to a test by that crabbed, eccentric -mortal. He restrained his wrath, met without flinching the ferociously -searching gaze that was fixed upon him, and read in a firm voice the -contents of the note: - - -"Madame and friend: - -"We were so confused just now that we parted without making arrangements -for to-morrow. I do not conceal from you that I shall regard your -presence at my little party as a fresh ground of hope, and your refusal -as a rupture or a regrettable delay of settlement. I have told you that -I did not propose to be fooled, and you promised to be sincere. The -night brings counsel. I am sure that to-morrow you will confirm me in -the pleasant thoughts you allowed me to take away from your presence. - -"Your friend and servant, who is impatient to call himself your fiancé, - -"ANTOINE THIERRY." - - -"Well," queried the old man when Julien had finished reading, "are there -any mistakes?" - -"Yes, a great many, uncle," said Julien tranquilly, taking the pen. - -"Gently! I don't want her to see the corrections. Fix it neatly." - -"It is done. Now seal it and write the address." - -"Well, what do you say to that?" continued the uncle, writing Madame -d'Estrelle's name on the envelope. - -"Nothing," replied Julien. "I don't believe in it." - -"Will you believe in it if you deliver the letter?" - -"Yes." - -"Then what will you say?" - -"Nothing. It's your affair." - -"Damnation! you are interested in it too!" - -"How so, please?" - -"The purchase of your house at Sèvres and its presentation to you -depend on that letter." - -"Very good, uncle. In that case, many thanks," - -"You have an air----" - -"I have no air at all. Look at me." - -Antoine could not support Julien's piercing and fearless glance. - -"Come, off with you!" he said angrily; "take my letter." - -"I will go at once," said Julien. - -He took up his hat. - -"Where shall I bring you the reply?" - -"In the street, in front of the house, where I will wait for you. Let us -both go." - -They went out together. Julien went straight to the porter, closely -watched by his uncle, who did not lose sight of him; but, instead of -entrusting the letter to that functionary, as he had determined at -first, he said to him that he wished to speak to the _valet de chambre_, -and walked rapidly across the courtyard without turning. When he reached -the antechamber Julien delivered the letter and sat down on the waiting -bench, with the manner of one who does not expect to be received; but he -said to the valet: - -"Please inform madame la comtesse that, if there is any reply, Monsieur -Antoine Thierry's nephew is waiting here to carry it to him." - -Julien waited three minutes. The servant returned and said: - -"Madame la comtesse desires to ask you some questions. Take the trouble -to walk this way." - -He opened a door at one side of the room and walked ahead. Julien -followed him through a dark corridor; then the servant opened another -door, placed a chair for him and withdrew. - -Julien was alone in a handsome dining-room, the main door of which was -opposite him. A moment later that door opened and Madame d'Estrelle -appeared. She was very pale and excited. - -"I receive you here," she said, "because I have visitors in my salon, -and I cannot express myself before anyone on the subject which brings -you here. Did Monsieur Antoine himself hand you this letter?" - -"Yes, madame." - -"And you know nothing of its contents, of course?" - -"I do, madame." - -"And yet you undertook to deliver it?" - -"Yes, madame." - -"Why so?" - -"In order to find out whether my uncle is mad enough to be locked up, or -fiendishly cruel." - -"In other words--you were not sure--you wished to know if I had given -him any right to write such a letter?" - -"I did not believe it, and I expected that you would order me to be -turned away without a reply." - -"Then--as I receive you, you conclude----?" - -"Nothing, madame, except that you can do nothing more cruel than leave -me in uncertainty." - -"Why should you take such a great interest in my affairs? Am I -responsible to anyone?" - -"Oh! madame, do not speak to me in that tone," cried Julien, fairly -beside himself. "Either my uncle's wealth has imposed silence on your -repugnance, and in that case I have absolutely nothing to say to you, or -else you submitted to his impertinent offers with a patience which -misled him; and if you were so patient, so kind as that to him, I can -easily guess the reason. You were afraid that Monsieur Antoine's -resentment would fall on us!" - -"That is true, Master Julien; I thought of your mother, I avoided giving -him an answer, I asked for time to reflect, I hoped that, in order to -please me, he would first keep the promise he made me to restore Madame -Thierry to happiness and comfort. That was wrong perhaps, for I was not -frank, and that is contrary to my nature. Indeed, could I believe that -that irascible, ill-mannered old man would begin by trying to compromise -me? And yet that is just what is happening, and God knows what -disagreeable consequences this may have for me! but I am wrong to think -about it. When I see my endeavors to assist you come to naught, I am -selfish to complain, and really my greatest sorrow consists in my being -unable to be of any service to you after being the cause of your -disaster. And what am I to do with a man who takes my fear for coquetry -and my silence for an avowal?" - -Julien knelt on one knee, and as Madame d'Estrelle, surprised and -terrified, was about to fly, he said: - -"Fear nothing from me, madame; this is no stage declaration; I am not -mad, and I am absolutely serious in thanking you on my knees in my -mother's name. Your kindness is of the sort which men adore and which no -words can describe. Now," he added, rising, "I have the right to say to -you that I am a man, and that I should despise myself if, even for love -of the most loving of mothers, I should accept the sacrifice of your -pride for a single instant. No, madame, no! Monsieur Antoine Thierry -must not be spared, he must not believe for another instant that he can -aspire--Poor man! he is mad; but madmen need to be held in check like -inconvenient and dangerous children. I will take charge of him, and with -your permission I will go at once and disabuse his mind forever." - -"Ah! _mon Dieu!_ you will go yourself?" said Julie. "No! do not drive -him to extremities; I will write." - -"But I do not choose that you shall write," replied Julien with a proud -vehemence which did not displease Madame d'Estrelle. "Do you think that -I am a child to be afraid of his anger, or a coward to leave you exposed -to his importunities? Do you think that my mother would be any more -willing than myself to accept favors which would cost you the shadow of -a falsehood? Is it for you to deal tenderly with anyone, and suffer for -our sake, who would give our lives to spare you the slightest suffering? -No, madame, learn to know us better. My mother's sentiments are as lofty -as your own; she accepted Monsieur Antoine's benefactions with the very -greatest reluctance. To-day she would blush to do it; she will detest -the mere thought when she knows what they cost you. And as for me--I am -of no consequence in your eyes and shall never be anything in your life; -but permit a man, who feels that he is a man of spirit, to tell you that -he fears neither poverty, nor vengeance, nor any sort of persecution. I -have done my duty and I will continue to do it; I will support my mother -until she draws her last breath, and if it is necessary to contend -against the whole world, I shall be able to do it for her. Let this -reassure you touching the fate of her you love so dearly. If only your -friendship were concerned, she would prefer it to all Monsieur Antoine's -wealth, and for my own part, though I had but this moment on earth to -tell you that I love you, I should esteem myself happy and proud to have -been able to say it to you without offence and without presumption; for -I speak to your heart, and there is not a shadow of a sentiment in my -heart that is unworthy of you. Adieu, madame! live happily and at peace; -and if you ever need a man to do something for you that is beyond the -power of all other men, remember that such a man exists, poor, humble, -hidden in a corner, but capable of moving mountains; for when his -mother's welfare is at stake, he is determination and faith -personified." - -Julien left the room without asking or waiting for another word from -Madame d'Estrelle, and in a twinkling he was in the street. Antoine was -awaiting him with feverish impatience; he was on the point of bursting -into the hôtel like a bomb when Julien reappeared. - -"Well, the answer must be at least four pages long!" he cried. "Where is -it?" - -"Come, monsieur," said Julien, offering him his arm to cross the street. -"There is too much noise here for us to hear each other." - -They entered into an open field where there was a sign: _For Sale_; and -Julien began thus: - -"Monsieur my uncle, Madame d'Estrelle read your letter and summoned me -to her presence so that I might bring you her verbal response." - -"Verbal?" - -"Yes, word for word." - -"Let us hear it!" - -"Madame la comtesse, considering that your mind must have been disturbed -when you asked for her hand, was afraid to be alone with you and put an -end to the interview by a promise to reflect; but she had already -reflected, and this is her decision. She regrets that she will be unable -to come to your house to-morrow, and she informs you that from this -moment she will no longer be at home." - -"She is going away! Where is she going?" - -"It is not for me to interpret, but for you to understand." - -"I understand! this is my formal dismissal, is it?" - -"Everything tends to make me think so." - -"And you are the person she employs to tell me so?" - -"No! I took it upon myself without asking her consent." - -"Why? I insist upon knowing!" - -"You do know, monsieur. Didn't you tell me that my mother's fortune and -my own depended on Madame d'Estrelle's encouragement of your matrimonial -plans? That is why I grasped so eagerly the excuse you gave me to go to -her house, hoping that the extraordinary nature of your letter would -induce her to receive me. That is something you did not anticipate." - -"Yes, I did, _mordieu!_" cried Monsieur Antoine; "I said to myself that -that thing would happen if----" - -"If what, monsieur?" - -"If I had guessed right. I understand." - -"But I do not understand." - -"That makes no difference to me." - -"Excuse me, you want me to guess. You thought that I was foolish enough, -impertinent enough, mad enough to aspire to that lady's favor?" - -"And now I am sure of it! You told her of your sentiments, and I see -your air of triumph. At the same time you are rubbing your hands because -you have shown me the door! You will go and tell your dear mother this, -of course! You will say to her: 'The rich man gobbled the bait! He -thought that by tossing us a crust of bread and taking a young wife, he -would make sport of us and disinherit us! Well, he has succeeded simply -in covering himself with shame. He will grow old alone, he will die -unmarried, and we shall be rich in spite of him.'" - -"You are mistaken, monsieur," rejoined Julien with perfect -self-possession. "I formed no such contemptible schemes, and I shall -never do anything of the kind. You may marry to-morrow, if you choose, -and whom you choose, and I shall be overjoyed, provided always that my -mother's dignity and mine are not at stake in your undertaking. This is -what I desired to say to Madame d'Estrelle, and what I say to you. And -now I have only to remember that you are my uncle, and humbly to present -you my respects." - -Julien was about to go away after bowing low to Monsieur Antoine. But he -recalled him in an imperious tone. - -"What about my lily? Who will pay me for it?" - -"Put a price on it, monsieur." - -"Five hundred thousand francs." - -"Are you speaking seriously?" - -"Am I speaking seriously?" - -"I must believe you, knowing that you are incapable of deceiving a -person who relies upon you." - -"Flattery! fawning!" - -The blood rose in the young artist's cheeks; he gazed earnestly at -Monsieur Antoine, trying to persuade himself that he was really so -irresponsible that his invectives should not affect a self-possessed -man. Antoine divined his thought and made an effort to be calmer. - -"Well, let us say no more about that!" he said. "I will go and pick up -the ruins and the picture; I have lost my outlay of kindness of heart -and confidence. It will teach me not to depart from my ideas and -principles again! Walk first and don't say another word!" - -They returned to the studio. There Monsieur Antoine, silent as hatred, -took the flower, the plant, the picture, and refusing to accept anyone's -assistance, without looking at Julien, without moving his lips, he left -the pavilion and did not appear again. - -Marcel soon returned and asked Julien what had taken place. Julien told -him frankly and unhesitatingly in Madame Thierry's presence. - -"Now," he added, "my inconsiderate conduct alarmed you, I know. You -thought that I was as mad as Uncle Antoine, and my mother is terrified -by a sentiment which she thinks is likely to be disastrous to me. -Undeceive yourself and be calm, my dear mother, and do you, Marcel, give -me back the esteem which you should entertain for a man of sense. One -may be such a man, even if he has been guilty of an imprudence, and I -realize that I was very reckless when I offered our benefactress a thing -which did not belong to me. That was an impulse of gratitude, sadly -misplaced, it is true, but which did not scandalize her, because she saw -in it nothing more than an emotion that was worthy of her and consistent -with the respect that is her due. I flatter myself that she is even more -convinced of it since she granted me an interview, and I swear to you -both, by all I hold most sacred, by filial love and faithful friendship, -that there shall be nothing unpleasant to Madame d'Estrelle, nothing -distressing to you, nothing unbecoming on my part in my future conduct. -Let us not regret the house at Sèvres, my dear mother: we could not -obtain it unless Madame d'Estrelle became Madame Antoine Thierry, and -you certainly do not think that could ever have come to pass. As -for you, my dear Marcel, I bless you for all the trouble you have taken, -but surely you are convinced now that it was all thrown away, and that -Uncle Antoine gives nothing for nothing. Let us be calm now, let us take -up our lives where we dropped them when this evil dream of wealth began. -I still have arms to work with and a heart to love you, and indeed, from -this day forth, I feel more zealous, braver and surer of the future than -I have ever been." - -This time Julien was speaking the truth and not simply forcing himself -to be brave in order to comfort his mother. He felt, not perfectly -tranquil, but strong; his two interviews with Julie in quick succession -had given his heart a new direction, a more unerring impulse. He had -found in her presence the inspiration which gave full play to the -seriousness and the generosity of his passion. He was sure that he had -laid bare his heart to her, and that he had neither terrified nor -insulted her. Did he believe that she loved him? No, but it may be that -he had a vague feeling that she did, and there was a mysterious -enjoyment in his reverie. He had attained a perfect understanding of his -mission in the life of exalted and unselfish sentiment which was really -his normal life. What he had said, he proposed to do, and he had -strength to do it. To love in silence, to seek nothing, to obtain -nothing by surprise, and to seize nothing except an opportunity to -devote himself unreservedly to his mission, such was his plan, his -determination, his profession of faith, so to speak. - -"And now," he thought, "it may be that I shall suffer terribly despite -my determination; but I shall so enjoy suffering nobly and holding my -peace for love of her, that I shall triumph over my suffering, and my -mother will not again feel its rebound. I must be very strong in the -struggle between my instincts and my duties. And why should I not? I -have always loved lofty ideas and sentiments which are beyond the reach -of the common herd. As I am obliged to be a man, and as I am persuaded -that duty is found in family ties, I shall doubtless do some day as -Marcel has done: I shall marry a virtuous woman, who will be thereafter -my best friend. Until then I propose to remain free and chaste. I -propose to love without hope, and if possible, without desire, this -nobly born Julie who can never be mine; I will overcome the desire, I -will carry fraternal feeling to the point of sublimity, and I will -nourish all my faculties with the sublime. I will be to other people -only a very patient, very amiable young working man, seeking grace and -charm in baskets of roses; but by dint of studying the divine mystery of -purity in the hearts of flowers, one may obtain a revelation of sanctity -in love. It seems to me a fine thing to say to oneself that one might -scheme to surprise the virtue of the woman one loves, and that one loves -her too well to attempt it. The life of which I dream is all meditation -and sentiment. Very well; I will live it as long as possible. I will -live by my thoughts as other people live by their acts, and it may be -that I shall be the happiest of men! I shall feel that I am sustained by -an enthusiasm which will not be worn to shreds by disappointments. I -shall live and breathe alone and every moment in the beautiful, the pure -and the great, with even more satisfaction than my poor father, who was -conscious of a craving for it, but who thought that he could gratify his -craving amid luxurious surroundings or in the society of this or that -great personage. I shall need nothing of that sort, and I shall be far, -far richer, having no other desire than to be satisfied with myself." - -In soaring thus resolutely into the regions of the ideal, Julien was in -truth following a secret tendency which had developed in him early in -life. He had received an exceedingly good education, and, while studying -his art assiduously, had read a great deal; but, being naturally -inclined to enthusiasm of an austere sort, he did not indulge his tastes -in all directions or plunge into all sorts of pleasure. Of all that his -youth had fed upon, he had revelled in the great Corneille with the most -satisfaction and benefit. There he had found, in the loftiest form, the -strongest and most daring aspirations to heroism. He preferred teaching -of that sort put in action, those noble virtues manifesting and giving -expression to themselves, to the discussions of contemporary philosophy. -This is not equivalent to saying that he despised the spirit of his -time, or that he held aloof from the extraordinary upheaval of ideas -then in progress. On the contrary he was one of the sturdiest products -of that period which is unique in all history in respect to its -magnificent illusions pending the formation of awe-inspiring -resolutions. Those were the last days of the monarchy, and very few -people then thought of overturning it. At all events Julien was not one -of those who thought of it; he went very far beyond anticipation of any -event whatsoever in politics. He was intoxicated with the discoveries -and dreams of science, moral and physical, recently set free, _en masse_ -so to speak, from the clouds of the past. Lagrange, Bailly, Lalande, -Berthollet, Monge, Condorcet and Lavoisier were already revolutionizing -thought. When we reflect upon that rapid succession of fortunate -experiments which, in a few years, produced astronomy from astrology, -chemistry from alchemy, and replaced blind prejudice by experimental -analysis all along the line of human knowledge, we realize that by -making war on superstitions, the philosophers of the 18th century freed -individual genius from its fetters simultaneously with the religious and -social conscience of nations. What presumption then, what excitement, -what intoxication in these first reachings out toward the future! The -human intellect has hailed the bright sun of progress, and already it -thinks to take possession of all its rays. No sooner has the first -balloon arisen on its wings of flame, than two men risk the crossing of -the Straits of Dover. Instantly mankind cries: "We are masters of the -roads through the air, we are the inhabitants of the sky!" - -At the period in which the action of our story happens to be laid, this -noble beginning of the new ideas had found its formula in the word -_perfectibility._ It was Condorcet who eloquently outlined the doctrine, -and taking no account of human weakness, predicted for it a boundless -destiny. He believed in infinity so absolutely that he hoped to find the -secret of the destruction of death, and everybody who used his mind, -everybody who read was beginning to believe with him in the indefinite -prolongation of physical life. Parmentier believed moreover that he -could banish forever the spectre of famine by acclimatizing the potato. -Mesmer believed that he had discovered a mysterious agent, the source of -all marvels. Saint-Martin proclaimed the rehabilitation of the human -soul and illumined the terrors of the old-fashioned dogmas with the -dogma of infinite light. Cagliostro pretended to revive ancient magic in -a natural and comprehensible way; in a word the vertigo of the future -had set every brain in a whirl, from the most prosaic to the most -romantic, and, at the height of that intense excitement, the present was -a trifling obstacle which no one deigned to notice. The old monarchy, -the unbending clergy, were still on their feet, striving to retain their -crumbling power; but liberty had been inaugurated in America, and France -felt that her day was at hand. She had no thought of bloodshed; pleasant -chimeras exclude ideas of revenge; on the eve of the terrible storm -men's minds were making holiday, and an indescribable feverish grasping -for the ideal paved the way for the magnificent outburst of '89. - -Julien was full of that faith and determination which seems to descend -to earth providentially at the moment fixed for mighty struggles; but -with it all there was a certain calmness due to the direction, the habit -and the temperament of his thought. There was a certain philosophical -mysticism, not in the stage of discussion but in the stage of instinct, -and a sort of craving to love. If he had not loved a woman, he would -have loved liberty to fanaticism. Love consecrated him to -self-sacrifice. As soon as Julie's image filled his heart, he no longer -thought of himself except as a force which might serve to protect Julie. -Did he entertain the idea that she could or would be likely to belong to -him? Yes, he undoubtedly did, a confused idea, sometimes imperious, but -valiantly combated. He had no prejudices; he was not, like his uncle -Antoine, dazzled by rank, title and show; he knew that Julie was born in -modest station and that her fortune was much impaired. Moreover, he felt -that he was her equal, for he was one of those men of the third estate, -who, being filled with a legitimate and tenacious pride, were beginning -to say to one another: "The third estate is everything," just as they -said later: "The people are everything," and just as they will say some -day: "Everyone is everything," denying no kind of nobility, whether due -to the sword, the toga, the factory or the plough. Thus Julien did not -look upon the Comtesse d'Estrelle as a woman placed above him by -circumstances, but by personal merit. That merit he exaggerated possibly -in his own mind; it is the privilege of love to tend constantly toward -the loftier regions of the soul, and to believe that it is summoned to -the conquest of divinities. So that in his passion admirable humility -was combined with boundless pride. - -"I am not worthy of such a woman," he said to himself; "I must become -so, and when, by dint of patience, unselfishness, self-denial and -respect, I have succeeded--why, then perhaps I shall feel that I have -the right to say to her: 'Love me.'" - -But he sometimes wondered if that day would come before the unforeseen -events of the future had disposed of Julie's fate; then he would say to -himself: - -"Very well; I shall possess her esteem, perhaps her friendship, and the -time I shall have devoted to governing myself with dignity will not be -wasted." - -Madame Thierry was surprised and overjoyed therefore to find that his -cheerfulness and all the symptoms of physical and moral well-being -reappeared suddenly, on the very day of this momentous episode. - -"My friend," she said to Marcel when they were alone for a moment, "I -dare not tell you what is passing through my mind; but he has such a -happy look! _Mon Dieu!_ do you believe it is possible?" - -"What?" said Marcel. "Oh! yes, you are speaking of his visit to Madame -d'Estrelle! Well, such things have been known, my dear aunt; he is -good-looking enough and agreeable enough to please a great lady; but she -is ruined and can extricate herself only by a wealthy marriage, which it -is our duty to desire for her, on the condition that the man is not too -old. I do not believe she is as bold and courageous as you were, and, -moreover, the plan that succeeded with you is generally ruinous; a great -passion is a number that wins only once in a hundred thousand times in -the lottery of destiny! Let us not wish that for Julien and for _her!_" - -"No, I don't wish it; it is too dangerous, as you say; but if she does -take a fancy to him, what will happen?" - -"I have no idea; but she is virtuous and he is an honorable man; they -will both suffer. It would be better to separate them if possible." - -"To be sure! that is what I said to you in the beginning. But what a -pity! They are both so handsome, so young and so good! Ah! fate is very -unjust sometimes! If my poor husband had left Julien the fortune we once -had, he might have been a suitable match for her, as she is poor and -without family pride! Alas! may God forgive me! this is the first time I -ever blamed my André. Let us say no more about it, Marcel, let us say -no more about it!" - -"We must think about it, none the less," replied the solicitor, "and not -let Julien's heart burn too fiercely. To-day, it is fireworks, because -he probably has some hope; but to-morrow it may be a conflagration." - -"What shall we do, Marcel?" - -"I don't know. I would like to be able to confess Madame d'Estrelle, and -Uncle Antoine above all, for I am not deceived by his philosophy, and I -am afraid--" - -"What are you afraid of?" - -"Everything. Should we not be prepared for everything with him?" - -Madame d'Estrelle had been almost made ill by all the excitement of the -day. Julien's visit had proved to be the finishing touch; but, as soon -as he left her, the sort of fever which Monsieur Antoine's performance -had caused gave place to a not unpleasant feeling of lassitude. - -"I have a friend," she said to herself, "a most agreeable friend, that -is certain, though the whole world should make sport of me for trusting -so implicitly in the word of a man whom I did not know a few hours ago; -but should I accept this zealous friendship? is it not dangerous to him -and to me? To be sure, he did not ask me to accept it. He went away like -a man who is dependent on nobody and who loves without permission. Since -he says that he has no hope, has he not a right to love? And what could -I do to prevent him?" - -Julie was perfectly well aware, in her inmost conscience, that she -should not have received Julien after Madame Thierry's revelation -concerning his feeling for her. - -"After all," she said, "why did I receive him, when my first impulse was -to send him that simple yet conclusive message: 'There is no reply!' -That would have rid me of uncle and nephew at one stroke. But did the -nephew deserve to be humiliated? Did he not come simply to rescue his -honor from a detestable snare laid by his uncle? Had he not the right to -say to me thereupon all that he did say to me, and was I offended by -what he took the liberty of adding on his own account, although it was -perhaps a little too sentimental? ought I to have been offended? It is -of no use for me to ask the question, I cannot answer it. He offered -himself, he gave himself to me, without asking for anything. He made me -a present of his heart and his life, whether I would or not. He did not -speak to me like a lover, no, indeed! but like a slave and a master at -once. All this is very strange, and my brain is in a whirl. I do not -know what it is that I feel for him. The only thing that is certain is -that I believe in him." - -It seemed to Julie as well as to Madame Thierry and Marcel that the -morrow of that strange day would probably be fraught with important -events. In vain did they question themselves concerning Monsieur -Antoine's wrath: to their great amazement neither the morrow nor the -days following brought about any change in their respective situations. -The horticulturist went into the country, no one knew where. There was -no place for him to go, at least within the knowledge of Marcel, who -thought that he knew all his business, but who really knew only a part -of it. When he was thoroughly convinced of his uncle's absence, he -became anxious about him; but he was shown orders written by his own -hand, which his head gardener received each morning, detailing minutely -the nature and extent of the care to be bestowed on certain delicate -plants. These horticultural bulletins were undated and without stamps. -They were brought by the ex-armorer's valet, an old sailor, who was the -slave of his orders, obedient as a negro, dumb as an old stump. - -"Well!" said Marcel to Madame Thierry, "he is in the sulks, that is -certain; or else he is ashamed of his madness and has gone into hiding -for a little time. Let us hope that he will return cured of his -matrimoniomania, and that he will consider his honor involved in -carrying out a certain bargain relative to this pavilion. You need the -indemnity, and I do not conceal from you that Madame d'Estrelle is -greatly in need of the promised amount. I don't know what vicious insect -is pricking her creditors, but suddenly they all begin to display the -most extraordinary impatience and anxiety. They go so far as to threaten -to transfer their claims to one principal creditor, who would surely -speculate on my client's embarrassment, and that is the worst thing that -could possibly happen." - -"I am not at all easy in my mind," he said two days later to Madame -d'Estrelle, who had just been to visit her father-in-law, who was ill; -"I am afraid monsieur le marquis may die unexpectedly before he has -settled up your affairs." - -"I place no reliance on his good-will toward me," replied Julie; "but I -cannot believe that he will leave me at the mercy of the count's -creditors, when only a few last steps are needed to settle with them. Of -course we must expect the childish fear of robbing himself which always -haunts selfish old men; but after him----" - -"After him?" echoed Marcel. "The devil is after him, I mean at his -heels. His wife is a good-for-nothing; I am afraid of her; she doesn't -love you, and she is nothing to you, since your husband was not her -son." - -"_Mon Dieu!_ you look at the dark side of everything, my dear solicitor! -The marquis is neither very old nor very ill. He must have made his -will. The marchioness is very pious, and what she would not do from -affection, she will do as a matter of duty. Do not you discourage me, -who have always encouraged me." - -"I should not be discouraged myself if I could put my hand on my -singular old uncle! Let him buy the pavilion and pay for it, and that -gives us two or three months' respite. We shall have time to sell the -little farm in the Beauvoisis or make it over to the creditors at an -agreed price, otherwise we shall be brutally sold out and lose a hundred -per cent. of these poor scraps, which are of some value to-day!" - -Julie, who, at other times, had been much distressed concerning her -situation, had reached that stage of lassitude which takes the place of -courage. Her philosophy surprised and irritated Marcel. - -"Deuce take me!" he whispered to Julien's mother, "one would say that -she asks nothing better now than to be turned into the street!" - -Was that, in truth, Madame d'Estrelle's secret thought? Did she say to -herself that, being poor, and abandoned by her husband's family, she no -longer owed so much consideration to the name she bore, and that she -could disappear from the world's stage to live as she chose and marry -according to her inclination? - -Yes and no. At times she dreamed again that dream of a happiness -hitherto unknown, which had come to her like a fascinating vision in -Julien's studio. At other times she became the Comtesse d'Estrelle once -more, and asked herself in dismay how she could break with all her -surroundings and her habits, and whether she could endure blame and -contempt, after having been so loudly praised and so respected up to -that day by a limited but select circle of persons highly considered in -society. - -It is well known that period was marked by a violent and determined -reaction in certain aristocratic circles against the invasion of the -democracy. Perhaps no other period in history presents such strange -contrasts. On the one hand public opinion, queen of the new world, -proclaimed the doctrines of equality, contempt for social distinctions, -the philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire and Diderot; on the -other, the ruling powers, terrified by a progress which they dared not -oppose, attempted a tardy resistance which was destined to hurl them -into the abyss; but to one whose horizon was narrow, to whom the morrow -was not revealed, that resistance assumed formidable proportions, and a -weak and gentle woman like Madame d'Estrelle was certain to be alarmed -by it. Like all of her caste she fancied that she could read the destiny -of France in the conduct of the court; and there were times when the -king, in dire dismay, tried to resuscitate the monarchy of Louis XIV.; -distressing and vain efforts, which, however, when looked at from a -certain point of view, seemed serious enough to irritate the people and -to increase the arrogance of the privileged classes. The court and city -had acclaimed Voltaire's triumph; on the morrow of that triumph the -clergy refused him a tomb. Mirabeau had written a masterpiece against -the arbitrary use of _lettres de cachet._ The king had said of -Beaumarchais: "If his play--_the Marriage of Figaro_--is acted, we may -as well destroy the Bastille!" The third estate grew in enlightenment, -in ambition, in real worth; the court reëstablished privileges in the -army as well as among the clergy, and decided--which Cardinal de -Richelieu would not have dared to do--that, in order to be a military -officer or a prelate, an applicant must prove four generations of noble -blood. The American Constitution had just proclaimed the principles of -Jean-Jacques's _Social Contract_; Washington and Lafayette were dreaming -of the enfranchisement of the slaves; the French ministry granted -additional facilities to the slave trade; the lower clergy became more -democratic from day to day; the Sorbonne tried to pick a quarrel with -Buffon, and the upper clergy demanded a new law to _repress the art of -writing_; public opinion was aroused against capital punishment, the -_preliminary torture_ was still in use. The queen had protected -Beaumarchais; Raynal was forced to go into exile. - -These attempts at reaction in the midst of the onward rush of the age -found an echo in the religious coteries; and the greater nobility, -generally speaking, upbraided those of its members who had allowed -themselves to be fascinated by the seductions of the new philosophy. In -the conservative salons, the king and queen were overwhelmed with -maledictions and sarcasm when they seemed inclined to abandon the theory -of the royal _good pleasure._ The aristocrats clung to that theory, they -believed that everything was safe when they added a stone to the -powerless dam erected to stem the revolutionary spirit, and yet no one -suspected the swift motion of the flood nor the imminence of the -inundation. Everything was translated into bitter satire, ballads and -caricatures. They pretended to despise the danger to the point of -laughing pityingly at it. - -Those persons who were of Julie's immediate circle were of the same mild -and timid disposition to which her own mild timidity naturally inclined -her; but outside of that little circle, where extravagance in any form -was frowned upon, she felt the pressure of a large and more formidable -circle, that of the Comte d'Estrelle's family, an arrogant family, -irritated by her dumb resistance to absolute opinions; and again, -outside of that dreaded circle, which she carefully avoided, there was a -still more powerful and threatening one, that of the Marquis -d'Estrelle's second wife. That circle, composed exclusively of bigots, -opposed to all progress, bitterly contemptuous of philosophers, openly -hostile to the omnipotent Voltaire himself, permeated with all the -prejudices of birth, fiercely tenacious of its alleged right, was to -Julie a subject of terror, puerile perhaps but profound and increasing. -The marchioness was well-known to be a covetous, evil-minded, -dishonorable woman, and we have seen that the Baronne d'Ancourt, despite -her own retrograde ideas, spoke of her, as well as of her environment, -with great aversion. Julie was very slightly acquainted with her, and -strove to believe that she was sincere in her piety; but she was afraid -of her, and, when she questioned herself concerning the state of dread -and depression in which she was living, she saw before her the -disgusting spectre of that gaunt person, with the greenish eye and -pitiless tongue. At such times, from very excess of terror, she tried to -apologize for her when she spoke of her, or to impose silence on those -of her friends who ventured to call her a harpy or a bird of evil omen. - -Naturally poor Julie abhorred the opinions of the marchioness and her -circle; but she had not had enough experience, she did not sufficiently -appreciate the general tendency of her time to realize the utter -puerility of the persecutions she would have had to undergo if she had -resolved to live in accordance with the dictates of her heart and her -conscience. In that cage of prejudice she was like a bird which thinks -that the world has formed itself into a cage about him, and which no -longer understands the breath of the wind among the leaves and the -flight of other birds through space. - -"There may be happy people," she said to herself, "but how far away they -are. And how can I join them?" - -In like manner, on the eve of a terrible revolution, the prisoners of -the past wept over their chains and believed that they were riveted upon -them for all eternity. Nevertheless Julie, the greater part of the time, -forgot this whole matter of external facts to lose herself in vague -contemplations and in secret preoccupations of a new sort. We shall soon -see what the subject of them was, and how great difficulty that generous -but timid heart had in coming to terms with itself. - -A fortnight had passed since the disaster to the _Antonia_, and Madame -d'Estrelle had neither seen nor heard of Julien. She might have believed -that he had never existed and that their two interviews were a dream. -Madame Thierry had not set foot in the garden, and when Julie, surprised -at her continued absence, sent to inquire for her, the answer was that -she was a little indisposed--nothing alarming--but forced to keep her -room. - -Marcel, when she questioned him, evaded her questions, confirmed the -statement as to his aunt's slight indisposition, but went into no -details. Julie dared not insist; she divined that her neighbor was -determined to break off every sort of relation, every pretext for -communication, even indirect, between her and Julien. - -At last, one morning, Madame Thierry reappeared, when Julie least -expected her. In reply to Julie's reserved and timid questions, she said -effusively: - -"My dear countess, you must forgive me for a bad dream I had, which has -vanished now. I judged too hastily, I was foolishly alarmed, and I -frightened you with my chimeras. I thought that my son had the -presumption to love you, I was so sure of it that it has taken this past -fortnight to disabuse me of the idea. So forget what I said to you and -give back to my poor child the esteem which he has never ceased to -deserve. He does not raise his eyes or his thoughts to you. He venerates -you as he ought, and if you should need someone to die for you, he would -grasp the opportunity; but there is no romantic passion in his devotion, -simply fervent and heartfelt gratitude. He has sworn to me that it is -so. I doubted his word at first, but I was wrong. I have watched him; I -have done better than that, I have played the spy for a fortnight, and -now I am reassured. He eats, he sleeps, he talks, he goes in and out, -and works cheerily; in a word, he is not in love: he does not try to see -you, he speaks of you with tranquil admiration, he does not seem to -desire an opportunity to attract your eyes, nor will he ever seek it. -Forgive my folly, and love me as before." - -Julie accepted this perfectly sincere declaration of Madame Thierry with -gracious satisfaction. They talked of something else and remained -together an hour; then they parted, congratulating each other on having -no further subject of discomfort, and on being able to renew their -relations without agitation or danger to anyone. - -How did it happen that when she was alone once more, Julie was -overwhelmed by an inexplicable depression? She sought the cause to no -purpose, and vented her spleen on the next visitors who came. Her old -friend Madame Desmorges seemed intolerably loquacious; the old Duc de -Quesnoy as dull and tiresome as a blacksmith's hammer; her cousin, -Madame la Présidente Boursault, prudish and hypocritical; the -abbé--there was always an abbe in every private circle in those -days--conceited and insipid. And, when Camille came to dress her hair at -the usual hour, she pettishly dismissed her, saying: - -"What is the use?" - -Then she recalled her, and, impelled by a sudden caprice, asked her if -the usual period for semi-mourning had not expired within three days. - -"Why, yes, madame," said Camille, "it is all over! and madame la -comtesse does very wrong not to stop wearing it. If she continues to -wear it, it will have a very bad effect." - -"How so, Camille?" - -"People will say that madame is prolonging her grief for economy, to -wear out her gray gowns." - -"That is most excellent reasoning, my dear, and I bow to it. Bring me a -pink dress at once." - -"Pink? No, madame, it is too soon for that. People would say that madame -wore mourning reluctantly, and that she changed her mind with her dress. -Madame should wear a pretty dress of royal blue with white flowers." - -"Very good! But haven't all my dresses gone out of style in the two -years I have been in mourning?" - -"No, madame, for I have looked after them! I have cut the sleeves over -and changed the trimming on the waist. With bows of white satin and a -lace head-dress, madame will be as stylish as possible." - -"But why make me beautiful, Camille, when I do not expect anybody?" - -"Has madame said that she was not at home?" - -"No; but you remind me that I do not wish to receive any visitors." - -Camille looked at her mistress in surprise. She did not understand, she -thought it was an attack of the vapors, and began to _arrange_ her, as -the phrase went in those days, afraid to break the silence. Julie, -depressed and distraught, allowed herself to be dressed. And when her -maid had retired, carrying away the gray dresses which became her -property, she looked at herself from head to foot in a long mirror. She -was fascinatingly dressed, and as lovely as an angel. That is why, as -her heart continued to ask: _What is the use?_ she hid her face in her -hands and began to cry like a child. - - - - -V - - -If Julien had been a libertine, he could have adopted no better plan to -arouse Madame d'Estrelle's passion. The days succeeded one another, and -no chance brought them face to face for an instant. And yet Julie, -whether from excess of confidence or from heedlessness, lived much more -in her garden than in her salon, and preferred a solitary stroll among -the shrubbery to the conversation of her intimate friends. There were -evenings when she denied herself to callers on the pretext of -indisposition or weariness, but on those evenings she dressed none the -less carefully, as if she expected some unusual visit; then she would go -to the further end of the garden, hurry back in alarm at the faintest -sound, then return to see what had frightened her, and fall into a sort -of panic-stricken revery when she found that everything was quiet and -that she was really alone. - -One day she received a declaration of love, in well-turned language, -without a signature and without a private seal. She was deeply offended -at it, thinking that Julien had broken all his promises to her, and -saying to herself that it deserved no other treatment than cold disdain. -On the following day she discovered that this effusion came from the -brother of one of her friends, and her first impulse was one of joy. No, -of course Julien would not have written in such terms; Julien would not -have written at all! The letter, which, in the confusion of uncertainty, -had seemed to her not lacking in delicacy, now seemed to be in the worst -possible taste; she tossed it scornfully into the fire. But what if -Julien had written! Doubtless he knew how to write as well as talk. And -why did he not write? - -Julie had no sooner given way to this inward weakness than she was -bitterly ashamed of it. - -"Of what use are my strength and my common sense," she said, "when my -heart rushes outside of me thus, to grasp an affection which eludes me? -Upon my word, it is only the indifference with which I am regarded which -preserves me, and yet the shame of that thought does not cure me. Am I -guided by a spirit of contradiction? It seemed to me at first that any -advance on that young man's part would have disgusted me and that I -should have repelled him proudly; and lo and behold! his resignation -irritates me, his silence distresses me, and I am angry with him for -thinking no more of me! Evidently my mind is badly diseased." - -One day when she was at her perfumer's, she met Julien going out. He had -no right to bow to her in public, and he pretended not to see her. She -found on the counter a very pretty fan which he had painted for his -mother, and had just brought to the shop to be made up. She imagined -that it was intended for her, and made up her mind to refuse it; -however, she awaited the little gift with intense impatience. - -"He will send it to me mysteriously," she thought; "it will be an -anonymous offering, and in that case----" - -But the gift did not arrive; so it was not for her after all. What folly -to think that he intended it for her! Julien was in love with some other -woman--some petty bourgeoise or some society woman of easy -morals--perhaps an actress! She did not sleep for two nights; then she -happened to see the fan in Madame Thierry's hand, and she breathed -again. - -In spite of her determination, she could not avoid speaking of Julien to -his mother, and she resorted to every sort of detour to bring him into -the conversation. She wished to know about the sort of life led by a -young painter, of which she had no idea; and, although she dreaded to -learn some unpleasant or painful details, she continued to ask -questions, at first concerning the tastes and habits of artists, in -general; then of a sudden she asked: - -"Your son, for example; did he not lead a brilliant, dissipated, or at -least an enjoyable life before the death of his father and your -subsequent troubles?" - -"My son has always been of a serious turn of mind," replied Madame -André, "and I must say that the young men of all ranks seem to me very -different to-day from those whom I used to see in my youth. My dear -husband was a type of those men with fertile, ingenious and easily -impressed imaginations, whose lives were filled with unexpected -pleasures, and whose aim seemed to be the enjoyment of everything that -was agreeable, rather than the ambitious pursuit of renown. He painted -_chefs-d'œuvre_ for amusement, and no anxieties ever disturbed his -mind. To-day the modern artists are tearing themselves to pieces to do -better than their predecessors. Criticism has been invented. Monsieur -Diderot, whom my husband used to see very often, taught him to have a -higher opinion of himself than he would have thought of doing, and my -little Julien would listen to that great intellect, devouring him with -his searching, inquisitive great eyes. Then Monsieur Diderot would say: -'There's a child who has the sacred fire!' But my husband didn't want to -have too many ideas put into his head. He thought that the beautiful -should be keenly _felt_ and not studied overmuch. Was he right? He -sought to embellish the imagination, not to overburden it. Julien was -gentle and placid; he read and mused a great deal. His painting is more -highly esteemed than his father's by genuine connoisseurs, and when he -is talking of art you can see that he understands everything; but his -work isn't so universally liked, and he doesn't care at all for society. -His mind is full of all kinds of subjects of meditation, and when I say -to him: 'You don't laugh, you are not in good spirits, you haven't the -enthusiasm of your years,' he answers: 'I am happy as I am. I never feel -the need of excitement. There are so many things to think about!'" - -These outpourings of Madame Thierry's heart gradually revealed Julien to -Madame d'Estrelle, and the sort of instinctive respect which had taken -her by surprise when she first saw him, became a sort of awe which made -her love him all the more. It was no longer possible for her to look -upon him as an inferior, and yet the young artist was one of the class -whom her associates referred to as _those people!_ She made an effort -sometimes, when she was talking with her friends, to plead for the -strong and the intelligent in whatever class they might be found. Her -friends were sufficiently far advanced to reply to her: "You are a -thousand times right, birth is nothing, merit alone is of consequence;" -but those were simply maxims for the benefit of enlightened persons, and -nothing more. The actual practice of equality had in no wise been -incorporated in the national morals, and the same persons were not at -all backward, a moment later, in blaming the Duke of So-and-So for -fertilizing his estates with a plebeian dowry, or Princess Blank for -falling in love with a wretched adventurer to the point of wanting to -marry him, to the great scandal of _virtuous folk._ A young woman, -unmarried or widowed, might fall in love with a man of noble birth, even -though he were poor; but, if he _had no birth_, it was a disgraceful -infatuation, an indecent attachment; she sacrificed her principles to -her passions; marriage failed to justify her and she became an object of -public contempt. Julie, who had lived in the esteem and regard of her -friends, her only compensation for her unhappy youth, had ice-cold -shivers when she heard that sort of talk; and if the object of her -secret passion had chanced at such a moment to enter her little circle, -apparently so tolerant and good-humored, she would have been compelled -to rise and say to him: "Why have you come here, monsieur?" - -But the little party separated at nine, and ten minutes later Julie was -in the garden; she gazed at the light in the pavilion, twinkling like a -green star through the foliage, and she fancied that, if Julien should -appear at a bend in the path, she should not be able to fly. - -Throughout all this period of agitation on poor Julie's part, Julien was -almost calm; his purpose was so upright, so sincere, that his mind had -recovered its health sufficiently to deceive itself. - -"No," he thought, "I did not lie to my mother. What Madame d'Estrelle -inspires in me is a very strong, lofty, exquisitely delicate friendship; -but it is not, as I thought at first, a frantic and disastrous passion; -or, if I had an attack of that fever at the beginning, it disappeared on -the day when I saw that simple, kindly, trustful woman close at hand, -when I heard her sweet, chaste voice, when I realized that she was an -angel and that my aspirations were not worthy of her. No, no, I am not -in love, according to the common understanding of the term; I love with -a full heart, that is all, and I will not allow my imagination to -torment me. The earth has hardly closed over my poor father; I have not -an hour to waste if I wish to save my mother. No, no, I have no right, I -have no time to give way to passion." - -Marcel noticed Julien's tranquillity and was unable to understand the -mental perturbation which made itself manifest in Madame d'Estrelle's -behavior. He found her one day just returned from a visit to her -father-in-law the marquis. His life was thought to be no longer in -danger, and Marcel might hope to talk with him again before long -concerning his client's pecuniary embarrassments. - -"Oh! _mon Dieu_, you put yourself to very great trouble for me," said -Julie; "but is it worth while? I give you my word that I am quite -willing to be poor; I should probably be no more bored than I am now." - -"And yet you are beautifully arrayed and intending to pass the evening -in company." - -"No, I am going to change my dress; I don't expect to go out. With whom -should I go out, pray? I am at odds with Madame d'Ancourt, the only -person to whose house I might venture to go alone in the evening, as she -was my schoolmate at the convent. I am not intimate enough with any of -the others to appear at their houses without a chaperone; Madame -Desmorges, who might act in that capacity for me, is indolent beyond -words; my cousin the _présidente_ is not received in aristocratic -society, and the Marquise d'Orbe is in the country. Really I am terribly -bored, Monsieur Thierry, I am too much alone, and there are days when I -can do nothing, having no heart for anything." - -It was the first time that Julie had complained of her situation. Marcel -looked at her attentively and reflected. - -"You must divert your mind a little; why don't you go to the play -sometimes?" - -"But I haven't a box anywhere now; you know very well that I can no -longer afford it." - -"An additional reason for going wherever you please. A box by the year -is downright slavery; it puts you on exhibition and makes a chaperone a -necessity. There are some small pleasures which the bourgeois indulge in -at small expense and without inconvenient display. To-day, for instance, -I am to take my wife to the Comédie-Française. We have hired a closed -box on the ground floor." - -"Ah! what a pleasure it must be to go there! You are not seen at all, -are you? You enjoy the play, you can laugh or cry without being hooted -by the gallery. Have you a place for me, Monsieur Thierry?" - -"I have two; I intended to offer one to my aunt." - -"And the other to her son? In that case----" - -"That makes no difference; he can go some other day; but what will -people think to meet you on your solicitor's arm in the foyer? Or if -some one should recognize you sitting beside Madame Marcel Thierry, what -would they say?" - -"They may say what they please, and they will be very absurd if they -find anything reprehensible in it." - -"That is my opinion; but people are absurd, and they will say that you -keep beggarly company; I soften the word out of respect for my wife, for -they will say low company." - -"The folly of society is shameful! Your wife is very attractive, I am -told, and highly esteemed. I will go to see her to-morrow, for I know -that to go to occupy a seat in her box unceremoniously, before asking -her permission, would not be proper. Yes, yes, I will call to make her -acquaintance, and we will go to the theatre together another day." - -Marcel smiled, for he thoroughly understood the cowardice which had -taken possession of his noble client at the idea of being accused of -mixing with low company. She considered it cruel, unfair, insulting, -absurd; but she was afraid none the less: fear does not reason. - -"Very well, very well," Marcel replied; "I recognize your delicacy of -feeling and your kind heart. My wife will be grateful to you for the -intention, and she will be flattered to offer you her box this very -evening; but take my advice, madame la comtesse, and do not go outside -of your own circle to-night, nor to-morrow, nor ever, unless for some -well-matured and well-digested reason. We must eat when we are hungry, -but not force ourselves when we have only a suspicion of an appetite. -The society to which you belong wants no mixture, and you must not defy -it except for some great personal advantage or to do some very good -deed. No one will understand that you do something outside of the -conventional solely for the pleasure of doing it. They will be surprised -first of all, and then they will look for motives, concealed or -serious." - -"And what will they find?" said Julie, uneasily. - -"Nothing," replied Marcel; "but they will invent, and what people invent -is always malicious." - -"The result being that I am condemned to solitude?" - -"You have accepted it courageously thus far, and you know well that it -will cease when you choose." - -"Yes, by marriage; but where am I to find a husband to fill the -conditions demanded by the world and by me? Consider: he must be -wealthy, so you yourself say, noble, according to my friends, and I -myself insist that he must be agreeable and a man made to be loved! I -shall not find him, you know, and I shall do better----" - -Julie dared not finish her thought. Marcel thought that he ought not to -question her. There was a pause, embarrassing to them both, then Julie -exclaimed abruptly: - -"Ah! _mon Dieu_, do not think that I am tempted to be false to my duty -and to enter into a frivolous liaison!--I was thinking--I must tell -you--I was thinking that I should do better to desire an obscure -marriage in which I might find happiness." - -"Obscure?" said Marcel. "That depends on what you mean by the word. You -must insist upon wealth in any event; for, I warn you that if you hold -your rank cheap, the Estrelle family will abandon you to your -destruction." - -"Well, what then?" - -"What then? Why, if the husband of your choice is poor and you bring him -debts----" - -"Ah! yes, you are right; I increase his poverty with all my wretchedness -and all the dangers that are hanging over me. I did not think of that. -You see what a weak head mine is! Look you, Monsieur Thierry, there are -days when I would like to be dead, and you do wrong not to take me to -the play. I feel very depressed this evening, and I would like to be -able to forget that I exist." - -"Is it as bad as that?" rejoined Marcel hastily, terrified by her -distressed expression. "In that case put on a very thick black veil and -a very full black cape; I have a cab below; we will call for my wife, to -whom I will explain your whim in two words, and we will go to hear -_Polyeucte_, which will change the current of your thoughts. Hurry! for -if anyone comes you won't be able to go out." - -Julie jumped for joy like a child. She quickly transformed herself into -a nun, dismissed her servants for the evening, and went with Marcel, -half pleased, half frightened, and as excited as if this escapade with a -solicitor and his wife were an adventure big with fate. - -"And Madame Thierry?" she said when they were in the cab. - -"Madame Thierry--we will leave her where she is," said Marcel. "Nothing -has been said to her about going, and she would delay us while dressing. -Besides, I should prefer--if you are to be recognized in spite of all -our precautions--that you should not be seen with a woman who has a -grown-up son--of whom, I may say parenthetically, Uncle Antoine has been -exceedingly jealous. Mine is only a little law-student in embryo, barely -twelve years old; we will take him, and that will make our bourgeois -and--patriarchal party complete." - -They arrived at Marcel's house. He ran upstairs, leaving Julie alone in -the tightly closed cab. He soon came down again with his wife and son. -Madame Marcel Thierry was very much frightened; but, like a sensible -woman, she made no apologies and in a very few moments felt entirely at -ease with the amiable Julie, who, on her side, found her a pleasant and -sensible companion. They left the cab just before they reached the line -of people waiting to purchase tickets, walked to the theatre, and passed -in without meeting any spying or inquisitive persons. They were ushered -into a very dark box, where Madame Marcel and her little boy took their -places in front to conceal Madame d'Estrelle and the solicitor. They -enjoyed the tragedy extremely. Julie had never taken so much pleasure in -a performance. She had a feeling of greater mental freedom, and that -middle-class family interested her deeply. She watched them curiously as -types entirely unfamiliar to her, and, although they were a little -self-conscious in her presence, she surprised divers little loving -tokens between the husband and wife and child, which went to her heart. -At the interesting passages in the play, Madame Marcel would turn to her -husband and say in an undertone: - -"Can you see, my dear? my bonnet isn't in your way?" - -"No, no, my girl; don't worry about me. Enjoy yourself all you can." - -And the child applauded when he saw the pit applaud. He would clap his -little hands with an air of importance, then suddenly throw himself on -his mother and kiss her, which meant that he was enjoying himself -immensely and that he thanked her for bringing him there. - -All those simple ways of middle-class life, the familiar form of -address, the endearing epithets, vulgar if you please, but sacred, -aroused in Julie sometimes an inclination to laugh, sometimes a wave of -emotion which brought tears to her eyes. Of course it would all be -considered execrable form in her circle; it was the way that inferior -people talked and acted. Marcel, when in Madame Estrelle's salon, -readily adopted the manners and language of a man who is able to conform -to what is considered proper in all ranks of society. In his own family -he laid aside that conventional manner, and, without ever being vulgar, -he resumed the familiar tone of happy domesticity. Thus Julie surprised -him oblivious of his ceremonious manner and living for his own enjoyment -a sweet, trustful, unconstrained life. She was distressed and delighted -at the same time, and little by little she reached the point where she -said to herself that those people were in the right, and that all -husbands and wives ought to call each other _thou_, all children to -throw their arms about their mothers' necks, and all spectators to be -interested in the performance. In the circle in which she lived people -always addressed one another as you, they had no simple phrases that -came from the heart, they emasculated every noble sentiment. Refinement -was the most essential point in speech, and dignity in endearments. The -heart entered into them only in a subordinate capacity, and its -effusions must be concealed beneath a certain frigid or absurdly -symbolical gloss. Admiration for genius must never become enthusiasm. -They enjoyed, or appreciated, their words were carefully confined within -certain bounds. In short they made it a point not to display emotion on -any subject, and with the perpetual little smile of the grace that -accompanies noble birth, they became so charming that they ceased to be -human. - -Madame d'Estrelle realized all these things for the first time, and was -deeply impressed by them. Little _Juliot_, who was so called to -distinguish him from Master Julien, whose godson he was, had an -interesting face. He was a funny little rascal, with a shrewd face, -turned-up nose, keen eye and sly mouth, and had the artless and cunning -self-possession of a schoolboy in vacation. Had he been disguised as a -great nobleman, he would never have been confounded with the too pretty -and too polished little men who are all covered with the same -aristocratic varnish. Juliot had his coating of caste, to be sure, but -of that peculiar shading which the bourgeoise mind does not seek to -efface, because in that social stratum every one has to exist by his own -exertions, and to make a place for himself with the aid of the means -which are at his command. Thus the child had the biting wit, combined -with a certain innocent curiosity, which denoted the freshly ground -Parisian, inquisitive and loquacious, credulous and shrewd all at once. -In order not to expose Madame d'Estrelle's name to the possible -consequences of his chatter in the office, he had been told that she was -a client from the country newly arrived in Paris, who had never been to -the theatre before; and, as Julie enjoyed questioning him, he did the -honors of the capital city and the stage, between the acts. He pointed -out the king's box to her, and the pit and the chandelier; he even -explained the play and the relative importance of all the characters. - -"You are going to see a beautiful play," he informed her before the -curtain rose. "Perhaps you won't understand it very well, because it's -in poetry. I have read it with my godfather Julien, and he explained it -all to me just as if it was in prose. When you don't understand, -mademoiselle, you must ask me." - -"You chatter like a magpie," said his mother. "Don't you suppose madame -knows Corneille better than you do?" - -"Oh! perhaps she does; but I don't believe she knows as much as my -godfather!" - -"Much madame cares about your godfather's knowledge! You fancy that the -whole world knows him!" - -"Oh well! if you don't know him," said Juliot to Madame d'Estrelle, -"I'll show him to you. He isn't far away, you know!" - -"What!" said Marcel, much annoyed, "is he here? do you see him?" - -"Yes, I've seen him quite awhile. He likes _Polyeucte_ so much! He has -seen it more than ten times, I am sure! See, look in the pit, the third -row. His back is turned to us; but I recognize him, _pardi!_ He has on -his black coat and his _chapeau à gances._" - -Madame d'Estrelle's heart beat very fast. She looked at the bench which -the child indicated, and recognized no one there. Marcel scrutinized it -closely. Juliot had made a mistake. The person he had taken for Julien -turned his face toward them. It was not he; he was not there. As a -matter of fact, he was in one of the upper galleries, just over the box -in which Julie was hiding, and he was a hundred leagues from suspecting -that by going down to the ground floor, he might at least have made an -attempt to see her. Indeed, if he had known it, he would have kept his -place. He was fully determined not to seek any more furtive -opportunities to meet her. As an artist he was entitled to admission at -the Français. He listened to _Polyeucte_ meditatively, as a pious -person listens to the sermon, and he went out before the end, fearing -that his mother would sit up for him. As he passed through the -vestibule, he was very much astonished to find himself face to face with -Uncle Antoine. It was Uncle Antoine's invariable rule to go to bed at -eight o'clock, and it was probable that he had never set foot in a -theatre. Julien accosted him frankly; that was the better way, even -though he were to be ill received. - -"So you are found at last?" he said. "We were anxious about you." - -"Who are _we?_" rejoined the uncle in a surly tone. - -"Marcel and I." - -"You are very good! Did you think I had gone to the Indies, pray, that -you are so surprised to see me?" - -"I confess that I hardly expected to see you here." - -"And I, on the contrary, was sure of meeting you here!" - -And without explaining that reply, which to Julien was absolutely -enigmatical, he turned his back on him. - -"Well, well! his mind is really unhinged," thought Julien. - -And he passed on, but not without turning two or three times to see if -the amateur in gardens went in or out, and if it were not the case that -he had come there unconsciously; but every time that he looked he saw -Monsieur Antoine standing motionless at the foot of the staircase, and -looking after him with a mocking expression, in which however there was -no sign of mental derangement. - -Uncle Antoine disappeared in the crowd, which invaded the peristyle a -few moments later. One of the first groups that he saw consisted of the -solicitor's family, with a stranger taller than Madame Marcel, and -completely concealed by her black silk headgear. He stole down to the -street and took the number of the cab which that group entered, then -despatched in pursuit of that cab the same shrewd and nimble-footed spy -who had notified him that Madame d'Estrelle had gone out with her -attorney, and who had been keeping watch outside the D'Estrelle mansion, -and inside it at times, for a month past, under disguises of all sorts -and on all sorts of pretexts. - -In those days the play came to an end early enough to allow people to -sup. Julie had returned home by ten o'clock, after dropping Madame -Marcel on Rue des Petits-Augustins. Marcel, who had escorted Julie to -her door, was about to go away without entering, when she called him -back. Her concierge had just told her some very serious news. The old -marquis, her father-in-law, had died at eight o'clock that evening, just -when they believed that he was cured. Julie had been sent for, so that -she might be present at the administration of the sacrament. Her -absence, which was very hard to explain by reason of the situation which -she herself had explained to Marcel, might have disastrous consequences. - -"Ah! you see how it is!" said Marcel, sorrowfully, in a low tone (they -were on the stoop); "I told you how it would be. I foresaw some trouble; -but there is no time to be wasted in lamentation. The most disturbing -thing of all is the old man's too sudden end. Come, madame, you must -show yourself at that death-bed. You must take a cab once more. I will -escort you to your mother-in-law's house. I shall not appear there, for -it would not be proper for you to be seen to arrive under the escort of -your solicitor. To-morrow I will take the field in your interest, and we -will find out the contents of the will, if there is a will, which God -grant!" - -Julie, sorely disturbed, reëntered the cab. - -"Stay," said Marcel, "I can't wait for you at the dowager's door; her -servants would see me, and I have an idea that they report everything to -her. I will alight before you drive into the courtyard, and as I should -not enjoy the idea of your returning alone in this vehicle, you must -order your people to harness at once and send your carriage to the -house." - -"You think of everything for me," said Julie; "I don't know what would -become of me without you." - -She gave her orders and they started. - -"Think of this also," said Marcel. "You will not find the widow in -tears, but at prayer. Do not allow that appearance of sanctity to -encourage you as to her frame of mind. Be sure that she has noticed your -absence and that she will arrange to make you undergo an examination in -the very midst of her devotions. Do not forget that she hates you, and -that, in order to justify herself in robbing you all that she possibly -can, she will think of nothing but finding you at fault." - -Julie tried to think how she could best explain the innocent escapade of -the evening. - -"You can find nothing better than the truth," replied Marcel. "Say that -you have been at my house----" - -"At your house, very good; but what about the play? Going to the play is -a horrible sin in my step-mother's eyes, with or without you." - -"Then--say that my wife was sick, that you are interested in my -wife--because--because she has done you a service at some time--because -she is charitable, and assists you in charitable work! Throw a slight -varnish of piety over it; then what can she say to you?" - -They reached their destination. Marcel ordered the cabman to stop; then -he alighted, and Julie entered the courtyard of the hôtel D'Ormonde, on -Rue de Grenelle-Saint-Germain, in a cab! That mansion belonged to the -dowager D'Ormonde, who had married for her second husband the Marquis -d'Estrelle, who had thereafter occupied her first husband's house with -her. - -The dowager was very rich; her establishment had a grand air of -ceremonious inhospitality: few servants, small outlay, a frigid, -deathlike splendor. The house consisted of several wings, and the -mistress's apartments were located on a rear courtyard planted with -trees and secured from intrusion by a wicket at which Julie had to ring -and wait; but, being certain that she would be admitted, and knowing -that Marcel would have to return on foot unless she sent the cab after -him at once, she dismissed the cabman when she saw that the wicket was -about to be opened. - -Instead of opening it, the porter entered into a strange parley with -her. Monsieur le marquis could not receive visitors because he was dead. -The priests had come to administer the sacrament and to keep watch -through the night; madame la marquise was closeted with them and the -dead man. She gave _audience_ to nobody at such times. Julie insisted to -no purpose, on the ground that she was a very near relation. The porter, -leaving her outside, purposely or through inadvertence, went to make -inquiries, and returned to say that no member of the household was -allowed access to madame. - -As these negotiations had lasted a considerable time the Comtesse -d'Estrelle understood perfectly well that some one had gained access to -the marchioness, and that she refused to see her. Her duty was done, so -she insisted no longer. She judged that her carriage, travelling much -more rapidly than the cab, must have arrived: so she retraced her steps, -crossed the outer courtyard and passed through the street gate, which -was kept by the porter's wife and was closed behind her instantly, with -indecent precipitation. A carriage was there; but Julie, notwithstanding -her defective sight, saw at once that it was only a cab. - -Thinking that it was the one that had brought her, and that the driver -had misunderstood her orders, or that Marcel had sent it back for her by -way of precaution, she called the driver, who was sound asleep on his -box. It was impossible to wake him except by pulling the skirt of his -coat. They who remember what cab-drivers were forty years ago, can judge -what they were forty years earlier than that. This one was so dirty that -Julie hesitated to touch him with her gloved hand. She carefully -gathered up her ample silk skirt to avoid brushing the dirty wheels. -Never before had she been in such an embarrassing plight; she was -afraid, too, to be alone in the street near midnight. The occasional -passers-by stopped to stare at her, and she trembled lest, from good -nature or malice, they should attempt to interfere in her affairs. - -The driver woke at last and answered that he did not know her, that he -had brought two priests of the parish to attend the dying man, and that -his orders were to wait for them. He would not stir at any price. Julie -glanced anxiously about her. Her carriage did not appear. She raised the -heavy knocker on the gate, intending to return to the courtyard of the -hôtel. The gate did not open, whether because special orders had been -given with respect to her, or because the general orders were -inflexible. - -Extreme terror took possession of her; the idea of returning alone, on -foot, could not be entertained; nor was it possible to remain standing -in front of that gate. There was not a single shop on the street, and -she must wait for her carriage somewhere, no matter where, provided it -was not in the street. The outbuildings of the hôtel D'Ormonde were -some distance away, at the right and left. In one direction was an -abbey, in the other the Convent of the Visitation, where she might seek -shelter; but it was at least ten minutes' walk, and there again she -would have to parley before obtaining admission. She noticed on the -opposite side of the street a high gate at the end of a passage between -the hôtel De Puisieux and the hôtel D'Estrées. She thought that if -she gave a louis to the gate-keeper, he would allow her to wait in his -lodge. She crossed the street, but, when she attempted to ring, she -found that there was neither keeper nor bell. It was simply a servants' -gate for both houses. Julie was rapidly losing heart, when she suddenly -saw close beside her, as if he had risen from the ground, a man who -terrified her so that she almost fainted; but he instantly named -himself, and she uttered a joyful exclamation: it was Julien. She -explained her misadventure in a few somewhat incoherent words. Julien -understood because he was already half informed, and he was not there by -chance. - -"It is useless for you to wait here for your carriage," he said; "it -probably will not arrive for some time." - -"How do you know?" - -"I was at the Comédie-Française this evening." - -"Did you see me there?" - -"Were you there, madame? I did not know it." - -"In that case----" - -"In that case I can understand my meeting with Monsieur Antoine Thierry -and his words. He must have known that you were to be there. He was on -the watch; he made an ironical remark which I did not understand, but -which gave me something to think about. As I returned to the pavilion, I -stopped, being somewhat uneasy, in front of your hôtel. Your servants -were in great commotion. It seems that your coachman could not be found. -I accosted the concierge, who knows my face, and, seeing that he was -greatly disturbed, I asked him if any accident had happened to you. He -told me of the Marquis d'Estrelle's death, and that you had driven here -with my cousin Marcel. Your coachman appeared at last, dead drunk and -unable to understand any of the orders you had left for him. The -concierge left me, saying that when Bastien was once on his box, he -would go all right. That did not seem very reassuring to me. I am not so -phlegmatic as your concierge, and I came here as fast as I could. I -hoped to find Marcel still here and to tell him not to trust you -unattended to the care of a drunken coachman; but I arrived a few -moments too late. You are alone and you have been frightened." - -"It is all over," said Julie, "and I am calm again; take me home on -foot. You are my Providence!" - -"On foot, it is too far," replied Julien, "and you are not properly shod -for walking. This cab here will take us, willingly or by force, I give -you my word, and I will get up behind and accompany you." - -Julien returned with Madame d'Estrelle to the cab. He put her in and -ordered the driver to start. The driver refused. Julien jumped up beside -him and seized the reins, swearing that he would throw him into the -gutter if he resisted. The young man's manly bearing and determined air -awed the cab-driver, who submitted; but he had not driven a hundred -yards when he stopped, yelling _thief_ and _murder._ A party of men had -just come out of a house, and the poor devil hoped to find some aid -against the violence he was undergoing. - -As luck would have it these men were young dandies fresh from a -sumptuous supper, and a little the worse for wine. The adventure -presented itself at that moment of excitement when one gladly -constitutes himself a redresser of wrongs, especially when the odds are -four to one in his favor. They abruptly stopped the horses, and one of -them opened the door, for the cabman was yelling at the top of his -voice: - -"Help! here's a villain carrying off a nun!" - -"Let us see if she's worth the trouble!" replied the party with one -voice. - -[Illustration 04: _JULIEN ESCORTS MADAME D'ESTRELLE_ -_Julien defended himself with his cane, and used it with -such self-possession, skill and strength, that one of -the assailants fell and the others retreated._] - -Before the door was open Julien was on his feet and vigorously repelled -the most zealous of the intruders. The young man thus roughly treated -drew his sword, calling him a clown, and his companions followed his -example. Julien did not take the time to draw his. He defended himself -with his cane, and used it with such self-possession, skill and -strength, that one of the assailants fell and the others retreated. -Julien, who had not left the step, took advantage of this respite to -enter the cab and take Julie out by the opposite door. He took her in -his arms and carried her some distance. Then he turned to await his -adversaries; but, whether because some one of them had received a -serious wound, or because the approach of the watch sobered them, they -made off as rapidly as possible in the opposite direction. - -"Let us walk, madame," said Julien. "Let us avoid the curiosity of the -police." - -Julie walked rapidly and well. If fear had paralyzed her for an instant, -the sight of the danger to which her protector was exposed had restored -her energy. After taking a somewhat roundabout course to throw the watch -off the scent, they arrived safely on the _Nouveau Cours_, now Boulevard -des Invalides. It was completely deserted and dimly lighted by lanterns. -Julie did not notice a stain on her glove, but she felt the moisture of -blood on her wrist, and stopped abruptly, exclaiming: - -"Oh! _Mon Dieu!_ you are wounded!" - -Julien felt nothing, he was very sure that nothing serious had happened -to him; he wrapped his bruised hand in his handkerchief and offered -Julie his other arm. - -"I swear to you that I am not wounded," he said; "and suppose I were! -Unfortunately those fellows were not very formidable, and I deserve -little credit for ridding you of them. Coxcombs, dandies! And they bear -titles of nobility in all likelihood!" - -"Do you detest the nobility so very bitterly?" - -"I, detest them? No! but I abhor impertinence, and as such fellows are -not always willing to fight a duel with plebeians, I am very glad to -have beaten them as a bargeman might have done." - -"Alas!" said Julie, thinking aloud, "nevertheless they are at liberty to -insult and trample on the weak!" - -"The weak! Who are the weak, pray?" rejoined Julien, mistaking the -meaning of her words. "People without a name? Undeceive yourself, -madame; they are the ones to whom the future belongs, because they have -the right, true justice on their side, and, withal, the determination to -put an end to the abuses of the past." - -Julie did not understand, but she trembled anew; this time, however, she -was not afraid of disagreeable encounters, but of an indefinable -mysterious force which seemed to emanate from Julien. She glanced -furtively at him; she fancied that she could see his face glow in the -darkness, and that her feeble hand was resting on the arm of a giant. - -But Julien was a simple-hearted youth, an artist without ambition in the -practical affairs of life on his own account. He did not feel called -upon to play a conspicuous part in the revolutionary tempests; he looked -forward to no other labor for himself than that of studying the charms -of nature all his life. That awe-inspiring power with which he was -endowed in Julie's eyes was simply the reflection of the divine power on -the mind of the new class. He was one of the hundred thousand among the -millions of disappointed and soured men who were about to say on the -first opportunity: "The cup is full, the past has had its day." The -brief allusion he had just made to this general frame of mind among men -of his class--a subject which was in every mouth at that time--seemed to -Madame d'Estrelle a most impressive prophecy from the lips of an -exceptional man. It was the first time that she had ever heard anyone -speak defiantly and contemptuously of what she had always considered -invincible. The species of superstitious terror which she felt was -blended with fervent trust, with a longing to lean the more heavily on -that sturdy arm which, under the impulsion of a noble heart, had fought -alone, in her cause, against four swords. - -"So you think," she said, still walking rapidly, "that one can shake off -the yoke of this unjust world which oppresses men's consciences, and -condemns true principles? I would like to agree with you that is -likely to happen!" - -"You believe it already, since you desire to believe it." - -"Possibly; but when will it happen?" - -"No one can say when or by what means; what is just and right cannot -fail to happen; but what does it matter to you, madame, whether all this -lasts fifty or a hundred years longer? Are you not one of those who -profit innocently by the misfortunes of others?" - -"Oh! I profit by nothing. I have nothing of my own, and I am nobody in -society." - -"But you are of society, you belong to it, it owes you protection, and -it will never wound you in your own person." - -"Who knows?" said Julie. - -Then, fearing that she had said too much, she changed the subject by -recurring to the scene which had just taken place. - -"When I think," she said, "that a great disaster might have happened to -you just now! Ah! your poor mother--how she would have cursed me if I -had been the cause--" - -"No, madame, that could not have happened," replied Julien; "I had right -on my side." - -"And you believe that Providence interposes in such cases?" - -"Yes, since Providence is with us. It gives us strength and presence of -mind. A man who defends a woman's honor against scoundrels has all the -chances on his side. Courage comes very easy to him; he feels that he -cannot succumb." - -"What faith you have!" exclaimed Julie, deeply touched. "Yes, I remember -you said at my house _the other day_ that faith would move mountains, -and that you were faith personified." - -"_The other day!_" Julien repeated ingenuously. "That was more than a -month ago." - -Julie dared not pretend not to know how many days and nights had passed -since that brief interview. So she said nothing. Julien carried his -respect for her so far as not to continue the conversation himself, and -the longer the silence endured the less able was Julie to summon the -presence of mind to break it without betraying the emotion she felt. At -last they reached the pavilion. - -"Do you not think," he said, "that you should take your arm from mine -now, so that your people may not see me? then I will follow you at a -little distance until I have seen your door close behind you." - -"Yes," she replied; "but what will my people think to see me returning -alone and on foot at such an hour? The best way is for me to go through -the pavilion and through my garden; then they will think that Monsieur -Marcel brought me back that way." - -That seemed in truth the best plan. Julien had his key in his pocket. - -"I will go and wake my mother," he said, "and tell her to get up; for I -told her, as I passed, not to sit up for me. She thinks that I have been -to take supper with Marcel." - -"Don't wake her, I forbid it. To tell her all our adventures would take -too long now. She would be distressed, perhaps, being half asleep. -To-morrow you can tell her everything. Open the garden door for me, and -I will run home without making any noise. Thanks, and adieu!" - -To pass through the narrow passage way leading from the street door to -the garden door, inside the pavilion, they had to walk several seconds -in absolute darkness. In that straitened household no lamps were kept -burning needlessly, and Babet came for the day only and did not sleep in -the house. Julien went first, opened the garden, bowed low to Madame -d'Estrelle and immediately closed the door, to prove to her that he -never used it and that he should not presume to follow her, even with -his eyes, along the paths through which she glided like a ghost. - -Such perfect discretion, such unswerving respect, such delicate, -thoughtful, untiring, really serviceable devotion touched Madame -d'Estrelle profoundly. It was a magnificent June night. She knew that by -knocking on the window of her bedroom, which was on the ground floor, -looking on the garden, she could summon Camille, who was sitting up for -her. She knew too that Camille's vigil consisted in enjoying a good nap -on the best couch in the apartment. She thought that she might without -unkindness allow her to keep vigil in that way a few moments more; and -feeling that her heart was overflowing with emotion, her mind fairly -drowned by conflicting thoughts, she could not resist the temptation to -sit down beside the basin in which the moon was reflected, clear and -motionless, as in a Venetian mirror. - -The nightingale had ceased to sing. It was sleeping on its young brood. -All was still, and the young zephyr (the night breeze of those days) was -slumbering so sweetly that it did not even stir a blade of grass. Paris -too was asleep, at all events the tranquil quarter of which the hôtel -D'Estrelle marked the outer limit. The sounds of the country were more -audible there than those of the city; at that hour they were confined to -an occasional cock-crow and the barking of a dog in the distance at long -intervals. The clocks rang out in clear tones, answering one another -from convent to convent; then everything relapsed into blissful silence; -and if one could hear the distant rumbling of a carriage on the pavement -of the real Paris, it resembled the dull murmur of the waves rather than -a sound produced by human activity. - -Julie, tired out and slightly bewildered, breathed deep of the -tranquillity of the night, of that perfume of solitude, with the keenest -pleasure. She fixed her eyes on a great white star, which shone near the -moon and was reflected in the same basin. At first she sat there without -thinking, oblivious of everything, enjoying absolute repose; soon her -heart began to beat so violently that it pained her; first she felt hot, -then cold. She rose to go away. She went to her bedroom window, but she -did not knock. She returned to the stone bench. She sat down and wept. -Then she rose and walked around the basin like a soul in torment; at -last she stopped, smiling like a soul at peace. She consented to -question herself, and when her heart replied: _I love_, she was -frightened and forbade it to speak. Then she called her conscience to -account for that terror, that shrinking austerity, opposed to the laws -of nature and useless to God. Her conscience replied that it had nothing -to do with it, and that the obstacle was not due to it but to the -_reason_, a sort of artificial conscience wherein God and nature gave -precedence to conventional ideas, fear, selfish scheming, precautions -due to misapprehension of one's real interests. In this order of -reasoning everything was expressed in terms of six-franc pieces. Marcel -had reason on his side in view of the actual facts. So the heart must be -sacrificed to the most sordid of facts, to the implacable menace of -poverty. - -"No," said Julie to herself, "that shall not be! If necessary I will -sell everything, I will have nothing of my own, I will work; but I -_will_ love, even though I have to ask alms! Besides, _he_ will work for -three, he who works now for two! He will undertake that burden, he will -be overjoyed to do it if he loves me! In his place, I should be so -overjoyed!" - -Julie began to walk again with increasing agitation. - -"Does he love me as much as that? Does he love me with the passion that -I thought that I detected the first day?--Ah! that is the question that -I ask myself incessantly, that is all that troubles me, that is -something that neither my conscience nor my reason, nor my heart can -tell me. Perhaps he has only a friendly feeling for me, for he is a good -son, and he is grateful to me for what I tried to do for his mother. He -owes me gratitude and he proves his gratitude by admirable devotion. And -what then? Why should he love me madly? why should he want to pass his -life at my feet? He has no craving for it, for he is never at hand -except on occasions when I may need him. The rest of the time he gives -his mind to his real duties, his work, his mother, perhaps to some girl -of his own station who will bring him a comfortable dowry--whereas I, a -poor, ruined--But am I ruined?--If my husband's father has provided for -my future, I am still a _grande dame_--and in that case--in that case -everything in my dream is changed; I forget this young man who is not -suited to me, I marry a man in society, at my choice, I am proud and -happy, I love without perplexity and without shame.--Oh, yes! But now it -is _he_, no stranger, no other than he, whom I love; it is he alone, and -I do not know whether one can be cured of that. I do not know if one -ever forgets. I fear not, since the more I try, the more utterly I fail; -the more I defend myself, the more completely I am beaten. My God, my -God! in all this there is but one real fear, one real torture: and that -is the fear that he does not love me! How shall I find out? Perhaps I -shall never find out. Can I live without it?" - -Tormenting herself thus, she found herself quite near the pavilion, -having no idea how she came there. The door was open, a black figure -stood in the doorway. Julien, as if he had overheard her thoughts, as if -he were irresistibly impelled to answer them, came straight to her side. - -Julie at once recovered her reason and her pride. Taken by surprise, she -was about to speak in the character of an insulted queen. He did not -give her time. - -"Why are you here, madame?" he said. "Can you not get in? Are your -servants asleep, or are they all expecting you to come from the street? -You cannot pass the night in the garden, dressed as you are. It is two -o'clock. The dew is falling, you will be frozen, you will be ill. And -your hood is over your shoulder, your head bare, your arms hardly -covered. Here, take this heavy mantle of my mother's at once, and -forgive me for being here." - -"But how did you know?" - -"I heard you walking on the gravel--a very light step which could be -nobody's but yours, and constantly stopping and going on again. I was in -the studio, then I came here and held the door ajar, saying to myself: -'She is still out-of-doors, she can't get in, she will take cold, she is -tired, she is suffering, perhaps she is afraid!' I could not stand it -any longer; indeed, it was my duty. And this must not go on, you know; -whatever people may say or think, I do not propose that you shall kill -yourself; no, I do not!" - -Julien was profoundly moved, his voice trembled, and so did his hands as -he placed his mother's cloak over Julie's shoulders; but he did not -struggle against the surprises of passion; he chided rather, like a -father who sees his child in danger. It did not occur to him that he -could be accused of selfish love or of a treacherous exploit. So that he -forgot all considerations of propriety, and there was in his solicitude -a passionate intonation which overpowered Julie. She grasped both his -hands and, carried away herself by an outburst of exalted passion, the -first in her life, the least expected and the most unconquerable, she -exclaimed wildly: - -"You love me, you love me, I am sure! Then tell me so, that I may hear -it and know it! You love me--as I want to be loved!" - -Julien stifled a cry, lost his head completely and carried Julie into -his studio; but she had led so chaste a life that the alarm of her -modesty inevitably caused her lover's respect, momentarily submerged, to -rise again to the higher regions of his heart. He fell at her feet and -covered the tips of her ice-cold fingers with kisses, imploring her to -have perfect confidence in him. - -"Confidence!" he exclaimed, "confidence! I have sworn that I would be -your brother. It is your brother who is here beside you, do not doubt -it, and your confidence will save me. I told you that I adored you; that -is truer than I can possibly tell you, stronger than you can dream, more -terrible than I myself imagined; but I will not cause you to shed a -tear, I would kill myself first! Have no fear; you shall never need to -blush for having ordered me to love you." - -Could he have kept his word? He believed that he could, even at the -height of his delirious joy. Julie increased his strength by her own -boldness. - -"No, I do not propose to blush," she said, with the frankness of a -serious resolution; "I propose to be your wife, for to be your mistress -would degrade you. Commonplace love affairs are not becoming to a man -like you; to a woman like me, dissolute conduct is impossible. I too -would kill myself first! Julien, let us take our oath here and now to -marry, whatever happens, whether I am rich or destitute, for there is as -much chance of one as of the other. If I am poor, your determination -will never weaken, you will sustain and support me. If I am rich, you -will have no vain pride, you will share my destiny. This must be -decided, agreed upon, sworn to. I am not brave, I warn you; that is why -I insist upon pledging myself irrevocably, and then I know that I shall -look neither to the right hand nor to the left. My love will become a -duty; then I shall be strong, resolute and self-possessed. I was able to -endure despair in marriage, because I have principles and true piety; -with all the more reason I shall accept happiness, and I will struggle -to be happy as I struggled formerly not to desire to be. Swear, my -friend; we must be everything to each other, or we must never meet -again; for this is certain, we love each other and our love is stronger -than we are. Society can have nothing to say. For a fortnight past I -have ceased to live, I have felt that I was dying. To-day, I went mad; I -should have run after you just now if you had said to me: 'I do not love -you.'--Or no, I should have thrown myself into the basin, with the moon -and the star that shine in its depths. Julien, I am losing my mind, I -never said such things before, I did not think that I should ever dare -to say them, but here am I saying them to you, and I am not sure that it -is myself who speaks. Have pity on me, sustain me, preserve my honor, -which is yours, preserve your wife's purity for your own sake." - -"Yes, my wife! yes, I swear it!" cried Julien, in an ecstasy of joy. -"And do you too, Julie, swear it before God!" - -"_Mon Dieu!_" said Julie, bewildered and suddenly becoming a little -cowardly, "we have known each other a month----" - -"No, not a month," replied Julien. "Only an hour; for we met a month ago -for a quarter of an hour here, a quarter of an hour at your house, and -this evening in the street for half an hour. We may as well say, Julie, -that, so far as appearances go, we do not know each other at all, and -yet we love each other. God above hears us and knows it well, for it was -He who wished it, who still wishes it!" - -"Yes, you are right," she replied excitedly, for she felt recreated by -her lover's exalted faith; "we know nothing of each other but our love. -Is not that enough? is not that everything? What is all the rest? You -are a clever artist, an estimable young man, a good son; that is what -everybody knows about you; but is it because of those things that I love -you? I am a virtuous person, not ungenerous and of a gentle disposition, -or so you may have heard; but that is not what made you love me. There -are other good men, other estimable women, to whom we should never have -thought of becoming attached; we love each other because we love each -other, that is the whole story!" - -"Yes, yes," said Julien, "love is like God, it is because it is, it is -the alkahest! What does it matter that we discover in each other this or -that peculiar development of mind or character? The great, the only -business of our lives is to love, and since we possess each other's -love, we have known each other a hundred years, forever--our love has -neither beginning nor end!" - -They hyperbolized thus for more than an hour in the studio, talking in -low tones, by the vague light of the moon shining through the trees; -Julie seated, Julien on his knees, hand in hand, but refraining from the -kiss which would have been their ruin. Suddenly the moon, which was -sinking toward the horizon, seemed to shine so brightly, that they were -forced to conclude that the dawn was lending its light. Julie rose and -fled, after making Julien swear a hundred times that their union was -indissoluble. - -Camille was greatly surprised, when she opened the door for her -mistress, to find that it was nearly three o'clock. - -"Are the servants still waiting for me?" inquired Madame d'Estrelle. - -"Yes, madame; they think that madame has decided to pray all night by -monsieur le marquis's body. The carriage went to fetch madame. Madame -must have found it at the gate of the hôtel D'Ormonde?" - -"No, I did not wait for it; it was too slow in coming. Monsieur Marcel -Thierry brought me home by way of the pavilion, where I had to stop and -talk business with him. Tell the servants to go to bed; the carriage -will return when the coachman is sober." - -"Ah! _mon Dieu!_ so madame knows? Poor Bastien! I can take my oath, -madame, that he got tipsy from vexation because madame had taken a cab." - -If this explanation made Julie smile, her own explanations seemed -strange to the soubrette; but she suspected nothing wrong. Julie's life -was so regular and so pure! Camille concluded simply that her financial -position must be in great danger, since she passed the night talking -with the solicitor; and she imparted her solicitude to the other -servants, who were distressed by it, even while thinking that they must -not allow their wages to go unpaid. The footman, who was a friend of -Camille, and as such inclined to shield Bastien, went to the hôtel -D'Ormonde, but did not find him there. Bastien had understood that his -orders were to go back to the wineshop, and thither he had gone; he was -sleeping the sleep of the angels, the only slumber supposed to be -delicious enough to be compared with that of a drunken man. The carriage -was waiting for him at the door, and the groom, his subordinate, had -consented to watch the horses on condition that he was supplied with -something to warm him on the box every fifteen minutes. The rascals did -not reappear at the hôtel until daylight and did not recover their -senses for twenty-four hours. Under other circumstances Julie would have -dismissed them; but she foresaw that the bacchanalian episode would -introduce confusion into the accounts of the romantic episode, in the -gossip of the servants' hall and the porter's lodge. That is what -actually happened, and as the people in Madame d'Estrelle's service were -not ill-disposed toward her, it seemed that nothing was likely to -transpire of her actions during that extraordinary night. - -On the next night, as a matter of prudence the lovers held aloof from -each other; but on the night following that, although they had made no -appointment, they found themselves once more among the shrubbery in the -garden, and repeated with renewed delight all that they had said two -days before. They continued in this way, undisturbed and without -apparent danger, nothing being easier than for Madame d'Estrelle to -steal out of her apartments, even without very great precaution, her -people being accustomed to see her go out alone for a breath of fresh -air, at a late hour on summer nights. - -What a delightful existence if it could have lasted! Those meetings had -all the charm of mystery, with no remorse to disturb their joys. Both -perfectly free, and aspiring only to the most sacred union, sustained by -a love strong enough to be able to wait, they sat there in the darkness, -amid bushes laden with flowers, in the splendor of the early summer -which retains all the charm of spring; they were like two fiancés, who -are permitted to love each other, and who, without abusing the -permission, keep out of sight in order to arouse no jealousy. It was the -honeymoon of sentiment preceding the honeymoon of passion. Passion was -already awake, but they fought against it, or rather held it in reserve, -by mutual consent, for the time when they would be forced to fight and -display their courage; for well they knew what they would have to face, -and Julien said to his friend: - -"You will suffer terribly for my sake, I know; and I shall suffer to see -you suffer; but then we shall belong to each other, and love will afford -us ineffable joys which will make us invulnerable to assaults from -outside. Even if you were not guarded here by your own modesty and my -veneration, it seems to me that my selfish interests, rightly -understood, would enjoin upon me not to exhaust all my happiness at -once." - -At other times Julien was more agitated and less resigned to wait. Then -Julie would pacify him by imploring him to remember what he had said the -day before. - -"I have been so happy since we have loved each other thus!" she would -say to him. "Let us not change this blissful condition of affairs. -Remember that on the day when I shall say to you aloud that I have -chosen you for my life companion, people will laugh and cry out and -accuse me of a vulgar infatuation; and I know virtuous women who will -say to me cynically: 'Keep him for a lover, since you must have a lover; -but see him in secret and don't marry him!' With what sort of a -countenance could I endure such impertinences, if my conscience were not -clear, and if I no longer felt that I had the right to reply: 'No, he is -not my lover! he is my fiancé, whom I love, and who has proved his -respect for me as no other man could ever have proved it!' Let us keep -all our weapons, Julien; truth is the most powerful of all weapons in -the struggle against false ideas." - -Julien submitted, because he was entirely devoted to her, and also -because his spirit was loyal to that indefinable strain of heroism which -had guided his life and restrained the first impulses of his youth. He -was still able to conquer his passions, having never allowed them to -dominate him entirely. Moreover, this romance of pure love, in the -perfume-laden darkness, appealed to his imagination, and to the artist -those poetic nights were intoxicating festivals. That garden had dark -recesses and imposing masses of foliage, such as we see in Watteau's -pictures. The appearance of Julie, charmingly dressed, not over tall, -and of graceful outline in her simple gown, was in harmony with that -distinctive savor which makes of Watteau a serious painter, a realistic -and thoroughly alive Italian, amid conventional surroundings and in an -age of affectation. There was a secluded nook where a tall white marble -urn, standing high upon an ivy-wreathed pedestal, stood forth vaguely in -the darkness, like a spectre, against the black background of the trees. -Bluish, indistinguishable lights flitted over the foliage, and the -shadows of the branches played about the marble, whose outlines -constantly disappeared, although its shape was always graceful and -majestic. - -Thither Julien repaired to wait for Julie, as soon as his mother had -gone to bed, and, when she approached, as smiling and tranquil as -happiness itself, with her silk petticoats shimmering in the darkness -and her lovely bare arms holding up her skirts, Julien fancied that he -was looking upon some modern muse who ruled his destiny, bringing him -promises of future bliss with all the charms and fascinations of present -real life. - -They must enjoy the present without giving too much thought to the -morrow, for the uncertainty of future events made it impossible for them -to form definite plans. They did not know yet whether they could live on -thus, deserted by society, forgotten and at peace in that garden which -had become an earthly paradise for love; or whether, ejected from the -pavilion by inexorable creditors, they would go to seek an attic chamber -in some suburb, with a garden on the window-sill. They proposed to face -everything together; that was the only absolute certainty, the only -irrevocable determination. - - - - -VI - - -Two weeks had passed since the Marquis d'Estrelle's death, and, after -search had been made in every conceivable place, there was no trace of a -will. It was generally believed that there was one; no one dared say -aloud that the marchioness had persuaded him not to make one. There were -divers indications that Marcel believed that to be a fact, but it was of -no use to suspect, they could prove nothing, and the consequences were -enforced with overbearing placidity; that is to say, the marchioness, -while holding fast to the rights guaranteed by her marriage contract, -also inherited all the property of the deceased, and made no suggestion -of any sum being set aside to pay the late count's debts. And yet such -a provision seemed to be implied by the terms of Julie's marriage -contract. It was a matter for judicial settlement, and Marcel advised -Julie to appeal to the courts, if for no other purpose than to delay the -suits with which she was threatened. Julie would not consent. It was her -idea that lawsuits were always lost by both parties, and Marcel agreed -that she was not very far astray. - -"I am well aware," she said, "that the marchioness does not love me, and -it is very possible that she owes me nothing; but she is a very great -lady, and it is not possible that, rich as she is, she will allow a -person who bears her name to be entirely denuded. Let us wait a little -longer. It would not be becoming to begin so soon to talk to her about -money, and it would be most imprudent, as you yourself said, to appear -to be in too much of a hurry. When the time has come, I will take that -step, let it cost what it may; you must advise me of the fitting -opportunity." - -"Go there at once," said Marcel to her one day. "There is no time to -lose, your creditors propose to take action to-morrow." - -Julie, undeterred by the ill-success of her first visit, had called upon -the dowager on the morning following the marquis's decease. On that -occasion she was received very coldly, but courteously. Perhaps, the -marquis's testamentary provisions having been put out of the way, her -presence was no longer dreaded. There was a sort of bitter-sweet comment -upon the worldly pleasures in which Madame d'Estrelle indulged at the -close of her period of mourning, in allusion to her absence from home on -the preceding evening. Julie had given the explanation agreed upon with -Marcel. It was received with a decidedly incredulous air of curiosity, -and then the marchioness observed: - -"I am very sorry for you, countess, but you are obliged to wear mourning -again!" - -Julie had paid other visits to the dowager, without mentioning her -pecuniary troubles. When the moment had come to do so, she summoned all -her courage, began the interview with her usual gentleness of manner, -and laid bare her position in a few words, which she could not succeed -in making very humble. - -"I beg your pardon, madame," the marchioness replied, "but I do not at -all understand these matters of business, as I have not enjoyed the -advantage of living on terms of intimacy with solicitors. If you will be -good enough to send your solicitor to my notary, he will be informed of -my rights as well as my duties, and will be convinced that you are not -included among the burdens left for me to bear." - -"That is not the reply which I expected from your sense of honor, madame -la marquise. It may be that you owe me nothing; it must be so, since you -so declare." - -"I thought that for family reasons----" - -"I have not the honor to be of your family," rejoined the marchioness -dryly. - -"You mean," replied Julie, excited by the sneer, "that Monsieur le Comte -d'Estrelle made something of a misalliance when he married a young woman -of a family whose nobility was partly of the sword and partly of the -gown. That does not wound me, for I am not ashamed of those of my -ancestors who were magistrates, and I do not consider myself inferior to -anyone; but I did not come here to discuss my right to the honor of -bearing the name which you also bear. It is a fact that I am the -Comtesse d'Estrelle; am I to lose the status which was promised me, and -which seemed to be secured to me? If monsieur le marquis forgot me when -he was dying, does it not result from the intentions which he must have -communicated to you, that you will pay his son's debts, in part, at -least?" - -"No, madame, that does not follow from any intention that he ever made -known to me. I simply know his opinion, and it was this: that you must -absolutely abandon your dower, since it is insufficient to pay the debts -in question, and that he would then attend to the balance." - -"That has often been proposed to me, madame, and I have asked whether, -in exchange for that sacrifice, any allowance would be made me." - -"Are you absolutely penniless? did your family leave you nothing?" - -"Twelve hundred francs a year, madame, no more, as you know." - -"Well, one can live with that, my dear; that is enough to enable one to -ride in cabs, to see the play from a closed box, consort with -solicitors' wives, and walk about the streets at midnight on a -sign-painter's arm. Those are your tastes, I am told; gratify them, -renounce your rights, or allow the property which you hold from the -Estrelle family to be sold at any price; it makes little difference to -me! All that I desire is that you should marry somebody or other, so -that your name will be changed and I shall never be confounded with you -by those who do not know us." - -"You shall have that satisfaction, madame, for I am more anxious than -you to avoid that unpleasant confusion." - -She bowed and went out. - -Marcel was waiting at her house. When she returned with pale cheeks and -eyes blazing with indignation, he said: - -"All is lost, I can see that! Speak quickly, madame, you frighten me." - -"My dear Thierry, I am hopelessly ruined," she replied; "but that is not -what is suffocating me with rage. She insults me, she tramples me under -her feet; at the very outset, without any presumption or provocation on -my part, she hurls insults in my face! I am surrounded by spies, who -carry tales to her and poison the most innocent things. Thierry," she -added, sinking into a chair, "you are an honest man; I swear to you that -I am an honest woman." - -"Only a miserable villain could deny that!" cried Marcel. "Come, have -courage, tell me what you mean." - -When Marcel knew everything, excepting only the understanding between -Julien and the countess, for they had thought it best to keep their -secret temporarily, even from Madame André Thierry, he was much cast -down and considered the situation very desperate. - -"Here you are," he said, "between sudden, absolute destitution, a -terrible thing to a woman with your habits, and a lawsuit of which the -result is very doubtful. I no longer know what to advise you. I see that -my anticipations are being realized. She can strip you bare and obtain -the approval of society, by trying to besmirch your reputation. She has -weapons all sharpened for you, she laid in a store of them when she saw -that the marquis was sinking, and, feeling sure that he was on his -death-bed, she used them; she has manœuvred in cold blood to ruin you, -she has set spies upon you and had you followed." - -"One moment, Monsieur Thierry; hasn't Monsieur Antoine had a hand in all -this?" - -"Julien thinks so; I still doubt it; I will find out, and, if necessary, -I will set up a counter-system of espionage; but the most urgent thing -is not to find out who is betraying you, but to determine what you will -do." - -"No lawsuits, in any event!" - -"No; but let us not make that announcement; we will threaten to make -trouble; I will attend to that. They insist that you shall abandon your -dower; I propose that they shall purchase that sacrifice, and I will -make a stout fight over the conditions." - -"Meanwhile," said Julie, "I am at odds with my husband's family, for you -can imagine that I shall never set foot inside the marchioness's doors -again." - -"In view of her very evident determination to drive you to extremities, -I do not pretend to advise you to be patient. War is declared, the -hostilities are not of our making. Our proper course is to avoid -retreating." - -But Marcel had no time to fight. He had at his heels two or three -solicitors of decidedly unsavory renown, who talked of selling at -auction, and who would grant no further delay. He thought that they must -submit to the marchioness's demands. He went to Julie and told her so. - -"They are robbing you," he said; "indeed I fear that they may force you, -in case you resist, to part with the slender capital you inherit from -your own family. It is absolutely certain that the count's debts, with -the accumulated interest, will absorb much more than what you still -retain of his fortune. The Marquise d'Estrelle desires to occupy, or at -all events to own, the hôtel D'Estrelle." - -"And its appurtenances?" queried Julie; "the pavilion too?" - -"The pavilion too. My aunt must have something to indemnify her for -moving; another point to fight over, but one in which you are not -interested." - -Julie made no reply, but became profoundly sad. The idea of being -ruined, of being reduced to twelve hundred francs a year, had not -hitherto presented itself very clearly to her mind: but to leave forever -that lovely house and that delightful garden, which had become so dear -to her in the past few weeks; to lose that proximity to the pavilion, -the fascination and the perfect security of those nocturnal -interviews--that was a genuine catastrophe! A whole world of bliss -crumbled to dust behind her. One phase of the purest happiness she had -ever known was brutally closed, before she had any time to prepare for -it. - -Marcel returned at once to the marchioness's notary. He found him very -domineering in face of the countess's concessions--not as a man, for he -was a most gallant individual, but as the agent engaged to contest his -client's cause foot by foot. Moreover he had been warned against Julie, -and he saw in her only a foolish young woman, determined to sacrifice -everything to illicit passions. Marcel could not contain himself; he -lost his temper, swore on his honor that there were no secret relations -between the countess and his cousin, that they hardly knew each other, -and that Julie was the purest of women and the most worthy of respect -and compassion. Marcel had the reputation of an exceedingly upright man: -the warmth of his convictions shook the notary; but, recurring to the -marchioness's rights, he showed that she was mistress of the situation, -and that the countess would be very fortunate to extricate herself in -any way that the other chose to allow. - -However, he promised to do his utmost to bring her to a more generous -frame of mind toward her stepson's widow. The next day he announced, in -a letter to Marcel, that the marchioness desired to inspect the hôtel -D'Estrelle, which she had not entered for a long time. She desired to -see for herself the condition of the property and then to have an -appraisal made and discussed in her presence by her advisers and the -countess's. It was easy to see, from the tone of this letter, that the -notary had displeased his client by pleading the moral side of Julie's -cause, as he had promised to do, and that he himself was far from -pleased with the dowager's suspicions and harsh dealing. - -He appeared with her on the same day. Julie, preferring not to see her -heartless enemy again, locked herself into her boudoir, leaving the -doors of all the other rooms open. - -The Marquise d'Estrelle was a shrewish Norman. In Madame d'Ancourt's -circle she was called _Madame de Pimbeche, Orbeche_, etc. She was -accused of borrowing money by the year to lend secretly at usurious -rates. This may have been an exaggeration; but it is certain that, if -she expended a considerable sum to set Julie free, she proposed to -recoup herself on the details. The promptness with which she came to -make this sort of expert inspection demonstrated that purpose. - -She went through the house, examined everything with a keen, unerring -eye, made her comments and her deductions on account of the slightest -crumbling of the walls, cried down the furniture and the fixtures as -much as she possibly could, and talked and acted with a cynicism born of -avarice and aversion, which fairly sickened Marcel and made the notary -blush more than once. When she came to the boudoir where Julie had taken -refuge, she demanded that the door be opened. It was opened instantly. -Julie had heard her approaching, and being unwilling to undergo the -supreme affront of receiving a hateful visitor against her will, she had -gone out through the garden, bidding Camille open the door as soon as -the demand was made. Camille was proud, she could point to sheriffs -among her ancestors! She could not resist the temptation to give the -dowager a lesson: she walked to a chest of drawers in which she had -hastily and designedly placed a few trifles, and said in a tone of -sarcastic resignation: - -"Perhaps madame desires to count the linen? There are some of my -mistress's ribbons and neckerchiefs here." - -The dowager cared little for the chatter of a lady's maid; but her -hatred of Julie was lashed into fury. She cast a rapid glance through -the window and saw Madame d'Estrelle crossing the garden toward the -pavilion. - -Doubtless that was a great mistake on Julie's part; but she too was -exasperated. She felt as if she were driven from her house, from her -bedroom, from her most sacred retreat, by the shamelessness of -persecution. She longed for a refuge, her brain was in a whirl, and she -bent her steps, without reflection, as if by instinct, toward Madame -Thierry and Julien. - -"She will not come to their house to rout me out," she thought; "she -will not dare. I am still the owner of the place, and I alone have the -right to enter the premises of my lessees. Moreover, it is time for me -to acknowledge my friendly relations with Madame Thierry, and after -to-day I propose to go to her house as I go to the houses of other women -who have sons or brothers." - -As she resolutely entered the pavilion, the marchioness, impelled by a -no less sudden resolution, rushed from the boudoir into the garden. - -"Where are you going, madame?" asked Marcel, who had not seen Julie -fleeing, but who distrusted the gleaming eyes and the jerky gait of the -vigorous and active old woman. - -The marchioness did not deign to answer, but hopped on like a plucked -magpie. Marcel and the notary followed her, being unable to stop her. - -She knew the place very well, although she had not shown herself there -for a long while, having had a falling-out with her step-son the count -at the time of her second marriage. She arrived at the pavilion a few -minutes after Julie, and entered the studio like a bombshell. - -Julien was alone; he was not even aware that Madame d'Estrelle had come -in and gone up to his mother's room. Since he had been seeing Julie in -secret, he had ceased to be on the lookout for her. They were so -entirely agreed that they would not meet by chance! He was working and -singing over his work. Julie, as she passed through the little porch, -had had an indefinable sudden presentiment of the danger of being -followed; so she had gone upstairs, convinced that the widow's bedroom -was an inviolable refuge. - -Surprised by the sudden appearance of the old dowager, Julien, who had -never seen her, rose from his chair, thinking that she had come from the -street and that she wished to give him an order. That red-faced, panting -apparition, angular and repellent, caused him more displeasure than -hope. - -"Here is a person who will haggle like a pawnbroker," he thought -rapidly, "unless indeed she is a female pawnbroker herself." - -The lady's shabby costume in nowise indicated her rank and her wealth. - -"Are you alone here?" she asked, without any sort of salutation. - -Marcel and the notary appeared, and Julien's wondering eyes questioned -the former, who made haste to reply: - -"Madame desires to purchase this pavilion, and----" - -"I don't need to be introduced to this gentleman," retorted the -marchioness, sharply, "and I am quite able to explain myself." - -"In that case, madame," laughed Julien, "this _gentleman_ awaits your -orders." - -"I asked you a question," continued the marchioness in nowise -disconcerted; "I will make it more distinct. Where did the Comtesse -d'Estrelle go?" - -Julien started back; Marcel, seeking to avoid an absurd scene, hastily -motioned to him and touched his forehead with his finger, to indicate -that the woman's mind was deranged. - -"Ah! very good," said Julien, speaking in the tone which one adopts with -children and madmen. "Madame la Comtesse d'Estrelle? I don't know her." - -"A silly answer, master painter, and altogether useless. I desire to -speak to that lady, and I know that she lives here--from time to time!" - -"Marcel," said Julien, turning to his cousin, "was it you who brought -_this lady_ to me?" - -Marcel, in dire distress, shook his head. - -"Then it was you, monsieur?" Julien asked the notary. - -"No, monsieur," the notary replied with decision; "I followed madame, -and I have absolutely no idea why she came here." - -"Then you would have done better not to have followed me," replied the -marchioness with calm asperity; "I had a reason for coming to this -picture-shop, you have none. Do me the favor to allow me to conduct -myself here as I please." - -"I wash my hands of the affair," replied the notary, saluting Julien -with much courtesy; and he took his leave, cursing the shrewish and -capricious humor of his client. - -"As for you, monsieur le procureur,--" said the marchioness to Marcel. - -"As for me, madame," retorted Marcel, "this house is occupied by members -of my own family, and I receive orders from no one except the mistress -of the house, who is my aunt." - -"I know all that. I know your relationship and the understanding between -you as between good friends, and your neighborly relations with the -Comte d'Estrelle's widow. Remain if you choose, or turn me out if you -dare." - -"Let us have done with this, madame," said Julien, losing patience. "I -am not in the habit of failing in respect to a woman, however -_extraordinary_ her conduct may appear to me; but I am an artist, a -mechanic if you choose; I am on my own premises, in my picture-shop, as -you well describe it; I am working, I have no time to waste. You talk to -me of subjects which I do not understand and of a person whom I have not -the honor to receive; if you have no other motive for interrupting me, -permit me to leave you." - -With that he picked up his palette and his sketch and left the studio, -with an expressive glance at Marcel, which seemed to say: "Get me out of -this as best you can." - -"Very good!" said the marchioness, not at all crushed by this dismissal -in due form. "I will remember the shepherd's ballad. Let us look about -this hovel a bit. I will spare you nothing; I want to see the whole -pavilion, inside, upstairs and down, as I saw the hôtel." - -"Come, madame," said Marcel, "since you insist upon it. Simply allow me -to warn my aunt, who lives upstairs!" - -"No, not at all," replied the dowager, walking toward the door, "I will -warn her myself, and if she turns me out--why, I shall be very well -pleased, monsieur le procureur!" - -"Ah! this is enough to drive one mad!" cried Marcel involuntarily; "is -it possible that you really believe that Madame d'Estrelle is in hiding -here? In that case, come, madame; I will show you the way. When your -mind is at rest--" - -Marcel was a hundred leagues from imagining that Julie was in his aunt's -room. Suddenly, as he hastily opened the studio door, he saw Madame -d'Estrelle and Madame Thierry before him, and stood still, in the most -painful attitude one can attribute to disappointment. - -Julie had heard the marchioness's noisy arrival in the studio. Julien -had gone up to tell his mother that a madwoman was below talking -nonsense. He had been first of all amazed to see Julie, then sorely -distressed by her presence, on learning from her that the madwoman was -the dowager in person. Julie recognized her at last, and knew that she -would ferret her out if she had to go to the garret. She at once made up -her mind what to do, and, taking Madame Thierry's arm, said to her: - -"Come! it is not becoming for me to be surprised in your room, like a -guilty person in hiding; I prefer to brave the storm, and I feel that I -can do it because it is my duty." - -Julien, bewildered and ready to explode, remained at the top of the -stairs, listening and wondering if Marcel single-handed could save the -two women whom he loved and respected above all the world from being -insulted by a fury. - -But, strangely enough, as soon as the dowager saw those two women before -her, her countenance brightened and her anger seemed to vanish. What was -her real purpose? To ascertain with her own eyes that she had not been -deceived by those who told her that Julie had formed a friendship with -the widow Thierry, and consequently that she was her son's mistress. The -consequence was slightly forced; but, as Julien had told the marchioness -that he did not know Julie, the marchioness had some excuse for -believing what she wished to believe. This satisfaction appeased her, as -the possession of a victim appeases the excitement of the vulture. She -laughed a wicked laugh, glancing at Marcel triumphantly; and said to -him, without bowing to anyone, without waiting to be spoken to: - -"Come, monsieur le procureur, I am satisfied; I have seen all I want to -see here; let us go about our business." - -Julie felt the sarcasm and was about to reply to it. She was -desperate--so desperate that she desired to tell her secret in presence -of everybody. In her view that was the opportunity, or it would never -come. Since the tongue of calumny chose to call her a degraded sinner, -she proposed to reassert her dignity by avowing a serious passion soon -to be consummated by marriage. It was a most courageous act on the part -of a woman who had never known how to be brave; so that she was not -perfectly cool when she formed that extreme resolution, hastily and -without Julien's knowledge. - -But she was not allowed to carry it out in that way. Marcel and Madame -Thierry each grasped one of her hands, saying almost in unison: - -"Don't answer; let the insult fall at your feet!" - -And, while they detained her thus, the dowager passed on without -deigning to look at her, and took the path leading to the hôtel, while -the honest notary, who was awaiting her outside, and accompanied her, -saluted Julie with most significant deference. - -"You see," said Marcel, "her own adviser protests against the -unworthiness of such conduct; and now that woman has taken off her -mask, no one will be on her side against you; but, in God's name, -madame, how did you allow yourself to be caught here, where you never -come? You are most imprudent I am bound to tell you!" - -"My dear Thierry, I have something to say to you," replied Julie. "Go -and arrange matters with the marchioness; yield everything in the matter -of money, but save my own tiny fortune. I will wait for you here." - -"Why here?" said Marcel. - -"I will tell you that when you return," Julie replied. - -"Really, madame," said Julien, as soon as Marcel had gone, "by what -unlucky chance do you honor my mother with a visit on the very day when -your deadly enemy is watching you? And why do you remain here now, as if -to confirm her in her extraordinary suspicions?" - -Despite Julien's affectionate and respectful tone, his words contained a -sort of rebuke which surprised Madame Thierry. - -"Julien," said Madame d'Estrelle earnestly, "the moment to be sincere -has arrived. It has arrived sooner than I expected, but it cannot be -avoided, and I do not propose to retreat before my destiny. My excellent -friend," she cried, throwing her arms about Madame Thierry's neck, -"listen to the whole truth. I love Julien. I am bound to him by the most -sacred pledges. Embrace and bless your daughter." - -"O _mon Dieu!_" cried Madame Thierry in utter bewilderment, pressing -Julie to her heart, "are you married?" - -"Surely not, never without your consent," said Julien, embracing his -mother in his turn; "but we solemnly promised each other to ask your -consent when the time came that there would be nothing in this -disclosure likely to alarm your affection. Julie has spoken sooner than -I could have wished, but she has spoken, and what can I add? I deceived -you, dear mother, I love her madly, and I am the happiest of men because -she loves me too!" - -Madame Thierry was so profoundly moved by these revelations that it was -a long time before she was able to speak. She overwhelmed Julie and -Julien with the most loving caresses, and, trembling from head to foot, -with cold hands and streaming eyes, she felt a curious mixture of terror -and joy. The first feeling was the more powerful, perhaps, for her first -words were to ask Julien why, amid his happiness, he seemed to reproach -Julie for acting a little too quickly. - -"Ah! there you are!" said Julie. "Last evening--for we talk together -every evening, dear mother--we agreed to await the final decision as to -my fate before revealing our secret to our friends and to you. I saw -that I was marching to my destruction. Julien was content. But he would -have liked, for my sake, that all the wrong should be on the -marchioness's side; and it is quite certain that my resolution, when -known and published, will give her numerous partisans in her circle of -pious hypocrites and evil-tongued prudes; but for my part I cannot -endure the thought of being represented to be a lewd woman, and that -would happen if I were afraid to tell the whole truth." - -"Yes, of course," replied Julien; "now, we must tell it; but you put -forward the hour, my dear Julie! For that rash act I adore you more than -ever; but it was my duty not to assent to it. Love and destiny carried -the day over my prudence; they made my devotion entirely useless. A -truce to reflections! Bless your children, dear mother; Julie has said -it, Julie wishes it, and I know that you wish it as much as she does." - -While the occupants of the pavilion were thus pouring out their hearts, -the marchioness, installed in the salon of the hôtel, proceeded to make -a rigidly exact appraisal of both properties. Marcel fought, the notary -made sincere but vain efforts to adjust the respective claims. At last -they reached a conclusion intensely disappointing to Marcel--that Julie -could not hope to save her furniture from the enemy's clutches. It was a -great concession to allow her to retain her diamonds and her laces. She -had no choice but to submit to those harsh terms, because otherwise she -might get nothing; nobody had appeared to outbid the marchioness. Marcel -had written to Uncle Antoine, hoping that he would feel a longing for -the garden and would not haggle overmuch, for all his wrath; but Uncle -Antoine had held aloof. - -After a final half hour of discussion concerning the articles, which -were already drawn up, divers erasures were made and divers blank spaces -filled up. The dowager signed, and as Marcel, still complaining and -protesting, started to take the document and submit it to Julie for her -ratification, the dowager demanded roughly: - -"Why isn't she here? The matter is of sufficient importance for her to -leave her dear pavilion for a few moments!" - -"You will admit, madame," rejoined Marcel, "that you are not treating -the Comtesse d'Estrelle so generously as to make her feel inclined to -come into your presence." - -"Bah! she is very susceptible! Go to fetch her, Master Thierry! I am in -haste to be off, and if, on reading the document, she makes any fuss -over it, I am not one of the sort to wait for her. Let her come and -state her views here, that will be the shortest way. What is she afraid -of? I have nothing more to say to her about her conduct, which I care -very little about now, and which I didn't reprove her for after all. Did -I say a single word to her just now? If I did touch her a little the -other day, it was because she undertook to appeal to feelings which I do -not owe her; but let her abstain from recriminations, and I will agree -not to humiliate her." - -"If you authorize me to go to her with words of peace, and to repeat -them in mild and becoming sentences," said Marcel, "I will try to bring -her here." - -"Moreover," observed the notary, "madame la marquise doubtless has -something to say to her outside of the terms of the contract. Madame -certainly intends to give her time to find somewhere to go on leaving -the hôtel?" - -"Yes, yes, to be sure," said the marchioness; "that is my intention. Go, -Master Thierry!" - -Marcel ran to the pavilion and persuaded Julie to return with him. It -had seemed to him that the marchioness, satisfied with her bargain, -proposed to try to make some slight amends for her harshness; and it -would be more generous of Julie, and perhaps more prudent as well, not -to reject that sort of patching up process with which society is -accustomed to be content. - -Time was pressing, and Marcel was not admitted to the secret at the -pavilion; but Julie whispered to Madame Thierry: - -"You know now what my marriage portion is; I bring a very small income; -but by selling my jewels, we may be able to buy the house at Sèvres. So -I am a suitable match for Julien, and everything can be arranged in that -direction as nicely as possible." - -The marchioness concealed the impatience caused by having to wait a few -moments. She was almost polite as she requested Julie to read and sign. -Julie took the pen; but as she found that the conciliatory words which -Marcel had led her to expect were not forthcoming, she hesitated an -instant and glanced at the notary, as if to ask his opinion. Her -deferential air did not escape the keen eye of the lawyer, who had a -decidedly sympathetic feeling for her. - -"This would be the fitting moment," he said to his pitiless client, "to -inform madame of your generous intentions with regard to the question -still left open." - -"Oh! yes, of course," replied the marchioness, "I wish to enter into -possession of the hôtel at once, to-morrow at the latest; but I will -allow madame to retain the pavilion for two or three months." - -"The pavilion?" said Marcel in amazement. "Why, the pavilion is let! -Surely madame la marquise knows that it is let for nine years?" - -"But the lease is void, Master Thierry, for I did not sign it, and by -the provisions of our matrimonial agreements, Monsieur le Marquis -d'Estrelle was not empowered to do any act without my express assent." - -"So that Madame Thierry will be compelled to give up her lease without -indemnity?" - -"I am very sorry for her; but you know my contract by heart; look at the -lease and you will be satisfied that it is of no validity." - -She produced the lease, which was in her pocket, and showed it. There -was nothing to be said. - -"What difference does this make to you?" said the marchioness, laughing -at Marcel's consternation. "Madame la comtesse is still in a position to -compensate Madame Thierry for this annoyance. We don't count the expense -with our friends!" - -"You are right, madame," replied Julie with dignity, "and I thank you -for the opportunity you give me of showing my devotion to Madame -Thierry. But I decline your gracious offer. Madame Thierry and I will go -from your house together in an hour." - -"Together?" said the marchioness. "So much frankness was not necessary, -madame!" - -Julie was about to reply when a loud ring in the antechamber made the -marchioness start. - -"Come, no useless quarrels!" she said, suddenly changing her tone; "here -are visitors. Sign, my dear; let us have done!" - -And, as the footman was about to announce someone, she called to him: - -"Say that we are not receiving yet; let the person wait!" - -"Excuse me, madame," said Julie, offended by this authoritative tone in -her presence, "I am still still in my own house." - -Marcel, who had noticed the marchioness's sudden impatience, was -conscious of an ill-defined but imperative impulse. He took the pen from -Julie's hand. The marchioness turned pale, Marcel kept his eyes upon -her. - -"Shall I announce the visitor?" the footman asked Julie. - -"Yes," replied Marcel, hastily, for he had seen the visitor's face -through the open door. - -"Yes," echoed Julie, impelled by Marcel's excitement. - -"Monsieur Antoine Thierry!" said the servant in a loud voice. - -Julie rose with a gesture of surprise. The marchioness, who was -standing, sat down again with an angry exclamation. The horticulturist -entered, embarrassed, awkward as usual, but none the less holding his -head erect, with the irascible countenance which always presented such a -curious contrast to his timid manners. Without a direct salutation to -anyone, he walked forward in a zigzag line, but very quickly, to the -table, to the document, to the inkstand, and, looking at Julie, said in -a sullen tone, in which an indefinable trace of anxiety could be -detected: - -"Have you concluded anything?" - -"Nothing is concluded, since you are here," replied Marcel. "Do you -happen to have come to make a bid, monsieur my uncle?" - -"No one can bid," said the marchioness, in great excitement. "Everything -is settled. I appeal to the good faith of----" - -"Good faith is safe enough," retorted Marcel. "We were subjected to -harsh conditions. No one ever blamed a man condemned to death, however -resigned he might be, for accepting a pardon when it came to him as a -surprise. Come, monsieur my uncle, speak! You want the hôtel -D'Estrelle. I say more, you need it; you can pull down the wall and make -a fine addition to your garden. The hôtel De Melcy is old and dismal -and depressing and badly located. This one is cheerful, cool in summer, -warm in winter. You want it, you claim it, do you not?" - -"This is an outrageous proceeding!" cried the marchioness. "Madame's -consent is equivalent to a signature, and an agreement is never -retracted at the last moment." - -"I beg your pardon, madame," rejoined Marcel, "you were warned. I -resisted to the very last minute, and I said to you three times during -the discussion: if the door should open at this moment, and a new bidder -appear, I don't care who he might be, I would tear up this draft of an -agreement which I consider most lamentable for my client. I submitted, I -did not consent; I invoke the testimony of my colleague here present. -Uncle, everyone knows that you are infallible on questions of honor; -tell me, have I the right to object to my client's signing before you -have spoken?" - -"To be sure," replied Monsieur Antoine, "especially as my rights -antedate madame la marquise's. Let us look over this paper!" - -He ran his eye over it and said: - -"That is not my appraisal, madame la marquise; you pluck your victim too -close, and you compel me to remind you of our little agreements." - -"Go on, monsieur, overbid me!" replied the dowager. "I am unable to -contend against you who have millions. I throw the whole thing over and -give up my place to you." - -"Wait, wait!" replied Antoine, "we can still agree with a word, madame! -I can act here in a way to satisfy everybody. It depends on you!" - -"Never!" cried the marchioness indignantly; "you are a lunatic and I am -ashamed to have accepted your services!" - -She went out, forgetting her notary, and Antoine stood abashed, with -contracted brows, buried in mysterious meditation, and with eyes fixed -on the door. - -"They had agreed to act against me," Julie whispered to Marcel; "now -what are they going to do?" - -"Be patient," Marcel replied; "I think that I can guess." - -He had no time to explain himself. Monsieur Antoine emerged from his -reverie and said, addressing the notary: - -"Well, how far have we gone, and what is our decision?" - -"For my own part, monsieur," replied the notary, putting his papers -together and looking for his spectacles, "what took place between the -marchioness and yourself is a mystery. My client apparently abandoned -the object she was pursuing, and I shall await further orders from her -before taking part in this affair." - -"It is between us two then?" said Monsieur Antoine to Julie, while the -notary made his exit. - -"No, monsieur," she replied, pointing to Marcel; "I ask your permission -to leave you together." - -"Why so," said Antoine, with a peculiarly distressed air, putting out -his hand to detain her, but not daring to touch her sleeve. "You bear me -a grudge, Madame d'Estrelle! You are wrong; everything that I have done -is in your interest. Why don't you want me to tell you?" - -"Yes, indeed," said Marcel, "why should she refuse to find out what you -have on your stomach? Pardon the expression, madame la comtesse, for I -am a little irritated; but, pray set me the example of patience. Let us -listen, since this is the day to defy the enemy all along the line." - -Julie resumed her seat, with a cold and severe glance at Monsieur -Antoine, which put the finishing touch to his confusion. He stuttered -and stammered, and was incomprehensible. - -"Come, come," interposed Marcel, "you don't succeed in making your -confession, my poor uncle! It becomes my duty to question you. Let us -proceed in order. Why did you leave Paris mysteriously on the day -following a certain tragic adventure which happened to one of your -plants?" - -"Ah! you propose to talk about that, do you?" cried the horticulturist, -his little eyes glaring wrathfully. - -"Yes, I propose to talk about everything! Answer, or I take the judge -away, and your condemnation stands." - -"Condemnation to what?" said Antoine, glancing at Julie; "to her -hatred?" - -"No, monsieur, to my reprobation and my pity," replied Madame -d'Estrelle, despite the mute remonstrances of Marcel, who wished to -induce his uncle to mend his ways. - -"Your pity, pity for me!" he retorted in high dudgeon. "No one ever used -that word to me before, and if you were not a woman!"--Then he turned to -Marcel. "Pity! why that is contempt! If it was you who advised her to -talk like that, you shall pay me for it!" - -"Justify yourself if you can," retorted Marcel, boldly; "for if you have -behaved as you seem to have done, you are a detestable fellow, and every -honorable woman insulted by you has the right to tell you so." - -"In what have I insulted her? I have insulted nobody. I saw that she was -ruining herself; I tried to prevent her from----" - -"From ruining herself! You are talking nonsense, my dear uncle. There -are some dangers which a woman like her in whose presence we are does -not know and never will know." - -"Ah, yes! that is all talk! I am not to be put off with phrases learned -in books, I tell you! When a woman makes appointments with a young -man----" - -"Appointments? Where did you pick up such foolish stuff? The man who -told you that lied in his throat!" - -"You are the one who lies! you are the confederate--the obliging -friend!" - -"Be careful, uncle! Death of my life, you'll make me lose my temper!" - -"Lose your temper, if you choose. I saw you myself coming out of the -theatre." - -"Well, what then? My wife----" - -"Oh! your wife--your wife's a fool! I saw Julien come out too." - -"Julien was not with us; he had no more idea that we were downstairs -than we had that he was in the gallery. Besides, even if he had been -with us, what is this mania of yours for incriminating----" - -"_Encriminating!_" interposed Monsieur Antoine, all whose errors in -language we do not attempt to reproduce; "I _encriminate_ what is -_encriminatable!_ And what about the long walk at night, arm-in-arm, -from the hôtel d'Ormonde to the pavilion, where madame remained, by the -way, till three o'clock in the morning? Madame André may have been -present at the conversation. I don't deny that; but that's another -reason for _encriminating,_ as you call it, you ass of an attorney! And -all the meetings in the garden in the evening, when madame never goes in -till two o'clock--often later?" - -"Where do you pick up this servants' gossip?" cried Marcel, -indignantly--"these antechamber slanders?" - -"I don't go into antechambers, and I don't get my information from -servants; I have my own little police. I am rich enough to pay shrewd -ones who watch and tell me the truth. As to that, I don't make any -secret of it. I wanted to find out madame's sentiments, the reasons for -the affront she put upon me by employing Master Julien to show me the -door; that was my right; and, if I revenged myself as I could, that, -too, was my right." - -Madame d'Estrelle, being determined to tell everything and to take all -the consequences, listened to Uncle Antoine with proud impassibility. -The brutality of his language, which she attributed to chronic madness, -and excused because of his lack of education, did not wound her like the -premeditated, deliberate impertinence of the marchioness. Marcel, who -watched her during his uncle's fine discourse, mistook the disdainful -serenity of her smile for a denial more eloquent than any words could -be. - -"Why, look at her," he cried, shaking the rich man to make him hold his -peace; "observe the paltry effect of the fables and lies you have been -made to swallow! You cannot bring the faintest flush to her brow, and -her silence confounds your brutal eloquence!" - -"I will speak in a moment," said Julie; "let Monsieur Thierry go on. As -you see, he does not anger me, and I am waiting until he has finished -his account of my conduct and has given me an account of his. You are -under the ban of my indignation, Monsieur Antoine Thierry, do not forget -it. You claim that you do not deserve it; it remains for you to prove -that to my satisfaction." - -The old man was confounded for a moment; then, having determined upon -his course, he replied: - -"Very well, despise me if you choose; I don't care much about that. I -have my own esteem and that's enough for me! I was angry, true! I talked -about you angrily, vindictively, I don't deny it--and yet I don't hate -you, and it rests with you whether you will have me for a friend." - -"Confess before imploring absolution," said Marcel; "what has happened? -what have you done? Tell us!" - -"What has happened? this is what has happened, _Mordi!_ chance helped me -to vent my bile. The dowager Madame d'Estrelle sent to beg a favor of -me. Two or three days before her husband's death, they sent to ask me to -come to her house. I had known her a long while, because she once sold -me some land, none too dear. She wasn't so shrewd in business then as -she is to-day. She said to me: 'My husband won't last long; I inherit -his property; but I don't pay his son's debts unless the countess turns -over her dower to me; and to force her to do it I propose to buy up the -claims. Lend me the money and you shall have part of the plunder. I will -pay you well for obliging me.'--'Excuse me, madame,' I said, 'I want to -make that lady feel that I have her in my power; but I want to be able -to forgive her if it suits me.'--At that it was: 'Aha! what -have you got against her?'--And to that I answered; 'I have what I -have!'--'Indeed!'--'No.'--'Tell us,' etc., etc. In short from one thing -to another, from one word to another, I unbosomed myself, I told her -that I tried to be your friend and that you treated me like a pirate, -and all because you had let yourself be drawn into the intrigues of -Madame André Thierry, who wanted to marry her son to a great lady from -vanity, and to have somebody else do as she did, like the _wolf_ in the -fable who had his tail cut off, so they say. And the marchioness was -very glad to learn of the adventure, and made me say more than I meant -to perhaps, although I took pleasure in telling it to her. At last, to -wind up, she said: 'Monsieur Thierry, you must let this fine marriage go -on, it suits me!'--'But it don't suit me!' said I.--'Bah! you are in -love with her at your age!--Spite, jealousy, can you think of such -things?'--'No, madame, I am not in love at my age; but at any age it -makes a man angry to be fooled, and I have been fooled. I am not a bad -man, but I am powerful, and I propose that they shall find it out. It -isn't proper for me to persecute her myself, but when you have worried -her well, since it amuses you, I propose to pardon her, if she asks me -to.'--'Very well! very well!' said the marchioness. 'I swear to deal -fairly with you as a good friend. Lend me the money. Here's my note, and -you have my word.'--The lady sent for me again after the marquis was -buried. I knew some fine stories about the goings-on here, and I told -her everything, and it relieved us both to _slaughter_ the countess. -Then the dowager said to me: 'Revenge yourself. I am going to hunt her -down to the last ditch.'--And I still said: 'All right, but let me know. -I intend to redeem, if she mends her ways.'--Now, the excellent dowager -deceived me; but I arrived in time. Everything's at an end between us; -she's a crafty woman, she shall pay me for it; that's all I say!" - -"You don't tell us everything, uncle. There was something else between -you. You said to her just now: 'It depends on you whether everything is -settled!'" - -"That's my affair, it doesn't concern you." - -"Pardon me; she answered _never_ with such evident temper----" - -"She's an old fool!" - -"But what question did that answer?" - -"Oh! go to the devil! why do you put your nose in?" - -"Come, admit that the affair is complicated by another scheme----" - -"No, I tell you!" - -Marcel persisted. - -"Uncle," said he, "the thing is clear enough to me; as you were unable -to marry a countess, you concluded to marry a marchioness. Well, that -scheme was more sensible than the other; your ages and your fortunes are -more in harmony; but I see that you failed there also. She led you on by -some sort of hope in order to get a little of your money, but she went -on working on her own account, underhandedly and without your knowledge, -to obtain possession of the countess's property, and if you had arrived -a minute later, the thing would have been done and you would be neither -married nor revenged." - -Antoine listened to this homily with his head dropped on his breast, in -the attitude of meditation, but furtively watching the smile of surprise -and irony which Madame d'Estrelle could not hide. - -"As far as not being married to that old shark goes," he said, rising, -"I thank the good Lord with all my heart; but, as to the revenge I -propose to have here, why, I'll have it, and the devil himself should -not deprive me of it." - -"Tell us about your revenge," said Julie with the utmost tranquillity. - -"Who told you that it concerned you?" cried Uncle Antoine, whose tongue -always became loosened sooner or later. "Look you, there are three of -you women who have gulled me as if I was a little boy. Women can't do -anything else! The first was Madame André long ago, who called me her -brother and her friend, and that gave me confidence; the second was you, -who called me your good friend and excellent neighbor, so as to coax me -to give your lover something to marry on; the third--oh! she called me -her dear monsieur and her generous creditor, but she's the worst of the -three, because she only wanted to pluck me, like the avaricious vixen -she is: so she will have to pay for the other two. As for you, Madame -d'Estrelle, I excuse you and forgive you. Love makes people do idiotic -things, but at all events it's love, a thing which, so far as I can see, -muddles the brain and makes the reason limp. Well, let it go; give me -back your friendship, and let us hear no more of marriage, with me or -with the _other_. I still wish you well, and I will prevent you from -taking my nephew the painter, because my nephew the painter betrayed me, -and because it isn't suitable for you to marry a painter." - -"Come, come!" said Marcel, interrupting him, "you were beginning to talk -sense; but now your mania is taking hold of you again. That seems to be -a fixed idea with you! Where the devil did you fish up that fancy?" - -"Stay!" said Julie, "let us put an end to this. You and I are at cross -purposes, Monsieur Marcel; I am tired of pretending, when my heart is -sincere, and when I have already told the marchioness my intentions -clearly enough, in your presence. So let me speak now, and inform you -both that my marriage to Julien Thierry is a thing determined and that -we are irrevocably pledged to each other. Yes, Marcel, you will be my -cousin; and you, Monsieur Antoine, will be my uncle. You have been very -accurately informed, and you can pay your spies handsomely. Now that my -statement is made, you will see that I am forced to withdraw the -expressions I used to characterize your conduct toward me. Whatever you -may do henceforth, my respect for our relationship must close my mouth. -You are at liberty to abuse me, to slander me and to ruin me. I shall no -longer say a word in reply to you, but I shall not implore your favor -either; I have nothing to ask at your hands, and the more you oppress -me, the more you will increase my gratitude and esteem for the man who -is willing to bear the burden of my destiny." - -Surprise had struck Marcel dumb. His uncle, who had glanced at him at -first with an air of triumph and had seen that his amazement was -entirely sincere, became gloomy and irritated anew when Madame -d'Estrelle defied him thus to his face. - -"So it's all over, is it?" he said, rising; "you have made up your mind -and you don't choose to listen to my last propositions?" - -"Yes, indeed!" replied Marcel, "say on. I do not myself approve of all -Madame d'Estrelle's ideas, and I notify her in your presence that I -shall fight against the idea of this marriage. So speak, supply me with -arguments." - -"You are on the right side this time," rejoined Monsieur Antoine. "Very -well; as she turns her head away with an air of obstinacy and -contempt--for she is a contemptuous creature, that she is! a niece who -will treat me as my honored sister-in-law did--do you tell her what I -will do if she will give up her dauber of tulips. I will take care of -all her debts, I will let her keep her hôtel, her garden, her pavilion, -her diamonds, her farm in Beauvoisis, in fact everything she has left -now." - -"Wait, wait a moment!" said Marcel to Julie, seeing that she was about -to reply. - -"No," said Julie; "I will accept nothing from the man who treats Julien -and Madame Thierry with such disdain and aversion. I care nothing for -his insults to me personally. I forgive monsieur for having exposed me -to the sarcasms and slanders of the marchioness and her set; but the -enemies of those whom I love can never be my friends, and any -benefactions from them are an affront which I spurn." - -"Wait, I tell you!" cried Monsieur Antoine, stamping on the floor; "have -you the devil in you? Do you think that I propose to ruin your friends? -Not at all. I will give them the house at Sèvres, which is mine to-day, -if you please! I will make them an allowance, I will assure them a good -share of my property when I am dead, for I propose to divide it between -you and Julien and this ass of an attorney here! So, you see, I make you -all rich and happy, but on one condition: that the pavilion is to be -vacated instantly, and that you swear on your honor, and put your oath -in writing, that Madame d'Estrelle will never see Monsieur Julien -again." - -This time Julie was speechless. Even if that inexorable old man were -really mad, there was a sort of wild grandeur in that munificence, which -recoiled at no sacrifice in the effort to assure the triumph of his -jealousy. It was a shrewd move, too, to put Madame d'Estrelle in a -position where her refusal would sacrifice Julien's interests, Madame -Thierry's and Marcel's. The last-named at once expressed his views in -noble language. - -"Uncle," he said, "you can take what measures you please with regard to -my future. You know me too well to believe that prospects of that sort -will ever have any influence on my conscience! I said just now that I -was opposed to Madame d'Estrelle's determination: I have some ideas -thereupon which it is my duty to submit to her even now; but understand -this, that if she does not feel disposed to yield to them, I shall never -remind her that her resistance may injure me in your mind, that I shall -never allow my dealings with her to be influenced by my personal -interests, and finally that, if madame and Julien persist in their -purpose of marrying, I shall assist them with my advice and my services, -and shall be their friend, kinsman and servant for all time." - -Julie silently offered the solicitor her hand. Tears came to her -eyelids. She looked at Antoine and saw immovable obstinacy written on -his shrivelled, sunburned face. - -"Let us go back to Madame Thierry and Julien," she said, rising; "it is -for them to decide." - -"No!" cried Monsieur Antoine; "I don't propose to have you take them by -surprise. At first blush I know very well that the painter will play the -great man, and his mother will put on her grand manners, especially in -my presence. And then they'll be on their honor before madame, they -won't want to be left behind in the matter of pride; they will say just -what she did, with the right to repent an hour later; but I will wait to -see what you all say to-morrow morning! I will come again. Take then my -last word, attorney; do you reflect, also, my fine fellow, and then we -shall see if the four of you will agree in refusing my present gifts and -what I leave behind me hereafter. _Au revoir_, Madame d'Estrelle. -To-morrow, at twelve o'clock, here!" - -Julie, when he had gone, fell back, pale and crushed, on her chair. He -turned as he was leaving the salon, and satisfied himself that he had -succeeded in shaking that haughty courage. Then he went away in triumph. - - - - -VII - - -By nature, as by profession, Marcel was a foreseeing man. A man may be -both practical and generous. Under the inspiration of those two -qualities he considered the situation of the lovers and talked to Julie. - -"Madame," he said, taking both her hands with an affectionate kindliness -in which there was nothing offensive, "begin by disregarding me entirely -in this matter. If Julien and his mother are as brave and -self-sacrificing as you, I shall admire the sacrifice instead of -dissuading them. And first of all do not exaggerate the future -consequences of your action. Monsieur Antoine is a man of his word, that -is certain; in good as in evil, he does what he promises. But the matter -of his last will is a great problem, because he is now on the downward -slope of marriage. Surely it is a most extraordinary thing to see that -old bachelor, a confirmed foe of women and of love, rush headlong into -this matrimonial caprice in his declining years; as it bears the stamp -of monomania, no promise, no resolution that he may make can protect him -from it. He will find what he is seeking, be sure of that: some titled -woman or other, young or old, virtuous or not, beautiful or ugly, will -allow herself to be tempted by his cash and will swallow all his -property. So this simplifies the question, and you may put aside the -consideration of our inheritance. There is nothing certain beyond the -present facts, and you see I am not at all interested. So let us -consider these present facts which are submitted for our consideration. -They are of very serious consequence. I know Uncle Antoine; what he -proposes to do, he does in twenty-four hours or never. To-morrow he will -be here with documents all prepared, drawn up by himself in more or less -barbarous style, but with not a dot over an _i_ missing that would make -them good and binding, incontestable in the eye of the law, which he -knows better than I do myself. These documents will not set forth in any -form of words the strange provision, unforeseen in legislation, that you -shall formally break off relations with a certain person; but they may -very well impose the condition that you are not to marry again without -Monsieur Antoine's assent, and that they shall be revocable at once in -case of rebellion on your part. So we must not hope to evade the -stipulation which he demands; moreover, your character is an assurance -that you would not think of doing so." - -"You are right, monsieur," said Julie with a sigh, "I shall never make a -promise and not keep it." - -"Here we are then," continued Marcel, "face to face with an incredible, -but very real, closely impending fact, conclusive concerning the -existence of two persons who are dear to you, my aunt and Julien, since -my reasoning places me outside of the reckoning. You must reflect -seriously. Do you wish me to leave you alone for that purpose, or will -you allow me to say to you at once what I would have said to you an hour -ago if you had taken me for a confidant before Monsieur Antoine -appeared?" - -"Say it now, Marcel; you must tell me everything." - -"Very well, madame; let us suppose that, despite his anger, Monsieur -Antoine outbids the marchioness; see how straitened your circumstances -will be; two or three thousand francs a year! You marry Julien, who has -nothing in the world but his arms, and soon you will be a mother, with -Madame Thierry to support and care for, a servant for her, and a nurse -for yourself, and a manservant, unless Julien lays aside his brushes -when the heavy work of the household is to be done, however modest it -may be. You will certainly live honorably, for he will work; Madame -Thierry will knit all the stockings for the family, and you will be -economical. You will have a single silk dress and will wear calicoes. -You will always walk when you go out, and you will not indulge yourself -in a bit of ribbon without counting on your fingers to see if your -little savings will stand it. That is how my wife began life when I -purchased my office. Well, I can tell you, madame, that we were not very -happy then, and yet we loved each other dearly; my wife was not vain, we -had never been well-to-do, and we did not know what luxury was. We knew -how to go without; but we were anxious,--my wife because I worked half -the night and trotted about, tired out and with a cold in my head, at -all hours and in all weathers; and I, because she had to go without -fresh air and good food, forever harnessed to household duties and the -labors of maternity. Each of us suffered from constant, painful -solicitude for the other. I give you my word that the more dearly we -loved each other, the more worried we were and the more we lacked real -happiness. We lost two children; one that we had to put out to nurse in -the country where he was not well cared for; the other we decided to -keep at home, and the foul air of Paris, combined with the poor health -he inherited from his mother, prevented him from developing. If we have -succeeded in raising the third, it is only because we were in somewhat -easier circumstances by dint of economy and industry. To-day we are very -happy and free from anxiety; but we are forty years old and we have -suffered terribly! Our earlier years were a constant struggle, and often -a martyrdom. Such is the life of the petty bourgeois of Paris, madame la -comtesse; that of the poor artist is even worse, for his profession is -less reliable than mine. People constantly have matters in dispute, -which cause them to have recourse to the solicitor; but they don't -always need pictures, and most people never need them. They are pure -luxuries. Julien will not make a small fortune, as his father did. His -character and talent are even more highly esteemed perhaps; but he has -not the attractive frivolity, the taste for society and the brilliant -external qualities which cause a certain sort of people to become -infatuated with an artist, bring him out, sing his praises, and make him -shine resplendent. Let me tell you that my Uncle André's talent, -genuine as it was, would never have extricated him from poverty, if he -had not been a fine table-singer, a great man for clever remarks and -piquant anecdotes, and if certain influential but volatile ladies had -not from time to time made him unfaithful to his wife, whom he adored -none the less, but of whom he said under his breath, innocently enough, -that he must needs deceive her a little, in her own interest.--You lose -color!--Julien will not follow that example of a time which has gone by; -but it will be of no use for Julien to produce masterpieces, he will -remain poor. Society does not become infatuated with modest merit, and -does not travel about in quest of unknown virtue. His marriage with you -will make a certain noise, a little scandal which will bring him into -notice. His father's marriage had that result at the time; but, once -more I say, times have changed: the world is more austere or more -hypocritical to-day than in La Pompadour's day. Then, too, the same sort -of adventure doesn't succeed twice. People will say that youngster -is very presumptuous to try to mimic his father; and you will raise up -more enemies than patrons for him. There will be a great outcry against -you. I don't suppose that the marchioness will try to have you put in a -convent and him in the Bastille, for the crime of misalliance: she has -no rights over you; but she will injure you much more by crying you -down, and you will not have the rigors of persecution to make you -interesting. People know you, they know that you are rigidly virtuous; -the reaction will be all the more violent and implacable, the old prudes -will go about everywhere saying that as such marriages threaten to -become common in society, they cannot be endured and must be severely -condemned. Even the liberally-minded--some of whom are Julien's patrons -now--will not dare to defend you. They too belong to society to-day. -They are no longer persecuted but are caressed and flattered, and Paris -is still quivering over the triumph awarded Monsieur de Voltaire after -his long exile. People laugh at Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who believed that -he was still a victim of the machinations of bigots, and who might have -lived in peace and honor, so they say, if his heart had not been soured -and his mind diseased. The philosophers have the upper hand to-day; they -are no longer over-solicitous to fight against prejudice, and the -remnant of the great crusade of free-thinkers will not mend its pen and -sharpen its tongue to sustain your cause against the outcry of the -salons. All these cowardly blows, all these insults will eventually fall -on Julien's heart. He will live in never-ending anxiety, always on the -quivive; he will fall out with all his friends; he may fight with some -of them----" - -"Enough, enough, Marcel," said Julie, weeping. "I see that I have been -mad, that I have been led by the counsel of a selfish passion, or by my -absolute ignorance of social necessities. I see that Julien's life would -be made burdensome by public reprobation, that life would be a -never-ending source of danger and unhappiness.--Ah! Marcel, you have -broken my heart; but you have done your duty, and I esteem you the more. -Let us go and tell Julien that I mean to break--_Mon Dieu!_ how shall I -tell him that?" - -"Julien will not believe you! He will laugh at your generous pretence; -he will tell you that he longs to suffer for you. He is courageous and -strong, and I have no doubt that he adores you. If you consult him, his -first exclamation will be: 'Love at any price, love and persecution, -love and poverty!'--He does not doubt himself, and his mother, who is -equal to him in the matter of courage and unselfishness, will assist him -to sacrifice everything; but imagine Julien a year or two hence, when he -sees his mother suffer. Only by the most extraordinary efforts is he -able now to shield her from the horrors of poverty, and in spite of him, -in spite of herself, in spite of everything, she suffers on that -account, you may be sure. Madame Thierry is an enthusiast, in nowise a -stoic. She was brought up to do nothing, and she doesn't know how to do -anything but knit and read, sitting comfortably in her easy-chair. -Moreover her health is frail. She is not like my wife, she would not sit -up till midnight mending her son's shirts; her beautiful hands are no -better acquainted with fatigue than yours. What will happen then, when -Julien has a wife and children? He will blame himself for your miseries, -and if remorse ever gains a foothold in that proud heart, farewell to -courage and perhaps to talent!" - -"Enough, I tell you, my dear Marcel. Advise me, guide me; command, for I -surrender. Must I not see him or speak to him?" - -"No, you certainly must not, my dear countess. He must know nothing of -what has happened, and Monsieur Antoine's gifts must fall into his hands -without any suspicion on his part of the terms on which our uncle became -tractable. Otherwise, he would be quite capable of refusing them." - -"Marcel," said the countess, rising and ringing the bell, "I must leave -this house instantly and never return!" - -A servant appeared. - -"Send for a cab," she said, "and send Camille to me." - -"I shall carry nothing away," she said to Marcel. "You must pay my -servants, collect my most necessary effects and send them to me." - -"But where are you going?" - -"To a convent, outside Paris, I don't care where, provided that nobody -but you knows where I am." - -Camille appeared. Julie bade her fetch her cloak, and, when she had left -the room again, continued: - -"You see, my friend, if I remain here a moment longer, Madame Thierry, -being anxious on account of what happened at her house, will come to -make inquiries, and even if I should feign before her--this evening, ah! -yes, this evening Julien would wait for me in the garden, and when I -failed to appear, he would not be able to refrain from coming to my -window and tapping on it.--I should not have the strength to leave him -in the grasp of mortal anxiety, and I could not lie to him. No, no, let -us go! I hear the cab coming into the courtyard. Come, do not give me -time to lose what little courage I have!" - -Marcel felt that she was right; he offered her his arm. - -"Come, madame," he said, "God inspires you and He will support you!" - -They drove about at random at first, the countess having given the -cabman the address of one convent, then of another, having no idea where -she really wished to go. At last Marcel persuaded her to go to the -Ursulines at Chaillot, where he had a cousin who was a nun; and he -waited until she was settled there, himself paying the price of her -lodging and board for a week, reserving the right to prolong the -arrangement if the countess were properly treated. Julie took the name -of Madame d'Erlange, and Marcel's cousin, whom he enjoined to commend -her warmly to the superior, was not taken into the secret. As Julie took -refuge in the convent as a lodger, she was allowed to detain Marcel in -her room in order to give him her instructions. - -"I absolutely refuse," she said, "to accept Monsieur Antoine's -benefactions in any shape; they were hateful to me, and I no longer need -any consideration at his hands. Let him pay himself in full, as he is -now my only creditor, as he has everything of mine in his hands. I have -nothing left but my twelve hundred francs a year, and, as I must live -alone hereafter, I need nothing more. Do not let him leave me my -furniture; do not let him send me my diamonds; I will not receive them. -He may draw up with his own hands the agreement I am to sign, pledging -myself never to marry. I will sign it in exchange for the gift to Madame -Thierry of the house at Sèvres, and an allowance which you will do your -best, in my name, to make as large as possible. You will also demand -that neither Madame Thierry nor her son be informed of the truth with -respect to my action. You will tell them that I have gone away; that I -cannot, that I do not wish to receive them again, because--Oh! _mon -Dieu!_ what will you tell them! I have no idea! Tell them whatever you -can invent that is least cruel, but most irrevocable, for we must not -leave them any of the hopes deferred which make the heart sick, and -render the final awakening the more bitter.--Tell them--no, tell them -nothing. Alas! alas! I have no strength left to think or decide; I have -no strength left for anything!" - -"I will reflect," said Marcel; "I will think it over as I return. I -leave you in despair; but I must go to get your clothes; I must prevent -Julien from being panic-stricken and losing his head at the first -moment, and I must reassure your servants, who would otherwise wait for -you, and perhaps engage in compromising comments or investigations when -you failed to return. Come, madame, be heroic! Calm yourself; I will -return this evening, or sooner if I can. I will try to bring you some -consoling news from the pavilion; I must succeed in deceiving Julien, -although I have no more idea than you how I shall succeed in doing it. -_Au revoir._ Wait for me; do not write to anyone. We must not contradict -each other. You will weep bitterly! I have caused you much suffering, -poor woman! And now I must leave you alone. It is horrible!" - -As he spoke, Marcel unconsciously shed tears. Seeing his affliction and -his unselfish devotion, Julie urged him to go, and strove to display an -energy which she did not possess. As soon as she was alone, she locked -her door, threw herself on the poor, shabby bed which had been prepared -for her, buried her face in the pillow, stifling her sobs, wringing her -hands, and abandoning herself to her grief so completely that she lost -all consciousness of the place where she was and all memory of the -events which had driven her thither so abruptly. - -Marcel, returning to the cab, wiped his streaming eyes, blamed himself -for his weakness, and argued the facts anew. - -"When you decide to do a thing," he said to himself, "you must do it." - -He had one last hope which he had thought best not to suggest to Julie, -namely, to prevail upon Monsieur Antoine. He drove to his house first; -but he wasted there all the eloquence of his heart and his reason. The -selfish fellow was happy, triumphant; he was drinking his revenge with -gusto, and he did not propose to leave a drop in the bottom of the -glass. All that Marcel could obtain, after exchanging many reproaches -and invectives, was that Julien and his mother should be left in -ignorance of the bargain by which they were made rich. - -"You are trying to do a very difficult thing," he said; "do not make it -impossible. Madame d'Estrelle is the only one who has submitted thus -far. Julien would surely resist; deceive him unless you wish to make -Julie's submission useless to your vengeance." - -"You tire me with your Julie!" cried Monsieur Antoine. "She -deserves a great deal of pity, doesn't she, when I am giving her -everything--fortune, social consideration and liberty!" - -"Yes, liberty to die of grief!" - -"As if people died of that! Pretty twaddle in a lawyer's mouth! Let her -make a good marriage suited to her rank, I won't oppose it; she can -marry anyone she chooses. I bar nobody but the dauber. Within a -fortnight she will open her eyes and thank me. She will recognize my -grandeur of soul and will call me her benefactor. Upon my word, you are -all cracked! I pull hundreds of thousands of francs from my pocket; I -throw them by the handful to ingrates and fools, and they call me cruel -kinsman, hard heart, old hound, old miser and God knows what! The world -is upside down just now, on my word!" - -"They won't call you all those names, uncle; they won't call you any -name. There are no names to describe the oddity of your character, and -nobody else in the world could have discovered the secret of causing the -hand that enriches to be cursed!" - -"Bah! you are using big words; you fancy you're at the bar! Off with -you, you bore me to death. Tell your Julien whatever you choose; I don't -want to see him or you or anybody. I am going back to the country." - -"That is to say that you will shut yourself up here and barricade -yourself against all the strong arguments I can bring forward." - -"Possibly! now you know that your strong arguments will be wasted; they -will stay at the door." - -Marcel was careful not to tell his uncle that there was a much simpler -and less expensive way to prevent the marriage: namely, to abandon -Madame d'Estrelle to her destruction, and trust to the wise and generous -reflections to which she had opened her mind. Nor did he feel called -upon to tell him that she refused his gifts. - -"After all," he thought, "who knows how long this passion will last? In -a short time, perhaps, Julie will have conquered it, and then it will be -very agreeable to her to know that she is free and still rich." - -He and Monsieur Antoine drew up a conditional discharge of the whole of -her debt, and he succeeded in procuring the insertion of this important -modification, that Madame d'Estrelle was at liberty to enter into -wedlock with anyone she chose _except an untitled person._ He procured -Monsieur Antoine's signature and seal to the document, and put it in his -pocket, pending an opportune time to hand it to Madame d'Estrelle, that -is to say, when she should be less agitated. - -The deed of gift of the house at Sèvres and of an income of five -thousand francs in the public funds was all ready. Marcel had to fight a -terrible battle to prevent the insertion of a restriction analogous to -that to which Julie was expected to submit. He argued that, as Julie had -promised not to marry Julien, it was entirely useless for Julien to -pledge himself not to marry Julie. - -"But your Julie can very easily give up her fortune, and then when the -other has made enough to live on, I shall have made a fine mess of it! I -shall have married them! No, no! I propose to have a letter from this -lady pledging herself on her honor and her religion never again in her -lifetime to see this gentleman, with his name all spelled out. Women are -bound tighter by such gilt-edged notes than by all your parchments. They -are more afraid of scandal than of pettifogging. I must have that -billet-doux addressed to me, or I'll not let anything go." - -"You shall have it," said Marcel. - -And he hurried away to the pavilion. - -Julien was intensely agitated; he had not dared to ask any questions at -the hôtel. He had sent his mother to reconnoitre, and she found all the -apartments on the garden side closed. He did not know whether the -dowager was still there, he knew nothing of Monsieur Antoine's visit and -Julie's departure; he was surprised that, after confiding in Madame -Thierry, she could not find time to send her three lines to set her mind -at rest as to the results of the disturbance caused by the dowager. He -anxiously awaited the evening. Black thoughts rushed into his mind. - -"Who knows that the dowager and Monsieur Antoine have not plotted -together to have Julie abducted and confined in a convent on the ground -of misconduct?" - -At that time it was no longer very easy to obtain _lettres de cachet_; -but by going through formalities, an _ex post facto_ judgment, etc., -arbitrary incarceration could still be accomplished under the forms of -law, especially as an intrigue with a plebeian might still be looked -upon in official society as a scandal which a family was entitled to put -down. - -Julien was going mad when Marcel arrived. Madame Thierry was downcast -and very sad. Marcel saw that was not the moment to be outspoken. - -"I have some news for you," he said, forcing himself to assume an -untroubled and even cheerful countenance. "We were about to sign, when -Uncle Antoine appeared like a god from the clouds at the Opera. He lost -his temper and had a row with the dowager, who, up to that time, had -been acting in concert with him against Madame d'Estrelle; but he has -repented of his folly, he proposes to give you a magnificent indemnity; -he takes this opportunity to make amends for all the wrong he has done, -and he does it handsomely, I must say; so be grateful to him for it, -also for his intention to deal handsomely with Madame d'Estrelle. He -will probably leave her twice as much as the dowager intended to leave -her; so she thought that it was her duty to show her gratitude by -yielding at once to a whim he had of turning her out of the hôtel----" - -"She has gone!" cried Julien, turning pale. - -"Gone! gone! she is going to pass a few days in the country; what is -there so surprising in that?" - -"Ah! Marcel," said Madame Thierry, "you see, you don't know----" - -"I do not wish to know anything outside of the serious matters which -require all my attention," Marcel replied with decision. "I have heard -to-day many foolish remarks, offensive insinuations and impertinent -comments. I prefer to believe none of them and to remember none of them. -The name of Madame Julie d'Estrelle is sacred to me; but I have advised -her to disappear for a few days." - -"To disappear?" echoed Julien, still in dire distress. - -"_Parbleu!_ one would think we were in Madrid and that she had been -immuned for life in a convent cell! What is the cause of this tragic -mood? I simply urged her to pretend to be dead for a week or two, long -enough to settle her affairs and find out where she stands. Let us keep -quiet and show neither anxiety nor displeasure on account of her -absence. Let us not stir up the marchioness's evil designs, which -Monsieur Antoine's intervention has blocked to some extent for the -moment. Above all, let us make sure that Julie does not lose the rich -old fellow's protection and esteem. This is no time to puzzle over the -man's strange logic; the devil could not explain it. The thing to do is -to make the most of it, and no one of us three must think of himself or -of anything but Madame d'Estrelle's future." - -Thereupon he went into detailed calculations which compelled Julien's -attention. It was a matter of saving a modest competence for Julie by a -little prudence, or of throwing it away by excessive pride. Her -reputation was not yet compromised in society, and it was entirely -unnecessary that it should be. Thus far the plot against her formed by -the marchioness and Monsieur Antoine had not been executed. They had -been waiting for her to provoke the explosion by an attempt to resist -the dowager's claims. It was Monsieur Antoine's duty now to protect -Julie against the charges of which he was the author. He alone could do -it, having in his pocket weapons against the common enemy. He was -inclined to do it, he was penitent after his manner, he hated the -marchioness, he insisted that everything should be left to him to -settle: they must simply bow their heads and wait in silence. - -Julien was still ill at ease on one point. Did Monsieur Antoine propose -to take full charge of Madame d'Estrelle's destiny and will-power in -order to bring her to consent to the abominable idea of marrying him? -Marcel was able to reassure him completely in that respect, and he gave -him his word that fancy had permanently moved out of the old -sphinx's brain. Finally, Julien asked Marcel if he would also give him -his word that he had advised Julie to go away suddenly, if she was free -to return when she chose, and if she was thoroughly convinced that her -absence would be of benefit to herself and only to herself. Marcel was -able to swear that all this was true. - -"Of course you know where she is?" queried Julien. - -"I do know; but I cannot tell anyone; she made me promise. If she -desires to confide her whereabouts to anybody else, she will write; but -as she is very anxious that Monsieur Antoine and the dowager should not -know, I think that it will be best for her to have no other confidant -but me. Now that all this is cleared up, let me tell you what Monsieur -Antoine proposes to give you by way of indemnity for the lease." - -"One moment!" said Julien; "was this indemnity demanded, insisted upon -by Madame d'Estrelle? Was it not the price of some new torture inflicted -on her pride, of some sort of sacrifice on her part?" - -"There was nothing whatever to dispute about," said Marcel. "Monsieur -Antoine declared his purpose without any demand or concession -whatsoever. He probably always intended to make you this gift, for he is -the owner of the house at Sèvres, and he gives it to you. Here are your -deeds." - -"_Mon Dieu!_" cried Madame Thierry, as she looked over the papers, "and -an annuity too? I feel as if I were dreaming, I am happy, and I am -afraid!" - -"Yes," said Julien, still suspicious, "there is something under this, a -trap perhaps!" - -Marcel had great difficulty in inducing them to accept Monsieur -Antoine's treacherous gift. He had to tell them, to swear to them that -it was Madame d'Estrelle's earnest desire. He left them as tranquil as -possible, Julien struggling not to disturb by his apprehensions the -delight which his mother could not but feel at the thought of returning -to the home where she had lived happily so many years. Marcel then -hurried to the hôtel D'Estrelle and ordered Camille to pack up such -articles as her mistress needed for a brief stay in the country. - -"Ah! _mon Dieu!_" said the amazed Camille, "does not madame la comtesse -send for me to join her?" - -"It is unnecessary for so short a time." - -"But madame can neither dress nor arrange her hair alone! Think of it! a -lady who has always been served according to her rank!" - -"She will find servants in the house where she is." - -"She must be with some poor people then, since she dislikes to have her -own servants boarded there. Perhaps madame is really ruined herself? -Alas! alas! such a kind and generous mistress!" - -Camille began to weep, and, although her tears were perfectly sincere, -she added: - -"And my wages, monsieur le procureur; who will pay them?" - -"I will pay everything to-morrow," replied Marcel, who was accustomed to -that blending of sentiment and practicalness which is always noticeable -in such disasters; "have all the household accounts prepared, and -meanwhile take the keys. You will be responsible for everything until -to-morrow." - -"Very good, monsieur, I will be responsible," said the maid, beginning -to sob afresh; "but are we to leave madame's service? will madame not -return?" - -"I did not say that, and I have received no orders to dismiss you." - -Marcel wrote to his wife that he had no time for dinner or supper, and -that she need not expect him until ten or eleven o'clock at night. He -returned to the convent. Julie had exhausted all her vitality in tears. -She had risen again, she had bathed her pale face, streaked with the -fire of tears, in cold water. She was calm, downcast, and resembled a -living corpse. She revived a little when she learned that Marcel had -succeeded in deceiving Julien, and in inducing him to accept, without -undue suspicion, the comparative affluence which Monsieur Antoine -bestowed on his mother and him. She wrote a note to Monsieur Antoine at -Marcel's dictation, pledging herself never to see Julien again during -her life, on condition that Julien should never be deprived of the house -at Sèvres or the annuity. She would not make a similar stipulation -concerning her own fortune, and Marcel dared not speak to her as yet of -accepting Monsieur Antoine's discharge of her debts. She made no -complaint; she was thoroughly exhausted, and Marcel, as he shook hands -with her, felt that she was feverish. He persuaded her to see Sister -Sainte-Juste, his cousin, and he urged the sister to have someone sleep -in the next room. He did not go away until he had, with the solicitude -of a father, seen everything arranged as he wished. - -Julie passed a quiet night; hers was not one of those obstinate natures -which struggle for a long time. Her conscience told her that she had -done her duty, and the first suffering was so sudden and violent that -she soon yielded to exhaustion and slept. The next morning she thanked -the nun who had passed the night with her, and asked to be left alone. -She dressed herself and arranged her hair, and, realizing that she was -very awkward and unskilful in waiting on herself, she determined to -conquer her habits, to put her room to rights and make her bed, arrange -her clothes, and establish herself in that poor cell as if she were to -pass her life there. She did all this mechanically, without effort and -without reflection. When it was done, she sat down, clasped her hands -about her knee, and looked out through the open window but saw nothing, -listened to the convent bells but heard nothing, and did not dare think -of eating, although she had taken nothing for twenty-four hours. If -lightning had struck in the middle of her room it would not have -startled her. - -About noon, Sister Sainte-Juste found her in this state of listless -contemplation, which she mistook for a beatific reverie. Some broken -hearts are still so sweet and gentle that one does not suspect their -suffering; but the sister had noticed, as she passed through the room -used as an antechamber and dining-room, that the breakfast brought by -the servant had grown cold untouched. - -"Did you forget to eat?" she asked Julie. - -"No, sister," replied the poor unhappy creature, who did not choose to -allow herself to be pitied, "I was waiting for my appetite to come." - -The nun urged her to eat, obligingly waited on her, and thought to -divert her mind by her harmless, unmeaning chatter. Julie listened with -inexhaustible good humor, and carried mental submission so far as to -seem interested in all the minutiæ of that recluse's life, all the -details of the regulations of the convent, all the dull little events -which occupied the leisure of the community. What did she care whether -she heard that or something else? It was no longer in the power of -anyone to annoy or tire her. She was like an empty heart through which -everything passes and in which nothing remains. - -When Marcel arrived in the afternoon his cousin said: - -"Why did you tell me that lady was ill and had reasons for being -unhappy? She slept soundly without saying a word, she breakfasted -reasonably well, although a little late, and she took great pleasure in -talking with me. She is a very amiable person and she has no serious -sorrow. I give you my word that she has not, for I know about such -things!" - -Marcel was alarmed by this sorrow without reaction. He came to tell her -what had taken place that morning at the hôtel D'Estrelle. Julie -confined herself to asking him for news of Julien and his mother. When -she learned that they were moving and that they were to pass that night -at Sèvres, she would not listen to anything else. - -"I do not propose to hate anyone any more," she said; "it would cause me -more misery and do no good. Do not mention Monsieur Antoine to me for -three or four days. I beg you, my friend, allow me to become accustomed -to my lot as best I can. You see that I do not rebel; that is all that -is necessary." - -On the following days Marcel found her calmer and calmer. She was very -pale; but the nun assured him that she slept and ate as much as was -necessary, and that was true. She did nothing during the day and did not -wish to see anyone, declaring that she was not at all bored. That also -was true. She was preoccupied, and sometimes she smiled. Marcel could -not understand it at all; he urged her to consult the convent physician, -who found her pulse a little weak, her complexion a little _phlegmatic_, -as they said in those days to indicate the presence of a certain amount -of lymph in the system. He prescribed quinine and told Marcel that it -would amount to nothing. - -[Illustration 05: _JULIE AT THE CONVENT AT CHAILLOT_ -_Julie obediently took the quinine, walked about the -garden of the convent, consented to receive visits -from several nuns, impressed them as a very -attractive person._] - -It did amount to nothing, except that the heart was dying and the life -fading away with it. Julie obediently took the quinine, walked about the -garden of the convent, consented to receive visits from several nuns, -impressed them as a very attractive person, promised to read some new -books which Marcel brought her and which she did not open, prepared a -piece of embroidery which she did not begin, lived almost unnoticed in -the cloister, thanks to her unobtrusive manners, and continued to waste -away, slowly, without paroxysms, but without remission. - -Marcel was deceived by appearances. Seeing that she was so placid -mentally, and mistaking that sudden disappearance of the will for the -symptom of a struggle between a mighty will-power and nature itself, he -sought the remedy where it was not. He turned his attention to her -physical health. He hired a small country house at Nanterre, and, giving -Julie to understand that he had purchased it for her, carried her -thither; then, having made sure of Camille's discretion and devotion to -her mistress, he sent for her. He supplied her with enough money to -enable her to hire a peasant woman who could cook, and he made -arrangements that the countess's table should be daintier and more -substantial than that at the convent. The little house was located in an -airy spot, with a garden of considerable size surrounded by walls, and -with not sufficient shade to keep the sun from doing its healthful work. -He supplied the salon with books, little articles to provide occupation -or amusement, and Julie's harp--every woman in those days performed on -that instrument more or less. Marcel having taught her her lesson, -Camille deceived her mistress as to what had happened at the hôtel -D'Estrelle, and as to the means at her disposal. She made her believe -that everything was extremely cheap at Nanterre, and that she could -afford to live comfortably without exceeding the limits of her small -income. Julie wished to be poor and to owe nothing to Monsieur Antoine. -That was the only point on which Marcel had found her resistance -invincible. He had been forced to lie, and to let her believe that -Monsieur Antoine had taken possession of her house, her diamonds and -everything that belonged to her. - -The diamonds were in Marcel's custody, the house was kept in excellent -condition. The horses were in the stable, well cared for, and the -carriages in the carriage-house. The servants had been paid off and -discharged, under orders to return, upon advantageous terms, as soon as -Madame d'Estrelle should return. The concierge took care of the house, -groomed and exercised the horses. His wife dusted the rooms, opened and -closed the windows. Monsieur Antoine's head gardener attended to the -flowers and lawns. Monsieur Antoine himself visited the place every -morning. The pavilion, after Madame Thierry had gone away, was closed -and silent. But nothing was changed in Julie's abode. Every piece of -furniture was in its place, and the sun shone through the windows of her -empty salon. - -Two months had passed since the day that Julie left the hôtel. Uncle -Antoine was simply the caretaker and painstaking administrator of the -property. He had retained his privilege of being admitted there, pending -the time when it should please Julie to resume possession. He desired to -return it to her intact, and to reëmploy such of her servants as she -might wish to have about her. The concierge was ordered to inform -visitors that madame continued to own her house for the present, and -that she had gone to inspect her estate in the Beauvoisis and to make -some definite plans for the future; that is to say, Monsieur Antoine, in -concert with Marcel, having in view the _what will people say?_ -represented Madame d'Estrelle's situation as the continuation of an -armistice with her creditors; and as she had been in that situation for -more than two years already, that was really the most plausible -explanation. They would see about inventing a perfectly convincing one -when Julie should consent to return. - -It is true none the less that Julie's friends, the old Duc de Quesnoy, -madame la présidente, Madame Desmorges, Abbé de Nivières and the -rest, began to be much surprised that they did not hear from her. Her -sudden departure had been accepted with reasonably good grace, thanks to -the hints adroitly strewn about by the solicitor; but why did she not -write? She must be very lazy; or perhaps she was ill? Was she really in -the Beauvoisis?--But the old duke had to go to take the waters of Vichy; -madame la présidente was engrossed by the marriage of her daughter; the -abbé was like the household cat--he forgot everything when the fire on -the hearth died out. Madame Desmorges was indolence personified. The -Marquise d'Estrelle alone would have been likely to investigate the -subject seriously, but her malice was suddenly paralyzed by a sharp -threat from Monsieur Antoine to disclose her conduct and demand his -money, if she ventured to make the slightest investigation or the -faintest derogatory remark concerning Julie. - -As will be seen, Monsieur Antoine behaved with extraordinary fairness, -prudence and loyalty, in everything that concerned the reputation, the -comfort and the pecuniary interests of his victim. He listened to -Marcel's advice, discussed it with him as if the question at issue were -what it was best to do for his own daughter, and followed it exactly. -Touching the fundamental question as to which Marcel did his utmost to -bend him, the union of the two lovers, he was inflexible; and as he lost -his temper when Marcel pressed him too hard on that subject, sulked and -shut the door in his face, Marcel was compelled, in his client's -interest, to submit to delays of which he could see no end. - -Madame Thierry and Julien were luxuriously established in their pretty -cottage, for the best part of the furniture had been left there, as well -as divers artistic objects of considerable value which Uncle Antoine had -disdained to notice because he had no idea of their value. Julien had no -confidence in this unexpected generosity, for which he had been warned -not to thank Monsieur Antoine, and which was surrounded with -inexplicable circumstances. He was so disturbed about it that, except -for the duty of sacrificing his own pride to his mother's repose, he -would have refused everything. Their position was excellent from a -material standpoint. The income of five thousand francs enabled them to -live modestly without awaiting anxiously the avails of Julien's feverish -labor at the end of each week. Madame Thierry could not help feeling the -most heartfelt delight in being restored to her house, her most -cherished memories, her former habits and connections. The latter were -less numerous than in the days when her table was always laid, but they -were more reliable. Her only true friends came forward once more. -Knowing that she had no more than was absolutely necessary, they exerted -themselves to provide an advantageous market for Julien's pictures. Not -until one has ceased to suffer from poverty can one make the most of his -talent. Julien no longer needed to hurry; his customers came -unsolicited, through the intervention of enlightened and kindly friends. -He consoled his mother for the secret dissatisfaction she still felt in -being Monsieur Antoine's debtor, by saying to her: - -"Never fear, I will pay your debt to him, against his will, if need be; -it is simply a question of time. Be happy; you see that I am not -disturbed by Julie's silence, but that I am waiting confidently and -calmly." - -Julien had changed neither in bearing, nor manner, nor feature, since -the fatal day of Julie's disappearance. At first he had believed what -Marcel said; but, as no letter arrived from his mistress, and as he knew -beyond doubt, as the result of inquiries he had made secretly, that she -was not in the Beauvoisis, he had gradually detected a part of the -horrible truth. Julie was free, for Marcel had sworn it on his honor, -again and again; but as to certain other points he did not swear. He -asserted nothing; he simply left them to their presumptions. He refused -with shrewd persistence to listen to any confidential communication, -which made it easier for him to evade many questions. Monsieur Antoine's -machiavelian plan was too eccentric to be fathomed by Julien's -straightforward mind. He did not suppose that jealousy was possible -without love, and he would have considered that he insulted Julie's -image by admitting that the old man was in love with her. The old man -was not in love, that is certain; but he was as jealous as a tiger of -Julien, and jealousy without love is the most implacable form of -jealousy. Julien believed that he was mad. Can anyone divine the schemes -of a madman? - -But might not those schemes, whatever they were, affect Julie's -determination? - -"No!" said Julien to himself, "pecuniary consideration cannot have -influenced that noble heart. Julie wishes to break with me; she chooses -to bring about the rupture in silence. It is painful to her, but she -considers it necessary. She trembled for her reputation; the marchioness -threatened to ruin her, and her friends must have succeeded in -convincing her that she could never rehabilitate herself after marrying -a plebeian. Such is the opinion of society. Julie fancied for a moment -that she was superior to such prejudices; her love for me led her to -presume too far on her strength. She has a noble nature, but her mind is -a little weak perhaps, and now the force of her character is being -exerted to bring about the triumph of the prejudice which kills love. -Poor dear Julie! She must suffer, because she is kind-hearted--because -she understands my suffering. So far as she is concerned, I feel certain -that she desires to forget me." - -Marcel had stronger hopes of Julien's mental cure than of Julie's. He -saw him as infrequently and for as short a time as possible. One day, -when he was obliged to go to report to his aunt concerning a small -matter which she had placed in his hands, he found her alone. - -"Where is Julien?" he asked; "in his studio?" - -"No, he is turning his attention to gardening. Since he has had this -little plot of land to dig and plant, he is more easily consoled for -everything. He has had a great sorrow, Marcel! a sorrow of which you -know nothing. He loved Madame d'Estrelle; I was not mistaken; and, more -than that----" - -"Yes, yes!" said Marcel, who desired to avoid any sentimental scene; -"that has gone by, hasn't it? that is all over?" - -"Yes," replied the widow, "I think so. If he were deceiving me--But no! -after the hopes he has had it is not possible, is it, my boy? You can't -cheat the eyes of a mother who adores you?" - -"No, of course not. Sleep in peace, dear aunt! I will go to bid Julien -good-day.--If he is really deceiving his mother after the failure of his -hopes," he thought as he looked for Julien among the shrubbery, "he must -be a devilishly strong fellow!" - -Julien was digging a little hole in which to transplant a tree. He wore -a linen blouse and his head was bare. Standing in the loose earth, with -his hands resting on the handle of his spade, like a laborer taking -breath, he was musing so deeply that he did not hear his cousin's step, -and Marcel, who saw his profile only, was profoundly impressed by the -expression of his face. That manly countenance did not as yet bear the -marks of sorrow which were already impairing Julie's beauty; but it had -the tense, drawn look of despair which Marcel had had an opportunity to -study on her face. - -Julien spied his cousin, did not start at sight of him, and greeted him -with a smile. It was precisely the same smile of lifeless affability -with which Julie greeted him, a sweet but terrible smile, like that -which we sometimes see playing about the lips of a dying man. - -"This looks bad!" thought Marcel. "He is devilishly strong, no doubt, -but he is probably the sicker of the two." - -Marcel in his distress had not the strength to conceal his emotion. He -loved Julien dearly; his prudence deserted him. - -"Tell me," he said, "is anything the matter, are you unhappy?" - -"Yes, my friend, you know very well that I am unhappy," replied the -artist, dropping his spade and walking with his cousin under the trees. -"How could it possibly be otherwise? You are well aware that I loved a -certain woman, for my mother told you so. That woman has gone away. -Don't tell me that she will return; I know perfectly well that she must -return; but I know too that it is my duty never to seek her presence -again, and to say to myself that she is dead to me." - -"And--have you the courage to accept that conclusion?" said Marcel. - -"Yes, if it is my duty! You understand, my friend, that a man must -always accept his duty." - -"Men submit to it with different degrees of courage: a man----" - -"Yes, a man is a man. I am terribly unhappy, Marcel! I propose to endure -it. I could endure it alone, you may be sure of that, but you can help -me a little. Why do you refuse? What you have been doing the last two -months is very cruel." - -"How can I help you?" said Marcel, suspecting some stratagem devised by -passion to discover Julie's retreat. - -"_Mon Dieu!_" replied Julien, reading his friend's thoughts, "it's a -very simple matter; you can tell me that she is happier than I am, that -is all." - -"How can I know?" - -"You see her two or three times a week! Come, you have done your duty, -my friend! You have endured my anxiety with wonderful courage. You have -shown very great devotion to her and to me too, perhaps; but I have -discovered several things; I know where she is: I learned yesterday from -your son." - -"Juliot doesn't know what he is saying; Juliot doesn't know her!" - -"Juliot saw her one day at the play; he hasn't forgotten her. He doesn't -know her name, so he calls her the country client. He has often spoken -to me about her: her sweetness and fascination impressed him." - -"Well, what then?" - -"What then? Why, last Sunday the child went to the festival at Nanterre -with a comrade of his own age, to whose parents you had entrusted him -for that purpose." - -"True!" - -"The two boys eluded the watchfulness of the parents for a few moments, -and ran about the village. A tree heavily laden with fruit, hanging over -a low wall, tempted their mischievous instincts. Juliot climbed on his -comrade's shoulders and attacked the tree; and while he was filling his -pockets, he saw a woman whom he recognized pass at his feet. I know the -street, I made him describe the woman. I have been to Nanterre and made -inquiries in the neighborhood: I have learned that a Madame -d'Erlange--that is Julie under an assumed name--lived there with her -maid, that she never went out, that no one was watching her, and that -she lived alone _from inclination_; that she was not supposed to be ill, -although your son thought she had changed. In a word, I know that she is -a prisoner on parole, or that she is afraid of my importunities. Tell me -the real reason, Marcel. If it is the latter, tell her to come back, to -return to her house; tell her to have no fear; tell her that I swear by -all that I hold most sacred that she shall never see me again. Do you -understand, Marcel? Answer me and relieve me of the torture of -uncertainty." - -"Well, it is all true," said Marcel after a moment's hesitation. "Madame -d'Estrelle is a prisoner on parole; but it is a parole which she herself -gave, and which no one compels her to observe. She is at liberty to -return; but she cannot see you any more." - -"She _cannot_, or she _does not wish to?_" - -"She neither can nor wishes to." - -"Very good, Marcel, that is enough. Carry her my oath of submission and -bring her back to her own house. She is in dismal quarters now, and that -solitude must be ghastly. Let her come back to her friends, her -comforts, her liberty. Go instantly, go, I say! I don't wish her to -suffer another moment for me." - -"All right, all right, I will go," said Marcel. "I am going; but what -about you?" - -"As if it made any difference about me!" cried Julien. "What! haven't -you gone?" - -And he took Marcel by the shoulders, embraced him and pushed him out of -the gate. - -As soon as he had lost sight of him, he returned to his mother. - -"Well," he said, with a smiling face, "everything is going better than I -hoped: Madame d'Estrelle is not a prisoner! She will soon return." - -He watched his mother closely as he spoke. She uttered a joyful -exclamation, but a cloud passed over her brow at the same time. Julien -sat down beside her and took both her hands. - -"Tell me the truth," he said; "the marriage project worries you a -little, doesn't it?" - -"How can you think that I do not long most earnestly for anything that -will make you happy? But I thought, that you no longer hoped." - -"I was entirely resigned, and you said as I did: 'Let us not be -discouraged, let us wait. Let us not think too much; perhaps she will -forget, and in that case perhaps you would do well to forget also.'" - -"And you answered: 'I will forget if necessary.' And now I see that you -rely upon her more than ever." - -"But don't you think that I have reason to rejoice. Tell me frankly if I -am under an illusion, for you must try to preserve me from it." - -"Ah! my child, what shall I say to you? She is an adorable creature, and -I will adore her with you; but will she be happy with us?" - -"You know that Monsieur Antoine proposes to deal almost as generously -with her as with us, that he will leave her a competence. So that -poverty, which terrified you so, is no longer to be dreaded. What is -tormenting you now?" - -"Nothing, if she loves you." - -"You sigh when you say that. Do you doubt it, pray?" - -"I have doubted it hitherto, my child. What can you expect? if I am -unjust to her, it is the fault of you both. You had no confidence in me, -I did not see clearly the birth of your love, I did not follow its -different stages, and when you said to me one morning: 'We love each -other to distraction,' it seemed to me too sudden to be very serious. It -seemed to me that you hardly knew each other!--When I told your father -that I loved him, he had been at work three years decorating our house, -and I used to see him every day. Several good _partis_ had been proposed -to me, but I was very sure that I loved nobody but him. Julie stood in a -different position with respect to you. No marriage appropriate to her -condition and her ideas about love had ever been within her reach. She -was consumed with a craving for love, and was mortally bored without -admitting it. She saw you and esteemed you; you deserved it. You -attracted her, as it was natural that you should. Peculiar circumstances -brought you together, she thought that she loved you passionately. Has -she made a mistake? The future will tell us; but she fled just at the -moment when she said that she proposed to declare herself, she left you -to wait and suffer without sending you a word of consolation. If I have -doubted her, you must agree that appearances are against her!" - -"Then you think that prejudice has more power over her than love? you -think that she lied when she talked to me enthusiastically of the modest -life she proposed to adopt, and told me how little she cared for honors -and titles?" - -"I do not say that, I say that she may have made a mistake concerning -the strength of her attachment to you, and the reality of her distaste -for society." - -"So that if somebody should tell you that you had guessed right, you -would not be surprised?" - -"Not very much!" - -"And not greatly grieved either?" - -"If your regret for her should be very great, my grief would be equally -great, my poor child. If on the other hand you should bravely make the -best of it, I should say that it was better so, and that you can surely -find a more prudent and stronger-willed woman to love." - -"Poor Julie!" said Julien to himself, "so her love for me was a mistake -and a weakness even in my mother's eyes!--Well, set your mind at rest," -he said aloud. "She renounces the dream we dreamed together; she no -longer believes in it, she is afraid that I will remind her of it. All -that you foresaw has proved to be true; Marcel has just told me so. I -have given him my word that I will never see her again." - -"Great Heaven!" exclaimed Madame Thierry in dismay, "how calmly you say -that! Is it true that you are really so tranquil in your mind as this?" - -"As you see. I was overwhelmed the first few days, and I did not conceal -it from you to any great extent; but as time passed, I understood Madame -d'Estrelle's silence. The tranquillity that you observe to-day is the -result of two months of reflection. So don't be surprised at it, and -believe that I am proud enough and sensible enough to overcome the pain -I may have felt." - -Julien's resolution was not feigned, he was perfectly honest in it. But -he suffered too keenly to half confess his suffering. The better way was -to refrain from any confession whatsoever. - -In the evening, as it was very warm, Julien went out to take a bath in -the river. Ordinarily he joined a number of young artists employed in -the porcelain factory, whom he advised and instructed. But on this -evening, feeling that he must be alone, he avoided them and went to a -deserted spot on the outskirts of a piece of woodland. It was dull, -lowering weather; Julien jumped into the water mechanically, and -suddenly this thought came to his mind as he was swimming about: - -"This is a terrible blow, from which I feel that I can never recover. If -I should stop paddling here for a few moments, the water would swallow -up my grief and keep the secret of my discouragement." - -As he reflected thus, Julien ceased to swim and sank rapidly. He thought -of his mother's despair, and when he touched bottom, he pushed himself -up with his foot and returned to the surface. He was a good swimmer and -could play with death thus without any risk; but the temptation was -strong, and the thought of suicide produces a terrible vertigo. Three -times he abandoned himself to the temptation, with increasing -excitement, and three times he recovered himself, with decreasing -resolution. As a fourth paroxysm, more violent than the others, was -impending, Julien rushed ashore, afraid of himself, and threw himself on -the sand, crying: - -"Forgive me, mother!" - -And he wept bitterly for the first time since his father's death. - -Tears did not relieve him. The tears of strong men are horrible cries -and stifling sobs. He blushed to feel that he was so weak, and had to -confess that he would be like that for a long while, perhaps forever. He -returned home, dissatisfied with himself, and almost cursing the days of -happiness he had enjoyed. He raged in his heart, and, wandering alone -through the garden, while his mother slept, and the lightning constantly -set the horizon on fire, he reproached his mother for loving him too -well, and depriving him of liberty to dispose of himself. - -"Why!" he exclaimed, "to live always for some other than oneself is -downright slavery! I have no right to die! Why have I a mother? They who -belong to no one are the happiest; they can, if they still love a broken -life, hurl themselves into the dissipation which distracts the mind, -into the debauchery which intoxicates. But I have not even that right! -Nor have I the right to be depressed and ill. I must burn at a slow -fire, smiling all the while; a tear is a crime. I cannot breathe -heavily, dream, utter an exclamation in the night without my mother -rushing to my side, terrified and ill herself. I cannot depart from my -habits, go on a journey, seek oblivion and diversion in motion and -fatigue; anything of that sort would worry her. To live without me would -kill her. I must be a hero or a saint so that my mother may live! Happy -are the orphans and abandoned children! they are not doomed to bear a -burden beyond their strength!" - -Julien had no sooner given vent to this revolt against destiny than -other blasphemies entered his mind. Why had Julie disturbed his dream of -self-sacrifice and virtue? Had he not accepted all the duties of his -position? had he not performed those duties faithfully? By what right -did that woman, because she was tired of solitude, take possession of -his solitude? Was it not cowardly and blameworthy of her to give him a -glimpse of the joys of heaven, although he neither hoped nor asked for -anything, and then leave him to the humiliation of having believed in -her? - -"You have made me a miserable wretch!" he cried in the depths of his -wrathful heart; "you are the cause that I no longer esteem myself, that -I no longer love my art, that I curse my mother's love, that I no longer -believe in my strength of will, and that I have felt the shameful and -idiotic thirst for suicide. You deserve that I should revenge myself on -you, that I should go to you among your friends and reproach you with -the destruction of my beliefs, my peace of mind and my dignity. I will -do it, I will say it to you, I will trample you under my feet!" - -Then he thought of the future which Julie apparently had in mind for -herself, and all the horrors of jealousy rose before him. He saw her in -the arms of another, and he dreamed of the murder of his rival in every -possible form. - -He went out into the country and walked at random. He found himself once -more on the shore of the stream. The storm broke and the lightning -struck a tall tree not far from him. He darted in that direction, hoping -that another bolt would strike him. He roamed about in torrents of rain, -unheeding, and did not return until daybreak, ashamed to be seen in that -state of insanity. He slept two hours and woke completely crushed, -horribly frightened by what had taken place within him, and resolved not -to allow himself to be taken by storm again by a violent passion of -which he had not hitherto realized the extreme danger. He had much -difficulty in rising; he breakfasted with his mother. - -"I have always believed," he said to her, "that love, being the supreme -blessing, should exalt us and sanctify us. I see now that love is the -very acme of selfishness, and that it may make us bloodthirsty or -idiotic. Love must be conquered; but love cannot be broken like a chain; -it must be allowed to die out little by little." - -Julien had a violent attack of fever and delirium; his mother divined -his suffering, and she too cursed poor Julie in her heart. - -Meanwhile Marcel had gone to see Julie. - -"Madame," he said, "you must return to your own house." - -"Never, my friend," she replied, with her heartrending sweetness; "I am -very comfortable here, I live on my little income, I lack nothing, I am -not unhappy, and unless you want to occupy this house----" - -"This house is not mine; I deceived you about it; but you are at liberty -to remain here, unless, out of regard for Julien, you will consent to -what I ask." - -"For Julien, you say? What do you mean?" - -"Julien knows where you are. He knows that you do not propose to see him -again. He swears that he will not try to disobey you. He submits -absolutely to a decision, of the reason for which he is ignorant. You -have, therefore, no further cause for remaining in concealment." - -"Ah! very well," said Julie, with a bewildered air; "but in that -case--where shall I go?" - -"To your house in Paris." - -"I no longer have a house." - -"Possibly; but you are supposed to own your hôtel temporarily. People -suppose that you are engaged in arranging a settlement with Monsieur -Antoine. You must show yourself, so that a mysteriously prolonged -absence may not furnish food for slanderous suspicions." - -"What do you expect people will say?" - -"All that they can say of a woman who has something to conceal." - -"What does it matter to me?" - -"For Julien's sake you ought to be most careful of your reputation, -which we have succeeded thus far in preserving intact." - -"Julien knows perfectly well that I have nothing with which to reproach -myself." - -"It is because he knows it that he will fly at the throat of the first -man who presumes to say a word against you." - -"Let us go, then," said Julie, ringing for Camille. "I will do whatever -you choose, my friend, provided that I need never see Monsieur Antoine -again!" - -"Do not say that, madame; I have a single remaining hope." - -"Ah! you still have hope, have you?" said Julie with her heartrending -smile. - -"I should lie if I said that it was very well founded," replied Marcel, -sadly; "but I cannot abandon it until the last extremity. Do not deprive -me of the means of breaking down Monsieur Antoine's obstinacy." - -"What is the use?" queried Julie. "Didn't you tell me that the marriage -of a titled woman to a plebeian meant unhappiness, persecution and a -horrible struggle for the plebeian?" - -"Ah! madame, if the plebeian were very rich, most people would forgive -you." - -"Then you would have me ask your uncle to enrich the man I love? I must -dishonor myself in my own eyes--in Julien's too, perhaps--to earn the -forgiveness of a society without honor and without heart? You ask too -much of me, Marcel; you abuse my utter prostration. May God give me -strength to do but one thing,--resist you; for, after that disgrace, I -should feel that I had delayed too long to die." - -Poor Marcel was overdone with fatigue and disappointment. He wore -himself out in words and efforts of every sort, and he succeeded only in -rescuing all his friends from poverty and saving the material comforts -of life for them. He could do nothing for their mental condition, and he -said to his wife every night: - -"My dear love, there is nothing falser than reality! I am moving heaven -and earth to provide them with the means of living, and I succeed only -in killing them by inches." - - - - -VIII - - -Julie returned to Paris. She found there her luxurious surroundings, her -carriages, her jewels and her servants. Monsieur Antoine had looked -after everything; nothing about her was changed. She paid no heed to -anything. In vain did Marcel hope that she would experience a sort of -satisfaction, even if it were only a matter of instinct, in returning to -her ordinary surroundings. He was alarmed and almost vexed by that -immovable indifference. He had notified those of her friends whom he was -able to reach, in order to force her to be on her guard before them. She -greeted them without warmth, and when they expressed concern at her -pallor and her air of depression, she attributed everything to a cold -she had taken on the journey, which had detained her in the country an -unconscionably long time. It was nothing, she said. She had been much -worse; she was better now. She had preferred not to write in order not -to make her friends anxious. She promised to see her physician and to -get well. - -Two days later the Baronne d'Ancourt appeared. - -"I did you an ill turn," she said; "I am sorry, and I have come to ask -you to forgive me." - -"I bore you no grudge," Madame d'Estrelle replied. - -"Yes, I know that you are either a great philosopher or a great saint; -but you are a woman all the same, my friend; you have been persecuted -and you are suffering!" - -"I don't know what you mean." - -"Oh! _mon Dieu!_ I know that the persecution by your creditors has -lasted long enough for you to have become used to it, but it seems that -the time came when you were within an ace of losing everything. They say -that you obtained another respite, but with much difficulty, and with -the certainty that it was merely falling back so as to jump higher. You -told Madame Desmorges that, didn't you?" - -"Yes, it is true. I am only here now pending a final settlement." - -"But you will save something?" - -"I have no desire to save anything that came from Monsieur d'Estrelle. -It is my duty and my purpose to give up everything." - -"Oh! in that case I see why you are so pale and so changed! I had -understood that you displayed wonderful resignation, but that you were -sick with anxiety. Now, my dear, you make a mistake in rejecting the -consolations of your friends. It is a noble rôle that you are playing, -but it will kill you! If I were in your place I would shriek and -complain! That would not remedy anything, but it would relieve me. And -then people would talk about it; society would be interested in me. It -is always a comfort to attract attention; whereas you allow yourself to -be buried alive without saying a word, and society, which is supremely -selfish, forgets you. They were talking about you last night at the -Duchesse de B----'s. 'That poor Madame d'Estrelle,' they said, 'you know -she is really ruined? She won't have enough to hire a cab in which to -pay her visits.'--'What!' said the Marquis de S----, 'we shall see such -a pretty woman as she is splashed with mud like a spaniel! Impossible! -it's sickening. Is she very miserable over it?'--'Why, no,' Madame -Desmorges replied. 'She says that she will get along. She is an -astonishing creature.' Thereupon they began to talk about something -else. The moment that you show that you are brave, no one thinks of -pitying you, especially as it's so convenient to think of no one but -oneself." - -Julie contented herself with a smile. - -"You have a smile that frightens me!" continued the baroness. "Do you -know, my dear, I believe you are very ill? Oh! I don't believe in -sparing people. If you do that, a person may neglect herself and die, or -else drag along in misery and become ugly; and that is even worse than -dying. Take care of yourself, Julie, don't abuse your health as you are -doing. Your great courage won't carry you as far as you think, I tell -you! Everyone knows that it is not possible to lose everything without a -regret. Look you, I propose to tell you again, even though I make you -angry, that you did very wrong not to marry that rich old fellow, and -perhaps it is not too late to change your mind. No one would blame you -now; when a woman no longer has anything----" - -"Are you entrusted with new proposals from him?" queried Julie, with -some bitterness. - -"No, I haven't seen him since the day you and I fell out because of him. -He has made several attempts to surprise me, but I had barricaded myself -against his visits. But I don't say this to turn you against him. If he -comes again, don't turn him away, and, if he marries you, be very sure -that I will take it on myself to receive him on your account." - -"You are too kind!" said Julie. - -"Come, come! you are still distant and haughty with me. And yet I am -your friend; I have proved it. I broke a lance for you not long ago. -Some cowardly wretch of the Marquise d'Estrelle's set ventured to cast -a slur on you because of a little painter; you know, the son of the -famous Thierry, who lived at the end of your garden, by the way. I -imposed silence on him; I said that a woman like you did not dishonor -herself by being of a sociable disposition; and then, all of a sudden, I -was seconded by Abbé de Nivières, who said: 'That young man doesn't -even know her; he has gone to Sèvres to live with his mother. He is an -excellent young man; he says that he never saw Madame d'Estrelle in all -the time that he lived near her, and it is the truth.'--By the way, you -are interested in those people, aren't you, the mother especially? Do -you ever see her now?" - -"She no longer needs me, I have no reason to see her." - -"Then I see that everything is all right, except your health, which -disturbs me. Will you come to Chantilly with me? I am going to pass a -month there; we shall see plenty of society, and perhaps it will set you -up; then, if you recover your lovely coloring, perhaps we shall find a -husband for you." - -Madame d'Ancourt departed at last, chattering volubly, offering her -services, and sympathizing with her friend to the very step of her -carriage, abusing egotists, and in reality caring for nothing on earth -but herself. - -"She is too proud and too suspicious, that Julie," she said to herself. -"Faith, I'll not go to see her again very soon! She is distressing. If -she needs me, she will know where to find me." - -It was almost the same story with all Madame d'Estrelle's acquaintances. -She had never understood so well the abandonment which befalls all those -who abandon themselves, and she abandoned herself the more completely in -that she felt that her heart was becoming withered. - -When she had passed several days without apparently giving any thought -to the subject of her future action, she roused herself one morning to -say to Marcel: - -"I have done what you wished me to do; I have shown myself and explained -my absence; I have said that I am to go away before long. It is time to -have done with it and to turn over the house to Monsieur Antoine. It is -my purpose to go to live in the provinces, in some lonely place where I -shall be entirely forgotten. I shall take nobody but Camille. Do me the -favor to advise me in the selection of an out-of-the-way place and a -very modest dwelling." - -"There is one great difficulty," said Marcel, "and that is that Monsieur -Antoine will not assent to any settlement, that his receipt in full is -in my wallet, and that he has not yet any idea that it has not been -accepted." - -"You took that receipt from him!" exclaimed Julie indignantly. "He -believes that I will accept it! You had not the courage to tear it up -and throw the pieces in his face! Oh! I beg your pardon, Marcel, I -forget that he is your kinsman, that for your own sake you must treat -him gently. Very well, give me the receipt, and bring Monsieur Antoine -to me. This must be settled to-day; I will undertake to settle it." - -"Take care, madame," said Marcel, in whose breast a faint hope revived, -as he discovered the vulnerable point in Madame d'Estrelle, at which -lightning-flashes of energy could still be produced. "Monsieur Antoine -is very irritable too, his self-esteem is bent upon having you for his -debtor. Do not so act with him that he will detest Julien." - -"Is not Julien's future assured?" - -"Yes, if all the conditions of the arrangement are observed; and I -should lie if I told you that Monsieur Antoine is aware of your refusal -to observe that one in which you are concerned." - -"Oh! _mon Dieu!_ what a position you have put me in, Marcel! With your -blind devotion to practical affairs, with your obstinate determination -to save me from poverty, you have degraded me! That man believes that I -have sold my heart, that he has bought it with his money, and Julien -also believes that I have betrayed love for wealth! Ah! you would have -done better to kill me! To-day I feel that I cannot bear it all, and -that I must die!" - -Julie sobbed as if her heart would break; it was a long time since she -had wept. Marcel preferred to see her so, rather than changed into a -statue; he hoped for some favorable result from a violent paroxysm. He -tried deliberately to cause it. - -"Scold me, curse me," he said to her; "I did it all for Julien." - -"That is true of course," replied Julie; "I do wrong to blame you for -it. Forgive me, my friend. Are you perfectly sure that if I offend -Monsieur Antoine by my refusal, everything that he has done for Julien -will be in danger of being undone?" - -"Indubitably, and Monsieur Antoine will be justified on equitable -grounds. He is waiting, with an impatience which begins to alarm me, for -you to proclaim his merits and cease to be ashamed of his benefactions. -You must drink this cup, you must drink it for love of Julien, if, as I -suppose, that love is not dead!" - -"Let us not talk about that; I will drink the cup to the dregs. But how -shall we explain to the world the generosity which I am forced to -accept? What reason can we give for it? The world will suppose that I -have fawned upon that old man, that I have bewitched him by degrading -coquetries; perhaps they will say something worse." - -"Yes, madame," said Marcel, determined to venture upon one supreme test -to make sure of Julie's sentiments, "the evil-minded will say all that, -and I do not as yet see any way to prevent their saying it. We will try -to find a way; but if we cannot, will your devotion to Julien go so far -as the sacrifice I ask?" - -"Yes," said Madame d'Estrelle, "I will go on to the end! Tell me, is -there not something to sign?" - -And she thought: - -"I will kill myself afterward!" - -"You have to enter into no new engagements," replied Marcel; "but you -must consent to receive Monsieur Antoine and thank him. I am certain now -that he would really make Julien a rich man if you would agree to a sort -of reconciliation." - -"Bring Monsieur Antoine here," said Julie.--"I will kill myself -to-night," she said to herself when Marcel had gone. - -Julie's love had made such progress in her despair that she was no -longer capable of sound reasoning. Her love had become an accepted -martyrdom; she lived wholly on the excitement of that martyrdom. - -She wrote to Julien: - -"Here is the key to the pavilion. Come at midnight; you will find me -there. I am going on a long journey. I want to say adieu to you -forever." - -She put the key in the letter, sealed it, ordered the most reliable of -her servants to mount and ride at full speed to Sèvres, and bring her a -reply. It was five o'clock in the afternoon. - -She went out into the garden to await Monsieur Antoine and stopped on -the edge of the pond. The water was not very deep; but by lying down at -full length!--One who wants to die can always find a way. The variety of -suicide which had so tempted Julien a few days before, suggested itself -to her with ghastly tranquillity. - -"Nobody else on earth cares for me," she thought. "As I cannot be his, I -will not be any man's. An infernal hatred has seized me by the throat -and strangled me in the midst of my life and my happiness. They are not -satisfied to deprive me of love and liberty, they seek to deprive me of -honor too. Marcel himself said that I must consent to be reputed that -old man's mistress. Ah! if Julien knew that, how he would abhor the -comfort in which his mother is living! And if she should suspect -it!--They shall both remain in ignorance of it, I am determined; my -death will be the result of an accident. It will be impossible to -retract the bargain we are about to make. Julien will be rich and -honored. No one will ever guess at what price." - -Once more the thought passed through Julie's mind that it was in her -power and Julien's to shake off all these chains and to be united in -spite of poverty. - -"He would be happier so," she thought, "and perhaps I am sacrificing -myself to his undoing! But who knows where Monsieur Antoine's hatred -would stop? A raving maniac is capable of anything; perhaps he would -have him murdered. Has he not secret agents, spies, cutthroats, in his -service?" - -Her brain was in a whirl, she walked round and round the basin as if she -were impatiently awaiting the fatal hour. And then, when she thought -that she was about to see Julien again, her heart returned to life with -a mighty throb, and beat as if it would burst. She had no feeling of -remorse, no scruple about breaking oaths extorted from her by the most -revolting moral constraint. - -"When one is at the point of death," she said to herself, "one has the -right to protest before God against the iniquity of his executioners." - -At that moment there was an extraordinary power of reaction in that -woman, naturally so gentle and submissive. It was like the sudden -boiling of a placid lake, caused by a volcanic disturbance, or like the -blazing up of a flame just on the point of dying. She was feverish, she -was no longer herself. - -She saw Monsieur Antoine approaching with Marcel, and she mechanically -seated herself, to receive him, on the bench where, three months -earlier, the old man had made the strange and absurd proposition, her -rejection of which had cost her so dear. As on that day, she heard the -foliage rustle and saw the sparrow Julien had tamed flapping his wings -and apparently hesitating whether he should light on her shoulder. The -little creature had taken a liking to freedom. Julien, being unable to -find him as they were going away, had left him behind, hoping that -Julie, whose long absence he did not foresee, would be very glad to find -him there. Since her return, Julie had seen him several times not far -away, friendly but suspicious. She had tried in vain to induce him to -come nearer. But this time he allowed himself to be caught. She was -holding him in her hands when Monsieur Antoine accosted her. - -She smiled and saluted him with a bewildered air; he spoke to her, -unconscious of what he was saying, for his long exercise of absolutely -despotic power had failed to overcome his timidity at the beginning of -an interview. After his inevitable moment of stammering, he could -succeed in saying nothing more than this: - -"Ah! so you still have your sparrow?" - -"It is Julien's sparrow and I love it," replied Julie. "Here, do you -want to kill it? Here it is!" - -Her manner of speaking, her livid pallor, and the savagely indifferent -air with which she offered him the poor little bird, all warm with her -kisses, made a profound impression on Monsieur Antoine. He looked at -Marcel as if to say: "Is she mad, I wonder?" and instead of twisting the -sparrow's neck as he would have done three months earlier, he pushed it -away, saying stupidly: - -"Psha! psha! keep the thing! There's no great harm in it!" - -"You are so kind!" rejoined Julie, with the same feverish bitterness. -"You have come to receive my thanks, haven't you? You know that I accept -everything, that I am happy now, that I no longer love anything or -anybody, that you have done me the very greatest service, and that you -can say to God every night: 'I have been good and great like unto -Thee!'" - -Monsieur Antoine stood with his mouth open, uncertain whether Madame -d'Estrelle said these things to make sport of him or to thank him; too -cunning to trust, too dull to understand. - -"She is going to fly in my face," he whispered to Marcel. "You deceived -me, you rascal!" - -"No, uncle," Marcel replied aloud. "Madame la comtesse is thanking you. -She is very ill, as you see; do not ask her to make long speeches." - -Marcel had relied on the impression that the alteration in Julie's -features would probably produce on Monsieur Antoine. That impression was -in truth profound. He stared at her with a dazed, cruel, yet terrified -expression, and said to himself with a joy not unmingled with terror: -"That is my work!" - -"Madame," he said, after a moment's hesitation, "I said that I would be -revenged on you, that I would force you to ask my pardon for your -insults. Do you want to get through with it and admit that you were in -the wrong? I ask nothing but that." - -"What is my offence?" said Julie. "Explain it so that I may know what it -is." - -Antoine was sorely embarrassed to reply, and his anger, which had almost -disappeared, reawoke, as always happened when he had no charge to make -which would bear the test of common sense. - -"Ah! so you don't think you have insulted me?" he said. "Very good, -_mordi!_ you shall ask my pardon in so many words if you don't want -Julien to have to pay for you." - -"Must I ask your pardon on my knees?" queried Julie, with a heartrending -attempt at arrogance. - -"Suppose that I should demand that?" retorted the old man, dizzy with -anger when he felt that he was defied. - -"Here I am!" said Madame d'Estrelle, kneeling before him. - -That was for her the last station on the road of martyrdom, the apology -which the innocent victim was compelled to make, with the rope about the -neck and the torch in the hand, before ascending the scaffold. At that -moment of sublime self-immolation, her angered heart suddenly -overflowed, her face became transfigured, she smiled the ecstatic smile -of the saints, and the ineffable beauty of heaven revealed was reflected -in her eyes. - -Antoine did not understand, but he was dazzled. His anger subsided, not -under the influence of emotion, but before a sort of superstitious -terror. - -"That is all right," he said. "I am satisfied and I forgive Julien. -Adieu!" - -He turned his back and fled. - -Marcel said to Julie a few encouraging words, which she did not hear or -did not try to understand; then he ran after Monsieur Antoine. - -"Now, my excellent uncle," he said in the boldest and most stinging tone -he had yet adopted with him, "you should be satisfied, indeed; you have -killed Madame d'Estrelle!" - -"Killed her?" said his uncle, turning abruptly upon him. "What infernal -nonsense is that?" - -"The nonsense would consist in taking her joy and her gratitude -seriously, and you surely are not capable of that. That woman is in -despair, she is dying of grief." - -"You lie, you are dodging the question! She is still a little angry, she -is sick on account of the way I have thwarted her lately; but in reality -she is making the best of it, and while she may be chafing at her bit, -she sees well enough that I am saving her in spite of her." - -"You save her from the chances of the future, it is true, and you take -the surest means to do it, by depriving her of life." - -"Well, well, there's another dodge! She caught cold passing the nights -in the garden with her lover! And then she was bored to death in that -convent at Chaillot, and even more in that barrack at Nanterre, where -she was absolutely alone! You see that it was no use for her to hide, I -know every place she has been to. I never lost track of her. You can't -fool me! I saw the convent doctor: he told me that she had a streak of -melancholy in her disposition, but that she had no serious disease. I -have seen her Paris doctor too; he says that he knows nothing about her -sickness. If it was anything serious he'd know what it was, deuce take -it! _I_ know; she's angry; people don't die of that, and now she'll get -better, I give you my word." - -"And I," said Marcel, "give you my word that, with another week of the -despair in which you are plunging her deeper and deeper, she will be -lost beyond recall." - -"Oho! so she loves that young dauber of canvas very dearly, does she? -How about him, does he still think of her?" - -"Julien's as badly off as she is, and in quite as alarming a frame of -mind. I determined to make sure of it; I forced a confession from him -with much difficulty, for he is not a man to complain. As for her, two -whole months have passed and I haven't succeeded in extorting a word -from her. To-day, I determined to force her to the wall; I succeeded, -and now my mind is made up." - -"To what? what do you propose to do?" - -"I propose to destroy the two papers I have in my pocket; your receipt, -which I have taken back from Madame d'Estrelle, and her promise never to -see Julien again, which I have not yet delivered to you. You entrusted -both of them to me, telling me to exchange your reciprocal pledges. I -place you on your original footing by destroying them both. We must -start afresh, and as I know your intentions and hers, I tell you now -that Madame d'Estrelle will accept nothing from you, and that you can -take possession of everything that belongs to her. Thus far she has -followed my advice blindly; I have changed my views, and, as I have no -desire to see her die, I advise her to retract her consent to -everything." - -"Why, you're a miserable knave!" said Monsieur Antoine, stopping short -in the middle of the street and shouting at the top of his voice. "I -don't know what keeps me from breaking my cane over your shoulders!" - -"Knave indeed! when I give you back all your money and recover nothing -for my client but the right to live in poverty! Nonsense! Just sue her -and have the case aired in court, if you want to cover yourself with -ridicule and shame!" - -"But Julien! Julien, whom I have made rich, you scoundrel! This is what -I foresaw! You have cheated me---- - -"Not at all, uncle! Julien has been seriously ill of late, he is still, -and his mother said to me: 'Do whatever you choose. Let us return -everything to Monsieur Antoine, and let Julie be restored to us!' So -there you are, uncle. You don't lose an obolus, you recover principal -and interest, and you leave us at liberty to live as we please, with no -risk of losing our liberty by reason of any stipulation imposed by law -or by private agreement." - -"Why, you miserable villain, how you recant! I took you for a sensible -man, you agreed with me entirely, you disapproved of their marriage, you -worked with me to provide for their happiness----" - -"True, until the day when I saw that happiness was taking them -straight to the tomb." - -"They are mad!" - -"Yes, uncle, they are mad; love is a form of madness; but when it is -incurable we must yield to it, and I yield." - -"Very good!" retorted Monsieur Antoine, flattening his hat over his eyes -with a vicious blow. "Go and tell that lady to get out of her house, -that is to say my house, instantly. I will go to Sèvres and pack off -the others. If the whole lot of them are not on the street in two hours, -I'll send bailiffs, police agents--I'll set the houses on fire, -I'll----" - -His frantic threats became inaudible as he rushed madly away. He left -Marcel in the street and returned home, unconsciously parodying Orestes -pursued by the Furies. Marcel, undismayed, quietly followed him, and -disregarded the orders already given to admit no one; he was determined -to come to blows with the servants if necessary. - -"You mean to go to Sèvres, do you?" he said. "I will go with you." - -"That's as you choose," said Uncle Antoine, with lowering brow. "Have -you notified Madame Julie to clear out of my house?" - -"Yes, that is done," replied Marcel, for he saw that the old man had -lost his head completely, and that he did not know how few were the -minutes passed since their altercation in the street. - -"Is she packing up? Is she taking away----" - -"She takes nothing," said Marcel; "she leaves everything for you. Are we -going to Sèvres? Have you ordered the cab?" - -"My chaise and farm horse will go faster. They are being harnessed." - -He sat down on the edge of a table and seemed absorbed by his -reflections. Marcel sat down opposite him, determined not to lose sight -of him, at times fearing for his reason, at times dreading some -diabolical suggestion of his wrath. When they entered the carriage, it -was seven o'clock at night; Marcel broke the silence. - -"What are we going to do at Sèvres?" he inquired. - -"You will see!" Monsieur Antoine replied. - -After about fifteen minutes Marcel spoke again. - -"There is no need of your going there," he said. "The documents are in -my office; it is simply a matter of tearing them up, and I will not -allow you to make an absurd scene at my aunt's, I warn you. She is -exceedingly anxious, for Julien is very ill, as I told you." - -"And you lied like a dog!" retorted Monsieur Antoine. - -As he spoke he pointed to a hired cabriolet which was just passing them. -Julien, pale and downcast, with contracted brow and preoccupied, -determined air, was in the vehicle, and passed close to them without -seeing them. He had received Julie's note; he had forced himself to -rise, and, as he wished to ask Marcel some questions before keeping the -appointment, he was driving in season to Paris. - -"If he is the one you want to speak to," said Marcel, "let us turn back; -I will wager that he is going to see me!" - -"He is not the one I want to speak to," rejoined Monsieur Antoine, -satirically, "since he is dying." - -"Did you think he looked well?" demanded Marcel. - -The uncle relapsed into his sullen silence. They went on toward Sèvres. -Did he himself know what he was going to do there? Let us confess the -truth--he had absolutely no idea. He was conscious that his mind was in -great confusion, and his meditation was simply a sort of painful -uneasiness concerning the discomfort he felt. - -"With all this," he thought, "I shall be the sickest of the three if I -don't look out. Anger is an excellent thing; it keeps one alive, it -helps out old age, and it is all up with an old man who allows himself -to be led by the nose; but we shouldn't take too big a dose of it at -once, and it would be well for me to cool off a little." - -Thereupon, with a strength of will which would have made him a -remarkable man if he had had better instincts or better guidance, he -determined to take a nap, and slept quietly until the carriage entered -the streets of Sèvres. - -Marcel was strongly tempted to order the coachman to return to Paris -without his uncle's knowledge; but would the man have obeyed? Moreover, -as Julien was out of the way, would it not be well to find out how -Monsieur Antoine proposed to act with regard to Madame Thierry? He stood -greatly in awe of her. Would he dare to tell her to her face that he -proposed to take back his gifts? - -Sleep restored Monsieur Antoine to himself--that is to say to his -chronic state of deliberate aversion, jealous self-love, and brooding -resentment. They found Madame Thierry in front of a fine portrait of her -husband, at which she was gazing earnestly as if seeking in the cheering -serenity of that refined face the confidence in the future which had -always sustained that fascinating man's happy temperament. Marcel had -just time to hurry into the room first and say to her hastily: - -"Monsieur Antoine is at my heels; he is in a rage. You can save -everything by much patience and firmness." - -"_Mon Dieu!_ what shall I say to him?" - -"That you give back what he has given you, but that you thank him for -it. Julie adores Julien. Everything depends on uncle. Here he is!" - -"Will you leave me alone with him?" - -"Yes, he insists upon it; but I will be close at hand, ready to -interfere if necessary." - -Marcel walked quickly into an adjoining cabinet, threw himself into a -chair and waited. Monsieur Antoine entered Madame Thierry's salon by the -other door. He was less timid when he did not feel Marcel's searching -eye fixed upon him. - -"Your servant, Madame André," he said on entering. "Are you alone?" - -Madame Thierry rose, answered affirmatively, and courteously waved him -to a chair. - -Her face, too, was greatly changed. She had passed several nights by her -son's bedside, and, when he insisted upon getting up and going away -despite her entreaties, she realized that the momentous crisis of the -drama of his life was at hand. - -"Your son is sick?" Monsieur Antoine began. - -"Yes, monsieur." - -"Seriously?" - -"God grant that he is not!" - -"Does he keep his bed?" - -"He got up a short time ago." - -"Can I see him?" - -"He has gone out, monsieur." - -"Then he isn't so very sick?" - -"He was very sick until last night, when he seemed a little better." - -"What was the matter with him?" - -"Fever and delirium." - -"Sunstroke?" - -"No, monsieur." - -"Unhappiness, perhaps?" - -"Yes, monsieur, great unhappiness." - -"Because he's in love?" - -"Yes, monsieur." - -"But it's a stupid thing to be in love when one might be rich." - -"It is of no use arguing about it, monsieur." - -"Do you know what proposition I have come to make to you?" - -"No, monsieur." - -"If you will send your son to America, I will place a considerable sum -of money in his hands, I will direct his operations, and in ten years he -will return with thirty thousand francs a year." - -"On what conditions, monsieur?" - -"On condition that he says good-bye to a certain lady of our -acquaintance, that's all." - -"And if he refuses?" - -"If he refuses--and that is what I expect, I have been warned--a certain -agreement between him and me with regard to that lady is null and void." - -"Very good, monsieur, I understand! You have a right to do it, and we -submit." - -"But you can resist; you weren't consulted about accepting my presents, -you didn't know the conditions agreed upon between Madame d'Estrelle and -me. There is ground for a lawsuit, and I might lose it by means of a -little bad faith on the part of my opponents." - -"If you regard my son and myself as your opponents, you may rest easy, -monsieur; we renounce your benefactions, without a shadow of -hesitation." - -"Ah! yes, my benefactions! they are a burden to you, they make you -blush!" - -"As we did not know that they put fetters on a person who is dear to us, -they did not make us blush; indeed--I may say, monsieur," added Madame -Thierry, with a mighty effort due to her devotion to her son, "your name -would have been blessed in this house, if we had been certain that we -owed that generosity to your solicitude for our welfare. Whatever its -cause, and brief as its duration has been, we have been happy, amid all -our troubles and anxieties, to live in this house once more and to enjoy -to the full our most cherished memories. You bid us leave them, and we -obey; but it remains for me to thank you----" - -"You, madame?" said Antoine, gazing fixedly at her. - -"Yes, for me to thank you for the two months you have allowed me to pass -here. The idea of never seeing the house again was very painful to me; -it will be less so henceforth, and I shall look back to this brief stay -here as to a last pleasant dream which will count for much in my life -and for which I shall be indebted to you." - -Madame Thierry spoke in a sweet voice and with a refined accent which -had always made her very fascinating. In his moments of spleen Monsieur -Antoine sourly called her the _fine talker._ He felt none the less the -ascendancy of that still fresh voice, which caressed his ear with mild -and almost respectful words. He had but little comprehension of -sentimental refinement, but it seemed to him that he had found the -submissive instinct of which he was so greedy. - -"Come, Madame André," he said, with the surly manner he always assumed -when his ill humor was beginning to retreat, "you know how to say all -you want to say; but, in reality, you can't endure me, you may as well -admit it!" - -"I do not hate any one, monsieur; but you force me to confess that I am -afraid of you." - -Nothing could have been more adroit than that reply. To inspire fear was -in Monsieur Antoine's opinion the noblest attribute of power. He -softened as if by a miracle, and said in an almost good-humored tone: - -"Why in the devil are you afraid of me?" - -Madame André had the penetration of women who have lived much in -society, and the shrewdness of a mother pleading her child's cause. She -saw what a long step forward she had taken; she forgot, and this time -most opportunely, that she was sixty years old, and boldly decided to -play the coquette, although it cost her more dearly to employ that ruse -with Monsieur Antoine than with any other man. - -"Brother," she said, "it rested entirely with you to retain my -confidence. I do not reproach you for betraying it; your intentions were -kind, but I misunderstood you. I was very young then, and in a plight -where everything made me suspicious. I had had no experience of life. I -thought that you were advising me to abandon André, whereas----" - -"Whereas I said to you in so many words: 'Save him!'" - -"Yes, that is true; your action was dictated by affection for him. Well, -you see, I was blind, obstinate, whatever you choose to call it; but -confess that you ought to have forgiven me for that, have treated me -like the child I was, and become my brother once more as in the past." - -"You want me to admit that? Why, you always showed me the cold shoulder -after that." - -"It was your place to laugh at my coldness, and to take my hand and say: -'Sister, you're a little fool; let us embrace and forget the past.'" - -"Ah! you think that I should have----" - -"The more entirely one is in the right, the more generous he should be!" - -"You talk that way now." - -"It is never too late to see what is right and to arrange things that -are out of place." - -"So--now you are sorry that you wounded me?" - -"I am sorry for it; but, if I ask your pardon, will you grant it?" - -"Ah! the deuce! it's not the same thing now, my fine lady! You need me -now!" - -"Yes, Monsieur Antoine, I do need you. My son is mad with grief; marry -him to the woman he loves." - -"Ah! there we are!" cried Monsieur Antoine, flying into a rage again. - -"We have been there all the time," replied Madame Thierry; "I have asked -you for nothing since you have been here except liberty of action for -Madame d'Estrelle." - -"Yes, with plenty of money for everybody?" - -"No, no money, nothing! the sacrifice is made. Let us remain here as -tenants, we will gladly pay for the privilege. And, if you are not -willing--why, your will shall be done; but turn us away without hatred -and forgive us for being happy, for we shall be, even in poverty, if our -hearts are content with one another, if we can say to one another that -our happiness is no longer a source of affliction to you." - -Monsieur Antoine felt that he was beaten; he was ashamed of it and clung -to the last straw. - -"That is your pride," he said; "it's always the same thing however you -change it! The rich man's money is the object of your scorn! You snap -your fingers at it!--'Take it all back, we want nothing, we haven't any -needs! we live on air! What is this money? No better than pebbles to -sensible minds!' And yet, my fine lady, money honestly earned by a man -who had nothing on his side but his natural genius, ought to count for -something! It's the working-bee's honey, it's the tropical flower which -is made to bloom in an _artificial_ climate by the patience and skill of -a master gardener. Ah! that is nothing, you think? With all his wit, my -poor brother only succeeded in using up the money he earned by working -like a hod-carrier. But I know how to make a different use of money; I -save it, I add to it every day, and I make people happy when I choose!" - -"What are you driving at, Monsieur Antoine?" said Madame Thierry, as she -saw Marcel making unintelligible signs to her through the door behind -Monsieur Antoine. - -"I am driving at this, that you are not so good a mother as you think. -You are willing to sacrifice everything to your son except your contempt -for the money that comes from me. In heaven's name, do you think I stole -it, does my gold stink?" - -"But why, in heaven's name, do you say such things to me? why do you -suppose that I refuse you the esteem you deserve?" - -"Because, if you were a good mother, instead of talking this sort of -nonsense to me, you would say: 'Brother, we are unfortunate and you are -rich; you can save us. We are a little out of our heads, we want to pay -court to Madame d'Estrelle, but that is no reason for leaving us without -bread. Come, forgive us for everything at once! indulge us with love and -with bread to eat; it is humiliating to us, but no matter! We know that -you are a noble-hearted and generous man; you will have pity on us and -grant us all we ask!'--Yes, Madame André, that is what you would say, -what you would ask on your knees, if, instead of being a great lady, you -were really a good mother!" - -Madame Thierry was speechless with surprise. She looked at Marcel, who, -unseen by Monsieur Antoine, urged her by most energetic pantomime to -yield to the old fellow's whim. The poor woman had a sinking at the -heart, but she did not hesitate; she slipped from the chair to her -hassock, on which she knelt, and said, taking both Monsieur Antoine's -hands: - -"You are right, brother, you teach me my duty. I surrender. Be the -noblest of men, forgive everything and grant everything." - -"At last! Good!" cried Monsieur Antoine, rising; "and when people are -reconciled, they embrace, don't they?" - -Madame Thierry embraced him, and Marcel entered to congratulate them. - -"Well," said the horticulturist, "you're a great fool, aren't you, -master pettifogger? It was very pretty, your scheme of rebellion! to -smash and break everything! What! reduce your client and your family to -want, all rather than give way to the rich man, the powerful man, the -natural enemy of those who have nothing and don't know how to earn -anything! A fine solicitor, on my word, who can't obtain anything for -his clients but love and rye bread! Luckily women are brighter than -that! Here are two who sent me to the devil, and both of them have bent -the knee to me to-night. Well, it is done, madame my sister! I shall -never remind you of this, for I am generous, and when people do what I -want I know how to reward them. Your son shall marry the fair countess, -whom I must turn out of her house because of what the world may say; but -the hôtel D'Estrelle with twenty-five thousand francs a year, shall be -Julien's marriage portion. That's the way I do things, and I know that -you will thank me for it to-morrow in earnest; for I am not deceived by -the politics of the present day; but you have done what I wanted, you -have submitted, I asked nothing but that." - -"You shall have more than that," said Madame Thierry, "you shall have -the affection of warm and sincere hearts, and you shall know such -happiness as you might have known long ago; but we will do all we can to -make up for lost time." - -"That is mere talk," said Monsieur Antoine. "Happiness is being one's -own master, and I don't need anybody to be mine. I don't like brats and -mawkish sentiment; I wasn't made to be the father of a family, but I -could have governed a country very well, if I had been born a king. It -has always been my whim to command, and I reign over whatever is within -my reach much better than many monarchs who don't know what they are -doing!" - -Despite the anxiety which Julien's absence caused her, and her longing -to send Marcel after him, Madame Thierry felt called upon to invite -Monsieur Antoine to supper. - -"Oh!" said he, "I sup on a hard crust of bread and a glass of cheap -wine. That is my habit: I have never cared much about eating." - -She gave him what he asked for, and Marcel hastened their departure. - -"I am sure that Julien is at my house waiting for me," he said to his -aunt. "He must be impatient because I do not return; but my wife is -there, and she will keep him quiet; Juliot will chatter to him, and if -he should be sicker, you may be sure that he is well taken care of." - -Julien was frantically impatient in very truth, despite the attentions -which Madame Marcel lavished upon him. He had felt exceedingly weak when -he arrived. He had tried to eat a little and to divert his thoughts with -his godson's pretty prattle; but, as Marcel did not appear, when he -heard the clock strike eleven, he could stand it no longer. He declared -that his mother would be anxious if he had not returned at midnight; he -promised to take a cab to return to Sèvres, and started for Rue de -Babylone on foot, with many detours and precautions, to avoid being -watched and followed, as formerly, by some agent of Monsieur Antoine. He -arrived unmolested. His actions were no longer watched. Monsieur Antoine -had been spying upon Julie too long not to be sure that she no longer -had any relations with Julien. - -At midnight, Julien, who had been at the door fifteen minutes, entered -and found Julie, who also had been waiting fifteen minutes in the -pavilion. At the same moment Marcel, Monsieur Antoine, and Madame -Thierry entered Paris by the Barrière de Sèvres. Monsieur Antoine's -frugal supper and slow conversation had lasted a little too long to suit -the widow. Being anxious about her son, she had asked for a seat in the -chaise, that she might join Julien at Marcel's. - -As the moment for his meeting with Julie drew near, Julien had summoned -all his courage. He anticipated a painful explanation, he had taken an -inward oath that he would be neither angry nor reproachful nor weak, and -yet, when he opened the door, his hand trembled, a giddiness born of -frenzy and despair made him hesitate and recoil; but, the instant that -she saw him, Julie uttered a joyful cry, threw her arms about his neck, -and strained him passionately to her heart. They were in the dark, they -could not see how changed they both were. They felt that their kisses -were burning, and it did not occur to either of them that it might be -with fever. At that moment the only fever was that fever of love which -gives life. They had forgotten that which causes death. - -But that moment of intoxication did not long endure in Julien's case. -More alarmed than exhilarated by Julie's caresses, he hastily pushed her -away. - -"Why do you still love me," he said, "if you still intend to leave me?" - -"Oh! perhaps it won't be for long!" she replied. - -"You wrote me that this was an eternal farewell." - -"I don't know what I wrote, I was mad; but there can be no eternal -farewell, it is not possible when two people love as we do." - -"Then you are going away, but you will return?" - -"If I can, yes! Let us not talk about that. This night is ours, let us -love!" - -Amid the transports of love, Julien was again seized with terror. Julie -unguardedly uttered excited words in which there was an indefinably -ominous implication which made his blood run cold. - -"Ah!" he exclaimed abruptly, "you are deceiving me! You are going away -forever, or else you think that you are going to die! You are ill, I -know; given up by the doctors it may be?" - -"No, I give you my word that the doctors promise to cure me." - -"I want to see your face; I can't see you here, let us go out. I am -afraid! It seems to me at times that I am dreaming, and that it is your -ghost that I hold in my arms." - -He led her into the garden where it was almost as dark as in the -pavilion. - -"I can't see you, _mon Dieu!_ I can't see your face," said Julien, -anxiously. "I can feel that your arms are thinner, that your waist is -smaller. You seem to have become so light that your feet do not touch -the gravel. Tell me, are you a dream? Am I here, by your side, in this -garden where we have been so happy? I am afraid I am mad!" - -They drew near to the basin: there, as the moonless sky was without a -cloud and was reflected in the water with all its stars, Julien saw that -Madame d'Estrelle was pale, and the whiteness of the water, reflected on -her face, made her appear even more ghastly than she was. He could tell -that her face had grown thin by the increased size of her eyes, which -shone brightly in the darkness. - -"I was sure of it!" he cried; "you are dying, and that is why you sent -for me. Very good; Julie, I will not leave you again; if I am to lose -you, I propose to receive your last breath and then die myself." - -"No, Julien, you cannot die! think of your mother!" - -"Why, my mother will die with us; what do you expect me to say to you? -She would have liked to die on the day she lost my father; she said so -unconsciously in her first frenzy; and since then, I have fully realized -that she has lived only for me. We will all three go together, since we -have but one soul between us, and we will go to a world where the purest -love will not be a crime. There must be such a world for those who have -never been able to understand the wicked prejudices of this one. Let us -die, Julie, without remorse or vain regret. Give me your breath, give me -your fever, give me your sickness; I swear that I will not survive you!" - -"Alas!" said Julie, unable to restrain that outcry of nature; "I might -have been cured!" - -"What do you mean?" cried Julien, beside himself. "Have you taken -poison? Answer, tell me! I insist upon knowing!" - -"No, no, I have not!" she replied, dragging him away with a sudden, -desperate movement which made a profound impression on him. - -She had been leaning over the water, she had seen therein the reflection -of her face and her white dress; she had remembered that, an hour later, -she must be lying there motionless, dead; she had sworn it. That was the -price of her broken oath, that was the price of Julien's happiness; a -ghastly fear of death had made her shudder and start back. - -"What are you afraid of?" he asked her; "what did you see in the water? -what were you thinking about? what made you fly? Ah! I can guess, you -intend to die soon, immediately, as soon as I have gone! But I say that -it shall not be; you are my wife. Since you still love me, you belong to -me; I don't know what oath you have taken, I don't know what constraint -has been put upon you; but I, your lover, your husband, your master, -release you from everything! I will carry you off by force; no, I will -take you with me, that is my right. I do not propose that you shall die, -and I propose that my mother shall live to bless you. I have strength -for us both; I don't know what sort of a battle I shall have to fight, -but I will fight it. Come, let us go! If you haven't strength to walk, I -have strength to carry you. Come, I insist! the time has come for you to -acknowledge no other power over your life than mine." - -As, while leading her back to the pavilion, he led her in the direction -of the basin, the combat between remorse and love in her heart became so -violent that she uttered a cry of horror, and, clinging to him with all -her strength, she said: - -"I pledged my word of honor to leave you, and I am breaking my pledge -and reducing your mother to want! Can you relieve me from that burden?" - -"You are mad!" said Julien; "was my mother so very poor when you first -knew her? will my right arm be cut off to keep me from working? Very -well, then I will work with my left arm! Ah! I understand everything -now. This is the revenge threatened by Monsieur Antoine; I ought to have -guessed sooner why our father's house was given back to us. Poor Julie! -you were sacrificing yourself for us; but that is all null and void; I -have not consented; I have accepted nothing. I submitted, knowing -nothing about it. Come, do not tremble any more, I release you from your -promise, and woe to the man who dares to remind you of it! If you -hesitate, if you shrink from anything, I shall believe that wealth is -what you regret, and that you have less courage and love than I!" - -"Ah! that is the suspicion I dreaded so!" said Julie. "Let us go, let us -go!--but where shall we go? How shall I dare appear before your mother -and say: 'I bring you sorrow and ruin?'" - -"Julie, you doubt my mother, you no longer love us!" - -"Let us go!" she repeated, "let us go to her, and let her decide my -fate. Take me, take me away from here!" - -Julie was completely crushed by such a multitude of emotions; her -strength failed her, and Julien, as he caught her in his arms, saw that -she had fainted. It was impossible to do anything for her in the -pavilion, so he carried her to her apartment, the garden door being -open, and the room lighted. He deposited Julie on a sofa, and she -speedily recovered consciousness; but when she attempted to rise, she -fell back. - -"Ah! my dear," she said, "I cannot stand. Am I going to die here? Is it -too late for you to save me? Hark: someone is knocking on the street -door, I think." - -"No," said Julien, who had heard nothing. - -But, as he strove to restore her confidence while his own was beginning -to disappear, they were startled by a loud peal of the bell. - -"They are coming after me, to carry me away, perhaps!" cried Julie, -wildly, "to put me in a convent!--The marchioness, Monsieur Antoine, I -don't know who!--And I cannot fly! Take me away, hide me, Julien!" - -"Wait, wait," said Julien, who had opened an inner door and was -listening; "it is Marcel, calling Camille. Yes, it is some urgent -matter. Admit him yourself!" - -"I cannot!" said Julie in despair, after one last effort. - -"Very well, I will go," said Julien, resolutely. "He must see me here in -any event, as I do not propose to leave this house without you." - -He hurried to the door of the vestibule, where Marcel was ringing as if -he would pull the house down; and before any servant had time to rise -and find out what the matter was, Julien opened the door to Marcel and -Madame Thierry. He admitted them and locked the doors behind them. - -"Ah! my child," cried Madame Thierry, "I was very sure that I should -find you here! Victory, Julien, my poor Julien! Ah! I don't know what I -am saying; you will be cured at once, we bring you happiness!" - -When Julie learned what had happened at Sèvres, life returned to her as -it returns to a half-dead plant when the rain falls upon it. Her tense -nerves were relaxed by tears of joy. As for Julien, who was almost -dangerously ill the day before, he was cured like those paralytics whom -a beneficent thunderclap causes to walk and leap about. - -After an hour passed in an outpouring of emotion which seemed -inexhaustible, Marcel took Madame Thierry home with him to obtain a -little rest, and entrusted Julie to the care of Camille, who undertook -to keep the servants quiet concerning that nocturnal visit. Julien had -already made his escape through the pavilion. Julie slept as she had not -slept for a long while. - -Luckily, as we have said, Monsieur Antoine no longer kept spies about -the hôtel D'Estrelle, and, luckily too, the servants were discreet and -devoted to their mistress; for if the rich man had learned of that -interview, he might have been made dangerously angry and have changed -his mind. He had expressed a desire to inform Madame d'Estrelle of her -pardon with his own lips; but he too was tired, relaxed, satisfied, -proud of himself; he slept soundly and rose a quarter of an hour later -than usual. He was no sooner on his feet than he redoubled his ordinary -activity and put his whole household in deadly fear; for he was sharp to -command, quick to threaten, and even quicker to raise his hand, armed -with a cane, against the sluggish. The old hôtel De Melcy was thrown -open, swept and put in order in the twinkling of an eye. Messengers were -despatched in all directions, and at noon a sumptuous dinner was served. -The guests, assembled in the large gilded salon, anticipated some -mysterious event. Marcel brought Madame Thierry and Madame d'Estrelle, -whom he had invited in the master's behalf. Julien too had been -notified, and arrived in due season. Julie was received by Madame -d'Ancourt, Madame Desmorges, her daughter, and her son-in-law. The Duc -de Quesnoy had not returned; but Abbé de Nivières was there, -determined to eat for two. Madame la présidente did not keep them -waiting, and Marcel was commissioned to present to the ladies a -collection of botanists, learned professors and collectors, whom -Monsieur Antoine was wont to convoke on great occasions. - -"It is enough to make one die laughing," said the baroness to Julie, -leading her unto a window recess. "The goodman sent a messenger to me at -six o'clock this morning, to invite me to witness the christening of a -rare plant which is to bear his name! You can imagine what a pleasant -awakening it was! I was furious! but I discovered in a postscript that -you were to attend the ceremony, and I decided that I would come. So you -are reconciled to your old neighbor, are you, my dear? Well, so much the -better; you have followed my advice and you will come to it at last, I -tell you! The gardener isn't attractive; but five millions! remember -that!" - -Julie's other friends thought differently. They supposed that Antoine -had made an amicable arrangement with her which was satisfactory to them -both, and that they ought to accept his invitation, in order to do their -friend a service. They questioned Julie with that theory in mind, and -Julie did not undeceive them. - -As for the professors, the ostentatious christening of a new plant did -not seem particularly absurd to them. Monsieur Thierry had enriched -horticulture with several interesting specimens. He had fostered the -acclimatization of useful trees, and his name well deserved to figure in -the annals of science. A good dinner on such an occasion does no harm, -and the presence of a number of attractive women is not absolutely -inconsistent with the solemn preoccupations of botany. - -When everybody had arrived, Monsieur Antoine assumed a modest and -good-humored air, a rare but certain symptom of inward triumph unmingled -with suspicion. He placed everybody round a large table, in the centre -of which an object of considerable height was concealed under a great -bell of white paper. Then he took from his pocket a treatise in -manuscript, luckily very short, but which it was difficult to listen to -without laughing, for in it French and Latin were murdered with the -utmost coolness. That manuscript of his own composition, which began -with _messieurs et mesdames_, and which treated of the importation and -cultivation of the most beautiful lilies known, concluded thus: "Having -had what I consider the advantage of buying, raising and bringing to -perfect bloom the only specimens in France of a lily which exceeds in -size, in fragrance and in splendor all varieties above-mentioned, I call -the attention of the honorable company to my _individual_, and invite -them to give it a name." - -Having concluded the reading of his speech, Monsieur Antoine deftly -raised, with the end of a reed, the white paper covering, and Julien -uttered a cry of surprise when he saw the _Antonia Thierrii_ perfectly -fresh and blooming in all its glory. He believed at first that there had -been some trickery--that it was a perfect artificial imitation; but the -plant, when the covering was removed, gave forth a perfume which -recalled to his mind, and Julie's as well, the first day of their -passion; and when the clamor due to sincere or courteous admiration had -made the circuit of the table, Monsieur Antoine added: - -"Messieurs les savants, you must know that this plant put forth two -shoots, the first one late in May, a very pretty specimen, accidentally -broken, and preserved in a herbarium close by; the second in August, -twice as large and full as the other. It blossomed, as you see, the -tenth day of said month." - -"Christen, christen!" cried Madame d'Ancourt. "I would like to stand -godmother to that lovely lily, but I fancy that another----" - -She glanced at Julie with a mixture of irony and goodwill. The -professors paid no heed, but unanimously proclaimed the name of _Antonia -Thierrii._ - -"You are very kind, messieurs," said Monsieur Antoine, flushing with -pleasure and stammering with emotion, "but I have a slight modification -to suggest to you. It is no more than fair that this plant should bear -my name, but I should like to prefix the name of a person who--of a lady -who--in short, I ask to have it called the _Julia-Antonia Thierrii._" - -"That's a little long," said Marcel; "but then the plant is so tall!" - -[Illustration 06: _THE CHRISTENING OF THE LILY_ -"Julia-Antonia Thierrii _it is," replied the professors -artlessly._] - -"_Julia-Antonia Thierrii_ it is," replied the professors artlessly. - -"Ah! at last! bravo! so it's decided!" cried the Baronne d'Ancourt, -pointing to Julie, and making the sign indicating union with her plump -white hands. - -Every eye was turned upon Julie, who blushed, and thereby recovered all -the splendor of her beauty. - -"Excuse me, madame la baronne," said Uncle Antoine, with a sly -expression. "I tricked you by going to your house to beg you to make an -offer of marriage to Madame d'Estrelle in my behalf. I wanted to see -what you would say, and you didn't say no; on the contrary, you advised -that young lady to accept me. That was what led me to propose to her the -man I had in view for her, for I said to myself: 'If an old fellow like -me is eligible because of his money, my nephew, who is young and will -have a good share of my money, may be accepted.'--That is how it -happens, mesdames and messieurs, that, with the consent of Madame -d'Estrelle, I concluded to-day the business troubles we have had by a -marriage between her and my nephew Julien Thierry, whom I do myself the -honor to present to you." - -"Psha! the young painter?" cried Madame d'Ancourt, irritated, she knew -not why, by Julien's beauty and impassioned manner. - -"A painter?" said the bewildered Madame Desmorges. "Ah! my dear, so it -was true after all, was it?" - -"Yes, my friends, it was true," replied Julie, boldly; "we loved each -other before we knew that Monsieur Antoine would rescue us from the -poverty that threatened us both." - -"I declare that Monsieur Antoine is a great man and a true philosopher!" -cried Abbé de Nivières. "Suppose we adjourn to the table?" - -"Let us go to dinner, mesdames and messieurs," said Monsieur Antoine, -offering Julie his hand. "You will say it is a misalliance, but three -millions for each of my nephews, that helps to rub the dirt off a -family, and my grandnephews will have money to purchase titles with." - -This last argument changed the blame of Julie's friends into somewhat -reluctant congratulations. She had to resign herself to the necessity of -appearing to sacrifice vainglory to wealth; but what did it matter to -her after all? Julien knew what to think. - -Julie, who was still in mourning for her father-in-law, went to Sèvres -to pass the rest of the summer. Sèvres is a Norman oasis within two -leagues of Paris. The apple-trees give it a rural savor, and the hills, -covered with lovely rustic gardens, were at that time quite as charming -and more unconventional than to-day. I must not, however, speak -slightingly of the lovely villas of Sèvres as it now is, with their -magnificent shade trees and the picturesque inequalities of the region -through which the river boldly cuts its way. The railroad has not -altogether dispelled the poesy of that wooded spot, and it is not -unpleasant to be able to reach, in a quarter of an hour, the grass-grown -paths and fields sloping to the water's edge. From the top of the hill -one can distinguish Paris, an imposing silhouette against the blue sky, -through the clumps of trees in the foreground; three steps away, in the -bottom of the ravine, one can lose sight of the great city, turn away -from the too white villas, and lose oneself in the genuine country, -still unspoiled, although a bit _rococo_, and always lovely with -flowers. - -There Julie recovered her health, which was seriously impaired for some -time, and before as after their marriage, Julien was all in all to her, -as she was all in all to him. What society said and thought of their -union, they did not care to know. Their real friends sufficed for them, -and Madame Thierry was the happiest of mothers. Their happiness was -disturbed, it is true, by the political tempests, the approach of which -Julien had watched with no idea that they would be so swift and so -radical. Having a clear conscience and a generous heart, he made himself -very useful in his neighborhood by the pains which he took to relieve -want, and to prevent it, so far as he could, from urging its victims on -to deplorable acts of violence. For a long time he exerted great -influence over the workmen in the factory at Sèvres, and in the -faubourg which surrounded the hôtel D'Estrelle. On some days he was -well-nigh overwhelmed; but nothing could induce him to do anything which -his conscience disapproved, and he was threatened in his turn and was -very near being suspected. The firmness with which he faced suspicion, -the generous personal sacrifices he had made, the confidence he -displayed in the midst of danger, saved him. Julie was as brave as he. -The timid woman was transformed; she felt that her soul had developed -and been tempered anew in its fusion, brought about by love, with a -fearless and upright soul. Her heart was torn, doubtless, when several -of her old friends were struck down by the Revolution, despite all -Julien's efforts to rescue them. She succeeded in saving some of them by -judicious advice and prudent measures. She concealed two in her own -house; but she was unable to save the Baronne d'Ancourt, who ruined -herself by her excessive fright and underwent a most rigorous captivity. -The unfortunate Marquise d'Estrelle could not restrain her rage when the -forced loans encroached on her savings. She died on the scaffold. The -Duc de Quesnoy emigrated. Abbé de Nivières prudently turned Jacobin. - -After the Terror, the suppression of the privilege attached to the royal -establishments having enabled Julien to gratify a wish he had often -formed, he labored to disseminate the industrial and artistic -improvements which he had had leisure to study and to experiment upon at -Sèvres. He earned no money by it; that was not his object; in fact he -lost something; but he found therein the means of ameliorating the lives -of many unfortunates. He was not rich, and his wife was overjoyed to see -him continue his artistic work and devote himself lovingly to the -education of his children. - -Marcel purchased a cottage near theirs at Sèvres, and the two families -passed together all the holidays and days of rest which the worthy -solicitor was able to steal from his business. He made a little fortune -by honorable methods, and Julien was able to manage his own competence -with the prudence his father had lacked. Well for him that it was so, -for the Revolutionary government confiscated Monsieur Antoine's -property. The old man had continued to live alone, feeling no desire for -family life, as gracious as it was in his power to be to the debtors -whose gratitude flattered his pride, but unwilling to enter into any -social relations which would have upset his habits. He had promised -Marcel to think no more about marriage, and he kept his word; but he was -attacked by another mania. He became, in politics, a reviler of all the -events of the Revolution, whatever they might be. Everybody was mad, -blundering, stupid. The king was too weak, the people too gentle, the -guillotine too lazy and too greedy by turns. And then as that succession -of tragedies disturbed his brain, which was more mad than cruel, he -changed his opinions and passed from the most unbridled sansculottism to -the most laughable dandyism. All this was quite harmless, for he did not -intrigue for place, but contented himself with breaking out in words in -his rare incursions into society; but he was denounced by workmen whom -he had maltreated, and came near paying with his head for his riotous -indulgence in obscure eloquence. - -Julien and Marcel, by tireless persistence, succeeded in inducing him to -leave the hôtel De Melcy, where he defied the storm every day. They -kept him out of sight at Sèvres, where he made them very unhappy by his -evil humor, and compromised them more than once by his imprudent acts. -His property was under sequestration, and he recovered only a few -shreds. He endured that terrible blow with much philosophy. He was one -of those pilots who curse during the tempest, but keep cool when it is a -question of salvage. He refused to take back any part of what Julien had -received from him. As his garden had not been injured and he recovered -it almost intact, he resumed his former habits and recovered comparative -good humor. He lived there until 1802, still active and robust. One day -they found him sitting perfectly still on a bench in the sunshine, his -watering pot half full beside him, and on his knees an undecipherable -manuscript, the last lucubration of his wornout brain. He had died -without warning. The night before he had said to Marcel: - -"Never fear, you shall have the millions you expected to inherit from -me! Let me live only about ten years, and I shall make a larger fortune -than I ever had. I have a scheme for a constitution which will save -France from ruin; after that I will think a little of myself and go back -to my exporting business." - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANTONIA *** - -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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - 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 will have to check the laws of the country where - you are located before using this eBook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that: - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without -widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/65170-0.zip b/old/65170-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f7fba67..0000000 --- a/old/65170-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65170-h.zip b/old/65170-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9003f62..0000000 --- a/old/65170-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65170-h/65170-h.htm b/old/65170-h/65170-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 6f5604f..0000000 --- a/old/65170-h/65170-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13754 +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 Antonia, by George Sand. - </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;} - -ul.index { list-style-type: none; } -li.ifrst { margin-top: 1em; } -li.indx { margin-top: .5em; } -li.isub1 {text-indent: 1em;} -li.isub2 {text-indent: 2em;} -li.isub3 {text-indent: 3em;} - -table { - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; -} - - .tdl {text-align: left;} - .tdr {text-align: right;} - .tdc {text-align: center;} - -.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ - /* visibility: hidden; */ - position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; -} /* page numbers */ - - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - -.bb {border-bottom: solid 2px;} - -.bl {border-left: solid 2px;} - -.bt {border-top: solid 2px;} - -.br {border-right: solid 2px;} - -.bbox {border: solid 2px;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - -.u {text-decoration: underline;} - -.gesperrt -{ - letter-spacing: 0.2em; - margin-right: -0.2em; -} - -em.gesperrt -{ - font-style: normal; -} - -.caption {font-weight: normal; - font-size: 90%; - text-align: right; - padding-bottom: 1em;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - - -/* Notes */ -.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; -} - -.actor {font-size: 0.8em; - text-align: center;} - -/* Poetry */ -.poem { - margin-left:10%; - margin-right:10%; - text-align: left; -} - -.poem br {display: none;} - -.poem .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} -.poem span.i2 {display: block; margin-left: 1em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} - -/* Transcriber's notes */ -.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA; - color: black; - font-size:smaller; - padding:0.5em; - margin-bottom:5em; - font-family:sans-serif, serif; } - </style> - </head> -<body> - -<div style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Antonia, by George Sand</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<table style='min-width:0; padding:0; margin-left:0; border-collapse:collapse'> - <tr><td>Title:</td><td>Antonia</td></tr> - <tr><td></td><td>The masterpieces of George Sand. Vol. 13</td></tr> -</table> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: George Sand</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Translator: George Burnham Yves</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: April 26, 2021 [eBook #65170]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Dagny and Laura Natal Rodrigues at Free Literature (Images generously made available by Hathi Trust Digital Library.)</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANTONIA ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/antonia_cover.jpg" width="500" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<h3>NOVELS<br /> -<br /> -BY<br /> -<br /> -GEORGE SAND</h3> - - - - -<h4>VOLUME XIII</h4> - - - - -<h2>ANTONIA</h2> - - - - -<h4>THE JEFFERSON PRESS</h4> - -<h4>BOSTON, NEW YORK</h4> - - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure01"></a> -<br /> -<img src="images/figure01.jpg" width="400" alt="" /> -<p class="center"><i>THE LOVERS' TRYST</i></p> -<p><i>They sat there in the darkness, amid bushes laden -with flowers, in the splendor of early summer, which -retains all the charm of spring.</i></p></div> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>CONTENTS</h4> -<p><a href="#I">CHAPTER I</a><br /> -<a href="#II">CHAPTER II</a><br /> -<a href="#III">CHAPTER III</a><br /> -<a href="#IV">CHAPTER IV</a><br /> -<a href="#V">CHAPTER V</a><br /> -<a href="#VI">CHAPTER VI</a><br /> -<a href="#VII">CHAPTER VII</a><br /> -<a href="#VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a></p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h4> -<p><a href="#figure01"><i>THE LOVERS' TRYST</i></a><br /> -<a href="#figure02"><i>JULIEN'S RUSE</i></a><br /> -<a href="#figure03"><i>A DISTURBED CONFERENCE</i></a><br /> -<a href="#figure04"><i>JULIEN ESCORTS MADAME D'ESTRELLE</i></a><br /> -<a href="#figure05"><i>JULIE AT THE CONVENT AT CHAILLOT</i></a><br /> -<a href="#figure06"><i>THE CHRISTENING OF THE LILY</i></a></p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<h4>ANTONIA</h4> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p class="center"><i>To M. EDOUARD RODRIGUES</i></p> - -<p> -To you who adopt orphan children, and who do good -modestly, with both hands and at sight, as you read Mozart -and Beethoven. -</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 60%;">GEORGE SAND</p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<h4><a id="I">I</a></h4> - -<p> -The time was the month of April, 1785, and the place Paris, where the -spring that year was a genuine spring. The garden was in holiday attire, -the greensward was studded with marguerites, the birds were singing, and -the lilacs grew so straight and so close to Julien's window, that their -fragrant clusters actually entered his room and strewed the white tiled -floor of his studio with their little violet crosses. -</p> - -<p> -Julien Thierry was a painter of flowers, like his father André Thierry, -renowned under Louis XV. in the art of decorating spaces over doors, -dining-room panels and boudoir ceilings. Those dainty ornaments became, -under his skilful hands, objects of genuine, serious art, so that the -artisan had became an artist, highly esteemed by people of taste, -handsomely paid, and a person of much consideration in society. Julien, -his pupil, had confined himself to painting on canvas. The fashion of -his time frowned upon the fanciful and charming decorations of the -Pompadour style. The Louis XVI. style was more severe; flowers were no -longer strewn upon walls and ceilings, but were framed. Julien, then, -painted flower and fruit pieces of the Mignon variety, mother-of-pearl -shells, multi-colored butterflies, green lizards and drops of dew. He -had much talent, he was handsome, he was twenty-four years old, and his -father had left him nothing but debts. -</p> - -<p> -André Thierry's widow was there in the studio where Julien was at work, -and where the clusters of lilac shed their petals under the soft touch -of a warm breeze. She was a woman of sixty, well-preserved, with eyes -that were still beautiful, hair almost black, and slim, delicate hands. -Short, slight, pale, dressed poorly, but with studied neatness, Madame -Thierry was knitting mittens, and from time to time raised her eyes to -glance at her son, who was absorbed in the study of a rose. -</p> - -<p> -"Julien," she said, "why is it, I wonder, that you don't sing now when -you are working? You might induce the nightingale to let us hear his -voice." -</p> - -<p> -"Listen, mother, there he is now," Julien replied. "He doesn't need -anybody to give him the key." -</p> - -<p> -And at that moment they did in fact hear the pure, sweet and resonant -notes of the nightingale for the first time that year. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! so he has come!" exclaimed Madame Thierry. "To think that a whole -year has passed!—Can you see him, Julien?" she asked, as the young -man, putting aside his work, scrutinized the shrubs massed in front of the -window. -</p> - -<p> -"I thought I saw him," he replied with a sigh, "but I was mistaken." -</p> - -<p> -And he returned to his easel. His mother watched him more closely, but -she dared not question him. -</p> - -<p> -"Never mind," she began after a few moments, "you have a beautiful voice -too, and I used to love to hear you sing the pretty ballads your poor -father sang so well—only last year at just this time!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," Julien replied, "you insist on my singing them, and then you -weep. No, I don't propose to sing any more!" -</p> - -<p> -"I won't weep, I promise you! Sing me a lively one, and I will -laugh—as if he were here!" -</p> - -<p> -"No! don't ask me to sing. It makes me feel sad too! Later, later! it -will come back gradually. Let us not force our sorrow!" -</p> - -<p> -"Julien, we must not talk about sorrow any more," said the mother in a -tone of gentle but indubitably strong determination. "I was a little -weak at the beginning; you will forgive me, won't you? To lose thirty -years of happiness in a day! But I ought to have reflected that you lost -more than I did, because I still have you, while I am good for nothing -except to love you." -</p> - -<p> -"And what more can I want?" said Julien, kneeling in front of his -mother. "You love me as no one else will ever love me, I know! and I do -not say that you were weak. You concealed from me at least half of your -suffering, I saw it and understood it. I gave you full credit for it, -never fear, and I thank you for it, my dear mother! You sustained me -when I needed it sadly; for I suffered on your account at least as much -as on my own, and, when I saw how brave you were, I was always certain -that God would perform a miracle to keep you alive and well for me, -despite the most cruel of trials. He owed us that much, and He did it. -Now, mother, you do not feel weak and disheartened any more, do you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Now, my child, I am really happy. You are right in thinking that God -sustains those who do not despair, and that He gives strength to those -who pray to Him for it with all their hearts. Do not think that I am -unhappy; I have wept bitterly; but how could I do otherwise? he was so -lovely, so kind to us! and he always seemed to be so happy! He might have -lived a long while—but that was not God's will. I have had such a -beautiful life that I really had no right to ask for anything more. And -see what the divine goodness has left me! the best and most dearly loved -of sons! Should I complain? Should I pray for death? No, no! I will join -your dear father when my time comes, and he will say to me: 'You did -well to remain on earth as long as you could, and not leave our beloved -son too soon.'" -</p> - -<p> -"So you see," said Julien, putting his arms around his mother, "that we -are no longer unhappy, and that there is no need for me to sing to -divert our thoughts. We can think of him without bitterness and of each -other without selfishness." -</p> - -<p> -They remained in a close embrace for an instant, then returned to their -respective occupations. -</p> - -<p> -This took place in Rue de Babylone, in a sort of pavilion, already very -old, for it dated from the reign of Louis XIII., and stood by itself at -the end of the street, whose most modest structure—and at the same -time the one nearest the said pavilion—was the house, to-day torn -down, which was then called the hôtel d'Estrelle. -</p> - -<p> -While Julien and his mother were engaged in the conversation we have -just reported, two other persons were talking in a dainty little salon -of the aforesaid hôtel d'Estrelle, a cool, homelike apartment, -decorated in the style of the last years of Louis XVI., a pretty bastard -Greek style, a little stiff in outline, but harmonious in tone and set -off by much gilding against a pearl-white ground. The Comtesse -d'Estrelle was simply dressed in a half-mourning gown of gray silk, and -her friend the Baronne d'Ancourt in a morning visiting costume—that -is to say, in an elaborate combination of muslins, ribbons and lace. -</p> - -<p> -"Dear heart," she was saying to the countess, "I don't understand you at -all. You are twenty years old; you are as beautiful as the Loves, and -you persist in living in solitude like the wife of a petty bourgeois! -You have put off your mourning, and everybody knows that you had no -reason to regret your husband, the least regrettable of mankind. He left -you a fortune; that is the only reasonable thing he ever did in his -life." -</p> - -<p> -"And as to that, my dear baroness, you are entirely mistaken. The -fortune the count left me is overburdened with debts; I was told that, -by making a few sacrifices and depriving myself of some luxuries, I -might clear myself in a few years. So I accepted the succession without -looking into it very carefully, and the result is that to-day, after two -years of uncertainty and long explanations of which I did not understand -a word, my new solicitor, who is a very honorable man, assures me that I -have been deceived and that I am much nearer being poor than rich. The -case is so serious, my dear, that I have been in consultation with him -this morning to decide whether or not I could keep this house." -</p> - -<p> -"What! sell your house! Why, that is impossible, my dear! It would be a -stain on your husband's memory. His family will never consent to that." -</p> - -<p> -"His family say that they will not consent, but they also say that they -will not help me in any way. What do they want, and what do they expect -me to do?" -</p> - -<p> -"They are a detestable family!" cried the baroness, "but I ought not to -be astonished at anything that the old marquis and his bigot of a wife -may do!" -</p> - -<p> -At that moment Monsieur Marcel Thierry was announced. -</p> - -<p> -"Show him in," said the countess; and she added, addressing the -baroness: "it is the very person of whom I was just speaking—my -solicitor." -</p> - -<p> -"In that case I will leave you." -</p> - -<p> -"That is not necessary. He has but a word to say to me, and as you know -my plight——" -</p> - -<p> -"And am deeply interested in it. I will remain." -</p> - -<p> -The solicitor entered. -</p> - -<p> -He was a man of about forty, balder than was natural at his age, but -with a pleasant face, good-humored and frank, although remarkably shrewd -and even satirical. One could see that much experience of the conduct of -men at odds with their selfish interests had made him thoroughly -practical, perhaps sceptical, but that it had not destroyed his ideal of -uprightness and sincerity, which he was all the better able to recognize -and appreciate. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Monsieur Thierry," said the countess, motioning to a chair, "is -there anything new since this morning that you have taken the trouble to -return?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, madame," the solicitor replied, "there is something new. Monsieur -le Marquis d'Estrelle sent his man of business to me with an offer which -I have accepted in your behalf, subject to your assent, which I have -come to obtain. He suggests coming to your assistance by turning over a -few unimportant pieces of property, the total value of which, to be -sure, will not pay all the debts which are hanging over you, but which -will allay your anxieties for a moment and delay the sale of your house -by enabling you to give your creditors something on account." -</p> - -<p> -"Something <i>on account!</i> Is that all?" cried the Baroness d'Ancourt -indignantly. "That is all that the Estrelle family can do for the widow -of a spendthrift? Why, it is a perfect outrage, monsieur le procureur!" -</p> - -<p> -"It is at the best a pitifully mean performance," rejoined Marcel -Thierry; "I wasted my eloquence, and this is where we stand. As madame -la comtesse has no fortune of her own, she is forced, in order to retain -even a paltry dower, to submit to the conditions imposed by a family -devoid of consideration and generosity." -</p> - -<p> -"Say of heart and honor!" exclaimed the baroness. -</p> - -<p> -"Say nothing at all," added the countess, who had listened with a -resigned expression. "The family is what it is; it is not for me to pass -judgment on them, bearing their name as I do. In every other respect I -am a stranger to them, and lamentations would come with a very bad grace -from me, for I alone am to blame." -</p> - -<p> -"You to blame!" repeated the solicitor, with an incredulous smile. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," continued Madame d'Estrelle. "I have committed one great sin in -my life. I consented to that marriage, against which my heart and my -instincts rebelled. I was a coward! I was a mere child, and they gave me -my choice between a convent and a disagreeable husband; I was afraid of -everlasting seclusion, so I accepted the everlasting humiliation of an -ill-assorted marriage. I did as so many other women have done, I thought -that wealth would take the place of happiness. Happiness! I did not -know, I have never known what it is. I was told that it consisted, above -all things, in riding in a carriage, wearing diamonds, and having a box -at the opera. My head was turned, I was intoxicated, put to sleep with -presents. I must not say that my hand was forced, for that would not be -true. To be sure there were locks and bolts and bars, imprisonment for -life in the cloister, before me in case of refusal; but there was -neither axe nor executioner, and I might have said no if I had had any -courage. But we have none, my dear baroness, we may as well admit it; we -women cannot make up our minds to resign frankly, and conceal our -spring-time under the veil of a nun, which, however, would be more -dignified, more honest and perhaps pleasanter in the end than to throw -ourselves into the arms of the first stranger who presents himself. That -then was my cowardice, my blindness, my folly, my vanity, my neglect of -myself—in a word, my sin! I hope never to commit another; but I -cannot forget that my punishment has come through my sin. I allowed puerile -ambition to dispose of my life, and to-day I see that I was deceived, -that I am not rich, that I must sell diamonds and horses, and that there -is great danger that before long I shall not have over my head the roof -of a house that bears my crest. That is as it should be—I feel it and -admit it; I am penitent, but I do not want to be pitied, and I shall -accept without discussion such alms as my husband's relations choose to -bestow upon me in order to save his honor." -</p> - -<p> -A pause of amazement and emotion succeeded this declaration from Julie -d'Estrelle. She had spoken with ill-concealed distress, like one weary -of discussing pecuniary interests, who gives way to the craving to pass -her mental life in review and to discover the philosophical formula for -her situation. The proud Amélie d'Ancourt was more scandalized than -moved by an avowal which condemned her own ideas and the customs of her -caste; moreover, she considered this effusive outburst on her friend's -part, in the presence of a petty attorney, a little dangerous. -</p> - -<p> -As for the attorney, he was sincerely touched; but he did not allow it -to appear, being accustomed to see such explosions of secret feeling -override the proprieties, even among people of the highest rank. -</p> - -<p> -"My fair client is a sincere and touching creature," he said to himself; -"she is right to accuse herself; there is no human law which can force a -<i>yes</i> from the mouth which is determined to say <i>no</i>. She sinned -like other women, because she longed for glittering gewgaws; but she sadly -admits it, and in that she shows herself superior to most of her -sisters. It is not for me to console her; I will confine myself to saving -her, if I can.—Madame," he said aloud, after turning over these -reflections in his mind, "you can augur better for your interests in the -future than in the past. The present shows that monsieur le marquis will -not easily make up his mind to set you free, but that he will not make -up his mind to abandon you in any event. The paltry assistance which he -offers you is not to be the last, so I was given to understand, and I am -certain of it. Wait a few months, allow his son's creditors to threaten -you, and you will find that he will put his hand in his pocket again to -prevent the sale of this house. Forget these worries, do not think of -moving, trust to time and circumstances." -</p> - -<p> -"Very good, monsieur," said the baroness, who was in haste to give her -opinion and display her pride of rank. "That is very excellent advice of -yours; but, if I were in madame la countesse's place, I would not follow -it. I would flatly refuse these miserable little charities! Yes, indeed, -I should blush to accept them! I would go from this house with head -erect, and live in a convent; or, better still, I would go to some one -of my friends, Baronne d'Ancourt for example, and I would say to the -marquis and marchioness: 'Arrange matters to suit yourselves; I will let -the house be sold. I have incurred no debts, and I do not worry about -those left by monsieur your son. Pay them with the tattered remnants of -a fortune that he left me, and we will see whether you will put up with -the public spectacle of my destitution.'—Yes, my dear Julie, that is -what I would do, and I promise you that the marquis, who is very rich by -his second marriage, would retract these infamous propositions he makes -to-day." -</p> - -<p> -"Does Madame la Comtesse d'Estrelle coincide with that opinion," said -the solicitor, "and am I to burn our bridges?" -</p> - -<p> -"No," replied the countess. "Tell me in two words of what my -father-in-law's contribution consists, and, whatever it may be, I accept -it." -</p> - -<p> -"It consists," replied Marcel Thierry, "of a small farm in the -Beauvoisis, worth about twenty thousand francs, and a very old, but not -badly dilapidated pavilion, situated on your street at the end of the -garden of your hôtel." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! that old pavilion of Richelieu's day?" said the countess -indifferently. -</p> - -<p> -"A mere hovel!" said the baroness; "it is good for nothing but to pull -down!" -</p> - -<p> -"Possibly," replied Marcel; "but the land has some value, and as the -street is being built up, you might find a purchaser for it." -</p> - -<p> -"And allow a house to be built so near my own," said Julie, "overlooking -my garden, and almost overlooking my apartments." -</p> - -<p> -"No, you would require that the house should turn its back to you and -<i>take the air</i> from the street or from my uncle's garden." -</p> - -<p> -"Who might your uncle be?" queried the baroness, with an indescribable -touch of contempt in her tone. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur Marcel Thierry," said the countess, "is a near relative of my -wealthy neighbor, Monsieur Antoine Thierry, of whom you must certainly -have heard." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! yes, a former tradesman." -</p> - -<p> -"An armorer," rejoined Marcel. "He made his fortune in the colonies -without ever setting foot on a ship, and, thanks to shrewd planning and -good luck, he made several millions in his chimney corner, you might -say." -</p> - -<p> -"I congratulate him," replied the baroness. "And he lives in this -neighborhood?" -</p> - -<p> -"His house faces the new court; but his garden is separated only by a -wall from the Comtesse d'Estrelle's, and the pavilion forms a sort of -elbow between the two estates. Now my uncle might purchase the pavilion, -either to straighten his own lines by destroying it, or to repair it and -turn it into a green-house or gardener's lodge." -</p> - -<p> -"So the wealthy Monsieur Thierry has his eye on the pavilion," observed -the baroness, "and perhaps he has commissioned you——" -</p> - -<p> -"He has commissioned me to do nothing," Marcel interrupted in a firm -tone. "He has no knowledge whatever of the affairs of my other clients." -</p> - -<p> -"Then you are his solicitor also?" -</p> - -<p> -"Naturally, madame la baronne; but that will not prevent me from making -him pay the highest possible price for whatever it may please madame la -comtesse to sell him, and he will not take it ill of me. He is too good -a man of business not to know the value of a piece of real estate that -he really wants." -</p> - -<p> -"But I have not decided to sell the property we are talking about," said -the countess, emerging from a sort of vague reverie. "It does not annoy -me at all. It is occupied, I am told, by a most excellent person of -quiet habits." -</p> - -<p> -"True, madame," said Marcel; "but the rent is so small that it will -increase your income very slightly. However, if you prefer to keep it, -it will be of use to you, in that it represents a substantial security -for the interest on your debts." -</p> - -<p> -"We will talk about this again, Monsieur Thierry. I will think it over -and you will advise me further. Tell me the total amount of the gift to -be made to me." -</p> - -<p> -"About thirty thousand francs." -</p> - -<p> -"Should I express my thanks for it?" -</p> - -<p> -"If I were in your place, I would do nothing of the kind!" cried the -baroness. -</p> - -<p> -"Do so by all means," said the solicitor in an undertone. "A word of -amiable and modest resignation costs a heart like yours nothing at all." -</p> - -<p> -The countess wrote two lines and handed them to Marcel. -</p> - -<p> -"Let us hope," he said, as he rose to go, "that the Marquis d'Estrelle -will be touched by your gentleness." -</p> - -<p> -"He is not a bad man," replied Julie, "but he is very old and feeble, -and his second wife governs him completely." -</p> - -<p> -"She is a genuine plague spot, that ex-Madame d'Orlandes!" cried the -baroness. -</p> - -<p> -"Do not speak ill of her, madame la baronne," retorted Marcel; "she -belongs to that society and entertains those opinions which you -certainly look upon as the law and the prophets." -</p> - -<p> -"What is that, monsieur le procureur?" -</p> - -<p> -"She abhors the new ideas and considers the privileges of birth the -blessed ark of tradition." -</p> - -<p> -"Do not insult me by comparing me to that woman," said the baroness; -"that her ideas are all right is very possible; but her actions are all -wrong. She is miserly, and people say that she would even desert her -opinions for money." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! in that case," said Marcel, with an equivocal smile which Madame -d'Ancourt took for an act of homage, "I can understand that madame la -baronne must regard her with profound aversion." -</p> - -<p> -He bowed and retired. -</p> - -<p> -"That man is not by any means ill-bred!" said the baroness, who had -observed the dignified and respectful ease of his exit. "His name is -Thierry, you say?" -</p> - -<p> -"Like his uncle's the rich man, and like his other uncle, much more -favorably known, Thierry the painter of flowers." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! the painter? I almost knew the excellent Thierry. My husband used -to receive him in the morning." -</p> - -<p> -"Everybody received him at all hours, my dear love, at least all people -of taste and intelligence; for he was a charming old man, extremely well -educated and most agreeable in conversation." -</p> - -<p> -"Baron d'Ancourt apparently lacks taste and intelligence, for he did not -choose to have him to dinner." -</p> - -<p> -"I do not say that the baron lacks——" -</p> - -<p> -"Say it, say it, I don't care; I know more about it than you do." -</p> - -<p> -And, having delivered that double-edged retort, the baroness, who had a -sovereign contempt for her husband's intellect, but forgave him in -consideration of his eminent qualities in the matter of noble birth, -indulged in a hearty and good-humored peal of laughter. -</p> - -<p> -"Let us return to these Thierrys," she said. "Do I understand that you -were well acquainted with the artist?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, I did not know him. You know that Comte d'Estrelle fell sick -immediately after our marriage, that I went with him to take the waters, -and that as a matter of fact I have never received visitors at all, for -he simply languished and languished until he died." -</p> - -<p> -"That is why you have never seen society and know nothing about it. Poor -dear, after sacrificing yourself for a brilliant life, you have known -nothing except the duties due to a dying man, the crêpe of mourning, -and the annoyances of business! Come, you must leave all this behind -you, my dear Julie; you must marry again." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! God forbid!" cried the countess. -</p> - -<p> -"You propose to live alone and bury yourself, at your age? Impossible!" -</p> - -<p> -"I cannot say that is to my taste, for I have no idea. I have passed -so entirely beside everything that goes to make up the life of young -women—marriage, wealth and liberty—that I am hardly acquainted -with myself. I know that I have consumed two years in ennui and -melancholy, and thus far in my solitude, except for these money -troubles, which are exceedingly distasteful to me, but which I do my -best to endure without bitterness, I find myself in a more tolerable -condition than in those through which I have previously passed. It may -be that my character lacks energy just as my mind lacks variety. Being -driven to some occupation to kill time, I have taken a liking to quiet -amusements. I read a great deal, I draw a little, I play on the piano, I -embroider, I write occasional letters to my old friends at the convent. -I receive four or five people of a serious turn of mind, but -good-tempered, and always the same, so that I am habitually placid and -free from excitement. In a word, I do not suffer, and I am not bored; -and that is a good deal to one who has always suffered or yawned with -ennui hitherto. So leave me as I am, my friend. Come to see me as often -as you can without interfering with your pleasures, and do not worry -about my lot, which is not so bad as it might be." -</p> - -<p> -"All this will do very well for a while, my dear, and you act like a -woman of spirit by meeting misfortune with a stout heart; but all things -have their day, and you must not sacrifice too much of the age of beauty -and the advantages which it procures. You are not, be it said without -offence, of very exalted birth, but your unfortunate marriage gave you a -fine name and a title which placed you on a higher social level. You are -a widow, which enables you to go about and be seen and known, and you -have no children; so that you are still in all the bloom of your youth. -You have no fortune; but, as your dower, overladen with debts as it is, -will be no great loss, you can very well hold it cheap, and renounce it -for a more eligible suitor than the first. If you choose to put yourself -in my hands, I will undertake to arrange the sort of marriage for you to -which you have a perfect right to aspire." -</p> - -<p> -"The sort of marriage? You surprise me; explain yourself!" -</p> - -<p> -"I mean to say that you are too fascinating not to be married for love." -</p> - -<p> -"Very good; but will it be someone whom I shall be able to love?" -</p> - -<p> -"If the man, instead of being a spendthrift and a fool, is really rich -and well-born, for that is most important of all, and you cannot descend -socially without blame; if he has breeding, tact, and the instincts of a -man of quality; and, lastly, if he is an honorable man—what more can -you ask? You must not expect that he will be in his first youth, and -built like the hero of a novel.—We see but few of those magnificent -creatures who are disposed to select a person of great merit for her -lovely eyes; everybody is more or less hard up in these days!" -</p> - -<p> -"I understand you," replied Madame d'Estrelle, with a sad smile. "You -wish me to marry some excellent old man, some friend of yours, for I do -not believe that you would propose a monster to me. Thanks, my dear -baroness, I don't propose again to hire myself out to an invalid for -large wages; for, to put things baldly, that is the sort of good-fortune -which you have in mind for me. But, although I should be capable of -waiting upon and nursing a father, if I had one, with the utmost -tenderness, or even an old friend who needed me, I am firmly resolved -never again to put my neck in the yoke of an infirm and morose stranger. -I conscientiously fulfilled those depressing duties to Monsieur -d'Estrelle, and everybody gave me credit for it. Now I am free, and I -propose to remain free. I have no relatives left—only a few friends. -I desire nothing more, and I ask you in all seriousness not to seek -happiness for me according to your ideas, which I do not share. You, my -friend, are still what I was at sixteen, when I was married. You have -retained the illusions which were dinned into my ears; you believe that -one cannot do without wealth and show, and, therefore, are younger than -I. So much the better for you, since fate has bound you to a husband who -denies you nothing. That is all that you need, is it not? But I should -be more exacting; I should like to love. You laugh? Ah! yes, I know your -theories. 'The honeymoon is short,' you have said to me a hundred times; -'but the golden moon is the light which never goes out.' For my part, I -am foolish enough to say to myself that on the first day of my married -life I propose to love and believe, even though it last but a day! -Otherwise, I know by experience, marriage is a shame and a martyrdom." -</p> - -<p> -"If that is so," said the baroness, rising, "I leave you to your -reveries, my dear friend, and humbly beg pardon for interrupting them." -</p> - -<p> -She took her leave somewhat piqued, for she was perspicacious, although -foolish, and she realized that the gentle-mannered Julie, in that -outbreak of rebellion, had told her a home-truth; but she was not -evil-minded, and an hour later had forgotten her spleen. Indeed, she -felt a little depressed, and at times was quite ready to say to herself: -</p> - -<p> -"Perhaps Julie is right!" -</p> - -<p> -Julie, on her part, felt that all her courage failed her as soon as she -was left alone, and her pride melted away in tears. She was strong only -as a result of nervous reactions, and perhaps of a more eager craving -for love than she confessed to herself. Naturally she was timid, even -shrinking. She knew the baroness's kind heart too well to fear a real -rupture with her; but she too said to herself: -</p> - -<p> -"Perhaps Amélie is right! I seek the impossible, the surroundings of -rank and fortune in conjunction with love! Who ever obtains that? No one -in my position. For lack of the best, I may be going to fall into the -worst, which is solitude and sadness." -</p> - -<p> -She took her parasol, one of those flat white parasols which produced a -prettier effect among the shrubbery than our modern mushrooms, and -placing the heels of her little slippers softly on the turf, her skirt -turned gracefully back over the straight petticoat, she strolled -pensively along under the lilac bushes in her garden, inhaling the air -of spring in silent misery, starting at the voice of the nightingale, -thinking of nobody, yet carried outside of herself by a boundless -aspiration. -</p> - -<p> -She went from lilac to lilac until she drew near the pavilion, where, an -hour earlier, Julien Thierry, the painter's son, the rich man's nephew, -the solicitor's cousin, was at work. The garden was large for a garden -in Paris, and was beautiful, both as to its arrangement and its -contents. Every day Madame d'Estrelle walked around it two or three -times, casting a melancholy or loving glance at each of the flower-beds -with which the turf was studded. When she came in sight of the windows -of the Louis XIII. pavilion, she did not turn away nor worry about being -seen, for the pavilion had been long unoccupied. Julien and his mother -had been settled there only a month; Madame d'Estrelle had complained to -Marcel Thierry because the marquis, her father-in-law, being unwilling -to sacrifice the trifling revenue from so worthless a piece of property, -had let it to strange tenants. Marcel had reassured her by informing her -that the new tenant was the venerable and most respectable widow of his -uncle the artist. He had not mentioned Julien. It may be that the -countess did not know that the painter had left a son. At all events it -had not occurred to her to make inquiries about him. She had never seen -him at the windows, in the first place because she was very near-sighted -and the young women in those days did not wear glasses; and secondly, -because Julien, being informed of the proximity of a person of rigid -morals, had taken great pains not to show himself. Sometimes Madame -d'Estrelle had seen at the first floor window a pale, refined face -surmounted by a white cap, which saluted her with deferential reserve. -She had returned the sweet-faced widow's salutation pleasantly, even -with respect; but they had not as yet exchanged a word. -</p> - -<p> -On this day Julie, seeing that the ground-floor window was partly open, -began to ask herself for the first time why she had not entered into -neighborly relations with Madame Thierry. She examined the wall of the -little building, and noticed that the door at the end of the garden was -locked on the outside, as when the house was unoccupied. Madame Thierry -could see nothing but the shrubbery, which concealed the countess's -mansion and a part of the principal lawn. She had no right even to sit -in the sunshine, along the wall of her house, under those flowering -shrubs which actually entered her rooms, and which she had no right to -prune. Moreover, she was forbidden, by the terms of her lease, to walk -on the gravelled walk that ran inside the street wall. In a word, the -door was condemned, and the tenant had made no vexatious demands on that -subject. -</p> - -<p> -It is true that the countess had anticipated such a demand with the -determination to comply with it; but she had not noticed the feeling of -timidity or pride which prevented Madame Thierry from making it. She -thought of it on that day of self-condemnation, and reproached herself -for not forestalling the poor widow's presumed desire. -</p> - -<p> -"If it had been some ruined great lady," she thought, "I should have -been careful not to forget the consideration due to age or misfortune. -There is another proof of what I was just saying to the baroness: our -minds are given a false direction and our hearts are withered by being -brought up in the prejudices of rank. I feel that I have been selfish -and discourteous in my treatment of this lady, who, as I have been told, -is eminently respectable and in very straitened circumstances. How can -I have forgotten a bounden duty? But here is an opportunity to make up -for everything, and I will not throw it away; for I long to make peace -with myself to-day." -</p> - -<p> -The countess resolutely approached the window and coughed two or three -times as if to give notice of her presence; and as no one stirred she -ventured to tap on the glass. -</p> - -<p> -Julien had gone out, but Madame Thierry was at home. Greatly surprised, -she came to the window, and, when she saw that beautiful lady whom she -knew perfectly well by sight, although she had never spoken to her, she -threw it wide open. -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me, madame," said the countess, "for choosing this method of -making your acquaintance; but I am not quite out of mourning yet, as you -see; I do not pay visits, and I have something to say to you with your -permission. Can you listen to me for a moment where you are?" -</p> - -<p> -"Assuredly, madame, and with very great pleasure," replied Madame -Thierry in a dignified and amiable tone, and with a perfect ease of -manner in which there was nothing of the petty bourgeoise dazzled by an -overture from one of more exalted station. -</p> - -<p> -The countess was deeply impressed by the distinction of her face, by the -excellent taste of her simple dress, by her sweet voice, and by an -indefinable savor of refinement exhaled by her whole person. -</p> - -<p> -"Be seated, I beg," she said, spying the arm-chair in the window recess; -"I do not wish to keep you standing." -</p> - -<p> -"But you, madame?" rejoined the widow with a smile. "Ah! I have an idea. -With your permission I will pass you a chair." -</p> - -<p> -"No, do not take that trouble!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, indeed! Here is a very light straw chair; and between -us——" -</p> - -<p> -Between them they succeeded in passing the chair over the window-sill, -one holding it, the other receiving it, and smiling both at that -unceremonious performance, which created a sort of intimacy between them -at once. -</p> - -<p> -"This is what I had to say," said Madame d'Estrelle when she was seated. -"Hitherto, you have been living in a house belonging to the Marquis -d'Estrelle, my father-in-law; but to-day you are living in my house, -monsieur le marquis having presented it to me. I do not know as yet the -terms of your lease; but there is one which I presume you will consent -to modify." -</p> - -<p> -"Be kind enough to tell me which one you refer to, madame la comtesse," -replied the widow, bowing slightly, and with a faint cloud upon her face -in anticipation of some disagreement. -</p> - -<p> -"I refer," said the countess, "to keeping this miserable door always -locked and bolted between us; it is a perfect eyesore to me. If you -consent, I propose to have it opened to-morrow. I will give you the -keys, and I invite you to walk in my garden for exercise or diversion as -much as you please. It will be a great pleasure to me to meet you here. -I live very much alone, and if you are willing to stop and rest -sometimes in the house I live in, I will do my utmost to prevent your -being dissatisfied with me as a neighbor." -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry's face had lighted up. The countess's offer gave her -genuine pleasure. To have a beautiful garden under one's eyes every hour -in the day and not be able to set foot inside it, is a sort of torture. -Moreover, she was deeply touched by the graceful way in which the -invitation was given, and she realized at once that she had to do with a -lovable and noble-hearted woman. She thanked her with charming warmth, -abating nothing of the gentle dignity of her manners, and they at once -began to converse as if they had always known each other, the -instinctive sympathy between them was so quick and so entirely -reciprocal. -</p> - -<p> -"You live alone, you say?" said Madame Thierry; "surely it is a merely -temporary condition of affairs, and not a matter of inclination?" -</p> - -<p> -"It is partly because I shrink from society and distrust myself. Do you -like society, madame?" -</p> - -<p> -"I do not hate it," said the widow. "I left it because I was in love; I -forgot it, then returned to it without an effort and without losing my -head. Then I left it again, from necessity and without regret. All this -seems a little obscure to you, does it not?" -</p> - -<p> -"I know that Monsieur Thierry was in very comfortable circumstances and -had most desirable social connections; that he went into society and -received at his own house the very elite of persons of intellect." -</p> - -<p> -"But you do not know of our earlier life? It made some noise at the -time; but that was a long while ago and you are so young!" -</p> - -<p> -"Stay!" said the countess. "I beg your pardon for my forgetfulness. Now, -I remember: you are of noble birth?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes; I was Mademoiselle de Meuil, of a good old noble family of -Lorraine. Indeed I might have been quite wealthy if I had consented to -marry at the bidding of my guardians. I loved Monsieur Thierry, who was -then only a journeyman painter, without a name and without means. I left -everything, broke with everything, threw everything to the winds to -become his wife. Little by little he became famous, and just as he began -to earn money rapidly, I received my inheritance. So we were repaid for -our constancy, not only by thirty years of happiness, but by more or -less prosperity in our old age." -</p> - -<p> -"And now——?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! now it's a different story! I am happy still, but in another way. I -have lost my dearly loved companion, and with him all material comfort; -but I still have such great consolation——" -</p> - -<p> -She was about to mention her son, when a servant in livery came and -informed the countess that her old friend Madame Desmorges was waiting -for her in the house. -</p> - -<p> -"To-morrow," said Julie as she rose to go, "we will talk at our ease, in -your house or mine. I am anxious to know all about you, for I feel that -I love you dearly. Forgive me for saying it so bluntly, but it is the -truth! I must go to receive an elderly lady whom I cannot keep waiting; -but I will give orders now for the workmen to come here to-morrow and -open your prison door." -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry was enchanted with Madame d'Estrelle. She was a woman of -keen and spontaneous sympathies, still young in heart and full of -enthusiasm, because she had lived in the enthusiastic atmosphere that -surrounds a beloved artist, and she was more or less romantic, as a -woman must be who has sacrificed everything to love. In the first flush -of excitement, she would have told her son what had happened; but he was -not there, and she exerted her ingenuity to arrange for him the same -surprise she had enjoyed. Many times, as they were passing from -comparative opulence to their present straitened and harassing -condition, Julien had taken alarm at the privations with which his -mother was threatened. They had had a pretty little cottage at Sèvres, -with a fine garden, where Madame Thierry tended lovingly with her own -hands the flowers which her husband and son used as models. They had had -to sell everything. Julien's heart ached when he saw the poor old woman -confined in Paris, in that pavilion, which they hired at a very modest -rate. He hoped at first that they could enjoy the surrounding gardens; -but the lease informed him that neither the Marquis d'Estrelle, their -landlord, nor the wealthy Monsieur Thierry, their near neighbor and near -kinsman, would allow them to walk elsewhere than in the street, which -was always filled with workmen and with materials for buildings under -construction. -</p> - -<p> -"He complained bitterly of that condemned door," said Madame Thierry to -herself, as she thought of her son. "A score of times he has had an idea -of going and asking the countess to remove the prohibition for my -benefit, promising on his honor that he himself would never cross the -threshold of the pavilion. I have always dissuaded him from taking a -step which might have subjected us to humiliation. How glad he will be -to see me at liberty! But how shall I arrange matters to give him a -little surprise? Suppose I should send him on an errand to-morrow -morning, while the workmen are here?" -</p> - -<p> -She was arranging her plan in her head, when Julien came home to dinner. -The straw chair was still in the garden near the window. Madame -d'Estrelle had placed her white parasol on the ground against the chair, -and had forgotten to take it. Madame Thierry had gone into the kitchen -to tell her only servant, a strapping Norman wench, to bring in the -chair. So Julien saw those two objects, without any previous warning. He -divined without comprehending; his head swam, his heart beat fast, and -his mother found him so confused, so excited, so strange, that she was -frightened, thinking that something had happened to him. -</p> - -<p> -"What is it, in heaven's name?" she cried, running to him. -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing, mother," said Julien, after a slight struggle with himself to -overcome his emotion. "I hurried home and I was very warm, so that the -cool air of the studio gave me a chill. I am hungry, let's have dinner; -you can explain to me at the table the meaning of this visit you have -received." -</p> - -<p> -He took in the chair, unfolded and refolded the parasol, and kept it in -his hands a long while, with an affectation of indifference; but his -hands trembled, and he could not meet his mother's eyes. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Mon Dieu!</i>" she said to herself, "can it be that this increase of -melancholy during the past fortnight, this refusal to sing, these -stifled sighs, this peculiar behavior, this sleeplessness and loss of -appetite are due to—But he doesn't know her, he has hardly seen her -in the distance. Oh! my poor child, can it be possible?" -</p> - -<p> -They took their places at the table. Julien questioned his mother calmly -enough. She described the countess's visit with much discretion, -restraining the impulse of her heart, which would have made her eloquent -on the subject, had it not been for the discovery she had made, or the -danger she began to foresee. -</p> - -<p> -Julien felt that his mother was watching him, and he kept a close watch -upon himself. He had never before had any secrets from her; but, during -the last few days he had had one, and the fear of alarming her made him -cunning. -</p> - -<p> -"This step of Madame d'Estrelle," he said, "shows that she is a prudent -and gracious woman. She has realized—a little tardily -perhaps—that she owed you some consideration. Let us be grateful -to her for her kindness of heart. You told her, I presume, that I had -sufficient good sense not to consider myself included in the permission -she has given you?" -</p> - -<p> -"That goes without saying. I didn't mention you to her at all." -</p> - -<p> -"Indeed, she probably is not aware of my existence, and perhaps it will -be as well for you never to mention your son to her, so that she may not -repent of her gracious behavior." -</p> - -<p> -"Why shouldn't I mention you to her? I shall or shall not, according to -the turn the conversation happens to take." -</p> - -<p> -"You expect to see her often then? to go to her house perhaps?" -</p> - -<p> -"To meet her in the garden unquestionably; whether I go to her house or -not will depend on the duration of her kindly disposition." -</p> - -<p> -"Was she agreeable?" -</p> - -<p> -"Very agreeable and natural." -</p> - -<p> -"Is she bright?" -</p> - -<p> -"I don't know; she has plenty of good sense, I think." -</p> - -<p> -"None of the arrogance of a <i>grande dame</i>?" -</p> - -<p> -"She showed me none of it." -</p> - -<p> -"Is she young?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, yes." -</p> - -<p> -"And quite pretty, so they say?" -</p> - -<p> -"Fie! do you mean to say you have never seen her?" -</p> - -<p> -"I have, but at a distance. I have never happened to be near the window -when she walked along our path." -</p> - -<p> -"But you know that she walks there every day?" -</p> - -<p> -"It was you who told me so. You must think I am very inquisitive, to -watch all the beautiful women who pass? I am no longer a schoolboy, -little mamma, I am a man, and my mind has been matured by disaster." -</p> - -<p> -"Did you learn any more unpleasant news at Marcel's?" -</p> - -<p> -"On the contrary, Uncle Antoine has agreed to become responsible for -us." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! at last! and you didn't tell me!" -</p> - -<p> -"You have been talking about something else." -</p> - -<p> -"Which was more interesting to you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Frankly, yes, for the moment! I am really overjoyed to think that you -can walk in yonder garden at any time. I shall not be there to give you -my arm, for naturally, I shall not be allowed to do that; but I shall -see you go out and come back with more color and a little appetite, I -hope!" -</p> - -<p> -"Appetite! you are the one who has no appetite! You have eaten almost -nothing to-day, and yet you said that you were hungry. Where are you -going, pray?" -</p> - -<p> -"To take Madame d'Estrelle's parasol to the porter at the hôtel. It -would not be polite to neglect it." -</p> - -<p> -"You are right, but Babet will take it. It is quite useless to show -yourself to the people there. It might cause talk." -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry took the parasol and placed it in her servant's hands -herself. -</p> - -<p> -"Not that way!" cried Julien, taking it from her. "Babet will spot the -silk with her hot hands." -</p> - -<p> -He carefully wrapped the parasol in white paper, and handed it to Babet, -not without regret, but without hesitation. He saw clearly enough the -anxiety of his mother, who was watching him closely. -</p> - -<p> -Babet remained away ten minutes; that was more time than she needed to -walk the length of the garden on the street, enter the courtyard and -return. She reappeared at last with the parasol and a note from the -countess. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<blockquote><p> -"Madame, -</p> - -<p> -"You need a parasol as you will be exposed to the sunshine. Be kind -enough to use mine; I desire to deprive you of every pretext for not -coming to call upon -</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 50%;">"Your servant, -</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 60%;">"JULIE D'ESTRELLE." -</p></blockquote> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry glanced again at Julien, who controlled himself perfectly -as he removed the paper in which he had wrapped the parasol. As soon as -her back was turned, he covered it with kisses, like the romantic, -excitable child he was, despite his claim to be a mature man. As for the -poor mother, in her distrust and uncertainty she said to herself that -every joy is attended by danger in this world, and that she might -perhaps have reason to regret the amiable overtures of her too -fascinating neighbor. -</p> - -<p> -The next day the door swung on its hinges, and the keys were handed to -Madame Thierry, who, urged on by Julien, ventured timidly to enter the -countess's flowery domain. That lady had determined to do the honors of -her primroses and hyacinths in person, but an inevitable disclosure by -Marcel had changed the course of her ideas and cooled her zeal in some -measure. -</p> - -<p> -The solicitor had called again to discuss her affairs. She made haste to -tell him that she had made his aunt's acquaintance, and spoke of her in -the warmest possible terms. Then she went on to ask questions. -</p> - -<p> -"The charming woman told me of her birth, her love and her past -happiness, and she was on the point of telling me about what she calls -her present happiness, when we were interrupted. I supposed, on the -other hand, that she was very unhappy. Have I not heard that she had -been forced to sell all that she had?" -</p> - -<p> -"That is the truth," Marcel replied; "but there is something in my -excellent aunt's character which not everybody can understand, but which -you will understand perfectly, madame la comtesse. I can tell you her -husband's story and hers in a word. My uncle the artist had a great -heart, much talent and wit, but very little method and no foresight at -all. As he had never had anything in his youth, and earned from day to -day, first the bare necessaries of life, afterward the luxuries, he -allowed himself to be carried along by his natural recklessness; and as -he had some rather extravagant tastes—an artist's tastes, that tells -the whole story—he soon established his outlay upon a very agreeable -but very hazardous footing. He loved society and was popular; he never -went on foot, he had a carriage; he gave exquisite little dinners in -what he called his hut at Sèvres, which was crowded with sumptuous -trinkets and artistic objects, for which he paid great prices; so that -he ran in debt. His wife's property paid his debts, and enabled them to -continue this risky but delightful life. When he died he was over head -and ears in debt once more. My dear aunt knew it, but did not choose to -cast a shadow on his heedless and light-hearted old age by showing the -slightest concern for their son's future. 'My son is sensible,' she -said; 'he is studying his art with passionate zeal. He will have as much -talent as his father. He will be poor, and he will make his fortune. He -will pass through the trials and triumphs which his father passed -through honorably and courageously, and, knowing him as I do, I know -that he will never reproach me for placing all my confidence in his noble -heart.'—It turned out as she had foreseen. On his father's death, -Julien Thierry, discovering that he had inherited nothing but debts, set -bravely to work to pay them all, and, far from complaining of his -mother, he told her that she had done well never to annoy the best of -fathers. I confess that I do not agree with him there. The best of -fathers is the one who sacrifices his tastes and his pleasures to the -welfare of those who will probably survive him. My uncle the painter was -a great man, I might better say a great child. Genius is a very fine -thing; but devotion to those whom one loves is a vastly finer thing, -and, let me say it under my breath, my uncle's widow and son seem to me -to be much greater than he. What is madame la comtesse's opinion?" -</p> - -<p> -The countess had become very thoughtful, although she listened -attentively. -</p> - -<p> -"I think as you do, Monsieur Thierry," she replied, "and I admire your -aunt and cousin with all my heart." -</p> - -<p> -"But my story seems to have saddened you," said Marcel. -</p> - -<p> -"Perhaps; it gives me something to think about. Do you know, I am deeply -impressed by the example set us by some lives? I see that Madame Thierry -is like me, being a widow and ruined; but I see that she is happy none -the less, while I am not. She is proud to pay the debts of a husband whom -she loved dearly,—and I—But I do not propose to retract the -confession that escaped my lips yesterday in your presence. I wish to -ask you one question. This son, this most excellent son of the worthy -widow—where is he?" -</p> - -<p> -"In Paris, madame, where he is working very hard and beginning to pay -off the debts by painting pictures which are already almost as good as -his father's. Some influential friends have become interested in him, -and would push him ahead more rapidly if he were less scrupulous and -proud; but with a little time he will be rich in his turn, indeed he now -owes only a mere trifle, for which our Uncle Antoine has decided to -become responsible, inasmuch as there is no longer any risk in so -doing." -</p> - -<p> -"This rich uncle seems to be about as timid and economical as my -father-in-law the marquis?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, madame; his is an entirely different sort of selfishness. It would -take a long while to tell you about him, and it is time for me to be at -the Palais." -</p> - -<p> -"Of course, of course, some other time, Monsieur Thierry. Go and attend -to your business. Here are the papers all signed; come again soon!" -</p> - -<p> -"As soon as your affairs require it; rely upon my promptitude, madame la -comtesse." -</p> - -<p> -"Do not be so ceremonious. Come to see me when you have time, without -regard to business. I am greatly indebted to you, Monsieur Thierry. You -have not only given me the clear understanding of my position which was -so necessary to me. You have given me good advice and have not led my -honor astray in order to protect my selfish interests. In fact I see -that you feel perhaps a little friendliness for me, and I thank you with -all my heart." -</p> - -<p> -The countess had a way of saying such simple things which made her -extremely charming. Modest and dignified in her every act and every -word, there was in her manners an indefinable suggestion of restrained -emotion which denoted a too full heart, a heart seeking a fit receptacle -for its overflow. The baroness would surely have considered that she was -altogether too grateful and effusive to the pettifogger, who was only -too happy to act for her. She would have told her that one must not -spoil people of that sort by letting them see that they are necessary to -one. Julie, being perfectly sure of herself, notwithstanding her -pathetic humility, was not afraid of placing her friendship too low by -bestowing it on a clever and honorable man; and, moreover, there was -taking place within her, as we have seen, an insensible yet rapid -reaction against the circle in which she had hitherto lived. -</p> - -<p> -"A most delightful woman!" said Marcel Thierry to himself as he left -her. "Deuce take me! if I were not an attorney, married to the best -woman on earth, and the father of a bouncing boy—all of which things -tend to guarantee the strength of a man's brain—I should be in love -with this countess myself! oh! head over heels in love, I verily -believe! I will tell my wife so this evening, and we will have a good -laugh over it." -</p> - -<p> -"How did it happen," Madame d'Estrelle was thinking at that moment, -"that I did not ask Thierry what it is most important for me to know? I -thought of it, and then I forgot it. I must find out, however! If this -young Thierry lives with his mother, it will not be proper for him to -make my garden his usual place of promenade. But perhaps he is not a -young man. Did he say that he was young? His father was very old. But -did he say that he was so very old? I cannot remember at all. However, -my servants must know. Servants know everything." -</p> - -<p> -She rang. -</p> - -<p> -"Camille," she said to her maid, "has this Madame Thierry, who lives in -the old pavilion yonder,—a most excellent person, I know—has -she any children? I talked with her yesterday, but I didn't think of asking -her." -</p> - -<p> -"She has a son," Camille replied. -</p> - -<p> -"About how old?" -</p> - -<p> -"Twenty-five, judging from his face." -</p> - -<p> -"He is married, of course?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, madame." -</p> - -<p> -"Where does he live?" -</p> - -<p> -"At the pavilion, with his mother." -</p> - -<p> -"Is he a good sort of man? What do people say of him?" -</p> - -<p> -"He is a most excellent young man, madame la comtesse. Everybody speaks -well of him. They are very poor, and they pay all their bills, never -keep anybody waiting. And yet they are not stingy, they never do -anything mean. One would say that they must be people of quality." -</p> - -<p> -Camille did not mean to flatter her mistress by speaking in that way. -She, too, claimed to be well-born and to have known better days. She -claimed that some of her ancestors had been sheriffs. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Mon Dieu</i>, Camille, birth is of no consequence," said the countess, -who was often vexed by her maid's airs. -</p> - -<p> -"I beg pardon, madame la comtesse," rejoined Camille, tartly, "I thought -that it was of the greatest consequence." -</p> - -<p> -"As you please, my dear. Go and bring me my gray parasol. There is so -much of this pride on all sides," thought Madame d'Estrelle, "that it -will disgust me with all prejudices; it will make me more fond of -Jean-Jacques Rousseau than I ought to be; and really I am beginning to -wonder if the great are not living a little on their past, and if all -this antiquated nonsense is not becoming useful to amuse our servants." -</p> - -<p> -She took her gray parasol, with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction; then -sat down in her salon, open to the April sun, saying to herself that she -must not go in the direction of the pavilion any more, and perhaps not -into her garden at all. -</p> - -<p> -Then it was that Madame Thierry, finding that she did not come to meet -her as she expected, ventured to go as far as the house, to pay her -respects to her and thank her. Madame d'Estrelle received her with great -courtesy, but the widow was too keen not to detect a shade of -embarrassment in her greeting, and she had hardly seated herself before -she thanked her and rose to go. -</p> - -<p> -"Already?" said the countess. "You find me ungracious, I am sure, and I -confess that I feel some slight embarrassment with you to-day which -makes me act foolishly. So let us have done at once with this nonsense, -which I am sure you will forgive. When I came and spoke to you -yesterday, I had no idea that you had a son, a young and estimable man, -I am told, who lives with you." -</p> - -<p> -"Let me tell the rest, madame la comtesse. You are afraid——" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! <i>mon Dieu!</i> I am afraid that people will talk, that is all. I am -young, alone in the world, with no immediate protector; a stranger in a -family which accepted me only with regret, as I learned too late, and -which blames me for not choosing to pass my period of mourning in a -convent." -</p> - -<p> -"I know all that, madame la comtesse; my nephew Marcel told me. As I am -most solicitous for your good name, I do not propose that your kindness -of heart shall carry you too far. You must not come to the pavilion so -long as I live there, nor must I come into the garden or to your house. -That is what I came to say to you. It is not necessary for me to add -that my son never for an instant supposed that he was included in the -permission which you so graciously gave me yesterday." -</p> - -<p> -"Very good!" cried the countess, "this last point is all that is -necessary. I thank you for your delicacy, which makes it possible for me -not to return your visits; but as to the other point, I do not agree -with you. You will walk in my garden and you will come to see me." -</p> - -<p> -"Perhaps it would be better that I should not come." -</p> - -<p> -"No, no," replied Julie, earnestly, "you must come, I insist upon it! -and, if you don't come, I shall be obliged to go to fetch you and knock -at your window again, which will compromise me. Tell me," she added with -a smile, "if you wish me to <i>ruin</i> myself for you? I warn you that I -am capable of it." -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry could not resist the fascination of this artless -generosity. She yielded, making a mental vow that she would fly to the -other end of Paris, if her presentiment of Julien's passion proved not -to be a dream of her maternal imagination. -</p> - -<p> -"Now," said the countess, "let us arrange the conditions of our -intercourse, in order to put an end to all danger of evil-speaking. The -pavilion has only four windows looking on my garden. The two lower -ones—I do not know the arrangement of the rooms." -</p> - -<p> -"The two lower ones are in the room which my son uses as a studio and I -as a salon. We always sit there; but the lower sash, with four panes of -ground glass, is stationary, and we open only the upper sashes; but they -are often open at this season." -</p> - -<p> -"Then you cannot look into my house, as I was told. But that sash with -the ground glass was not stationary yesterday; it was partly open." -</p> - -<p> -"True, madame la comtesse; there was a broken pane which you may have -noticed." -</p> - -<p> -"No; my sight is bad, consequently I don't look very closely." -</p> - -<p> -"For that reason I had to open that sash, a very unusual thing. But it -was repaired and fastened again this morning. Light from below would be -very inconvenient for my son in his painting, and he stretches a green -cloth over the window on the inside. So he would have to stand on a -chair to look into your garden, and, as he is a serious-minded man, and -not an ill-taught schoolboy——" -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, very well! My mind is at rest concerning the lower floor. -The windows above——" -</p> - -<p> -"Are in my bedroom. My son's room looks on the street." -</p> - -<p> -"And he never sits in your room? No one in my garden will ever see a man -at your windows?" -</p> - -<p> -"It never has happened and never will happen. I will answer for it." -</p> - -<p> -"Nor will he ever come to the garden door, even for an instant? You will -warn him." -</p> - -<p> -"Be perfectly at ease in that respect. My son is a man of honor." -</p> - -<p> -"I do not doubt it. Commend my honor to him, and let us say no more -about him; that is to say let us say no more about me, for to forbid you -to speak of him would be very cruel. I know that he is your pride and -your joy, and I congratulate you." -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry had made up her mind not to say another word about -Julien, but it was impossible for her to keep to her determination. Step -by step she finally reached the point where she gave full expression to -her idolatry of that adored son, who well deserved to be adored. The -countess listened without any uncalled-for scruples to her enumeration -of the young artist's talents and virtues. But she became a little -melancholy at the thought that she should probably never have children -to afford occupation for her youth and console her old age. Madame -Thierry divined her secret thought and changed the subject. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure02"></a> -<br /> -<img src="images/figure02.jpg" width="400" alt="" /> -<p class="center"><i>JULIEN'S RUSE</i></p> -<p><i>He went to the window, the lower sash of which -was really nailed in its place and covered with a -green cloth; but there was an imperceptible slit in -that cloth, there was a scratch on the ground glass, -and through that treacherous crevice, cunningly -made and cunningly concealed, he saw Madame -d'Estrelle every day.</i></p></div> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -What was Julien doing while they were talking about him in the little -summer salon of the hôtel d'Estrelle? He was working, or was supposed -to be working. He constantly changed his position, he was hot and cold, -he started at the slightest sound. He said to himself that perhaps his -name was on the countess's lips at that moment, that perhaps she was -asking some question about him, merely as a matter of form, without -listening to the answer. He went to the window, the lower sash of which -was really nailed in its place and covered with a green cloth; but there -was an imperceptible slit in that cloth, there was a scratch on the -ground glass, and through that treacherous crevice, cunningly made and -cunningly concealed, he saw Madame d'Estrelle every day, strolling among -the shrubbery in her garden, and walking along the path which was in -full view from the pavilion. Julien knew almost to a minute her regular -hours for that walk. When some accident interfered with her usual -practice, then mysterious presentiments, the divinatory instinct which -belongs only to love, and especially to a first love, warned him of -Julie's approach. Then he invented a thousand pretexts, each more -ingenious than the last, for turning his mother's vigilant eye in some -other direction and gazing at his fair neighbor; or else he would find -that he had to go and get something in his bedroom, and would go -upstairs, his mother remaining below, enter her room and look through -the blind. In fact he had adored Julie for a fortnight, and Julie -thought that he had never seen her, and Madame Thierry lied -unconsciously when she said that her son could see nothing from the -studio, and that he had never looked out of her bedroom windows. -</p> - -<p> -To Julien himself there was something insane, or at all events -inexplicable, in that sudden passion which had taken possession of him, -who was so sensible in all other respects; but as there is a cause for -every effect, it is our place to seek it, and not be too free to admit -the improbability of actual occurrences. -</p> - -<p> -Marcel came very often, with or without his wife, to pass a portion of -the evening with his aunt Thierry. Julien and he were much attached to -each other, and although they often disagreed, Marcel considering Julien -too romantic, and Julien considering Marcel too practical, they would -have died for each other. Marcel talked freely about his practice, which -was rapidly increasing. When Julien asked him: "Is your office -flourishing?" he would answer: "It is budding, my boy, it is budding! I -often have clients who bring me more honor than profit, and they are not -the ones of whom I think the least."—Among those clients who were not -fond of litigation, but to whom he owed pleasant or profitable -connections, Marcel placed the Comtesse d'Estrelle in the first rank. He -mentioned her so often and in such enthusiastic terms, he thought and -spoke so severely of the lovely widow's unworthy husband, he inveighed -so bitterly against the inhuman avarice of the family, he took such a -profound interest in Julie's gentle and noble character, he -involuntarily extolled her charms so warmly, that Julien was curious to -see her; he saw her and loved her, if indeed he did not love her before -he saw her. -</p> - -<p> -Julien had never loved before. He had led a very virtuous life, he had -experienced a great sorrow, he was at the height of his physical and -mental development; his susceptibility was overstrained by the -courageous efforts he had made, by a constant exchange of fervent -affection with his loving mother, by a tendency to enthusiasm which he -derived from long association with an enthusiastic father. He lived in -seclusion, he denied himself all diversion and worked with intense -eagerness to preserve the honor of his name and to save his mother from -want. All this must inevitably find a vent, and that generous heart -discharge its surplus emotion. We will say no more about it; indeed we -have already said far too much in explanation of that impossible -phenomenon which we see every day—a persistent, violent, boundless -aspiration toward an object which is known to be unattainable. Long, -long before, La Fontaine had written this refrain, which had passed into -a proverb: -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Love, love! when thou dost hold us,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Well may we say: 'Prudence, farewell!'"</span> -</div></div> - - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="II">II</a></h4> - -<p> -Now, while the countess was talking to Madame Thierry, and Julien to -himself, Marcel Thierry was talking not far away with his uncle Antoine, -the old bachelor, the ex-armorer, the rich man of the family. -</p> - -<p> -Gentle reader—as they used to say at the time when these events took -place—be kind enough to accompany us to Rue Blomet from the hôtel -d'Estrelle on Rue de Babylone; skirting the garden wall for five -minutes, passing in front of the Louis XIII. pavilion, then skirting the -wall of another garden much larger than Madame d'Estrelle's, along a -lane grass-grown on the edges, muddy and full of holes in the centre, -destined at some time to be an extension of Rue de Babylone; then -turning to the left and passing along another street in embryo to the -corner of Rue Blomet, where stands a large house of the Louis XIV. style -of architecture, formerly the hôtel de Melcy, recently purchased and -occupied by Monsieur Antoine Thierry. If Monsieur Antoine Thierry would -have allowed us to pass through his extensive grounds, we might have -started from Julien's house and walked straight through the nursery to -the rear of the mansion; but Uncle Antoine is determined to be master on -his own estate, and he will not grant any easement whatsoever, even in -favor of his brother's widow and son. Marcel, therefore, on leaving the -countess, had taken this walk, half in the city, half in the country; -and now behold him seated in the rich man's study, formerly a boudoir -with painted and gilded ceiling, now filled with shelves and tables -covered with bags of seeds, specimens of fruit moulded in wax, and -baskets of tools and other articles connected with horticulture. -</p> - -<p> -To reach this study, the proprietor's favorite retreat, he has had to -pass through galleries and immense salons overweighted with gilt -decorations in relief, grand in conception, but blackened by neglect and -dampness; for the windows are shut and the shutters tightly closed in -all weathers; the rich man never tarries in those majestic apartments, -he never receives visitors there, he never gives parties or banquets, he -cares for no one, he is suspicious of everybody. He loves rare flowers -and exotic shrubs, he also esteems the product of fruit trees, and he is -constantly deliberating upon the trimming and grafting of his -<i>subjects</i>. He overlooks and directs in person a score of gardeners, -whom he pays handsomely, and whose families he takes under his -protection. Never attempt to interest him in any other people than those -who flatter or subserve his caprices or his vanity. -</p> - -<p> -This passion for gardening he acquired by a mere chance. One of the -vessels which sailed to the far east on his account and for his profit -brought from China a parcel of seeds which he carelessly dropped in an -urn filled with earth. The seeds sprouted, the plants grew and were -covered with lovely flowers. The armorer, who did not anticipate that -result, and who, moreover, had never in his life looked at a plant, paid -very little heed at first; but another accident brought to his house a -connoisseur who went into ecstasies, and declared the priceless plant to -be absolutely new and unknown to science. -</p> - -<p> -This discovery exerted a decisive influence on Monsieur Antoine's life. -He had always despised flowers: it was probable that he would never -really understand them, for he was entirely devoid of the artistic -sense; but his vanity, which was stifling him for lack of nourishment, -pounced upon that windfall and pointed out to him the only way in which -he could attain renown. He had a brother who painted flowers, who -interpreted them, who loved them and gave his life to them. His brother -was much admired; a trivial sketch from his brush made more noise than -all of his older brother's great wealth. The older brother knew it, and -was jealous of him. He could never hear the word art mentioned without -shrugging his shoulders. He considered that the world was unjust and -idiotic to be amused by trifles and not to admire the shrewdness of a -man who, having started from nothing, counted his gold-pieces by the -shovelful. He was disappointed, perturbed in mind.—But suddenly all -was changed; he, too, was going to become a celebrity. The flowers which -his brother summoned forth from the canvas he would summon from the earth, -and they would not be mere every-day flowers which everybody knew and -could name at sight; they would be rarities, plants from the four -corners of the world, which scholars would have to cudgel their brains -to define and classify and baptize. The most wonderful should bear his -name! It had been suggested that his name should be given to several of -his nurslings, but there was no hurry, since his collection was enriched -every year by some marvel from the metropolis. He determined to wait, -and was still waiting for a certain lily, which was likely to surpass -all the rest, and which should bear, in addition to its generic name, -the specific designation of <i>Antonia Thierrii.</i> -</p> - -<p> -There was still time enough, for the uncle, although seventy-five years -old, was still hale and hearty. He was a short man, rather slight, with -a very good figure, but the hands hardened by constant contact with the -soil, the skin tanned by constant exposure to the air, the neglected -hair and dusty clothes, the back bent by bodily toil, presented the -incongruous image of a villager with rustic manners, tenacious in his -ideas, of an overbearing and surly disposition, ungrammatical, imperious -and peremptory, planted in the heart of Paris, in a mansion of which he -was the heedless and preoccupied master. -</p> - -<p> -Marcel saluted his uncle with more familiarity than deference. He knew -that flattery would be a waste of time; that the ex-armorer could be -brought to terms on any subject only by a contest in obstinacy, in harsh -language at need. He knew that his first impulse would be to say no; -that no perhaps would be his last word; but that, in order to obtain one -poor <i>yes</i> among a hundred <i>noes</i> he must fight without losing -heart for a moment. Marcel was of a stout temper—it was a family -trait—and he was so accustomed to fighting, especially against his -uncle, that he derived a sort of painful pleasure from that occupation, -which would have disgusted an artist in an instant. -</p> - -<p> -"I have brought you something to sign," he began. -</p> - -<p> -"I will not sign anything; my word is good enough." -</p> - -<p> -"True, with those who know you." -</p> - -<p> -"Everybody knows me." -</p> - -<p> -"Almost everybody; but I am dealing with idiots. Come, sign, sign!" -</p> - -<p> -"No, you might just as well sign it. My word's as good as gold; all the -worse for the man who doubts it." -</p> - -<p> -"Then you will see the creditor take possession of the house at Sèvres. -He will be satisfied then, no doubt, but until then he will doubt my -authority." -</p> - -<p> -"So you have a bad reputation, have you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Apparently." -</p> - -<p> -"The idea of your saying that!" -</p> - -<p> -"What do you want me to say? If I should say no, you would not sign, and -I want to induce you to sign." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! you do! Why, I should like to know?" -</p> - -<p> -"Because it bores me, tires me and annoys me to return to Sèvres and -wait for them to make up their minds to come to see you, when the -despatch of this paper by my clerk will remove all difficulties and save -me expense and many steps. Do you understand?" -</p> - -<p> -"You do whatever you please with me," replied the armorer, taking his -pen. He dipped it in the ink three times before deciding, read and -reread the document whereby he guaranteed the payment of the last six -thousand francs of his brother's debts, looked Marcel in the eye to see -if he was anxious or impatient, and, seeing that he was unmoved, -regretfully renounced the pleasure of driving him into a passion. He -signed the paper and tossed it in his face, with a wicked laugh, saying: -</p> - -<p> -"Off with you, rascal! You never come to my house unless you want to get -something out of me. You might have guaranteed the debts in my place, -for you're rich enough!" -</p> - -<p> -"If I were, be sure that it would be done already; but I am making the -final payments for my practice, and I cannot deceive Julien any longer -as to the sacrifices I am making for him. He is deeply concerned; his -mother is in despair——" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! his mother, his mother!" sneered the rich man in a tone of profound -aversion. -</p> - -<p> -"You are not fond of her, as everyone knows; so she will never ask you -for anything, never fear; but I am fond of my aunt, if you have no -objection, and Julien adores her. Between them—between us three, if -necessary—we will have everything paid within two years, and I -flatter myself that you will not have to spend a sou." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, I don't flatter myself that I shall not! No matter! I will do -them this favor, which will be the last." -</p> - -<p> -"And the first, too, my dear uncle!" -</p> - -<p> -And, as the document was signed, folded and safely in his pocket, Marcel -added, resting his elbows on the table and looking his uncle straight in -the face: -</p> - -<p> -"Do you know, my dear uncle of the good Lord, you must be a very mean -fellow to allow your brother's country house to be sold." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! there we are again!" shouted Monsieur Antoine, rising and smiting -the table a genuine peasant's blow with his fist. "You would like to see -me use my money, earned by the sweat of my brow, to pay for the follies -of a spendthrift! Since when have artists needed to have houses of their -own and fill them with a heap of gimcracks that cost the eyes out of -your head, and make gardens for themselves, with bridges and -summer-houses, when they don't even know how to grow a bit of milkweed? -What difference does it make to me whether my brother's folly is sold, -and his widow doesn't now have any great chefs in her kitchen and great -noblemen at her table? They made all the trouble for themselves when -they chose to receive counts and marquises, and madame would say: 'My -house, my servants, my horses!'—I knew well enough where all that -nonsense would bring them up! And now to-day they find they need the old -rat who lives in his corner like a wise man and a philosopher, despising -society, scorning luxury and giving all his time to useful work! They -lower their crests and put out their paws, and he—he wouldn't give -anything from pity—those people don't deserve it—he gives from -pride, and that's how he gets his revenge. Go and tell that to your aunt, -the beautiful princess in distress: that's the errand your mean dog of an -uncle gives you to do. Go, I say, you dog of a pettifogger! What are you -standing there for, staring at me?" -</p> - -<p> -Marcel was in fact studying his uncle's expression and attitude with his -sharp gray eyes, as if he would search the lowest depths of his -conscience. -</p> - -<p> -"Bah!" he exclaimed abruptly, as he rose, "you are very harsh, very -mean, I say it again; but you are not so cruel as that! You have some -reason for hating your sister-in-law which nobody has ever been able to -understand, which you don't understand very clearly yourself, I fancy, -but which I shall succeed in unearthing, my dear uncle, never fear, for -I propose to go to work upon it, and you know that when I have set my -heart upon a thing, I am like you, I never let go." -</p> - -<p> -As he spoke Marcel kept his eyes fixed on the rich man, and he detected -a notable change in his manner. A sudden pallor drove the coarse flush -from his face, which was already burned afresh by the sun of the new -spring. His lips trembled, he pulled his hat down to his bushy black -eyebrows, turned his back, and went out into his garden without a word. -</p> - -<p> -It was not a garden with little pieces of rockery, little summer-houses, -and little terra cotta cows lying in the grass, like those which were so -common at that period, in imitation of the rustic style adopted at -Trianon. Nor was there an undulating lawn with winding paths, clumps of -trees at regular intervals, and truncated columns reflected in limpid -ponds, like the garden of the hôtel d'Estrelle, one of the first -picturesque attempts at the modern garden <i>à l'anglaise</i>. Nor were -there the old-fashioned flower-beds and long regular borders of the time of -Louis XIV.; everywhere the ground was turned up and cut by Monsieur -Antoine's experiments. On all sides were beds in the shape of baskets, -hearts, stars, triangles, ovals, shields and trefoils, surrounded by -green borders and narrow paths forming a perfect labyrinth. There were -flowers of all sorts, beautiful or curious, but deprived of all their -national grace by cages made of rushes, nets of wire, umbrellas of -reeds, supports and props of all sorts, to protect them from being -marred by the dirt, burned by the sun or broken by the wind. His -rosebushes, being constantly trimmed and watered, had an artificial -look, they were so exceedingly tidy and shiny. His peonies were -ball-shaped at the top, like a grenadier's <i>pompon</i>, and his tulips -shone like metal in the sun. Around the flower-garden were immense, -melancholy-looking nurseries, like rows of stakes with scraggy bunches -of leaves at the top. All this rejoiced the horticulturist's eyes and -banished his gloom. -</p> - -<p> -A single corner of his garden, nearest the pavilion occupied by Madame -Thierry, afforded a pleasant promenade. That corner he had devoted for -twenty years to the acclimatation of exotic ornamental trees. They were -beautiful now, and cast considerable shade; but Monsieur Antoine, as it -was no longer necessary to take particular pains with them, had almost -lost his interest in them, and much preferred a shoot of pine or acacia -just raised under glass. -</p> - -<p> -His hothouse was wonderfully beautiful. He hurried thither to bury the -bitter memories which Marcel had recalled. He went in and out among his -favorite plants, the lilies, and, after assuring himself of the good -health of those which were in bloom, he halted beside a small porcelain -vase wherein an unknown bulb was just beginning to put forth shoots of a -dark and glossy green. -</p> - -<p> -"What will this be?" he thought. "Will it mark an epoch in the history -of gardening, like so many others that owe their fame to me? It seems a -long while since anything has happened in my garden, and people don't -talk about me so much as they ought to." -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile Marcel went away, deep in thought, for Monsieur Antoine -Thierry's miserliness was of a very curious sort. The curious thing -about it was that Monsieur Thierry was not miserly. He did not hoard his -money, he did not lend money and never had done so, he denied himself -nothing that caught his fancy, and he even did a good deed sometimes -under the spur of self-love. How did it happen that he had let slip so -excellent an opportunity of purchasing his late brother's property for -his nephew? That generous performance would have given him much more -celebrity than the future <i>Antonia Thierrii.</i> That is precisely the -problem which Marcel was trying to solve. He knew that the old armorer -had always been jealous, not of his artist brother's talent, which he -despised, but of his renown and social success; but should not that -jealousy have died with old André? Ought his widow and son to have that -unfortunate inheritance forced upon them? -</p> - -<p> -An idea passed through Marcel's mind; he retraced his steps and -interrupted Monsieur Antoine's horticultural reveries. -</p> - -<p> -"By the way, my gallant uncle," he said in a playful tone, "don't you -want to buy the hôtel d'Estrelle pavilion?" -</p> - -<p> -"The pavilion is for sale, and you didn't tell me, you idiot?" -</p> - -<p> -"I forgot it. Well, how much will you give for it?" -</p> - -<p> -"What is it worth?" -</p> - -<p> -"I have told you a hundred times: to Comtesse d'Estrelle, who has just -accepted it as a gift, it is worth ten thousand francs; to you, who want -it and need it, it is worth twice that. It remains to be seen whether -the countess won't ask three times ten thousand." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! that's like your great folk! sharper and stingier than the parvenus -they despise!" -</p> - -<p> -"The Comtesse d'Estrelle despises no one." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, she does! she's a fool like all the others. We are separated by a -wall, and in the four years she's been living in the hôtel d'Estrelle, -she's never had the curiosity to look into my garden." -</p> - -<p> -"Perhaps she doesn't know anything about rare plants." -</p> - -<p> -"Say rather that she would consider herself dishonored if she put her -foot inside a <i>plebeian's</i> door!" -</p> - -<p> -"Bah! do you expect a young woman in mourning to compromise herself by -strolling about in the garden of a bachelor of your age?" -</p> - -<p> -"Of my age? You are joking, I suppose! Am I of an age to make people -talk?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, who can say? you used to be a volcano once!" -</p> - -<p> -"I! What are you saying, you brute?" -</p> - -<p> -"You cannot make me believe that you were never in love." -</p> - -<p> -"What's that? I have never been in love! No such fool!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, you have been in love, a fool if you please, at least once in your -life! Try to insist that you haven't," added Marcel, as he saw that the -horticulturist turned pale and seemed perturbed once more. -</p> - -<p> -"Enough of this nonsense!" retorted the uncle, tapping the floor angrily -with his foot. "You are Madame d'Estrelle's attorney; are you instructed -to sell the pavilion?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, but I have the right to suggest it. How much will you give?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not a sou. Let me alone." -</p> - -<p> -"Then I can offer it to another purchaser?" -</p> - -<p> -"What other?" -</p> - -<p> -"There is no other in view at this moment. I am not given to lying, and -I shall not deal falsely with you in the matters you have placed in my -charge; but you are well aware that the street is being built up, and -that by to-morrow, perhaps to-night, people will be fighting for the -pavilion." -</p> - -<p> -"Let Madame d'Estrelle take the trouble to enter into negotiations with -me." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you want her to receive you? Very good!" -</p> - -<p> -"Would she receive me?" said Monsieur Antoine, and his round eyes -gleamed for an instant. -</p> - -<p> -"Why not?" said Marcel. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! yes, she would receive me in her courtyard, or at best in her -ante-chamber, standing up, between two doors, as she receives a dog or -an attorney!" -</p> - -<p> -"You are a great stickler for manners, aren't you, for a man who won't -take his hat off his head for anybody? But never fear: Madame d'Estrelle -is as courteous to decent people of our class as to the greatest -aristocrats. To prove it, she is on the best of terms with my aunt -Thierry, and they are almost friends already." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah!—Well, that is because madame your aunt is noble! The nobles -understand each other like thieves at a fair!" -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Sapristi!</i> uncle, once more I ask you what in heaven's name you have -against your sister-in-law?" -</p> - -<p> -"I have—Well, I detest her!" -</p> - -<p> -"So I see; but why?" -</p> - -<p> -"Because she is noble. Don't talk to me about your nobles! They are all -heartless and ungrateful!" -</p> - -<p> -"Did you love her, I wonder?" -</p> - -<p> -This direct question was too much for Monsieur Antoine. He turned -deathly pale, then flushed with anger, swore, tore his hair and shouted -in a frenzy of rage: -</p> - -<p> -"Did she tell you that? She pretends, she dares to say——" -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing at all. I have never been able to extort a word from her about -you; but I have had my suspicions, and now you have confessed. Tell me -everything, uncle; that will be the best way, for it will relieve you, -and you will have had a good heart-searching for once in your life." -</p> - -<p> -Fully half an hour passed before the ex-armorer had exhausted all the -spleen and bile of which his heart was full against Marcel, against -Madame Thierry and against his deceased brother. When Marcel, who -worried him cruelly, had succeeded in exhausting him, he carried his -point, and old Antoine told him what follows, by fits and starts, -forcing his nephew to extract from him bit by bit the secret of his -life, which was also the secret of his character. -</p> - -<p> -Forty years prior to the period of this narrative, Mademoiselle de -Meuil, having eloped with André Thierry, had gone with her fiancé to -seek shelter with Antoine Thierry, who was already rich and still quite -young. Until that time the two brothers had lived on good terms with -each other. While she remained in hiding at the hôtel de Melcy, -Mademoiselle de Meuil had manifested sincere friendship for the armorer -and perfect confidence in him. André, being prosecuted by the Meuil -family and in danger of being consigned to the Bastille, had been -compelled to leave Paris, to avert suspicion from the right quarter, -while certain influential friends of his endeavored to adjust his -affairs and gradually succeeded in so doing. -</p> - -<p> -During this separation of several months, Mademoiselle de Meuil, -constantly beset by the most painful anxiety, was more than once tempted -to return to her parents in order to relieve the man she loved from the -dangers and misfortunes which threatened him. More than once she -discussed the subject frankly with André's brother, setting forth her -fears and asking his advice. Then it was that Antoine conceived a -strange idea, not treacherous and in no wise induced by passion, but in -which his sensitive self-esteem was soon deeply involved. We will allow -him to speak for a moment. -</p> - -<p> -"The girl was ruined, although she had not lived with my brother as his -wife. She was too far compromised to be taken back into the family, and -the very best that she could hope for was to end her days in a convent. -My brother seemed to me even more completely ruined than she was. A -<i>lettre de cachet</i> had been issued against him, and that was no -joke in those days. He might be shut up for twenty years, or for his -whole life—who could say? And as the young lady told me all this -herself, crying out every minute: 'What shall I do, Monsieur Antoine? -<i>Mon Dieu!</i> what shall I do?' the idea came into my head of saving -them both by marrying the girl. I was not in love with her, no! the -devil take me if I lie! I should have loved any other woman as much, and -I had never given a thought to marriage. If she had not been of noble -birth, which gave her—not in my eyes, for I have no -prejudices—in many people's eyes a sort of distinction, I -shouldn't have paid much attention to her. Are you laughing? What are -you laughing at, you ass of an attorney?" -</p> - -<p> -"I am not laughing," said Marcel. "Go on. You were telling me about the -bright idea that came into your head." -</p> - -<p> -"So it did, and it wasn't any more foolish than my excellent brother's -idea. Was he an eagle in those days, I would ask? No, he was a little -dauber, who hadn't succeeded in laying by four sous, and no one thought -anything of him. Was he any better looking than I was, or younger, or -better bred? We were both brought up just alike; I was five years older, -that's all. I wasn't the ugliest, and he wasn't a beauty by any means! -He knew how to talk; he was always a chatterer. I said less, but what I -said was solid. Neither one of us was more of a plebeian than the other, -for we had the same father and mother. I had already saved nearly a -million which no one knew anything about! With a million a man can do -many things that my brother couldn't do: he can put the law to sleep and -appease angry parents, and obtain patrons who never sleep; with a -million one can even reach the king's ear, and surely one can marry a -girl who has nothing at all. If society makes a fuss, it's because -everyone would like to have the million in his own pocket. In fact, my -million proved that even if I was not quite so fine a talker as my -brother, it wasn't for want of wit and genius. That is what the girl -ought to have understood. I didn't ask her to love me right away, but to -love her André enough to forget him and keep him from going to prison -and rotting there. Very good; instead of appreciating my good sense and -generosity, lo and behold! the prude loses her temper, calls me a boor -and a wicked brother and a dishonorable man, and decamps from my house -without telling me where she's going, staking all to win all, and -leaving a letter for me in which all the thanks she gives me is a -promise never to betray my treachery to Monsieur André! I confess that -I have never forgiven her for that, and that I never shall forgive her. -As for my excellent brother, he behaved in a way that disgusted me -almost as much as madame did. I didn't choose to wait till his prude of -a wife had sold me. When I saw that he was out of his difficulties and -married, I told him the whole story, just as I have told it to you. He -didn't lose his temper; on the contrary, he thanked me for my good -intentions, but then he began to laugh. You know what a frivolous, -weak-brained creature he was! Well, my idea struck him as very comical, -and he made fun of me. Thereupon I broke with him, and I would never see -the wife or the husband again." -</p> - -<p> -"At last!" said Marcel, "now I know where we are. But Julien? Why do you -bear Julien a grudge, for he wasn't born at the time of your grievance?" -</p> - -<p> -"I don't bear Julien a grudge; but he is his mother's son, and I am sure -that he hates me." -</p> - -<p> -"Upon my honor, Julien knows nothing of what you have told me, and he -knows you only by your conduct of late. Do you think that he can -possibly approve it? Shouldn't you have redeemed his mother's house, -when he swore by all that is most sacred that he would devote his life -to the payment of his debt to you?" -</p> - -<p> -"A fine security, the life of a painter! Where did painting land his -father, who was <i>famous?</i>" -</p> - -<p> -"And suppose you had lost a matter of fifty thousand francs, you who -certainly have more than——" -</p> - -<p> -"Hush! you should never mention the amount of a man's fortune. When such -figures are in the air, the walls and trees, even the flower-pots, have -ears." -</p> - -<p> -"You agree that the amount is so large that the Sèvres affair would -have been a mere trifle, don't you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Do you propose to make me out a miser?" -</p> - -<p> -"I know that you are not one, but I shall believe that you are cruel, -and that you like to see people suffer whom you believe to be your -enemies." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, isn't that my right? Since when have we been forbidden to seek -revenge?" -</p> - -<p> -"Since we began to be something more than savages." -</p> - -<p> -"Am I a savage then?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes." -</p> - -<p> -"Be off, you are tiresome after a while! Look out that I don't set -myself against you too?" -</p> - -<p> -"I defy you to do it." -</p> - -<p> -"Why so?" -</p> - -<p> -"Because you know that I am the only person on earth who is just a -little attached to you and devoted to you, in spite of all your -shortcomings." -</p> - -<p> -"You see! You admit now that Julien detests me." -</p> - -<p> -"Make him love you; then you will have two friends instead of one." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! yes! you want me to redeem the house! Very good, when Julien is an -orphan, I will look after him, on condition that he never mentions his -mother to me." -</p> - -<p> -"Perhaps you would like to have him kill her, would you? I tell you, -uncle, you are mad, nothing more nor less. You are immeasurably vain, -and you have the prejudices of the nobility in a more virulent form than -any of the people who have ancestors. You were not in love with -Mademoiselle de Meuil, I am sure; but her rank made you long to supplant -your brother with her. You were frantically jealous of poor André, not -because of that lovely and lovable young woman, but because of the -parchments which she brought him with her dowry, and because of the sort -of lustre that was reflected on him. In a word, you do not hate the -nobles, you adore them, you envy them, you would give all your millions to -have been <i>born</i> somebody, and your outbreaks of rage against them on -every occasion are simply the spleen of a discarded lover, just as your -hatred of my aunt is the spleen of a wounded and humiliated plebeian. -That is your mania, my poor uncle; every man has his own, they say, but -this one makes you cruel, and I am very sorry for you." -</p> - -<p> -Perhaps the ex-armorer felt that Marcel was right; consequently he was -about to get more angry than ever, but Marcel turned his back on him -with a shrug, and went away, paying no heed to his invectives. -</p> - -<p> -In reality Marcel was very glad to be in possession at last of the ideas -and recollections which underlay his uncle's actions. He promised -himself that he would take advantage of his knowledge to induce him to -mend his ways. Did he succeed? The sequel will tell us. -</p> - -<p> -"Madame," said Marcel to the Comtesse d'Estrelle the next morning, "you -must sell the pavilion." -</p> - -<p> -"Why?" said Julie. "It is so old and such a paltry affair, and of such -trifling value too!" -</p> - -<p> -"It has a value due to its location, which you must not overlook. My -uncle will give you thirty thousand francs for it, perhaps more." -</p> - -<p> -"This is the first time, my dear adviser, that you have advised me ill. -I am very reluctant to extort money from a neighbor. What is it but -speculating on the need he may have of that old building?" -</p> - -<p> -"Wait a moment, my noble client! My uncle does not need the pavilion; he -wants it, which is a very different matter. He is rich enough to pay for -his whims. And what would you say if he were grateful to you for your -extortion?" -</p> - -<p> -"How can that be?" -</p> - -<p> -"Enter into personal relations with him and he will offer you a bonus -over and above the price." -</p> - -<p> -"Fie! Monsieur Thierry! you would have me pay court to his gold?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, but simply bestow upon it a kindly, patronizing smile, and it will -come to you of itself. Moreover, you will do a kind deed." -</p> - -<p> -"Tell me what you mean." -</p> - -<p> -"You will show my uncle that you have much esteem and affection for my -aunt and cousin, and thus you will induce the old Crœsus to assist them -seriously in their distress." -</p> - -<p> -"Then I will do it with all my heart, Monsieur Thierry; but, while I am -already able to appreciate the worth of madame your aunt, what can I say -of your cousin, whom I do not know?" -</p> - -<p> -"No matter, speak of him with perfect confidence. My Julien has a heart -of gold, the high spirit of a man of birth, and a mind above his -condition; he is the best of sons, the truest of friends, the most -honorable of men, and the most reasonable of artists. Say all that, -madame la comtesse, and if Julien's life ever offers the slightest -contradiction to your words, drive me from your presence, and never -again give me your esteem or confidence." -</p> - -<p> -Marcel spoke so vehemently that Julie was impressed. She abstained from -asking questions, but she listened, without losing a word, to what -followed this eulogy, when Marcel entered into details by which only the -hardest of hearts could have failed to be moved. He told of Julien's -care of his mother, of the privations which he endured without her -knowledge, even going without proper food so that she might have enough. -Therein Marcel, like Madame Thierry, unwittingly said what was not true. -Julien had lost his appetite because he was in love, and Marcel, who had -no suspicion of it, thought that he had divined the cause of that -involuntary abstemiousness. But Julien was capable of doing much more -for his mother than holding his appetite in check. He would have given -the last drop of his blood for her; thus, while he did not tell the -exact truth at that moment, Marcel said far less than the truth. -</p> - -<p> -His panegyric of Julien was so generous and so affecting that the -countess authorized Marcel to say to Uncle Antoine from her that she -would like very much to see his rare flowers and inspect his extensive -and interesting grounds. Uncle Antoine received this message with a -haughty and sceptical air. -</p> - -<p> -"I see," said he, "she wants to sell at a high price, and this -condescension will cost me the eyes out of my head." -</p> - -<p> -Marcel allowed him to talk, but was not deceived. The rich man's -gratification was too evident. -</p> - -<p> -On the appointed day Madame d'Estrelle resumed her deep mourning, -entered her carriage and drove to the hôtel de Melcy. Marcel was at the -door awaiting her. He offered her his hand, and as they went up the -steps Uncle Antoine appeared in all his glory, in gardening costume. -That was by no means ill-advised on the part of so stupid a man. He had -duly considered, without mentioning it to Marcel, the plan of appearing -in magnificent array; he was rich enough to have every seam stitched -with gold; but the dread of ridicule deterred him, and, as he prided -himself on being a great horticulturist before everything, he had the -wit to appear in a strictly rustic costume. -</p> - -<p> -Despite the asperity of his disposition and of his ordinary manners, -despite his secret longing to assert his independence of mind and his -philosophical pride before Marcel, he suddenly lost countenance before -the fair Julie's gracious salutation and her sincere and limpid glance, -and for the first time in thirty years removed his three-cornered hat -and, instead of replacing it at once on his head, held it awkwardly, but -respectfully, under his arm throughout the visit. -</p> - -<p> -Julie did not resort to the vulgar ruse of trying to flatter his -caprice; she was really interested in the treasures of horticulture -which were exhibited to her. Herself a flower, she loved flowers. This -is no madrigal,—to use a phrase then in vogue. There is a natural -affinity between all divine creations, and in all ages symbols have been -used to express realities. -</p> - -<p> -The rich man, although he had little of the rose about him, bloomed -resplendent at the sincere admiration bestowed on his beloved plants. -Little by little his assumed haughtiness vanished before the sylph whose -feet hardly grazed his lawns, and who flitted among his flower-beds like -a caressing breeze. He awaited with entire resignation the announcement -of the price fixed for the pavilion. -</p> - -<p> -"Come, my dear uncle," said Marcel, seeing that Madame d'Estrelle had -apparently forgotten the affair, "tell madame la comtesse of your desire -to purchase—" -</p> - -<p> -"True," said the rich man, careful not to commit himself too far, "I -have had some idea of buying the pavilion; but now if madame does not -wish to part with it——" -</p> - -<p> -"I have but one reason for not wishing to part with it. It is occupied -by some people whom I esteem, and whom I would not disturb on any -consideration." -</p> - -<p> -"They have a lease, I suppose?" said Monsieur Thierry, who knew all -about it. -</p> - -<p> -"Why, of course," said Marcel; "you would have to pay them a fair -indemnity in case they should consent to cancel the lease, for you know -they took it very recently." -</p> - -<p> -"A fair indemnity!" repeated the uncle, with a frown. -</p> - -<p> -"I would gladly undertake to pay that," said Madame d'Estrelle, -"if——" -</p> - -<p> -"If I would pay more for the place in proportion!" -</p> - -<p> -"That is not what I was about to say," rejoined Julie, in a dignified -tone which cut short all discussion. "I intended to say, and I say now -that, if Madame Thierry, your sister-in-law, has the slightest objection -to leaving that house, I propose to uphold her right to remain -throughout the term of the lease; and that is a condition which the -purchaser cannot evade on any pretext." -</p> - -<p> -"That will delay the transaction and make it less advantageous to -madame," said Monsieur Antoine, who, was consumed with longing to utter -the fascinating title of <i>countess</i>, but could not quite make up his -mind to do it. -</p> - -<p> -"I do not say no to that, Monsieur Thierry," replied Julie, with an -indifference which the rich man considered a fair artifice. -</p> - -<p> -"However," he began after a pause, "what price does——" -</p> - -<p> -Marcel was about to reply. Julie, who evidently knew nothing about -business, paid no heed to him, but answered ingenuously: -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! I know nothing about that. You are well-known to be a shrewd and -fair-minded man; you may fix the price yourself." -</p> - -<p> -Regardless of her solicitor's reproachful glance, she continued: -</p> - -<p> -"You cannot believe, Monsieur Thierry, that the purpose of my visit to -your garden was to haggle with you over the price of my small property. -I know that it will probably be of advantage to you to own it, and you -know that I am in straitened circumstances; that is no reason why we -should be unreasonable in our demands upon each other; but in justice to -myself I must tell you this, that I would not for a million francs -consent to distress madame your sister-in-law, because I love and honor -her especially. That being understood, you can think it over and let me -know your decision; for you owe me a call now, my dear neighbor, and I -shall not release you from the debt, whether we come to terms or not." -</p> - -<p> -The countess withdrew, leaving the rich man dazzled by her charms; but, -as he did not choose to allow Marcel to see his emotion, he pretended to -exult for another reason. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, attorney," he said triumphantly, "so you are fairly caught, and -sheepish enough! What did you say about that lady's demands? She has -more sense than you, and is willing to take my valuation——" -</p> - -<p> -"Very good, very good, rejoice at her charming manners," replied Marcel, -"and make the most of the praise which you owe to her politeness; but -try to understand and to rise to the level of the rôle which she -ascribes to you!" -</p> - -<p> -"After all," rejoined Antoine, who was a very shrewd man of business, -"when you say to a man like me: 'Pay what you choose,' it means: 'Pay -like a great nobleman!' Very good, I will pay you a good price, -<i>mordi!</i> and the great lady shall see whether I'm an old curmudgeon -like her father-in-law the marquis! There is one thing that surprises me -on the part of a woman who seems to be no fool: and that is the fuss she -makes about my sister-in-law! I am not quite sure whether she meant to -be agreeable to me or to make sport of me when she was talking about -her." -</p> - -<p> -"She meant to be agreeable to you." -</p> - -<p> -"Of course, as she needs me; but then my sister-in-law must have made me -out a miser?" -</p> - -<p> -"My aunt has not mentioned you. Act in such a way that she will have no -reason to complain." -</p> - -<p> -"Let her complain if she chooses! what do I care? What do I want of this -countess's esteem and friendship?" -</p> - -<p> -"True," said Marcel, taking his hat, "it is all a matter of the utmost -indifference to you! No matter, don't try to make yourself out a boor, -and let us agree on a day so that I can announce your visit." -</p> - -<p> -Antoine selected the second day thereafter, and they parted; but on the -next day, without a word to Marcel, he took measures, indirectly but -adroitly, to repurchase the house at Sèvres without loss to himself. -Had he decided to make his nephew that present, to give his -sister-in-law that pleasure? No indeed. There never was a more -vindictive man, because nothing had occurred to wear out his passions, -good or evil. There had been nothing in his narrow life of sufficient -importance to soften the asperities of his nature. But a blow had been -dealt at his secret vanity, and Julie d'Estrelle, without artifice, -without scheming to that end, had subdued that savage spirit. He found -in her an irresistible charm and an unaffected tone of equality, which, -to be sure, he attributed to her need of money, but which flattered him -as he had never been flattered in his life before. He had determined -therefore to pretend to feel something like compassion for Madame -Thierry. He was afraid that she would really do him an injury in Julie's -estimation, and by purchasing the house at Sèvres in his own name, he -persuaded himself that he would hold his foe in respect by the hope that -that transaction would prove to be for Julien's benefit. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile Marcel continued his efforts to relieve Madame d'Estrelle -gradually from her burden, and on the evening of the day of her visit to -Monsieur Antoine, he called upon her to scold her for her recklessness, -and to insist that she should make the purchaser jump high for the -sugar-plum. He found her disinclined to assent to any manœuvring to -secure the desired result. -</p> - -<p> -"Do as you think best, my dear Monsieur Thierry," she said; "but do not -ask me to assist you. You told me that your uncle was a little vain, -that I could easily gain some influence over him by virtue of my title, -and that, by means of that influence, I could arouse his interest in his -sister-in-law's lot. I made haste to test my power. You tell me that you -hope for some good result; I did what my heart dictated, do not ask me -to do anything more. Why are you in such a hurry to sell the pavilion? -Didn't you tell me that my husband's creditors would be patient when -they found that I was provided with an additional piece of real estate, -that the marquis would never allow the hôtel d'Estrelle to be sold, and -that I might venture to forget my troubles for some time? Keep your word -and let your uncle hover about the pavilion, for that will give me an -excuse for pleading Madame Thierry's cause. I told the truth when I said -that I did not propose that she should be turned out of her present -quarters against her will, and I tell you now that I should regret -exceedingly to lose her as a neighbor." -</p> - -<p> -Marcel, being unable to shake her determination, went to see his aunt -Thierry and told her and Julien of the countess's generous action and of -her kindly feeling for them. Madame Thierry was affected to tears, and, -as Julien was careful to play his part well, so that certain suspicions -might be dissipated, she ventured to express herself freely in praise of -Julie d'Estrelle. Her heart was overflowing with gratitude which she had -with difficulty restrained for two days past. Thus did the poor mother -herself pour oil on the flame. -</p> - -<p> -However, her suspicions came to life again more than once. She watched -Julien furtively at every word that she uttered, and he seemed always -perfectly tranquil; but suddenly there came a revelation. As she was -saying to Marcel that she did not wish to stand in the way of Julie's -selling the pavilion, and that she would pretend not to regret the -necessity of moving, Julien warmly remonstrated. -</p> - -<p> -"Move again?" he said. "We cannot do it. We spent a great deal, -considering our income, in getting settled here." -</p> - -<p> -"Our uncle will attend to that," said Marcel; "if he makes you move, I -will undertake to make him pay——" -</p> - -<p> -"My dear fellow," replied Julien, still very earnest, "you are full of -zeal and kindness for us; but you know very well that my mother does not -like your appeals to Uncle Antoine, that you have made them in a measure -against her will, and that, if my interests were not involved, she would -have peremptorily forbidden them. Whether she is right or wrong in -considering Monsieur Thierry a detestable creature is not for us to -judge. For my own part, however painful it may be to me, I will make all -possible concessions to our kinsman's extraordinary character; but I do -not propose that my mother's pride shall be wounded in her relations -with him." -</p> - -<p> -"No, no! I have no pride," cried Madame Thierry. "I have none now, -Julien! You work too hard, you will surely be sick if we refuse to treat -with Monsieur Antoine. Whatever Marcel does, I approve, and if I must -humble myself, I shall be happy to do it! Let us do our duty, pay all -our debts before everything. Let us say to the countess that it makes -little difference to us whether we live here or somewhere else, so that -she can sell at once; and let Marcel say to Monsieur Thierry that we -demand our rights or that we appeal to his generosity—anything will -satisfy me that will restore your health and peace of mind." -</p> - -<p> -"My health is excellent," replied Julien warmly, "and nothing except -moving again would disturb my peace of mind. I like my studio, I have a -picture under way." -</p> - -<p> -"But you are talking selfishly, my child! You forget that the countess -is having trouble with her creditors as we are, even more than we are -just now." -</p> - -<p> -"And do you think that Monsieur Antoine will save her by buying this old -barrack? Marcel knows better." -</p> - -<p> -"What I think," said Marcel, "is that Uncle Antoine will submit to any -conditions that the Comtesse d'Estrelle chooses to impose on him; he -will pay a high price and he won't turn you out. Leave it to me and I -may bring him to something even better." -</p> - -<p> -"To what, pray?" -</p> - -<p> -"That is my secret. You shall know later, if I do not fail." -</p> - -<p> -"Bless my soul!" said Madame Thierry, abruptly changing the subject, "I -forgot to bring my snuff-box; go and get it for me, Julien." -</p> - -<p> -Julien went upstairs and his mother took advantage of the opportunity to -say hastily to Marcel: -</p> - -<p> -"Be careful, my dear child! a great disaster is hanging over us: Julien -is in love with the countess!" -</p> - -<p> -"Nonsense!" cried Marcel in utter stupefaction; "you are dreaming, my -dear aunt, it isn't possible!" -</p> - -<p> -"Speak lower. It is possible, it is a fact. Arrange for us to leave -these dangerous quarters at once. Find some way without letting him -suspect what I say. Save him and save me! Hush! he is coming down -again!" -</p> - -<p> -Julien had done the errand in a moment. He was in a hurry to resume the -conversation; but he noticed a shade of constraint in his mother's -glance, a suggestion of bewilderment and surprise in Marcel's manner. He -suspected that he had betrayed himself, and he at once assumed a -cheerful and indifferent air, which did not deceive Madame Thierry, but -which reassured the solicitor. So Marcel took his leave, saying to -himself that he would sound his cousin some day, but fully persuaded -that his aunt was losing her wits a little, in the midst of all her -excitement. -</p> - -<p> -But Marcel made a much more astonishing discovery, a discovery so truly -astonishing that we beg our readers to prepare themselves for it a long -while beforehand. -</p> - -<p> -Uncle Antoine paid his visit to Madame d'Estrelle. Madame d'Estrelle, -without preparation or effort, was as charming, perhaps more charming -than at their first interview. She received the horticulturist with -neither more nor less affability than a person of her own station. Being -gifted with a penetration which made up for his lack of experience, he -realized that his reception was unexceptionable, and felt that he had -never been so well treated by a person of such high rank. He recognized, -moreover, that she was entirely indifferent to the question of money, -and that her condescension concealed no ulterior motive, not even the -motive of effecting a reconciliation between himself and Madame Thierry, -as she avowed it frankly and with a most earnest and confident -expression of her desire. -</p> - -<p> -Marcel, seeing the gratification which his uncle derived from that -interview, and which he almost forgot to conceal, realized that perfect -sincerity was in some cases the shrewdest diplomacy, and that Madame -d'Estrelle had accomplished more for her protégés and herself than if -she had attempted to use craft. -</p> - -<p> -"Now," said Monsieur Antoine, without waiting to be questioned, "we must -settle this business of the pavilion. It is worth forty thousand francs -to me, I know; I will give that amount, and as I propose to take -possession at once, I owe it to Madame Thierry to submit to any claims -she may make. I don't propose to have any discussion with that woman. So -tell her that I will pay the six thousand francs for which I made myself -responsible, and release her from any claim on that account; here is my -receipt. And if she needs a few more francs to pay the expenses of -moving, I won't refuse to let her have them. Go, and don't let me hear -any more of her troubles; but, first of all, take the countess my offer, -which I think is rather generous, and tell her of my promise to -indemnify her protégés to their satisfaction." -</p> - -<p> -Marcel, amazed but overjoyed, carried the good news first to Madame -Thierry, who thanked heaven, and was very near blessing her -brother-in-law for his determination to make her move instantly and at -any price. -</p> - -<p> -Madame d'Estrelle was not so well pleased; she had seen the attractive -widow again, and had already become very fond of talking with her; -moreover, she had some scruples; Monsieur Antoine's munificence seemed -to her the foolish act of a parvenu and therefore humiliating to her. -</p> - -<p> -"He will think," she said, "that I schemed to induce him to make this -sacrifice, and that idea is abhorrent to me. No, I will accept only half -of that sum. I much prefer to retain his esteem and my influence in -behalf of the poor Thierrys. Go and tell him that I want but twenty -thousand francs and a renewal of your aunt's lease." -</p> - -<p> -"But my aunt is most anxious to move," Marcel replied. "Remember that a -sum of considerable importance to her is involved." -</p> - -<p> -"In that case give no more attention to her affairs in my name, but take -special care of my dignity, which I place in your hands." -</p> - -<p> -This reply, being duly transmitted to Monsieur Antoine, caused an -explosion which astonished Marcel. -</p> - -<p> -"So she declines my services," cried the rich man, "for I did intend to -do her a service, knowing her embarrassment, and I went to her as a -friend, since she had treated me like a friend! Ah! you see, Marcel, she -is proud, she despises me, and she lied when she told me that she -esteemed me! Very good, if that's how it is, I'll have my revenge. Yes, -I'll have a cruel revenge, and she shall have only what she deserves, -and, death of my life! I'll force her to go on her knees to me!" -</p> - -<p> -Marcel silently scrutinized the angry rich man's still handsome and -decidedly cruel face. -</p> - -<p> -"What is this new mystery?" he said to himself, as he watched the black -eyes, made larger by the fierce wrath which caused them to emit -threatening flames. "Can wounded vanity cause such an outbreak? Can it -be that my uncle is on the verge of madness? Is this solitary, -monotonous, preoccupied life too much for his strength, and has his -persistent turning of his back on everything that gives light and warmth -to the lives of other men finally caused derangement in his brain?" -</p> - -<p> -Antoine continued vehemently, heedless of Marcel's careful study of his -person: -</p> - -<p> -"I see what the game is! She wants my sacrifices to help Madame Thierry. -Well, I tell you that I snap my fingers at Mademoiselle de Meuil! It's a -long time since I ceased to have either hatred or affection for her. Let -her go to the devil, and don't let me hear her name again! I will pay -forty thousand francs for the pavilion, or I won't buy it. That's my way -of thinking." -</p> - -<p> -Matters remained in this position for several days; Madame d'Estrelle -laughing at what she considered an attack of madness on the part of the -old parvenu, and he, without Marcel's knowledge, acting in such a way as -to put the finishing touch to that madness. -</p> - -<p> -He purchased secretly all the debts which were hanging over the Comte -d'Estrelle's widow, and, without saying a word, placed himself in a -position where he could ruin her or save her, according to the attitude -she might assume with respect to him. He purchased on his own account, -but under a fictitious name, and with a deed of defeasance, the house at -Sèvres with all its beautiful and costly contents. He did not let it, -but placed a caretaker there to keep it in order. All this was done in a -few days and without regard to cost; then, having artfully made -inquiries of Marcel as to Madame d'Estrelle's intimate friends, he -called upon the Baronne d'Ancourt, who received him with her grandest -manner, but condescended to listen attentively when she learned that he -had come to place her in a position to save Madame d'Estrelle from -certain ruin. -</p> - -<p> -Their interview was long and mysterious. The servants at the hôtel -d'Ancourt, who were exceedingly puzzled by such a conference between -their haughty mistress and a man dressed like a peasant, heard the -baroness's shrill tones, then the rustic voice in labored and emphatic -declamation—a dispute, in short, with intervals of raillery or -merriment; for at times the baroness laughed until the windows shook. -</p> - -<p> -An hour later the baroness hurried to Madame d'Estrelle. -</p> - -<p> -"My dear," she said in great excitement, "I bring you five millions or -poverty; choose." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! an old husband, I suppose?" said Julie; "you cling to your idea, do -you?" -</p> - -<p> -"A very old husband; but five millions!" -</p> - -<p> -"With a great name, of course?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not the faintest shadow of a name! a downright plebeian; but five -millions, Julie!" -</p> - -<p> -"An honorable man, at all events?" -</p> - -<p> -"He is so considered. Have you decided?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, I refuse. Wouldn't you do as much? Would you think well of me if I -should accept?" -</p> - -<p> -"I said just what you say: I sent my man about his business, I laughed -at him. He replied obstinately; 'Five millions, madame, five millions!'" -</p> - -<p> -"And he must have convinced you, since you are here?" -</p> - -<p> -"Convinced or not, I was surprised, dazzled. I said, like the queen: -'You persuade me strongly!'" -</p> - -<p> -"Then you advise me to say yes?" -</p> - -<p> -"Don't say yes, say <i>perhaps</i>; then you can reflect and I will reflect -for you; for at this moment my brain is a little confused: those -millions intoxicated me. What would you have? The man is old, and before -long you will be free and people will have done crying out against the -misalliance; besides, everybody knows that your own descent is not very -distinguished. You will open a salon which will eclipse all Paris, and -where all Paris will trample upon itself to take part in your -entertainments; for, when all is said, all Paris has only one thing in -its head, which is to be amused and to go where people are amused. You -will give balls, concerts and theatricals; you will have artists, fine -singers and fine talkers; in a word, bright people to stir up and amuse -the people of quality, who are not bright. Ah! if I had millions—if I -had just two—I should know what to do with them! Come, don't think I -am mad, and don't be cowardly. Accept the plebeian and opulence." -</p> - -<p> -"And what about the husband's old age?" -</p> - -<p> -"An additional reason!" -</p> - -<p> -Julie was indignant, Amélie was offended; they had a falling-out. -Madame d'Ancourt had not mentioned the suitor's name—it had not -occurred to Julie to inquire. She placed the matter in Marcel's hands, -desiring that her refusal should be placed beyond question. She was -afraid that her impulsive friend, in her anger, would compromise her by -giving her protégé some reason to hope. Marcel went to Madame -d'Ancourt to learn the name of the man with the five millions. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! she thinks better of it, does she?" cried the baroness. -</p> - -<p> -"No, madame, quite the reverse." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, I shall not tell you. I gave my word of honor not to mention -any names, if the offer was rejected." -</p> - -<p> -Marcel went to his uncle; he had a suspicion of the truth, but he had -not dared suggest it to Madame d'Estrelle, thinking justly that she -would reproach him for having brought her into relations with an insane -old man. Moreover, he knew nothing of his uncle's fortune beyond the two -millions which he admitted, and that figure, which had been often -repeated to Julie, and so had prevented her from suspecting the truth, -went far to destroy Marcel's suspicions. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, my little uncle," he said abruptly as soon as he entered the room -"so you have five millions, have you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why not thirty?" retorted the old man with a shrug; "have you gone -mad?" -</p> - -<p> -Marcel worried him with questions to no purpose; the uncle was -inscrutable. Moreover, a most momentous event had come to pass on his -domain, and his thoughts were completely diverted from his dreams of -marriage. The mysterious lily, at which he had so often gazed, which he -had watched and nurtured and watered so carefully, in the hope of being -able to give it his name, had unexpectedly, during those few days of -forgetfulness and neglect, put forth a sturdy shoot, which was already -laden with swelling buds; indeed, one of the buds had partly opened, -displaying a corolla soft as satin, of an incomparable sheeny white, -with bright red stripes. That exotic plant surpassed in oddity and in -beauty all its congeners, and the frantic horticulturist, endowed with -new life and almost consoled for his matrimonial mishap, exclaimed again -and again, as he paced his hothouse floor in intense excitement, pausing -at intervals to gloat over the budding of his plant: -</p> - -<p> -"There it is! there it is! my reputation is made. That shall be the -<i>Antonia Thierrii</i>, and all the collectors in Europe may burst with -rage if they choose." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, well!" said Marcel to himself, "is it the <i>Antonia</i> or the -countess that my uncle is in love with?" -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="III">III</a></h4> - -<p> -Marcel, seeing that his uncle's vanity as a horticulturist had resumed -the upper hand, and thinking that he might exploit his delight to the -advantage of his aunt and cousin, lavished the most fulsome praise on -the future Antonia. -</p> - -<p> -"You intend, of course, to present it to the Royal Garden. The learned -professors will hold you in the greatest esteem!" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! as to that, not much!" replied Monsieur Antoine; "they can look at -it to their heart's content, describe it in their fine language, -<i>specificize</i> it as they say; but it's the only specimen of its kind, -and I won't part with it until I have a lot of bulbs." -</p> - -<p> -"But what if it dies without offspring?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, then my name will live in the catalogues!" -</p> - -<p> -"That isn't enough! If I were in your place I would have it painted, in -case of accident." -</p> - -<p> -"How painted? do you mean to say that they paint flowers now? Ah! I -understand, you mean that I ought to have a portrait made of it? I have -thought of that for some of my other rare plants; but I was on bad terms -with my brother, and when I went to other painters I was never satisfied -with their crazy daubing. I paid big prices and then slashed the canvas -or tore the paper." -</p> - -<p> -"And you have never thought of Julien?" -</p> - -<p> -"Bah! Julien! an apprentice!" -</p> - -<p> -"Have you ever seen any of his work?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, nothing, faith!" -</p> - -<p> -"Do you want me to bring——" -</p> - -<p> -"No, nothing, I tell you. We are not on good terms." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes you are! He has always called on you on the first of January every -year, and you have never had any fault to find with his manner toward -you." -</p> - -<p> -"True, he is well brought up, he isn't stupid or bad-looking; but -since I refused to advance him the money to redeem the house at -Sèvres——" -</p> - -<p> -"Julien has never uttered a word of blame or dissatisfaction, I give you -my word of honor." -</p> - -<p> -"All that doesn't prove that he has the necessary talent!" -</p> - -<p> -"Look! a small specimen tells the story as well as a large one. Take -your magnifying glass and look at this." -</p> - -<p> -Marcel took from his pocket a pretty little tortoise-shell snuff-box, on -the lid of which was a bouquet painted in miniature by Julien. Although -it was not in his regular line of work, he had made a microscopic -reproduction of one of his large canvases to decorate this gift for -Marcel, and it was in truth a little <i>chef-d'œuvre.</i> -</p> - -<p> -Uncle Antoine did not know enough about painting to appreciate its -artistic qualities; but he knew the structure of every detail of a plant -as well as the most accomplished botanist, and, armed with his -magnifying glass, if he could not count the stamens of each flower and -the veins of each leaf, he could at all events assure himself that, in -the sacrifices which the artist had made in favor of the general effect, -there was involved no error, no caprice of the imagination, no offence, -however slight, against the unchangeable laws of creation. -</p> - -<p> -He looked a long while, then ingenuously inquired if Julien was capable -of painting flowers as large as life, and upon Marcel's replying in the -affirmative he decided that Julien should paint the portrait of the -<i>Antonia Thierrii</i>, but that it must be done under his eyes, so that -he could see to it that it was absolutely exact in the smallest details. -</p> - -<p> -"I know what these painters are!" he said; "they always want to invent, -to improve on the original. They talk to you about <i>style</i> and -<i>light</i> and <i>effect!</i> Oh! I remember all their foolish words! -If Julien chooses to obey me, between us we may perhaps succeed in -producing something fine! Go and tell him, so that he will be ready to -come and pass an hour here the day after to-morrow; it will be in full -flower then." -</p> - -<p> -Marcel went to consult Julien, then returned and told his uncle that he -would require at least two days to study his model, and that he must let -him work at it without making any suggestions until he should ask for -them, when he would comply with them if they seemed judicious to him. -</p> - -<p> -"He is very proud!" said the uncle angrily. "Here he is, raising -objections already, like his father! Does he think that I ask him to do -this as a favor? I intend to pay him, and to pay him as well as any -other man would. What is a day of any gentleman's work worth?" -</p> - -<p> -"He doesn't want to be paid. If you are satisfied with what he does, he -will ask you for your custom." -</p> - -<p> -"I know what that means; he will ask me——" -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing. You can settle everything yourself. We know that you are -generous with people you don't hate, and you won't hate Julien when you -know him better." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, let him come at once; let him begin." -</p> - -<p> -"No, he has some work that is urgent; he will give you a few hours -to-morrow for a beginning." -</p> - -<p> -On the following day Julien began to study the plant, and made several -sketches of it, taking them from different points of view. Monsieur -Antoine, faithful to the conditions exacted, did not see these sketches -until they were submitted to him. He was more pleased with them than he -chose to say. That conscientious method of studying the structure and -bearing of the plant surprised and gratified him. Julien said little, -but kept his eyes constantly on his model and seemed to love it -passionately. The horticulturist began to feel some esteem for him, and -as Madame Thierry had never mentioned to her son her brother-in-law's -strange conduct toward her, as nothing in the young man's face or -manners betrayed the slightest feeling of aversion, Antoine, who had the -greater longing to become attached to some one as he became more -selfish, conceived a latent, and if we may say so, an underground sort -of friendship for him. -</p> - -<p> -On the second day Julien began to paint; thereupon the uncle ceased to -understand what he was doing and began to be uneasy. It was much worse -when Julien informed him that he must finish the work in his studio, -where the light was arranged as he wanted it, and where he had a -multitude of little things which he could not carry back and forth -without forgetting some of them. It was some distance from the pavilion -to the hôtel de Melcy, and he would have no time to waste going to and -fro the next day, for it was most essential to seize on the wing the -plant's expression when it was in full bloom. -</p> - -<p> -But to transport the model was to put it in peril, to hasten its -blooming, weaken its stalk, deaden its lustre! Uncle Antoine, finding -the artist immovable, determined to carry the priceless <i>Antonia</i> to -the studio himself, with the greatest possible care, even at the risk of -meeting Madame Thierry and being obliged to salute her. -</p> - -<p> -In forcing this unpleasant sacrifice upon Uncle Antoine, Julien was not -governed by the petty crotchets of a finical artist. He was following -Marcel's advice, who was bent upon bringing about some sort of -reconciliation between the relations, and who, having abandoned all hope -of inducing Madame Thierry to make the slightest advance, had considered -it necessary to surprise her by an unexpected meeting with her enemy. -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry, whom we have represented to you as perfect in every -respect, and who was as perfect as a woman can be, had nevertheless one -little failing. Although she was not coquettish, although she did not -pretend or believe herself to be still young, she had never said to -herself: "I am an old woman."—What woman in her day was more sensible -or more clear-sighted? Her youth had burst into flower among madrigals -and gallant speech and manners. She had been so pretty, and she was so -well preserved! Her husband, although he ruined her by his recklessness, -had been in love with her to his last day, and it really seemed as if -that old couple were destined to reproduce the legend of Philemon and -Baucis. By dint of being told that she was still charming, which was -perfectly true considering her age, good Madame Thierry still thought -and felt herself to be all a woman, and after thirty-five years she had -not forgotten how deeply the ex-armorer's proposal had wounded her pride -and her self-esteem. That brutal man, who had had the audacity to say to -her: "I am here, I am rich, you may as well love me instead of my -brother," had caused her the only real mortification connected with what -society in those days called "her fault." Later, her charm and loyalty -had caused her husband's admirers to seek her society. She was able to -hold her head erect, to triumph over prejudice, to occupy a place apart, -an exceptional and most desirable place in public opinion. She was happy -therefore except for a single wound, still bleeding, in the depths of -her heart. It seemed to her that her honor had been sullied once in her -life, by Monsieur Antoine's offers and aspirations. -</p> - -<p> -Marcel was unable to penetrate this labyrinth of feminine refinements. -He believed that time had wiped out the last trace of that absurd -episode, and that Madame Thierry told the truth when she declared that -she was ready to forgive everything in order to obtain for Julien his -wealthy kinsman's favor. -</p> - -<p> -Julien was not the man to covet Uncle Antoine's wealth. He had never -said to himself that by fawning upon him he might make sure of a goodly -share of his inheritance. For a long time he had fought against the idea -of asking him for a slight service; but the longing to recover for his -mother, by hard work, the house in which she had been so happy, had -overcome his pride. Determined to devote his whole life, if necessary, -to the task of paying his debt, he no longer blushed at the measures -which Marcel took to induce Antoine to advance the necessary funds. -</p> - -<p> -But, when it was time for his uncle to appear, Julien had some scruples -about deceiving his mother. He was afraid that the surprise would be too -great, and he tried to prepare her for the visit he expected. Madame -Thierry made the best of it; but she had hardly saluted Monsieur Antoine -when she went up to her room on the first pretext that occurred to her, -and there remained, unable to make up her mind to face that antipathetic -individual. Antoine, who had not seen her for thirty years or more, did -not recognize her at once, and had not the presence of mind to -apologize. He had walked across his grounds, which had a servants' gate -opening on Rue de Babylone, near the pavilion. As he would trust no one -but himself to touch his beplumed lily, he had brought it in with his -own hands. He placed it with his own hands on the table in the little -studio. He removed with his own hands the enormous horn of white paper -which protected it; and when he saw that the artist was fairly at work, -he took a newspaper which Madame d'Estrelle sent to Madame Thierry every -morning, and dozed in a corner of the studio. -</p> - -<p> -Julien expected Marcel, who had promised to attempt to effect the -reconciliation which he had planned; but Marcel was detained by -unexpected business and did not appear. Madame Thierry did not come -down. Julien felt that he could not break the ice unassisted by his -cousin; so he did not speak, but worked on, did his best, and thought of -Julie. -</p> - -<p> -Uncle Antoine slept with one eye open. He felt agitated, excited, -constrained, in the house of the woman he hated, and in sight of the -hôtel d'Estrelle, where his new inamorata lived. He rose, walked back -and forth in his squeaking shoes, sat down again, and, forgetting his -lily for a moment, tried to talk with Julien. -</p> - -<p> -"Do you have much work?" he asked. -</p> - -<p> -"A good deal." -</p> - -<p> -"And people pay you well?" -</p> - -<p> -"Well enough. I have no reason to complain." -</p> - -<p> -"How much do you earn a day?" -</p> - -<p> -"About thirty francs, taking one day with another," said Julien, with a -smile. -</p> - -<p> -"That's not very much; but your father at your age didn't earn so much -as that, and you will increase your prices from year to year, I -suppose?" -</p> - -<p> -"I hope so and expect so." -</p> - -<p> -"You lead a temperate and regular life, so I am told?" -</p> - -<p> -"I am forced to do so, uncle." -</p> - -<p> -"You don't go into society, I imagine?" -</p> - -<p> -"I have no time for that." -</p> - -<p> -"But you know some people of quality?" -</p> - -<p> -"Those who were friends of my father have not forgotten me." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you sometimes pay visits?" -</p> - -<p> -"Rarely, and only when it is necessary." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you know the Baronne d'Ancourt?" -</p> - -<p> -"I know her name, nothing more." -</p> - -<p> -"Isn't she a friend of Madame d'Estrelle?" -</p> - -<p> -"I have no idea." -</p> - -<p> -"But you know Madame d'Estrelle?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, uncle." -</p> - -<p> -"You have never seen her?" -</p> - -<p> -"Never." -</p> - -<p> -Julien told this lie with resolution. It seemed to him that everybody -was trying to pry into his secret, and he had determined to conceal it -more securely with a cloak of savage distrust. -</p> - -<p> -"That's funny," continued Uncle Antoine, who may have conceived some -suspicions of his own in order to remain true to his habit of suspecting -everybody. "Your mother passes hours and days in her garden, even in her -salon, they say, and you——" -</p> - -<p> -"I am not my mother." -</p> - -<p> -"You mean that you are not noble?" -</p> - -<p> -"I mean that I am not old enough to call on a person who receives only -older people." -</p> - -<p> -"Perhaps you regret that you are too young, eh?" -</p> - -<p> -"I am very glad that I am young, I assure you!" replied Julien, laughing -at his uncle's peculiar reflections. -</p> - -<p> -The uncle, foiled in his attack, began to pace the floor again with a -jerky, nerve-wearing step; then he said to Julien: -</p> - -<p> -"Will it take you much longer?" -</p> - -<p> -"Two or three hours." -</p> - -<p> -"May I look?" -</p> - -<p> -"If you choose." -</p> - -<p> -"Oho! that's not bad; that begins to look like something. But you're -painting the whole background; where will you put the plant's name? I -want it in big gold letters." -</p> - -<p> -"Then I won't put it anywhere. It would spoil my effect." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! upon my word! But I will have my name!" -</p> - -<p> -"You can have it put in large black letters on a raised plate at the top -or bottom of the gilt frame." -</p> - -<p> -"Good! that's a good idea! If you give me a masterpiece, I'll invite you -to the ceremony of baptism." -</p> - -<p> -"Pshaw! a ceremony?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! yes, the gentlemen from the Royal Garden are coming to breakfast -with me to-morrow. I have invited them. I expect they'll come, and, as -it tires me to sit in one place with folded arms, I'll just go home and -see if everything is going on all right, for I mean to have a sort of -party. Take good care of my lily, don't let anyone disturb you, work -without stopping. I will come back in an hour." -</p> - -<p> -And as each touch of the brush, wielded by Julien with an enthusiastic -and unerring hand, seemed to make the marvellous plant actually live on -the canvas, the uncle was profoundly impressed, smiled, and softened so -far as to pat the young man's shoulder, saying: -</p> - -<p> -"Courage, my boy, courage! Satisfy me, and perhaps you won't be sorry." -</p> - -<p> -He went out, but, instead of returning to his own house, he bent his -steps mechanically in the direction of the hôtel d'Estrelle. A confused -multitude of ideas, alluring, disturbing, audacious, caused a mad whirl -in that poor brain, at once enfeebled and excited by isolation, wealth, -ennui and vanity. -</p> - -<p> -"I made a mistake," he said to himself, "in entrusting my proposal to -that rattle-pated baroness. She went about it the wrong way; she didn't -even mention my name! She said that I was an old <i>roturier</i>—that -was all; and the little countess never guessed that she was referring to a -well-preserved man, whom she herself praised for his excellent health -and fine appearance; a man she knows to be generous and big-hearted, and -whose talents as an amateur gardener and producer of varieties are not -to be despised. I propose to straighten matters out. I am going to -declare myself, and find out whether I am to love her or hate her." -</p> - -<p> -He resolutely entered the house, and asked for an interview with the -countess on business. She hesitated a little about receiving him; she -knew that he was queer and she considered him a sort of maniac. She -would have liked Marcel to be present at the interview; but she knew her -old neighbor's sensitiveness, and she was afraid that she might impair -Madame Thierry's interests by refusing to see him. So she bade her -servant show him in. She was alone, but she thought that it would be the -most absurd prudery to take alarm at a tête-à-tête with an old man -whose rigid morals were well-known. -</p> - -<p> -The rich man arrived prepared for a struggle; he imagined that he would -have to fight to obtain this tête-à-tête. When he found that it was -accorded him with no other obstacle than about two minutes of waiting, -when he saw the slightly reserved but always courteous and affable -greeting of his fair neighbor, his courage failed him. Like all those -who have no opportunity to exchange their thoughts and no one to -contradict them, he was as bold as any man could be in his projects; it -was that boldness which had made him rich, and he had full confidence in -it; but as he had never acted except behind the scenes, he was as -incapable of taking a step in his own person on the stage of the world -and of speaking to a lady, as he would have been of commanding a ship -and negotiating with the Algonquin Indians. He turned pale, stammered, -replaced his hat on his head, and fell into such dire confusion that -Madame d'Estrelle, surprised and disturbed, was forced to come to his -assistance by broaching the subject which, in her mind, was the motive -of his visit. -</p> - -<p> -"So we seem to be treading on delicate ground, my dear neighbor," she -said to him in an amiable tone, "with respect to that wretched pavilion, -which, I fondly hoped, was to establish a good understanding between us -and put us on a neighborly footing. Do you know that I consider you -unreasonable and that I am inclined to scold you?" -</p> - -<p> -"I am mad, everyone knows that," rejoined Antoine sulkily. "If people -keep on telling me so, they will end by making me believe it!" -</p> - -<p> -"I ask nothing better than to be proved in the wrong," replied Julie; -"but give me some good reason for accepting the gift you offer. I defy -you to do it." -</p> - -<p> -"You defy me? Then you wish me to speak? The reason is plain enough. I -am interested in you." -</p> - -<p> -"You are very kind!" said Julie, with an imperceptible smile of irony; -"but——" -</p> - -<p> -"But it's a fact, madame la comtesse, that you are made to make people -think about you—and I was thinking about you, deuce take me! I -said to myself: 'It's a pity that a person so—a lady who—in -fact, a good woman should be hunted by bailiffs. I am only a vulgar -fellow, but I have an idea that I'm not such a curmudgeon as the fine -gentlemen and ladies of her family.'—That is why I said what I -said; and you took offence at it, which shows that you look down on me." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! not that, no indeed!" cried the countess. "Look down on you because -you wanted to do a kind deed? No, a hundred times, no! You know that -that is impossible!" -</p> - -<p> -"Then why refuse?" -</p> - -<p> -"Listen, Monsieur Thierry; will you give me your word as a man of honor -that you fully understand me, that you are quite sure of the sincerity -and unselfishness of my behavior toward you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, madame, I give you my word of honor. If that wasn't so, -<i>mordié!</i> do you suppose I would have come to see you again?" -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, then I accept," said Julie, offering him her hand; "but on -one condition, and that is that you give me back your good will." -</p> - -<p> -Old Antoine lost his head when he felt that soft little hand in his hard -dry one. He had a sort of dizzy feeling, and, in his uncertainty what to -do with that hand, which he thought that he ought not to kiss, and which -he dared not press, he let it fall again, and stammered out his thanks -incoherently, but with something like warmth. -</p> - -<p> -"Since you treat me as if you were my debtor," continued Madame -d'Estrelle, "I warn you that I shall be very exacting. As a matter of -fact, I need only twenty thousand francs for the moment. Authorize me to -offer the other twenty thousand to Madame Thierry as from you." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! that isn't possible!" said Antoine angrily. "She will -refuse.—There's a person who detests me! I have just been to call on -her. She turned tail and ran up into her garret!" -</p> - -<p> -"Is it that you have wronged her in some way then, neighbor?" -</p> - -<p> -"Never! If she chooses to think otherwise—But let her say what she -will, I am an honorable man." -</p> - -<p> -"She has never said that you weren't." -</p> - -<p> -"Has she never spoken to you about me? Come, on <i>your</i> word of honor?" -</p> - -<p> -"On my honor, never!" -</p> - -<p> -"In that case—look you! tell her to respect me as she ought, and -don't talk about giving her money that belongs to you; for, deuce take me! -if you choose to think well of me and not blush at my friendship, I'll toss -her a pretty little present! I'll redeem her house at Sèvres. What -would you say to that, eh?" -</p> - -<p> -"I should say, my dear neighbor," exclaimed Madame d'Estrelle, deeply -touched, "that you are the best of men!" -</p> - -<p> -"The best, honor bright?" said the rich man, flattered to the last -degree in his pride; "the best, you say?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, the best rich man whom I know." -</p> - -<p> -"Then it's as good as done! Will you come to breakfast at my house -to-morrow with some scientific men, very famous men of intellect, and -attend a christening? Will you be godmother and stand up with me?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, at what hour?" -</p> - -<p> -"Twelve o'clock." -</p> - -<p> -"I will come! but I must come with some one, as you are to have men -there who do not know me. I will come with——" -</p> - -<p> -"With my sister-in-law; I see what you are coming at!" -</p> - -<p> -"Do you forbid me?" -</p> - -<p> -"Forbid you? Do you know that you talk as if I were your master?" he -rejoined, with a fatuous, mysterious air. -</p> - -<p> -"As if you were my father," replied Julie artlessly. -</p> - -<p> -An old man of impure morals would have been wounded by that remark; but -Antoine was virtuous in his madness, and we have no hesitation in -asserting that he was not in love with Julie. The countess alone, not -the woman, was the object of his passion. It mattered little to him -whether she was his adopted daughter or his wife. Provided that he could -show her to his grave and learned guests on the morrow, to Marcel, to -Julien, to Madame Thierry above all, and to all his gardeners, leaning -on his arm or seated at his table, and manifesting a sort of filial -affection for him, undisturbed by any thought of what people might say, -it seemed to him that he should be perfectly happy. -</p> - -<p> -"And if I am not satisfied yet," he mused, speaking to himself of -himself with boundless affection, "I shall be in time to tame her and -lead her on to marriage, to sacrifice her title for the name of Thierry -senior, which will then be quite as illustrious as that of my brother, -Thierry the painter!—Since you are so <i>polite</i>," he said to -Julie, "I will not be outdone. I will do all that you want me to do. For -instance, be kind enough to invite Madame André Thierry in my name, and -say to her that if you should fail to keep your appointment to-morrow -through her fault, I will never forgive her as long as I live." -</p> - -<p> -"I will answer for her, neighbor. Until to-morrow, and have no fear!" -</p> - -<p> -"Would it trouble you to say <i>my friend</i>?" said Antoine, whose tongue -was loosened under the influence of internal well-being. -</p> - -<p> -"It would not trouble me at all," replied Julie, laughingly; "I will -call you that to-morrow, if you keep your word." -</p> - -<p> -"You will call me that—in public?" -</p> - -<p> -"In public, with all my heart." -</p> - -<p> -The old man took his leave, staggering like a drunken man. In the street -he muttered to himself, with gleaming eyes and vehement gestures. The -people he met took him for an escaped lunatic. -</p> - -<p> -He followed the wall of the Estrelle garden, instinctively turning to -see if Julien was still working and if his lily was uninjured. Suddenly -it occurred to him that Madame d'Ancourt might ruin everything if she -should reveal to Madame d'Estrelle the name of the suitor she had -described. Julie evidently had no suspicion; evidently she saw no -ulterior purpose behind her old neighbor's attachment. There was no -reason why she should not come around gradually to the point of -accepting him for a husband as she had more experience of his -munificence; but he had undertaken to progress too rapidly; he had come -within an ace of spoiling everything. As the baroness was not opposed to -his success, he must hasten to her before thinking of anything else, -tell her how matters had progressed and enjoin silence upon her. He -jumped into an empty cab which happened to pass, and ordered the cabman -to take him to the hôtel d'Ancourt. -</p> - -<p> -Julie was profoundly moved; like every generous heart which has set on -foot and carried through a good action, she was happy in absolute -forgetfulness of self. That forgetfulness of self was so complete that -she threw over her shoulders a light cape of violet silk and ran to the -pavilion, impatient to announce the great news to Madame André, and to -make her promise to chaperone her at the banquet at the hôtel de Melcy. -She was thinking no more of Julien than if he had never existed, or, if -she did think of him, she had no conception of the danger she ran in -meeting him. That danger, of the gravity of which she was entirely -ignorant, seemed to her a trifle in comparison with the great event -which led her to go to his mother. Moreover, she was alone. No one in -her salon, no one in the garden. Would the roses be scandalized by her -action, would the nightingales cry out over the walls that Madame -d'Estrelle was going into a house where there might be a young man whom -she had never seen? -</p> - -<p> -At that moment Julien had no leisure to watch for Julie's approach. He -must paint rapidly and without distraction. The lily could not promise -not to fade and curl at the edges before the last stroke of the brush. -Madame Thierry was in her room with Marcel, who, after exchanging a few -words with Julien, was attempting to confess and convince his aunt by -lecturing her in private, as the subject of his homily had thus far been -kept from the young artist, and it was thought best to keep him in -ignorance of it. -</p> - -<p> -Madame d'Estrelle tapped gently at the door of the pavilion. A huge dray -laden with stone was passing along the street at that moment. The -creaking of the wheels, the shouts of the drayman and the cracking of -his whip drowned the faint sound of her knocking. Being most anxious to -see Madame Thierry before she was informed of what had happened, and -offended by some gruff message from the eccentric Antoine, Madame -d'Estrelle resolutely opened the outer door, then a second one, and -found herself in Julien's studio, face to face with him; for his model -was placed in the light that shone through the window upon that door, -and Julie appeared to the artist in a flood of radiance, as if she had -come to him in a sunbeam. -</p> - -<p> -He was so unprepared for that vision that he nearly fell senseless. All -his blood rushed to his heart and his face turned whiter than Monsieur -Antoine's lily. He could neither speak nor bow; he stood rooted to the -floor, palette in hand, with staring eyes and as if actually turned to -stone. -</p> - -<p> -What analogous process was taking place in the lovely countess's heart -and senses? It is certain that at the sight of that wonderfully -beautiful young man, of a type of beauty wherein nobility of outline was -surpassed only by intelligence of expression, she had a sort of -instinctive feeling of respect; for he was not really a stranger to her. -She knew the whole story of his upright, noble labor, his persistence in -working earnestly and regularly, his filial love, his generous -aspirations, the esteem and affection which he deserved, and which -nobody who knew him could deny him. It may be that she had sometimes -been curious to see him, but if so she had forbidden herself to give way -to curiosity, whether because it seemed childish to her, or because she -had a vague presentiment of some danger to herself. -</p> - -<p> -Let us not attempt to dissect her feelings farther. She was apparently -all ready for the invasion of the sentiment which was to decide her -fate. She received a terrible shock; the confusion which paralyzed -Julien took complete possession of her, and for a moment she was as -silent and motionless as he. -</p> - -<p> -If anyone had seen that beautiful couple, fashioned by the hands of God, -in some region inaccessible to social prejudices, coming together under -the natural and awe-inspiring conditions of the all-governing logic, he -would have said unhesitatingly that logic, born of God, had made -that magnificent man for that fascinating woman, and that sensible, -genuine woman for that high-spirited and earnest man. All was charm and -gentleness in Julie's grace; all was passion and unselfishness in -Julien's beauty. As at last their glances met in the bright radiance of -that May sun, redolent with the fragrance of nature's new light, each -one uttered mentally, as it were an outcry of irresistible love, the -names which chance had given them—<i>Julie, Julien</i>—as if -they were destined to have but one name between them. -</p> - -<p> -Thus it required a mighty effort of will for them to remember the -distance that separated them socially. -</p> - -<p> -"Of course, it is the young painter," thought Julie; "I fancied for a -moment that I saw a demi-god." -</p> - -<p> -"Alas!" said Julien to himself, "it is the <i>grande dame</i>; I fancied -for a moment that I saw the half of myself." -</p> - -<p> -She bowed first, and asked him if he were Monsieur Julien Thierry. He -bowed to the ground as he said with a hypocritical expression of doubt: -</p> - -<p> -"Madame la Comtesse d'Estrelle?" -</p> - -<p> -What trifling! as if they had any occasion to ask questions before -taking possession of each other. -</p> - -<p> -"Is madame your mother out?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, madame, I will call her." -</p> - -<p> -And he did not stir; his feet seemed to be nailed to the floor. -</p> - -<p> -"She is with my cousin Marcel Thierry," he added; "shall I tell him to -come down and receive his orders?" -</p> - -<p> -"Do not call anybody. I will go up if you will show me the way. But -stay," she added, seeing that Julien was incapable of moving. "Perhaps -it will be well to notify madame your mother. I did not see her -yesterday; perhaps she is not well?" -</p> - -<p> -"She is a little indisposed," said Julien. -</p> - -<p> -"Then—yes, you must prepare her for a—pleasant surprise, thank -God! which might, however, give her too great a shock. Tell her gently that -I bring great and good news from Monsieur Antoine Thierry in relation to -the house at Sèvres." -</p> - -<p> -Julien could not nor did not think that he should resist the desire to -thank Madame d'Estrelle. As he had recovered his presence of mind to -some extent, he blessed her for what she was doing for his mother, in -terms so overflowing with emotion and delicacy of sentiment, that she -was profoundly touched, but not surprised. With such a nature as his and -such an irresistible face Julien could not express himself otherwise. -Thereupon the ice was broken and all the rigid rules of etiquette were -forgotten, as if distrust would have been a mutual insult; and they -talked for a moment with an extraordinary absence of constraint. -</p> - -<p> -"I am overjoyed to have been of assistance to your mother," said Julie, -"as you must know. She cannot have failed to tell you how dearly I love -her!" -</p> - -<p> -"You are quite right to love her, you will never repent it. Her heart is -worthy of yours." -</p> - -<p> -"I should be very glad if I could say that my heart is worthy of her -confidence. Oh! she has told me about you! You adore her, I know; and -God will bless you for that boundless filial love." -</p> - -<p> -"He blesses me already, since it is you who say so." -</p> - -<p> -"And I do say so with all my heart. Why should I not say so to you? -There are so few persons whom one can esteem without reserve!" -</p> - -<p> -"There are some whose esteem is so great a blessing, that, in order to -obtain it one would accept the hatred and contempt of all the rest of -mankind." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! that is mere politeness; you do not know me well enough——" -</p> - -<p> -"I know you, madame, by your acts of kindness, by the nobleness and -delicacy of your heart. One must needs be deaf not to know you, blind -not to understand you; and the calling down of one more blessing on your -head cannot surprise you, provided that it be done humbly by one forever -prostrate at your feet." -</p> - -<p> -Julie felt that the atmosphere she breathed was beginning to glow. She -instinctively tried to recover her self-possession, but could not find -the necessary courage to run away from that perilous interview. -</p> - -<p> -"Are you also pleased," she said, "to recover the house in which you -grew up?" -</p> - -<p> -"Pleased for my poor mother's sake, oh! yes, madame; but on my own -account—no!" -</p> - -<p> -"Are you attached to Paris?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, not at all; but——" -</p> - -<p> -Julien's glowing, melting eyes said plainly enough what his thoughts -were. Julie understood only too well. She tried to change the subject; -she looked at the artist's pictures, she praised his talent, which was -revealed to her simultaneously with his love, and she thought that she -was telling him that she understood his art; but really it was his -passion that she understood, and each word they uttered betrayed the -all-absorbing thought that was in their minds. They both suddenly became -so confused that they had no idea what they were talking about, and -Madame d'Estrelle pounced upon Monsieur Antoine's lily in order to seem -to be talking about something. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! what a lovely flower," she said, "and how sweet it smells!" -</p> - -<p> -"Do you like it?" cried Julien. -</p> - -<p> -And with the heedless impetuosity of a lover drunk with joy, he broke -the stalk of the <i>Antonia Thierrii</i>, and presented the superb flower -to Julie. -</p> - -<p> -Julie knew nothing whatever of the affair in which that plant played so -important a part; she had not seen Marcel for three days, and as Madame -Thierry carefully avoided any mention of Monsieur Antoine's name, -nothing had been told her. When she was invited to a christening at the -hôtel de Melcy on the following day, she naturally supposed that the -subject was the child of some favorite gardener. In short she was a -hundred leagues from imagining that by breaking that stalk Julien broke -off all relations with his uncle, and cast, it might be, a whole -lifetime of affluence at the feet of his idol. -</p> - -<p> -And yet she uttered a cry of surprise and terror when she saw the -artist's impulsive act. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! <i>mon Dieu!</i>" she exclaimed, "what are you doing? Your model!" -</p> - -<p> -"I have finished," Julien replied hastily. -</p> - -<p> -"No, you have not finished, I can see that plainly enough!" -</p> - -<p> -"I can finish without a model: I know it by heart!" -</p> - -<p> -And as he cast a last glance of mental possession on the lily, yielding -for a moment to his love for his art, Julie replaced it on its stalk and -held it there, saying with playful and utterly unconscious grace: -</p> - -<p> -"I will hold it, finish your work; it will not wither at once. Come, -make haste. The painting is so lovely! I should never forgive myself if -I were the cause of your giving it up. Work away, I insist upon it!" -</p> - -<p> -"You insist?" said the bewildered Julien. -</p> - -<p> -And as there was another fresh piece of canvas behind his picture, he -drew and painted with furious ardor Madame d'Estrelle's shapely and -beautiful hand. The lily did not progress. It stood on its stalk to no -purpose, while the unconscious Julie held it there waiting until it -should droop never to rise again. -</p> - -<p> -O Uncle Antoine! where were you while such a crime was being committed, -fearlessly and remorselessly, under the eye of a drowsing or evil-minded -Providence? -</p> - -<p> -A noise on the stairs recalled Julie to herself; it was Marcel coming -down to tell Julien that his mother had agreed to see Monsieur Antoine -when he returned to the pavilion. Madame d'Estrelle, ashamed to be -surprised in that tête-à-tête and on such extraordinarily familiar -terms with the artist, hurriedly pushed the stalk of the <i>Antonia</i> -into the light, moist earth in the pot. The <i>Antonia</i> seemed to -have noticed nothing and preserved its freshness and beauty, Marcel -entered and did not discover the catastrophe. -</p> - -<p> -The countess's presence was enough of a surprise for him. She felt -exceedingly shamefaced before him, and Julien observed it. He at once, -with true manliness, surmounted all emotion, and with imperturbable -self-possession informed Marcel that madame la comtesse had just arrived -and wished to speak with his mother. At the same time he brought a chair -forward for Julie, as if she had not been seated at all, then left the -room to tell Madame Thierry, saluting his visitor with respectful -dignity. -</p> - -<p> -Madame d'Estrelle was infinitely grateful to the artist for this sudden -resolution. Even that slight indication showed her that he was no child -capable of compromising her by ill-timed ingenuousness, but a man fully -armed and ready to protect her against all the world, to save her at -need from the consequences of her own rashness. She loved him altogether -for it, but she felt at the same time that he was the master of her -destiny, since there was already a secret between them to be concealed -from the searching glances of their common friends. -</p> - -<p> -While she tried to give Marcel a rapid <i>résumé</i> of her conversation -with Monsieur Antoine, Julien entered his mother's room. She saw such a -radiant expression on his face that she cried out: -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Mon Dieu!</i> how beautiful your eyes are this morning! What on earth -has happened?" -</p> - -<p> -"Madame d'Estrelle is downstairs," said Julien. "She brings you joy and -comfort. She has induced Monsieur Antoine to redeem your dear little -<i>cabin.</i> Come quickly! put up your hair and come down to thank your -good angel." -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry, surprised, overjoyed, and at the same time -dismayed—for the mother's eye could not be deceived, but saw -clearly the restrained passion under Julien's apparent -frankness,—was so overwhelmed that she burst into tears. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, well," said Julien, "what does this mean? Poor mother! you are so -stout-hearted in misfortune; can't you endure joy? Come, let your hair -hang down, if you can't put it up and come down just as you are. Madame -d'Estrelle will see you weeping for joy, and that will not make her feel -hurt, I promise you!" -</p> - -<p> -"Julien! Julien! there is pain blended with my pleasure! yes, and fear -too!" -</p> - -<p> -"You are afraid you will have to thank Monsieur Antoine? Nonsense, you -unforgiving creature! that is too childish!" -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry was on the point of swooning. Julien almost lost patience -with her, for her agitation caused him to lose minutes, seconds which he -might have passed with Julie. Marcel, who was delighted by the good news -she had brought, was also vexed by his aunt's delay, and went upstairs -to hurry her. So that Julie was left alone in the studio for several -moments. -</p> - -<p> -Those moments, swiftly as they passed, seemed afterward like a century -in her memory, for the light shone into her heart in a single dazzling -ray. "Your happiness is found," said an inward voice in a tone of -sovereign authority: "it is here. It consists in nothing less than the -possession of a boundless love concealed in the bosom of a narrow, -straitened existence. Julien's mother knew and enjoyed that happiness -throughout her youth. Intercourse with the world and opulence added -nothing to her happiness. They rather diminished it by introducing ideas -foreign to love. Forget society, you will be the better for it. Break -with your whole past, which deceived you and set you at odds with -yourself. Become reconciled to your own beginnings, which are more -nearly connected with the third estate than with the nobility; and to -your conscience, which reproaches you for having listened to the advice -of false glory and for having yielded to the threats of your ambitious -kinsfolk; seek to be received back into favor by the God who abandons -souls which are enamored of false joys; be true, be strong like this -young man who adores you, and who has just revealed to you in a glance -the greatest and noblest passion you will ever inspire!" -</p> - -<p> -As she listened to this mysterious voice in her own heart, Julie looked -about her and was surprised to find that a divine tranquillity succeeded -to the agitation which had overwhelmed her. She thoroughly relished the -charm of a very simple little phenomenon. Short-sighted though she was, -she was able to see everything in a room so much smaller than those to -which she was accustomed. A very humble dwelling was that Louis XIII. -pavilion; but it was embellished by a tastefulness of arrangement which -revealed the artist whose love of refinement was not lessened by -poverty. The building was not ugly in itself. The deep, broad -window-recess where the widow had installed her arm-chair as in a little -sanctum, with her spinning-wheel, her little table and the cushion for -her feet, imparted a sort of homelike Flemish aspect to that part of the -studio; the rest had been recently restored, but with the strictest -economy. Plain gray wainscoting with raised borders to the panels; -straight lines everywhere, but nothing out of proportion; a white -ceiling, rather low, but devoid of any crushing effect; above the doors, -oval spaces with very simple garlands of foliage carved on wood and -painted, as was the beading of the panels, a deeper shade of gray than -the rest; two or three beautiful fruit and flower pieces, highly prized -specimens of André Thierry's work, with several sketches and one or two -small studies by Julien; a large bowl of Rouen porcelain, standing on a -console in front of a mirror, and filled with wild flowers and green -branches gracefully arranged and hanging to the floor; a small rug -before the couch, two or three easels, shells, boxes of insects, -statuettes and engravings on a large table; cane-seated oak chairs, and -a small harp, whose old gilded frame glistened in a dark corner, the -only brilliant object in the whole room: surely there was nothing in all -this to denote great affluence; but over it all there was a varnish of -exquisite neatness, an atmosphere of freshness and a soft light most -conducive to revery. The studio was darkened a little by the lilacs in -the garden, which were too near and too dense; but there was a strange -fascination in that greenish light, and there was in the air an -indefinable invitation to rapt contemplation, which Julie felt most -profoundly. What more did one need than that humble and unpretentious -retreat to taste the pure joy and unending bliss of moral security? Of -what benefit was it to Julie to have magnificent furniture, a thousand -trinkets on her what-nots at which she never looked, blue ceilings -starred with gold over her head, Gobelin carpets under her feet, Sèvres -vases to hold her bouquets, lackeys in gold lace to announce her -friends, her pockets full of Chinese fans, and her jewel-cases of -diamonds? All those things had amused her but a single day, and what -playthings can divert a heart that is bored? Julien's austere and -laborious life, his pathetic, never-ending tête-à-tête with his mother, -his love, concealed and prostrate as he himself had said,—these -were surely purer and nobler than the existence, surrounded by flattery, -of a frivolous or blasé nobleman. -</p> - -<p> -A sparrow which Julien had tamed, and which lived among the neighboring -trees, entered the studio and lighted familiarly on Julie's shoulder. -She was surprised for a moment and thought that it was a miracle, a -presage of happiness or of victory. She was really bewildered with -emotion. -</p> - -<p> -At last Madame Thierry appeared, sorely perturbed and deeply moved. She -had insisted upon being left alone with the countess for an instant. She -threw herself at her feet, and, being at once compelled by her to rise, -spoke thus to her: -</p> - -<p> -"You are as kind as the angels, my lovely neighbor. I bless you a -thousand times! But I must tell you of my sorrow as well as my joy: my -son, my dear Julien, is lost if he does not abandon all hope of ever -seeing you again. He loves you, madame, he loves you madly! He deceived -me, he told me that he had hardly seen you in the distance; but he sees -you every day, he gazes at you stealthily, he is driving himself wild, -he is killing himself, by looking at you. He doesn't eat, he doesn't -sleep, he has lost all his cheerfulness, his eyes are hollow, his voice -rings with fever. He has never loved before, but I know how he will -love, how he loves already. Alas! he has an excitable temperament, with -a mind of extraordinary constancy. Discourage him if possible, madame, -by not looking at him, by not speaking to him, by never seeing him -again. Have mercy on him and on me, and do not come to our house again! -In a few days we shall go away; absence will cure him perhaps. If it -does not cure him, I do not know what I shall do to avoid dying of -grief." -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry sobbed bitterly, and there was in her tears an eloquence -born of conviction which dealt Julie the last blow. Her whole dream of -happiness seemed destined to vanish in face of this mother's despair. -That delicious revery which had poured such balm into her heart was a -mere vagary at which she herself would smile when she returned home. Had -she decided to break all social bonds in order to throw herself into the -arms of a man whom she had just seen for the first time? That was a most -absurd idea, and Madame Thierry was a thousand times right in looking -upon it as impossible. Julie made an effort to agree with her and to -drive away the vertigo that had assailed her; but the charm must have -been exceedingly potent, for it seemed to her that reason had torn the -heart out of her breast, and, instead of devising some dignified and -sensible response to encourage the poor mother, she threw herself into -her arms and followed her example by bursting into tears. -</p> - -<p> -These tears so surprised Madame Thierry that she nearly lost her head. -She dared not ask for an explanation of them; nor indeed had she any -time to do so, for Julien and Marcel entered the room. -</p> - -<p> -"Come, come, my dear mother," said the former, "you weep too much, and I -am sure that you have forgotten to thank madame and make up your mind -what to do. Marcel tells me that you ought also to thank Monsieur -Thierry in person, and to go to his house to-morrow to——" -</p> - -<p> -At that moment Julien, who was trying to see Julie's face, which was -turned toward the window, detected the furtive movement she made to -conceal and wipe away her tears. He forced back an exclamation, and -involuntarily stepped toward her. Marcel, who saw the extraordinary -confusion of the two women, but could not understand it at all, unless -it meant that Madame Thierry had had an attack of hysterics and had said -something too affecting to the countess, tried to take up Julien's -interrupted sentence and continue the conversation. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, yes," he said, "to-morrow we are to attend the christening -of——" -</p> - -<p> -But he followed Julien's example, and stood with staring eye and parted -lips, unable to utter another word; for he had glanced, not at Julie, -but at the plant which he was about to name, and saw that it was reduced -to a parcel of leaves from which protruded a broken stalk, wet with the -sap that dropped from it like tears. -</p> - -<p> -"Where is it?" he cried in dismay. "Great God, Julien, what have you -done with it? where is the <i>Antonia?</i>" -</p> - -<p> -Nobody answered. Madame Thierry looked at Julien, who looked at nobody -but Madame d'Estrelle, and Madame d'Estrelle, who knew nothing about the -lily, did not know what to think of her solicitor's unaffected dismay. -</p> - -<p> -"What are you looking for, pray?" she said, rising. -</p> - -<p> -And as she rose she dropped at her feet the <i>Antonia</i>, which, when she -was left alone, she had taken from the vase again and laid lovingly on -her knees. -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry understood at once. Marcel simply noticed the fact; he -had no suspicion of the real explanation. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! madame," he exclaimed, "to any other than you I should say that you -have ruined us! But what can I say to you? And, after all, why need we -fear, when you are the culprit? Uncle Antoine cannot possibly be angry -with you, as you did not know. Did not Julien tell you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Evidently Julien did not explain matters to our benefactress," said -Madame Thierry; "but she must see that everybody here is not in his -right mind, and that, by seeking to assist us, she runs the risk of -adding to our woes." -</p> - -<p> -"You are the one who is not in her right mind, mother," cried Julien, -vehemently. "Really I don't understand you to-day! You are over-excited; -your words betray your thoughts. It seems that, instead of thanking -Madame d'Estrelle, you have been confiding to her some dreams or other." -</p> - -<p> -Julien continued to scold his mother, who began to weep afresh. Marcel, -observing Madame d'Estrelle's stupefaction, led her aside and gave her -in three words the key to the mystery, and with it tangible proof, so to -speak, of the young artist's ardent passion. She was profoundly affected -at first, but she recovered her presence of mind and summoned all her -strength to turn aside the blow which threatened the family. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a id="figure03"></a> -<br /> -<img src="images/figure03.jpg" width="500" alt="" /> -<p class="center"><i>A DISTURBED CONFERENCE</i> -<i>Julien roughly enjoined silence on Marcel, grasping -his arm and whispering</i>: -"<i>For God's sake, hush! there is somebody outside -listening!</i>"</p></div> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -"Leave it to me," she said to Madame Thierry, striving to be cheerful; -"I take everything on myself. It was I who committed the sin, it is for -me to repair it." -</p> - -<p> -"The sin! What sin?" cried Julien. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, yes, I took a fancy to that flower and asked you for it! No, no! -what am I saying? I am losing my mind! It was I who broke it, a foolish -caprice—in a fit of absent-mindedness! You were not here. I am -awkward, I can't see very well—However, I will explain it all to -your uncle. <i>Mon Dieu!</i> what do you expect that he will do? He -won't beat me. I will humbly beg his forgiveness; he is not so -hard-hearted!" -</p> - -<p> -"Alas!" said Madame Thierry, "unfortunately he is very hard-hearted when -he is injured, and if he knew that Julien had committed this -sacrilege——" -</p> - -<p> -"So it was really Julien who did it?" said Marcel, utterly dumbfounded. -"This is very strange!" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, yes, it was I, I alone!" replied Julien, vehemently, "and there -is nothing strange about it." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes indeed there is!" said Marcel in an undertone, his eyes suddenly -opened to the secret of the catastrophe. "You are a little too mad, my -boy, and your heart must be as fickle as your brain to sacrifice your -mother's future and your own in this way; to say nothing of the fact -that Madame d'Estrelle is too kind, and that she would have done much -better to teach you your place." -</p> - -<p> -"Hush, Marcel, hush!" said Julien, "you are talking nonsense; you don't -understand." -</p> - -<p> -"I understand too well," replied Marcel, "and, on my word, I agree with -your mother now, I say that you are losing your wits!" -</p> - -<p> -This dialogue in undertones was carried on in the window-recess, while -the two women stood together near the vase in which Madame Thierry was -trying to replant the stalk of the beheaded lily, talking at random, and -saying nothing which had the slightest meaning; for her greatest source -of perturbation was not the <i>Antonia</i>, but the storm of passion which -had caused its destruction. Suddenly Julien, who was in the habit of -handling the curtain and examining the slit through which he looked into -the garden, roughly enjoined silence on Marcel, grasping his arm and -whispering: -</p> - -<p> -"For God's sake, hush! there is somebody outside listening!" -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="IV">IV</a></h4> - -<p> -There was someone there in truth, and it was too late to keep silent. -Uncle Antoine had overheard all. How he came to be there, prowling about -and spying, in Madame d'Estrelle's garden, we shall soon learn. Marcel -felt Julien's gesture, discovered the slit in the curtain, and, looking -out in his turn, saw the ogre listening. He left the window and warned -Madame d'Estrelle. They talked together for a moment in pantomime. They -had not been able to decide what course they should pursue, when -Antoine, hearing nothing more, knocked at the garden door. -</p> - -<p> -It was a good deal like the arrival of the statue at Pierre's festival. -Julien was about to open the door, when Madame d'Estrelle, with a rapid -forecast of the absurd scene to which her presence would give rise and -of the deplorable outbreak which might follow if she were not present, -instantly made up her mind as to her own course, detained Julien -authoritatively by placing her hand on the young artist's quivering arm, -and, motioning to him and to the others not to stir, she went into the -vestibule, opened the door herself, and found herself face to face with -Monsieur Antoine. Although he had prepared his part, he was a little -surprised himself, whereas he expected to surprise everybody. -</p> - -<p> -"You, neighbor?" said Julie, feigning astonishment. "What are you doing -here? Did you come back to my house? Who told you where I was? and what -induced you to pass through my garden?" -</p> - -<p> -And, without waiting for his reply, she passed her arm through the -horticulturist's and led him some distance from the pavilion to the -shore of the little pond in the centre of the lawn in front of the -mansion. -</p> - -<p> -"Why—I was going to the pavilion," stammered Monsieur Antoine. -</p> - -<p> -"So I assume, as I found you at the door." -</p> - -<p> -"I was going there—with kindly intentions; but——" -</p> - -<p> -"Who doubts it? Not I certainly, my friend." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! at last you call me what I want you to call me! Very good, then you -are willing to talk with me alone, I see—The same with me; I want to -talk to you about an idea of mine——" -</p> - -<p> -"Let us sit down on this bench, neighbor, and I will listen to you; but -first you must listen to me, for I have a confession to make to you." -</p> - -<p> -"Pshaw! pshaw! I know what your confession is; you plucked my lily, -didn't you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! <i>mon Dieu!</i> how did you know it?" -</p> - -<p> -"I overheard a few words and I guessed the rest. Why need you have -broken the poor flower? Couldn't you have asked me for it? couldn't you -wait till to-morrow? I intended to give it to you." -</p> - -<p> -"But—suppose I did not do it on purpose?" -</p> - -<p> -"You didn't do it on purpose?" -</p> - -<p> -Julie felt that she was blushing, for Antoine scrutinized her closely, -and there was a half bitter, half tender irony in his little black eyes. -</p> - -<p> -"Really," she replied, trying to save herself by a Jesuitical expedient, -"the accident happened against my desire." -</p> - -<p> -"Good," rejoined Antoine, still staring at her, "put it that way, I like -that better." -</p> - -<p> -"You like that better—than what?" -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Mordié!</i> yes, I like it better. Come, abandon the worthless cause -you are trying to plead; condemn Master Julien's madness and disloyalty -without reserve; let me punish him as I think best." -</p> - -<p> -"But what makes you think that Master Julien——" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! don't try to lie any more," cried Monsieur Antoine, springing to -his feet as if impelled by the quivering of his whole irritable and -passionate little being; "it isn't becoming in you to lie, you know! And -then it's no use, for I tell you I heard everything, and as I'm no fool -I concluded—Julien has taken a fancy to you, and the rascal would -tell you so if he dared!" -</p> - -<p> -"What do you say, Monsieur Thierry?" -</p> - -<p> -"I say—I say things as they are. Mademoiselle de Meuil was as proud -as you can possibly be; my brother André told her fairy stories, and he -ended by making her listen to him. All men and all women are made of the -same stuff, I tell you! There's only one question of any importance now: -does Julien take your fancy, yes or no?" -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur Thierry, if I did not know that you have a kind heart, your -wretched manners would disgust me! Be kind enough to adopt a different -tone, or I shall leave you." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! you propose to be angry, do you? Your pride has taken hold of you -again, and you are going to turn your back on me? Why? All this is no -concern of yours! Julien did the crazy thing, it is for him to pay for -it." -</p> - -<p> -"No, Monsieur Thierry, that is my place. My bungling caused the -accident; if I had not admired and praised the flower too -enthusiastically—He felt obliged to offer it to -me—courtesy——" -</p> - -<p> -"Poor reasons, poor reasons, my fair lady! The rascal knew perfectly -well that I would have thrown the flower, the plant, the garden, aye, -and the gardener to boot, at your feet. If he didn't know it, he should -have guessed it, and, in any event, he had no right to play the gallant -with my property; it's kidnapping, it's an abuse of confidence and a -theft. He will live to rue it and his dear mamma will find out what it -costs to have an ill-bred son play the courtier to great ladies at just -the wrong time." -</p> - -<p> -"Come, come, my good neighbor," cried Madame d'Estrelle, deeply -distressed and annoyed, "surely you do not propose to withdraw your -favor from them; you are not going to give me the lie, for I placed you -on a pedestal; you are not going to break off the friendship which you -and I contracted to-day, just for a flower more or less in your -collection? Your fortune makes a loss so easily repaired of little -consequence." -</p> - -<p> -"You talk very jauntily about it! There are some things which millions -can't replace, and which a man of taste considers beyond all price!" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! <i>mon Dieu! mon Dieu!</i> who could have guessed that?" -</p> - -<p> -"Julien knew it." -</p> - -<p> -"Impossible!" -</p> - -<p> -"I tell you he knew it." -</p> - -<p> -"Then he is mad; but that is not his mother's fault: she was not there." -</p> - -<p> -"It is his mother's fault! She encourages him to love you, she scrapes -acquaintance with you in order to induce you to do what she did for her -husband." -</p> - -<p> -"No! as to that, I give you my word of honor you are wrong, Monsieur -Thierry! She is in despair——" -</p> - -<p> -"At what? Ah! you see, she has spoken to you about it, and you knew of -the young man's presumption." -</p> - -<p> -Madame d'Estrelle struggled to no purpose. All the prudence of her sex, -all the pride of her rank, all her natural shrewdness, and all her -familiarity with society went for naught against the rich man's narrow -and uncompromising logic. She was as if caught in a vise, and felt -shamefaced, awkward, helpless, at the end of a no thoroughfare. What -should she do? Turn out this boor who forced her to submit to a -distasteful examination, and thereby abandon the cause of the poor -Thierrys and turn them over to his vengeance; or restrain herself, -defend herself as best she could, and submit to the humiliation of the -most untimely of reprimands? -</p> - -<p> -"It seems," she said with sorrowful resignation, "that I made a very -great mistake in going into that pavilion! I was very far from having -any such idea, I had never seen Master Julien Thierry, and I started out -with my mind full of your fine promises, to carry joy to his poor -mother! I am well punished now for being so enthusiastic about you, -Monsieur Thierry, since you consider that you are entitled to lecture me -as if I were a little girl, and to call me to account for the most -innocent if not the most honorable step that one woman can take toward -another!" -</p> - -<p> -"For that reason you are not the one whom I blame," replied Monsieur -Antoine, softened in one direction and proportionately more irritated in -the other; "the true culprits are the ones I blame without appeal. Do -you know what would have happened if I had entered just at the moment -when Master Julien was breaking my lily? Why, I would have broken Master -Julien! Yes, as sure as I am talking to you, the head of this cane would -have broken his painter's head!" -</p> - -<p> -Madame d'Estrelle was alarmed by Monsieur Antoine's excited, vindictive -manner; she was really afraid of him and involuntarily looked about her, -as if in search of protection in case his wrath should turn against -herself. She fancied that she could hear a rustling in the dense foliage -behind the bench, and although it might have been only a bird hopping -among the branches, she felt vaguely reassured. -</p> - -<p> -"No, my good neighbor," she rejoined with courageous mildness, "you -cannot make me believe that you are a bad man, and you will do nothing -unkind to anyone. You may vent your wrath on me alone, within the limits -of your rights in that direction. You may scold me—and I will accept -the rebuke. I will promise you what I have already promised myself, -never to set foot in that pavilion again. What more can I do? Come, tell -me." -</p> - -<p> -At that moment the foliage stirred again, and Julien's tame sparrow came -and perched on Madame d'Estrelle's shoulder, as if sent by him to ask -her forgiveness. She was more deeply moved by that little incident than -she chose to admit, and she took the little creature, which was already -on familiar terms with her, in her hand, with a sort of affection. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Hum!</i>" said Monsieur Antoine, whose piercing eyes seemed to possess -the power of divination; "that's a strange kind of a companion! Is it -yours?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," replied Julie, fearful of some revengeful act against Julien. -</p> - -<p> -"A sparrow! Vile beasts! they do nothing but harm. If it wasn't -yours—Did Julien give it to you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Nonsense! you think of nothing but Julien!" said Madame d'Estrelle, -losing patience; "really I don't know what direction our explanation is -taking. I am very, very sorry for what has happened, I regret extremely -that I was the cause of it; but can you not tell me how I can repair it, -instead of hurling all these offensive insinuations at my head?" -</p> - -<p> -"Do you want me to tell you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes! have I not promised to go to your house to-morrow to attend a -family festival?" -</p> - -<p> -"The christening of my poor <i>Antonia!</i> That is out of the question -now. The child is dead, or at all events disfigured. I ought to invite -my friends to a funeral. And then, you see, this idea of inviting Madame -André and making the best of a bad business with her son—that -isn't to my liking—that is to say it is no longer to my liking, -unless——" -</p> - -<p> -"Speak," said Madame d'Estrelle eagerly, for she began to think that the -rich man, repenting of his munificence, might contemplate a reduction in -the price he had offered for the pavilion. "I agree to anything that -will indemnify and pacify you." -</p> - -<p> -Master Antoine's vanity was immeasurable. Madame d'Ancourt, whom he had -seen an hour earlier, had, in her spite against Julie, puffed him up by -confirming his presumptuous hopes. He had returned with the intention of -offering himself. Not finding Julie in her salon, he had mustered -courage to surprise her in the garden. The incident of the broken lily -seemed to hasten forward the opportunity. His brain whirled with insane -conceit and he made his declaration. -</p> - -<p> -"Madame," he said, "you force me to it with your pretty words and your -gentle manners; I am going to stake all to win all, and if you are angry -at what I say, the fault is your own. Let us see! you are not rich, and -I know that you weren't born on the steps of a throne. I believe that -you are not proud either, since you go to a poor painter's studio and -accept his attentions—at my expense!—a good joke, eh? But no -matter; let us laugh over it, but let us come to something reasonable at -last. It makes no difference if Julien has ancestors on his mother's side, -he's my nephew, he's a plebeian. Do you despise him for that?" -</p> - -<p> -"No indeed!" -</p> - -<p> -"Then his crime is being poor, eh? But suppose he was rich, very rich, -then what would you say to him?" -</p> - -<p> -"Do you propose to give him a dowry, so that I can marry him?" cried -Madame d'Estrelle in utter amazement. -</p> - -<p> -"Who said anything about that?" -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me! I thought——" -</p> - -<p> -"You thought that I was suggesting an idiotic performance to you! What -is an artist? It would be of no use for me to give him a dowry; money I -had earned wouldn't raise him in your eyes, I fancy. Consideration -belongs of right to those who have carved out their own lot in life and -have earned success by their shrewdness in business. Come, you -understand what I mean! I offer you an excellent match, a good-sized -fortune, and a name that makes some noise in the world. The man is one -who will gratify all your wishes as long as he lives and leave you all -his property after his death; who has no former mistresses nor unlawful -children, nor debts, nor worries, nor ties of any sort. Lastly he is a -man who might be your grandfather, and whom no one will ever accuse you -of choosing from caprice or coquetry, but who will do credit to your -good sense and your honorable feelings; for you have debts, more debts -than property. I know the amount of 'em! It is pretty big, and if Marcel -were a good calculator, he wouldn't tell you to go to sleep. Reflect on -what I say! Great annoyances are in store for you if you say no, while -everybody will congratulate you on making a sensible match. You seem -tremendously surprised, and yet your friend the baroness told you—but -perhaps she didn't tell you the amount?" -</p> - -<p> -"Five millions, isn't it?" replied Julie, who had become pale and -reserved. "So it was you she referred to, and you are talking about -yourself?" -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, what then? It scandalizes you, it insults you, does it?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, Monsieur Thierry," Julie replied with a mighty effort. "On the -contrary I am highly honored by your offers, but——" -</p> - -<p> -"But what? my age? Do you suppose I propose to play the lover? No! thank -God, I never had that weakness, and I don't propose to make myself -ridiculous at my age. I simply propose to be your father by contract, -and to employ marriage as a means of making you my heiress. Well, that's -enough of talk. You must say yes or no, for I am not of a disposition to -remain in doubt, and I don't choose to be humiliated, do you -understand?" -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur Antoine spoke in a curiously imperious tone; Julie was afraid -that a refusal would exasperate him. -</p> - -<p> -"You go too fast," she said; "as it happens, I am naturally hesitating -and timid. You must give me time to reflect." -</p> - -<p> -"Then you don't say no?" rejoined the old man, evidently flattered by -the hope that he was allowed to retain. -</p> - -<p> -"I say nothing," replied Madame d'Estrelle, who had risen and was -walking toward her house with some anxiety. "At this moment I am utterly -bewildered by an offer which I did not expect. Give me a few days to -think, to consult my feelings.—Really, I am deeply moved, deeply -touched by your friendship, and also very much alarmed, for I had sworn -to remain free! Adieu, Monsieur Thierry, leave me! I really long to be -left alone with my conscience, and I do not want you to try to take it -by surprise by your kindness." -</p> - -<p> -Julie made her escape, and Uncle Antoine left the garden, forgetting the -pavilion, the picture, the lily, everything, and in the throes of a -fever of hope which made him act more like a madman than ever; but, when -he found himself on Rue de Babylone, in front of the pavilion, he was -seized with a fierce longing to torment and puzzle and confound his -relations. He rang and was admitted by Marcel, who was anxiously -awaiting the result of his interview with Julie. -</p> - -<p> -"Well," he said abruptly, "where is my plant? has Master Julien finished -my picture?" -</p> - -<p> -"Go into the studio," said Marcel; "you will see your picture all -finished, and your lily as fresh as if nothing had happened to it." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! yes," muttered Antoine satirically, "of course it did it good to be -broken!" -</p> - -<p> -And he entered the studio with his hat on, without glancing at or seeing -his sister-in-law, who was sitting in her little straw arm-chair in the -window-recess, thoughtful and downcast. He walked straight to his lily, -examined the fracture, and looked carefully at the flower, which was -still blooming in the moist earth. Then he looked at the picture of the -<i>Antonia</i> and said: -</p> - -<p> -"I am satisfied with it; but you shan't have my custom, I tell you!" -</p> - -<p> -Then he walked across the studio, passed close to Madame Thierry and saw -her, put his hand to the brim of his hat, saying in a surly tone: "Your -servant, madame!" returned to Marcel, laughed in his face for no -apparent cause, like a crazy man, and at last strode toward the door, -frantic because he could find nothing to say to satisfy his thirst for -revenge, without sacrificing the good opinion of his conduct which he -wished his <i>fiancée</i> to retain. -</p> - -<p> -Marcel, seeing his agitation, detained him. -</p> - -<p> -"Come, come, uncle," he said, "we must find out where we are! Has the -Comtesse d'Estrelle obtained our forgiveness, or must I sell my office -to pay for the damage?" -</p> - -<p> -"The Comtesse d'Estrelle," replied the old man, "is a judicious person, -who knows how to tell the difference between people without brains and a -man of sound sense. You will see the proof of it some day or other." -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry, who could not endure her brother-in-law's overbearing -manner, and who fancied that he meant to defy her, rose to go up to her -room. Antoine bowed very slightly and added: -</p> - -<p> -"I didn't say that for your benefit, Madame André. I have nothing to -say to you." -</p> - -<p> -"Nor I to you," retorted the widow, in a tone whose disdainful -bitterness she strove in vain to stifle, as a matter of prudence. -</p> - -<p> -And with a courtesy to Monsieur Antoine she withdrew. -</p> - -<p> -Julien chafed at his bit in silence, incapable of humiliating himself by -apologies, and Marcel followed with a keen glance the horticulturist's -awkward and excited movements. -</p> - -<p> -"What's the matter, uncle?" he said when Madame Thierry had gone out. -"You are brooding over something good or something evil. Tell us the -truth, that will be the better way." -</p> - -<p> -"The truth, the truth," rejoined Monsieur Antoine, "we shall see the -truth, aye, and know it when the time comes! And perhaps everybody won't -laugh at it!" -</p> - -<p> -Julien, who was still painting, lost his patience. He put down his -palette, and, removing the carelessly twisted handkerchief which the -painters of that time wore in the studio instead of a cap, he walked -straight to Monsieur Thierry and forcibly interrupted his noisy, excited -promenade. Then, with a serious and determined expression, he asked him -to explain his vague threats. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur my uncle," he said, "you act as if you propose to drive me to -extremities; but I shall not on that account fail in the respect I owe -you. Consider simply, I beg you, that I am not a child who can be made -to tremble by contracting the eyebrows and assuming a deep voice. You -would do better to observe and understand the real fact, that is to say -the sorrow which I really feel for having offended you. Do not ask me -how that disaster happened: oblivion of one's surroundings, -absent-mindedness cannot be explained; but, since the thing is done, -what do you propose to do to punish me, or what do you require me to do -to atone for it? I am ready to prove my repentance or to submit to the -consequences of my wrong-doing. Decide and do not threaten any more; -that will be more worthy of you and of me." -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur Antoine stopped short, apparently unmoved, but in reality -greatly mortified by the superiority of the defendant's attitude over -the judge's at that moment. He was afraid in a measure of appearing -ridiculous, and a diabolical idea suggested itself to his mind as a -means of putting an end to his embarrassment. -</p> - -<p> -"Everything depends on Madame d'Estrelle," he said. "If she wishes, if -she demands it, I will do all that I had promised to do for your mother, -and I will even forgive you, notwithstanding the wicked thing you did; -but I will do it on the condition that she comes to my house to-morrow -with the rest of you, as she promised." -</p> - -<p> -"But," said Marcel, "if everything is made up between you, didn't you -remind her just now of the appointment?" -</p> - -<p> -"I am not speaking to you, attorney," retorted Antoine; "do me the favor -to leave the room, I want to talk with Master Julien alone." -</p> - -<p> -"Go on, go on," said Marcel. "I am just going, for someone has been -waiting in my office for me fully an hour. I will return and find out -what you have decided." -</p> - -<p> -When Julien and his uncle were alone, the latter assumed an even more -comical air of solemnity. -</p> - -<p> -"Listen," he said, "I want you to do an errand for me. You must go to -the hôtel d'Estrelle." -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me, uncle, I shall not go there, for I should not be admitted." -</p> - -<p> -"I count on your not being admitted. You will carry a letter, wait for -the answer in the antechamber, and bring it back to me." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well," said Julien, thinking that he could stop at the porter's -lodge. "Where is the letter?" -</p> - -<p> -"Give me something to write with." -</p> - -<p> -"Here," said Julien, opening the drawer of his table. The horticulturist -sat down and wrote rapidly; then he called Julien, who dissembled his -impatience by removing his working jacket and putting on his coat, which -he had dropped on a chair. -</p> - -<p> -"Will you have a seal?" he inquired. -</p> - -<p> -"Not yet. I want you to correct my note. I don't pride myself on my -knowledge, and I may have made mistakes in spelling. Read it over for -me, read it aloud, and then correct it, periods, commas and everything." -</p> - -<p> -Julien, feeling that a trap was being set for him, cast a rapid glance -over the few lines which his uncle had written in a firm hand. His head -swam, and he was very near tearing the paper in his indignation; but he -thought that he was being subjected to a test by that crabbed, eccentric -mortal. He restrained his wrath, met without flinching the ferociously -searching gaze that was fixed upon him, and read in a firm voice the -contents of the note: -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<blockquote><p>"Madame and friend:</p> - -<p> -"We were so confused just now that we parted without making arrangements -for to-morrow. I do not conceal from you that I shall regard your -presence at my little party as a fresh ground of hope, and your refusal -as a rupture or a regrettable delay of settlement. I have told you that -I did not propose to be fooled, and you promised to be sincere. The -night brings counsel. I am sure that to-morrow you will confirm me in -the pleasant thoughts you allowed me to take away from your presence. -</p> - -<p> -"Your friend and servant, who is impatient to call himself your fiancé, -</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 60%;">"ANTOINE THIERRY."</p></blockquote> - -<p> -"Well," queried the old man when Julien had finished reading, "are there -any mistakes?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, a great many, uncle," said Julien tranquilly, taking the pen. -</p> - -<p> -"Gently! I don't want her to see the corrections. Fix it neatly." -</p> - -<p> -"It is done. Now seal it and write the address." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, what do you say to that?" continued the uncle, writing Madame -d'Estrelle's name on the envelope. -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing," replied Julien. "I don't believe in it." -</p> - -<p> -"Will you believe in it if you deliver the letter?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes." -</p> - -<p> -"Then what will you say?" -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing. It's your affair." -</p> - -<p> -"Damnation! you are interested in it too!" -</p> - -<p> -"How so, please?" -</p> - -<p> -"The purchase of your house at Sèvres and its presentation to you -depend on that letter." -</p> - -<p> -"Very good, uncle. In that case, many thanks," -</p> - -<p> -"You have an air——" -</p> - -<p> -"I have no air at all. Look at me." -</p> - -<p> -Antoine could not support Julien's piercing and fearless glance. -</p> - -<p> -"Come, off with you!" he said angrily; "take my letter." -</p> - -<p> -"I will go at once," said Julien. -</p> - -<p> -He took up his hat. -</p> - -<p> -"Where shall I bring you the reply?" -</p> - -<p> -"In the street, in front of the house, where I will wait for you. Let us -both go." -</p> - -<p> -They went out together. Julien went straight to the porter, closely -watched by his uncle, who did not lose sight of him; but, instead of -entrusting the letter to that functionary, as he had determined at -first, he said to him that he wished to speak to the <i>valet de -chambre</i>, and walked rapidly across the courtyard without turning. -When he reached the antechamber Julien delivered the letter and sat down -on the waiting bench, with the manner of one who does not expect to be -received; but he said to the valet: -</p> - -<p> -"Please inform madame la comtesse that, if there is any reply, Monsieur -Antoine Thierry's nephew is waiting here to carry it to him." -</p> - -<p> -Julien waited three minutes. The servant returned and said: -</p> - -<p> -"Madame la comtesse desires to ask you some questions. Take the trouble -to walk this way." -</p> - -<p> -He opened a door at one side of the room and walked ahead. Julien -followed him through a dark corridor; then the servant opened another -door, placed a chair for him and withdrew. -</p> - -<p> -Julien was alone in a handsome dining-room, the main door of which was -opposite him. A moment later that door opened and Madame d'Estrelle -appeared. She was very pale and excited. -</p> - -<p> -"I receive you here," she said, "because I have visitors in my salon, -and I cannot express myself before anyone on the subject which brings -you here. Did Monsieur Antoine himself hand you this letter?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, madame." -</p> - -<p> -"And you know nothing of its contents, of course?" -</p> - -<p> -"I do, madame." -</p> - -<p> -"And yet you undertook to deliver it?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, madame." -</p> - -<p> -"Why so?" -</p> - -<p> -"In order to find out whether my uncle is mad enough to be locked up, or -fiendishly cruel." -</p> - -<p> -"In other words—you were not sure—you wished to know if I had -given him any right to write such a letter?" -</p> - -<p> -"I did not believe it, and I expected that you would order me to be -turned away without a reply." -</p> - -<p> -"Then—as I receive you, you conclude——?" -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing, madame, except that you can do nothing more cruel than leave -me in uncertainty." -</p> - -<p> -"Why should you take such a great interest in my affairs? Am I -responsible to anyone?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! madame, do not speak to me in that tone," cried Julien, fairly -beside himself. "Either my uncle's wealth has imposed silence on your -repugnance, and in that case I have absolutely nothing to say to you, or -else you submitted to his impertinent offers with a patience which -misled him; and if you were so patient, so kind as that to him, I can -easily guess the reason. You were afraid that Monsieur Antoine's -resentment would fall on us!" -</p> - -<p> -"That is true, Master Julien; I thought of your mother, I avoided giving -him an answer, I asked for time to reflect, I hoped that, in order to -please me, he would first keep the promise he made me to restore Madame -Thierry to happiness and comfort. That was wrong perhaps, for I was not -frank, and that is contrary to my nature. Indeed, could I believe that -that irascible, ill-mannered old man would begin by trying to compromise -me? And yet that is just what is happening, and God knows what -disagreeable consequences this may have for me! but I am wrong to think -about it. When I see my endeavors to assist you come to naught, I am -selfish to complain, and really my greatest sorrow consists in my being -unable to be of any service to you after being the cause of your -disaster. And what am I to do with a man who takes my fear for coquetry -and my silence for an avowal?" -</p> - -<p> -Julien knelt on one knee, and as Madame d'Estrelle, surprised and -terrified, was about to fly, he said: -</p> - -<p> -"Fear nothing from me, madame; this is no stage declaration; I am not -mad, and I am absolutely serious in thanking you on my knees in my -mother's name. Your kindness is of the sort which men adore and which no -words can describe. Now," he added, rising, "I have the right to say to -you that I am a man, and that I should despise myself if, even for love -of the most loving of mothers, I should accept the sacrifice of your -pride for a single instant. No, madame, no! Monsieur Antoine Thierry -must not be spared, he must not believe for another instant that he can -aspire—Poor man! he is mad; but madmen need to be held in check like -inconvenient and dangerous children. I will take charge of him, and with -your permission I will go at once and disabuse his mind forever." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! <i>mon Dieu!</i> you will go yourself?" said Julie. "No! do not drive -him to extremities; I will write." -</p> - -<p> -"But I do not choose that you shall write," replied Julien with a proud -vehemence which did not displease Madame d'Estrelle. "Do you think that -I am a child to be afraid of his anger, or a coward to leave you exposed -to his importunities? Do you think that my mother would be any more -willing than myself to accept favors which would cost you the shadow of -a falsehood? Is it for you to deal tenderly with anyone, and suffer for -our sake, who would give our lives to spare you the slightest suffering? -No, madame, learn to know us better. My mother's sentiments are as lofty -as your own; she accepted Monsieur Antoine's benefactions with the very -greatest reluctance. To-day she would blush to do it; she will detest the -mere thought when she knows what they cost you. And as for me—I am -of no consequence in your eyes and shall never be anything in your life; -but permit a man, who feels that he is a man of spirit, to tell you that -he fears neither poverty, nor vengeance, nor any sort of persecution. I -have done my duty and I will continue to do it; I will support my mother -until she draws her last breath, and if it is necessary to contend -against the whole world, I shall be able to do it for her. Let this -reassure you touching the fate of her you love so dearly. If only your -friendship were concerned, she would prefer it to all Monsieur Antoine's -wealth, and for my own part, though I had but this moment on earth to -tell you that I love you, I should esteem myself happy and proud to have -been able to say it to you without offence and without presumption; for -I speak to your heart, and there is not a shadow of a sentiment in my -heart that is unworthy of you. Adieu, madame! live happily and at peace; -and if you ever need a man to do something for you that is beyond the -power of all other men, remember that such a man exists, poor, humble, -hidden in a corner, but capable of moving mountains; for when his -mother's welfare is at stake, he is determination and faith -personified." -</p> - -<p> -Julien left the room without asking or waiting for another word from -Madame d'Estrelle, and in a twinkling he was in the street. Antoine was -awaiting him with feverish impatience; he was on the point of bursting -into the hôtel like a bomb when Julien reappeared. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, the answer must be at least four pages long!" he cried. "Where is -it?" -</p> - -<p> -"Come, monsieur," said Julien, offering him his arm to cross the street. -"There is too much noise here for us to hear each other." -</p> - -<p> -They entered into an open field where there was a sign: <i>For Sale</i>; -and Julien began thus: -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur my uncle, Madame d'Estrelle read your letter and summoned me -to her presence so that I might bring you her verbal response." -</p> - -<p> -"Verbal?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, word for word." -</p> - -<p> -"Let us hear it!" -</p> - -<p> -"Madame la comtesse, considering that your mind must have been disturbed -when you asked for her hand, was afraid to be alone with you and put an -end to the interview by a promise to reflect; but she had already -reflected, and this is her decision. She regrets that she will be unable -to come to your house to-morrow, and she informs you that from this -moment she will no longer be at home." -</p> - -<p> -"She is going away! Where is she going?" -</p> - -<p> -"It is not for me to interpret, but for you to understand." -</p> - -<p> -"I understand! this is my formal dismissal, is it?" -</p> - -<p> -"Everything tends to make me think so." -</p> - -<p> -"And you are the person she employs to tell me so?" -</p> - -<p> -"No! I took it upon myself without asking her consent." -</p> - -<p> -"Why? I insist upon knowing!" -</p> - -<p> -"You do know, monsieur. Didn't you tell me that my mother's fortune and -my own depended on Madame d'Estrelle's encouragement of your matrimonial -plans? That is why I grasped so eagerly the excuse you gave me to go to -her house, hoping that the extraordinary nature of your letter would -induce her to receive me. That is something you did not anticipate." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, I did, <i>mordieu!</i>" cried Monsieur Antoine; "I said to myself -that that thing would happen if——" -</p> - -<p> -"If what, monsieur?" -</p> - -<p> -"If I had guessed right. I understand." -</p> - -<p> -"But I do not understand." -</p> - -<p> -"That makes no difference to me." -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me, you want me to guess. You thought that I was foolish enough, -impertinent enough, mad enough to aspire to that lady's favor?" -</p> - -<p> -"And now I am sure of it! You told her of your sentiments, and I see -your air of triumph. At the same time you are rubbing your hands because -you have shown me the door! You will go and tell your dear mother this, -of course! You will say to her: 'The rich man gobbled the bait! He -thought that by tossing us a crust of bread and taking a young wife, he -would make sport of us and disinherit us! Well, he has succeeded simply -in covering himself with shame. He will grow old alone, he will die -unmarried, and we shall be rich in spite of him.'" -</p> - -<p> -"You are mistaken, monsieur," rejoined Julien with perfect -self-possession. "I formed no such contemptible schemes, and I shall -never do anything of the kind. You may marry to-morrow, if you choose, -and whom you choose, and I shall be overjoyed, provided always that my -mother's dignity and mine are not at stake in your undertaking. This is -what I desired to say to Madame d'Estrelle, and what I say to you. And -now I have only to remember that you are my uncle, and humbly to present -you my respects." -</p> - -<p> -Julien was about to go away after bowing low to Monsieur Antoine. But he -recalled him in an imperious tone. -</p> - -<p> -"What about my lily? Who will pay me for it?" -</p> - -<p> -"Put a price on it, monsieur." -</p> - -<p> -"Five hundred thousand francs." -</p> - -<p> -"Are you speaking seriously?" -</p> - -<p> -"Am I speaking seriously?" -</p> - -<p> -"I must believe you, knowing that you are incapable of deceiving a -person who relies upon you." -</p> - -<p> -"Flattery! fawning!" -</p> - -<p> -The blood rose in the young artist's cheeks; he gazed earnestly at -Monsieur Antoine, trying to persuade himself that he was really so -irresponsible that his invectives should not affect a self-possessed -man. Antoine divined his thought and made an effort to be calmer. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, let us say no more about that!" he said. "I will go and pick up -the ruins and the picture; I have lost my outlay of kindness of heart -and confidence. It will teach me not to depart from my ideas and -principles again! Walk first and don't say another word!" -</p> - -<p> -They returned to the studio. There Monsieur Antoine, silent as hatred, -took the flower, the plant, the picture, and refusing to accept anyone's -assistance, without looking at Julien, without moving his lips, he left -the pavilion and did not appear again. -</p> - -<p> -Marcel soon returned and asked Julien what had taken place. Julien told -him frankly and unhesitatingly in Madame Thierry's presence. -</p> - -<p> -"Now," he added, "my inconsiderate conduct alarmed you, I know. You -thought that I was as mad as Uncle Antoine, and my mother is terrified -by a sentiment which she thinks is likely to be disastrous to me. -Undeceive yourself and be calm, my dear mother, and do you, Marcel, give -me back the esteem which you should entertain for a man of sense. One -may be such a man, even if he has been guilty of an imprudence, and I -realize that I was very reckless when I offered our benefactress a thing -which did not belong to me. That was an impulse of gratitude, sadly -misplaced, it is true, but which did not scandalize her, because she saw -in it nothing more than an emotion that was worthy of her and consistent -with the respect that is her due. I flatter myself that she is even more -convinced of it since she granted me an interview, and I swear to you -both, by all I hold most sacred, by filial love and faithful friendship, -that there shall be nothing unpleasant to Madame d'Estrelle, nothing -distressing to you, nothing unbecoming on my part in my future conduct. -Let us not regret the house at Sèvres, my dear mother: we could not -obtain it unless Madame d'Estrelle became Madame Antoine Thierry, and -you certainly do not think that could ever have come to pass. As -for you, my dear Marcel, I bless you for all the trouble you have taken, -but surely you are convinced now that it was all thrown away, and that -Uncle Antoine gives nothing for nothing. Let us be calm now, let us take -up our lives where we dropped them when this evil dream of wealth began. -I still have arms to work with and a heart to love you, and indeed, from -this day forth, I feel more zealous, braver and surer of the future than -I have ever been." -</p> - -<p> -This time Julien was speaking the truth and not simply forcing himself -to be brave in order to comfort his mother. He felt, not perfectly -tranquil, but strong; his two interviews with Julie in quick succession -had given his heart a new direction, a more unerring impulse. He had -found in her presence the inspiration which gave full play to the -seriousness and the generosity of his passion. He was sure that he had -laid bare his heart to her, and that he had neither terrified nor -insulted her. Did he believe that she loved him? No, but it may be that -he had a vague feeling that she did, and there was a mysterious -enjoyment in his reverie. He had attained a perfect understanding of his -mission in the life of exalted and unselfish sentiment which was really -his normal life. What he had said, he proposed to do, and he had -strength to do it. To love in silence, to seek nothing, to obtain -nothing by surprise, and to seize nothing except an opportunity to -devote himself unreservedly to his mission, such was his plan, his -determination, his profession of faith, so to speak. -</p> - -<p> -"And now," he thought, "it may be that I shall suffer terribly despite -my determination; but I shall so enjoy suffering nobly and holding my -peace for love of her, that I shall triumph over my suffering, and my -mother will not again feel its rebound. I must be very strong in the -struggle between my instincts and my duties. And why should I not? I -have always loved lofty ideas and sentiments which are beyond the reach -of the common herd. As I am obliged to be a man, and as I am persuaded -that duty is found in family ties, I shall doubtless do some day as -Marcel has done: I shall marry a virtuous woman, who will be thereafter -my best friend. Until then I propose to remain free and chaste. I -propose to love without hope, and if possible, without desire, this -nobly born Julie who can never be mine; I will overcome the desire, I -will carry fraternal feeling to the point of sublimity, and I will -nourish all my faculties with the sublime. I will be to other people -only a very patient, very amiable young working man, seeking grace and -charm in baskets of roses; but by dint of studying the divine mystery of -purity in the hearts of flowers, one may obtain a revelation of sanctity -in love. It seems to me a fine thing to say to oneself that one might -scheme to surprise the virtue of the woman one loves, and that one loves -her too well to attempt it. The life of which I dream is all meditation -and sentiment. Very well; I will live it as long as possible. I will -live by my thoughts as other people live by their acts, and it may be -that I shall be the happiest of men! I shall feel that I am sustained by -an enthusiasm which will not be worn to shreds by disappointments. I -shall live and breathe alone and every moment in the beautiful, the pure -and the great, with even more satisfaction than my poor father, who was -conscious of a craving for it, but who thought that he could gratify his -craving amid luxurious surroundings or in the society of this or that -great personage. I shall need nothing of that sort, and I shall be far, -far richer, having no other desire than to be satisfied with myself." -</p> - -<p> -In soaring thus resolutely into the regions of the ideal, Julien was in -truth following a secret tendency which had developed in him early in -life. He had received an exceedingly good education, and, while studying -his art assiduously, had read a great deal; but, being naturally -inclined to enthusiasm of an austere sort, he did not indulge his tastes -in all directions or plunge into all sorts of pleasure. Of all that his -youth had fed upon, he had revelled in the great Corneille with the most -satisfaction and benefit. There he had found, in the loftiest form, the -strongest and most daring aspirations to heroism. He preferred teaching -of that sort put in action, those noble virtues manifesting and giving -expression to themselves, to the discussions of contemporary philosophy. -This is not equivalent to saying that he despised the spirit of his -time, or that he held aloof from the extraordinary upheaval of ideas -then in progress. On the contrary he was one of the sturdiest products -of that period which is unique in all history in respect to its -magnificent illusions pending the formation of awe-inspiring -resolutions. Those were the last days of the monarchy, and very few -people then thought of overturning it. At all events Julien was not one -of those who thought of it; he went very far beyond anticipation of any -event whatsoever in politics. He was intoxicated with the discoveries and -dreams of science, moral and physical, recently set free, <i>en masse</i> -so to speak, from the clouds of the past. Lagrange, Bailly, Lalande, -Berthollet, Monge, Condorcet and Lavoisier were already revolutionizing -thought. When we reflect upon that rapid succession of fortunate -experiments which, in a few years, produced astronomy from astrology, -chemistry from alchemy, and replaced blind prejudice by experimental -analysis all along the line of human knowledge, we realize that by -making war on superstitions, the philosophers of the 18th century freed -individual genius from its fetters simultaneously with the religious and -social conscience of nations. What presumption then, what excitement, -what intoxication in these first reachings out toward the future! The -human intellect has hailed the bright sun of progress, and already it -thinks to take possession of all its rays. No sooner has the first -balloon arisen on its wings of flame, than two men risk the crossing of -the Straits of Dover. Instantly mankind cries: "We are masters of the -roads through the air, we are the inhabitants of the sky!" -</p> - -<p> -At the period in which the action of our story happens to be laid, this -noble beginning of the new ideas had found its formula in the word -<i>perfectibility.</i> It was Condorcet who eloquently outlined the -doctrine, and taking no account of human weakness, predicted for it a -boundless destiny. He believed in infinity so absolutely that he hoped -to find the secret of the destruction of death, and everybody who used -his mind, everybody who read was beginning to believe with him in the -indefinite prolongation of physical life. Parmentier believed moreover -that he could banish forever the spectre of famine by acclimatizing the -potato. Mesmer believed that he had discovered a mysterious agent, the -source of all marvels. Saint-Martin proclaimed the rehabilitation of the -human soul and illumined the terrors of the old-fashioned dogmas with -the dogma of infinite light. Cagliostro pretended to revive ancient -magic in a natural and comprehensible way; in a word the vertigo of the -future had set every brain in a whirl, from the most prosaic to the most -romantic, and, at the height of that intense excitement, the present was -a trifling obstacle which no one deigned to notice. The old monarchy, -the unbending clergy, were still on their feet, striving to retain their -crumbling power; but liberty had been inaugurated in America, and France -felt that her day was at hand. She had no thought of bloodshed; pleasant -chimeras exclude ideas of revenge; on the eve of the terrible storm -men's minds were making holiday, and an indescribable feverish grasping -for the ideal paved the way for the magnificent outburst of '89. -</p> - -<p> -Julien was full of that faith and determination which seems to descend -to earth providentially at the moment fixed for mighty struggles; but -with it all there was a certain calmness due to the direction, the habit -and the temperament of his thought. There was a certain philosophical -mysticism, not in the stage of discussion but in the stage of instinct, -and a sort of craving to love. If he had not loved a woman, he would -have loved liberty to fanaticism. Love consecrated him to -self-sacrifice. As soon as Julie's image filled his heart, he no longer -thought of himself except as a force which might serve to protect Julie. -Did he entertain the idea that she could or would be likely to belong to -him? Yes, he undoubtedly did, a confused idea, sometimes imperious, but -valiantly combated. He had no prejudices; he was not, like his uncle -Antoine, dazzled by rank, title and show; he knew that Julie was born in -modest station and that her fortune was much impaired. Moreover, he felt -that he was her equal, for he was one of those men of the third estate, -who, being filled with a legitimate and tenacious pride, were beginning -to say to one another: "The third estate is everything," just as they -said later: "The people are everything," and just as they will say some -day: "Everyone is everything," denying no kind of nobility, whether due -to the sword, the toga, the factory or the plough. Thus Julien did not -look upon the Comtesse d'Estrelle as a woman placed above him by -circumstances, but by personal merit. That merit he exaggerated possibly -in his own mind; it is the privilege of love to tend constantly toward -the loftier regions of the soul, and to believe that it is summoned to -the conquest of divinities. So that in his passion admirable humility -was combined with boundless pride. -</p> - -<p> -"I am not worthy of such a woman," he said to himself; "I must become -so, and when, by dint of patience, unselfishness, self-denial and -respect, I have succeeded—why, then perhaps I shall feel that I have -the right to say to her: 'Love me.'" -</p> - -<p> -But he sometimes wondered if that day would come before the unforeseen -events of the future had disposed of Julie's fate; then he would say to -himself: -</p> - -<p> -"Very well; I shall possess her esteem, perhaps her friendship, and the -time I shall have devoted to governing myself with dignity will not be -wasted." -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry was surprised and overjoyed therefore to find that his -cheerfulness and all the symptoms of physical and moral well-being -reappeared suddenly, on the very day of this momentous episode. -</p> - -<p> -"My friend," she said to Marcel when they were alone for a moment, "I -dare not tell you what is passing through my mind; but he has such a -happy look! <i>Mon Dieu!</i> do you believe it is possible?" -</p> - -<p> -"What?" said Marcel. "Oh! yes, you are speaking of his visit to Madame -d'Estrelle! Well, such things have been known, my dear aunt; he is -good-looking enough and agreeable enough to please a great lady; but she -is ruined and can extricate herself only by a wealthy marriage, which it -is our duty to desire for her, on the condition that the man is not too -old. I do not believe she is as bold and courageous as you were, and, -moreover, the plan that succeeded with you is generally ruinous; a great -passion is a number that wins only once in a hundred thousand times in the -lottery of destiny! Let us not wish that for Julien and for <i>her!</i>" -</p> - -<p> -"No, I don't wish it; it is too dangerous, as you say; but if she does -take a fancy to him, what will happen?" -</p> - -<p> -"I have no idea; but she is virtuous and he is an honorable man; they -will both suffer. It would be better to separate them if possible." -</p> - -<p> -"To be sure! that is what I said to you in the beginning. But what a -pity! They are both so handsome, so young and so good! Ah! fate is very -unjust sometimes! If my poor husband had left Julien the fortune we once -had, he might have been a suitable match for her, as she is poor and -without family pride! Alas! may God forgive me! this is the first time I -ever blamed my André. Let us say no more about it, Marcel, let us say -no more about it!" -</p> - -<p> -"We must think about it, none the less," replied the solicitor, "and not -let Julien's heart burn too fiercely. To-day, it is fireworks, because -he probably has some hope; but to-morrow it may be a conflagration." -</p> - -<p> -"What shall we do, Marcel?" -</p> - -<p> -"I don't know. I would like to be able to confess Madame d'Estrelle, and -Uncle Antoine above all, for I am not deceived by his philosophy, and I -am afraid—" -</p> - -<p> -"What are you afraid of?" -</p> - -<p> -"Everything. Should we not be prepared for everything with him?" -</p> - -<p> -Madame d'Estrelle had been almost made ill by all the excitement of the -day. Julien's visit had proved to be the finishing touch; but, as soon -as he left her, the sort of fever which Monsieur Antoine's performance -had caused gave place to a not unpleasant feeling of lassitude. -</p> - -<p> -"I have a friend," she said to herself, "a most agreeable friend, that -is certain, though the whole world should make sport of me for trusting -so implicitly in the word of a man whom I did not know a few hours ago; -but should I accept this zealous friendship? is it not dangerous to him -and to me? To be sure, he did not ask me to accept it. He went away like -a man who is dependent on nobody and who loves without permission. Since -he says that he has no hope, has he not a right to love? And what could -I do to prevent him?" -</p> - -<p> -Julie was perfectly well aware, in her inmost conscience, that she -should not have received Julien after Madame Thierry's revelation -concerning his feeling for her. -</p> - -<p> -"After all," she said, "why did I receive him, when my first impulse was -to send him that simple yet conclusive message: 'There is no reply!' -That would have rid me of uncle and nephew at one stroke. But did the -nephew deserve to be humiliated? Did he not come simply to rescue his -honor from a detestable snare laid by his uncle? Had he not the right to -say to me thereupon all that he did say to me, and was I offended by -what he took the liberty of adding on his own account, although it was -perhaps a little too sentimental? ought I to have been offended? It is -of no use for me to ask the question, I cannot answer it. He offered -himself, he gave himself to me, without asking for anything. He made me -a present of his heart and his life, whether I would or not. He did not -speak to me like a lover, no, indeed! but like a slave and a master at -once. All this is very strange, and my brain is in a whirl. I do not -know what it is that I feel for him. The only thing that is certain is -that I believe in him." -</p> - -<p> -It seemed to Julie as well as to Madame Thierry and Marcel that the -morrow of that strange day would probably be fraught with important -events. In vain did they question themselves concerning Monsieur -Antoine's wrath: to their great amazement neither the morrow nor the -days following brought about any change in their respective situations. -The horticulturist went into the country, no one knew where. There was -no place for him to go, at least within the knowledge of Marcel, who -thought that he knew all his business, but who really knew only a part -of it. When he was thoroughly convinced of his uncle's absence, he -became anxious about him; but he was shown orders written by his own -hand, which his head gardener received each morning, detailing minutely -the nature and extent of the care to be bestowed on certain delicate -plants. These horticultural bulletins were undated and without stamps. -They were brought by the ex-armorer's valet, an old sailor, who was the -slave of his orders, obedient as a negro, dumb as an old stump. -</p> - -<p> -"Well!" said Marcel to Madame Thierry, "he is in the sulks, that is -certain; or else he is ashamed of his madness and has gone into hiding -for a little time. Let us hope that he will return cured of his -matrimoniomania, and that he will consider his honor involved in -carrying out a certain bargain relative to this pavilion. You need the -indemnity, and I do not conceal from you that Madame d'Estrelle is -greatly in need of the promised amount. I don't know what vicious insect -is pricking her creditors, but suddenly they all begin to display the -most extraordinary impatience and anxiety. They go so far as to threaten -to transfer their claims to one principal creditor, who would surely -speculate on my client's embarrassment, and that is the worst thing that -could possibly happen." -</p> - -<p> -"I am not at all easy in my mind," he said two days later to Madame -d'Estrelle, who had just been to visit her father-in-law, who was ill; -"I am afraid monsieur le marquis may die unexpectedly before he has -settled up your affairs." -</p> - -<p> -"I place no reliance on his good-will toward me," replied Julie; "but I -cannot believe that he will leave me at the mercy of the count's -creditors, when only a few last steps are needed to settle with them. Of -course we must expect the childish fear of robbing himself which always -haunts selfish old men; but after him——" -</p> - -<p> -"After him?" echoed Marcel. "The devil is after him, I mean at his -heels. His wife is a good-for-nothing; I am afraid of her; she doesn't -love you, and she is nothing to you, since your husband was not her -son." -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Mon Dieu!</i> you look at the dark side of everything, my dear -solicitor! The marquis is neither very old nor very ill. He must have made -his will. The marchioness is very pious, and what she would not do from -affection, she will do as a matter of duty. Do not you discourage me, -who have always encouraged me." -</p> - -<p> -"I should not be discouraged myself if I could put my hand on my -singular old uncle! Let him buy the pavilion and pay for it, and that -gives us two or three months' respite. We shall have time to sell the -little farm in the Beauvoisis or make it over to the creditors at an -agreed price, otherwise we shall be brutally sold out and lose a hundred -per cent. of these poor scraps, which are of some value to-day!" -</p> - -<p> -Julie, who, at other times, had been much distressed concerning her -situation, had reached that stage of lassitude which takes the place of -courage. Her philosophy surprised and irritated Marcel. -</p> - -<p> -"Deuce take me!" he whispered to Julien's mother, "one would say that -she asks nothing better now than to be turned into the street!" -</p> - -<p> -Was that, in truth, Madame d'Estrelle's secret thought? Did she say to -herself that, being poor, and abandoned by her husband's family, she no -longer owed so much consideration to the name she bore, and that she -could disappear from the world's stage to live as she chose and marry -according to her inclination? -</p> - -<p> -Yes and no. At times she dreamed again that dream of a happiness -hitherto unknown, which had come to her like a fascinating vision in -Julien's studio. At other times she became the Comtesse d'Estrelle once -more, and asked herself in dismay how she could break with all her -surroundings and her habits, and whether she could endure blame and -contempt, after having been so loudly praised and so respected up to -that day by a limited but select circle of persons highly considered in -society. -</p> - -<p> -It is well known that period was marked by a violent and determined -reaction in certain aristocratic circles against the invasion of the -democracy. Perhaps no other period in history presents such strange -contrasts. On the one hand public opinion, queen of the new world, -proclaimed the doctrines of equality, contempt for social distinctions, -the philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire and Diderot; on the -other, the ruling powers, terrified by a progress which they dared not -oppose, attempted a tardy resistance which was destined to hurl them -into the abyss; but to one whose horizon was narrow, to whom the morrow -was not revealed, that resistance assumed formidable proportions, and a -weak and gentle woman like Madame d'Estrelle was certain to be alarmed -by it. Like all of her caste she fancied that she could read the destiny -of France in the conduct of the court; and there were times when the -king, in dire dismay, tried to resuscitate the monarchy of Louis XIV.; -distressing and vain efforts, which, however, when looked at from a -certain point of view, seemed serious enough to irritate the people and -to increase the arrogance of the privileged classes. The court and city -had acclaimed Voltaire's triumph; on the morrow of that triumph the -clergy refused him a tomb. Mirabeau had written a masterpiece against -the arbitrary use of <i>lettres de cachet.</i> The king had said of -Beaumarchais: "If his play—<i>the Marriage of Figaro</i>—is -acted, we may as well destroy the Bastille!" The third estate grew in -enlightenment, in ambition, in real worth; the court reëstablished -privileges in the army as well as among the clergy, and -decided—which Cardinal de Richelieu would not have dared to -do—that, in order to be a military officer or a prelate, an -applicant must prove four generations of noble blood. The American -Constitution had just proclaimed the principles of Jean-Jacques's -<i>Social Contract</i>; Washington and Lafayette were dreaming of the -enfranchisement of the slaves; the French ministry granted additional -facilities to the slave trade; the lower clergy became more democratic -from day to day; the Sorbonne tried to pick a quarrel with Buffon, and -the upper clergy demanded a new law to <i>repress the art of -writing</i>; public opinion was aroused against capital punishment, the -<i>preliminary torture</i> was still in use. The queen had protected -Beaumarchais; Raynal was forced to go into exile. -</p> - -<p> -These attempts at reaction in the midst of the onward rush of the age -found an echo in the religious coteries; and the greater nobility, -generally speaking, upbraided those of its members who had allowed -themselves to be fascinated by the seductions of the new philosophy. In -the conservative salons, the king and queen were overwhelmed with -maledictions and sarcasm when they seemed inclined to abandon the theory -of the royal <i>good pleasure.</i> The aristocrats clung to that theory, -they believed that everything was safe when they added a stone to the -powerless dam erected to stem the revolutionary spirit, and yet no one -suspected the swift motion of the flood nor the imminence of the -inundation. Everything was translated into bitter satire, ballads and -caricatures. They pretended to despise the danger to the point of -laughing pityingly at it. -</p> - -<p> -Those persons who were of Julie's immediate circle were of the same mild -and timid disposition to which her own mild timidity naturally inclined -her; but outside of that little circle, where extravagance in any form -was frowned upon, she felt the pressure of a large and more formidable -circle, that of the Comte d'Estrelle's family, an arrogant family, -irritated by her dumb resistance to absolute opinions; and again, -outside of that dreaded circle, which she carefully avoided, there was a -still more powerful and threatening one, that of the Marquis -d'Estrelle's second wife. That circle, composed exclusively of bigots, -opposed to all progress, bitterly contemptuous of philosophers, openly -hostile to the omnipotent Voltaire himself, permeated with all the -prejudices of birth, fiercely tenacious of its alleged right, was to -Julie a subject of terror, puerile perhaps but profound and increasing. -The marchioness was well-known to be a covetous, evil-minded, -dishonorable woman, and we have seen that the Baronne d'Ancourt, despite -her own retrograde ideas, spoke of her, as well as of her environment, -with great aversion. Julie was very slightly acquainted with her, and -strove to believe that she was sincere in her piety; but she was afraid -of her, and, when she questioned herself concerning the state of dread -and depression in which she was living, she saw before her the -disgusting spectre of that gaunt person, with the greenish eye and -pitiless tongue. At such times, from very excess of terror, she tried to -apologize for her when she spoke of her, or to impose silence on those -of her friends who ventured to call her a harpy or a bird of evil omen. -</p> - -<p> -Naturally poor Julie abhorred the opinions of the marchioness and her -circle; but she had not had enough experience, she did not sufficiently -appreciate the general tendency of her time to realize the utter -puerility of the persecutions she would have had to undergo if she had -resolved to live in accordance with the dictates of her heart and her -conscience. In that cage of prejudice she was like a bird which thinks -that the world has formed itself into a cage about him, and which no -longer understands the breath of the wind among the leaves and the -flight of other birds through space. -</p> - -<p> -"There may be happy people," she said to herself, "but how far away they -are. And how can I join them?" -</p> - -<p> -In like manner, on the eve of a terrible revolution, the prisoners of -the past wept over their chains and believed that they were riveted upon -them for all eternity. Nevertheless Julie, the greater part of the time, -forgot this whole matter of external facts to lose herself in vague -contemplations and in secret preoccupations of a new sort. We shall soon -see what the subject of them was, and how great difficulty that generous -but timid heart had in coming to terms with itself. -</p> - -<p> -A fortnight had passed since the disaster to the <i>Antonia</i>, and Madame -d'Estrelle had neither seen nor heard of Julien. She might have believed -that he had never existed and that their two interviews were a dream. -Madame Thierry had not set foot in the garden, and when Julie, surprised -at her continued absence, sent to inquire for her, the answer was that -she was a little indisposed—nothing alarming—but forced to keep -her room. -</p> - -<p> -Marcel, when she questioned him, evaded her questions, confirmed the -statement as to his aunt's slight indisposition, but went into no -details. Julie dared not insist; she divined that her neighbor was -determined to break off every sort of relation, every pretext for -communication, even indirect, between her and Julien. -</p> - -<p> -At last, one morning, Madame Thierry reappeared, when Julie least -expected her. In reply to Julie's reserved and timid questions, she said -effusively: -</p> - -<p> -"My dear countess, you must forgive me for a bad dream I had, which has -vanished now. I judged too hastily, I was foolishly alarmed, and I -frightened you with my chimeras. I thought that my son had the -presumption to love you, I was so sure of it that it has taken this past -fortnight to disabuse me of the idea. So forget what I said to you and -give back to my poor child the esteem which he has never ceased to -deserve. He does not raise his eyes or his thoughts to you. He venerates -you as he ought, and if you should need someone to die for you, he would -grasp the opportunity; but there is no romantic passion in his devotion, -simply fervent and heartfelt gratitude. He has sworn to me that it is -so. I doubted his word at first, but I was wrong. I have watched him; I -have done better than that, I have played the spy for a fortnight, and -now I am reassured. He eats, he sleeps, he talks, he goes in and out, -and works cheerily; in a word, he is not in love: he does not try to see -you, he speaks of you with tranquil admiration, he does not seem to -desire an opportunity to attract your eyes, nor will he ever seek it. -Forgive my folly, and love me as before." -</p> - -<p> -Julie accepted this perfectly sincere declaration of Madame Thierry with -gracious satisfaction. They talked of something else and remained -together an hour; then they parted, congratulating each other on having -no further subject of discomfort, and on being able to renew their -relations without agitation or danger to anyone. -</p> - -<p> -How did it happen that when she was alone once more, Julie was -overwhelmed by an inexplicable depression? She sought the cause to no -purpose, and vented her spleen on the next visitors who came. Her old -friend Madame Desmorges seemed intolerably loquacious; the old Duc de -Quesnoy as dull and tiresome as a blacksmith's hammer; her cousin, -Madame la Présidente Boursault, prudish and hypocritical; the -abbé—there was always an abbe in every private circle in those -days—conceited and insipid. And, when Camille came to dress her hair -at the usual hour, she pettishly dismissed her, saying: -</p> - -<p> -"What is the use?" -</p> - -<p> -Then she recalled her, and, impelled by a sudden caprice, asked her if -the usual period for semi-mourning had not expired within three days. -</p> - -<p> -"Why, yes, madame," said Camille, "it is all over! and madame la -comtesse does very wrong not to stop wearing it. If she continues to -wear it, it will have a very bad effect." -</p> - -<p> -"How so, Camille?" -</p> - -<p> -"People will say that madame is prolonging her grief for economy, to -wear out her gray gowns." -</p> - -<p> -"That is most excellent reasoning, my dear, and I bow to it. Bring me a -pink dress at once." -</p> - -<p> -"Pink? No, madame, it is too soon for that. People would say that madame -wore mourning reluctantly, and that she changed her mind with her dress. -Madame should wear a pretty dress of royal blue with white flowers." -</p> - -<p> -"Very good! But haven't all my dresses gone out of style in the two -years I have been in mourning?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, madame, for I have looked after them! I have cut the sleeves over -and changed the trimming on the waist. With bows of white satin and a -lace head-dress, madame will be as stylish as possible." -</p> - -<p> -"But why make me beautiful, Camille, when I do not expect anybody?" -</p> - -<p> -"Has madame said that she was not at home?" -</p> - -<p> -"No; but you remind me that I do not wish to receive any visitors." -</p> - -<p> -Camille looked at her mistress in surprise. She did not understand, she -thought it was an attack of the vapors, and began to <i>arrange</i> her, as -the phrase went in those days, afraid to break the silence. Julie, -depressed and distraught, allowed herself to be dressed. And when her -maid had retired, carrying away the gray dresses which became her -property, she looked at herself from head to foot in a long mirror. She -was fascinatingly dressed, and as lovely as an angel. That is why, as -her heart continued to ask: <i>What is the use?</i> she hid her face in her -hands and began to cry like a child. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="V">V</a></h4> - -<p> -If Julien had been a libertine, he could have adopted no better plan to -arouse Madame d'Estrelle's passion. The days succeeded one another, and -no chance brought them face to face for an instant. And yet Julie, -whether from excess of confidence or from heedlessness, lived much more -in her garden than in her salon, and preferred a solitary stroll among -the shrubbery to the conversation of her intimate friends. There were -evenings when she denied herself to callers on the pretext of -indisposition or weariness, but on those evenings she dressed none the -less carefully, as if she expected some unusual visit; then she would go -to the further end of the garden, hurry back in alarm at the faintest -sound, then return to see what had frightened her, and fall into a sort -of panic-stricken revery when she found that everything was quiet and -that she was really alone. -</p> - -<p> -One day she received a declaration of love, in well-turned language, -without a signature and without a private seal. She was deeply offended -at it, thinking that Julien had broken all his promises to her, and -saying to herself that it deserved no other treatment than cold disdain. -On the following day she discovered that this effusion came from the -brother of one of her friends, and her first impulse was one of joy. No, -of course Julien would not have written in such terms; Julien would not -have written at all! The letter, which, in the confusion of uncertainty, -had seemed to her not lacking in delicacy, now seemed to be in the worst -possible taste; she tossed it scornfully into the fire. But what if -Julien had written! Doubtless he knew how to write as well as talk. And -why did he not write? -</p> - -<p> -Julie had no sooner given way to this inward weakness than she was -bitterly ashamed of it. -</p> - -<p> -"Of what use are my strength and my common sense," she said, "when my -heart rushes outside of me thus, to grasp an affection which eludes me? -Upon my word, it is only the indifference with which I am regarded which -preserves me, and yet the shame of that thought does not cure me. Am I -guided by a spirit of contradiction? It seemed to me at first that any -advance on that young man's part would have disgusted me and that I -should have repelled him proudly; and lo and behold! his resignation -irritates me, his silence distresses me, and I am angry with him for -thinking no more of me! Evidently my mind is badly diseased." -</p> - -<p> -One day when she was at her perfumer's, she met Julien going out. He had -no right to bow to her in public, and he pretended not to see her. She -found on the counter a very pretty fan which he had painted for his -mother, and had just brought to the shop to be made up. She imagined -that it was intended for her, and made up her mind to refuse it; -however, she awaited the little gift with intense impatience. -</p> - -<p> -"He will send it to me mysteriously," she thought; "it will be an -anonymous offering, and in that case——" -</p> - -<p> -But the gift did not arrive; so it was not for her after all. What folly -to think that he intended it for her! Julien was in love with some other -woman—some petty bourgeoise or some society woman of easy -morals—perhaps an actress! She did not sleep for two nights; then she -happened to see the fan in Madame Thierry's hand, and she breathed -again. -</p> - -<p> -In spite of her determination, she could not avoid speaking of Julien to -his mother, and she resorted to every sort of detour to bring him into -the conversation. She wished to know about the sort of life led by a -young painter, of which she had no idea; and, although she dreaded to -learn some unpleasant or painful details, she continued to ask -questions, at first concerning the tastes and habits of artists, in -general; then of a sudden she asked: -</p> - -<p> -"Your son, for example; did he not lead a brilliant, dissipated, or at -least an enjoyable life before the death of his father and your -subsequent troubles?" -</p> - -<p> -"My son has always been of a serious turn of mind," replied Madame -André, "and I must say that the young men of all ranks seem to me very -different to-day from those whom I used to see in my youth. My dear -husband was a type of those men with fertile, ingenious and easily -impressed imaginations, whose lives were filled with unexpected -pleasures, and whose aim seemed to be the enjoyment of everything that -was agreeable, rather than the ambitious pursuit of renown. He painted -<i>chefs-d'œuvre</i> for amusement, and no anxieties ever disturbed his -mind. To-day the modern artists are tearing themselves to pieces to do -better than their predecessors. Criticism has been invented. Monsieur -Diderot, whom my husband used to see very often, taught him to have a -higher opinion of himself than he would have thought of doing, and my -little Julien would listen to that great intellect, devouring him with -his searching, inquisitive great eyes. Then Monsieur Diderot would say: -'There's a child who has the sacred fire!' But my husband didn't want to -have too many ideas put into his head. He thought that the beautiful -should be keenly <i>felt</i> and not studied overmuch. Was he right? He -sought to embellish the imagination, not to overburden it. Julien was -gentle and placid; he read and mused a great deal. His painting is more -highly esteemed than his father's by genuine connoisseurs, and when he -is talking of art you can see that he understands everything; but his -work isn't so universally liked, and he doesn't care at all for society. -His mind is full of all kinds of subjects of meditation, and when I say -to him: 'You don't laugh, you are not in good spirits, you haven't the -enthusiasm of your years,' he answers: 'I am happy as I am. I never feel -the need of excitement. There are so many things to think about!'" -</p> - -<p> -These outpourings of Madame Thierry's heart gradually revealed Julien to -Madame d'Estrelle, and the sort of instinctive respect which had taken -her by surprise when she first saw him, became a sort of awe which made -her love him all the more. It was no longer possible for her to look -upon him as an inferior, and yet the young artist was one of the class -whom her associates referred to as <i>those people!</i> She made an effort -sometimes, when she was talking with her friends, to plead for the -strong and the intelligent in whatever class they might be found. Her -friends were sufficiently far advanced to reply to her: "You are a -thousand times right, birth is nothing, merit alone is of consequence;" -but those were simply maxims for the benefit of enlightened persons, and -nothing more. The actual practice of equality had in no wise been -incorporated in the national morals, and the same persons were not at -all backward, a moment later, in blaming the Duke of So-and-So for -fertilizing his estates with a plebeian dowry, or Princess Blank for -falling in love with a wretched adventurer to the point of wanting to -marry him, to the great scandal of <i>virtuous folk.</i> A young woman, -unmarried or widowed, might fall in love with a man of noble birth, even -though he were poor; but, if he <i>had no birth</i>, it was a disgraceful -infatuation, an indecent attachment; she sacrificed her principles to -her passions; marriage failed to justify her and she became an object of -public contempt. Julie, who had lived in the esteem and regard of her -friends, her only compensation for her unhappy youth, had ice-cold -shivers when she heard that sort of talk; and if the object of her -secret passion had chanced at such a moment to enter her little circle, -apparently so tolerant and good-humored, she would have been compelled -to rise and say to him: "Why have you come here, monsieur?" -</p> - -<p> -But the little party separated at nine, and ten minutes later Julie was -in the garden; she gazed at the light in the pavilion, twinkling like a -green star through the foliage, and she fancied that, if Julien should -appear at a bend in the path, she should not be able to fly. -</p> - -<p> -Throughout all this period of agitation on poor Julie's part, Julien was -almost calm; his purpose was so upright, so sincere, that his mind had -recovered its health sufficiently to deceive itself. -</p> - -<p> -"No," he thought, "I did not lie to my mother. What Madame d'Estrelle -inspires in me is a very strong, lofty, exquisitely delicate friendship; -but it is not, as I thought at first, a frantic and disastrous passion; -or, if I had an attack of that fever at the beginning, it disappeared on -the day when I saw that simple, kindly, trustful woman close at hand, -when I heard her sweet, chaste voice, when I realized that she was an -angel and that my aspirations were not worthy of her. No, no, I am not -in love, according to the common understanding of the term; I love with -a full heart, that is all, and I will not allow my imagination to -torment me. The earth has hardly closed over my poor father; I have not -an hour to waste if I wish to save my mother. No, no, I have no right, I -have no time to give way to passion." -</p> - -<p> -Marcel noticed Julien's tranquillity and was unable to understand the -mental perturbation which made itself manifest in Madame d'Estrelle's -behavior. He found her one day just returned from a visit to her -father-in-law the marquis. His life was thought to be no longer in -danger, and Marcel might hope to talk with him again before long -concerning his client's pecuniary embarrassments. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! <i>mon Dieu</i>, you put yourself to very great trouble for me," said -Julie; "but is it worth while? I give you my word that I am quite -willing to be poor; I should probably be no more bored than I am now." -</p> - -<p> -"And yet you are beautifully arrayed and intending to pass the evening -in company." -</p> - -<p> -"No, I am going to change my dress; I don't expect to go out. With whom -should I go out, pray? I am at odds with Madame d'Ancourt, the only -person to whose house I might venture to go alone in the evening, as she -was my schoolmate at the convent. I am not intimate enough with any of -the others to appear at their houses without a chaperone; Madame -Desmorges, who might act in that capacity for me, is indolent beyond -words; my cousin the <i>présidente</i> is not received in aristocratic -society, and the Marquise d'Orbe is in the country. Really I am terribly -bored, Monsieur Thierry, I am too much alone, and there are days when I -can do nothing, having no heart for anything." -</p> - -<p> -It was the first time that Julie had complained of her situation. Marcel -looked at her attentively and reflected. -</p> - -<p> -"You must divert your mind a little; why don't you go to the play -sometimes?" -</p> - -<p> -"But I haven't a box anywhere now; you know very well that I can no -longer afford it." -</p> - -<p> -"An additional reason for going wherever you please. A box by the year -is downright slavery; it puts you on exhibition and makes a chaperone a -necessity. There are some small pleasures which the bourgeois indulge in -at small expense and without inconvenient display. To-day, for instance, -I am to take my wife to the Comédie-Française. We have hired a closed -box on the ground floor." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! what a pleasure it must be to go there! You are not seen at all, -are you? You enjoy the play, you can laugh or cry without being hooted -by the gallery. Have you a place for me, Monsieur Thierry?" -</p> - -<p> -"I have two; I intended to offer one to my aunt." -</p> - -<p> -"And the other to her son? In that case——" -</p> - -<p> -"That makes no difference; he can go some other day; but what will -people think to meet you on your solicitor's arm in the foyer? Or if -some one should recognize you sitting beside Madame Marcel Thierry, what -would they say?" -</p> - -<p> -"They may say what they please, and they will be very absurd if they -find anything reprehensible in it." -</p> - -<p> -"That is my opinion; but people are absurd, and they will say that you -keep beggarly company; I soften the word out of respect for my wife, for -they will say low company." -</p> - -<p> -"The folly of society is shameful! Your wife is very attractive, I am -told, and highly esteemed. I will go to see her to-morrow, for I know -that to go to occupy a seat in her box unceremoniously, before asking -her permission, would not be proper. Yes, yes, I will call to make her -acquaintance, and we will go to the theatre together another day." -</p> - -<p> -Marcel smiled, for he thoroughly understood the cowardice which had -taken possession of his noble client at the idea of being accused of -mixing with low company. She considered it cruel, unfair, insulting, -absurd; but she was afraid none the less: fear does not reason. -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, very well," Marcel replied; "I recognize your delicacy of -feeling and your kind heart. My wife will be grateful to you for the -intention, and she will be flattered to offer you her box this very -evening; but take my advice, madame la comtesse, and do not go outside -of your own circle to-night, nor to-morrow, nor ever, unless for some -well-matured and well-digested reason. We must eat when we are hungry, -but not force ourselves when we have only a suspicion of an appetite. -The society to which you belong wants no mixture, and you must not defy -it except for some great personal advantage or to do some very good -deed. No one will understand that you do something outside of the -conventional solely for the pleasure of doing it. They will be surprised -first of all, and then they will look for motives, concealed or -serious." -</p> - -<p> -"And what will they find?" said Julie, uneasily. -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing," replied Marcel; "but they will invent, and what people invent -is always malicious." -</p> - -<p> -"The result being that I am condemned to solitude?" -</p> - -<p> -"You have accepted it courageously thus far, and you know well that it -will cease when you choose." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, by marriage; but where am I to find a husband to fill the -conditions demanded by the world and by me? Consider: he must be -wealthy, so you yourself say, noble, according to my friends, and I -myself insist that he must be agreeable and a man made to be loved! I -shall not find him, you know, and I shall do better——" -</p> - -<p> -Julie dared not finish her thought. Marcel thought that he ought not to -question her. There was a pause, embarrassing to them both, then Julie -exclaimed abruptly: -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! <i>mon Dieu</i>, do not think that I am tempted to be false to my duty -and to enter into a frivolous liaison!—I was thinking—I must -tell you—I was thinking that I should do better to desire an obscure -marriage in which I might find happiness." -</p> - -<p> -"Obscure?" said Marcel. "That depends on what you mean by the word. You -must insist upon wealth in any event; for, I warn you that if you hold -your rank cheap, the Estrelle family will abandon you to your -destruction." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, what then?" -</p> - -<p> -"What then? Why, if the husband of your choice is poor and you bring him -debts——" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! yes, you are right; I increase his poverty with all my wretchedness -and all the dangers that are hanging over me. I did not think of that. -You see what a weak head mine is! Look you, Monsieur Thierry, there are -days when I would like to be dead, and you do wrong not to take me to -the play. I feel very depressed this evening, and I would like to be -able to forget that I exist." -</p> - -<p> -"Is it as bad as that?" rejoined Marcel hastily, terrified by her -distressed expression. "In that case put on a very thick black veil and -a very full black cape; I have a cab below; we will call for my wife, to -whom I will explain your whim in two words, and we will go to hear -<i>Polyeucte</i>, which will change the current of your thoughts. Hurry! -for if anyone comes you won't be able to go out." -</p> - -<p> -Julie jumped for joy like a child. She quickly transformed herself into -a nun, dismissed her servants for the evening, and went with Marcel, -half pleased, half frightened, and as excited as if this escapade with a -solicitor and his wife were an adventure big with fate. -</p> - -<p> -"And Madame Thierry?" she said when they were in the cab. -</p> - -<p> -"Madame Thierry—we will leave her where she is," said Marcel. -"Nothing has been said to her about going, and she would delay us while -dressing. Besides, I should prefer—if you are to be recognized in -spite of all our precautions—that you should not be seen with a -woman who has a grown-up son—of whom, I may say parenthetically, -Uncle Antoine has been exceedingly jealous. Mine is only a little -law-student in embryo, barely twelve years old; we will take him, and -that will make our bourgeois and—patriarchal party complete." -</p> - -<p> -They arrived at Marcel's house. He ran upstairs, leaving Julie alone in -the tightly closed cab. He soon came down again with his wife and son. -Madame Marcel Thierry was very much frightened; but, like a sensible -woman, she made no apologies and in a very few moments felt entirely at -ease with the amiable Julie, who, on her side, found her a pleasant and -sensible companion. They left the cab just before they reached the line -of people waiting to purchase tickets, walked to the theatre, and passed -in without meeting any spying or inquisitive persons. They were ushered -into a very dark box, where Madame Marcel and her little boy took their -places in front to conceal Madame d'Estrelle and the solicitor. They -enjoyed the tragedy extremely. Julie had never taken so much pleasure in -a performance. She had a feeling of greater mental freedom, and that -middle-class family interested her deeply. She watched them curiously as -types entirely unfamiliar to her, and, although they were a little -self-conscious in her presence, she surprised divers little loving -tokens between the husband and wife and child, which went to her heart. -At the interesting passages in the play, Madame Marcel would turn to her -husband and say in an undertone: -</p> - -<p> -"Can you see, my dear? my bonnet isn't in your way?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, no, my girl; don't worry about me. Enjoy yourself all you can." -</p> - -<p> -And the child applauded when he saw the pit applaud. He would clap his -little hands with an air of importance, then suddenly throw himself on -his mother and kiss her, which meant that he was enjoying himself -immensely and that he thanked her for bringing him there. -</p> - -<p> -All those simple ways of middle-class life, the familiar form of -address, the endearing epithets, vulgar if you please, but sacred, -aroused in Julie sometimes an inclination to laugh, sometimes a wave of -emotion which brought tears to her eyes. Of course it would all be -considered execrable form in her circle; it was the way that inferior -people talked and acted. Marcel, when in Madame Estrelle's salon, -readily adopted the manners and language of a man who is able to conform -to what is considered proper in all ranks of society. In his own family -he laid aside that conventional manner, and, without ever being vulgar, -he resumed the familiar tone of happy domesticity. Thus Julie surprised -him oblivious of his ceremonious manner and living for his own enjoyment -a sweet, trustful, unconstrained life. She was distressed and delighted -at the same time, and little by little she reached the point where she -said to herself that those people were in the right, and that all -husbands and wives ought to call each other <i>thou</i>, all children to -throw their arms about their mothers' necks, and all spectators to be -interested in the performance. In the circle in which she lived people -always addressed one another as you, they had no simple phrases that -came from the heart, they emasculated every noble sentiment. Refinement -was the most essential point in speech, and dignity in endearments. The -heart entered into them only in a subordinate capacity, and its -effusions must be concealed beneath a certain frigid or absurdly -symbolical gloss. Admiration for genius must never become enthusiasm. -They enjoyed, or appreciated, their words were carefully confined within -certain bounds. In short they made it a point not to display emotion on -any subject, and with the perpetual little smile of the grace that -accompanies noble birth, they became so charming that they ceased to be -human. -</p> - -<p> -Madame d'Estrelle realized all these things for the first time, and was -deeply impressed by them. Little <i>Juliot</i>, who was so called to -distinguish him from Master Julien, whose godson he was, had an -interesting face. He was a funny little rascal, with a shrewd face, -turned-up nose, keen eye and sly mouth, and had the artless and cunning -self-possession of a schoolboy in vacation. Had he been disguised as a -great nobleman, he would never have been confounded with the too pretty -and too polished little men who are all covered with the same -aristocratic varnish. Juliot had his coating of caste, to be sure, but -of that peculiar shading which the bourgeoise mind does not seek to -efface, because in that social stratum every one has to exist by his own -exertions, and to make a place for himself with the aid of the means -which are at his command. Thus the child had the biting wit, combined -with a certain innocent curiosity, which denoted the freshly ground -Parisian, inquisitive and loquacious, credulous and shrewd all at once. -In order not to expose Madame d'Estrelle's name to the possible -consequences of his chatter in the office, he had been told that she was -a client from the country newly arrived in Paris, who had never been to -the theatre before; and, as Julie enjoyed questioning him, he did the -honors of the capital city and the stage, between the acts. He pointed -out the king's box to her, and the pit and the chandelier; he even -explained the play and the relative importance of all the characters. -</p> - -<p> -"You are going to see a beautiful play," he informed her before the -curtain rose. "Perhaps you won't understand it very well, because it's -in poetry. I have read it with my godfather Julien, and he explained it -all to me just as if it was in prose. When you don't understand, -mademoiselle, you must ask me." -</p> - -<p> -"You chatter like a magpie," said his mother. "Don't you suppose madame -knows Corneille better than you do?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! perhaps she does; but I don't believe she knows as much as my -godfather!" -</p> - -<p> -"Much madame cares about your godfather's knowledge! You fancy that the -whole world knows him!" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh well! if you don't know him," said Juliot to Madame d'Estrelle, -"I'll show him to you. He isn't far away, you know!" -</p> - -<p> -"What!" said Marcel, much annoyed, "is he here? do you see him?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, I've seen him quite awhile. He likes <i>Polyeucte</i> so much! He has -seen it more than ten times, I am sure! See, look in the pit, the third -row. His back is turned to us; but I recognize him, <i>pardi!</i> He has on -his black coat and his <i>chapeau à gances.</i>" -</p> - -<p> -Madame d'Estrelle's heart beat very fast. She looked at the bench which -the child indicated, and recognized no one there. Marcel scrutinized it -closely. Juliot had made a mistake. The person he had taken for Julien -turned his face toward them. It was not he; he was not there. As a -matter of fact, he was in one of the upper galleries, just over the box -in which Julie was hiding, and he was a hundred leagues from suspecting -that by going down to the ground floor, he might at least have made an -attempt to see her. Indeed, if he had known it, he would have kept his -place. He was fully determined not to seek any more furtive -opportunities to meet her. As an artist he was entitled to admission at -the Français. He listened to <i>Polyeucte</i> meditatively, as a pious -person listens to the sermon, and he went out before the end, fearing -that his mother would sit up for him. As he passed through the -vestibule, he was very much astonished to find himself face to face with -Uncle Antoine. It was Uncle Antoine's invariable rule to go to bed at -eight o'clock, and it was probable that he had never set foot in a -theatre. Julien accosted him frankly; that was the better way, even -though he were to be ill received. -</p> - -<p> -"So you are found at last?" he said. "We were anxious about you." -</p> - -<p> -"Who are <i>we?</i>" rejoined the uncle in a surly tone. -</p> - -<p> -"Marcel and I." -</p> - -<p> -"You are very good! Did you think I had gone to the Indies, pray, that -you are so surprised to see me?" -</p> - -<p> -"I confess that I hardly expected to see you here." -</p> - -<p> -"And I, on the contrary, was sure of meeting you here!" -</p> - -<p> -And without explaining that reply, which to Julien was absolutely -enigmatical, he turned his back on him. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, well! his mind is really unhinged," thought Julien. -</p> - -<p> -And he passed on, but not without turning two or three times to see if -the amateur in gardens went in or out, and if it were not the case that -he had come there unconsciously; but every time that he looked he saw -Monsieur Antoine standing motionless at the foot of the staircase, and -looking after him with a mocking expression, in which however there was -no sign of mental derangement. -</p> - -<p> -Uncle Antoine disappeared in the crowd, which invaded the peristyle a -few moments later. One of the first groups that he saw consisted of the -solicitor's family, with a stranger taller than Madame Marcel, and -completely concealed by her black silk headgear. He stole down to the -street and took the number of the cab which that group entered, then -despatched in pursuit of that cab the same shrewd and nimble-footed spy -who had notified him that Madame d'Estrelle had gone out with her -attorney, and who had been keeping watch outside the D'Estrelle mansion, -and inside it at times, for a month past, under disguises of all sorts -and on all sorts of pretexts. -</p> - -<p> -In those days the play came to an end early enough to allow people to -sup. Julie had returned home by ten o'clock, after dropping Madame -Marcel on Rue des Petits-Augustins. Marcel, who had escorted Julie to -her door, was about to go away without entering, when she called him -back. Her concierge had just told her some very serious news. The old -marquis, her father-in-law, had died at eight o'clock that evening, just -when they believed that he was cured. Julie had been sent for, so that -she might be present at the administration of the sacrament. Her -absence, which was very hard to explain by reason of the situation which -she herself had explained to Marcel, might have disastrous consequences. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! you see how it is!" said Marcel, sorrowfully, in a low tone (they -were on the stoop); "I told you how it would be. I foresaw some trouble; -but there is no time to be wasted in lamentation. The most disturbing -thing of all is the old man's too sudden end. Come, madame, you must -show yourself at that death-bed. You must take a cab once more. I will -escort you to your mother-in-law's house. I shall not appear there, for -it would not be proper for you to be seen to arrive under the escort of -your solicitor. To-morrow I will take the field in your interest, and we -will find out the contents of the will, if there is a will, which God -grant!" -</p> - -<p> -Julie, sorely disturbed, reëntered the cab. -</p> - -<p> -"Stay," said Marcel, "I can't wait for you at the dowager's door; her -servants would see me, and I have an idea that they report everything to -her. I will alight before you drive into the courtyard, and as I should -not enjoy the idea of your returning alone in this vehicle, you must -order your people to harness at once and send your carriage to the -house." -</p> - -<p> -"You think of everything for me," said Julie; "I don't know what would -become of me without you." -</p> - -<p> -She gave her orders and they started. -</p> - -<p> -"Think of this also," said Marcel. "You will not find the widow in -tears, but at prayer. Do not allow that appearance of sanctity to -encourage you as to her frame of mind. Be sure that she has noticed your -absence and that she will arrange to make you undergo an examination in -the very midst of her devotions. Do not forget that she hates you, and -that, in order to justify herself in robbing you all that she possibly -can, she will think of nothing but finding you at fault." -</p> - -<p> -Julie tried to think how she could best explain the innocent escapade of -the evening. -</p> - -<p> -"You can find nothing better than the truth," replied Marcel. "Say that -you have been at my house——" -</p> - -<p> -"At your house, very good; but what about the play? Going to the play is -a horrible sin in my step-mother's eyes, with or without you." -</p> - -<p> -"Then—say that my wife was sick, that you are interested in my -wife—because—because she has done you a service at some -time—because she is charitable, and assists you in charitable work! -Throw a slight varnish of piety over it; then what can she say to you?" -</p> - -<p> -They reached their destination. Marcel ordered the cabman to stop; then -he alighted, and Julie entered the courtyard of the hôtel D'Ormonde, on -Rue de Grenelle-Saint-Germain, in a cab! That mansion belonged to the -dowager D'Ormonde, who had married for her second husband the Marquis -d'Estrelle, who had thereafter occupied her first husband's house with -her. -</p> - -<p> -The dowager was very rich; her establishment had a grand air of -ceremonious inhospitality: few servants, small outlay, a frigid, -deathlike splendor. The house consisted of several wings, and the -mistress's apartments were located on a rear courtyard planted with -trees and secured from intrusion by a wicket at which Julie had to ring -and wait; but, being certain that she would be admitted, and knowing -that Marcel would have to return on foot unless she sent the cab after -him at once, she dismissed the cabman when she saw that the wicket was -about to be opened. -</p> - -<p> -Instead of opening it, the porter entered into a strange parley with -her. Monsieur le marquis could not receive visitors because he was dead. -The priests had come to administer the sacrament and to keep watch -through the night; madame la marquise was closeted with them and the dead -man. She gave <i>audience</i> to nobody at such times. Julie insisted to -no purpose, on the ground that she was a very near relation. The porter, -leaving her outside, purposely or through inadvertence, went to make -inquiries, and returned to say that no member of the household was -allowed access to madame. -</p> - -<p> -As these negotiations had lasted a considerable time the Comtesse -d'Estrelle understood perfectly well that some one had gained access to -the marchioness, and that she refused to see her. Her duty was done, so -she insisted no longer. She judged that her carriage, travelling much -more rapidly than the cab, must have arrived: so she retraced her steps, -crossed the outer courtyard and passed through the street gate, which -was kept by the porter's wife and was closed behind her instantly, with -indecent precipitation. A carriage was there; but Julie, notwithstanding -her defective sight, saw at once that it was only a cab. -</p> - -<p> -Thinking that it was the one that had brought her, and that the driver -had misunderstood her orders, or that Marcel had sent it back for her by -way of precaution, she called the driver, who was sound asleep on his -box. It was impossible to wake him except by pulling the skirt of his -coat. They who remember what cab-drivers were forty years ago, can judge -what they were forty years earlier than that. This one was so dirty that -Julie hesitated to touch him with her gloved hand. She carefully -gathered up her ample silk skirt to avoid brushing the dirty wheels. -Never before had she been in such an embarrassing plight; she was -afraid, too, to be alone in the street near midnight. The occasional -passers-by stopped to stare at her, and she trembled lest, from good -nature or malice, they should attempt to interfere in her affairs. -</p> - -<p> -The driver woke at last and answered that he did not know her, that he -had brought two priests of the parish to attend the dying man, and that -his orders were to wait for them. He would not stir at any price. Julie -glanced anxiously about her. Her carriage did not appear. She raised the -heavy knocker on the gate, intending to return to the courtyard of the -hôtel. The gate did not open, whether because special orders had been -given with respect to her, or because the general orders were -inflexible. -</p> - -<p> -Extreme terror took possession of her; the idea of returning alone, on -foot, could not be entertained; nor was it possible to remain standing -in front of that gate. There was not a single shop on the street, and -she must wait for her carriage somewhere, no matter where, provided it -was not in the street. The outbuildings of the hôtel D'Ormonde were -some distance away, at the right and left. In one direction was an -abbey, in the other the Convent of the Visitation, where she might seek -shelter; but it was at least ten minutes' walk, and there again she -would have to parley before obtaining admission. She noticed on the -opposite side of the street a high gate at the end of a passage between -the hôtel De Puisieux and the hôtel D'Estrées. She thought that if -she gave a louis to the gate-keeper, he would allow her to wait in his -lodge. She crossed the street, but, when she attempted to ring, she -found that there was neither keeper nor bell. It was simply a servants' -gate for both houses. Julie was rapidly losing heart, when she suddenly -saw close beside her, as if he had risen from the ground, a man who -terrified her so that she almost fainted; but he instantly named -himself, and she uttered a joyful exclamation: it was Julien. She -explained her misadventure in a few somewhat incoherent words. Julien -understood because he was already half informed, and he was not there by -chance. -</p> - -<p> -"It is useless for you to wait here for your carriage," he said; "it -probably will not arrive for some time." -</p> - -<p> -"How do you know?" -</p> - -<p> -"I was at the Comédie-Française this evening." -</p> - -<p> -"Did you see me there?" -</p> - -<p> -"Were you there, madame? I did not know it." -</p> - -<p> -"In that case——" -</p> - -<p> -"In that case I can understand my meeting with Monsieur Antoine Thierry -and his words. He must have known that you were to be there. He was on -the watch; he made an ironical remark which I did not understand, but -which gave me something to think about. As I returned to the pavilion, I -stopped, being somewhat uneasy, in front of your hôtel. Your servants -were in great commotion. It seems that your coachman could not be found. -I accosted the concierge, who knows my face, and, seeing that he was -greatly disturbed, I asked him if any accident had happened to you. He -told me of the Marquis d'Estrelle's death, and that you had driven here -with my cousin Marcel. Your coachman appeared at last, dead drunk and -unable to understand any of the orders you had left for him. The -concierge left me, saying that when Bastien was once on his box, he -would go all right. That did not seem very reassuring to me. I am not so -phlegmatic as your concierge, and I came here as fast as I could. I -hoped to find Marcel still here and to tell him not to trust you -unattended to the care of a drunken coachman; but I arrived a few -moments too late. You are alone and you have been frightened." -</p> - -<p> -"It is all over," said Julie, "and I am calm again; take me home on -foot. You are my Providence!" -</p> - -<p> -"On foot, it is too far," replied Julien, "and you are not properly shod -for walking. This cab here will take us, willingly or by force, I give -you my word, and I will get up behind and accompany you." -</p> - -<p> -Julien returned with Madame d'Estrelle to the cab. He put her in and -ordered the driver to start. The driver refused. Julien jumped up beside -him and seized the reins, swearing that he would throw him into the -gutter if he resisted. The young man's manly bearing and determined air -awed the cab-driver, who submitted; but he had not driven a hundred -yards when he stopped, yelling <i>thief</i> and <i>murder.</i> A party of -men had just come out of a house, and the poor devil hoped to find some aid -against the violence he was undergoing. -</p> - -<p> -As luck would have it these men were young dandies fresh from a -sumptuous supper, and a little the worse for wine. The adventure -presented itself at that moment of excitement when one gladly -constitutes himself a redresser of wrongs, especially when the odds are -four to one in his favor. They abruptly stopped the horses, and one of -them opened the door, for the cabman was yelling at the top of his -voice: -</p> - -<p> -"Help! here's a villain carrying off a nun!" -</p> - -<p> -"Let us see if she's worth the trouble!" replied the party with one -voice. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure04"></a> -<br /> -<img src="images/figure04.jpg" width="400" alt="" /> -<p class="center"><i>JULIEN ESCORTS MADAME D'ESTRELLE</i></p> -<p><i>Julien defended himself with his cane, and used it with -such self-possession, skill and strength, that one of -the assailants fell and the others retreated.</i></p></div> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Before the door was open Julien was on his feet and vigorously repelled -the most zealous of the intruders. The young man thus roughly treated -drew his sword, calling him a clown, and his companions followed his -example. Julien did not take the time to draw his. He defended himself -with his cane, and used it with such self-possession, skill and -strength, that one of the assailants fell and the others retreated. -Julien, who had not left the step, took advantage of this respite to -enter the cab and take Julie out by the opposite door. He took her in -his arms and carried her some distance. Then he turned to await his -adversaries; but, whether because some one of them had received a -serious wound, or because the approach of the watch sobered them, they -made off as rapidly as possible in the opposite direction. -</p> - -<p> -"Let us walk, madame," said Julien. "Let us avoid the curiosity of the -police." -</p> - -<p> -Julie walked rapidly and well. If fear had paralyzed her for an instant, -the sight of the danger to which her protector was exposed had restored -her energy. After taking a somewhat roundabout course to throw the watch -off the scent, they arrived safely on the <i>Nouveau Cours</i>, now -Boulevard des Invalides. It was completely deserted and dimly lighted by -lanterns. Julie did not notice a stain on her glove, but she felt the -moisture of blood on her wrist, and stopped abruptly, exclaiming: -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! <i>Mon Dieu!</i> you are wounded!" -</p> - -<p> -Julien felt nothing, he was very sure that nothing serious had happened -to him; he wrapped his bruised hand in his handkerchief and offered -Julie his other arm. -</p> - -<p> -"I swear to you that I am not wounded," he said; "and suppose I were! -Unfortunately those fellows were not very formidable, and I deserve -little credit for ridding you of them. Coxcombs, dandies! And they bear -titles of nobility in all likelihood!" -</p> - -<p> -"Do you detest the nobility so very bitterly?" -</p> - -<p> -"I, detest them? No! but I abhor impertinence, and as such fellows are -not always willing to fight a duel with plebeians, I am very glad to -have beaten them as a bargeman might have done." -</p> - -<p> -"Alas!" said Julie, thinking aloud, "nevertheless they are at liberty to -insult and trample on the weak!" -</p> - -<p> -"The weak! Who are the weak, pray?" rejoined Julien, mistaking the -meaning of her words. "People without a name? Undeceive yourself, -madame; they are the ones to whom the future belongs, because they have -the right, true justice on their side, and, withal, the determination to -put an end to the abuses of the past." -</p> - -<p> -Julie did not understand, but she trembled anew; this time, however, she -was not afraid of disagreeable encounters, but of an indefinable -mysterious force which seemed to emanate from Julien. She glanced -furtively at him; she fancied that she could see his face glow in the -darkness, and that her feeble hand was resting on the arm of a giant. -</p> - -<p> -But Julien was a simple-hearted youth, an artist without ambition in the -practical affairs of life on his own account. He did not feel called -upon to play a conspicuous part in the revolutionary tempests; he looked -forward to no other labor for himself than that of studying the charms -of nature all his life. That awe-inspiring power with which he was -endowed in Julie's eyes was simply the reflection of the divine power on -the mind of the new class. He was one of the hundred thousand among the -millions of disappointed and soured men who were about to say on the -first opportunity: "The cup is full, the past has had its day." The brief -allusion he had just made to this general frame of mind among men of his -class—a subject which was in every mouth at that time—seemed to -Madame d'Estrelle a most impressive prophecy from the lips of an -exceptional man. It was the first time that she had ever heard anyone -speak defiantly and contemptuously of what she had always considered -invincible. The species of superstitious terror which she felt was -blended with fervent trust, with a longing to lean the more heavily on -that sturdy arm which, under the impulsion of a noble heart, had fought -alone, in her cause, against four swords. -</p> - -<p> -"So you think," she said, still walking rapidly, "that one can shake off -the yoke of this unjust world which oppresses men's consciences, and -condemns true principles? I would like to agree with you that is -likely to happen!" -</p> - -<p> -"You believe it already, since you desire to believe it." -</p> - -<p> -"Possibly; but when will it happen?" -</p> - -<p> -"No one can say when or by what means; what is just and right cannot -fail to happen; but what does it matter to you, madame, whether all this -lasts fifty or a hundred years longer? Are you not one of those who -profit innocently by the misfortunes of others?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! I profit by nothing. I have nothing of my own, and I am nobody in -society." -</p> - -<p> -"But you are of society, you belong to it, it owes you protection, and -it will never wound you in your own person." -</p> - -<p> -"Who knows?" said Julie. -</p> - -<p> -Then, fearing that she had said too much, she changed the subject by -recurring to the scene which had just taken place. -</p> - -<p> -"When I think," she said, "that a great disaster might have happened to -you just now! Ah! your poor mother—how she would have cursed me if I -had been the cause—" -</p> - -<p> -"No, madame, that could not have happened," replied Julien; "I had right -on my side." -</p> - -<p> -"And you believe that Providence interposes in such cases?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, since Providence is with us. It gives us strength and presence of -mind. A man who defends a woman's honor against scoundrels has all the -chances on his side. Courage comes very easy to him; he feels that he -cannot succumb." -</p> - -<p> -"What faith you have!" exclaimed Julie, deeply touched. "Yes, I remember -you said at my house <i>the other day</i> that faith would move mountains, -and that you were faith personified." -</p> - -<p> -"<i>The other day!</i>" Julien repeated ingenuously. "That was more than a -month ago." -</p> - -<p> -Julie dared not pretend not to know how many days and nights had passed -since that brief interview. So she said nothing. Julien carried his -respect for her so far as not to continue the conversation himself, and -the longer the silence endured the less able was Julie to summon the -presence of mind to break it without betraying the emotion she felt. At -last they reached the pavilion. -</p> - -<p> -"Do you not think," he said, "that you should take your arm from mine -now, so that your people may not see me? then I will follow you at a -little distance until I have seen your door close behind you." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," she replied; "but what will my people think to see me returning -alone and on foot at such an hour? The best way is for me to go through -the pavilion and through my garden; then they will think that Monsieur -Marcel brought me back that way." -</p> - -<p> -That seemed in truth the best plan. Julien had his key in his pocket. -</p> - -<p> -"I will go and wake my mother," he said, "and tell her to get up; for I -told her, as I passed, not to sit up for me. She thinks that I have been -to take supper with Marcel." -</p> - -<p> -"Don't wake her, I forbid it. To tell her all our adventures would take -too long now. She would be distressed, perhaps, being half asleep. -To-morrow you can tell her everything. Open the garden door for me, and -I will run home without making any noise. Thanks, and adieu!" -</p> - -<p> -To pass through the narrow passage way leading from the street door to -the garden door, inside the pavilion, they had to walk several seconds -in absolute darkness. In that straitened household no lamps were kept -burning needlessly, and Babet came for the day only and did not sleep in -the house. Julien went first, opened the garden, bowed low to Madame -d'Estrelle and immediately closed the door, to prove to her that he -never used it and that he should not presume to follow her, even with -his eyes, along the paths through which she glided like a ghost. -</p> - -<p> -Such perfect discretion, such unswerving respect, such delicate, -thoughtful, untiring, really serviceable devotion touched Madame -d'Estrelle profoundly. It was a magnificent June night. She knew that by -knocking on the window of her bedroom, which was on the ground floor, -looking on the garden, she could summon Camille, who was sitting up for -her. She knew too that Camille's vigil consisted in enjoying a good nap -on the best couch in the apartment. She thought that she might without -unkindness allow her to keep vigil in that way a few moments more; and -feeling that her heart was overflowing with emotion, her mind fairly -drowned by conflicting thoughts, she could not resist the temptation to -sit down beside the basin in which the moon was reflected, clear and -motionless, as in a Venetian mirror. -</p> - -<p> -The nightingale had ceased to sing. It was sleeping on its young brood. -All was still, and the young zephyr (the night breeze of those days) was -slumbering so sweetly that it did not even stir a blade of grass. Paris -too was asleep, at all events the tranquil quarter of which the hôtel -D'Estrelle marked the outer limit. The sounds of the country were more -audible there than those of the city; at that hour they were confined to -an occasional cock-crow and the barking of a dog in the distance at long -intervals. The clocks rang out in clear tones, answering one another -from convent to convent; then everything relapsed into blissful silence; -and if one could hear the distant rumbling of a carriage on the pavement -of the real Paris, it resembled the dull murmur of the waves rather than -a sound produced by human activity. -</p> - -<p> -Julie, tired out and slightly bewildered, breathed deep of the -tranquillity of the night, of that perfume of solitude, with the keenest -pleasure. She fixed her eyes on a great white star, which shone near the -moon and was reflected in the same basin. At first she sat there without -thinking, oblivious of everything, enjoying absolute repose; soon her -heart began to beat so violently that it pained her; first she felt hot, -then cold. She rose to go away. She went to her bedroom window, but she -did not knock. She returned to the stone bench. She sat down and wept. -Then she rose and walked around the basin like a soul in torment; at -last she stopped, smiling like a soul at peace. She consented to -question herself, and when her heart replied: <i>I love</i>, she was -frightened and forbade it to speak. Then she called her conscience to -account for that terror, that shrinking austerity, opposed to the laws -of nature and useless to God. Her conscience replied that it had nothing -to do with it, and that the obstacle was not due to it but to the -<i>reason</i>, a sort of artificial conscience wherein God and nature gave -precedence to conventional ideas, fear, selfish scheming, precautions -due to misapprehension of one's real interests. In this order of -reasoning everything was expressed in terms of six-franc pieces. Marcel -had reason on his side in view of the actual facts. So the heart must be -sacrificed to the most sordid of facts, to the implacable menace of -poverty. -</p> - -<p> -"No," said Julie to herself, "that shall not be! If necessary I will -sell everything, I will have nothing of my own, I will work; but I -<i>will</i> love, even though I have to ask alms! Besides, <i>he</i> will -work for three, he who works now for two! He will undertake that burden, he -will be overjoyed to do it if he loves me! In his place, I should be so -overjoyed!" -</p> - -<p> -Julie began to walk again with increasing agitation. -</p> - -<p> -"Does he love me as much as that? Does he love me with the passion that -I thought that I detected the first day?—Ah! that is the question -that I ask myself incessantly, that is all that troubles me, that is -something that neither my conscience nor my reason, nor my heart can -tell me. Perhaps he has only a friendly feeling for me, for he is a good -son, and he is grateful to me for what I tried to do for his mother. He -owes me gratitude and he proves his gratitude by admirable devotion. And -what then? Why should he love me madly? why should he want to pass his -life at my feet? He has no craving for it, for he is never at hand -except on occasions when I may need him. The rest of the time he gives -his mind to his real duties, his work, his mother, perhaps to some girl -of his own station who will bring him a comfortable dowry—whereas -I, a poor, ruined—But am I ruined?—If my husband's father -has provided for my future, I am still a <i>grande dame</i>—and in -that case—in that case everything in my dream is changed; I forget -this young man who is not suited to me, I marry a man in society, at my -choice, I am proud and happy, I love without perplexity and without -shame.—Oh, yes! But now it is <i>he</i>, no stranger, no other -than he, whom I love; it is he alone, and I do not know whether one can -be cured of that. I do not know if one ever forgets. I fear not, since -the more I try, the more utterly I fail; the more I defend myself, the -more completely I am beaten. My God, my God! in all this there is but -one real fear, one real torture: and that is the fear that he does not -love me! How shall I find out? Perhaps I shall never find out. Can I -live without it?" -</p> - -<p> -Tormenting herself thus, she found herself quite near the pavilion, -having no idea how she came there. The door was open, a black figure -stood in the doorway. Julien, as if he had overheard her thoughts, as if -he were irresistibly impelled to answer them, came straight to her side. -</p> - -<p> -Julie at once recovered her reason and her pride. Taken by surprise, she -was about to speak in the character of an insulted queen. He did not -give her time. -</p> - -<p> -"Why are you here, madame?" he said. "Can you not get in? Are your -servants asleep, or are they all expecting you to come from the street? -You cannot pass the night in the garden, dressed as you are. It is two -o'clock. The dew is falling, you will be frozen, you will be ill. And -your hood is over your shoulder, your head bare, your arms hardly -covered. Here, take this heavy mantle of my mother's at once, and -forgive me for being here." -</p> - -<p> -"But how did you know?" -</p> - -<p> -"I heard you walking on the gravel—a very light step which could be -nobody's but yours, and constantly stopping and going on again. I was in -the studio, then I came here and held the door ajar, saying to myself: -'She is still out-of-doors, she can't get in, she will take cold, she is -tired, she is suffering, perhaps she is afraid!' I could not stand it -any longer; indeed, it was my duty. And this must not go on, you know; -whatever people may say or think, I do not propose that you shall kill -yourself; no, I do not!" -</p> - -<p> -Julien was profoundly moved, his voice trembled, and so did his hands as -he placed his mother's cloak over Julie's shoulders; but he did not -struggle against the surprises of passion; he chided rather, like a -father who sees his child in danger. It did not occur to him that he -could be accused of selfish love or of a treacherous exploit. So that he -forgot all considerations of propriety, and there was in his solicitude -a passionate intonation which overpowered Julie. She grasped both his -hands and, carried away herself by an outburst of exalted passion, the -first in her life, the least expected and the most unconquerable, she -exclaimed wildly: -</p> - -<p> -"You love me, you love me, I am sure! Then tell me so, that I may hear -it and know it! You love me—as I want to be loved!" -</p> - -<p> -Julien stifled a cry, lost his head completely and carried Julie into -his studio; but she had led so chaste a life that the alarm of her -modesty inevitably caused her lover's respect, momentarily submerged, to -rise again to the higher regions of his heart. He fell at her feet and -covered the tips of her ice-cold fingers with kisses, imploring her to -have perfect confidence in him. -</p> - -<p> -"Confidence!" he exclaimed, "confidence! I have sworn that I would be -your brother. It is your brother who is here beside you, do not doubt -it, and your confidence will save me. I told you that I adored you; that -is truer than I can possibly tell you, stronger than you can dream, more -terrible than I myself imagined; but I will not cause you to shed a -tear, I would kill myself first! Have no fear; you shall never need to -blush for having ordered me to love you." -</p> - -<p> -Could he have kept his word? He believed that he could, even at the -height of his delirious joy. Julie increased his strength by her own -boldness. -</p> - -<p> -"No, I do not propose to blush," she said, with the frankness of a -serious resolution; "I propose to be your wife, for to be your mistress -would degrade you. Commonplace love affairs are not becoming to a man -like you; to a woman like me, dissolute conduct is impossible. I too -would kill myself first! Julien, let us take our oath here and now to -marry, whatever happens, whether I am rich or destitute, for there is as -much chance of one as of the other. If I am poor, your determination -will never weaken, you will sustain and support me. If I am rich, you -will have no vain pride, you will share my destiny. This must be -decided, agreed upon, sworn to. I am not brave, I warn you; that is why -I insist upon pledging myself irrevocably, and then I know that I shall -look neither to the right hand nor to the left. My love will become a -duty; then I shall be strong, resolute and self-possessed. I was able to -endure despair in marriage, because I have principles and true piety; -with all the more reason I shall accept happiness, and I will struggle -to be happy as I struggled formerly not to desire to be. Swear, my -friend; we must be everything to each other, or we must never meet -again; for this is certain, we love each other and our love is stronger -than we are. Society can have nothing to say. For a fortnight past I -have ceased to live, I have felt that I was dying. To-day, I went mad; I -should have run after you just now if you had said to me: 'I do not love -you.'—Or no, I should have thrown myself into the basin, with the -moon and the star that shine in its depths. Julien, I am losing my mind, I -never said such things before, I did not think that I should ever dare -to say them, but here am I saying them to you, and I am not sure that it -is myself who speaks. Have pity on me, sustain me, preserve my honor, -which is yours, preserve your wife's purity for your own sake." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, my wife! yes, I swear it!" cried Julien, in an ecstasy of joy. -"And do you too, Julie, swear it before God!" -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Mon Dieu!</i>" said Julie, bewildered and suddenly becoming a little -cowardly, "we have known each other a month——" -</p> - -<p> -"No, not a month," replied Julien. "Only an hour; for we met a month ago -for a quarter of an hour here, a quarter of an hour at your house, and -this evening in the street for half an hour. We may as well say, Julie, -that, so far as appearances go, we do not know each other at all, and -yet we love each other. God above hears us and knows it well, for it was -He who wished it, who still wishes it!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, you are right," she replied excitedly, for she felt recreated by -her lover's exalted faith; "we know nothing of each other but our love. -Is not that enough? is not that everything? What is all the rest? You -are a clever artist, an estimable young man, a good son; that is what -everybody knows about you; but is it because of those things that I love -you? I am a virtuous person, not ungenerous and of a gentle disposition, -or so you may have heard; but that is not what made you love me. There -are other good men, other estimable women, to whom we should never have -thought of becoming attached; we love each other because we love each -other, that is the whole story!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, yes," said Julien, "love is like God, it is because it is, it is -the alkahest! What does it matter that we discover in each other this or -that peculiar development of mind or character? The great, the only -business of our lives is to love, and since we possess each other's -love, we have known each other a hundred years, forever—our love has -neither beginning nor end!" -</p> - -<p> -They hyperbolized thus for more than an hour in the studio, talking in -low tones, by the vague light of the moon shining through the trees; -Julie seated, Julien on his knees, hand in hand, but refraining from the -kiss which would have been their ruin. Suddenly the moon, which was -sinking toward the horizon, seemed to shine so brightly, that they were -forced to conclude that the dawn was lending its light. Julie rose and -fled, after making Julien swear a hundred times that their union was -indissoluble. -</p> - -<p> -Camille was greatly surprised, when she opened the door for her -mistress, to find that it was nearly three o'clock. -</p> - -<p> -"Are the servants still waiting for me?" inquired Madame d'Estrelle. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, madame; they think that madame has decided to pray all night by -monsieur le marquis's body. The carriage went to fetch madame. Madame -must have found it at the gate of the hôtel D'Ormonde?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, I did not wait for it; it was too slow in coming. Monsieur Marcel -Thierry brought me home by way of the pavilion, where I had to stop and -talk business with him. Tell the servants to go to bed; the carriage -will return when the coachman is sober." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! <i>mon Dieu!</i> so madame knows? Poor Bastien! I can take my oath, -madame, that he got tipsy from vexation because madame had taken a cab." -</p> - -<p> -If this explanation made Julie smile, her own explanations seemed -strange to the soubrette; but she suspected nothing wrong. Julie's life -was so regular and so pure! Camille concluded simply that her financial -position must be in great danger, since she passed the night talking -with the solicitor; and she imparted her solicitude to the other -servants, who were distressed by it, even while thinking that they must -not allow their wages to go unpaid. The footman, who was a friend of -Camille, and as such inclined to shield Bastien, went to the hôtel -D'Ormonde, but did not find him there. Bastien had understood that his -orders were to go back to the wineshop, and thither he had gone; he was -sleeping the sleep of the angels, the only slumber supposed to be -delicious enough to be compared with that of a drunken man. The carriage -was waiting for him at the door, and the groom, his subordinate, had -consented to watch the horses on condition that he was supplied with -something to warm him on the box every fifteen minutes. The rascals did -not reappear at the hôtel until daylight and did not recover their -senses for twenty-four hours. Under other circumstances Julie would have -dismissed them; but she foresaw that the bacchanalian episode would -introduce confusion into the accounts of the romantic episode, in the -gossip of the servants' hall and the porter's lodge. That is what -actually happened, and as the people in Madame d'Estrelle's service were -not ill-disposed toward her, it seemed that nothing was likely to -transpire of her actions during that extraordinary night. -</p> - -<p> -On the next night, as a matter of prudence the lovers held aloof from -each other; but on the night following that, although they had made no -appointment, they found themselves once more among the shrubbery in the -garden, and repeated with renewed delight all that they had said two -days before. They continued in this way, undisturbed and without -apparent danger, nothing being easier than for Madame d'Estrelle to -steal out of her apartments, even without very great precaution, her -people being accustomed to see her go out alone for a breath of fresh -air, at a late hour on summer nights. -</p> - -<p> -What a delightful existence if it could have lasted! Those meetings had -all the charm of mystery, with no remorse to disturb their joys. Both -perfectly free, and aspiring only to the most sacred union, sustained by -a love strong enough to be able to wait, they sat there in the darkness, -amid bushes laden with flowers, in the splendor of the early summer -which retains all the charm of spring; they were like two fiancés, who -are permitted to love each other, and who, without abusing the -permission, keep out of sight in order to arouse no jealousy. It was the -honeymoon of sentiment preceding the honeymoon of passion. Passion was -already awake, but they fought against it, or rather held it in reserve, -by mutual consent, for the time when they would be forced to fight and -display their courage; for well they knew what they would have to face, -and Julien said to his friend: -</p> - -<p> -"You will suffer terribly for my sake, I know; and I shall suffer to see -you suffer; but then we shall belong to each other, and love will afford -us ineffable joys which will make us invulnerable to assaults from -outside. Even if you were not guarded here by your own modesty and my -veneration, it seems to me that my selfish interests, rightly -understood, would enjoin upon me not to exhaust all my happiness at -once." -</p> - -<p> -At other times Julien was more agitated and less resigned to wait. Then -Julie would pacify him by imploring him to remember what he had said the -day before. -</p> - -<p> -"I have been so happy since we have loved each other thus!" she would -say to him. "Let us not change this blissful condition of affairs. -Remember that on the day when I shall say to you aloud that I have -chosen you for my life companion, people will laugh and cry out and -accuse me of a vulgar infatuation; and I know virtuous women who will -say to me cynically: 'Keep him for a lover, since you must have a lover; -but see him in secret and don't marry him!' With what sort of a -countenance could I endure such impertinences, if my conscience were not -clear, and if I no longer felt that I had the right to reply: 'No, he is -not my lover! he is my fiancé, whom I love, and who has proved his -respect for me as no other man could ever have proved it!' Let us keep -all our weapons, Julien; truth is the most powerful of all weapons in -the struggle against false ideas." -</p> - -<p> -Julien submitted, because he was entirely devoted to her, and also -because his spirit was loyal to that indefinable strain of heroism which -had guided his life and restrained the first impulses of his youth. He -was still able to conquer his passions, having never allowed them to -dominate him entirely. Moreover, this romance of pure love, in the -perfume-laden darkness, appealed to his imagination, and to the artist -those poetic nights were intoxicating festivals. That garden had dark -recesses and imposing masses of foliage, such as we see in Watteau's -pictures. The appearance of Julie, charmingly dressed, not over tall, -and of graceful outline in her simple gown, was in harmony with that -distinctive savor which makes of Watteau a serious painter, a realistic -and thoroughly alive Italian, amid conventional surroundings and in an -age of affectation. There was a secluded nook where a tall white marble -urn, standing high upon an ivy-wreathed pedestal, stood forth vaguely in -the darkness, like a spectre, against the black background of the trees. -Bluish, indistinguishable lights flitted over the foliage, and the -shadows of the branches played about the marble, whose outlines -constantly disappeared, although its shape was always graceful and -majestic. -</p> - -<p> -Thither Julien repaired to wait for Julie, as soon as his mother had -gone to bed, and, when she approached, as smiling and tranquil as -happiness itself, with her silk petticoats shimmering in the darkness -and her lovely bare arms holding up her skirts, Julien fancied that he -was looking upon some modern muse who ruled his destiny, bringing him -promises of future bliss with all the charms and fascinations of present -real life. -</p> - -<p> -They must enjoy the present without giving too much thought to the -morrow, for the uncertainty of future events made it impossible for them -to form definite plans. They did not know yet whether they could live on -thus, deserted by society, forgotten and at peace in that garden which -had become an earthly paradise for love; or whether, ejected from the -pavilion by inexorable creditors, they would go to seek an attic chamber -in some suburb, with a garden on the window-sill. They proposed to face -everything together; that was the only absolute certainty, the only -irrevocable determination. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="VI">VI</a></h4> - -<p> -Two weeks had passed since the Marquis d'Estrelle's death, and, after -search had been made in every conceivable place, there was no trace of a -will. It was generally believed that there was one; no one dared say -aloud that the marchioness had persuaded him not to make one. There were -divers indications that Marcel believed that to be a fact, but it was of -no use to suspect, they could prove nothing, and the consequences were -enforced with overbearing placidity; that is to say, the marchioness, -while holding fast to the rights guaranteed by her marriage contract, -also inherited all the property of the deceased, and made no suggestion -of any sum being set aside to pay the late count's debts. And yet such -a provision seemed to be implied by the terms of Julie's marriage -contract. It was a matter for judicial settlement, and Marcel advised -Julie to appeal to the courts, if for no other purpose than to delay the -suits with which she was threatened. Julie would not consent. It was her -idea that lawsuits were always lost by both parties, and Marcel agreed -that she was not very far astray. -</p> - -<p> -"I am well aware," she said, "that the marchioness does not love me, and -it is very possible that she owes me nothing; but she is a very great -lady, and it is not possible that, rich as she is, she will allow a -person who bears her name to be entirely denuded. Let us wait a little -longer. It would not be becoming to begin so soon to talk to her about -money, and it would be most imprudent, as you yourself said, to appear -to be in too much of a hurry. When the time has come, I will take that -step, let it cost what it may; you must advise me of the fitting -opportunity." -</p> - -<p> -"Go there at once," said Marcel to her one day. "There is no time to -lose, your creditors propose to take action to-morrow." -</p> - -<p> -Julie, undeterred by the ill-success of her first visit, had called upon -the dowager on the morning following the marquis's decease. On that -occasion she was received very coldly, but courteously. Perhaps, the -marquis's testamentary provisions having been put out of the way, her -presence was no longer dreaded. There was a sort of bitter-sweet comment -upon the worldly pleasures in which Madame d'Estrelle indulged at the -close of her period of mourning, in allusion to her absence from home on -the preceding evening. Julie had given the explanation agreed upon with -Marcel. It was received with a decidedly incredulous air of curiosity, -and then the marchioness observed: -</p> - -<p> -"I am very sorry for you, countess, but you are obliged to wear mourning -again!" -</p> - -<p> -Julie had paid other visits to the dowager, without mentioning her -pecuniary troubles. When the moment had come to do so, she summoned all -her courage, began the interview with her usual gentleness of manner, -and laid bare her position in a few words, which she could not succeed -in making very humble. -</p> - -<p> -"I beg your pardon, madame," the marchioness replied, "but I do not at -all understand these matters of business, as I have not enjoyed the -advantage of living on terms of intimacy with solicitors. If you will be -good enough to send your solicitor to my notary, he will be informed of -my rights as well as my duties, and will be convinced that you are not -included among the burdens left for me to bear." -</p> - -<p> -"That is not the reply which I expected from your sense of honor, madame -la marquise. It may be that you owe me nothing; it must be so, since you -so declare." -</p> - -<p> -"I thought that for family reasons——" -</p> - -<p> -"I have not the honor to be of your family," rejoined the marchioness -dryly. -</p> - -<p> -"You mean," replied Julie, excited by the sneer, "that Monsieur le Comte -d'Estrelle made something of a misalliance when he married a young woman -of a family whose nobility was partly of the sword and partly of the -gown. That does not wound me, for I am not ashamed of those of my -ancestors who were magistrates, and I do not consider myself inferior to -anyone; but I did not come here to discuss my right to the honor of -bearing the name which you also bear. It is a fact that I am the -Comtesse d'Estrelle; am I to lose the status which was promised me, and -which seemed to be secured to me? If monsieur le marquis forgot me when -he was dying, does it not result from the intentions which he must have -communicated to you, that you will pay his son's debts, in part, at -least?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, madame, that does not follow from any intention that he ever made -known to me. I simply know his opinion, and it was this: that you must -absolutely abandon your dower, since it is insufficient to pay the debts -in question, and that he would then attend to the balance." -</p> - -<p> -"That has often been proposed to me, madame, and I have asked whether, -in exchange for that sacrifice, any allowance would be made me." -</p> - -<p> -"Are you absolutely penniless? did your family leave you nothing?" -</p> - -<p> -"Twelve hundred francs a year, madame, no more, as you know." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, one can live with that, my dear; that is enough to enable one to -ride in cabs, to see the play from a closed box, consort with -solicitors' wives, and walk about the streets at midnight on a -sign-painter's arm. Those are your tastes, I am told; gratify them, -renounce your rights, or allow the property which you hold from the -Estrelle family to be sold at any price; it makes little difference to -me! All that I desire is that you should marry somebody or other, so -that your name will be changed and I shall never be confounded with you -by those who do not know us." -</p> - -<p> -"You shall have that satisfaction, madame, for I am more anxious than -you to avoid that unpleasant confusion." -</p> - -<p> -She bowed and went out. -</p> - -<p> -Marcel was waiting at her house. When she returned with pale cheeks and -eyes blazing with indignation, he said: -</p> - -<p> -"All is lost, I can see that! Speak quickly, madame, you frighten me." -</p> - -<p> -"My dear Thierry, I am hopelessly ruined," she replied; "but that is not -what is suffocating me with rage. She insults me, she tramples me under -her feet; at the very outset, without any presumption or provocation on -my part, she hurls insults in my face! I am surrounded by spies, who -carry tales to her and poison the most innocent things. Thierry," she -added, sinking into a chair, "you are an honest man; I swear to you that -I am an honest woman." -</p> - -<p> -"Only a miserable villain could deny that!" cried Marcel. "Come, have -courage, tell me what you mean." -</p> - -<p> -When Marcel knew everything, excepting only the understanding between -Julien and the countess, for they had thought it best to keep their -secret temporarily, even from Madame André Thierry, he was much cast -down and considered the situation very desperate. -</p> - -<p> -"Here you are," he said, "between sudden, absolute destitution, a -terrible thing to a woman with your habits, and a lawsuit of which the -result is very doubtful. I no longer know what to advise you. I see that -my anticipations are being realized. She can strip you bare and obtain -the approval of society, by trying to besmirch your reputation. She has -weapons all sharpened for you, she laid in a store of them when she saw -that the marquis was sinking, and, feeling sure that he was on his -death-bed, she used them; she has manœuvred in cold blood to ruin you, -she has set spies upon you and had you followed." -</p> - -<p> -"One moment, Monsieur Thierry; hasn't Monsieur Antoine had a hand in all -this?" -</p> - -<p> -"Julien thinks so; I still doubt it; I will find out, and, if necessary, -I will set up a counter-system of espionage; but the most urgent thing -is not to find out who is betraying you, but to determine what you will -do." -</p> - -<p> -"No lawsuits, in any event!" -</p> - -<p> -"No; but let us not make that announcement; we will threaten to make -trouble; I will attend to that. They insist that you shall abandon your -dower; I propose that they shall purchase that sacrifice, and I will -make a stout fight over the conditions." -</p> - -<p> -"Meanwhile," said Julie, "I am at odds with my husband's family, for you -can imagine that I shall never set foot inside the marchioness's doors -again." -</p> - -<p> -"In view of her very evident determination to drive you to extremities, -I do not pretend to advise you to be patient. War is declared, the -hostilities are not of our making. Our proper course is to avoid -retreating." -</p> - -<p> -But Marcel had no time to fight. He had at his heels two or three -solicitors of decidedly unsavory renown, who talked of selling at -auction, and who would grant no further delay. He thought that they must -submit to the marchioness's demands. He went to Julie and told her so. -</p> - -<p> -"They are robbing you," he said; "indeed I fear that they may force you, -in case you resist, to part with the slender capital you inherit from -your own family. It is absolutely certain that the count's debts, with -the accumulated interest, will absorb much more than what you still -retain of his fortune. The Marquise d'Estrelle desires to occupy, or at -all events to own, the hôtel D'Estrelle." -</p> - -<p> -"And its appurtenances?" queried Julie; "the pavilion too?" -</p> - -<p> -"The pavilion too. My aunt must have something to indemnify her for -moving; another point to fight over, but one in which you are not -interested." -</p> - -<p> -Julie made no reply, but became profoundly sad. The idea of being -ruined, of being reduced to twelve hundred francs a year, had not -hitherto presented itself very clearly to her mind: but to leave forever -that lovely house and that delightful garden, which had become so dear -to her in the past few weeks; to lose that proximity to the pavilion, -the fascination and the perfect security of those nocturnal -interviews—that was a genuine catastrophe! A whole world of bliss -crumbled to dust behind her. One phase of the purest happiness she had -ever known was brutally closed, before she had any time to prepare for -it. -</p> - -<p> -Marcel returned at once to the marchioness's notary. He found him very -domineering in face of the countess's concessions—not as a man, for -he was a most gallant individual, but as the agent engaged to contest his -client's cause foot by foot. Moreover he had been warned against Julie, -and he saw in her only a foolish young woman, determined to sacrifice -everything to illicit passions. Marcel could not contain himself; he -lost his temper, swore on his honor that there were no secret relations -between the countess and his cousin, that they hardly knew each other, -and that Julie was the purest of women and the most worthy of respect -and compassion. Marcel had the reputation of an exceedingly upright man: -the warmth of his convictions shook the notary; but, recurring to the -marchioness's rights, he showed that she was mistress of the situation, -and that the countess would be very fortunate to extricate herself in -any way that the other chose to allow. -</p> - -<p> -However, he promised to do his utmost to bring her to a more generous -frame of mind toward her stepson's widow. The next day he announced, in -a letter to Marcel, that the marchioness desired to inspect the hôtel -D'Estrelle, which she had not entered for a long time. She desired to -see for herself the condition of the property and then to have an -appraisal made and discussed in her presence by her advisers and the -countess's. It was easy to see, from the tone of this letter, that the -notary had displeased his client by pleading the moral side of Julie's -cause, as he had promised to do, and that he himself was far from -pleased with the dowager's suspicions and harsh dealing. -</p> - -<p> -He appeared with her on the same day. Julie, preferring not to see her -heartless enemy again, locked herself into her boudoir, leaving the -doors of all the other rooms open. -</p> - -<p> -The Marquise d'Estrelle was a shrewish Norman. In Madame d'Ancourt's -circle she was called <i>Madame de Pimbeche, Orbeche</i>, etc. She was -accused of borrowing money by the year to lend secretly at usurious -rates. This may have been an exaggeration; but it is certain that, if -she expended a considerable sum to set Julie free, she proposed to -recoup herself on the details. The promptness with which she came to -make this sort of expert inspection demonstrated that purpose. -</p> - -<p> -She went through the house, examined everything with a keen, unerring -eye, made her comments and her deductions on account of the slightest -crumbling of the walls, cried down the furniture and the fixtures as -much as she possibly could, and talked and acted with a cynicism born of -avarice and aversion, which fairly sickened Marcel and made the notary -blush more than once. When she came to the boudoir where Julie had taken -refuge, she demanded that the door be opened. It was opened instantly. -Julie had heard her approaching, and being unwilling to undergo the -supreme affront of receiving a hateful visitor against her will, she had -gone out through the garden, bidding Camille open the door as soon as -the demand was made. Camille was proud, she could point to sheriffs -among her ancestors! She could not resist the temptation to give the -dowager a lesson: she walked to a chest of drawers in which she had -hastily and designedly placed a few trifles, and said in a tone of -sarcastic resignation: -</p> - -<p> -"Perhaps madame desires to count the linen? There are some of my -mistress's ribbons and neckerchiefs here." -</p> - -<p> -The dowager cared little for the chatter of a lady's maid; but her -hatred of Julie was lashed into fury. She cast a rapid glance through -the window and saw Madame d'Estrelle crossing the garden toward the -pavilion. -</p> - -<p> -Doubtless that was a great mistake on Julie's part; but she too was -exasperated. She felt as if she were driven from her house, from her -bedroom, from her most sacred retreat, by the shamelessness of -persecution. She longed for a refuge, her brain was in a whirl, and she -bent her steps, without reflection, as if by instinct, toward Madame -Thierry and Julien. -</p> - -<p> -"She will not come to their house to rout me out," she thought; "she -will not dare. I am still the owner of the place, and I alone have the -right to enter the premises of my lessees. Moreover, it is time for me -to acknowledge my friendly relations with Madame Thierry, and after -to-day I propose to go to her house as I go to the houses of other women -who have sons or brothers." -</p> - -<p> -As she resolutely entered the pavilion, the marchioness, impelled by a -no less sudden resolution, rushed from the boudoir into the garden. -</p> - -<p> -"Where are you going, madame?" asked Marcel, who had not seen Julie -fleeing, but who distrusted the gleaming eyes and the jerky gait of the -vigorous and active old woman. -</p> - -<p> -The marchioness did not deign to answer, but hopped on like a plucked -magpie. Marcel and the notary followed her, being unable to stop her. -</p> - -<p> -She knew the place very well, although she had not shown herself there -for a long while, having had a falling-out with her step-son the count -at the time of her second marriage. She arrived at the pavilion a few -minutes after Julie, and entered the studio like a bombshell. -</p> - -<p> -Julien was alone; he was not even aware that Madame d'Estrelle had come -in and gone up to his mother's room. Since he had been seeing Julie in -secret, he had ceased to be on the lookout for her. They were so -entirely agreed that they would not meet by chance! He was working and -singing over his work. Julie, as she passed through the little porch, -had had an indefinable sudden presentiment of the danger of being -followed; so she had gone upstairs, convinced that the widow's bedroom -was an inviolable refuge. -</p> - -<p> -Surprised by the sudden appearance of the old dowager, Julien, who had -never seen her, rose from his chair, thinking that she had come from the -street and that she wished to give him an order. That red-faced, panting -apparition, angular and repellent, caused him more displeasure than -hope. -</p> - -<p> -"Here is a person who will haggle like a pawnbroker," he thought -rapidly, "unless indeed she is a female pawnbroker herself." -</p> - -<p> -The lady's shabby costume in nowise indicated her rank and her wealth. -</p> - -<p> -"Are you alone here?" she asked, without any sort of salutation. -</p> - -<p> -Marcel and the notary appeared, and Julien's wondering eyes questioned -the former, who made haste to reply: -</p> - -<p> -"Madame desires to purchase this pavilion, and——" -</p> - -<p> -"I don't need to be introduced to this gentleman," retorted the -marchioness, sharply, "and I am quite able to explain myself." -</p> - -<p> -"In that case, madame," laughed Julien, "this <i>gentleman</i> awaits your -orders." -</p> - -<p> -"I asked you a question," continued the marchioness in nowise -disconcerted; "I will make it more distinct. Where did the Comtesse -d'Estrelle go?" -</p> - -<p> -Julien started back; Marcel, seeking to avoid an absurd scene, hastily -motioned to him and touched his forehead with his finger, to indicate -that the woman's mind was deranged. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! very good," said Julien, speaking in the tone which one adopts with -children and madmen. "Madame la Comtesse d'Estrelle? I don't know her." -</p> - -<p> -"A silly answer, master painter, and altogether useless. I desire to -speak to that lady, and I know that she lives here—from time to -time!" -</p> - -<p> -"Marcel," said Julien, turning to his cousin, "was it you who brought -<i>this lady</i> to me?" -</p> - -<p> -Marcel, in dire distress, shook his head. -</p> - -<p> -"Then it was you, monsieur?" Julien asked the notary. -</p> - -<p> -"No, monsieur," the notary replied with decision; "I followed madame, -and I have absolutely no idea why she came here." -</p> - -<p> -"Then you would have done better not to have followed me," replied the -marchioness with calm asperity; "I had a reason for coming to this -picture-shop, you have none. Do me the favor to allow me to conduct -myself here as I please." -</p> - -<p> -"I wash my hands of the affair," replied the notary, saluting Julien -with much courtesy; and he took his leave, cursing the shrewish and -capricious humor of his client. -</p> - -<p> -"As for you, monsieur le procureur,—" said the marchioness to Marcel. -</p> - -<p> -"As for me, madame," retorted Marcel, "this house is occupied by members -of my own family, and I receive orders from no one except the mistress -of the house, who is my aunt." -</p> - -<p> -"I know all that. I know your relationship and the understanding between -you as between good friends, and your neighborly relations with the -Comte d'Estrelle's widow. Remain if you choose, or turn me out if you -dare." -</p> - -<p> -"Let us have done with this, madame," said Julien, losing patience. "I -am not in the habit of failing in respect to a woman, however -<i>extraordinary</i> her conduct may appear to me; but I am an artist, a -mechanic if you choose; I am on my own premises, in my picture-shop, as -you well describe it; I am working, I have no time to waste. You talk to -me of subjects which I do not understand and of a person whom I have not -the honor to receive; if you have no other motive for interrupting me, -permit me to leave you." -</p> - -<p> -With that he picked up his palette and his sketch and left the studio, -with an expressive glance at Marcel, which seemed to say: "Get me out of -this as best you can." -</p> - -<p> -"Very good!" said the marchioness, not at all crushed by this dismissal -in due form. "I will remember the shepherd's ballad. Let us look about -this hovel a bit. I will spare you nothing; I want to see the whole -pavilion, inside, upstairs and down, as I saw the hôtel." -</p> - -<p> -"Come, madame," said Marcel, "since you insist upon it. Simply allow me -to warn my aunt, who lives upstairs!" -</p> - -<p> -"No, not at all," replied the dowager, walking toward the door, "I will -warn her myself, and if she turns me out—why, I shall be very well -pleased, monsieur le procureur!" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! this is enough to drive one mad!" cried Marcel involuntarily; "is -it possible that you really believe that Madame d'Estrelle is in hiding -here? In that case, come, madame; I will show you the way. When your -mind is at rest—" -</p> - -<p> -Marcel was a hundred leagues from imagining that Julie was in his aunt's -room. Suddenly, as he hastily opened the studio door, he saw Madame -d'Estrelle and Madame Thierry before him, and stood still, in the most -painful attitude one can attribute to disappointment. -</p> - -<p> -Julie had heard the marchioness's noisy arrival in the studio. Julien -had gone up to tell his mother that a madwoman was below talking -nonsense. He had been first of all amazed to see Julie, then sorely -distressed by her presence, on learning from her that the madwoman was -the dowager in person. Julie recognized her at last, and knew that she -would ferret her out if she had to go to the garret. She at once made up -her mind what to do, and, taking Madame Thierry's arm, said to her: -</p> - -<p> -"Come! it is not becoming for me to be surprised in your room, like a -guilty person in hiding; I prefer to brave the storm, and I feel that I -can do it because it is my duty." -</p> - -<p> -Julien, bewildered and ready to explode, remained at the top of the -stairs, listening and wondering if Marcel single-handed could save the -two women whom he loved and respected above all the world from being -insulted by a fury. -</p> - -<p> -But, strangely enough, as soon as the dowager saw those two women before -her, her countenance brightened and her anger seemed to vanish. What was -her real purpose? To ascertain with her own eyes that she had not been -deceived by those who told her that Julie had formed a friendship with -the widow Thierry, and consequently that she was her son's mistress. The -consequence was slightly forced; but, as Julien had told the marchioness -that he did not know Julie, the marchioness had some excuse for -believing what she wished to believe. This satisfaction appeased her, as -the possession of a victim appeases the excitement of the vulture. She -laughed a wicked laugh, glancing at Marcel triumphantly; and said to -him, without bowing to anyone, without waiting to be spoken to: -</p> - -<p> -"Come, monsieur le procureur, I am satisfied; I have seen all I want to -see here; let us go about our business." -</p> - -<p> -Julie felt the sarcasm and was about to reply to it. She was -desperate—so desperate that she desired to tell her secret in -presence of everybody. In her view that was the opportunity, or it would -never come. Since the tongue of calumny chose to call her a degraded -sinner, she proposed to reassert her dignity by avowing a serious -passion soon to be consummated by marriage. It was a most courageous act -on the part of a woman who had never known how to be brave; so that she -was not perfectly cool when she formed that extreme resolution, hastily -and without Julien's knowledge. -</p> - -<p> -But she was not allowed to carry it out in that way. Marcel and Madame -Thierry each grasped one of her hands, saying almost in unison: -</p> - -<p> -"Don't answer; let the insult fall at your feet!" -</p> - -<p> -And, while they detained her thus, the dowager passed on without -deigning to look at her, and took the path leading to the hôtel, while -the honest notary, who was awaiting her outside, and accompanied her, -saluted Julie with most significant deference. -</p> - -<p> -"You see," said Marcel, "her own adviser protests against the -unworthiness of such conduct; and now that woman has taken off her -mask, no one will be on her side against you; but, in God's name, -madame, how did you allow yourself to be caught here, where you never -come? You are most imprudent I am bound to tell you!" -</p> - -<p> -"My dear Thierry, I have something to say to you," replied Julie. "Go -and arrange matters with the marchioness; yield everything in the matter -of money, but save my own tiny fortune. I will wait for you here." -</p> - -<p> -"Why here?" said Marcel. -</p> - -<p> -"I will tell you that when you return," Julie replied. -</p> - -<p> -"Really, madame," said Julien, as soon as Marcel had gone, "by what -unlucky chance do you honor my mother with a visit on the very day when -your deadly enemy is watching you? And why do you remain here now, as if -to confirm her in her extraordinary suspicions?" -</p> - -<p> -Despite Julien's affectionate and respectful tone, his words contained a -sort of rebuke which surprised Madame Thierry. -</p> - -<p> -"Julien," said Madame d'Estrelle earnestly, "the moment to be sincere -has arrived. It has arrived sooner than I expected, but it cannot be -avoided, and I do not propose to retreat before my destiny. My excellent -friend," she cried, throwing her arms about Madame Thierry's neck, -"listen to the whole truth. I love Julien. I am bound to him by the most -sacred pledges. Embrace and bless your daughter." -</p> - -<p> -"O <i>mon Dieu!</i>" cried Madame Thierry in utter bewilderment, pressing -Julie to her heart, "are you married?" -</p> - -<p> -"Surely not, never without your consent," said Julien, embracing his -mother in his turn; "but we solemnly promised each other to ask your -consent when the time came that there would be nothing in this -disclosure likely to alarm your affection. Julie has spoken sooner than -I could have wished, but she has spoken, and what can I add? I deceived -you, dear mother, I love her madly, and I am the happiest of men because -she loves me too!" -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry was so profoundly moved by these revelations that it was -a long time before she was able to speak. She overwhelmed Julie and -Julien with the most loving caresses, and, trembling from head to foot, -with cold hands and streaming eyes, she felt a curious mixture of terror -and joy. The first feeling was the more powerful, perhaps, for her first -words were to ask Julien why, amid his happiness, he seemed to reproach -Julie for acting a little too quickly. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! there you are!" said Julie. "Last evening—for we talk together -every evening, dear mother—we agreed to await the final decision as -to my fate before revealing our secret to our friends and to you. I saw -that I was marching to my destruction. Julien was content. But he would -have liked, for my sake, that all the wrong should be on the -marchioness's side; and it is quite certain that my resolution, when -known and published, will give her numerous partisans in her circle of -pious hypocrites and evil-tongued prudes; but for my part I cannot -endure the thought of being represented to be a lewd woman, and that -would happen if I were afraid to tell the whole truth." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, of course," replied Julien; "now, we must tell it; but you put -forward the hour, my dear Julie! For that rash act I adore you more than -ever; but it was my duty not to assent to it. Love and destiny carried -the day over my prudence; they made my devotion entirely useless. A -truce to reflections! Bless your children, dear mother; Julie has said -it, Julie wishes it, and I know that you wish it as much as she does." -</p> - -<p> -While the occupants of the pavilion were thus pouring out their hearts, -the marchioness, installed in the salon of the hôtel, proceeded to make -a rigidly exact appraisal of both properties. Marcel fought, the notary -made sincere but vain efforts to adjust the respective claims. At last they -reached a conclusion intensely disappointing to Marcel—that Julie -could not hope to save her furniture from the enemy's clutches. It was a -great concession to allow her to retain her diamonds and her laces. She -had no choice but to submit to those harsh terms, because otherwise she -might get nothing; nobody had appeared to outbid the marchioness. Marcel -had written to Uncle Antoine, hoping that he would feel a longing for -the garden and would not haggle overmuch, for all his wrath; but Uncle -Antoine had held aloof. -</p> - -<p> -After a final half hour of discussion concerning the articles, which -were already drawn up, divers erasures were made and divers blank spaces -filled up. The dowager signed, and as Marcel, still complaining and -protesting, started to take the document and submit it to Julie for her -ratification, the dowager demanded roughly: -</p> - -<p> -"Why isn't she here? The matter is of sufficient importance for her to -leave her dear pavilion for a few moments!" -</p> - -<p> -"You will admit, madame," rejoined Marcel, "that you are not treating -the Comtesse d'Estrelle so generously as to make her feel inclined to -come into your presence." -</p> - -<p> -"Bah! she is very susceptible! Go to fetch her, Master Thierry! I am in -haste to be off, and if, on reading the document, she makes any fuss -over it, I am not one of the sort to wait for her. Let her come and -state her views here, that will be the shortest way. What is she afraid -of? I have nothing more to say to her about her conduct, which I care -very little about now, and which I didn't reprove her for after all. Did -I say a single word to her just now? If I did touch her a little the -other day, it was because she undertook to appeal to feelings which I do -not owe her; but let her abstain from recriminations, and I will agree -not to humiliate her." -</p> - -<p> -"If you authorize me to go to her with words of peace, and to repeat -them in mild and becoming sentences," said Marcel, "I will try to bring -her here." -</p> - -<p> -"Moreover," observed the notary, "madame la marquise doubtless has -something to say to her outside of the terms of the contract. Madame -certainly intends to give her time to find somewhere to go on leaving -the hôtel?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, yes, to be sure," said the marchioness; "that is my intention. Go, -Master Thierry!" -</p> - -<p> -Marcel ran to the pavilion and persuaded Julie to return with him. It -had seemed to him that the marchioness, satisfied with her bargain, -proposed to try to make some slight amends for her harshness; and it -would be more generous of Julie, and perhaps more prudent as well, not -to reject that sort of patching up process with which society is -accustomed to be content. -</p> - -<p> -Time was pressing, and Marcel was not admitted to the secret at the -pavilion; but Julie whispered to Madame Thierry: -</p> - -<p> -"You know now what my marriage portion is; I bring a very small income; -but by selling my jewels, we may be able to buy the house at Sèvres. So -I am a suitable match for Julien, and everything can be arranged in that -direction as nicely as possible." -</p> - -<p> -The marchioness concealed the impatience caused by having to wait a few -moments. She was almost polite as she requested Julie to read and sign. -Julie took the pen; but as she found that the conciliatory words which -Marcel had led her to expect were not forthcoming, she hesitated an -instant and glanced at the notary, as if to ask his opinion. Her -deferential air did not escape the keen eye of the lawyer, who had a -decidedly sympathetic feeling for her. -</p> - -<p> -"This would be the fitting moment," he said to his pitiless client, "to -inform madame of your generous intentions with regard to the question -still left open." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! yes, of course," replied the marchioness, "I wish to enter into -possession of the hôtel at once, to-morrow at the latest; but I will -allow madame to retain the pavilion for two or three months." -</p> - -<p> -"The pavilion?" said Marcel in amazement. "Why, the pavilion is let! -Surely madame la marquise knows that it is let for nine years?" -</p> - -<p> -"But the lease is void, Master Thierry, for I did not sign it, and by -the provisions of our matrimonial agreements, Monsieur le Marquis -d'Estrelle was not empowered to do any act without my express assent." -</p> - -<p> -"So that Madame Thierry will be compelled to give up her lease without -indemnity?" -</p> - -<p> -"I am very sorry for her; but you know my contract by heart; look at the -lease and you will be satisfied that it is of no validity." -</p> - -<p> -She produced the lease, which was in her pocket, and showed it. There -was nothing to be said. -</p> - -<p> -"What difference does this make to you?" said the marchioness, laughing -at Marcel's consternation. "Madame la comtesse is still in a position to -compensate Madame Thierry for this annoyance. We don't count the expense -with our friends!" -</p> - -<p> -"You are right, madame," replied Julie with dignity, "and I thank you -for the opportunity you give me of showing my devotion to Madame -Thierry. But I decline your gracious offer. Madame Thierry and I will go -from your house together in an hour." -</p> - -<p> -"Together?" said the marchioness. "So much frankness was not necessary, -madame!" -</p> - -<p> -Julie was about to reply when a loud ring in the antechamber made the -marchioness start. -</p> - -<p> -"Come, no useless quarrels!" she said, suddenly changing her tone; "here -are visitors. Sign, my dear; let us have done!" -</p> - -<p> -And, as the footman was about to announce someone, she called to him: -</p> - -<p> -"Say that we are not receiving yet; let the person wait!" -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me, madame," said Julie, offended by this authoritative tone in -her presence, "I am still still in my own house." -</p> - -<p> -Marcel, who had noticed the marchioness's sudden impatience, was -conscious of an ill-defined but imperative impulse. He took the pen from -Julie's hand. The marchioness turned pale, Marcel kept his eyes upon -her. -</p> - -<p> -"Shall I announce the visitor?" the footman asked Julie. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," replied Marcel, hastily, for he had seen the visitor's face -through the open door. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," echoed Julie, impelled by Marcel's excitement. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur Antoine Thierry!" said the servant in a loud voice. -</p> - -<p> -Julie rose with a gesture of surprise. The marchioness, who was -standing, sat down again with an angry exclamation. The horticulturist -entered, embarrassed, awkward as usual, but none the less holding his -head erect, with the irascible countenance which always presented such a -curious contrast to his timid manners. Without a direct salutation to -anyone, he walked forward in a zigzag line, but very quickly, to the -table, to the document, to the inkstand, and, looking at Julie, said in -a sullen tone, in which an indefinable trace of anxiety could be -detected: -</p> - -<p> -"Have you concluded anything?" -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing is concluded, since you are here," replied Marcel. "Do you -happen to have come to make a bid, monsieur my uncle?" -</p> - -<p> -"No one can bid," said the marchioness, in great excitement. "Everything -is settled. I appeal to the good faith of——" -</p> - -<p> -"Good faith is safe enough," retorted Marcel. "We were subjected to -harsh conditions. No one ever blamed a man condemned to death, however -resigned he might be, for accepting a pardon when it came to him as a -surprise. Come, monsieur my uncle, speak! You want the hôtel -D'Estrelle. I say more, you need it; you can pull down the wall and make -a fine addition to your garden. The hôtel De Melcy is old and dismal -and depressing and badly located. This one is cheerful, cool in summer, -warm in winter. You want it, you claim it, do you not?" -</p> - -<p> -"This is an outrageous proceeding!" cried the marchioness. "Madame's -consent is equivalent to a signature, and an agreement is never -retracted at the last moment." -</p> - -<p> -"I beg your pardon, madame," rejoined Marcel, "you were warned. I -resisted to the very last minute, and I said to you three times during -the discussion: if the door should open at this moment, and a new bidder -appear, I don't care who he might be, I would tear up this draft of an -agreement which I consider most lamentable for my client. I submitted, I -did not consent; I invoke the testimony of my colleague here present. -Uncle, everyone knows that you are infallible on questions of honor; -tell me, have I the right to object to my client's signing before you -have spoken?" -</p> - -<p> -"To be sure," replied Monsieur Antoine, "especially as my rights -antedate madame la marquise's. Let us look over this paper!" -</p> - -<p> -He ran his eye over it and said: -</p> - -<p> -"That is not my appraisal, madame la marquise; you pluck your victim too -close, and you compel me to remind you of our little agreements." -</p> - -<p> -"Go on, monsieur, overbid me!" replied the dowager. "I am unable to -contend against you who have millions. I throw the whole thing over and -give up my place to you." -</p> - -<p> -"Wait, wait!" replied Antoine, "we can still agree with a word, madame! -I can act here in a way to satisfy everybody. It depends on you!" -</p> - -<p> -"Never!" cried the marchioness indignantly; "you are a lunatic and I am -ashamed to have accepted your services!" -</p> - -<p> -She went out, forgetting her notary, and Antoine stood abashed, with -contracted brows, buried in mysterious meditation, and with eyes fixed -on the door. -</p> - -<p> -"They had agreed to act against me," Julie whispered to Marcel; "now -what are they going to do?" -</p> - -<p> -"Be patient," Marcel replied; "I think that I can guess." -</p> - -<p> -He had no time to explain himself. Monsieur Antoine emerged from his -reverie and said, addressing the notary: -</p> - -<p> -"Well, how far have we gone, and what is our decision?" -</p> - -<p> -"For my own part, monsieur," replied the notary, putting his papers -together and looking for his spectacles, "what took place between the -marchioness and yourself is a mystery. My client apparently abandoned -the object she was pursuing, and I shall await further orders from her -before taking part in this affair." -</p> - -<p> -"It is between us two then?" said Monsieur Antoine to Julie, while the -notary made his exit. -</p> - -<p> -"No, monsieur," she replied, pointing to Marcel; "I ask your permission -to leave you together." -</p> - -<p> -"Why so," said Antoine, with a peculiarly distressed air, putting out -his hand to detain her, but not daring to touch her sleeve. "You bear me -a grudge, Madame d'Estrelle! You are wrong; everything that I have done -is in your interest. Why don't you want me to tell you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, indeed," said Marcel, "why should she refuse to find out what you -have on your stomach? Pardon the expression, madame la comtesse, for I -am a little irritated; but, pray set me the example of patience. Let us -listen, since this is the day to defy the enemy all along the line." -</p> - -<p> -Julie resumed her seat, with a cold and severe glance at Monsieur -Antoine, which put the finishing touch to his confusion. He stuttered -and stammered, and was incomprehensible. -</p> - -<p> -"Come, come," interposed Marcel, "you don't succeed in making your -confession, my poor uncle! It becomes my duty to question you. Let us -proceed in order. Why did you leave Paris mysteriously on the day -following a certain tragic adventure which happened to one of your -plants?" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! you propose to talk about that, do you?" cried the horticulturist, -his little eyes glaring wrathfully. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, I propose to talk about everything! Answer, or I take the judge -away, and your condemnation stands." -</p> - -<p> -"Condemnation to what?" said Antoine, glancing at Julie; "to her -hatred?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, monsieur, to my reprobation and my pity," replied Madame -d'Estrelle, despite the mute remonstrances of Marcel, who wished to -induce his uncle to mend his ways. -</p> - -<p> -"Your pity, pity for me!" he retorted in high dudgeon. "No one ever used -that word to me before, and if you were not a woman!"—Then he turned -to Marcel. "Pity! why that is contempt! If it was you who advised her to -talk like that, you shall pay me for it!" -</p> - -<p> -"Justify yourself if you can," retorted Marcel, boldly; "for if you have -behaved as you seem to have done, you are a detestable fellow, and every -honorable woman insulted by you has the right to tell you so." -</p> - -<p> -"In what have I insulted her? I have insulted nobody. I saw that she was -ruining herself; I tried to prevent her from——" -</p> - -<p> -"From ruining herself! You are talking nonsense, my dear uncle. There -are some dangers which a woman like her in whose presence we are does -not know and never will know." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, yes! that is all talk! I am not to be put off with phrases learned -in books, I tell you! When a woman makes appointments with a young -man——" -</p> - -<p> -"Appointments? Where did you pick up such foolish stuff? The man who -told you that lied in his throat!" -</p> - -<p> -"You are the one who lies! you are the confederate—the obliging -friend!" -</p> - -<p> -"Be careful, uncle! Death of my life, you'll make me lose my temper!" -</p> - -<p> -"Lose your temper, if you choose. I saw you myself coming out of the -theatre." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, what then? My wife——" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! your wife—your wife's a fool! I saw Julien come out too." -</p> - -<p> -"Julien was not with us; he had no more idea that we were downstairs -than we had that he was in the gallery. Besides, even if he had been -with us, what is this mania of yours for incriminating——" -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Encriminating!</i>" interposed Monsieur Antoine, all whose errors in -language we do not attempt to reproduce; "I <i>encriminate</i> what is -<i>encriminatable!</i> And what about the long walk at night, arm-in-arm, -from the hôtel d'Ormonde to the pavilion, where madame remained, by the -way, till three o'clock in the morning? Madame André may have been -present at the conversation. I don't deny that; but that's another reason -for <i>encriminating,</i> as you call it, you ass of an attorney! And -all the meetings in the garden in the evening, when madame never goes in -till two o'clock—often later?" -</p> - -<p> -"Where do you pick up this servants' gossip?" cried Marcel, -indignantly—"these antechamber slanders?" -</p> - -<p> -"I don't go into antechambers, and I don't get my information from -servants; I have my own little police. I am rich enough to pay shrewd -ones who watch and tell me the truth. As to that, I don't make any -secret of it. I wanted to find out madame's sentiments, the reasons for -the affront she put upon me by employing Master Julien to show me the -door; that was my right; and, if I revenged myself as I could, that, -too, was my right." -</p> - -<p> -Madame d'Estrelle, being determined to tell everything and to take all -the consequences, listened to Uncle Antoine with proud impassibility. -The brutality of his language, which she attributed to chronic madness, -and excused because of his lack of education, did not wound her like the -premeditated, deliberate impertinence of the marchioness. Marcel, who -watched her during his uncle's fine discourse, mistook the disdainful -serenity of her smile for a denial more eloquent than any words could -be. -</p> - -<p> -"Why, look at her," he cried, shaking the rich man to make him hold his -peace; "observe the paltry effect of the fables and lies you have been -made to swallow! You cannot bring the faintest flush to her brow, and -her silence confounds your brutal eloquence!" -</p> - -<p> -"I will speak in a moment," said Julie; "let Monsieur Thierry go on. As -you see, he does not anger me, and I am waiting until he has finished -his account of my conduct and has given me an account of his. You are -under the ban of my indignation, Monsieur Antoine Thierry, do not forget -it. You claim that you do not deserve it; it remains for you to prove -that to my satisfaction." -</p> - -<p> -The old man was confounded for a moment; then, having determined upon -his course, he replied: -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, despise me if you choose; I don't care much about that. I -have my own esteem and that's enough for me! I was angry, true! I talked -about you angrily, vindictively, I don't deny it—and yet I don't hate -you, and it rests with you whether you will have me for a friend." -</p> - -<p> -"Confess before imploring absolution," said Marcel; "what has happened? -what have you done? Tell us!" -</p> - -<p> -"What has happened? this is what has happened, <i>Mordi!</i> chance -helped me to vent my bile. The dowager Madame d'Estrelle sent to beg a -favor of me. Two or three days before her husband's death, they sent to -ask me to come to her house. I had known her a long while, because she -once sold me some land, none too dear. She wasn't so shrewd in business -then as she is to-day. She said to me: 'My husband won't last long; I -inherit his property; but I don't pay his son's debts unless the -countess turns over her dower to me; and to force her to do it I propose -to buy up the claims. Lend me the money and you shall have part of the -plunder. I will pay you well for obliging me.'—'Excuse me, -madame,' I said, 'I want to make that lady feel that I have her in my -power; but I want to be able to forgive her if it suits me.'—At -that it was: 'Aha! what have you got against her?'—And to that I -answered; 'I have what I have!'—'Indeed!'—'No.'—'Tell -us,' etc., etc. In short from one thing to another, from one word to -another, I unbosomed myself, I told her that I tried to be your friend -and that you treated me like a pirate, and all because you had let -yourself be drawn into the intrigues of Madame André Thierry, who -wanted to marry her son to a great lady from vanity, and to have -somebody else do as she did, like the <i>wolf</i> in the fable who had -his tail cut off, so they say. And the marchioness was very glad to -learn of the adventure, and made me say more than I meant to perhaps, -although I took pleasure in telling it to her. At last, to wind up, she -said: 'Monsieur Thierry, you must let this fine marriage go on, it suits -me!'—'But it don't suit me!' said I.—'Bah! you are in love -with her at your age!—Spite, jealousy, can you think of such -things?'—'No, madame, I am not in love at my age; but at any age -it makes a man angry to be fooled, and I have been fooled. I am not a -bad man, but I am powerful, and I propose that they shall find it out. -It isn't proper for me to persecute her myself, but when you have -worried her well, since it amuses you, I propose to pardon her, if she -asks me to.'—'Very well! very well!' said the marchioness. 'I -swear to deal fairly with you as a good friend. Lend me the money. -Here's my note, and you have my word.'—The lady sent for me again -after the marquis was buried. I knew some fine stories about the -goings-on here, and I told her everything, and it relieved us both to -<i>slaughter</i> the countess. Then the dowager said to me: 'Revenge -yourself. I am going to hunt her down to the last ditch.'—And I -still said: 'All right, but let me know. I intend to redeem, if she -mends her ways.'—Now, the excellent dowager deceived me; but I -arrived in time. Everything's at an end between us; she's a crafty -woman, she shall pay me for it; that's all I say!" -</p> - -<p> -"You don't tell us everything, uncle. There was something else between -you. You said to her just now: 'It depends on you whether everything is -settled!'" -</p> - -<p> -"That's my affair, it doesn't concern you." -</p> - -<p> -"Pardon me; she answered <i>never</i> with such evident -temper——" -</p> - -<p> -"She's an old fool!" -</p> - -<p> -"But what question did that answer?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! go to the devil! why do you put your nose in?" -</p> - -<p> -"Come, admit that the affair is complicated by another -scheme——" -</p> - -<p> -"No, I tell you!" -</p> - -<p> -Marcel persisted. -</p> - -<p> -"Uncle," said he, "the thing is clear enough to me; as you were unable -to marry a countess, you concluded to marry a marchioness. Well, that -scheme was more sensible than the other; your ages and your fortunes are -more in harmony; but I see that you failed there also. She led you on by -some sort of hope in order to get a little of your money, but she went -on working on her own account, underhandedly and without your knowledge, -to obtain possession of the countess's property, and if you had arrived -a minute later, the thing would have been done and you would be neither -married nor revenged." -</p> - -<p> -Antoine listened to this homily with his head dropped on his breast, in -the attitude of meditation, but furtively watching the smile of surprise -and irony which Madame d'Estrelle could not hide. -</p> - -<p> -"As far as not being married to that old shark goes," he said, rising, -"I thank the good Lord with all my heart; but, as to the revenge I -propose to have here, why, I'll have it, and the devil himself should -not deprive me of it." -</p> - -<p> -"Tell us about your revenge," said Julie with the utmost tranquillity. -</p> - -<p> -"Who told you that it concerned you?" cried Uncle Antoine, whose tongue -always became loosened sooner or later. "Look you, there are three of -you women who have gulled me as if I was a little boy. Women can't do -anything else! The first was Madame André long ago, who called me her -brother and her friend, and that gave me confidence; the second was you, -who called me your good friend and excellent neighbor, so as to coax me -to give your lover something to marry on; the third—oh! she called me -her dear monsieur and her generous creditor, but she's the worst of the -three, because she only wanted to pluck me, like the avaricious vixen -she is: so she will have to pay for the other two. As for you, Madame -d'Estrelle, I excuse you and forgive you. Love makes people do idiotic -things, but at all events it's love, a thing which, so far as I can see, -muddles the brain and makes the reason limp. Well, let it go; give me -back your friendship, and let us hear no more of marriage, with me or -with the <i>other</i>. I still wish you well, and I will prevent you from -taking my nephew the painter, because my nephew the painter betrayed me, -and because it isn't suitable for you to marry a painter." -</p> - -<p> -"Come, come!" said Marcel, interrupting him, "you were beginning to talk -sense; but now your mania is taking hold of you again. That seems to be -a fixed idea with you! Where the devil did you fish up that fancy?" -</p> - -<p> -"Stay!" said Julie, "let us put an end to this. You and I are at cross -purposes, Monsieur Marcel; I am tired of pretending, when my heart is -sincere, and when I have already told the marchioness my intentions -clearly enough, in your presence. So let me speak now, and inform you -both that my marriage to Julien Thierry is a thing determined and that -we are irrevocably pledged to each other. Yes, Marcel, you will be my -cousin; and you, Monsieur Antoine, will be my uncle. You have been very -accurately informed, and you can pay your spies handsomely. Now that my -statement is made, you will see that I am forced to withdraw the -expressions I used to characterize your conduct toward me. Whatever you -may do henceforth, my respect for our relationship must close my mouth. -You are at liberty to abuse me, to slander me and to ruin me. I shall no -longer say a word in reply to you, but I shall not implore your favor -either; I have nothing to ask at your hands, and the more you oppress -me, the more you will increase my gratitude and esteem for the man who -is willing to bear the burden of my destiny." -</p> - -<p> -Surprise had struck Marcel dumb. His uncle, who had glanced at him at -first with an air of triumph and had seen that his amazement was -entirely sincere, became gloomy and irritated anew when Madame -d'Estrelle defied him thus to his face. -</p> - -<p> -"So it's all over, is it?" he said, rising; "you have made up your mind -and you don't choose to listen to my last propositions?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, indeed!" replied Marcel, "say on. I do not myself approve of all -Madame d'Estrelle's ideas, and I notify her in your presence that I -shall fight against the idea of this marriage. So speak, supply me with -arguments." -</p> - -<p> -"You are on the right side this time," rejoined Monsieur Antoine. "Very -well; as she turns her head away with an air of obstinacy and -contempt—for she is a contemptuous creature, that she is! a niece who -will treat me as my honored sister-in-law did—do you tell her what I -will do if she will give up her dauber of tulips. I will take care of -all her debts, I will let her keep her hôtel, her garden, her pavilion, -her diamonds, her farm in Beauvoisis, in fact everything she has left -now." -</p> - -<p> -"Wait, wait a moment!" said Marcel to Julie, seeing that she was about -to reply. -</p> - -<p> -"No," said Julie; "I will accept nothing from the man who treats Julien -and Madame Thierry with such disdain and aversion. I care nothing for -his insults to me personally. I forgive monsieur for having exposed me -to the sarcasms and slanders of the marchioness and her set; but the -enemies of those whom I love can never be my friends, and any -benefactions from them are an affront which I spurn." -</p> - -<p> -"Wait, I tell you!" cried Monsieur Antoine, stamping on the floor; "have -you the devil in you? Do you think that I propose to ruin your friends? -Not at all. I will give them the house at Sèvres, which is mine to-day, -if you please! I will make them an allowance, I will assure them a good -share of my property when I am dead, for I propose to divide it between -you and Julien and this ass of an attorney here! So, you see, I make you -all rich and happy, but on one condition: that the pavilion is to be -vacated instantly, and that you swear on your honor, and put your oath -in writing, that Madame d'Estrelle will never see Monsieur Julien -again." -</p> - -<p> -This time Julie was speechless. Even if that inexorable old man were -really mad, there was a sort of wild grandeur in that munificence, which -recoiled at no sacrifice in the effort to assure the triumph of his -jealousy. It was a shrewd move, too, to put Madame d'Estrelle in a -position where her refusal would sacrifice Julien's interests, Madame -Thierry's and Marcel's. The last-named at once expressed his views in -noble language. -</p> - -<p> -"Uncle," he said, "you can take what measures you please with regard to -my future. You know me too well to believe that prospects of that sort -will ever have any influence on my conscience! I said just now that I -was opposed to Madame d'Estrelle's determination: I have some ideas -thereupon which it is my duty to submit to her even now; but understand -this, that if she does not feel disposed to yield to them, I shall never -remind her that her resistance may injure me in your mind, that I shall -never allow my dealings with her to be influenced by my personal -interests, and finally that, if madame and Julien persist in their -purpose of marrying, I shall assist them with my advice and my services, -and shall be their friend, kinsman and servant for all time." -</p> - -<p> -Julie silently offered the solicitor her hand. Tears came to her -eyelids. She looked at Antoine and saw immovable obstinacy written on -his shrivelled, sunburned face. -</p> - -<p> -"Let us go back to Madame Thierry and Julien," she said, rising; "it is -for them to decide." -</p> - -<p> -"No!" cried Monsieur Antoine; "I don't propose to have you take them by -surprise. At first blush I know very well that the painter will play the -great man, and his mother will put on her grand manners, especially in -my presence. And then they'll be on their honor before madame, they -won't want to be left behind in the matter of pride; they will say just -what she did, with the right to repent an hour later; but I will wait to -see what you all say to-morrow morning! I will come again. Take then my -last word, attorney; do you reflect, also, my fine fellow, and then we -shall see if the four of you will agree in refusing my present gifts and -what I leave behind me hereafter. <i>Au revoir</i>, Madame d'Estrelle. -To-morrow, at twelve o'clock, here!" -</p> - -<p> -Julie, when he had gone, fell back, pale and crushed, on her chair. He -turned as he was leaving the salon, and satisfied himself that he had -succeeded in shaking that haughty courage. Then he went away in triumph. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="VII">VII</a></h4> - -<p> -By nature, as by profession, Marcel was a foreseeing man. A man may be -both practical and generous. Under the inspiration of those two -qualities he considered the situation of the lovers and talked to Julie. -</p> - -<p> -"Madame," he said, taking both her hands with an affectionate kindliness -in which there was nothing offensive, "begin by disregarding me entirely -in this matter. If Julien and his mother are as brave and -self-sacrificing as you, I shall admire the sacrifice instead of -dissuading them. And first of all do not exaggerate the future -consequences of your action. Monsieur Antoine is a man of his word, that -is certain; in good as in evil, he does what he promises. But the matter -of his last will is a great problem, because he is now on the downward -slope of marriage. Surely it is a most extraordinary thing to see that -old bachelor, a confirmed foe of women and of love, rush headlong into -this matrimonial caprice in his declining years; as it bears the stamp -of monomania, no promise, no resolution that he may make can protect him -from it. He will find what he is seeking, be sure of that: some titled -woman or other, young or old, virtuous or not, beautiful or ugly, will -allow herself to be tempted by his cash and will swallow all his -property. So this simplifies the question, and you may put aside the -consideration of our inheritance. There is nothing certain beyond the -present facts, and you see I am not at all interested. So let us -consider these present facts which are submitted for our consideration. -They are of very serious consequence. I know Uncle Antoine; what he -proposes to do, he does in twenty-four hours or never. To-morrow he will -be here with documents all prepared, drawn up by himself in more or less -barbarous style, but with not a dot over an <i>i</i> missing that would -make them good and binding, incontestable in the eye of the law, which he -knows better than I do myself. These documents will not set forth in any -form of words the strange provision, unforeseen in legislation, that you -shall formally break off relations with a certain person; but they may -very well impose the condition that you are not to marry again without -Monsieur Antoine's assent, and that they shall be revocable at once in -case of rebellion on your part. So we must not hope to evade the -stipulation which he demands; moreover, your character is an assurance -that you would not think of doing so." -</p> - -<p> -"You are right, monsieur," said Julie with a sigh, "I shall never make a -promise and not keep it." -</p> - -<p> -"Here we are then," continued Marcel, "face to face with an incredible, -but very real, closely impending fact, conclusive concerning the -existence of two persons who are dear to you, my aunt and Julien, since -my reasoning places me outside of the reckoning. You must reflect -seriously. Do you wish me to leave you alone for that purpose, or will -you allow me to say to you at once what I would have said to you an hour -ago if you had taken me for a confidant before Monsieur Antoine -appeared?" -</p> - -<p> -"Say it now, Marcel; you must tell me everything." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, madame; let us suppose that, despite his anger, Monsieur -Antoine outbids the marchioness; see how straitened your circumstances -will be; two or three thousand francs a year! You marry Julien, who has -nothing in the world but his arms, and soon you will be a mother, with -Madame Thierry to support and care for, a servant for her, and a nurse -for yourself, and a manservant, unless Julien lays aside his brushes -when the heavy work of the household is to be done, however modest it -may be. You will certainly live honorably, for he will work; Madame -Thierry will knit all the stockings for the family, and you will be -economical. You will have a single silk dress and will wear calicoes. -You will always walk when you go out, and you will not indulge yourself -in a bit of ribbon without counting on your fingers to see if your -little savings will stand it. That is how my wife began life when I -purchased my office. Well, I can tell you, madame, that we were not very -happy then, and yet we loved each other dearly; my wife was not vain, we -had never been well-to-do, and we did not know what luxury was. We knew -how to go without; but we were anxious,—my wife because I worked half -the night and trotted about, tired out and with a cold in my head, at -all hours and in all weathers; and I, because she had to go without -fresh air and good food, forever harnessed to household duties and the -labors of maternity. Each of us suffered from constant, painful -solicitude for the other. I give you my word that the more dearly we -loved each other, the more worried we were and the more we lacked real -happiness. We lost two children; one that we had to put out to nurse in -the country where he was not well cared for; the other we decided to -keep at home, and the foul air of Paris, combined with the poor health -he inherited from his mother, prevented him from developing. If we have -succeeded in raising the third, it is only because we were in somewhat -easier circumstances by dint of economy and industry. To-day we are very -happy and free from anxiety; but we are forty years old and we have -suffered terribly! Our earlier years were a constant struggle, and often -a martyrdom. Such is the life of the petty bourgeois of Paris, madame la -comtesse; that of the poor artist is even worse, for his profession is -less reliable than mine. People constantly have matters in dispute, -which cause them to have recourse to the solicitor; but they don't -always need pictures, and most people never need them. They are pure -luxuries. Julien will not make a small fortune, as his father did. His -character and talent are even more highly esteemed perhaps; but he has -not the attractive frivolity, the taste for society and the brilliant -external qualities which cause a certain sort of people to become -infatuated with an artist, bring him out, sing his praises, and make him -shine resplendent. Let me tell you that my Uncle André's talent, -genuine as it was, would never have extricated him from poverty, if he -had not been a fine table-singer, a great man for clever remarks and -piquant anecdotes, and if certain influential but volatile ladies had -not from time to time made him unfaithful to his wife, whom he adored -none the less, but of whom he said under his breath, innocently enough, -that he must needs deceive her a little, in her own interest.—You -lose color!—Julien will not follow that example of a time which has -gone by; but it will be of no use for Julien to produce masterpieces, he -will remain poor. Society does not become infatuated with modest merit, and -does not travel about in quest of unknown virtue. His marriage with you -will make a certain noise, a little scandal which will bring him into -notice. His father's marriage had that result at the time; but, once -more I say, times have changed: the world is more austere or more -hypocritical to-day than in La Pompadour's day. Then, too, the same sort -of adventure doesn't succeed twice. People will say that youngster -is very presumptuous to try to mimic his father; and you will raise up -more enemies than patrons for him. There will be a great outcry against -you. I don't suppose that the marchioness will try to have you put in a -convent and him in the Bastille, for the crime of misalliance: she has -no rights over you; but she will injure you much more by crying you -down, and you will not have the rigors of persecution to make you -interesting. People know you, they know that you are rigidly virtuous; -the reaction will be all the more violent and implacable, the old prudes -will go about everywhere saying that as such marriages threaten to -become common in society, they cannot be endured and must be severely -condemned. Even the liberally-minded—some of whom are Julien's -patrons now—will not dare to defend you. They too belong to society -to-day. They are no longer persecuted but are caressed and flattered, and -Paris is still quivering over the triumph awarded Monsieur de Voltaire -after his long exile. People laugh at Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who believed -that he was still a victim of the machinations of bigots, and who might -have lived in peace and honor, so they say, if his heart had not been -soured and his mind diseased. The philosophers have the upper hand to-day; -they are no longer over-solicitous to fight against prejudice, and the -remnant of the great crusade of free-thinkers will not mend its pen and -sharpen its tongue to sustain your cause against the outcry of the -salons. All these cowardly blows, all these insults will eventually fall -on Julien's heart. He will live in never-ending anxiety, always on the -quivive; he will fall out with all his friends; he may fight with some -of them——" -</p> - -<p> -"Enough, enough, Marcel," said Julie, weeping. "I see that I have been -mad, that I have been led by the counsel of a selfish passion, or by my -absolute ignorance of social necessities. I see that Julien's life would -be made burdensome by public reprobation, that life would be a -never-ending source of danger and unhappiness.—Ah! Marcel, you have -broken my heart; but you have done your duty, and I esteem you the more. -Let us go and tell Julien that I mean to break—<i>Mon Dieu!</i> how -shall I tell him that?" -</p> - -<p> -"Julien will not believe you! He will laugh at your generous pretence; -he will tell you that he longs to suffer for you. He is courageous and -strong, and I have no doubt that he adores you. If you consult him, his -first exclamation will be: 'Love at any price, love and persecution, -love and poverty!'—He does not doubt himself, and his mother, who is -equal to him in the matter of courage and unselfishness, will assist him -to sacrifice everything; but imagine Julien a year or two hence, when he -sees his mother suffer. Only by the most extraordinary efforts is he -able now to shield her from the horrors of poverty, and in spite of him, -in spite of herself, in spite of everything, she suffers on that -account, you may be sure. Madame Thierry is an enthusiast, in nowise a -stoic. She was brought up to do nothing, and she doesn't know how to do -anything but knit and read, sitting comfortably in her easy-chair. -Moreover her health is frail. She is not like my wife, she would not sit -up till midnight mending her son's shirts; her beautiful hands are no -better acquainted with fatigue than yours. What will happen then, when -Julien has a wife and children? He will blame himself for your miseries, -and if remorse ever gains a foothold in that proud heart, farewell to -courage and perhaps to talent!" -</p> - -<p> -"Enough, I tell you, my dear Marcel. Advise me, guide me; command, for I -surrender. Must I not see him or speak to him?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, you certainly must not, my dear countess. He must know nothing of -what has happened, and Monsieur Antoine's gifts must fall into his hands -without any suspicion on his part of the terms on which our uncle became -tractable. Otherwise, he would be quite capable of refusing them." -</p> - -<p> -"Marcel," said the countess, rising and ringing the bell, "I must leave -this house instantly and never return!" -</p> - -<p> -A servant appeared. -</p> - -<p> -"Send for a cab," she said, "and send Camille to me." -</p> - -<p> -"I shall carry nothing away," she said to Marcel. "You must pay my -servants, collect my most necessary effects and send them to me." -</p> - -<p> -"But where are you going?" -</p> - -<p> -"To a convent, outside Paris, I don't care where, provided that nobody -but you knows where I am." -</p> - -<p> -Camille appeared. Julie bade her fetch her cloak, and, when she had left -the room again, continued: -</p> - -<p> -"You see, my friend, if I remain here a moment longer, Madame Thierry, -being anxious on account of what happened at her house, will come to -make inquiries, and even if I should feign before her—this evening, -ah! yes, this evening Julien would wait for me in the garden, and when I -failed to appear, he would not be able to refrain from coming to my -window and tapping on it.—I should not have the strength to leave him -in the grasp of mortal anxiety, and I could not lie to him. No, no, let -us go! I hear the cab coming into the courtyard. Come, do not give me -time to lose what little courage I have!" -</p> - -<p> -Marcel felt that she was right; he offered her his arm. -</p> - -<p> -"Come, madame," he said, "God inspires you and He will support you!" -</p> - -<p> -They drove about at random at first, the countess having given the -cabman the address of one convent, then of another, having no idea where -she really wished to go. At last Marcel persuaded her to go to the -Ursulines at Chaillot, where he had a cousin who was a nun; and he -waited until she was settled there, himself paying the price of her -lodging and board for a week, reserving the right to prolong the -arrangement if the countess were properly treated. Julie took the name -of Madame d'Erlange, and Marcel's cousin, whom he enjoined to commend -her warmly to the superior, was not taken into the secret. As Julie took -refuge in the convent as a lodger, she was allowed to detain Marcel in -her room in order to give him her instructions. -</p> - -<p> -"I absolutely refuse," she said, "to accept Monsieur Antoine's -benefactions in any shape; they were hateful to me, and I no longer need -any consideration at his hands. Let him pay himself in full, as he is -now my only creditor, as he has everything of mine in his hands. I have -nothing left but my twelve hundred francs a year, and, as I must live -alone hereafter, I need nothing more. Do not let him leave me my -furniture; do not let him send me my diamonds; I will not receive them. -He may draw up with his own hands the agreement I am to sign, pledging -myself never to marry. I will sign it in exchange for the gift to Madame -Thierry of the house at Sèvres, and an allowance which you will do your -best, in my name, to make as large as possible. You will also demand -that neither Madame Thierry nor her son be informed of the truth with -respect to my action. You will tell them that I have gone away; that I -cannot, that I do not wish to receive them again, because—Oh! <i>mon -Dieu!</i> what will you tell them! I have no idea! Tell them whatever you -can invent that is least cruel, but most irrevocable, for we must not -leave them any of the hopes deferred which make the heart sick, and render -the final awakening the more bitter.—Tell them—no, tell them -nothing. Alas! alas! I have no strength left to think or decide; I have -no strength left for anything!" -</p> - -<p> -"I will reflect," said Marcel; "I will think it over as I return. I -leave you in despair; but I must go to get your clothes; I must prevent -Julien from being panic-stricken and losing his head at the first -moment, and I must reassure your servants, who would otherwise wait for -you, and perhaps engage in compromising comments or investigations when -you failed to return. Come, madame, be heroic! Calm yourself; I will -return this evening, or sooner if I can. I will try to bring you some -consoling news from the pavilion; I must succeed in deceiving Julien, -although I have no more idea than you how I shall succeed in doing it. -<i>Au revoir.</i> Wait for me; do not write to anyone. We must not -contradict each other. You will weep bitterly! I have caused you much -suffering, poor woman! And now I must leave you alone. It is horrible!" -</p> - -<p> -As he spoke, Marcel unconsciously shed tears. Seeing his affliction and -his unselfish devotion, Julie urged him to go, and strove to display an -energy which she did not possess. As soon as she was alone, she locked -her door, threw herself on the poor, shabby bed which had been prepared -for her, buried her face in the pillow, stifling her sobs, wringing her -hands, and abandoning herself to her grief so completely that she lost -all consciousness of the place where she was and all memory of the -events which had driven her thither so abruptly. -</p> - -<p> -Marcel, returning to the cab, wiped his streaming eyes, blamed himself -for his weakness, and argued the facts anew. -</p> - -<p> -"When you decide to do a thing," he said to himself, "you must do it." -</p> - -<p> -He had one last hope which he had thought best not to suggest to Julie, -namely, to prevail upon Monsieur Antoine. He drove to his house first; -but he wasted there all the eloquence of his heart and his reason. The -selfish fellow was happy, triumphant; he was drinking his revenge with -gusto, and he did not propose to leave a drop in the bottom of the -glass. All that Marcel could obtain, after exchanging many reproaches -and invectives, was that Julien and his mother should be left in -ignorance of the bargain by which they were made rich. -</p> - -<p> -"You are trying to do a very difficult thing," he said; "do not make it -impossible. Madame d'Estrelle is the only one who has submitted thus -far. Julien would surely resist; deceive him unless you wish to make -Julie's submission useless to your vengeance." -</p> - -<p> -"You tire me with your Julie!" cried Monsieur Antoine. "She -deserves a great deal of pity, doesn't she, when I am giving her -everything—fortune, social consideration and liberty!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, liberty to die of grief!" -</p> - -<p> -"As if people died of that! Pretty twaddle in a lawyer's mouth! Let her -make a good marriage suited to her rank, I won't oppose it; she can -marry anyone she chooses. I bar nobody but the dauber. Within a -fortnight she will open her eyes and thank me. She will recognize my -grandeur of soul and will call me her benefactor. Upon my word, you are -all cracked! I pull hundreds of thousands of francs from my pocket; I -throw them by the handful to ingrates and fools, and they call me cruel -kinsman, hard heart, old hound, old miser and God knows what! The world -is upside down just now, on my word!" -</p> - -<p> -"They won't call you all those names, uncle; they won't call you any -name. There are no names to describe the oddity of your character, and -nobody else in the world could have discovered the secret of causing the -hand that enriches to be cursed!" -</p> - -<p> -"Bah! you are using big words; you fancy you're at the bar! Off with -you, you bore me to death. Tell your Julien whatever you choose; I don't -want to see him or you or anybody. I am going back to the country." -</p> - -<p> -"That is to say that you will shut yourself up here and barricade -yourself against all the strong arguments I can bring forward." -</p> - -<p> -"Possibly! now you know that your strong arguments will be wasted; they -will stay at the door." -</p> - -<p> -Marcel was careful not to tell his uncle that there was a much simpler -and less expensive way to prevent the marriage: namely, to abandon -Madame d'Estrelle to her destruction, and trust to the wise and generous -reflections to which she had opened her mind. Nor did he feel called -upon to tell him that she refused his gifts. -</p> - -<p> -"After all," he thought, "who knows how long this passion will last? In -a short time, perhaps, Julie will have conquered it, and then it will be -very agreeable to her to know that she is free and still rich." -</p> - -<p> -He and Monsieur Antoine drew up a conditional discharge of the whole of -her debt, and he succeeded in procuring the insertion of this important -modification, that Madame d'Estrelle was at liberty to enter into -wedlock with anyone she chose <i>except an untitled person.</i> He procured -Monsieur Antoine's signature and seal to the document, and put it in his -pocket, pending an opportune time to hand it to Madame d'Estrelle, that -is to say, when she should be less agitated. -</p> - -<p> -The deed of gift of the house at Sèvres and of an income of five -thousand francs in the public funds was all ready. Marcel had to fight a -terrible battle to prevent the insertion of a restriction analogous to -that to which Julie was expected to submit. He argued that, as Julie had -promised not to marry Julien, it was entirely useless for Julien to -pledge himself not to marry Julie. -</p> - -<p> -"But your Julie can very easily give up her fortune, and then when the -other has made enough to live on, I shall have made a fine mess of it! I -shall have married them! No, no! I propose to have a letter from this -lady pledging herself on her honor and her religion never again in her -lifetime to see this gentleman, with his name all spelled out. Women are -bound tighter by such gilt-edged notes than by all your parchments. They -are more afraid of scandal than of pettifogging. I must have that -billet-doux addressed to me, or I'll not let anything go." -</p> - -<p> -"You shall have it," said Marcel. -</p> - -<p> -And he hurried away to the pavilion. -</p> - -<p> -Julien was intensely agitated; he had not dared to ask any questions at -the hôtel. He had sent his mother to reconnoitre, and she found all the -apartments on the garden side closed. He did not know whether the -dowager was still there, he knew nothing of Monsieur Antoine's visit and -Julie's departure; he was surprised that, after confiding in Madame -Thierry, she could not find time to send her three lines to set her mind -at rest as to the results of the disturbance caused by the dowager. He -anxiously awaited the evening. Black thoughts rushed into his mind. -</p> - -<p> -"Who knows that the dowager and Monsieur Antoine have not plotted -together to have Julie abducted and confined in a convent on the ground -of misconduct?" -</p> - -<p> -At that time it was no longer very easy to obtain <i>lettres de cachet</i>; -but by going through formalities, an <i>ex post facto</i> judgment, etc., -arbitrary incarceration could still be accomplished under the forms of -law, especially as an intrigue with a plebeian might still be looked -upon in official society as a scandal which a family was entitled to put -down. -</p> - -<p> -Julien was going mad when Marcel arrived. Madame Thierry was downcast -and very sad. Marcel saw that was not the moment to be outspoken. -</p> - -<p> -"I have some news for you," he said, forcing himself to assume an -untroubled and even cheerful countenance. "We were about to sign, when -Uncle Antoine appeared like a god from the clouds at the Opera. He lost -his temper and had a row with the dowager, who, up to that time, had -been acting in concert with him against Madame d'Estrelle; but he has -repented of his folly, he proposes to give you a magnificent indemnity; -he takes this opportunity to make amends for all the wrong he has done, -and he does it handsomely, I must say; so be grateful to him for it, -also for his intention to deal handsomely with Madame d'Estrelle. He -will probably leave her twice as much as the dowager intended to leave -her; so she thought that it was her duty to show her gratitude by -yielding at once to a whim he had of turning her out of the -hôtel——" -</p> - -<p> -"She has gone!" cried Julien, turning pale. -</p> - -<p> -"Gone! gone! she is going to pass a few days in the country; what is -there so surprising in that?" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! Marcel," said Madame Thierry, "you see, you don't know——" -</p> - -<p> -"I do not wish to know anything outside of the serious matters which -require all my attention," Marcel replied with decision. "I have heard -to-day many foolish remarks, offensive insinuations and impertinent -comments. I prefer to believe none of them and to remember none of them. -The name of Madame Julie d'Estrelle is sacred to me; but I have advised -her to disappear for a few days." -</p> - -<p> -"To disappear?" echoed Julien, still in dire distress. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Parbleu!</i> one would think we were in Madrid and that she had been -immuned for life in a convent cell! What is the cause of this tragic -mood? I simply urged her to pretend to be dead for a week or two, long -enough to settle her affairs and find out where she stands. Let us keep -quiet and show neither anxiety nor displeasure on account of her -absence. Let us not stir up the marchioness's evil designs, which -Monsieur Antoine's intervention has blocked to some extent for the -moment. Above all, let us make sure that Julie does not lose the rich -old fellow's protection and esteem. This is no time to puzzle over the -man's strange logic; the devil could not explain it. The thing to do is -to make the most of it, and no one of us three must think of himself or -of anything but Madame d'Estrelle's future." -</p> - -<p> -Thereupon he went into detailed calculations which compelled Julien's -attention. It was a matter of saving a modest competence for Julie by a -little prudence, or of throwing it away by excessive pride. Her -reputation was not yet compromised in society, and it was entirely -unnecessary that it should be. Thus far the plot against her formed by -the marchioness and Monsieur Antoine had not been executed. They had -been waiting for her to provoke the explosion by an attempt to resist -the dowager's claims. It was Monsieur Antoine's duty now to protect -Julie against the charges of which he was the author. He alone could do -it, having in his pocket weapons against the common enemy. He was -inclined to do it, he was penitent after his manner, he hated the -marchioness, he insisted that everything should be left to him to -settle: they must simply bow their heads and wait in silence. -</p> - -<p> -Julien was still ill at ease on one point. Did Monsieur Antoine propose -to take full charge of Madame d'Estrelle's destiny and will-power in -order to bring her to consent to the abominable idea of marrying him? -Marcel was able to reassure him completely in that respect, and he gave -him his word that fancy had permanently moved out of the old -sphinx's brain. Finally, Julien asked Marcel if he would also give him -his word that he had advised Julie to go away suddenly, if she was free -to return when she chose, and if she was thoroughly convinced that her -absence would be of benefit to herself and only to herself. Marcel was -able to swear that all this was true. -</p> - -<p> -"Of course you know where she is?" queried Julien. -</p> - -<p> -"I do know; but I cannot tell anyone; she made me promise. If she -desires to confide her whereabouts to anybody else, she will write; but -as she is very anxious that Monsieur Antoine and the dowager should not -know, I think that it will be best for her to have no other confidant -but me. Now that all this is cleared up, let me tell you what Monsieur -Antoine proposes to give you by way of indemnity for the lease." -</p> - -<p> -"One moment!" said Julien; "was this indemnity demanded, insisted upon -by Madame d'Estrelle? Was it not the price of some new torture inflicted -on her pride, of some sort of sacrifice on her part?" -</p> - -<p> -"There was nothing whatever to dispute about," said Marcel. "Monsieur -Antoine declared his purpose without any demand or concession -whatsoever. He probably always intended to make you this gift, for he is -the owner of the house at Sèvres, and he gives it to you. Here are your -deeds." -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Mon Dieu!</i>" cried Madame Thierry, as she looked over the papers, -"and an annuity too? I feel as if I were dreaming, I am happy, and I am -afraid!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," said Julien, still suspicious, "there is something under this, a -trap perhaps!" -</p> - -<p> -Marcel had great difficulty in inducing them to accept Monsieur -Antoine's treacherous gift. He had to tell them, to swear to them that -it was Madame d'Estrelle's earnest desire. He left them as tranquil as -possible, Julien struggling not to disturb by his apprehensions the -delight which his mother could not but feel at the thought of returning -to the home where she had lived happily so many years. Marcel then -hurried to the hôtel D'Estrelle and ordered Camille to pack up such -articles as her mistress needed for a brief stay in the country. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! <i>mon Dieu!</i>" said the amazed Camille, "does not madame la -comtesse send for me to join her?" -</p> - -<p> -"It is unnecessary for so short a time." -</p> - -<p> -"But madame can neither dress nor arrange her hair alone! Think of it! a -lady who has always been served according to her rank!" -</p> - -<p> -"She will find servants in the house where she is." -</p> - -<p> -"She must be with some poor people then, since she dislikes to have her -own servants boarded there. Perhaps madame is really ruined herself? -Alas! alas! such a kind and generous mistress!" -</p> - -<p> -Camille began to weep, and, although her tears were perfectly sincere, -she added: -</p> - -<p> -"And my wages, monsieur le procureur; who will pay them?" -</p> - -<p> -"I will pay everything to-morrow," replied Marcel, who was accustomed to -that blending of sentiment and practicalness which is always noticeable -in such disasters; "have all the household accounts prepared, and -meanwhile take the keys. You will be responsible for everything until -to-morrow." -</p> - -<p> -"Very good, monsieur, I will be responsible," said the maid, beginning -to sob afresh; "but are we to leave madame's service? will madame not -return?" -</p> - -<p> -"I did not say that, and I have received no orders to dismiss you." -</p> - -<p> -Marcel wrote to his wife that he had no time for dinner or supper, and -that she need not expect him until ten or eleven o'clock at night. He -returned to the convent. Julie had exhausted all her vitality in tears. -She had risen again, she had bathed her pale face, streaked with the -fire of tears, in cold water. She was calm, downcast, and resembled a -living corpse. She revived a little when she learned that Marcel had -succeeded in deceiving Julien, and in inducing him to accept, without -undue suspicion, the comparative affluence which Monsieur Antoine -bestowed on his mother and him. She wrote a note to Monsieur Antoine at -Marcel's dictation, pledging herself never to see Julien again during -her life, on condition that Julien should never be deprived of the house -at Sèvres or the annuity. She would not make a similar stipulation -concerning her own fortune, and Marcel dared not speak to her as yet of -accepting Monsieur Antoine's discharge of her debts. She made no -complaint; she was thoroughly exhausted, and Marcel, as he shook hands -with her, felt that she was feverish. He persuaded her to see Sister -Sainte-Juste, his cousin, and he urged the sister to have someone sleep -in the next room. He did not go away until he had, with the solicitude -of a father, seen everything arranged as he wished. -</p> - -<p> -Julie passed a quiet night; hers was not one of those obstinate natures -which struggle for a long time. Her conscience told her that she had -done her duty, and the first suffering was so sudden and violent that -she soon yielded to exhaustion and slept. The next morning she thanked -the nun who had passed the night with her, and asked to be left alone. -She dressed herself and arranged her hair, and, realizing that she was -very awkward and unskilful in waiting on herself, she determined to -conquer her habits, to put her room to rights and make her bed, arrange -her clothes, and establish herself in that poor cell as if she were to -pass her life there. She did all this mechanically, without effort and -without reflection. When it was done, she sat down, clasped her hands -about her knee, and looked out through the open window but saw nothing, -listened to the convent bells but heard nothing, and did not dare think -of eating, although she had taken nothing for twenty-four hours. If -lightning had struck in the middle of her room it would not have -startled her. -</p> - -<p> -About noon, Sister Sainte-Juste found her in this state of listless -contemplation, which she mistook for a beatific reverie. Some broken -hearts are still so sweet and gentle that one does not suspect their -suffering; but the sister had noticed, as she passed through the room -used as an antechamber and dining-room, that the breakfast brought by -the servant had grown cold untouched. -</p> - -<p> -"Did you forget to eat?" she asked Julie. -</p> - -<p> -"No, sister," replied the poor unhappy creature, who did not choose to -allow herself to be pitied, "I was waiting for my appetite to come." -</p> - -<p> -The nun urged her to eat, obligingly waited on her, and thought to -divert her mind by her harmless, unmeaning chatter. Julie listened with -inexhaustible good humor, and carried mental submission so far as to -seem interested in all the minutiæ of that recluse's life, all the -details of the regulations of the convent, all the dull little events -which occupied the leisure of the community. What did she care whether -she heard that or something else? It was no longer in the power of -anyone to annoy or tire her. She was like an empty heart through which -everything passes and in which nothing remains. -</p> - -<p> -When Marcel arrived in the afternoon his cousin said: -</p> - -<p> -"Why did you tell me that lady was ill and had reasons for being -unhappy? She slept soundly without saying a word, she breakfasted -reasonably well, although a little late, and she took great pleasure in -talking with me. She is a very amiable person and she has no serious -sorrow. I give you my word that she has not, for I know about such -things!" -</p> - -<p> -Marcel was alarmed by this sorrow without reaction. He came to tell her -what had taken place that morning at the hôtel D'Estrelle. Julie -confined herself to asking him for news of Julien and his mother. When -she learned that they were moving and that they were to pass that night -at Sèvres, she would not listen to anything else. -</p> - -<p> -"I do not propose to hate anyone any more," she said; "it would cause me -more misery and do no good. Do not mention Monsieur Antoine to me for -three or four days. I beg you, my friend, allow me to become accustomed -to my lot as best I can. You see that I do not rebel; that is all that -is necessary." -</p> - -<p> -On the following days Marcel found her calmer and calmer. She was very -pale; but the nun assured him that she slept and ate as much as was -necessary, and that was true. She did nothing during the day and did not -wish to see anyone, declaring that she was not at all bored. That also -was true. She was preoccupied, and sometimes she smiled. Marcel could -not understand it at all; he urged her to consult the convent physician, -who found her pulse a little weak, her complexion a little -<i>phlegmatic</i>, as they said in those days to indicate the presence -of a certain amount of lymph in the system. He prescribed quinine and -told Marcel that it would amount to nothing. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure05"></a> -<br /> -<img src="images/figure05.jpg" width="400" alt="" /> -<p class="center"><i>JULIE AT THE CONVENT AT CHAILLOT</i></p> -<p><i>Julie obediently took the quinine, walked about the -garden of the convent, consented to receive visits -from several nuns, impressed them as a very -attractive person.</i></p></div> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -It did amount to nothing, except that the heart was dying and the life -fading away with it. Julie obediently took the quinine, walked about the -garden of the convent, consented to receive visits from several nuns, -impressed them as a very attractive person, promised to read some new -books which Marcel brought her and which she did not open, prepared a -piece of embroidery which she did not begin, lived almost unnoticed in -the cloister, thanks to her unobtrusive manners, and continued to waste -away, slowly, without paroxysms, but without remission. -</p> - -<p> -Marcel was deceived by appearances. Seeing that she was so placid -mentally, and mistaking that sudden disappearance of the will for the -symptom of a struggle between a mighty will-power and nature itself, he -sought the remedy where it was not. He turned his attention to her -physical health. He hired a small country house at Nanterre, and, giving -Julie to understand that he had purchased it for her, carried her -thither; then, having made sure of Camille's discretion and devotion to -her mistress, he sent for her. He supplied her with enough money to -enable her to hire a peasant woman who could cook, and he made -arrangements that the countess's table should be daintier and more -substantial than that at the convent. The little house was located in an -airy spot, with a garden of considerable size surrounded by walls, and -with not sufficient shade to keep the sun from doing its healthful work. -He supplied the salon with books, little articles to provide occupation -or amusement, and Julie's harp—every woman in those days performed on -that instrument more or less. Marcel having taught her her lesson, -Camille deceived her mistress as to what had happened at the hôtel -D'Estrelle, and as to the means at her disposal. She made her believe -that everything was extremely cheap at Nanterre, and that she could -afford to live comfortably without exceeding the limits of her small -income. Julie wished to be poor and to owe nothing to Monsieur Antoine. -That was the only point on which Marcel had found her resistance -invincible. He had been forced to lie, and to let her believe that -Monsieur Antoine had taken possession of her house, her diamonds and -everything that belonged to her. -</p> - -<p> -The diamonds were in Marcel's custody, the house was kept in excellent -condition. The horses were in the stable, well cared for, and the -carriages in the carriage-house. The servants had been paid off and -discharged, under orders to return, upon advantageous terms, as soon as -Madame d'Estrelle should return. The concierge took care of the house, -groomed and exercised the horses. His wife dusted the rooms, opened and -closed the windows. Monsieur Antoine's head gardener attended to the -flowers and lawns. Monsieur Antoine himself visited the place every -morning. The pavilion, after Madame Thierry had gone away, was closed -and silent. But nothing was changed in Julie's abode. Every piece of -furniture was in its place, and the sun shone through the windows of her -empty salon. -</p> - -<p> -Two months had passed since the day that Julie left the hôtel. Uncle -Antoine was simply the caretaker and painstaking administrator of the -property. He had retained his privilege of being admitted there, pending -the time when it should please Julie to resume possession. He desired to -return it to her intact, and to reëmploy such of her servants as she -might wish to have about her. The concierge was ordered to inform -visitors that madame continued to own her house for the present, and -that she had gone to inspect her estate in the Beauvoisis and to make -some definite plans for the future; that is to say, Monsieur Antoine, in -concert with Marcel, having in view the <i>what will people say?</i> -represented Madame d'Estrelle's situation as the continuation of an -armistice with her creditors; and as she had been in that situation for -more than two years already, that was really the most plausible -explanation. They would see about inventing a perfectly convincing one -when Julie should consent to return. -</p> - -<p> -It is true none the less that Julie's friends, the old Duc de Quesnoy, -madame la présidente, Madame Desmorges, Abbé de Nivières and the -rest, began to be much surprised that they did not hear from her. Her -sudden departure had been accepted with reasonably good grace, thanks to -the hints adroitly strewn about by the solicitor; but why did she not -write? She must be very lazy; or perhaps she was ill? Was she really in -the Beauvoisis?—But the old duke had to go to take the waters of -Vichy; madame la présidente was engrossed by the marriage of her -daughter; the abbé was like the household cat—he forgot -everything when the fire on the hearth died out. Madame Desmorges was -indolence personified. The Marquise d'Estrelle alone would have been -likely to investigate the subject seriously, but her malice was suddenly -paralyzed by a sharp threat from Monsieur Antoine to disclose her -conduct and demand his money, if she ventured to make the slightest -investigation or the faintest derogatory remark concerning Julie. -</p> - -<p> -As will be seen, Monsieur Antoine behaved with extraordinary fairness, -prudence and loyalty, in everything that concerned the reputation, the -comfort and the pecuniary interests of his victim. He listened to -Marcel's advice, discussed it with him as if the question at issue were -what it was best to do for his own daughter, and followed it exactly. -Touching the fundamental question as to which Marcel did his utmost to -bend him, the union of the two lovers, he was inflexible; and as he lost -his temper when Marcel pressed him too hard on that subject, sulked and -shut the door in his face, Marcel was compelled, in his client's -interest, to submit to delays of which he could see no end. -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry and Julien were luxuriously established in their pretty -cottage, for the best part of the furniture had been left there, as well -as divers artistic objects of considerable value which Uncle Antoine had -disdained to notice because he had no idea of their value. Julien had no -confidence in this unexpected generosity, for which he had been warned -not to thank Monsieur Antoine, and which was surrounded with -inexplicable circumstances. He was so disturbed about it that, except -for the duty of sacrificing his own pride to his mother's repose, he -would have refused everything. Their position was excellent from a -material standpoint. The income of five thousand francs enabled them to -live modestly without awaiting anxiously the avails of Julien's feverish -labor at the end of each week. Madame Thierry could not help feeling the -most heartfelt delight in being restored to her house, her most -cherished memories, her former habits and connections. The latter were -less numerous than in the days when her table was always laid, but they -were more reliable. Her only true friends came forward once more. -Knowing that she had no more than was absolutely necessary, they exerted -themselves to provide an advantageous market for Julien's pictures. Not -until one has ceased to suffer from poverty can one make the most of his -talent. Julien no longer needed to hurry; his customers came -unsolicited, through the intervention of enlightened and kindly friends. -He consoled his mother for the secret dissatisfaction she still felt in -being Monsieur Antoine's debtor, by saying to her: -</p> - -<p> -"Never fear, I will pay your debt to him, against his will, if need be; -it is simply a question of time. Be happy; you see that I am not -disturbed by Julie's silence, but that I am waiting confidently and -calmly." -</p> - -<p> -Julien had changed neither in bearing, nor manner, nor feature, since -the fatal day of Julie's disappearance. At first he had believed what -Marcel said; but, as no letter arrived from his mistress, and as he knew -beyond doubt, as the result of inquiries he had made secretly, that she -was not in the Beauvoisis, he had gradually detected a part of the -horrible truth. Julie was free, for Marcel had sworn it on his honor, -again and again; but as to certain other points he did not swear. He -asserted nothing; he simply left them to their presumptions. He refused -with shrewd persistence to listen to any confidential communication, -which made it easier for him to evade many questions. Monsieur Antoine's -machiavelian plan was too eccentric to be fathomed by Julien's -straightforward mind. He did not suppose that jealousy was possible -without love, and he would have considered that he insulted Julie's -image by admitting that the old man was in love with her. The old man -was not in love, that is certain; but he was as jealous as a tiger of -Julien, and jealousy without love is the most implacable form of -jealousy. Julien believed that he was mad. Can anyone divine the schemes -of a madman? -</p> - -<p> -But might not those schemes, whatever they were, affect Julie's -determination? -</p> - -<p> -"No!" said Julien to himself, "pecuniary consideration cannot have -influenced that noble heart. Julie wishes to break with me; she chooses -to bring about the rupture in silence. It is painful to her, but she -considers it necessary. She trembled for her reputation; the marchioness -threatened to ruin her, and her friends must have succeeded in -convincing her that she could never rehabilitate herself after marrying -a plebeian. Such is the opinion of society. Julie fancied for a moment -that she was superior to such prejudices; her love for me led her to -presume too far on her strength. She has a noble nature, but her mind is -a little weak perhaps, and now the force of her character is being -exerted to bring about the triumph of the prejudice which kills love. -Poor dear Julie! She must suffer, because she is kind-hearted—because -she understands my suffering. So far as she is concerned, I feel certain -that she desires to forget me." -</p> - -<p> -Marcel had stronger hopes of Julien's mental cure than of Julie's. He -saw him as infrequently and for as short a time as possible. One day, -when he was obliged to go to report to his aunt concerning a small -matter which she had placed in his hands, he found her alone. -</p> - -<p> -"Where is Julien?" he asked; "in his studio?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, he is turning his attention to gardening. Since he has had this -little plot of land to dig and plant, he is more easily consoled for -everything. He has had a great sorrow, Marcel! a sorrow of which you -know nothing. He loved Madame d'Estrelle; I was not mistaken; and, more -than that——" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, yes!" said Marcel, who desired to avoid any sentimental scene; -"that has gone by, hasn't it? that is all over?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," replied the widow, "I think so. If he were deceiving me—But -no! after the hopes he has had it is not possible, is it, my boy? You can't -cheat the eyes of a mother who adores you?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, of course not. Sleep in peace, dear aunt! I will go to bid Julien -good-day.—If he is really deceiving his mother after the failure of -his hopes," he thought as he looked for Julien among the shrubbery, "he -must be a devilishly strong fellow!" -</p> - -<p> -Julien was digging a little hole in which to transplant a tree. He wore -a linen blouse and his head was bare. Standing in the loose earth, with -his hands resting on the handle of his spade, like a laborer taking -breath, he was musing so deeply that he did not hear his cousin's step, -and Marcel, who saw his profile only, was profoundly impressed by the -expression of his face. That manly countenance did not as yet bear the -marks of sorrow which were already impairing Julie's beauty; but it had -the tense, drawn look of despair which Marcel had had an opportunity to -study on her face. -</p> - -<p> -Julien spied his cousin, did not start at sight of him, and greeted him -with a smile. It was precisely the same smile of lifeless affability -with which Julie greeted him, a sweet but terrible smile, like that -which we sometimes see playing about the lips of a dying man. -</p> - -<p> -"This looks bad!" thought Marcel. "He is devilishly strong, no doubt, -but he is probably the sicker of the two." -</p> - -<p> -Marcel in his distress had not the strength to conceal his emotion. He -loved Julien dearly; his prudence deserted him. -</p> - -<p> -"Tell me," he said, "is anything the matter, are you unhappy?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, my friend, you know very well that I am unhappy," replied the -artist, dropping his spade and walking with his cousin under the trees. -"How could it possibly be otherwise? You are well aware that I loved a -certain woman, for my mother told you so. That woman has gone away. -Don't tell me that she will return; I know perfectly well that she must -return; but I know too that it is my duty never to seek her presence -again, and to say to myself that she is dead to me." -</p> - -<p> -"And—have you the courage to accept that conclusion?" said Marcel. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, if it is my duty! You understand, my friend, that a man must -always accept his duty." -</p> - -<p> -"Men submit to it with different degrees of courage: a man——" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, a man is a man. I am terribly unhappy, Marcel! I propose to endure -it. I could endure it alone, you may be sure of that, but you can help -me a little. Why do you refuse? What you have been doing the last two -months is very cruel." -</p> - -<p> -"How can I help you?" said Marcel, suspecting some stratagem devised by -passion to discover Julie's retreat. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Mon Dieu!</i>" replied Julien, reading his friend's thoughts, "it's a -very simple matter; you can tell me that she is happier than I am, that -is all." -</p> - -<p> -"How can I know?" -</p> - -<p> -"You see her two or three times a week! Come, you have done your duty, -my friend! You have endured my anxiety with wonderful courage. You have -shown very great devotion to her and to me too, perhaps; but I have -discovered several things; I know where she is: I learned yesterday from -your son." -</p> - -<p> -"Juliot doesn't know what he is saying; Juliot doesn't know her!" -</p> - -<p> -"Juliot saw her one day at the play; he hasn't forgotten her. He doesn't -know her name, so he calls her the country client. He has often spoken -to me about her: her sweetness and fascination impressed him." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, what then?" -</p> - -<p> -"What then? Why, last Sunday the child went to the festival at Nanterre -with a comrade of his own age, to whose parents you had entrusted him -for that purpose." -</p> - -<p> -"True!" -</p> - -<p> -"The two boys eluded the watchfulness of the parents for a few moments, -and ran about the village. A tree heavily laden with fruit, hanging over -a low wall, tempted their mischievous instincts. Juliot climbed on his -comrade's shoulders and attacked the tree; and while he was filling his -pockets, he saw a woman whom he recognized pass at his feet. I know the -street, I made him describe the woman. I have been to Nanterre and made -inquiries in the neighborhood: I have learned that a Madame -d'Erlange—that is Julie under an assumed name—lived there -with her maid, that she never went out, that no one was watching her, -and that she lived alone <i>from inclination</i>; that she was not -supposed to be ill, although your son thought she had changed. In a -word, I know that she is a prisoner on parole, or that she is afraid of -my importunities. Tell me the real reason, Marcel. If it is the latter, -tell her to come back, to return to her house; tell her to have no fear; -tell her that I swear by all that I hold most sacred that she shall -never see me again. Do you understand, Marcel? Answer me and relieve me -of the torture of uncertainty." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, it is all true," said Marcel after a moment's hesitation. "Madame -d'Estrelle is a prisoner on parole; but it is a parole which she herself -gave, and which no one compels her to observe. She is at liberty to -return; but she cannot see you any more." -</p> - -<p> -"She <i>cannot</i>, or she <i>does not wish to?</i>" -</p> - -<p> -"She neither can nor wishes to." -</p> - -<p> -"Very good, Marcel, that is enough. Carry her my oath of submission and -bring her back to her own house. She is in dismal quarters now, and that -solitude must be ghastly. Let her come back to her friends, her -comforts, her liberty. Go instantly, go, I say! I don't wish her to -suffer another moment for me." -</p> - -<p> -"All right, all right, I will go," said Marcel. "I am going; but what -about you?" -</p> - -<p> -"As if it made any difference about me!" cried Julien. "What! haven't -you gone?" -</p> - -<p> -And he took Marcel by the shoulders, embraced him and pushed him out of -the gate. -</p> - -<p> -As soon as he had lost sight of him, he returned to his mother. -</p> - -<p> -"Well," he said, with a smiling face, "everything is going better than I -hoped: Madame d'Estrelle is not a prisoner! She will soon return." -</p> - -<p> -He watched his mother closely as he spoke. She uttered a joyful -exclamation, but a cloud passed over her brow at the same time. Julien -sat down beside her and took both her hands. -</p> - -<p> -"Tell me the truth," he said; "the marriage project worries you a -little, doesn't it?" -</p> - -<p> -"How can you think that I do not long most earnestly for anything that -will make you happy? But I thought, that you no longer hoped." -</p> - -<p> -"I was entirely resigned, and you said as I did: 'Let us not be -discouraged, let us wait. Let us not think too much; perhaps she will -forget, and in that case perhaps you would do well to forget also.'" -</p> - -<p> -"And you answered: 'I will forget if necessary.' And now I see that you -rely upon her more than ever." -</p> - -<p> -"But don't you think that I have reason to rejoice. Tell me frankly if I -am under an illusion, for you must try to preserve me from it." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! my child, what shall I say to you? She is an adorable creature, and -I will adore her with you; but will she be happy with us?" -</p> - -<p> -"You know that Monsieur Antoine proposes to deal almost as generously -with her as with us, that he will leave her a competence. So that -poverty, which terrified you so, is no longer to be dreaded. What is -tormenting you now?" -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing, if she loves you." -</p> - -<p> -"You sigh when you say that. Do you doubt it, pray?" -</p> - -<p> -"I have doubted it hitherto, my child. What can you expect? if I am -unjust to her, it is the fault of you both. You had no confidence in me, -I did not see clearly the birth of your love, I did not follow its -different stages, and when you said to me one morning: 'We love each -other to distraction,' it seemed to me too sudden to be very serious. It -seemed to me that you hardly knew each other!—When I told your father -that I loved him, he had been at work three years decorating our house, and -I used to see him every day. Several good <i>partis</i> had been proposed -to me, but I was very sure that I loved nobody but him. Julie stood in a -different position with respect to you. No marriage appropriate to her -condition and her ideas about love had ever been within her reach. She -was consumed with a craving for love, and was mortally bored without -admitting it. She saw you and esteemed you; you deserved it. You -attracted her, as it was natural that you should. Peculiar circumstances -brought you together, she thought that she loved you passionately. Has -she made a mistake? The future will tell us; but she fled just at the -moment when she said that she proposed to declare herself, she left you -to wait and suffer without sending you a word of consolation. If I have -doubted her, you must agree that appearances are against her!" -</p> - -<p> -"Then you think that prejudice has more power over her than love? you -think that she lied when she talked to me enthusiastically of the modest -life she proposed to adopt, and told me how little she cared for honors -and titles?" -</p> - -<p> -"I do not say that, I say that she may have made a mistake concerning -the strength of her attachment to you, and the reality of her distaste -for society." -</p> - -<p> -"So that if somebody should tell you that you had guessed right, you -would not be surprised?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not very much!" -</p> - -<p> -"And not greatly grieved either?" -</p> - -<p> -"If your regret for her should be very great, my grief would be equally -great, my poor child. If on the other hand you should bravely make the -best of it, I should say that it was better so, and that you can surely -find a more prudent and stronger-willed woman to love." -</p> - -<p> -"Poor Julie!" said Julien to himself, "so her love for me was a mistake -and a weakness even in my mother's eyes!—Well, set your mind at -rest," he said aloud. "She renounces the dream we dreamed together; she no -longer believes in it, she is afraid that I will remind her of it. All -that you foresaw has proved to be true; Marcel has just told me so. I -have given him my word that I will never see her again." -</p> - -<p> -"Great Heaven!" exclaimed Madame Thierry in dismay, "how calmly you say -that! Is it true that you are really so tranquil in your mind as this?" -</p> - -<p> -"As you see. I was overwhelmed the first few days, and I did not conceal -it from you to any great extent; but as time passed, I understood Madame -d'Estrelle's silence. The tranquillity that you observe to-day is the -result of two months of reflection. So don't be surprised at it, and -believe that I am proud enough and sensible enough to overcome the pain -I may have felt." -</p> - -<p> -Julien's resolution was not feigned, he was perfectly honest in it. But -he suffered too keenly to half confess his suffering. The better way was -to refrain from any confession whatsoever. -</p> - -<p> -In the evening, as it was very warm, Julien went out to take a bath in -the river. Ordinarily he joined a number of young artists employed in -the porcelain factory, whom he advised and instructed. But on this -evening, feeling that he must be alone, he avoided them and went to a -deserted spot on the outskirts of a piece of woodland. It was dull, -lowering weather; Julien jumped into the water mechanically, and -suddenly this thought came to his mind as he was swimming about: -</p> - -<p> -"This is a terrible blow, from which I feel that I can never recover. If -I should stop paddling here for a few moments, the water would swallow -up my grief and keep the secret of my discouragement." -</p> - -<p> -As he reflected thus, Julien ceased to swim and sank rapidly. He thought -of his mother's despair, and when he touched bottom, he pushed himself -up with his foot and returned to the surface. He was a good swimmer and -could play with death thus without any risk; but the temptation was -strong, and the thought of suicide produces a terrible vertigo. Three -times he abandoned himself to the temptation, with increasing -excitement, and three times he recovered himself, with decreasing -resolution. As a fourth paroxysm, more violent than the others, was -impending, Julien rushed ashore, afraid of himself, and threw himself on -the sand, crying: -</p> - -<p> -"Forgive me, mother!" -</p> - -<p> -And he wept bitterly for the first time since his father's death. -</p> - -<p> -Tears did not relieve him. The tears of strong men are horrible cries -and stifling sobs. He blushed to feel that he was so weak, and had to -confess that he would be like that for a long while, perhaps forever. He -returned home, dissatisfied with himself, and almost cursing the days of -happiness he had enjoyed. He raged in his heart, and, wandering alone -through the garden, while his mother slept, and the lightning constantly -set the horizon on fire, he reproached his mother for loving him too -well, and depriving him of liberty to dispose of himself. -</p> - -<p> -"Why!" he exclaimed, "to live always for some other than oneself is -downright slavery! I have no right to die! Why have I a mother? They who -belong to no one are the happiest; they can, if they still love a broken -life, hurl themselves into the dissipation which distracts the mind, -into the debauchery which intoxicates. But I have not even that right! -Nor have I the right to be depressed and ill. I must burn at a slow -fire, smiling all the while; a tear is a crime. I cannot breathe -heavily, dream, utter an exclamation in the night without my mother -rushing to my side, terrified and ill herself. I cannot depart from my -habits, go on a journey, seek oblivion and diversion in motion and -fatigue; anything of that sort would worry her. To live without me would -kill her. I must be a hero or a saint so that my mother may live! Happy -are the orphans and abandoned children! they are not doomed to bear a -burden beyond their strength!" -</p> - -<p> -Julien had no sooner given vent to this revolt against destiny than -other blasphemies entered his mind. Why had Julie disturbed his dream of -self-sacrifice and virtue? Had he not accepted all the duties of his -position? had he not performed those duties faithfully? By what right -did that woman, because she was tired of solitude, take possession of -his solitude? Was it not cowardly and blameworthy of her to give him a -glimpse of the joys of heaven, although he neither hoped nor asked for -anything, and then leave him to the humiliation of having believed in -her? -</p> - -<p> -"You have made me a miserable wretch!" he cried in the depths of his -wrathful heart; "you are the cause that I no longer esteem myself, that -I no longer love my art, that I curse my mother's love, that I no longer -believe in my strength of will, and that I have felt the shameful and -idiotic thirst for suicide. You deserve that I should revenge myself on -you, that I should go to you among your friends and reproach you with -the destruction of my beliefs, my peace of mind and my dignity. I will -do it, I will say it to you, I will trample you under my feet!" -</p> - -<p> -Then he thought of the future which Julie apparently had in mind for -herself, and all the horrors of jealousy rose before him. He saw her in -the arms of another, and he dreamed of the murder of his rival in every -possible form. -</p> - -<p> -He went out into the country and walked at random. He found himself once -more on the shore of the stream. The storm broke and the lightning -struck a tall tree not far from him. He darted in that direction, hoping -that another bolt would strike him. He roamed about in torrents of rain, -unheeding, and did not return until daybreak, ashamed to be seen in that -state of insanity. He slept two hours and woke completely crushed, -horribly frightened by what had taken place within him, and resolved not -to allow himself to be taken by storm again by a violent passion of -which he had not hitherto realized the extreme danger. He had much -difficulty in rising; he breakfasted with his mother. -</p> - -<p> -"I have always believed," he said to her, "that love, being the supreme -blessing, should exalt us and sanctify us. I see now that love is the -very acme of selfishness, and that it may make us bloodthirsty or -idiotic. Love must be conquered; but love cannot be broken like a chain; -it must be allowed to die out little by little." -</p> - -<p> -Julien had a violent attack of fever and delirium; his mother divined -his suffering, and she too cursed poor Julie in her heart. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile Marcel had gone to see Julie. -</p> - -<p> -"Madame," he said, "you must return to your own house." -</p> - -<p> -"Never, my friend," she replied, with her heartrending sweetness; "I am -very comfortable here, I live on my little income, I lack nothing, I am -not unhappy, and unless you want to occupy this house——" -</p> - -<p> -"This house is not mine; I deceived you about it; but you are at liberty -to remain here, unless, out of regard for Julien, you will consent to -what I ask." -</p> - -<p> -"For Julien, you say? What do you mean?" -</p> - -<p> -"Julien knows where you are. He knows that you do not propose to see him -again. He swears that he will not try to disobey you. He submits -absolutely to a decision, of the reason for which he is ignorant. You -have, therefore, no further cause for remaining in concealment." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! very well," said Julie, with a bewildered air; "but in that -case—where shall I go?" -</p> - -<p> -"To your house in Paris." -</p> - -<p> -"I no longer have a house." -</p> - -<p> -"Possibly; but you are supposed to own your hôtel temporarily. People -suppose that you are engaged in arranging a settlement with Monsieur -Antoine. You must show yourself, so that a mysteriously prolonged -absence may not furnish food for slanderous suspicions." -</p> - -<p> -"What do you expect people will say?" -</p> - -<p> -"All that they can say of a woman who has something to conceal." -</p> - -<p> -"What does it matter to me?" -</p> - -<p> -"For Julien's sake you ought to be most careful of your reputation, -which we have succeeded thus far in preserving intact." -</p> - -<p> -"Julien knows perfectly well that I have nothing with which to reproach -myself." -</p> - -<p> -"It is because he knows it that he will fly at the throat of the first -man who presumes to say a word against you." -</p> - -<p> -"Let us go, then," said Julie, ringing for Camille. "I will do whatever -you choose, my friend, provided that I need never see Monsieur Antoine -again!" -</p> - -<p> -"Do not say that, madame; I have a single remaining hope." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! you still have hope, have you?" said Julie with her heartrending -smile. -</p> - -<p> -"I should lie if I said that it was very well founded," replied Marcel, -sadly; "but I cannot abandon it until the last extremity. Do not deprive -me of the means of breaking down Monsieur Antoine's obstinacy." -</p> - -<p> -"What is the use?" queried Julie. "Didn't you tell me that the marriage -of a titled woman to a plebeian meant unhappiness, persecution and a -horrible struggle for the plebeian?" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! madame, if the plebeian were very rich, most people would forgive -you." -</p> - -<p> -"Then you would have me ask your uncle to enrich the man I love? I must -dishonor myself in my own eyes—in Julien's too, perhaps—to earn -the forgiveness of a society without honor and without heart? You ask too -much of me, Marcel; you abuse my utter prostration. May God give me -strength to do but one thing,—resist you; for, after that disgrace, I -should feel that I had delayed too long to die." -</p> - -<p> -Poor Marcel was overdone with fatigue and disappointment. He wore -himself out in words and efforts of every sort, and he succeeded only in -rescuing all his friends from poverty and saving the material comforts -of life for them. He could do nothing for their mental condition, and he -said to his wife every night: -</p> - -<p> -"My dear love, there is nothing falser than reality! I am moving heaven -and earth to provide them with the means of living, and I succeed only -in killing them by inches." -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - - -<h4><a id="VIII">VIII</a></h4> - -<p> -Julie returned to Paris. She found there her luxurious surroundings, her -carriages, her jewels and her servants. Monsieur Antoine had looked -after everything; nothing about her was changed. She paid no heed to -anything. In vain did Marcel hope that she would experience a sort of -satisfaction, even if it were only a matter of instinct, in returning to -her ordinary surroundings. He was alarmed and almost vexed by that -immovable indifference. He had notified those of her friends whom he was -able to reach, in order to force her to be on her guard before them. She -greeted them without warmth, and when they expressed concern at her -pallor and her air of depression, she attributed everything to a cold -she had taken on the journey, which had detained her in the country an -unconscionably long time. It was nothing, she said. She had been much -worse; she was better now. She had preferred not to write in order not -to make her friends anxious. She promised to see her physician and to -get well. -</p> - -<p> -Two days later the Baronne d'Ancourt appeared. -</p> - -<p> -"I did you an ill turn," she said; "I am sorry, and I have come to ask -you to forgive me." -</p> - -<p> -"I bore you no grudge," Madame d'Estrelle replied. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, I know that you are either a great philosopher or a great saint; -but you are a woman all the same, my friend; you have been persecuted -and you are suffering!" -</p> - -<p> -"I don't know what you mean." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! <i>mon Dieu!</i> I know that the persecution by your creditors has -lasted long enough for you to have become used to it, but it seems that -the time came when you were within an ace of losing everything. They say -that you obtained another respite, but with much difficulty, and with -the certainty that it was merely falling back so as to jump higher. You -told Madame Desmorges that, didn't you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, it is true. I am only here now pending a final settlement." -</p> - -<p> -"But you will save something?" -</p> - -<p> -"I have no desire to save anything that came from Monsieur d'Estrelle. -It is my duty and my purpose to give up everything." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! in that case I see why you are so pale and so changed! I had -understood that you displayed wonderful resignation, but that you were -sick with anxiety. Now, my dear, you make a mistake in rejecting the -consolations of your friends. It is a noble rôle that you are playing, -but it will kill you! If I were in your place I would shriek and -complain! That would not remedy anything, but it would relieve me. And -then people would talk about it; society would be interested in me. It -is always a comfort to attract attention; whereas you allow yourself to -be buried alive without saying a word, and society, which is supremely -selfish, forgets you. They were talking about you last night at the -Duchesse de B——'s. 'That poor Madame d'Estrelle,' they said, -'you know she is really ruined? She won't have enough to hire a cab in -which to pay her visits.'—'What!' said the Marquis de -S——, 'we shall see such a pretty woman as she is splashed -with mud like a spaniel! Impossible! it's sickening. Is she very -miserable over it?'—'Why, no,' Madame Desmorges replied. 'She says -that she will get along. She is an astonishing creature.' Thereupon they -began to talk about something else. The moment that you show that you -are brave, no one thinks of pitying you, especially as it's so -convenient to think of no one but oneself." -</p> - -<p> -Julie contented herself with a smile. -</p> - -<p> -"You have a smile that frightens me!" continued the baroness. "Do you -know, my dear, I believe you are very ill? Oh! I don't believe in -sparing people. If you do that, a person may neglect herself and die, or -else drag along in misery and become ugly; and that is even worse than -dying. Take care of yourself, Julie, don't abuse your health as you are -doing. Your great courage won't carry you as far as you think, I tell -you! Everyone knows that it is not possible to lose everything without a -regret. Look you, I propose to tell you again, even though I make you -angry, that you did very wrong not to marry that rich old fellow, and -perhaps it is not too late to change your mind. No one would blame you -now; when a woman no longer has anything——" -</p> - -<p> -"Are you entrusted with new proposals from him?" queried Julie, with -some bitterness. -</p> - -<p> -"No, I haven't seen him since the day you and I fell out because of him. -He has made several attempts to surprise me, but I had barricaded myself -against his visits. But I don't say this to turn you against him. If he -comes again, don't turn him away, and, if he marries you, be very sure -that I will take it on myself to receive him on your account." -</p> - -<p> -"You are too kind!" said Julie. -</p> - -<p> -"Come, come! you are still distant and haughty with me. And yet I am -your friend; I have proved it. I broke a lance for you not long ago. -Some cowardly wretch of the Marquise d'Estrelle's set ventured to cast -a slur on you because of a little painter; you know, the son of the -famous Thierry, who lived at the end of your garden, by the way. I -imposed silence on him; I said that a woman like you did not dishonor -herself by being of a sociable disposition; and then, all of a sudden, I -was seconded by Abbé de Nivières, who said: 'That young man doesn't -even know her; he has gone to Sèvres to live with his mother. He is an -excellent young man; he says that he never saw Madame d'Estrelle in all -the time that he lived near her, and it is the truth.'—By the way, -you are interested in those people, aren't you, the mother especially? Do -you ever see her now?" -</p> - -<p> -"She no longer needs me, I have no reason to see her." -</p> - -<p> -"Then I see that everything is all right, except your health, which -disturbs me. Will you come to Chantilly with me? I am going to pass a -month there; we shall see plenty of society, and perhaps it will set you -up; then, if you recover your lovely coloring, perhaps we shall find a -husband for you." -</p> - -<p> -Madame d'Ancourt departed at last, chattering volubly, offering her -services, and sympathizing with her friend to the very step of her -carriage, abusing egotists, and in reality caring for nothing on earth -but herself. -</p> - -<p> -"She is too proud and too suspicious, that Julie," she said to herself. -"Faith, I'll not go to see her again very soon! She is distressing. If -she needs me, she will know where to find me." -</p> - -<p> -It was almost the same story with all Madame d'Estrelle's acquaintances. -She had never understood so well the abandonment which befalls all those -who abandon themselves, and she abandoned herself the more completely in -that she felt that her heart was becoming withered. -</p> - -<p> -When she had passed several days without apparently giving any thought -to the subject of her future action, she roused herself one morning to -say to Marcel: -</p> - -<p> -"I have done what you wished me to do; I have shown myself and explained -my absence; I have said that I am to go away before long. It is time to -have done with it and to turn over the house to Monsieur Antoine. It is -my purpose to go to live in the provinces, in some lonely place where I -shall be entirely forgotten. I shall take nobody but Camille. Do me the -favor to advise me in the selection of an out-of-the-way place and a -very modest dwelling." -</p> - -<p> -"There is one great difficulty," said Marcel, "and that is that Monsieur -Antoine will not assent to any settlement, that his receipt in full is -in my wallet, and that he has not yet any idea that it has not been -accepted." -</p> - -<p> -"You took that receipt from him!" exclaimed Julie indignantly. "He -believes that I will accept it! You had not the courage to tear it up -and throw the pieces in his face! Oh! I beg your pardon, Marcel, I -forget that he is your kinsman, that for your own sake you must treat -him gently. Very well, give me the receipt, and bring Monsieur Antoine -to me. This must be settled to-day; I will undertake to settle it." -</p> - -<p> -"Take care, madame," said Marcel, in whose breast a faint hope revived, -as he discovered the vulnerable point in Madame d'Estrelle, at which -lightning-flashes of energy could still be produced. "Monsieur Antoine -is very irritable too, his self-esteem is bent upon having you for his -debtor. Do not so act with him that he will detest Julien." -</p> - -<p> -"Is not Julien's future assured?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, if all the conditions of the arrangement are observed; and I -should lie if I told you that Monsieur Antoine is aware of your refusal -to observe that one in which you are concerned." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! <i>mon Dieu!</i> what a position you have put me in, Marcel! With your -blind devotion to practical affairs, with your obstinate determination -to save me from poverty, you have degraded me! That man believes that I -have sold my heart, that he has bought it with his money, and Julien -also believes that I have betrayed love for wealth! Ah! you would have -done better to kill me! To-day I feel that I cannot bear it all, and -that I must die!" -</p> - -<p> -Julie sobbed as if her heart would break; it was a long time since she -had wept. Marcel preferred to see her so, rather than changed into a -statue; he hoped for some favorable result from a violent paroxysm. He -tried deliberately to cause it. -</p> - -<p> -"Scold me, curse me," he said to her; "I did it all for Julien." -</p> - -<p> -"That is true of course," replied Julie; "I do wrong to blame you for -it. Forgive me, my friend. Are you perfectly sure that if I offend -Monsieur Antoine by my refusal, everything that he has done for Julien -will be in danger of being undone?" -</p> - -<p> -"Indubitably, and Monsieur Antoine will be justified on equitable -grounds. He is waiting, with an impatience which begins to alarm me, for -you to proclaim his merits and cease to be ashamed of his benefactions. -You must drink this cup, you must drink it for love of Julien, if, as I -suppose, that love is not dead!" -</p> - -<p> -"Let us not talk about that; I will drink the cup to the dregs. But how -shall we explain to the world the generosity which I am forced to -accept? What reason can we give for it? The world will suppose that I -have fawned upon that old man, that I have bewitched him by degrading -coquetries; perhaps they will say something worse." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, madame," said Marcel, determined to venture upon one supreme test -to make sure of Julie's sentiments, "the evil-minded will say all that, -and I do not as yet see any way to prevent their saying it. We will try -to find a way; but if we cannot, will your devotion to Julien go so far -as the sacrifice I ask?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," said Madame d'Estrelle, "I will go on to the end! Tell me, is -there not something to sign?" -</p> - -<p> -And she thought: -</p> - -<p> -"I will kill myself afterward!" -</p> - -<p> -"You have to enter into no new engagements," replied Marcel; "but you -must consent to receive Monsieur Antoine and thank him. I am certain now -that he would really make Julien a rich man if you would agree to a sort -of reconciliation." -</p> - -<p> -"Bring Monsieur Antoine here," said Julie.—"I will kill myself -to-night," she said to herself when Marcel had gone. -</p> - -<p> -Julie's love had made such progress in her despair that she was no -longer capable of sound reasoning. Her love had become an accepted -martyrdom; she lived wholly on the excitement of that martyrdom. -</p> - -<p> -She wrote to Julien: -</p> - -<p> -"Here is the key to the pavilion. Come at midnight; you will find me -there. I am going on a long journey. I want to say adieu to you -forever." -</p> - -<p> -She put the key in the letter, sealed it, ordered the most reliable of -her servants to mount and ride at full speed to Sèvres, and bring her a -reply. It was five o'clock in the afternoon. -</p> - -<p> -She went out into the garden to await Monsieur Antoine and stopped on -the edge of the pond. The water was not very deep; but by lying down at -full length!—One who wants to die can always find a way. The variety -of suicide which had so tempted Julien a few days before, suggested itself -to her with ghastly tranquillity. -</p> - -<p> -"Nobody else on earth cares for me," she thought. "As I cannot be his, I -will not be any man's. An infernal hatred has seized me by the throat -and strangled me in the midst of my life and my happiness. They are not -satisfied to deprive me of love and liberty, they seek to deprive me of -honor too. Marcel himself said that I must consent to be reputed that -old man's mistress. Ah! if Julien knew that, how he would abhor the -comfort in which his mother is living! And if she should suspect -it!—They shall both remain in ignorance of it, I am determined; my -death will be the result of an accident. It will be impossible to -retract the bargain we are about to make. Julien will be rich and -honored. No one will ever guess at what price." -</p> - -<p> -Once more the thought passed through Julie's mind that it was in her -power and Julien's to shake off all these chains and to be united in -spite of poverty. -</p> - -<p> -"He would be happier so," she thought, "and perhaps I am sacrificing -myself to his undoing! But who knows where Monsieur Antoine's hatred -would stop? A raving maniac is capable of anything; perhaps he would -have him murdered. Has he not secret agents, spies, cutthroats, in his -service?" -</p> - -<p> -Her brain was in a whirl, she walked round and round the basin as if she -were impatiently awaiting the fatal hour. And then, when she thought -that she was about to see Julien again, her heart returned to life with -a mighty throb, and beat as if it would burst. She had no feeling of -remorse, no scruple about breaking oaths extorted from her by the most -revolting moral constraint. -</p> - -<p> -"When one is at the point of death," she said to herself, "one has the -right to protest before God against the iniquity of his executioners." -</p> - -<p> -At that moment there was an extraordinary power of reaction in that -woman, naturally so gentle and submissive. It was like the sudden -boiling of a placid lake, caused by a volcanic disturbance, or like the -blazing up of a flame just on the point of dying. She was feverish, she -was no longer herself. -</p> - -<p> -She saw Monsieur Antoine approaching with Marcel, and she mechanically -seated herself, to receive him, on the bench where, three months -earlier, the old man had made the strange and absurd proposition, her -rejection of which had cost her so dear. As on that day, she heard the -foliage rustle and saw the sparrow Julien had tamed flapping his wings -and apparently hesitating whether he should light on her shoulder. The -little creature had taken a liking to freedom. Julien, being unable to -find him as they were going away, had left him behind, hoping that -Julie, whose long absence he did not foresee, would be very glad to find -him there. Since her return, Julie had seen him several times not far -away, friendly but suspicious. She had tried in vain to induce him to -come nearer. But this time he allowed himself to be caught. She was -holding him in her hands when Monsieur Antoine accosted her. -</p> - -<p> -She smiled and saluted him with a bewildered air; he spoke to her, -unconscious of what he was saying, for his long exercise of absolutely -despotic power had failed to overcome his timidity at the beginning of -an interview. After his inevitable moment of stammering, he could -succeed in saying nothing more than this: -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! so you still have your sparrow?" -</p> - -<p> -"It is Julien's sparrow and I love it," replied Julie. "Here, do you -want to kill it? Here it is!" -</p> - -<p> -Her manner of speaking, her livid pallor, and the savagely indifferent -air with which she offered him the poor little bird, all warm with her -kisses, made a profound impression on Monsieur Antoine. He looked at -Marcel as if to say: "Is she mad, I wonder?" and instead of twisting the -sparrow's neck as he would have done three months earlier, he pushed it -away, saying stupidly: -</p> - -<p> -"Psha! psha! keep the thing! There's no great harm in it!" -</p> - -<p> -"You are so kind!" rejoined Julie, with the same feverish bitterness. -"You have come to receive my thanks, haven't you? You know that I accept -everything, that I am happy now, that I no longer love anything or -anybody, that you have done me the very greatest service, and that you -can say to God every night: 'I have been good and great like unto -Thee!'" -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur Antoine stood with his mouth open, uncertain whether Madame -d'Estrelle said these things to make sport of him or to thank him; too -cunning to trust, too dull to understand. -</p> - -<p> -"She is going to fly in my face," he whispered to Marcel. "You deceived -me, you rascal!" -</p> - -<p> -"No, uncle," Marcel replied aloud. "Madame la comtesse is thanking you. -She is very ill, as you see; do not ask her to make long speeches." -</p> - -<p> -Marcel had relied on the impression that the alteration in Julie's -features would probably produce on Monsieur Antoine. That impression was -in truth profound. He stared at her with a dazed, cruel, yet terrified -expression, and said to himself with a joy not unmingled with terror: -"That is my work!" -</p> - -<p> -"Madame," he said, after a moment's hesitation, "I said that I would be -revenged on you, that I would force you to ask my pardon for your -insults. Do you want to get through with it and admit that you were in -the wrong? I ask nothing but that." -</p> - -<p> -"What is my offence?" said Julie. "Explain it so that I may know what it -is." -</p> - -<p> -Antoine was sorely embarrassed to reply, and his anger, which had almost -disappeared, reawoke, as always happened when he had no charge to make -which would bear the test of common sense. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! so you don't think you have insulted me?" he said. "Very good, -<i>mordi!</i> you shall ask my pardon in so many words if you don't want -Julien to have to pay for you." -</p> - -<p> -"Must I ask your pardon on my knees?" queried Julie, with a heartrending -attempt at arrogance. -</p> - -<p> -"Suppose that I should demand that?" retorted the old man, dizzy with -anger when he felt that he was defied. -</p> - -<p> -"Here I am!" said Madame d'Estrelle, kneeling before him. -</p> - -<p> -That was for her the last station on the road of martyrdom, the apology -which the innocent victim was compelled to make, with the rope about the -neck and the torch in the hand, before ascending the scaffold. At that -moment of sublime self-immolation, her angered heart suddenly -overflowed, her face became transfigured, she smiled the ecstatic smile -of the saints, and the ineffable beauty of heaven revealed was reflected -in her eyes. -</p> - -<p> -Antoine did not understand, but he was dazzled. His anger subsided, not -under the influence of emotion, but before a sort of superstitious -terror. -</p> - -<p> -"That is all right," he said. "I am satisfied and I forgive Julien. -Adieu!" -</p> - -<p> -He turned his back and fled. -</p> - -<p> -Marcel said to Julie a few encouraging words, which she did not hear or -did not try to understand; then he ran after Monsieur Antoine. -</p> - -<p> -"Now, my excellent uncle," he said in the boldest and most stinging tone -he had yet adopted with him, "you should be satisfied, indeed; you have -killed Madame d'Estrelle!" -</p> - -<p> -"Killed her?" said his uncle, turning abruptly upon him. "What infernal -nonsense is that?" -</p> - -<p> -"The nonsense would consist in taking her joy and her gratitude -seriously, and you surely are not capable of that. That woman is in -despair, she is dying of grief." -</p> - -<p> -"You lie, you are dodging the question! She is still a little angry, she -is sick on account of the way I have thwarted her lately; but in reality -she is making the best of it, and while she may be chafing at her bit, -she sees well enough that I am saving her in spite of her." -</p> - -<p> -"You save her from the chances of the future, it is true, and you take -the surest means to do it, by depriving her of life." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, well, there's another dodge! She caught cold passing the nights -in the garden with her lover! And then she was bored to death in that -convent at Chaillot, and even more in that barrack at Nanterre, where -she was absolutely alone! You see that it was no use for her to hide, I -know every place she has been to. I never lost track of her. You can't -fool me! I saw the convent doctor: he told me that she had a streak of -melancholy in her disposition, but that she had no serious disease. I -have seen her Paris doctor too; he says that he knows nothing about her -sickness. If it was anything serious he'd know what it was, deuce take -it! <i>I</i> know; she's angry; people don't die of that, and now she'll -get better, I give you my word." -</p> - -<p> -"And I," said Marcel, "give you my word that, with another week of the -despair in which you are plunging her deeper and deeper, she will be -lost beyond recall." -</p> - -<p> -"Oho! so she loves that young dauber of canvas very dearly, does she? -How about him, does he still think of her?" -</p> - -<p> -"Julien's as badly off as she is, and in quite as alarming a frame of -mind. I determined to make sure of it; I forced a confession from him -with much difficulty, for he is not a man to complain. As for her, two -whole months have passed and I haven't succeeded in extorting a word -from her. To-day, I determined to force her to the wall; I succeeded, -and now my mind is made up." -</p> - -<p> -"To what? what do you propose to do?" -</p> - -<p> -"I propose to destroy the two papers I have in my pocket; your receipt, -which I have taken back from Madame d'Estrelle, and her promise never to -see Julien again, which I have not yet delivered to you. You entrusted -both of them to me, telling me to exchange your reciprocal pledges. I -place you on your original footing by destroying them both. We must -start afresh, and as I know your intentions and hers, I tell you now -that Madame d'Estrelle will accept nothing from you, and that you can -take possession of everything that belongs to her. Thus far she has -followed my advice blindly; I have changed my views, and, as I have no -desire to see her die, I advise her to retract her consent to -everything." -</p> - -<p> -"Why, you're a miserable knave!" said Monsieur Antoine, stopping short -in the middle of the street and shouting at the top of his voice. "I -don't know what keeps me from breaking my cane over your shoulders!" -</p> - -<p> -"Knave indeed! when I give you back all your money and recover nothing -for my client but the right to live in poverty! Nonsense! Just sue her -and have the case aired in court, if you want to cover yourself with -ridicule and shame!" -</p> - -<p> -"But Julien! Julien, whom I have made rich, you scoundrel! This is what -I foresaw! You have cheated me—— -</p> - -<p> -"Not at all, uncle! Julien has been seriously ill of late, he is still, -and his mother said to me: 'Do whatever you choose. Let us return -everything to Monsieur Antoine, and let Julie be restored to us!' So -there you are, uncle. You don't lose an obolus, you recover principal -and interest, and you leave us at liberty to live as we please, with no -risk of losing our liberty by reason of any stipulation imposed by law -or by private agreement." -</p> - -<p> -"Why, you miserable villain, how you recant! I took you for a sensible -man, you agreed with me entirely, you disapproved of their marriage, you -worked with me to provide for their happiness——" -</p> - -<p> -"True, until the day when I saw that happiness was taking them -straight to the tomb." -</p> - -<p> -"They are mad!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, uncle, they are mad; love is a form of madness; but when it is -incurable we must yield to it, and I yield." -</p> - -<p> -"Very good!" retorted Monsieur Antoine, flattening his hat over his eyes -with a vicious blow. "Go and tell that lady to get out of her house, -that is to say my house, instantly. I will go to Sèvres and pack off -the others. If the whole lot of them are not on the street in two hours, -I'll send bailiffs, police agents—I'll set the houses on fire, -I'll——" -</p> - -<p> -His frantic threats became inaudible as he rushed madly away. He left -Marcel in the street and returned home, unconsciously parodying Orestes -pursued by the Furies. Marcel, undismayed, quietly followed him, and -disregarded the orders already given to admit no one; he was determined -to come to blows with the servants if necessary. -</p> - -<p> -"You mean to go to Sèvres, do you?" he said. "I will go with you." -</p> - -<p> -"That's as you choose," said Uncle Antoine, with lowering brow. "Have -you notified Madame Julie to clear out of my house?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, that is done," replied Marcel, for he saw that the old man had -lost his head completely, and that he did not know how few were the -minutes passed since their altercation in the street. -</p> - -<p> -"Is she packing up? Is she taking away——" -</p> - -<p> -"She takes nothing," said Marcel; "she leaves everything for you. Are we -going to Sèvres? Have you ordered the cab?" -</p> - -<p> -"My chaise and farm horse will go faster. They are being harnessed." -</p> - -<p> -He sat down on the edge of a table and seemed absorbed by his -reflections. Marcel sat down opposite him, determined not to lose sight -of him, at times fearing for his reason, at times dreading some -diabolical suggestion of his wrath. When they entered the carriage, it -was seven o'clock at night; Marcel broke the silence. -</p> - -<p> -"What are we going to do at Sèvres?" he inquired. -</p> - -<p> -"You will see!" Monsieur Antoine replied. -</p> - -<p> -After about fifteen minutes Marcel spoke again. -</p> - -<p> -"There is no need of your going there," he said. "The documents are in -my office; it is simply a matter of tearing them up, and I will not -allow you to make an absurd scene at my aunt's, I warn you. She is -exceedingly anxious, for Julien is very ill, as I told you." -</p> - -<p> -"And you lied like a dog!" retorted Monsieur Antoine. -</p> - -<p> -As he spoke he pointed to a hired cabriolet which was just passing them. -Julien, pale and downcast, with contracted brow and preoccupied, -determined air, was in the vehicle, and passed close to them without -seeing them. He had received Julie's note; he had forced himself to -rise, and, as he wished to ask Marcel some questions before keeping the -appointment, he was driving in season to Paris. -</p> - -<p> -"If he is the one you want to speak to," said Marcel, "let us turn back; -I will wager that he is going to see me!" -</p> - -<p> -"He is not the one I want to speak to," rejoined Monsieur Antoine, -satirically, "since he is dying." -</p> - -<p> -"Did you think he looked well?" demanded Marcel. -</p> - -<p> -The uncle relapsed into his sullen silence. They went on toward Sèvres. -Did he himself know what he was going to do there? Let us confess the -truth—he had absolutely no idea. He was conscious that his mind was -in great confusion, and his meditation was simply a sort of painful -uneasiness concerning the discomfort he felt. -</p> - -<p> -"With all this," he thought, "I shall be the sickest of the three if I -don't look out. Anger is an excellent thing; it keeps one alive, it -helps out old age, and it is all up with an old man who allows himself -to be led by the nose; but we shouldn't take too big a dose of it at -once, and it would be well for me to cool off a little." -</p> - -<p> -Thereupon, with a strength of will which would have made him a -remarkable man if he had had better instincts or better guidance, he -determined to take a nap, and slept quietly until the carriage entered -the streets of Sèvres. -</p> - -<p> -Marcel was strongly tempted to order the coachman to return to Paris -without his uncle's knowledge; but would the man have obeyed? Moreover, -as Julien was out of the way, would it not be well to find out how -Monsieur Antoine proposed to act with regard to Madame Thierry? He stood -greatly in awe of her. Would he dare to tell her to her face that he -proposed to take back his gifts? -</p> - -<p> -Sleep restored Monsieur Antoine to himself—that is to say to his -chronic state of deliberate aversion, jealous self-love, and brooding -resentment. They found Madame Thierry in front of a fine portrait of her -husband, at which she was gazing earnestly as if seeking in the cheering -serenity of that refined face the confidence in the future which had -always sustained that fascinating man's happy temperament. Marcel had -just time to hurry into the room first and say to her hastily: -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur Antoine is at my heels; he is in a rage. You can save -everything by much patience and firmness." -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Mon Dieu!</i> what shall I say to him?" -</p> - -<p> -"That you give back what he has given you, but that you thank him for -it. Julie adores Julien. Everything depends on uncle. Here he is!" -</p> - -<p> -"Will you leave me alone with him?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, he insists upon it; but I will be close at hand, ready to -interfere if necessary." -</p> - -<p> -Marcel walked quickly into an adjoining cabinet, threw himself into a -chair and waited. Monsieur Antoine entered Madame Thierry's salon by the -other door. He was less timid when he did not feel Marcel's searching -eye fixed upon him. -</p> - -<p> -"Your servant, Madame André," he said on entering. "Are you alone?" -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry rose, answered affirmatively, and courteously waved him -to a chair. -</p> - -<p> -Her face, too, was greatly changed. She had passed several nights by her -son's bedside, and, when he insisted upon getting up and going away -despite her entreaties, she realized that the momentous crisis of the -drama of his life was at hand. -</p> - -<p> -"Your son is sick?" Monsieur Antoine began. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, monsieur." -</p> - -<p> -"Seriously?" -</p> - -<p> -"God grant that he is not!" -</p> - -<p> -"Does he keep his bed?" -</p> - -<p> -"He got up a short time ago." -</p> - -<p> -"Can I see him?" -</p> - -<p> -"He has gone out, monsieur." -</p> - -<p> -"Then he isn't so very sick?" -</p> - -<p> -"He was very sick until last night, when he seemed a little better." -</p> - -<p> -"What was the matter with him?" -</p> - -<p> -"Fever and delirium." -</p> - -<p> -"Sunstroke?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, monsieur." -</p> - -<p> -"Unhappiness, perhaps?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, great unhappiness." -</p> - -<p> -"Because he's in love?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, monsieur." -</p> - -<p> -"But it's a stupid thing to be in love when one might be rich." -</p> - -<p> -"It is of no use arguing about it, monsieur." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you know what proposition I have come to make to you?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, monsieur." -</p> - -<p> -"If you will send your son to America, I will place a considerable sum -of money in his hands, I will direct his operations, and in ten years he -will return with thirty thousand francs a year." -</p> - -<p> -"On what conditions, monsieur?" -</p> - -<p> -"On condition that he says good-bye to a certain lady of our -acquaintance, that's all." -</p> - -<p> -"And if he refuses?" -</p> - -<p> -"If he refuses—and that is what I expect, I have been warned—a -certain agreement between him and me with regard to that lady is null and -void." -</p> - -<p> -"Very good, monsieur, I understand! You have a right to do it, and we -submit." -</p> - -<p> -"But you can resist; you weren't consulted about accepting my presents, -you didn't know the conditions agreed upon between Madame d'Estrelle and -me. There is ground for a lawsuit, and I might lose it by means of a -little bad faith on the part of my opponents." -</p> - -<p> -"If you regard my son and myself as your opponents, you may rest easy, -monsieur; we renounce your benefactions, without a shadow of -hesitation." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! yes, my benefactions! they are a burden to you, they make you -blush!" -</p> - -<p> -"As we did not know that they put fetters on a person who is dear to us, -they did not make us blush; indeed—I may say, monsieur," added Madame -Thierry, with a mighty effort due to her devotion to her son, "your name -would have been blessed in this house, if we had been certain that we -owed that generosity to your solicitude for our welfare. Whatever its -cause, and brief as its duration has been, we have been happy, amid all -our troubles and anxieties, to live in this house once more and to enjoy -to the full our most cherished memories. You bid us leave them, and we -obey; but it remains for me to thank you——" -</p> - -<p> -"You, madame?" said Antoine, gazing fixedly at her. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, for me to thank you for the two months you have allowed me to pass -here. The idea of never seeing the house again was very painful to me; -it will be less so henceforth, and I shall look back to this brief stay -here as to a last pleasant dream which will count for much in my life -and for which I shall be indebted to you." -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry spoke in a sweet voice and with a refined accent which -had always made her very fascinating. In his moments of spleen Monsieur -Antoine sourly called her the <i>fine talker.</i> He felt none the less the -ascendancy of that still fresh voice, which caressed his ear with mild -and almost respectful words. He had but little comprehension of -sentimental refinement, but it seemed to him that he had found the -submissive instinct of which he was so greedy. -</p> - -<p> -"Come, Madame André," he said, with the surly manner he always assumed -when his ill humor was beginning to retreat, "you know how to say all -you want to say; but, in reality, you can't endure me, you may as well -admit it!" -</p> - -<p> -"I do not hate any one, monsieur; but you force me to confess that I am -afraid of you." -</p> - -<p> -Nothing could have been more adroit than that reply. To inspire fear was -in Monsieur Antoine's opinion the noblest attribute of power. He -softened as if by a miracle, and said in an almost good-humored tone: -</p> - -<p> -"Why in the devil are you afraid of me?" -</p> - -<p> -Madame André had the penetration of women who have lived much in -society, and the shrewdness of a mother pleading her child's cause. She -saw what a long step forward she had taken; she forgot, and this time -most opportunely, that she was sixty years old, and boldly decided to -play the coquette, although it cost her more dearly to employ that ruse -with Monsieur Antoine than with any other man. -</p> - -<p> -"Brother," she said, "it rested entirely with you to retain my -confidence. I do not reproach you for betraying it; your intentions were -kind, but I misunderstood you. I was very young then, and in a plight -where everything made me suspicious. I had had no experience of life. I -thought that you were advising me to abandon André, whereas——" -</p> - -<p> -"Whereas I said to you in so many words: 'Save him!'" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, that is true; your action was dictated by affection for him. Well, -you see, I was blind, obstinate, whatever you choose to call it; but -confess that you ought to have forgiven me for that, have treated me -like the child I was, and become my brother once more as in the past." -</p> - -<p> -"You want me to admit that? Why, you always showed me the cold shoulder -after that." -</p> - -<p> -"It was your place to laugh at my coldness, and to take my hand and say: -'Sister, you're a little fool; let us embrace and forget the past.'" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! you think that I should have——" -</p> - -<p> -"The more entirely one is in the right, the more generous he should be!" -</p> - -<p> -"You talk that way now." -</p> - -<p> -"It is never too late to see what is right and to arrange things that -are out of place." -</p> - -<p> -"So—now you are sorry that you wounded me?" -</p> - -<p> -"I am sorry for it; but, if I ask your pardon, will you grant it?" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! the deuce! it's not the same thing now, my fine lady! You need me -now!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Monsieur Antoine, I do need you. My son is mad with grief; marry -him to the woman he loves." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! there we are!" cried Monsieur Antoine, flying into a rage again. -</p> - -<p> -"We have been there all the time," replied Madame Thierry; "I have asked -you for nothing since you have been here except liberty of action for -Madame d'Estrelle." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, with plenty of money for everybody?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, no money, nothing! the sacrifice is made. Let us remain here as -tenants, we will gladly pay for the privilege. And, if you are not -willing—why, your will shall be done; but turn us away without hatred -and forgive us for being happy, for we shall be, even in poverty, if our -hearts are content with one another, if we can say to one another that -our happiness is no longer a source of affliction to you." -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur Antoine felt that he was beaten; he was ashamed of it and clung -to the last straw. -</p> - -<p> -"That is your pride," he said; "it's always the same thing however you -change it! The rich man's money is the object of your scorn! You snap your -fingers at it!—'Take it all back, we want nothing, we haven't any -needs! we live on air! What is this money? No better than pebbles to -sensible minds!' And yet, my fine lady, money honestly earned by a man -who had nothing on his side but his natural genius, ought to count for -something! It's the working-bee's honey, it's the tropical flower which is -made to bloom in an <i>artificial</i> climate by the patience and skill of -a master gardener. Ah! that is nothing, you think? With all his wit, my -poor brother only succeeded in using up the money he earned by working -like a hod-carrier. But I know how to make a different use of money; I -save it, I add to it every day, and I make people happy when I choose!" -</p> - -<p> -"What are you driving at, Monsieur Antoine?" said Madame Thierry, as she -saw Marcel making unintelligible signs to her through the door behind -Monsieur Antoine. -</p> - -<p> -"I am driving at this, that you are not so good a mother as you think. -You are willing to sacrifice everything to your son except your contempt -for the money that comes from me. In heaven's name, do you think I stole -it, does my gold stink?" -</p> - -<p> -"But why, in heaven's name, do you say such things to me? why do you -suppose that I refuse you the esteem you deserve?" -</p> - -<p> -"Because, if you were a good mother, instead of talking this sort of -nonsense to me, you would say: 'Brother, we are unfortunate and you are -rich; you can save us. We are a little out of our heads, we want to pay -court to Madame d'Estrelle, but that is no reason for leaving us without -bread. Come, forgive us for everything at once! indulge us with love and -with bread to eat; it is humiliating to us, but no matter! We know that -you are a noble-hearted and generous man; you will have pity on us and -grant us all we ask!'—Yes, Madame André, that is what you would say, -what you would ask on your knees, if, instead of being a great lady, you -were really a good mother!" -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry was speechless with surprise. She looked at Marcel, who, -unseen by Monsieur Antoine, urged her by most energetic pantomime to -yield to the old fellow's whim. The poor woman had a sinking at the -heart, but she did not hesitate; she slipped from the chair to her -hassock, on which she knelt, and said, taking both Monsieur Antoine's -hands: -</p> - -<p> -"You are right, brother, you teach me my duty. I surrender. Be the -noblest of men, forgive everything and grant everything." -</p> - -<p> -"At last! Good!" cried Monsieur Antoine, rising; "and when people are -reconciled, they embrace, don't they?" -</p> - -<p> -Madame Thierry embraced him, and Marcel entered to congratulate them. -</p> - -<p> -"Well," said the horticulturist, "you're a great fool, aren't you, -master pettifogger? It was very pretty, your scheme of rebellion! to -smash and break everything! What! reduce your client and your family to -want, all rather than give way to the rich man, the powerful man, the -natural enemy of those who have nothing and don't know how to earn -anything! A fine solicitor, on my word, who can't obtain anything for -his clients but love and rye bread! Luckily women are brighter than -that! Here are two who sent me to the devil, and both of them have bent -the knee to me to-night. Well, it is done, madame my sister! I shall -never remind you of this, for I am generous, and when people do what I -want I know how to reward them. Your son shall marry the fair countess, -whom I must turn out of her house because of what the world may say; but -the hôtel D'Estrelle with twenty-five thousand francs a year, shall be -Julien's marriage portion. That's the way I do things, and I know that -you will thank me for it to-morrow in earnest; for I am not deceived by -the politics of the present day; but you have done what I wanted, you -have submitted, I asked nothing but that." -</p> - -<p> -"You shall have more than that," said Madame Thierry, "you shall have -the affection of warm and sincere hearts, and you shall know such -happiness as you might have known long ago; but we will do all we can to -make up for lost time." -</p> - -<p> -"That is mere talk," said Monsieur Antoine. "Happiness is being one's -own master, and I don't need anybody to be mine. I don't like brats and -mawkish sentiment; I wasn't made to be the father of a family, but I -could have governed a country very well, if I had been born a king. It -has always been my whim to command, and I reign over whatever is within -my reach much better than many monarchs who don't know what they are -doing!" -</p> - -<p> -Despite the anxiety which Julien's absence caused her, and her longing -to send Marcel after him, Madame Thierry felt called upon to invite -Monsieur Antoine to supper. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh!" said he, "I sup on a hard crust of bread and a glass of cheap -wine. That is my habit: I have never cared much about eating." -</p> - -<p> -She gave him what he asked for, and Marcel hastened their departure. -</p> - -<p> -"I am sure that Julien is at my house waiting for me," he said to his -aunt. "He must be impatient because I do not return; but my wife is -there, and she will keep him quiet; Juliot will chatter to him, and if -he should be sicker, you may be sure that he is well taken care of." -</p> - -<p> -Julien was frantically impatient in very truth, despite the attentions -which Madame Marcel lavished upon him. He had felt exceedingly weak when -he arrived. He had tried to eat a little and to divert his thoughts with -his godson's pretty prattle; but, as Marcel did not appear, when he -heard the clock strike eleven, he could stand it no longer. He declared -that his mother would be anxious if he had not returned at midnight; he -promised to take a cab to return to Sèvres, and started for Rue de -Babylone on foot, with many detours and precautions, to avoid being -watched and followed, as formerly, by some agent of Monsieur Antoine. He -arrived unmolested. His actions were no longer watched. Monsieur Antoine -had been spying upon Julie too long not to be sure that she no longer -had any relations with Julien. -</p> - -<p> -At midnight, Julien, who had been at the door fifteen minutes, entered -and found Julie, who also had been waiting fifteen minutes in the -pavilion. At the same moment Marcel, Monsieur Antoine, and Madame -Thierry entered Paris by the Barrière de Sèvres. Monsieur Antoine's -frugal supper and slow conversation had lasted a little too long to suit -the widow. Being anxious about her son, she had asked for a seat in the -chaise, that she might join Julien at Marcel's. -</p> - -<p> -As the moment for his meeting with Julie drew near, Julien had summoned -all his courage. He anticipated a painful explanation, he had taken an -inward oath that he would be neither angry nor reproachful nor weak, and -yet, when he opened the door, his hand trembled, a giddiness born of -frenzy and despair made him hesitate and recoil; but, the instant that -she saw him, Julie uttered a joyful cry, threw her arms about his neck, -and strained him passionately to her heart. They were in the dark, they -could not see how changed they both were. They felt that their kisses -were burning, and it did not occur to either of them that it might be -with fever. At that moment the only fever was that fever of love which -gives life. They had forgotten that which causes death. -</p> - -<p> -But that moment of intoxication did not long endure in Julien's case. -More alarmed than exhilarated by Julie's caresses, he hastily pushed her -away. -</p> - -<p> -"Why do you still love me," he said, "if you still intend to leave me?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! perhaps it won't be for long!" she replied. -</p> - -<p> -"You wrote me that this was an eternal farewell." -</p> - -<p> -"I don't know what I wrote, I was mad; but there can be no eternal -farewell, it is not possible when two people love as we do." -</p> - -<p> -"Then you are going away, but you will return?" -</p> - -<p> -"If I can, yes! Let us not talk about that. This night is ours, let us -love!" -</p> - -<p> -Amid the transports of love, Julien was again seized with terror. Julie -unguardedly uttered excited words in which there was an indefinably -ominous implication which made his blood run cold. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah!" he exclaimed abruptly, "you are deceiving me! You are going away -forever, or else you think that you are going to die! You are ill, I -know; given up by the doctors it may be?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, I give you my word that the doctors promise to cure me." -</p> - -<p> -"I want to see your face; I can't see you here, let us go out. I am -afraid! It seems to me at times that I am dreaming, and that it is your -ghost that I hold in my arms." -</p> - -<p> -He led her into the garden where it was almost as dark as in the -pavilion. -</p> - -<p> -"I can't see you, <i>mon Dieu!</i> I can't see your face," said Julien, -anxiously. "I can feel that your arms are thinner, that your waist is -smaller. You seem to have become so light that your feet do not touch -the gravel. Tell me, are you a dream? Am I here, by your side, in this -garden where we have been so happy? I am afraid I am mad!" -</p> - -<p> -They drew near to the basin: there, as the moonless sky was without a -cloud and was reflected in the water with all its stars, Julien saw that -Madame d'Estrelle was pale, and the whiteness of the water, reflected on -her face, made her appear even more ghastly than she was. He could tell -that her face had grown thin by the increased size of her eyes, which -shone brightly in the darkness. -</p> - -<p> -"I was sure of it!" he cried; "you are dying, and that is why you sent -for me. Very good; Julie, I will not leave you again; if I am to lose -you, I propose to receive your last breath and then die myself." -</p> - -<p> -"No, Julien, you cannot die! think of your mother!" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, my mother will die with us; what do you expect me to say to you? -She would have liked to die on the day she lost my father; she said so -unconsciously in her first frenzy; and since then, I have fully realized -that she has lived only for me. We will all three go together, since we -have but one soul between us, and we will go to a world where the purest -love will not be a crime. There must be such a world for those who have -never been able to understand the wicked prejudices of this one. Let us -die, Julie, without remorse or vain regret. Give me your breath, give me -your fever, give me your sickness; I swear that I will not survive you!" -</p> - -<p> -"Alas!" said Julie, unable to restrain that outcry of nature; "I might -have been cured!" -</p> - -<p> -"What do you mean?" cried Julien, beside himself. "Have you taken -poison? Answer, tell me! I insist upon knowing!" -</p> - -<p> -"No, no, I have not!" she replied, dragging him away with a sudden, -desperate movement which made a profound impression on him. -</p> - -<p> -She had been leaning over the water, she had seen therein the reflection -of her face and her white dress; she had remembered that, an hour later, -she must be lying there motionless, dead; she had sworn it. That was the -price of her broken oath, that was the price of Julien's happiness; a -ghastly fear of death had made her shudder and start back. -</p> - -<p> -"What are you afraid of?" he asked her; "what did you see in the water? -what were you thinking about? what made you fly? Ah! I can guess, you -intend to die soon, immediately, as soon as I have gone! But I say that -it shall not be; you are my wife. Since you still love me, you belong to -me; I don't know what oath you have taken, I don't know what constraint -has been put upon you; but I, your lover, your husband, your master, -release you from everything! I will carry you off by force; no, I will -take you with me, that is my right. I do not propose that you shall die, -and I propose that my mother shall live to bless you. I have strength -for us both; I don't know what sort of a battle I shall have to fight, -but I will fight it. Come, let us go! If you haven't strength to walk, I -have strength to carry you. Come, I insist! the time has come for you to -acknowledge no other power over your life than mine." -</p> - -<p> -As, while leading her back to the pavilion, he led her in the direction -of the basin, the combat between remorse and love in her heart became so -violent that she uttered a cry of horror, and, clinging to him with all -her strength, she said: -</p> - -<p> -"I pledged my word of honor to leave you, and I am breaking my pledge -and reducing your mother to want! Can you relieve me from that burden?" -</p> - -<p> -"You are mad!" said Julien; "was my mother so very poor when you first -knew her? will my right arm be cut off to keep me from working? Very -well, then I will work with my left arm! Ah! I understand everything -now. This is the revenge threatened by Monsieur Antoine; I ought to have -guessed sooner why our father's house was given back to us. Poor Julie! -you were sacrificing yourself for us; but that is all null and void; I -have not consented; I have accepted nothing. I submitted, knowing -nothing about it. Come, do not tremble any more, I release you from your -promise, and woe to the man who dares to remind you of it! If you -hesitate, if you shrink from anything, I shall believe that wealth is -what you regret, and that you have less courage and love than I!" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! that is the suspicion I dreaded so!" said Julie. "Let us go, let us -go!—but where shall we go? How shall I dare appear before your mother -and say: 'I bring you sorrow and ruin?'" -</p> - -<p> -"Julie, you doubt my mother, you no longer love us!" -</p> - -<p> -"Let us go!" she repeated, "let us go to her, and let her decide my -fate. Take me, take me away from here!" -</p> - -<p> -Julie was completely crushed by such a multitude of emotions; her -strength failed her, and Julien, as he caught her in his arms, saw that -she had fainted. It was impossible to do anything for her in the -pavilion, so he carried her to her apartment, the garden door being -open, and the room lighted. He deposited Julie on a sofa, and she -speedily recovered consciousness; but when she attempted to rise, she -fell back. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! my dear," she said, "I cannot stand. Am I going to die here? Is it -too late for you to save me? Hark: someone is knocking on the street -door, I think." -</p> - -<p> -"No," said Julien, who had heard nothing. -</p> - -<p> -But, as he strove to restore her confidence while his own was beginning -to disappear, they were startled by a loud peal of the bell. -</p> - -<p> -"They are coming after me, to carry me away, perhaps!" cried Julie, -wildly, "to put me in a convent!—The marchioness, Monsieur Antoine, I -don't know who!—And I cannot fly! Take me away, hide me, Julien!" -</p> - -<p> -"Wait, wait," said Julien, who had opened an inner door and was -listening; "it is Marcel, calling Camille. Yes, it is some urgent -matter. Admit him yourself!" -</p> - -<p> -"I cannot!" said Julie in despair, after one last effort. -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, I will go," said Julien, resolutely. "He must see me here in -any event, as I do not propose to leave this house without you." -</p> - -<p> -He hurried to the door of the vestibule, where Marcel was ringing as if -he would pull the house down; and before any servant had time to rise -and find out what the matter was, Julien opened the door to Marcel and -Madame Thierry. He admitted them and locked the doors behind them. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! my child," cried Madame Thierry, "I was very sure that I should -find you here! Victory, Julien, my poor Julien! Ah! I don't know what I -am saying; you will be cured at once, we bring you happiness!" -</p> - -<p> -When Julie learned what had happened at Sèvres, life returned to her as -it returns to a half-dead plant when the rain falls upon it. Her tense -nerves were relaxed by tears of joy. As for Julien, who was almost -dangerously ill the day before, he was cured like those paralytics whom -a beneficent thunderclap causes to walk and leap about. -</p> - -<p> -After an hour passed in an outpouring of emotion which seemed -inexhaustible, Marcel took Madame Thierry home with him to obtain a -little rest, and entrusted Julie to the care of Camille, who undertook -to keep the servants quiet concerning that nocturnal visit. Julien had -already made his escape through the pavilion. Julie slept as she had not -slept for a long while. -</p> - -<p> -Luckily, as we have said, Monsieur Antoine no longer kept spies about -the hôtel D'Estrelle, and, luckily too, the servants were discreet and -devoted to their mistress; for if the rich man had learned of that -interview, he might have been made dangerously angry and have changed -his mind. He had expressed a desire to inform Madame d'Estrelle of her -pardon with his own lips; but he too was tired, relaxed, satisfied, -proud of himself; he slept soundly and rose a quarter of an hour later -than usual. He was no sooner on his feet than he redoubled his ordinary -activity and put his whole household in deadly fear; for he was sharp to -command, quick to threaten, and even quicker to raise his hand, armed -with a cane, against the sluggish. The old hôtel De Melcy was thrown -open, swept and put in order in the twinkling of an eye. Messengers were -despatched in all directions, and at noon a sumptuous dinner was served. -The guests, assembled in the large gilded salon, anticipated some -mysterious event. Marcel brought Madame Thierry and Madame d'Estrelle, -whom he had invited in the master's behalf. Julien too had been -notified, and arrived in due season. Julie was received by Madame -d'Ancourt, Madame Desmorges, her daughter, and her son-in-law. The Duc -de Quesnoy had not returned; but Abbé de Nivières was there, -determined to eat for two. Madame la présidente did not keep them -waiting, and Marcel was commissioned to present to the ladies a -collection of botanists, learned professors and collectors, whom -Monsieur Antoine was wont to convoke on great occasions. -</p> - -<p> -"It is enough to make one die laughing," said the baroness to Julie, -leading her unto a window recess. "The goodman sent a messenger to me at -six o'clock this morning, to invite me to witness the christening of a -rare plant which is to bear his name! You can imagine what a pleasant -awakening it was! I was furious! but I discovered in a postscript that -you were to attend the ceremony, and I decided that I would come. So you -are reconciled to your old neighbor, are you, my dear? Well, so much the -better; you have followed my advice and you will come to it at last, I -tell you! The gardener isn't attractive; but five millions! remember -that!" -</p> - -<p> -Julie's other friends thought differently. They supposed that Antoine -had made an amicable arrangement with her which was satisfactory to them -both, and that they ought to accept his invitation, in order to do their -friend a service. They questioned Julie with that theory in mind, and -Julie did not undeceive them. -</p> - -<p> -As for the professors, the ostentatious christening of a new plant did -not seem particularly absurd to them. Monsieur Thierry had enriched -horticulture with several interesting specimens. He had fostered the -acclimatization of useful trees, and his name well deserved to figure in -the annals of science. A good dinner on such an occasion does no harm, -and the presence of a number of attractive women is not absolutely -inconsistent with the solemn preoccupations of botany. -</p> - -<p> -When everybody had arrived, Monsieur Antoine assumed a modest and -good-humored air, a rare but certain symptom of inward triumph unmingled -with suspicion. He placed everybody round a large table, in the centre -of which an object of considerable height was concealed under a great -bell of white paper. Then he took from his pocket a treatise in -manuscript, luckily very short, but which it was difficult to listen to -without laughing, for in it French and Latin were murdered with the -utmost coolness. That manuscript of his own composition, which began -with <i>messieurs et mesdames</i>, and which treated of the importation and -cultivation of the most beautiful lilies known, concluded thus: "Having -had what I consider the advantage of buying, raising and bringing to -perfect bloom the only specimens in France of a lily which exceeds in -size, in fragrance and in splendor all varieties above-mentioned, I call -the attention of the honorable company to my <i>individual</i>, and invite -them to give it a name." -</p> - -<p> -Having concluded the reading of his speech, Monsieur Antoine deftly -raised, with the end of a reed, the white paper covering, and Julien -uttered a cry of surprise when he saw the <i>Antonia Thierrii</i> perfectly -fresh and blooming in all its glory. He believed at first that there had -been some trickery—that it was a perfect artificial imitation; but -the plant, when the covering was removed, gave forth a perfume which -recalled to his mind, and Julie's as well, the first day of their -passion; and when the clamor due to sincere or courteous admiration had -made the circuit of the table, Monsieur Antoine added: -</p> - -<p> -"Messieurs les savants, you must know that this plant put forth two -shoots, the first one late in May, a very pretty specimen, accidentally -broken, and preserved in a herbarium close by; the second in August, -twice as large and full as the other. It blossomed, as you see, the -tenth day of said month." -</p> - -<p> -"Christen, christen!" cried Madame d'Ancourt. "I would like to stand -godmother to that lovely lily, but I fancy that another——" -</p> - -<p> -She glanced at Julie with a mixture of irony and goodwill. The -professors paid no heed, but unanimously proclaimed the name of <i>Antonia -Thierrii.</i> -</p> - -<p> -"You are very kind, messieurs," said Monsieur Antoine, flushing with -pleasure and stammering with emotion, "but I have a slight modification -to suggest to you. It is no more than fair that this plant should bear -my name, but I should like to prefix the name of a person who—of a -lady who—in short, I ask to have it called the <i>Julia-Antonia -Thierrii.</i>" -</p> - -<p> -"That's a little long," said Marcel; "but then the plant is so tall!" -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure06"></a> -<br /> -<img src="images/figure06.jpg" width="400" alt="" /> -<p class="center"><i>THE CHRISTENING OF THE LILY</i></p> -<p>"Julia-Antonia Thierrii <i>it is," replied the professors -artlessly.</i></p></div> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -"<i>Julia-Antonia Thierrii</i> it is," replied the professors artlessly. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! at last! bravo! so it's decided!" cried the Baronne d'Ancourt, -pointing to Julie, and making the sign indicating union with her plump -white hands. -</p> - -<p> -Every eye was turned upon Julie, who blushed, and thereby recovered all -the splendor of her beauty. -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me, madame la baronne," said Uncle Antoine, with a sly -expression. "I tricked you by going to your house to beg you to make an -offer of marriage to Madame d'Estrelle in my behalf. I wanted to see -what you would say, and you didn't say no; on the contrary, you advised -that young lady to accept me. That was what led me to propose to her the -man I had in view for her, for I said to myself: 'If an old fellow like -me is eligible because of his money, my nephew, who is young and will -have a good share of my money, may be accepted.'—That is how it -happens, mesdames and messieurs, that, with the consent of Madame -d'Estrelle, I concluded to-day the business troubles we have had by a -marriage between her and my nephew Julien Thierry, whom I do myself the -honor to present to you." -</p> - -<p> -"Psha! the young painter?" cried Madame d'Ancourt, irritated, she knew -not why, by Julien's beauty and impassioned manner. -</p> - -<p> -"A painter?" said the bewildered Madame Desmorges. "Ah! my dear, so it -was true after all, was it?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, my friends, it was true," replied Julie, boldly; "we loved each -other before we knew that Monsieur Antoine would rescue us from the -poverty that threatened us both." -</p> - -<p> -"I declare that Monsieur Antoine is a great man and a true philosopher!" -cried Abbé de Nivières. "Suppose we adjourn to the table?" -</p> - -<p> -"Let us go to dinner, mesdames and messieurs," said Monsieur Antoine, -offering Julie his hand. "You will say it is a misalliance, but three -millions for each of my nephews, that helps to rub the dirt off a -family, and my grandnephews will have money to purchase titles with." -</p> - -<p> -This last argument changed the blame of Julie's friends into somewhat -reluctant congratulations. She had to resign herself to the necessity of -appearing to sacrifice vainglory to wealth; but what did it matter to -her after all? Julien knew what to think. -</p> - -<p> -Julie, who was still in mourning for her father-in-law, went to Sèvres -to pass the rest of the summer. Sèvres is a Norman oasis within two -leagues of Paris. The apple-trees give it a rural savor, and the hills, -covered with lovely rustic gardens, were at that time quite as charming -and more unconventional than to-day. I must not, however, speak -slightingly of the lovely villas of Sèvres as it now is, with their -magnificent shade trees and the picturesque inequalities of the region -through which the river boldly cuts its way. The railroad has not -altogether dispelled the poesy of that wooded spot, and it is not -unpleasant to be able to reach, in a quarter of an hour, the grass-grown -paths and fields sloping to the water's edge. From the top of the hill -one can distinguish Paris, an imposing silhouette against the blue sky, -through the clumps of trees in the foreground; three steps away, in the -bottom of the ravine, one can lose sight of the great city, turn away -from the too white villas, and lose oneself in the genuine country, -still unspoiled, although a bit <i>rococo</i>, and always lovely with -flowers. -</p> - -<p> -There Julie recovered her health, which was seriously impaired for some -time, and before as after their marriage, Julien was all in all to her, -as she was all in all to him. What society said and thought of their -union, they did not care to know. Their real friends sufficed for them, -and Madame Thierry was the happiest of mothers. Their happiness was -disturbed, it is true, by the political tempests, the approach of which -Julien had watched with no idea that they would be so swift and so -radical. Having a clear conscience and a generous heart, he made himself -very useful in his neighborhood by the pains which he took to relieve -want, and to prevent it, so far as he could, from urging its victims on -to deplorable acts of violence. For a long time he exerted great -influence over the workmen in the factory at Sèvres, and in the -faubourg which surrounded the hôtel D'Estrelle. On some days he was -well-nigh overwhelmed; but nothing could induce him to do anything which -his conscience disapproved, and he was threatened in his turn and was -very near being suspected. The firmness with which he faced suspicion, -the generous personal sacrifices he had made, the confidence he -displayed in the midst of danger, saved him. Julie was as brave as he. -The timid woman was transformed; she felt that her soul had developed -and been tempered anew in its fusion, brought about by love, with a -fearless and upright soul. Her heart was torn, doubtless, when several -of her old friends were struck down by the Revolution, despite all -Julien's efforts to rescue them. She succeeded in saving some of them by -judicious advice and prudent measures. She concealed two in her own -house; but she was unable to save the Baronne d'Ancourt, who ruined -herself by her excessive fright and underwent a most rigorous captivity. -The unfortunate Marquise d'Estrelle could not restrain her rage when the -forced loans encroached on her savings. She died on the scaffold. The -Duc de Quesnoy emigrated. Abbé de Nivières prudently turned Jacobin. -</p> - -<p> -After the Terror, the suppression of the privilege attached to the royal -establishments having enabled Julien to gratify a wish he had often -formed, he labored to disseminate the industrial and artistic -improvements which he had had leisure to study and to experiment upon at -Sèvres. He earned no money by it; that was not his object; in fact he -lost something; but he found therein the means of ameliorating the lives -of many unfortunates. He was not rich, and his wife was overjoyed to see -him continue his artistic work and devote himself lovingly to the -education of his children. -</p> - -<p> -Marcel purchased a cottage near theirs at Sèvres, and the two families -passed together all the holidays and days of rest which the worthy -solicitor was able to steal from his business. He made a little fortune -by honorable methods, and Julien was able to manage his own competence -with the prudence his father had lacked. Well for him that it was so, -for the Revolutionary government confiscated Monsieur Antoine's -property. The old man had continued to live alone, feeling no desire for -family life, as gracious as it was in his power to be to the debtors -whose gratitude flattered his pride, but unwilling to enter into any -social relations which would have upset his habits. He had promised -Marcel to think no more about marriage, and he kept his word; but he was -attacked by another mania. He became, in politics, a reviler of all the -events of the Revolution, whatever they might be. Everybody was mad, -blundering, stupid. The king was too weak, the people too gentle, the -guillotine too lazy and too greedy by turns. And then as that succession -of tragedies disturbed his brain, which was more mad than cruel, he -changed his opinions and passed from the most unbridled sansculottism to -the most laughable dandyism. All this was quite harmless, for he did not -intrigue for place, but contented himself with breaking out in words in -his rare incursions into society; but he was denounced by workmen whom -he had maltreated, and came near paying with his head for his riotous -indulgence in obscure eloquence. -</p> - -<p> -Julien and Marcel, by tireless persistence, succeeded in inducing him to -leave the hôtel De Melcy, where he defied the storm every day. They -kept him out of sight at Sèvres, where he made them very unhappy by his -evil humor, and compromised them more than once by his imprudent acts. -His property was under sequestration, and he recovered only a few -shreds. He endured that terrible blow with much philosophy. He was one -of those pilots who curse during the tempest, but keep cool when it is a -question of salvage. He refused to take back any part of what Julien had -received from him. As his garden had not been injured and he recovered -it almost intact, he resumed his former habits and recovered comparative -good humor. He lived there until 1802, still active and robust. One day -they found him sitting perfectly still on a bench in the sunshine, his -watering pot half full beside him, and on his knees an undecipherable -manuscript, the last lucubration of his wornout brain. He had died -without warning. The night before he had said to Marcel: -</p> - -<p> -"Never fear, you shall have the millions you expected to inherit from -me! Let me live only about ten years, and I shall make a larger fortune -than I ever had. I have a scheme for a constitution which will save -France from ruin; after that I will think a little of myself and go back -to my exporting business." -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANTONIA ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. -</div> - -<div style='margin:0.83em 0; font-size:1.1em; text-align:center'>START: FULL LICENSE<br /> -<span style='font-size:smaller'>THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE<br /> -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK</span> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person -or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the -Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when -you share it without charge with others. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work -on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the -phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: -</div> - -<blockquote> - <div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> - 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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you - are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws - of the country where you are located before using this eBook. - </div> -</blockquote> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg™ License. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format -other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain -Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -provided that: -</div> - -<div style='margin-left:0.7em;'> - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation.” - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ - works. - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works. - </div> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right -of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™ -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread -public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state -visit <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/donate/">www.gutenberg.org/donate</a>. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. -</div> - -</div> - -</body> -</html> diff --git a/old/65170-h/images/antonia_cover.jpg b/old/65170-h/images/antonia_cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ea9ab87..0000000 --- a/old/65170-h/images/antonia_cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65170-h/images/figure01.jpg b/old/65170-h/images/figure01.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 932146d..0000000 --- a/old/65170-h/images/figure01.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65170-h/images/figure02.jpg b/old/65170-h/images/figure02.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f1a439a..0000000 --- a/old/65170-h/images/figure02.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65170-h/images/figure03.jpg b/old/65170-h/images/figure03.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ffe9e58..0000000 --- a/old/65170-h/images/figure03.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65170-h/images/figure04.jpg b/old/65170-h/images/figure04.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index b2656e9..0000000 --- a/old/65170-h/images/figure04.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65170-h/images/figure05.jpg b/old/65170-h/images/figure05.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index bcc3ada..0000000 --- a/old/65170-h/images/figure05.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65170-h/images/figure06.jpg b/old/65170-h/images/figure06.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 76e5aeb..0000000 --- a/old/65170-h/images/figure06.jpg +++ /dev/null |
