diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67460-0.txt | 10896 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67460-0.zip | bin | 224591 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67460-h.zip | bin | 3345917 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67460-h/67460-h.htm | 14329 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67460-h/images/antoine01_cover.jpg | bin | 291005 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67460-h/images/figure01.jpg | bin | 389580 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67460-h/images/figure02.jpg | bin | 450615 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67460-h/images/figure03.jpg | bin | 500403 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67460-h/images/figure04.jpg | bin | 481030 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67460-h/images/figure05.jpg | bin | 465453 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67460-h/images/figure06.jpg | bin | 602952 -> 0 bytes |
14 files changed, 17 insertions, 25225 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..d2b1558 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #67460 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67460) diff --git a/old/67460-0.txt b/old/67460-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 0b51e8a..0000000 --- a/old/67460-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10896 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Sin of Monsieur Antoine, Volume I -(of 2), 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: The Sin of Monsieur Antoine, Volume I (of 2) - The Masterpieces of George Sand. Volume 5 - -Author: George Sand - -Translator: George Burnham Ives - -Illustrator: Pierre Vidal - -Release Date: February 21, 2022 [eBook #67460] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Dagny and Laura Natal Rodrigues (Images generously made - available by Hathi Trust Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SIN OF MONSIEUR ANTOINE, -VOLUME I (OF 2) *** - - -The Masterpieces of George Sand -Amandine Lucille Aurore Dupin, Baroness -Dudevant, _NOW FOR THE FIRST -TIME COMPLETELY TRANSLATED -INTO ENGLISH THE SIN -OF MONSIEUR ANTOINE, AND LEONE -LEONI BY G. BURNHAM IVES_ - - - - -_WITH TWELVE PHOTOGRAVURES AFTER PAINTINGS BY -PIERRE VIDAL_ - - - - -_VOLUME I_ - - - - -_PRINTED ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS BY -GEORGE BARRIE & SON -PHILADELPHIA_ - - - - -CONTENTS -INTRODUCTION -CHAPTER -I. EGUZON -II. THE MANOR OF CHÂTEAUBRUN -III. MONSIEUR CARDONNET -IV. THE VISION -V. THE DRIBE -VI. JEAN THE CARPENTER -VII. THE ARREST -VIII. GILBERTE -IX. MONSIEUR ANTOINE -X. A GOOD ACTION -XI. A GHOST -XII. INDUSTRIAL DIPLOMACY -XIII. THE STRUGGLE -XIV. FIRST LOVE -XV-. THE STAIRCASE -XVI. THE TALISMAN -XVII. THAW -XVIII. STORM -XIX. THE PORTRAIT -XX. THE FORTRESS OF CROZANT -XXI. MONSIEUR ANTOINE'S NAP -XXII. INTRIGUE -XXIII. THE DEVIL'S ROCK - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - -THE SIN OF MONSIEUR ANTOINE - -_VOLUME I_ - - -EMILE'S FIRST MEETING WITH GILBERTE - -EMILE ENTERTAINED BY MONSIEUR ANTOINE - -MONSIEUR DE BOISGUILBAULT TRIES EMILE'S HORSE - -EMILE IN CONFERENCE WITH HIS FATHER - -EMILE EXAMINES THE PORTRAIT OF THE MARQUISE DE -BOISGUILBAULT - -GALUCHET SURPRISED - - - - -[Illustration: _EMILE'S FIRST MEETING WITH -GILBERTE_ - -_A fresh young voice was singing, or rather humming, at a little -distance, one of those sweet melodies, which are peculiar to the -country. And the châtelain's daughter, the bachelor's child, whose -mother's name was a mystery to the whole neighborhood, appeared at the -corner of a clump of eglantine, as lovely as the loveliest wild flower -of that charming solitude._] - - - - -INTRODUCTION - - -I wrote the _Sin of Monsieur Antoine_ in the country, during a season of -tranquillity, outward and inward, such as seldom occurs in one's life. -It was in 1845, a period when criticism of society, as it was, and -dreams of an ideal society attained in the press a degree of freedom of -development comparable to that of the eighteenth century. Some day, -perhaps, people will find it difficult to believe the trivial but -exceedingly characteristic fact I am about to mention. - -At that period, if one wished to be independent, to maintain directly or -indirectly the boldest ideas opposed to the vices of the existing social -organization and to give expression to the liveliest hopes of the -philosophical sentiment, it was hardly possible to apply to the -opposition newspapers. The most advanced of them unfortunately had not -readers enough to give satisfactory publicity to the ideas one desired -to put forth. The more moderate nourished a profound aversion for -socialism, and, in the course of the last ten years of Louis-Philippe's -reign, one of these organs of the reformist opposition, the most -important by reason of its age and the number of its subscribers, did me -the honor several times to ask me for a serial novel, always on the -condition that it should contain nothing of a socialistic tendency. - -That condition was very difficult, perhaps impossible of fulfilment, to -a mind absorbed by the sufferings and the needs of its generation. There -are very few serious-minded artists who do not allow themselves to be -influenced in their work by the threats of the present or the promises -of the future, with more or less adroit circumlocution, with more or -less effusion and enthusiasm. Moreover it was the time to say all that -one thought, all that one believed. It was one's duty to do it, because -it was possible. As the social war did not seem imminent, the monarchy, -making no concessions to the needs of the people, seemed powerful enough -to defy longer than it did the current of ideas. - -These ideas, at which only a small number of conservative minds had as -yet taken fright, had really taken firm root only in a small number of -observant and laborious minds. So long as they seemed to have no -application to political actualities, the ruling power worried very -little about theories and allowed every man to make one for himself, to -publish his dream, to construct the future city innocently in his -chimney corner, in the garden of his imagination. - -The conservative journals became therefore the refuge of the socialist -novel. Eugène Sue published his in the _Débats_ and the -_Constitutionnel_. I published mine in the _Constitutionnel_ and the -_Epoque_. At about the same time the _National_ was attacking the -socialistic writers in its _feuilletons_, and overwhelming them with -very bitter insults or very clever satire. - -The _Epoque_, a journal which had a very brief life, but which began by -surpassing in ardor all the conservative and absolutist organs of the -moment, was the frame wherein I was given absolute liberty to publish a -socialistic novel. On all the blank walls of Paris was placarded in huge -letters: _Read the Epoque_! _Read the Sin of Monsieur Antoine_! - -The following year, as we were wandering through the moors of Crozant -and among the ruins of Châteaubrun, a rustic field in which my pen had -always taken delight, a Parisian friend of mine called out facetiously -to the half-civilized shepherds of those solitudes: "Have you read the -_Epoque_? Have you read the _Sin of Monsieur Antoine_?" And as they -fled, terrified by those incomprehensible words, he said to me with a -laugh: "How evident it is that these socialistic novels go to the heads -of the country people!" - -An old woman, an excellent talker, came to Châteaubrun to reprove me -because I had written a book _full of lies_ about her and her master. -She thought that I had intended to introduce the proprietor of the -château and herself on my stage. She had heard of the book. People had -told her that there was _not a word of truth_ in it. It was impossible -to make her understand what a novel is, and yet she invented one -herself, for she told us of the assassination of Louis XVI. and Marie -Antoinette, _who were stabbed in their carriage by the populace of -Paris_. They who accuse socialistic writers of inflaming people's minds -should remember that they have forgotten to teach the peasants to read. - -Shall I deny, now that the masses are stirring, the communism of -Monsieur de Boisguilbault, a very eccentric and yet not altogether -imaginary character in my novel? God forbid, especially after the -socialists have been accused, in every key, of preaching the division of -property. - -The diametrically opposite idea, that of common ownership by -association, should be the least dangerous of all in the eyes of the -conservatives, since it is unfortunately the least understood and the -least popular among the masses. It is especially antipathetic in the -country districts and can be realized only by the initiative of a strong -government or by a philosophic, religious and Christian renovation, the -work of centuries it may be! - -Attempts to form workingmen's associations have been made, however, -among the best informed, the most moral, the most patient portion of the -industrial population of the large cities. Enlightened governments, -whatever their motto, will always protect these associations, because -they offer a refuge to the genuinely social and religious thought of the -future. Probably imperfect at their birth, they will perfect themselves -in time, and when it is clearly proved that they do not destroy, but, on -the contrary, preserve respect for family and property, they will -insensibly lead to reciprocity among all classes, and to a union of -interests and attachments,--the only path of safety open to the society -of the future. - - - GEORGE SAND. - - - - -THE SIN OF MONSIEUR ANTOINE - - - - -I - -EGUZON - - -There are few localities in France as unattractive as the town of Eguzon -on the confines of La Marche and Berry, in the southwest part of the -latter province. Eighty to a hundred houses, all of more or less -wretched appearance, with the exception of two or three whose opulent -proprietors we will not name for fear of offending their modesty, line -the two or three streets and surround the public square of that -municipality, famous for leagues around by reason of the litigious -nature of its population and the difficulty of reaching it. Despite this -last drawback, which will soon disappear, thanks to the laying out of a -new road, Eguzon sees many travellers boldly traverse the solitudes by -which it is surrounded and risk the springs of their _carrioles_ on its -terrible pavement. The only inn is situated on the only square, which -seems the more vast because it has one side open to the fields as if -awaiting the new buildings of future citizens; and this inn is sometimes -compelled, in the summer, to invite its too numerous guests to accept -accommodation in the neighboring houses, which are thrown open to them, -we are bound to say, with much hospitality. Eguzon, you see, is the -central point of a picturesque neighborhood dotted with imposing ruins, -and whether one desires to visit Châteaubrun, Crozant, Prugne-au-Pot, -or the still habitable and inhabited château of Saint-Germain, he must -necessarily sleep at Eguzon, in order to start betimes on these -different excursions on the following morning. - -Several years ago, one lowering, stormy evening in June, the good people -of Eguzon opened their eyes to their fullest extent to see a young man -of attractive exterior crossing the square to leave the town just after -sunset. The weather was threatening; it was growing dark more quickly -than usual, and yet the young traveller, after taking a light repast at -the inn, where he halted just long enough to rest his horse, rode boldly -away toward the north, heedless of the representations of the innkeeper, -and apparently caring naught for the dangers of the road. None knew him; -he had answered all questions with an impatient gesture only, and all -remonstrances with a smile. When the sound of his horse's hoofs had died -away in the distance, the loafers about the inn said to one another: - -"That fellow knows the road well or doesn't know it at all. Either he -has been over it a hundred times and knows every stone by name, or he -doesn't suspect what sort of a place it is, and will find himself in a -deal of trouble." - -"He's a stranger and not of these parts," said a knowing individual with -a judicial air. "He wouldn't listen to anything but his own head; but -half an hour hence, when the storm breaks, you'll see him coming back -again." - -"If he doesn't break his neck first, going down the Pont des Piles," -observed a third. - -"Faith!" said the bystanders in chorus, "that's his business! Let's go -and close our shutters, so that the hail won't break our window-panes." - -And throughout the village there was a great noise of doors and windows -being hastily barred, while the wind, which was beginning to moan over -the moors, outstripped the breathless maid-servants, and sent back into -their faces the folding leaves of the heavy shutters wherein the -mechanics of the province, in conformity with the traditions of their -ancestors, spared neither oak nor iron bolts. From time to time a voice -could be heard from one end of the street to the other, and such remarks -as these were shouted from doorway to doorway: "Is all yours in?" "_Ah -oua!_ I've got two loads still on the ground." "And I've got six -standing!" "Well, I don't care, mine are all in the barn." They were -talking about hay. - -The traveller, riding an excellent Brenne hackney, left the clouds -behind him and, quickening his pace, flattered himself that he could -outstrip the storm; but, at a sudden turn in the road, he realized that -he must inevitably be taken in flank. He unfolded his cloak, which was -strapped to his valise, tied his cap under his chin, and, digging his -spurs into his horse, galloped on once more, hoping at least to reach -and cross, by daylight, the dangerous spot that had been described to -him. But his hope was disappointed; the road became so difficult that he -had to go at a footpace and watch his horse to keep him from falling -over the rocks with which the ground was strewn. When he reached the top -of the ravine of La Creuse, the storm-cloud had enveloped the whole sky; -it was quite dark, and he could judge the depth of the abyss he was -skirting only by the dull, muffled roar of the torrent. - -With the rashness of his twenty years the young man disregarded his -horse's prudent hesitation and forced him to take the chances of a -descent which the docile beast found more uneven and steeper at every -step. But suddenly he stopped and threw himself back on his haunches, -and his rider, who was slightly startled by the shock, saw, by the light -of a brilliant flash, that he was on the extreme edge of a perpendicular -precipice, and that another step would infallibly have hurled him to the -bottom of La Creuse. - -The rain was beginning to fall, and a furious squall twisted the tops of -the old chestnut trees on the level of the road. The west wind forced -man and horse alike toward the stream, and the danger became so real -that the traveller was obliged to dismount, in order to present less -surface to the wind and to guide his horse more surely in the darkness. -What the lightning flash had enabled him to see of the landscape had -seemed wonderfully beautiful to him; moreover, his situation whetted the -task for adventure which is characteristic of youth. - -A second flash enabled him to distinguish his surroundings, and he -profited by a third to familiarize himself with the objects nearest at -hand. The road was not narrow, but its very width made it hard to -follow. There were some half a dozen vaguely defined tracks, marked only -by hoof-prints and wheel-ruts, forming divers paths, interlaced as if by -chance, on the slope of a hill; and as there was neither hedge, nor -ditch, nor any sign of cultivation, those who passed that way had -climbed the hill wherever they happened to choose; thus with each season -a new road was opened, or some old one reopened which time and nonuse -had closed. Between each two of these capricious tracks were little -mounds of rock or tufts of furze, which looked just alike in the -darkness, and as no two of them were on the same level it was difficult -to pass from one to the other without risking a fall which might well -end in the abyss; for they all sloped sidewise as well as forward, so -that one must lean backward and to the left. Thus no one of these -winding paths was safe; for since the spring all had been trodden -equally hard, the natives taking any one of them at random in broad -daylight; but, on a dark night, it was of the greatest importance not to -lose one's footing, and the young man, who was more careful of the knees -of the horse he loved than of his own life, concluded to halt behind a -rock that was high enough to shelter them both from the violence of the -wind, and to wait there until the sky should brighten up a bit. He -leaned against _Corbeau_, and, raising a corner of his waterproof cloak -in such wise as to protect his companion's quarters and the saddle, he -fell into a romantic reverie, as well pleased to hear the howling of the -tempest as the good people of Eguzon, assuming them to be thinking of -him at all at that moment, supposed him to be anxious and disappointed. - -The successive flashes soon afforded him a sufficient acquaintance with -the surrounding country. Directly in front of him the road climbed the -opposite slope of the ravine, equally steep and presenting difficulties -of the same nature. The Creuse, a clear, swift stream, flowed not very -noisily at the foot of the precipice and drew its banks together to pass -with a dull, never-ending roar under the arches of an old bridge that -seemed in a very dilapidated condition. The view opposite was limited by -the steep incline; but at the left he could catch glimpses of sloping, -well-cultivated meadows, through the middle of which the stream wound; -and opposite our traveller, on the crest of a hill bristling with huge -boulders interspersed with rich vegetation, rose the dilapidated towers -of a vast ruined manor. But, even if it had occurred to the young man to -seek shelter there from the storm, it would have been difficult to find -a way of reaching it; for there was no apparent communication between -the road and the ruin, and another ravine, traversed by a stream that -emptied into the Creuse, separated the two hills. The site was most -picturesque and the pallid gleam of the lightning imparted a touch of -the terrible which one would have sought in vain by daylight. Gigantic -chimneys, exposed by the falling of the roofs, towered up toward the -heavy clouds that hovered over the château and seemed to rend it -asunder. When the sky was lighted by the swift flashes, the ruins were -outlined in white against the dark background of the atmosphere, and, on -the contrary, when the eyes had accustomed themselves to the succeeding -darkness, they formed a dark mass against a lighter horizon. A large -star, which the clouds seemed not to dare to cover, shone a long while -over the haughty donjon, like a carbuncle on a giant's head. At last it -disappeared, and the torrents of rain, falling with redoubled force, -made it impossible for the traveller to distinguish anything except -through a thick veil. The water, falling on the rocks near by and on the -ground hardened by the recent extreme heat, rebounded like white foam -and at times resembled clouds of dust raised by the wind. - -As he moved forward to shelter his horse more effectually behind the -rock, the young man discovered that he was not alone. Another man had -come to that spot in search of shelter, or perhaps had taken possession -of it first. It was impossible to tell, in those alternations of -dazzling light and intense darkness. The horseman had not time to obtain -a good view of the pedestrian; he seemed to be wretchedly dressed and -not of very attractive appearance. Indeed he seemed inclined to keep out -of sight by crouching as far under the rock as possible; but as soon as -he concluded, from an exclamation of the traveller, that he was -discovered, he unhesitatingly addressed him in a loud, clear voice: - -"This is bad weather for riding, monsieur, and if you're wise you will -go back to Eguzon to sleep." - -"Much obliged, my friend," replied the young man, making his stout, -lead-handled hunting-crop whistle through the air, in order to give his -problematical companion to understand that he was armed. - -The latter understood the warning and answered it by tapping the rock, -as if absent-mindedly, with an enormous holly staff, which broke off -several splinters of stone. The weapon was stout and so was the wrist -that wielded it. - -"You won't go far to-night in such weather," continued the pedestrian. - -"I shall go as far as I choose," replied the horseman, "and I should not -advise anybody to take it into his head to delay me on the way." - -"Are you afraid of robbers that you meet friendly overtures with -threats? I don't know what province you come from, my young man, but you -hardly seem to know what province you are in. Thank God, there are -neither highwaymen, nor assassins among us." - -The stranger's proud but frank tone inspired confidence. The young man -rejoined more mildly: - -"You're of this province, are you, comrade?" - -"Yes, monsieur, I am, and always shall be." - -"You are right to propose to remain here; it's a beautiful country." - -"Not always though! At this moment, for instance, it's none too -pleasant; the weather is venting its spite, and it will be bad all -night." - -"Do you think so?" - -"I am sure of it. If you follow the valley of the Creuse you'll have the -storm for company till to-morrow noon, but I fancy that you didn't start -out so late without expecting to find shelter near at hand?" - -"To tell you the truth, I am inclined to think that the place I am going -to is farther away than I supposed at first. I fancied that they tried -to keep me at Eguzon by exaggerating the distance and the bad condition -of the roads; but I see, from the little progress I have made in an -hour, that they hardly overstated it." - -"Not to be inquisitive, where might you be going?" - -"To Gargilesse. How far do you call it?" - -"Not far, monsieur, if you could see where you are going; but, if you -don't know the country, it will take you all night; for what you see -from here is nothing in comparison with the break-neck places you have -to descend to go from the ravine of La Creuse to that of Gargilesse, and -you risk your life to boot." - -"Well, my friend, will you undertake to guide me, for a good round sum?" - -"No, monsieur, thank you." - -"Is the road very dangerous that you are so disobliging?" - -"The road is not dangerous to me, for I know it as well as you probably -know the streets of Paris; but what reason have I for passing the night -in getting drenched just to please you?" - -"I am not particular about it, and I can do without your help; but I -didn't ask you to favor me for nothing; I offered you----" - -"Enough! enough! you are rich and I am poor, but I am not a beggar yet, -and I have reasons for not making myself the servant of the first comer. -However, if I knew who you were----" - -"Are you suspicious of me?" said the young man, whose curiosity was -aroused by his companion's proud and fearless character. "To prove that -distrust is an unworthy feeling, I will pay you in advance. How much do -you want?" - -"I beg your pardon, excuse me, monsieur, I want nothing; I have neither -wife nor children, I need nothing for the moment; besides I have a -friend, a good fellow, whose house is not far away, and I shall take -advantage of the first flash to go there and have supper and sleep on a -good bed. Why should I deprive myself of that for you? Let us see! is it -because you have a good horse and new clothes?" - -"I like your pride, so far as that goes! But it seems to me not well -done of you to refuse an exchange of favors." - -"I have done you all the service in my power by telling you not to take -any risks at night in such vile weather, on roads that will be -impassable in half an hour. What more do you want?" - -"Nothing. When I asked for your assistance I wanted to ascertain the -character of the people of this neighborhood, that's all. I see now that -their good will toward strangers is limited to words." - -"Toward strangers!" cried the native, in a melancholy and reproachful -tone which impressed the traveller. "In Heaven's name isn't that too -much for those who have never done us aught but harm? I tell you, -monsieur, men are unjust; but God's sight is clear, and he knows well -that the poor peasant allows himself to be shorn, without revenging -himself, by the shrewd people who come from the great cities." - -"Have the people from the cities done so much harm in your country -districts, pray? That is a fact that I know nothing of and am not -responsible for, as this is my first visit." - -"You are going to Gargilesse. I suppose of course you are going to see -Monsieur Cardonnet? You are either a relation or friend of his, I am -sure?" - -"Who is this Monsieur Cardonnet, whom you seem to hold in ill-will?" -asked the young man, after a moment's hesitation. - -"Enough, monsieur," the peasant replied; "if you don't know him anything -that I could say would hardly interest you, and if you are rich you have -nothing to fear from him. The poor people are the only ones he has a -grudge against." - -"But after all," rejoined the traveller, with a sort of restrained -emotion, "it may be that I have reasons for wanting to know what people -in this country think of this Monsieur Cardonnet. If you refuse to give -any reason for your bad opinion of him, it must be because you have some -personal spite against him, not at all creditable to yourself." - -"I am accountable to nobody," retorted the peasant, "and my opinion is -my own. Good-night, monsieur. See, the rain is a little less violent. I -am sorry to be unable to offer you a shelter; but I have only the -château you see yonder, which is not mine. However," he added, after -taking a few steps, and as if regretting that he had not shown more -respect for the duties of hospitality, "if your heart should prompt you -to come and ask a bed for the night, I can answer for it you would be -welcome." - -"Is yonder ruin occupied?" asked the traveller, who had to descend the -ravine to cross the Creuse, and had walked along beside the peasant, -supporting his horse by the rein. - -"It is a ruin, in truth," his companion replied, repressing a sigh; "but -although I am not so very old, I have seen that château in perfect -repair, and so magnificent, outside as well as inside, that a king would -have been well lodged there. The owner didn't spend a great deal, but it -didn't require much repairing, it was so solid and well built; and the -walls were so well laid, the stone mantels and window frames so -beautifully carved that it would have been impossible to make it any -finer than the architects and masons did when they built it. But -everything goes, riches like all the rest, and the last lord of -Châteaubrun has just repurchased the château of his ancestors for four -thousand francs." - -"Is it possible that such a mass of stone, even in its present -condition, is worth so little?" - -"What is left would still be worth a good deal if one could take it down -and carry it away; but where in this vicinity can he find workmen and -machines capable of pulling down those old walls? I don't know what they -built with in old times, but that cement is so hard that you would say -the towers and high walls are made of a single stone. And then, you see -how it was planted on the very top of a mountain, with precipices on all -sides! What carts and what horses could carry down such materials? -Unless the hill crumbles they will stay there as long as the rock that -holds them, and there are still ceilings enough left to cover one poor -gentleman and one poor girl." - -"So this last of the Châteaubruns has a daughter, has he?" asked the -young man, pausing to look at the manor with more interest than he had -yet shown. "And she lives there?" - -"Yes, yes, she lives there among the gerfalcons and screech-owls, and -yet she is young and pretty, all the same. There's no lack of air and -water here, and in spite of the new laws against free hunting, we still -see hares and partridges now and then on the lord of Châteaubrun's -table. Look you, if you have no business that compels you to risk your -life to arrive before daybreak, come with me; I will undertake to -procure you a warm welcome at the château. Even if you should arrive -there alone, without recommendation, it's enough that the weather is bad -and that you have the face of a Christian, to ensure your being well -received and well treated at Monsieur Antoine de Châteaubrun's." - -"But this gentleman is poor, it seems, and I am reluctant to impose on -his goodness of heart." - -"On the contrary, you will gratify him. Come, the storm, you see, is -going to begin again with more violence than before, and my conscience -would trouble me if I should leave you thus all alone on the mountain. -You mustn't bear me ill-will because I refused my services. I have my -reasons, which you could not judge fairly, and which there is no need of -my telling you; but I shall sleep better if you follow my advice. -Besides, I know Monsieur Antoine; he would be angry with me for not -holding fast to you and taking you to his house; he would be quite -capable of running after you, which would be a bad thing for him after -supper." - -"And you don't think that his daughter would be displeased to have a -stranger arrive thus unexpectedly?" - -"His daughter is his daughter; that is to say, she is as good as he is, -if not better, although that seems hardly possible." - -The young man hesitated some time longer, but, drawn on by a romantic -attraction, and already drawing in his imagination the portrait of the -pearl of beauty he was about to find behind those frowning walls, he -said to himself that he was not expected at Gargilesse until the -following day; that by arriving at midnight he should disturb his -parents in their sleep; and, lastly, that it would be downright -imprudence to persist in his plan, and that his mother would certainly -dissuade him from it, if she could see him at that moment. Moved by all -the excellent reasons which a man gives himself when the demon of youth -and curiosity takes a hand, he followed his guide in the direction of -the old château. - - - - -II - -THE MANOR OF CHÂTEAUBRUN - - -After climbing with difficulty a very steep road, or rather a stairway -cut in the rock, our travellers reached the entrance of Châteaubrun in -about twenty minutes. The wind and the rain redoubled in violence, and -the young man hardly had leisure to observe the huge portal, which -offered to his sight, at that moment, nothing more than an ill-defined -mass of formidable proportions. He noticed simply that the seignorial -portcullis was replaced by a wooden fence like those which enclose all -the fields in the province. - -"Wait a moment, monsieur," said his guide. "I will climb over and get -the key; for latterly old Janille has minded to have a padlock here, as -if there were anything to steal in her master's house! However, her -intentions are good, and I don't blame her." - -The peasant scaled the fence very cleverly, and, while awaiting for him -to return and admit him, the young man tried in vain to make out the -arrangement of the ruined masses of architecture which he could see -confusedly inside the courtyard; it was like a glimpse of chaos. - -After a few moments he saw several persons approaching. The gate was -speedily opened; one took his horse, another his hand, and a third went -ahead carrying a lantern, which was very essential for their guidance -among the rubbish and brushwood that obstructed their passage. At last, -after passing across part of the courtyard and through several enormous -dark rooms, open to all the winds of heaven, they reached a small oblong -room with an arched ceiling, which might formerly have been used as a -pantry or as a store-room between the kitchen and the stables. This room -had been cleaned and whitewashed, and was used by the lord of -Châteaubrun as salon and dining-room. A small fireplace had recently -been built there, with mantel and uprights of polished, glistening wood; -the huge cast-iron plate, which had been taken from one of the great -fireplaces and which filled the whole back, together with the great -fire-dogs of polished iron, sent out the heat and light beautifully into -the bare white room, which, with the aid of a small tin lamp, was -perfectly lighted. A chestnut table, which could be made to hold as many -as six covers on great occasions, a few straw-seated chairs, and a -German cuckoo clock, purchased from a peddler for six francs, composed -the whole furniture of this modest salon. But everything was -scrupulously clean; the table and chairs, roughly carved by some local -cabinet-maker, shone in a way that bore witness to the assiduous use of -the brush and duster. The hearth was carefully swept, the floor sanded -in the English fashion, contrary to the customs of the province; and in -an earthenware pot on the mantel was a huge bunch of roses mingled with -wild-flowers plucked on the hillside roundabout. - -At first glance there was nothing _cherché_, in the poetic or -picturesque sense, in that modest interior; and yet, on examining it -more closely, one would see that, in that abode, as in all those of all -mankind, the natural taste and temperament of its presiding genius had -governed in the choice as in the arrangement of the furniture. The young -man, who then entered the room for the first time, and who was left -alone there for a moment while his hosts busied themselves in -preparations to make him as comfortable as possible, soon formed an idea -of the mental condition of the inhabitants of that retreat. It was -evident that they had refined habits and that they still felt a craving -for the comforts of life; that, being in a very precarious financial -condition, they had had the good sense to proscribe every species of -mere external vanity, and had chosen, for their place of assemblage, -among the few still intact apartments in that great building, the one -that could most easily be kept clean, heated, furnished and lighted; and -that, nevertheless, they had instinctively given the preference to a -well-proportioned, attractive room. This little nook was in fact the -first floor of a square pavilion added, toward the close of the -Renaissance, to the venerable buildings which looked upon the principal -courtyard. The artist who had planned this sharp-angled turret had done -his best to soften the transition from one to the other of two such -different styles. For the shape of the windows he had gone back to the -defensive system of loop-holes and small apertures through which to -watch the enemy; but it was easy to see that the small round windows had -never been intended to fire cannon through, and that they were simply -for purposes of ornament. Being tastefully framed with red brick and -white stone, in alternation, they formed an attractive setting for the -interior of the room, and divers recesses between the windows decorated -in the same way, avoided the necessity for papers, hangings, or even -articles of furniture, with which the wall might have been covered, -without adding to their simple and pleasant aspect. - -In one of these recesses, the base of which, about three feet from the -floor, was formed by a flagstone white as snow and glistening like -marble, stood a pretty little rustic spinning-wheel, with its distaff -filled with brown flax; and as he contemplated that slight and primitive -instrument of toil the traveller lost himself in reflections from which -he was roused by the rustling of a woman's dress behind him. He turned -hastily; but the sudden rapid beating of his youthful heart was checked -by a severe disappointment. It was an old servant, who had entered the -room noiselessly, thanks to the fine sand with which the floor was -covered, and was leaning over to throw an armful of wild grapevine roots -on the fire. - -"Come near the fire, monsieur," she said, lisping with a sort of -affectation, "and give me your cap and cloak, so that I can have them -dried in the kitchen. That's a fine cloak for the rain; I don't know -what they call this material, but I've seen it in Paris. It would be a -good thing to see such a cloak on Monsieur le Comte's shoulders! But it -must cost a lot, and besides, he hasn't said that he would wear it. He -thinks he's still twenty-five years old, and he declares that the water -from the sky never yet gave an honest man a cold; however, he began to -have a touch of sciatica last winter. But a man isn't afraid of those -things at your age. Never mind, warm your bones all the same; here, turn -your chair like this and you'll be more comfortable. You're from Paris, -I am sure; I can tell by your complexion, which is too fresh for our -country; a fine country, monsieur, but very hot in summer and very cold -in winter. You will say that it's as cold to-night as a night in -November; that's true enough, but what can you expect? it's on account -of the storm. But this little room is very comfortable, very easy to -heat; in a moment you'll see if I'm not right. We are lucky to have -plenty of dead wood. There are so many old trees about here, and we can -keep the oven going all winter just with the brambles that grow in the -courtyard. To be sure, we don't do much cooking. Monsieur le Comte is a -small eater and his daughter's like him; the little servant is the -heartiest eater in the house; why, he has to have three pounds of bread -a day; but I bake for him separate, and I don't spare the rye. That's -good enough for him, and with a little bran it goes farther and isn't -bad for the health. Ha! ha! that makes you laugh, does it? and me too. -You see, I have always liked to laugh and talk; the work goes off just -as fast, for I like to be quick in everything. Monsieur Antoine is like -me; when he has once spoken, off you must go like the wind. So we have -always agreed on that point. You'll excuse us, monsieur, if we keep you -waiting a little while. Monsieur has gone down the cellar with the man -who brought you here, and the stairs are so broken down that they can't -go very fast; but it's a fine cellar, monsieur; the walls are more than -ten feet thick, and it's so far underground that when you're down there -you feel as if you were buried alive. Really! it's a funny feeling. They -say that there was a time when they used to put prisoners of war there; -now, we don't put anybody there and our wine keeps very well. What -delays us is that our child has already gone to bed; she had a sick -headache to-day because she went out in the sun without a hat. She says -that she means to get used to it, and that she can get along without hat -or umbrella just as well as I can; but she's mistaken; she's been -brought up like a young lady, as she should have been, poor child! for -when I say _our_ child, I don't mean that I am Mademoiselle Gilberte's -mother; she's no more like me than a goldfinch is like a sparrow; but as -I brought her up, I have always kept the habit of calling her my girl: -she would never let me stop calling her _thou_. She's such a sweet -child! I am sorry she's in bed, but you will see her to-morrow; for you -won't go away without breakfast, you won't be let go, and she'll help me -to serve you a little better than I can do alone. It's not courage that -I lack, however, monsieur, for I have a good pair of legs; I have always -been thin, as you see me, with my short body, and you would never think -me as old as I am. Come! how old would you call me?" - -The young man thought that, thanks to this question, he would be able to -put in a word at last, to thank her and to guide her, for he was very -desirous of fuller details concerning Mademoiselle Gilberte; but the -good woman did not await his reply, but continued volubly: - -"I am sixty-four years old, monsieur, that is to say, I shall be on -Saint-Jean's day, and I do more work alone than three young hussies -could ever do. My blood runs quick, you see, monsieur. I am not from -Berry, I was born in Marche, more than half a league from here; so you -can understand it. Ah! you are looking at our child's work? Do you know -that is spun as even and fine as the best spinner in the province can do -it? She wanted me to teach her to spin. 'Look you, mother,' she said, -for she always calls me that; she never knew her own mother and always -loved me as if I was, although we were about as much alike as a rose and -a nettle; 'look you, mother,' she said, 'all that embroidery and drawing -and nonsense they taught me at the convent will never do me any good -here. Teach me to spin and knit and sew, so that I can help you make -father's clothes.'" - -Just as the good woman's indefatigable monologue was beginning to be -interesting to her weary auditor, she left the room, as she had already -done several times; for she did not remain quiet a moment, and, while -talking, had covered the table with a coarse white cloth, laid plates, -glasses and knives; had swept the hearth, wiped the chairs and rekindled -the fire ten times, always resuming her soliloquy at the point where she -had let it drop. But this time her voice, which began to lisp in the -passageway outside the door, was drowned by other stronger voices, and -the Comte de Châteaubrun and the peasant who had guided our traveller -at last appeared before him, each carrying two large earthenware jugs -which they placed on the table. Not until then had the young man had an -opportunity to see their faces distinctly. - -Monsieur de Châteaubrun was a man of some fifty years, of medium -height, with a noble and commanding figure, broad-shouldered, with a -neck like a bull, the limbs of an athlete, a skin quite as tanned as his -companion's, and large hands, calloused and roughened by hunting and by -the sunlight and the cold air; a genuine poacher's hands, if such things -can be, for the worthy nobleman had too little land not to hunt on that -of other people. - -He had a frank, ruddy, smiling face, a firm walk and the voice of a -stentor. His hunting costume, neat and clean although patched at the -elbow, his coarse shirt, his leather gaiters, his grizzly beard which -was patiently waiting for Sunday,--everything about him indicated that -his life was rough and wild, whereas his pleasant face, his hearty, -affectionate manners and an ease of bearing, not unmixed with dignity, -recalled the courteous gentleman and the man who was accustomed to -protect and assist, rather than to be protected and assisted. - -His companion the peasant was not nearly as presentable. The storm and -the muddy roads had wrought havoc with his jacket and his shoes. While -the nobleman's beard may have been six or seven days old, the villager's -was fully fourteen or fifteen. He was thin, bony and wiry, several -inches taller than the other, and although his face also expressed -good-nature and cordiality, it had, if we may so describe it, flashes of -malevolence, of melancholy and haughty aloofness. It was evident that he -had more intelligence or was more unfortunate than the lord of -Châteaubrun. - -"Well, monsieur," said the nobleman, "are you a little dryer than you -were? You are welcome here and my supper is at your service." - -"I am grateful for your generous welcome," replied the traveller, "but I -am afraid you will deem me lacking in courtesy if I do not tell you -first of all who I am." - -"No matter, no matter," rejoined the count, whom hereafter we shall call -Monsieur Antoine, as he was generally called in the neighborhood; "you -can tell me that later, if you choose; so far as I am concerned, I have -no questions to ask you, and I consider that I can satisfy the demands -of hospitality without making you give your names and titles. You are -travelling, you are a stranger in the province, caught by an infernal -night at the very gate of my house; those are your titles and your -claims. In addition you have an attractive face and a manner that -pleases me; I believe therefore that I shall be rewarded for my -confidences by the pleasure of having accommodated a good fellow. Come, -sit you down, and eat and drink." - -"You are too kind and I am touched by your frank and amiable manner of -welcoming strangers. But I do not need any refreshment, monsieur, and it -is quite enough that you should allow me to wait here until the end of -the storm. I had supper at Eguzon hardly an hour ago. So do not serve -anything for me, I beg you." - -"You have supped already? why, that's no reason! Is your stomach one of -those that can digest only one meal at a time? At your age I would have -supped every hour in the night if I had had the chance. A ride in the -saddle and the mountain air are quite enough to renew the appetite. To -be sure, one's stomach is less obliging at fifty; so that I consider -myself well-treated if I have half a glass of good wine with a crust of -stale bread. But do not stand on ceremony here. You have come in the -nick of time, for I was just about to sit down, and as my poor little -one has a sick-headache to-day, Janille and I were very depressed at the -idea of eating alone: so your arrival is a comfort to us, and this good -fellow's too, my old playmate, whom I am always glad to see. Come, sit -you down here beside me," he said to the peasant, "and you, Mère -Janille, opposite me. Do the honors; for you know I have a heavy hand, -and when I undertake to carve, I cut the joint and platter and cloth, -and sometimes the table, and you don't like that." - -The supper which Dame Janille had spread on the table with an air of -condescension consisted of a goat's-milk cheese, a sheep's-milk cheese, -a plate of nuts, a plateful of prunes, a large round loaf of rye bread, -and four jugs of wine brought by the master in person. The -table-companions set about discussing this frugal meal with evident -satisfaction, with the exception of the traveller, who had no appetite, -and who was well content to observe the good grace with which the worthy -host invited him, without embarrassment or false shame, to partake of -his splendid banquet. There was in that cordial and ingenuous ease -something at once fatherly and childlike which won the young man's -heart. - -True to the law of generosity which he had imposed upon himself, -Monsieur Antoine asked his guest no questions and even avoided remarks -which might suggest curiosity in disguise. The peasant seemed a little -more uneasy and was more reserved. But soon, being insensibly drawn into -the general conversation which Monsieur Antoine and Dame Janille had -begun, he laid aside his reserve and allowed his glass to be filled so -often that the traveller began to stare in amazement at a man capable of -drinking so much, not only without losing his wits but without departing -from his usual self-possession and gravity. - -But with the master of the house it was very different. He had not drunk -half of the contents of the jug beside him when his eye began to kindle, -his nose to turn red and his hand to tremble. However he did not lose -his wits, even after all the jugs had been emptied by himself and his -friend the peasant--for Janille, whether from economy or from natural -sobriety, merely poured a few drops of wine into her water, and the -traveller, having made a heroic effort to swallow the first bumper, -abstained from further indulgence in that sour, cloudy and execrable -beverage. - - -[Illustration: _EMILE ENTERTAINED BY MONSIEUR -ANTOINE._ - -_But this time, her voice, which began to lisp in the passage-way -outside the door, was drowned by other stronger voices, and the Comte de -Châteaubrun and the peasant who had guided our traveller at last -appeared before him, each carrying two large earthenware jugs which they -placed on the table._] - - -The two countrymen, however, seemed to enjoy it hugely. After a quarter -of an hour, Janille, who could not live without moving about, left the -table, took up her knitting and began to work in the chimney corner, -constantly scratching her head with her needle, but never disturbing the -thin bands of hair, still black as a crow's wing, which protruded from -under her cap. That spruce little old woman might once have been pretty; -her delicate profile did not lack distinction, and if she had been less -affected, less intent upon appearing fashionable and knowing, our -traveller would have been attracted to her as well. - -The other persons, who, in the absence of the _young lady_, formed -Monsieur Antoine's household, were a young peasant, of some fifteen -years, wide-awake and light-footed, who performed the functions of -factotum, and an old hunting-dog, with a lifeless eye, thin flanks and a -melancholy, dreamy air; he lay beside his master and dropped asleep -philosophically between every two mouthfuls that he gave him, calling -him monsieur with a gravely jocose air. - - - - -III - -MONSIEUR CARDONNET - - -They had been at table more than an hour, and Monsieur Antoine seemed in -nowise weary of sitting there. He and his friend the peasant lingered -over their little cheeses and their great tankards with the majestic -indifference which is almost an art in the native Berrichon. Putting -their knives alternately to that appetizing morsel, the odor of which -was devoid of any agreeable quality, they cut it into small pieces, -which they placed carefully on their earthenware plates and ate crumb by -crumb on their rye bread. Between every two mouthfuls they took a -swallow of the native wine, after touching their glasses and exchanging -such compliments as: "Here's to you, comrade!" "Here's to you, Monsieur -Antoine!" or: "Here's your good health, old fellow!" "The same to you, -master!" - -At that rate, the feast might well last all night, and the traveller, -who had exhausted himself in efforts to appear to eat and drink, -although he avoided doing it as far as possible, was beginning to find -it difficult to contend against his drowsiness, when the conversation, -which had thus far been concerned with the weather, the hay crop, the -price of cattle and the new growth of the vines, gradually took a turn -which interested him deeply. - -"If this weather continues," said the peasant, listening to the rain -which was falling in torrents, "the streams will fill up this month as -they did in March. The Gargilesse is not in good humor and Monsieur -Cardonnet may suffer some damage." - -"So much the worse," rejoined Monsieur Antoine; "it would be a pity, for -he has made some extensive and valuable improvements on that little -stream." - -"True, but the little stream snaps its fingers at them," replied the -peasant, "and for my part I don't think it would be such a great pity." - -"Yes it would, yes it would! that man has already spent more than two -hundred thousand francs at Gargilesse, and it needs only a fit of temper -on the part of the river, as we say, to ruin it all." - -"Well, would that be such a great misfortune, Monsieur Antoine?" - -"I don't say that it would be an irreparable misfortune for a man who is -said to be worth a million," rejoined the châtelain, who in his -sincerity persisted in misunderstanding his guest's hostile feeling -toward Monsieur Cardonnet; "but it would be a pity none the less." - -"And that is just why I should laugh in my sleeve if a little hard luck -should make that hole in his purse." - -"That's a wicked feeling to have, old fellow! Why should you have a -grudge against this stranger? He has never benefited or injured you or -me." - -"He has injured you, Monsieur Antoine, and me and the whole province. -Yes, I tell you that he has done it on purpose and that he will keep on -doing it to everybody. Let the buzzard's beak grow and you'll see how -he'll come down on your poultry-yard." - -"Still your wrong-headed ideas, old fellow! for you have wrong-headed -ideas, as I've told you a hundred times. You are down on the man because -he's rich. Is that his fault?" - -"Yes, monsieur, it is his fault. A man who started perhaps as low as I -did, and who has gone ahead so fast, isn't an honest man." - -"Nonsense! What are you talking about? Do you imagine that a man can't -make a fortune without stealing?" - -"I don't know anything about it, but I believe it. I know that you were -born rich and that you are not rich now. I know that I was born poor and -always shall be poor; and it's my opinion that if you'd gone off to some -other country without paying your father's debts, and if I had made it -my business to cheat and shave and scrape, we might both be riding in -our carriages to-day. I beg your pardon, if I offend you!" added the -peasant in a proud, uncompromising tone, addressing the young man, who -gave very decided indications of painful excitement. - -"Monsieur," said the châtelain, "it may be that you know Monsieur -Cardonnet, that you are in his employ or are under some obligation to -him. I beg you to pay no heed to what this worthy villager may say. He -has exaggerated ideas on many subjects which he doesn't fully -understand. You may be sure that he is neither malignant nor jealous at -bottom, nor capable of inflicting the slightest injury on Monsieur -Cardonnet." - -"I attach little importance to his words," replied the young stranger. -"I am simply astonished, monsieur le comte, that a man whom you honor -with your esteem should take pleasure in blackening another man's -reputation without having the slightest fact to allege against him and -without knowing anything of his antecedents. I have already asked your -guest for some information concerning this Monsieur Cardonnet, whom he -seems to hate personally, and he refused to give me any explanation of -his sentiments. I leave it to you: is it possible for one to base a just -opinion on gratuitous imputations, and if you or I should form an -opinion unfavorable to Monsieur Cardonnet, would not your guest have -been guilty of an unworthy act?" - -"You speak according to my heart and my mind, young man," replied -Monsieur Antoine. "You," he added, turning to his rustic guest and -striking the table angrily with his fist, while he looked at him with an -expression in which affection and kindliness triumphed over displeasure, -"you are wrong, and you will be good enough to tell us at once what -grievance you have against the said Cardonnet, so that we can judge -whether it has any force. If not, we shall consider that you have a -soured mind and an evil tongue." - -"I have nothing to say more than everybody knows," replied the peasant -calmly, and with no sign of being intimidated by the sermon. "We see -things and judge them as we see them; but as this young man doesn't know -Monsieur Cardonnet," he added, with a penetrating glance at the -traveller, "and since he is so anxious to know what sort of man he is, -do you tell him yourself, Monsieur Antoine; and when you have given the -main facts I will fill in the details. I will tell monsieur the cause -and the effect, and he can judge for himself unless he has some better -reason than mine for not saying what he thinks." - -"All right, I agree," said Monsieur Antoine, who paid less attention -than his companion to the young man's increasing agitation. "I will tell -things as they are, and, if I go astray, I authorize Mère Janille, who -has the memory and accuracy of an almanac, to interrupt and contradict -me. As for you, you little rascal," he said, turning to the page in -short jacket and wooden shoes, "try not to stare into the whites of my -eyes so when I speak to you. Your fixed stare gives me the vertigo, and -your wide-open mouth looks like a well that I may fall into. Well, what -is it? what are you laughing at? Understand that a ne'er-do-well of your -age should never presume to laugh in his master's presence. Stand behind -me and behave as respectfully as _Monsieur_." - -As he spoke, he pointed to his dog, and his manner was so serious and -his voice so loud as he made the jest, that the traveller wondered if he -were not subject to spasms of seignorial domination altogether out of -keeping with his usual good-nature. But a glance at the boy's face was -enough to convince him that it was simply a game to which he was -well-used, for he cheerfully took his place beside the dog and began to -play with him, without a trace of sulkiness or shame. - -However, as Monsieur Antoine's manners were marked by an originality -which could hardly be understood at the first meeting, the young man -believed that he was beginning to grow light-headed by dint of much -drinking, and he determined not to attach the least importance to what -he was about to say. But it very rarely happened that the count lost his -head, even after he had lost his legs, and he had resorted to his -favorite pastime of bantering his neighbors only to divert the painful -impression to which this discussion had given rise as between his -guests. - -"Monsieur," he began. - -But he was at once interrupted by his dog, who, being also accustomed to -his habit of jesting, concluded that he was the person addressed and -walked up to his master and touched his arm, capering as friskily as his -age would permit. - -"Well, _Monsieur_," he continued, looking down at him with a playful -stare, "what does this mean? Since when have you been as ill-bred as a -human being? Go to sleep at once, and don't you ever make me spill wine -on the tablecloth again, or you'll have Dame Janille about your ears. It -was on a fine spring day last year, young man----" continued Monsieur -Antoine. - -"Excuse me, monsieur," interposed Janille, "it was only the 19th of -March, so it was still winter." - -"Is it worth while haggling over a difference of two days? What is -certain is that it was magnificent weather, as warm as it is in June, -and quite dry too." - -"That's true enough," exclaimed the little groom, "for I couldn't water -monsieur's horse at the little fountain." - -"That has nothing to do with it," said Monsieur Antoine, tapping the -floor with his foot; "hold your tongue, boy. You may speak when you're -spoken to; just open your ears in order to improve your mind and your -heart, if there's room for improvement. I was saying, then, that I was -returning from a country fair one beautiful day, and walking quietly -along on foot, when I met a tall man, very handsome although he was -little if any younger than I, and his black eyes and pale, almost yellow -complexion gave him a somewhat harsh and forbidding look. He was in a -cabriolet, driving down a steep hill, strewn with loose stones as our -fathers used to build roads, and was urging his horse forward, -apparently unconscious of the danger. I could not help warning him. -'Monsieur,' said I, 'no four-wheeled, three-wheeled or two-wheeled -carriage has ever gone down this hill, in the memory of man. In my -opinion it is likely to result in breaking your neck, even if it is not -impossible, and if you prefer a road that is a little longer but much -safer, I'll show you the way.' - -"'Much obliged,' he replied with just a suspicion of surliness, 'this -road seems to me practicable enough and I promise you that my horse will -come out all right.' - -"'That's your business,' said I, 'and what I said was said from purely -human motives.' - -"'I thank you, monsieur, and as you are so courteous, I shall be glad to -reciprocate. You are on foot, going in the same direction that I am; if -you will get in with me, you will reach the valley sooner and I shall -have the pleasure of your company.'" - -"All that is true," said Janille; "you told it just like that the same -evening except that you said that the gentleman had on a long blue -overcoat." - -"Excuse me, Ma'mselle Janille," said the child, "monsieur said black." - -"Blue, I tell you, master upstart!" - -"No, Mère Janille, black." - -"Blue, I am sure of it!" - -"I could swear it was black." - -"Come, come, stop your quarrelling, it was green!" cried Monsieur -Antoine. "Don't interrupt again, Mère Janille; and you, you naughty -varlet, go to the kitchen and see if I am there, or put your tongue in -your pocket; take your choice." - -"I would rather listen, monsieur; I won't speak again." - -"Now then," continued the châtelain, "I hesitated a moment between the -fear of breaking my bones if I accepted and of being considered a coward -if I refused. 'After all,' I said to myself, 'this fellow doesn't look -like a lunatic, and seems to have no reason for risking his life. I have -no doubt he has a wonderful horse and an excellent wagon.' I took my -place beside him, and we began to descend the precipice at a fast trot, -without a single false step on the part of the horse, or a moment's loss -of resolution and self-possession on the part of the master. He talked -to me about this thing and that and asked me many questions about the -province; and I confess that I answered a little crookedly, for I was -not altogether easy in my mind. 'So far so good,' I said to him when we -reached the bank of the Gargilesse without accident; 'we have come -safely down the break-neck, but we can't cross the water here; it's as -low as possible, but even so, it is not fordable at this point; we must -go up a little way to the left.' - -"'Do you call this water?' said he, shrugging his shoulders; 'for my -part I see nothing but stones and rushes. Nonsense! the idea of turning -aside for a dry stream!' - -"'As you choose,' I rejoined, a little mortified. His scornful audacity -stung me; I knew that he was going straight into a veritable gulf, and -yet, as I am not naturally a coward, and as I did not like the idea of -being called one, I declined his offer to allow me to get down. I would -have liked him to be punished by having reason to be well frightened, -even at the expense of having a dip in the river myself, although I -don't like water. - -"But I had neither the satisfaction nor the mortification: the cabriolet -did not founder. In the centre of the stream, which has dug out a -channel with beveled edges, so to speak, in that spot, the horse was in -up to his nostrils; the carriage was lifted up by the current. The -gentleman in the green overcoat--for it was green, Janille--lashed the -horse; she lost her footing, floundered, swam, and by a miracle landed -us on the bank, with no other injury than a rather cool foot-bath. I did -not lose my wits, I can swim as well as any man, but my companion -admitted that he knew no more about it than a stick of wood; and yet he -had neither faltered, nor swore, nor changed color. He's a plucky -fellow, I thought, and his self-possession did not displease me, -although there was something scornful in his perfect tranquillity as -there is in the devil's laugh. - -"'If you are going to Gargilesse, we can go on together, for I am going -there too,' I said. - -"'Very good,' he replied. 'Where is Gargilesse?' - -"'Oh! then you are not going there?' - -"'I am not going anywhere to-day,' said he, 'and I am ready to go -anywhere.' - -"I am not superstitious, monsieur, and yet my old nurse's stories came -into my mind, I don't know why, and I had a moment of idiotic distrust, -as if I were sitting beside Satan in a cabriolet. I glanced furtively at -this individual who travelled thus across mountains and rivers, with no -end in view, apparently just for the pleasure of exposing himself or me -with him to danger; and I, like a booby, had let him persuade me to get -into his infernal gig! - -"Seeing that I did not speak, he thought it advisable to reassure me. - -"'My way of travelling about the country surprises you, I see,' he said; -'the fact is that I propose to set up a manufacturing establishment in -whatever place seems to me the most suitable. I have some money to -invest--whether for myself or for other people is of little consequence -to you, I suppose; but you can help me, with a few hints, to attain my -object.' - -"'Very good,' I said, my confidence being fully restored when I found -that he talked sensibly; 'but, before advising you, I must know what -sort of an establishment you propose to set up.' - -"'If you will answer all the questions I ask you, that will be enough,' -he said, evading my question. 'For example, what is the maximum force of -this little stream we have just crossed, between this spot and the point -where it empties into the Creuse?' - -"'It is very irregular; you have just seen it at its minimum; but -freshets are frequent and tremendous; and if you choose to inspect the -principal mill, formerly the property of the religious community of -Gargilesse, you will be convinced of the havoc wrought by the torrent, -of the constant damage suffered by that poor old building, and of the -utter folly of laying out much money on it.' - -"'But by laying out money, monsieur, the unruly forces of nature can be -confined! Where the poor, rustic mill goes under, the powerful, solidly -built factory will triumph!' - -"'True,' I replied, 'in every river the big fish eat the little ones.' - -"He did not take up that suggestion but continued to question me as we -drove along. I, being obliging as a matter of duty, and something of an -idler by nature, took him everywhere. We went into several mills, he -talked with the millers, examined everything with great care, and -returned to Gargilesse, where he talked with the mayor and the principal -men of the town, requesting me to introduce him to them at once. He -accepted the curé's invitation to dinner, allowed himself to be made -much of without ceremony, and hinted that he was in a position to render -greater services than he received. He talked little, but listened -eagerly and asked questions about all manner of things, including some -that seemed to have little connection with business: for instance, -whether the people in this neighborhood were sincerely pious or only -superstitious; whether the bourgeois were fond of luxuries or sacrificed -them to economy; whether the prevailing opinion was liberal or -democratic; of what sort of men the general council of the department -was made up--and Heaven knows what else! At night he hired a guide and -went to Le Pin to sleep, and I did not see him again for three days. -Then he drove by Châteaubrun and stopped at my door, to thank me, he -said, for the courtesy I had shown him; but in reality I think to ask me -some more questions. 'I shall return in a month,' he said, as he took -leave of me, 'and I think that I shall decide on Gargilesse. It is -central, and I like the place, and I have an idea that your little -stream, to which you give such a bad name, will not be very difficult to -subdue. It will cost me less to control it than the Creuse; and, -moreover, the little risk that we ran in crossing it and that we -overcame, makes me think that it is my destiny to conquer in this spot.' - -"And with that he left me. That man was Monsieur Cardonnet. - -"Less than three weeks after, he returned with an English mill engineer -and several mechanics of the same nation; and since then he has kept -earth and stone and iron constantly in commotion at Gargilesse. Being -entirely absorbed by his work, he rises before daybreak and is the last -to go to bed. No matter what the weather may be, he is in the mud up to -his knees; not a movement on the part of his workmen escapes him; he -knows the why and how of everything, and is pushing forward the -construction of an enormous mill, a dwelling-house, with garden and -buildings, sheds, dams, roads and bridges--in a word, a magnificent -establishment. During his absence, his agents had managed the purchase -of the property without allowing his name to appear. He paid a high -price, but people thought at first that he didn't understand business -and that he had come here to _take it easy_. They laughed at him still -more when he increased the wages of his workmen, and when, to induce the -municipal council to allow him to divert the course of the stream as he -chose, he agreed to build a road, which cost him an enormous sum. They -said: 'He's a fool; the extravagance of his plans will ruin him.' But -after all is said, I believe he's as shrewd as most men, and I will -wager that he will prove to be successful in his choice of a location -and in the investment of his money. The stream troubled him a good deal -last autumn, but luckily it has been very quiet this spring, and he will -have time to finish his buildings before the rains come again, if we -have no unusual storms during the summer. He does things on a large -scale, and puts in more money than is necessary, that's the truth; but -if he has a passion for finishing quickly what he has begun, and has the -means and the inclination to pay a high price for the sweat of the poor -laboring man's brow, where is the harm? It seems to me that it's an -extremely good thing, on the contrary, and that, instead of calling the -man a hare-brained fool, as some do, or a crafty speculator, as others -do, we ought to thank him for bestowing on our province the advantage of -industrial activity, I have said! Now let the other side take its turn." - - - - -IV - -THE VISION - - -Before the peasant, who had continued to nibble at his bread with a -thoughtful expression, was prepared to begin, the young man thanked -Monsieur Antoine warmly for his narrative and for his generous -interpretation of Monsieur Cardonnet's course. Without admitting that he -was in any way connected with that gentleman, he seemed to be deeply -touched by the judgment of his character which the Comte de Châteaubrun -expressed, and he added: - -"Yes, monsieur, I believe that by seeking the best side of things one -goes astray less often than by doing the opposite. A determined -speculator would be parsimonious in the details of his undertaking, and -then one would be justified in suspecting his rectitude. But when we see -an intelligent and active man pay handsomely for labor----" - -"One moment, if you please," interposed the peasant. "You are upright -men and noble hearts; I am glad to believe it of this young gentleman, -as I am sure of it in your case, Monsieur Antoine. But, meaning no -offence, I will venture to tell you that you see no farther than the end -of your nose. Look you. I will suppose that I have a large sum of money -to invest, and that my purpose is not to obtain simply a fair and -legitimate return from it, as it is right for everybody to do, but to -double or treble my capital in a few years. I am not foolish enough to -announce my purpose to the people I am forced to ruin. I begin by -wheedling them, by making a show of generosity, and, to remove all -distrust, by making myself appear, if need be, a brainless prodigal. -That done, I have my dupes where I want them. I have sacrificed a -hundred thousand francs, I will say, on those little wiles. A hundred -thousand francs is a deal of money for the province! but, so far as I am -concerned, if I have several millions, it's simply the bonus that I pay. -Everybody likes me; although some laugh at my simplicity, the greater -number pity me and esteem me. No one takes any precautions. Time flies -fast and my brain still faster; I have cast the net and all the fish are -nibbling. First the little ones--the small fry that you swallow without -anyone noticing it; then the big ones, until they have all disappeared." - -"What do you mean by all your metaphors?" said Monsieur Antoine, -shrugging his shoulders. "If you go on talking figuratively, I am going -to sleep. Come, hurry, it's getting late." - -"What I mean is plain enough," continued the peasant. "When I have once -ruined all the small concerns that competed with me I become a more -powerful lord than your ancestors were before the Revolution, Monsieur -Antoine! I govern over the head of the laws, and while I have a poor -devil locked up for the slightest peccadillo, I take the liberty to do -whatever pleases me or suits my convenience. I take everybody's -property--with their daughters and wives thrown in, if they take my -fancy--I control the business and supplies of a whole department. By my -skill I have forced down the price of crops; but, when everything is in -my hands, I raise prices to suit myself, and, as soon as I can safely do -it, I obtain a monopoly and starve the people. And then it's a small -matter to kill off competition; I soon get control of the money, which -is the key to everything. I do a banking business on the sly, wholesale -and retail. I oblige so many people, that I am everybody's creditor and -everybody belongs to me. People find out that they no longer like me; -but they see that I am to be feared, and the most powerful handle me -carefully, while the small fry tremble and sigh all about me. However, -as I have some intelligence and cunning, I play the great man from time -to time. I rescue a few families, I contribute to some charitable -organization. It is a method of greasing the wheel of my fortune, which -rolls on the more rapidly for it; for people begin again to have a -little esteem for me. I am no longer considered kind-hearted and -foolish, but just and great. From the prefect of the department to the -village curé and from the curé to the beggar, everyone is in the -hollow of my hand; but the whole province suffers and no one detects the -cause. No other fortune than mine will increase, and every modest -competence will shrink, because I shall have dried up all the springs of -wealth, raised the price of the necessaries of life and lowered that of -the superfluities--just the reverse of what should be. The dealer will -find himself in trouble and the consumer too. But I shall prosper -because I shall be, by virtue of my wealth, the only resource of dealer -and consumer alike. And at last people will say, 'What in heaven's name -is happening? the small tradesmen are stripped and the small buyers are -stripped. We have more pretty houses and more fine clothes staring us in -the face than we used to have, and all those things cost less, so they -say; but we haven't a sou in our pockets. We have all been frantic to -make a show and now we are consumed by debts. But Monsieur Cardonnet -isn't responsible for it all, for he does good and, if it weren't for -him, we should all be ruined. Let us make haste and do something for -Monsieur Cardonnet; let him be mayor, prefect, deputy, minister, king, -if possible, and the province is saved!' - -"That, messieurs, is the way I would make other people carry me on their -backs if I were Monsieur Cardonnet, and it is what I am very sure -Monsieur Cardonnet intends to do. Now, tell me that I am wrong to look -askance at him; that I am a prophet of evil, and that nothing of what I -predict will happen. God grant that you may be right! but for my part I -can feel the hail coming in the distance, and there is only one hope -that sustains me; it is that the stream will be less foolish than men; -that it will not allow itself to be bridled by the fine machines they -put between its teeth, and that some fine morning it will give Monsieur -Cardonnet's mills a body blow that will sicken him of playing with it, -and will induce him to take his capital and its consequences and carry -it somewhere else. Now, I have said my say. If I have formed a hasty -judgment, may God who has heard me forgive me!" - -The peasant had spoken with great animation. The fire of keen insight -darted from his blue eyes, and a smile of sorrowful indignation played -about his mobile lips. The traveller examined that strongly-marked face, -shaded by a heavy grizzly beard, wrinkled by fatigue, by exposure to the -air, perhaps by disappointment as well; and, despite the pain that his -language caused, he could not help thinking him handsome, and admiring, -in the facility with which he bluntly expressed his thoughts, a sort of -natural eloquence instinct with sincerity and love of justice; for, -although his words, of which we have failed to express all the rustic -homeliness, were simple and sometimes vulgar, his gestures were emphatic -and the tone of his voice commanded attention. A feeling of profound -depression had taken possession of his hearers, while he drew without -any artifice, and unsparingly, the portrait of the pitiless and -persevering rich man. The wine had had no effect upon him, and every -time that he raised his eyes to the young man's face, he seemed to look -into his very soul and sternly question him. Monsieur Antoine, although -slightly affected by the weight of the wine he was carrying, had lost -nothing of his harangue, and submitting as usual to the ascendancy of -that mind, of stouter temper than his own, he heaved a deep sigh from -time to time. - -When the peasant had finished, "May God forgive you, indeed, my friend, -if your judgment is at fault," he said, raising his glass as an offering -to the Deity: "and if you are right, may Providence avert such a scourge -from the heads of the poor and weak!" - -"Listen to me, Monsieur de Châteaubrun, and you too, my friend," cried -the young man, taking a hand of each of his companions in his own, "God, -who hears all the words of man, and who reads their real sentiments in -the depths of their hearts, knows that these evils are not to be -dreaded, and that your apprehensions are only chimeras. I know the man -of whom you speak; I know him well; and, although his face is cold, his -character obstinate, his intellect active and strong, I will answer to -you for the loyalty of his purposes and the noble use he will make of -his fortune. There is something alarming, I agree, in the firmness of -his will, and I am not surprised that his inflexible manner has caused -a sort of vertigo here, as if a supernatural being had appeared in the -midst of your peaceful fields. But that strength of purpose is based -upon moral and religious principles, which make him, if not the mildest -and most affable of men, the most rigidly just and the most royally -generous." - -"So much the better, deuce take it!" rejoined the châtelain, clinking -his glass against the peasant's. "I drink to your health, and I am happy -to have reason to esteem a man when I am on the point of cursing him. -Come, don't be obstinate, old fellow, but believe this young man, who -talks like a book and knows more about the subject than you and I do. -Why, he says that he knows Cardonnet! that he knows him well! what more -do you want? He will answer for him. So we need not worry any more. And -now, friends, let us go to bed," continued the châtelain, delighted to -accept the guaranty of a man of whom he knew nothing at all, not even -his name, for a man of whom he knew little; "the clock is striking -eleven, and that's an undue hour." - -"I am going to take my leave of you," said the traveller, "and continue -my journey, asking your permission to come soon to thank you for your -kindness." - -"You shall not go away to-night," cried Monsieur Antoine; "it is -impossible, it rains bucketfuls, the roads are drowned, and you couldn't -see your own feet. If you persist in going, I never want to see you -again." - -He was so urgent and the storm was in fact so fierce that the young man -was fain to accept the proffered hospitality. - -Sylvain Charasson--that was the name of the page--brought a lantern, and -Monsieur Antoine, taking the traveller's arm, guided him among the ruins -of the manor-house in search of a bedroom. - -All the floors of the square pavilion were occupied by the Châteaubrun -family; but, in addition to that small wing which was intact and -recently restored, there was an enormous tower on the other side of the -courtyard, the oldest part, the highest, the thickest, the most -impervious of the whole pile, the rooms which it contained, one above -another, being arched with stone and even more solidly constructed than -the square pavilion. The band of speculators who had purchased the -château several years before for purposes of demolition, and had -carried away all the wood and iron to the last door-hinge, had found -nothing to demolish on the lower floors, and Monsieur Antoine had had -one floor cleaned and closed, for use on the rare occasions when he had -an opportunity to entertain a guest. It had been a great display of -magnificence on the poor fellow's part to replace the doors and windows -and put a bed and a few chairs in that apartment, which was not -necessary for the accommodation of his family. He had made the effort -cheerfully, saying to Janille: "It isn't everything to be comfortable -yourself; you must think about being able to give your neighbor -shelter." And yet, when the young man entered that dismal feudal donjon, -and found himself, as it were, confined in a jail, his heart sank, and -he would gladly have followed the peasant, who went, as his custom was, -to lie on the fresh straw with Sylvain Charasson. But Monsieur Antoine -was so pleased and so proud to be able to do the honors of a _guest -chamber_, despite his poverty, that his young guest felt bound to accept -for his lodgings one of the frowning prisons of the Middle Ages. - -However, there was a good fire in the huge fireplace, and the bed, which -consisted of a mattress of oat-chaff with a thick quilt spread upon it, -was not to be despised. Everything was cheap and clean. The young man -soon drove away the melancholy thoughts that assail every traveller -quartered in such a place, and, despite the rumbling of the thunder, the -cries of the night-birds and the roar of the wind and rain, which shook -his windows, while the rats made furious assaults upon his door, he was -soon sound asleep. - -His sleep, however, was disturbed by strange dreams, and he had a sort -of nightmare just before dawn, as if it were impossible to pass the -night in a place stained with the mysterious crimes of feudal days -without being made the victim of painful visions. He dreamed that -Monsieur Cardonnet entered the room, and as he struggled to get out of -bed and run to meet him, he made an imperative sign to him not to stir; -then, coming to him with an impassive air, he climbed on his chest, -paying no heed to his groans and giving no indication upon his stony -face that he was aware of the agony he caused him. - -Crushed beneath that terrible weight, the sleeper struggled in vain for -a space that seemed to him more than a century, and he had the -death-rattle in his throat when he succeeded in rousing himself. But, -although the day was beginning to break, and he could see everything in -the tower distinctly, he remained so completely under the influence of -his dream that he fancied that he still saw that inflexible face before -his eyes and felt the weight of a body as heavy as a mountain of brass -on his crushed and sunken chest. He arose and walked around the room -several times before returning to bed, for, although he was anxious to -make an early start, he was overcome by an unconquerable feeling of -prostration. But his eyes were no sooner closed than the spectre -recurred to his determination to stifle him, until, feeling that he was -at the point of death, the young man cried out in a broken voice: -"Father! father! what have I done to you, and why have you determined to -murder your own son?" - -The sound of his own voice woke him, and, finding that he was still -pursued by the apparition, he ran to the window and opened it. As soon -as the cool outer air entered that low room, in the atmosphere of which -there was something lethargic, the hallucination vanished, and he -dressed in haste, in order to leave the place where he had been the -plaything of such a cruel fancy. But, notwithstanding all his efforts to -think of something else, he could not shake off a feeling of painful -disquietude, and the _guest-chamber_ of Châteaubrun seemed to him even -more dismal than on the night before. - -The dull, gray light enabled him at last to see the whole of the -château from his window. - -It was literally nothing but a heap of ruins, the still magnificent -ruins of a seignorial abode built at different periods. The courtyard, -overgrown with weeds, through which the infrequent going and coming of a -family reduced to the strict necessaries of life had worn only two or -three narrow paths, from the large tower to the small one, and from the -well to the main entrance, was surrounded opposite his window by -crumbling walls which could be recognized as the foundations and lower -courses of several buildings, among others a dainty chapel, of which the -pediment, with a pretty rose-window surrounded by festoons of ivy, was -still standing. At the end of the courtyard, in the centre of which was -a large well, rose the dismantled skeleton of what had once been the -principal abiding-place of the lords of Châteaubrun from the time of -François I. to the Revolution. This once sumptuous edifice was now -naught but a shapeless skeleton, open on all sides, a strange mass of -ruins to which the crumbling away of the interior partitions imparted an -appearance of enormous height. Neither the towers in which the graceful -spiral staircases were enclosed, nor the great frescoed rooms, nor the -beautiful mantels of carved stone had been respected by the hammer of -the demolisher, and some few vestiges of this splendor, which they had -been unable to reach, some fragments of richly decorated friezes, some -garlands of leaves carved by the skilful craftsmen of the Renaissance, -and an escutcheon bearing the arms of France crossed by the baton of -bastardy--all of fine white stone, which time had not yet been able to -darken--presented the melancholy spectacle of a work of art -remorselessly sacrificed to the brutal law of necessity. - -When young Cardonnet turned his eyes toward the small pavilion occupied -by the last scion of a once wealthy and illustrious family, he felt a -thrill of compassion as he reflected that there was in that pavilion a -young woman whose ancestresses had had pages, vassals, fine horses and -packs of hounds, whereas this inheritress of a ghastly ruin was destined -perhaps, like the Princess Nausicaa, to wash her own linen at the -fountain. - -As he made this reflection he saw a little round window on the upper -floor of the square pavilion open gently, and a woman's head, supported -by the loveliest neck imaginable, lean forward as if to speak to some -one in the courtyard. Emile Cardonnet, although he belonged to a -generation of myopes, had excellent sight, and the distance was not so -great that he could not distinguish the features belonging to that -graceful blond head, whose hair the wind tossed about in some confusion. -It seemed to him what in fact it was, an angel's head, arrayed in all -the bloom of youth, sweet and noble at the same time. The tone of the -voice was fascinating and the pronunciation was remarkably elegant. - -"So it rained all night, did it, Jean?" she said. "See how full of water -the courtyard is! All the fields I can see from my window are like -ponds." - -"It's a regular deluge, my dear child," the peasant, who seemed to be an -intimate friend of the family, replied from below, "a genuine -water-spout! I don't know whether the worst of the storm broke here or -somewhere else, but I never saw the fountain so full." - -"The roads must be all washed out, Jean, and you had better stay here. -Is father awake?" - -"Not yet, Gilberte, but Mère Janille is up and about." - -"Will you ask her to come up to my room, my old Jean? I have something -to ask her." - -"I will go at once." - -The girl closed the window without apparently noticing that the -traveller's window was open and that he was standing there looking at -her. - -A moment later he was in the courtyard, where the rain had transformed -the paths into little torrents, and he found Sylvain Charasson in the -stable, cleaning his horse and Monsieur Antoine's, and discussing the -effects of such a terrible night with the peasant whose Christian name -Emile Cardonnet had learned at last. The night before, this man had -caused him a sort of indefinable uneasiness, as if there were something -mysterious and fateful about him. He had noticed that Monsieur Antoine -had not once called him by name, and that, on several occasions when -Janille had been on the point of doing so, he had warned her with a -glance to be careful. They called him only _friend_, _comrade_ or _old -fellow_, and it seemed that his name was a secret which they did not -choose to divulge. Who could this man be, who had the outward aspect and -the language of a peasant and who, nevertheless, carried his gloomy -anticipations so far, and his severe criticism to such a point. - -Emile strove to enter into conversation with him, but to no purpose; he -was even more reserved than on the preceding day, and when he was -questioned concerning the damage done by the storm, he replied simply: - -"I advise you to lose no time in starting for Gargilesse if you want to -find any bridges across the stream, for in less than two hours there'll -be a most infernal _dribe_ there." - -"What do you mean by that? I don't understand that word." - -"You don't know what a _dribe_ is? Well, you will see one to-day and -you'll never forget it. Good-day, monsieur; be off at once for your -friend Cardonnet will be in trouble before long." - -And he turned away without another word. - -Impelled by a vague feeling of alarm, Emile hastily saddled his horse -himself, and said to Charasson, tossing him a piece of money: - -"Tell your master, my boy, that I have gone without taking leave of him, -but that I shall come again soon to thank him for his kindness to me." - -He was riding through the gateway when Janille came running up to detain -him. She insisted on waking Monsieur Antoine; mademoiselle was dressing; -breakfast would be ready in a moment; the roads were too wet; it was -going to rain again. The young man, with many thanks, succeeded in -escaping from her hospitable attentions, and made her also a present, -which she seemed very glad to accept. But he had not reached the foot of -the hill when he heard a horse trotting behind him, his great, heavy -feet just razing the ground. It was Sylvain Charasson, mounted on -Monsieur Antoine's mare, with no other bridle than a rope halter passed -between the animal's teeth, riding hastily after him. "I am going to -guide you, monsieur," he cried, as he passed him; "Mademoiselle Janille -says you'll kill yourself, as you don't know the roads, and that's the -truth too." - -"All right, but take the shortest road," replied the young man. - -"Never fear," rejoined the rustic page, and, plying his clogs, he urged -the hollow-backed mare into a fast trot, her huge stomach, stuffed with -hay unmixed with oats, presenting a striking contrast to her thin flanks -and bony chest. - - - - -V - -THE DRIBE - - -The slopes crowned by Châteaubrun were so steep that the young man and -his new guide were delayed by no torrent of any size and soon reached -the valley. But as they rode rapidly by a small pond full to the brim, -the boy exclaimed, with a glance of amazement: "The _Font-Margot_ full! -That means a lot of damage in the low lands. We shall have trouble -crossing the river. Let's hurry, monsieur!"--He urged the mare to a -gallop; and despite her ungainly build and her broad, flat feet -embellished with a fringe of long hair that trailed on the ground, she -picked her way over the uneven ground with remarkable skill and sureness -of foot. - -The extensive plains of this region form great plateaus broken by -ravines, which, with their abrupt and deep declivities, make veritable -mountains to ascend and descend. After riding about an hour, our -travellers found themselves opposite the valley of Gargilesse, and a -fascinating landscape was spread out before them. The village of -Gargilesse, built like a sugar-loaf on a steep knoll, and overlooked by -its pretty church and its ancient monastery, seemed to rise from the -depths of the precipices; and the boy pointed out to Emile a number of -enormous buildings, entirely new and of fine appearance, at the bottom -of the steepest of those precipices, saying: - -"Look, monsieur, there are Monsieur Cardonnet's buildings." - -It was the first time that Emile, who was a law-student at Poitiers and -passed his vacations at Paris, had visited the region where his father -had been engaged for a year past in an important undertaking. The -natural aspect of the spot seemed to him beautiful, and he was grateful -to his parents for having happened upon a location where industry could -flourish without banishing the influences of poesy. - -They had still some distance to ride across the plateau before reaching -the slope, where all the details of the landscape could be embraced in a -single glance. As Emile approached the edge he discovered new beauties, -and the convent-château of Gargilesse, planted proudly on the rock over -the Cardonnet factories, seemed a decoration placed there designedly to -crown the whole picture. The sides of the ravine, into which the little -stream flowed swiftly, were covered with hardy vegetation, and the young -man, who involuntarily allowed his attention to be absorbed by the -external aspect of his new inheritance, observed with satisfaction that, -amid the clearing away that had to be done to install the establishment -in such a thickly-wooded spot, they had spared some magnificent old -trees, which were the noblest ornament of the dwelling-house. - -This house, situated a little behind the factory, was convenient, -tasteful, simple in its richness, and the fact that there were curtains -at almost all the windows indicated that it was already occupied. It was -surrounded by a fine garden, terraced along the stream, and from afar he -could distinguish the bright colors of the blooming plants which had -been substituted as if by enchantment for the willow stumps and pools of -stagnant water with which the banks were formerly bordered. The young -man's heart beat fast when he saw a woman descend the steps of this -modern château and walk slowly among her favorite flowers; for it was -his mother. He threw up his arms and waved his cap to attract her -attention, but without success. Madame Cardonnet was intent upon -examining her horticultural pets; she did not expect her son until -evening. - -On a more open space Emile saw the complicated, -scientifically-constructed buildings of the factory; and fifty or more -busy workmen moving amid the medley of materials of all sorts--some -cutting stone, others preparing the mortar, others trimming rafters, -others loading carts drawn by enormous horses. As it was absolutely -necessary to descend the steep road at a foot-pace, little Charasson -found opportunity to speak. - -"This is a bad place, isn't it, monsieur? Keep a tight rein on your -horse! It would be a good thing if Monsieur Cardonnet would build a road -to take people from our house to his factory. See what fine roads he's -built in other directions! and the pretty bridges! all of stone, you -see! Before he came you had to wet your feet crossing the river in -summer, and in winter you didn't cross at all. He's the kind of man that -everybody ought to kiss the ground he walks on." - -"So you don't agree with your friend Jean who says so much ill of him?" - -"Oh! Jean! Jean! you needn't pay much attention to his croaking. He's a -man who has _ennuis_, and he sees everything crooked lately, although he -isn't an unkind man, not at all. But he's the only man hereabout who -talks like that; everybody else is all in favor of Monsieur Cardonnet. -He isn't stingy, I tell you. He talks a little hard, he pushes his -workmen a little, but bless me! he pays; you ought to see the wages he -pays! and if you do break your back working, if you're well paid you -ought to be satisfied, eh, monsieur?" - -The young man stifled a sigh. He did not absolutely agree with Monsieur -Sylvain Charasson's theory of economic compensations, and, however much -he might desire to approve his father's course, he could not see very -clearly how wages could replace the loss of health and life. - -"I'm surprised not to see him on his workmen's backs," added the page of -Châteaubrun ingenuously and with no malicious intent, "for he isn't in -the habit of giving them much time to breathe. Ah, indeed! he's a man to -push work ahead! He isn't like Mère Janille at our house, who's always -making a noise and never lets other people do anything. He doesn't seem -to move about, but anyone would say he did the work with his eyes. When -a workman speaks or puts down his pick to light his pipe, or just takes -a little bit of a nap at noon in the heat of the day, he'll say, without -losing his temper: 'Look here, you can't smoke or sleep comfortably -here; go home, you'll be more comfortable.'--And that's all. He won't -employ him again for a week, and the second time it's a month, and the -third he's done for good." - -Emile sighed again: he recognized his father's inflexible severity in -these details, and he had to turn his thoughts toward the presumed -object of his efforts in order to be reconciled to his methods. - -"Ah! _pardine_! there he is," cried the boy, pointing to Monsieur -Cardonnet, whose tall figure and dark clothes were discernible on the -other bank. "He's looking at the water; perhaps he's afraid of the -_dribe_, although he usually says it's all nonsense." - -"So the _dribe_ is a freshet, is it?" queried Emile, beginning to -understand the word, a corruption of _dérive_. - -"Yes, monsieur, it's like a waterspout, that comes with great storms. -But the storm has passed and the _dribe_ hasn't come, and I believe Jean -was all wrong in his prophesying. And yet, monsieur, look at the water, -how low it is! it's almost dried up since yesterday and that's a bad -sign. Let's hurry across, it may come any minute." - -They quickened their pace and easily forded the first arm of the stream. -But in the effort that Emile's horse made to climb the somewhat steep -bank of the little island, he broke his girths, and his rider had to -dismount and try to fix his saddle. It was not an easy task, and in his -haste to join his parents Emile bungled over it; the knot that he had -made slipped when he put his foot in the stirrup, and Charasson was -obliged to cut off a piece of the rope he was using for a bridle in -order to make the necessary repairs. All this took some time, during -which their attention was wholly diverted from the disaster Sylvain -dreaded. The island was covered with a dense growth of willows which -made it impossible for them to look ten yards in any direction. - -Suddenly a noise like the prolonged rumble of thunder reached their -ears. Emile, mistaking the cause of the noise, looked up at the sky, -which was perfectly clear overhead. But the child turned pale as death. - -"The _dribe_!" he cried, "the _dribe_! we must run for it, monsieur!" - -They crossed the island at a gallop; but before they were clear of the -willow scrub, they were met by waves of yellowish water covered with -foam. It was already up to their horses' breasts when they found -themselves face to face with the swollen torrent, which was spreading -furiously over the surrounding country. - -Emile would have attempted to cross; but his guide clung to him. - -"No, monsieur, no," he cried; "it's too late. See the force of the -stream and the logs it's bringing down! No man or beast could go through -that. Let us leave the horses, monsieur, let us leave the horses; -perhaps they will have sense enough to save themselves; but it's too -much of a risk for Christians! Look, there's the footbridge gone! Do as -I do, monsieur, do as I do, or you're a dead man!" - -And Charasson, who already had the water up to his shoulders, began to -run nimbly up a tree. Emile, judging from the fury of the torrent, which -increased a foot in depth every second, that courage would be sheer -folly, and thinking of his mother, decided to follow the little -peasant's example. - -"Not that one, monsieur, not that one!" cried the boy, seeing him start -to climb an aspen. "That's too weak, it will be carried away like a -straw. Come up here, by me; for the love of God, climb my tree!" - -Emile, recognizing the wisdom of Sylvain's suggestion,--for the child, -in the midst of his terror, lost neither his presence of mind nor the -commendable desire to save his neighbor,--ran to the old oak to which he -was clinging and soon succeeded in reaching a position not far from him, -on a stout branch several feet above the water. But they had soon to -abandon that post to the angry element, which continued to rise; and, -ascending in their turn from branch to branch, they succeeded in saving -their lives. - -When the inundation had reached its highest point, Emile was far enough -from the ground to see what was taking place in the valley. He concealed -himself as well as he could in the foliage, to avoid being seen from the -house, and imposed silence on Sylvain, who wished to call for help; for -he was afraid that his parents, especially his mother, would be terribly -frightened if they should discover his presence and his perilous -situation. He could see his father, who was watching the effects of the -_dribe_ and retreating slowly as the water rose in his garden and -invaded the whole factory. He seemed to give ground regretfully before -that scourge of the valley, which he had contemned, and which he -pretended to contemn still. At last, he saw him distinctly, standing at -one of the windows of his house with Madame Cardonnet, while the workmen -scattered and fled to the high land, leaving their jackets and -implements in the mud. Some, taken by surprise by the deluge in the -lower floors of the factory, had gone up hastily to the roof; and, -although the more far-sighted may have rejoiced secretly because that -disaster promised a prolongation of their lucrative employment, the -majority yielded to a natural feeling of consternation when they found -the result of their labors lost or endangered. - -The stones, the newly rough-cast walls, the freshly-hewn timbers, -everything that did not offer much resistance, was floating about at -random amid eddying masses of foam. The bridges, barely finished, were -swept away, being torn from the newly-built piers, which were unequal to -the task of supporting them. The garden was half under water, and the -sashes of the greenhouse, the boxes of flowers and the gardener's -wheelbarrows could be seen sailing swiftly away among the trees. - -Suddenly, loud cries were heard in the factory. A huge piece of timber -had been driven violently against the underpinning of the principal -machine, and the building seemed on the point of falling in under the -violent shock. There were at least twelve persons, men, women and -children, on the roof. They all shrieked and wept. Emile felt a cold -perspiration start out all over him. Heedless of the perils to which he -himself was exposed, if the oak should be uprooted, he was horrified at -the impending fate of those families whom he saw running wildly about in -their distress. He was on the point of jumping into the water to fly to -their assistance. But he heard his father's powerful voice shouting to -them from the stoop, with the aid of a speaking-trumpet. - -"Don't stir; the raft is nearly finished; there is no danger where you -are." - -Such was the master's ascendancy that they became calm, and Emile -himself instinctively yielded to it. - -On the other side of the island there was a far more desolating -spectacle. The villagers were running after their cattle, the women -after their children. Piercing shrieks directed Emile's attention more -particularly toward a point which the vegetation concealed from his -eyes; but he soon saw a powerful man near the opposite bank, swimming -and carrying a child. The current was less strong on that side than it -was at the factory, and yet the swimmer seemed to be making his way -through the water with extraordinary difficulty, and several times the -water covered him completely. - -"I will go and help him!" cried Emile, moved even to tears, and -preparing once more to jump from the tree. - -"No, monsieur, no!" cried Charasson, holding him back. "See, he's out of -the current now, he's safe; he isn't swimming now, he's walking in the -mud. Poor man! what a hard time he had. But the child isn't dead, he's -crying and yelling like a little devil. Poor little fellow! don't cry -any more, you're safe! But look, will you! may the devil fly away with -me if it wasn't old Jean who pulled him out of the water! Yes, monsieur, -yes, it's Jean. He's a brave fellow, I tell you! Ah! see how the father -thanks him, how the mother hugs his legs, and yet they're not very -clean, those poor legs of his! Ah! monsieur, Jean has a big heart, and -there's not his like in the world. If he knew we were here, he'd come -and help us out of the scrape. I have a mind to call him." - -"Do nothing of the kind. We are safe and he would risk his life again. -Yes, I see that he's a fine fellow. Is he any relative to the child and -to those people." - -"No, monsieur, no. They are the Michauds, and they're nothing to him or -to me either; but when anything goes wrong anywhere, Jean is sure to -turn up, and where no one else would dare to take the risk, he'll go -ahead, even when there's nothing at all, not even a glass of wine to be -made by it. But the good Lord knows that this country isn't healthy for -Jean, and that this is hardly the place for him." - -"Why, is he exposed to any other danger at Gargilesse than that of being -drowned like everybody else?" - -Sylvain did not reply, and seemed to blame himself for having said too -much. - -"The water is falling a little," he said, to divert Emile's attention; -"in a couple of hours, perhaps we can go back the way we came; but it -will be six hours at least before we can cross over to Monsieur -Cardonnet's." - -This prospect was not very attractive; however Emile, who was determined -not to alarm his parents at any price, resigned himself to it as best he -could. But a fresh incident caused him to change his mind before half an -hour had passed. The water receded rapidly from the highest points it -had flooded; and on the other side of the lake it had formed between him -and his father's abode, he saw some workmen leading two horses toward -the house, one entirely bare, the other saddled and bridled. - -"Our beasts, monsieur," said Sylvain Charasson; "God bless me! both our -beasts have come out safe! I supposed my poor mare was in the Creuse -before this! Ah! Monsieur Antoine will be glad enough when I bring back -his _Lanterne_! She'll have earned her oats, and perhaps Janille won't -refuse to give her a peck. And your black, monsieur--you're not sorry to -see him on his feet, are you? He must know how to swim a little!" - -Emile rapidly considered what would happen. Monsieur Cardonnet did not -know his horse, to be sure, for he had bought him _en route_; but they -would open the valise, they would soon discover that it belonged to him, -and their first thought would be that he was dead. He speedily decided -to show himself, and after many attempts to make his voice heard above -that of the torrent, whose fury was only slightly abated, he succeeded -in making the people on the roof of the factory understand that he was -there and that Monsieur and Madame Cardonnet must be so informed at -once. The news passed from mouth to mouth, through the various places of -refuge, as quickly as he could wish, and he soon espied his mother at -the window, waving her handkerchief, and his father in person on a raft -propelled by two strong men, who were pushing out into the current with -dogged determination. Emile succeeded in turning them back, by shouting -to them, not without many words lost and repeated again and again, that -he was safe, that they must wait a while longer before coming to him, -and that the most important thing was to set free the persons who were -imprisoned in the factory. Everything was done as he desired, and when -there was no longer any danger for any one, he climbed down from the -tree, stepped in the water up to his middle, and walked to meet the -raft, holding little Charasson under the arms and helping him to keep -his footing. Three hours after the passage of the _dribe_, Emile and his -guide were in front of a good fire, Madame Cardonnet was covering her -child with kisses and tears; and the page of Châteaubrun, no less -petted than he, was describing eloquently the perils they had overcome. - -Emile adored his mother. His love for her was still the most fervent -passion of his life. He had not seen her since the vacation, which they -had passed together in Paris, free from the constant and frequent -reproofs of their common master, Monsieur Cardonnet. They both suffered -from the yoke they were compelled to wear, and they understood each -other on that point, although they had never mentioned it. Madame -Cardonnet, a gentle, affectionate, weak creature, felt that her son had -a good share of her husband's mental energy and firmness, combined with -a generous and sensitive heart which would expose him to great sorrow -when those two masterful characters should come in collision on those -points as to which their ideas differed. So she had swallowed all the -disappointments of her life, taking care not to reveal them to her son, -who was her only joy and her most dearly cherished consolation. Although -she was not fully convinced of her husband's right to wound her and -oppress her without remission, she had always seemed to accept her -position as if in obedience to a law of nature and a religious precept. -Passive obedience, thus taught by example, had become an instinctive -habit in young Emile; but had it been otherwise, sound reasoning would -long since have led him to adopt a different course. But when he saw -that everybody bowed at the slightest indication of the paternal will, -his mother first of all, it had not occurred to him that things might -and should be different. Meanwhile the weight of the despotic atmosphere -in which he lived had induced in him, from childhood, a sort of -melancholy, of nameless unhappiness, of which he rarely sought the -cause. It is a law of nature that children shall reverse the lessons -that they do not like; and so Emile, early in life, had received from -external facts an impulsion directly contrary to that which his father -would fain have given him. - -The consequences of this natural and inevitable antagonism will be -sufficiently developed by the progress of this narrative, so that it is -unnecessary to describe them here. - -After giving his mother time to recover in some measure from the emotion -she had experienced, Emile followed his father, who called him to come -and investigate the effects of the disaster. Monsieur Cardonnet -displayed a tranquillity superior to all reverses of fortune, and -whatever annoyance he may have felt he showed nothing of it. He walked -silently through a double line of peasants who had flocked together to -gratify their curiosity and to witness the spectacle of his misfortune, -some with indifference, a few with sincere interest, the majority with -that unavowed but irresistible satisfaction which the poor man prudently -keeps out of sight but which he infallibly feels when he sees the wrath -of the elements visited on the rich man and himself alike. All these -villagers had lost something by the inundation, one a small crop of hay, -another a bit of kitchen garden, a third a lamb, a hen or two, or a pile -of fire-wood; very trivial losses in reality, but comparatively as -severe as the wealthy manufacturer's. But when they saw the wreck of -that fine property, but yesterday so prosperous, they could not forbear -a thrill of consternation, as if wealth had something worthy of respect -in itself, despite the jealousy it arouses. - -Monsieur Cardonnet did not wait until the water had entirely receded -before resuming work. He sent men to scour the surrounding fields for -the materials carried away by the current. He armed the others with -spades and pickaxes to clear away the mud and débris which obstructed -the approaches to the factory, and when it was possible to enter, he -entered first of all, in order to avoid any waste of emotion because of -the exaggerations that the first feeling of amazement might extort from -others. - - - - -VI - -JEAN THE CARPENTER - - -"Take a pencil, Emile," said the manufacturer to his son, who followed -him, fearing that he might meet with some accident; "make no mistake in -the figures I am going to call off to you.--One, two, three wheels -broken here.--The staircase carried away.--The large engine -damaged--three thousand, five, seven or eight--Let us take the highest -figure; that's the safest way in business.--Put down eight thousand -francs.--What! the dam broken? that's strange! Put down fifteen -thousand. We must rebuild it all in Roman cement. There's a corner that -has given way.--Write, Emile.--Emile, have you written that?" - -For an hour Monsieur Cardonnet continued thus to estimate his losses and -the necessary outlay; and when he called upon his son to foot up the -figures, he shrugged his shoulders impatiently because the young man, -whether from distraction or because he was out of practice, did not -perform that task as rapidly as he wished. - -"Have you done it?" he asked, after two or three moments of restrained -impatience. - -"Yes, father; it amounts to about eighty thousand francs." - -"About?" repeated Monsieur Cardonnet with a frown. "What sort of a word -is that? Well, well," he added, glancing at him with a penetrating, -mocking expression, "I see that you are a little confused from being -perched up in a tree. I have made the calculation in my head, and I -regret that I am obliged to tell you that it was done before you had -sharpened your pencil. There'll be eighty-one thousand five hundred -francs to be laid out all over again." - -"That's a good deal," said Emile, striving to conceal his impatience -beneath a serious air. - -"I wouldn't have believed that this little water-course could have so -much force," observed Monsieur Cardonnet, as calmly as if he were making -an expert estimate of a loss in which he was not interested; "but it -won't take long to repair. Holà! you fellows.--There's a beam caught -between two of the large wheels, and there's just enough water left to -keep it banging. Take it out of there at once or my wheels will be -broken." - -They made haste to obey, but the task was more difficult than it seemed. -All the weight of the machinery seemed to rest on that obstacle, which -bade fair not to be the first to give way. Several men rubbed the skin -off their hands to no purpose. - -"Look out and not hurt yourselves!" cried Emile instinctively, taking a -hand himself to lessen their difficulty. - -But Monsieur Cardonnet shouted in his turn: - -"Pull there! push!--Bah! your arms are made of flax!" - -The perspiration was rolling down their faces, but they made no headway. - -"Get away from there, all of you," suddenly exclaimed a voice that Emile -instantly recognized, "and let me try it--I prefer to do it alone." - -And Jean, armed with a crow-bar, quickly pried out a large stone which -no one had noticed. Then, with wonderful dexterity, he gave the beam a -powerful push. - -"Gently, deuce take it!" cried Monsieur Cardonnet, "you'll smash -everything." - -"If I smash anything, I'll pay for it," retorted the peasant, with -playful bluntness. "Now, two of you boys come here. All together now! -Courage, little Pierre, that's good!--Another bit, my old -Guillaume!--Oh! the clever fellows!--Softly! softly! let me take my foot -away, or you'll crush it for me, son of the devil!--Now she -goes!--push--don't be afraid--I have it!" - -And in less than two minutes Jean, whose presence and voice seemed to -electrify the other workmen, relieved the machinery of the extraneous -object which endangered it. - -"Come with me, Jean," said Monsieur Cardonnet, thereupon. - -"What for?" rejoined the peasant. "I have done enough of that sort of -work for to-day, monsieur." - -"That is why I want you to come and drink a glass of my best wine. Come, -I say, I have something to say to you. My son, go and tell your mother -to put some Malaga on my table." - -"Your son?" said Jean, looking at Emile with some signs of emotion. "If -he is your son, I will go with you, for he seems to me like a good -fellow." - -"Yes, my son is a good fellow, Jean," said Monsieur Cardonnet to the -peasant, when the latter accepted a full glass from Emile's hand. "And -you are a good fellow, too, and it's high time that you should show it a -little better than you have been doing for two months past." - -"I beg your pardon, monsieur," replied Jean, looking about him with a -suspicious air, "but I am too old to go to school, and I didn't come -here all in a sweat to listen to moral preaching as cold as hoar-frost. -Here's your health, Monsieur Cardonnet; and I thank you, young man, -whose feelings I must have hurt last night. You bear me no grudge, do -you?" - -"Wait a moment," said Monsieur Cardonnet; "before you go back to your -fox's hole, take this _pour-boire_." - -And he handed him a piece of gold. - -"Keep it, keep it," said Jean testily, pushing away the proffered -gratuity with a movement of his elbow. "I am not self-seeking, as you -must know, and it wasn't to please you that I helped your carpenters. It -was simply to keep them from breaking their backs for nothing. And then -when a man knows his trade it irritates him to see people go about it -wrong end to. My blood's a little quick, and in spite of myself I -meddled in something that didn't concern me." - -"Just as you happened to be where you had no business to be," rejoined -Monsieur Cardonnet sternly, and with an evident purpose to awe the -audacious peasant. "Jean, this is the last opportunity for us to come to -an understanding and make each other's acquaintance; make the most of it -or you'll be sorry. When I came here last year, I observed your -activity, your intelligence, and the affection with which all the -workmen and all the people of this village regarded you. I received most -satisfactory accounts of your probity, and I resolved to put you in -charge of my carpentering work; I offered to pay you double wages, by -the day or by the job as you chose. You made me nonsensical answers as -if you did not consider me a serious-minded man." - -"That was not the trouble, monsieur, begging your pardon. I told you -that I didn't need your work because I had more work in the village than -I could do." - -"A mere pretext and a lie! Your affairs were in bad shape then and now -they're in worse shape than ever! Being prosecuted for debt, you have -been obliged to leave your house, to abandon your workshop, and to hide -in the mountains, like game pursued by hunters." - -"When you undertake to argue," rejoined Jean, haughtily, "you should -tell the truth. I am not prosecuted for debt, as you say, monsieur. I -have always been an honest, well-behaved man, and if I owe a sou in the -village or the neighborhood, let some one come forward and say so and -raise his hand against me. Search and you will find no one!" - -"None the less, there are three warrants out against you, and the -gendarmes have been chasing you for two months and can't succeed in -apprehending you." - -"And so it will be as long as I choose! The great difficulty is that the -worthy gendarmes ride their horses along one bank of the Creuse, while I -ply my legs along the other! They are very sick, poor fellows! being -paid to take the air and make reports as to what they don't do. Don't -pity them so deeply, Monsieur Cardonnet, the government pays them, and -the government is rich enough for me to dodge the payment of a thousand -francs--for it's the truth that I am sentenced to pay a thousand francs -or go to prison! It surprises you, doesn't it, young man, that a poor -devil who has always obliged his neighbor instead of injuring him should -be hunted like an escaped convict? You haven't a bad heart yet, although -you are rich, because you are young. Let me tell you what my crime was. -For sending three bottles of wine from my vineyard to a friend who was -sick, I was arrested by the excisemen for selling wine without paying -the taxes on it; and as I could not lie and humiliate myself for the -sake of compromising, as I told the truth, which is that I did not sell -a drop of wine, and consequently could not be punished, I was sentenced -to pay what they call the minimum fine, five hundred francs. The -minimum, if you please! five hundred francs, my year's wages, for a gift -of three bottles of wine! To say nothing of the fact that my poor -comrade was sentenced too, and that was what made me angriest. And as I -could not pay such an amount, they seized everything, ransacked -everything, sold everything I had, even my carpentering tools. After -that, where was the use of paying for a license to carry on a trade that -wouldn't support me? I stopped doing it; and one day, when I was working -as a journeyman away from home, there was another prosecution and a -quarrel with the deputy, when I almost forgot myself and struck him. -What was to become of me? There was no bread in my chest, so I took my -gun and went out into the furze and killed a hare. Formerly, in this -country, poaching had become a custom and a privilege. The nobles in the -old days didn't keep such close watch, just after the Revolution; they -even poached with us when they had a fancy to do so." - -"Witness Monsieur de Châteaubrun, who does it still," said Monsieur de -Cardonnet, ironically. - -"As long as he doesn't trespass on your estates, what harm does that do -you?" retorted the peasant in an irritated tone. "However, for shooting -a hare and catching two rabbits in a trap I was taken again and -sentenced to pay a fine, and to imprisonment. But I escaped from the -claws of the gendarmes as they were taking me to the government _inn_, -and since then I have lived as I choose, and haven't chosen to hold out -my arm for the chain to be put on." - -"Everyone knows very well how you live, Jean," said Monsieur Cardonnet. -"You wander about night and day, poaching everywhere and at all seasons, -never sleeping two nights in succession in the same place, but generally -in the open air; sometimes accepting hospitality at Châteaubrun, whose -châtelain was nursed by your mother. I do not blame him for assisting -you, but he would act more wisely, from the point of view of your own -interests, to preach work and a regular life to you. But come, we have -had enough of these useless words, and now you must listen to me. I am -sorry for your lot, and I am going to restore your liberty by becoming -surety for you. You will get off with a few days' imprisonment, just for -form's sake. I will pay all your fines, and then you can hold up your -head once more. Isn't that clear?" - -"Oh! you are right, father," cried Emile; "you are kind and just. Well, -Jean, did I deceive you?" - -"It seems that you have met before," said Monsieur Cardonnet. - -"Yes, father," replied Emile warmly. "Jean rendered me a great service -last night; and what draws me to him even more strongly is that I saw -him this morning risk his life seriously to pull a child out of the -water, and he saved him. Jean, accept my father's offer and let his -generosity triumph over misplaced pride." - -"That is very well, Monsieur Emile," replied the carpenter. "You love -your father; that is as it should be. I respected mine. But let us see, -Monsieur Cardonnet, on what conditions will you do all this for me?" - -"That you work on my buildings," replied the manufacturer. "You shall -have the superintendence of the carpentering." - -"Work on your factory, which will be the ruin of so many people!" - -"No, but which will make the fortune of all my workmen, and yours, too." - -"Well," said Jean, somewhat shaken, "if I don't do your work others will -and I shan't be able to prevent them. I will work for you then, until I -have earned a thousand francs. But who will keep me while I am paying my -debt to you day by day?" - -"I will, for I will add a third to your day's wages." - -"A third is very little, for I must dress myself. I am stripped bare." - -"Well! I will double it. Your day's wages would be thirty sous at the -current rate hereabout; I will pay you three francs and you shall -receive half of it every day, the other half going toward your -indebtedness to me." - -"Very well; it will take a long while--at least four years." - -"You are wrong; it will be just two years. I think that two years hence -I shall have nothing more to build." - -"What, monsieur, I am to work for you every day--every day in the year -without a break?" - -"Except Sunday." - -"Oh! Sunday--I should think so! But shan't I have one or two days a week -to pass as I choose?" - -"Jean, you are growing lazy, I see. There's one result of a vagabond -life already." - -"Hush!" exclaimed the carpenter, proudly, "lazy yourself! Jean was never -lazy, and he won't begin at sixty. But I'll tell you, I have an idea -that induces me to take your work. I have an idea of building myself a -little house. As they've sold mine, I prefer to have a new one, built by -myself alone, to suit my taste, my fancy. That's why I want at least one -day a week." - -"That is something I will not allow," replied the manufacturer stiffly. -"You will have no house, you will have no tools of your own, you will -sleep under my roof, you will eat under my roof, you will use no tools -but mine, you----" - -"That's quite enough to show me that I shall be your property and your -slave. Thanks, monsieur, the bargain's off." - -And he walked toward the door. - -Emile considered his father's terms very hard; but Jean's plight would -become still harder if he refused them. So he tried to bring about a -compromise. - -"Good Jean," he said, retaining him, "reflect, I implore you. Two years -are soon passed, and with the little savings you will be able to make in -that time, especially," he added, looking at Monsieur Cardonnet with an -expression that was at once imploring and firm, "as my father will keep -you in addition to the wages agreed upon----" - -"Really?" said Jean, shaken once more. - -"Granted," said Monsieur Cardonnet. - -"Well, Jean, your clothes are a small matter, and my mother and I will -take pleasure in replenishing your wardrobe. At the end of two years, -therefore, you will have a thousand francs net; that is enough to build -a bachelor's house for your own use, as you are a bachelor." - -"A widower, monsieur," sighed Jean, "and a son killed in the field." - -"Whereas, if you use up your salary every week," said the elder -Cardonnet, unmoved, "you will waste it, and at the end of the year you -will have built nothing and saved nothing." - -"You take too much interest in me; what difference does that make to -you?" - -"It makes this difference, that my work, being constantly interrupted, -will progress slowly, that I shall never have you at hand, and that, two -years hence, when you come and offer to work longer for me, I shall not -need you any longer. I shall have been compelled to give your place to -some one else." - -"There will always be work to be done keeping the plant in order. Do you -think I mean to cheat you out of your money?" - -"No, but I should prefer being cheated to being delayed." - -"Ah! what a hurry you are in to enjoy your prosperity! Well! give me one -day a week and let me have my own tools." - -"He seems to think a great deal of this day of freedom, father," said -Emile; "let him have it." - -"I will let him have Sunday." - -"And I accept it only as a day of rest," said Jean, indignantly; "do you -take me for a pagan? I don't work on Sunday, monsieur; that would bring -me ill-luck, and I should do bad work for both you and myself." - -"Well, my father will give you Monday----" - -"Hush, Emile, not Monday! I don't agree to that. You don't know this -man. Intelligent as he is and prolific in inventions, sometimes -successful, often puerile, he never enjoys himself except when he is -working at absurd things for his own use; he is something of a -carpenter, a cabinet-maker, Heaven knows what! He is clever with his -hands, but when he abandons himself to his own whims, he becomes idle, -absent-minded and incapable of serious work." - -"He is an artist, father," said Emile, smiling, but with tears in his -eyes; "have a little compassion for genius!" - -Monsieur Cardonnet cast a contemptuous glance at his son, but Jean took -the young man's hand. - -"My boy," he said, with his strange and noble familiarity, "I do not -know whether you really do me justice or are laughing at me, but what -you say is true! I have too much of the spirit of invention for the sort -of work he would have me do here. When I work for my friends in the -village, for Monsieur Antoine or the curé or the mayor or poor beggars -like myself, they say: 'Do as you please, carry out your own ideas, old -fellow! it may take a little longer, but it will be all right!' And then -I take pleasure in working, yes, so much pleasure that I don't count the -hours and spend part of the night at it. It tires me, it gives me the -fever, it almost kills me sometimes! but I like it, you see, my boy, as -other men like wine. It's my amusement. Oh! you laugh and make fun of -me, Monsieur Cardonnet; your sneering is an insult, and you shouldn't -have me, no, you shouldn't have me, even if the gendarmes were here and -my head was in danger. Sell myself to you, body and soul, for two years! -Do what pleases you, watch you plan, and not give my opinion! for if you -know me, I know you too: I know what sort of a man you are, and that -there isn't a nail driven on your premises until you've measured it. And -I shall be a day-laborer, working to pay my taxes as my dead and gone -father worked for the abbés of Gargilesse. No, God forbid! I will not -sell my soul to such tiresome, stupid labor. If you would give me my day -of recreation and compensation, to satisfy my old customers and myself! -but no, not an hour!" - -"No, not an hour," said Monsieur Cardonnet angrily; for the self-esteem -of the artist was now involved on both sides. "Off with you, I'll have -none of you; take this napoléon and go and get hanged elsewhere." - -"They don't hang people now, monsieur," said Jean, throwing the gold -piece on the floor, "and even if they did, I shouldn't be the first -honest man who ever passed through the hangman's hands." - -"Emile," said Monsieur Cardonnet, as soon as he was gone, "go and send -up the constable, that man standing on the stoop with a little iron fork -in his hand." - -"Great Heaven! what are you going to do?" said Emile in dismay. - -"Bring that man back to reason, to respectable behavior, to work, to -safety, to happiness. When he has passed a night in jail, he will be -more tractable, and some day he will bless me for delivering him from -his internal devil." - -"But, father, to interfere with personal liberty! You can't----" - -"I am mayor since this morning, and it is my duty to lock up vagabonds. -Do as I say, Emile, or I will go myself." - -Emile still hesitated. Monsieur Cardonnet, unable to brook the slightest -shade of resistance, pushed him sharply away from the door and went out, -to issue orders to the constable, in the capacity of chief magistrate of -the village, to arrest Jean Jappeloup, native of Gargilesse, a carpenter -by trade, and without any known domicile. - -This mission was extremely distasteful to the rustic functionary, and -Monsieur Cardonnet read his hesitation on his face. - -"Caillaud," he said, in an imperative tone, "your dismissal within a -week, or twenty francs reward!" - -"Very good, monsieur," said Caillaud; and he set off at a round pace, -waving his pike. - -He overtook the fugitive within two gun-shots of the village; it was not -a difficult task, for the latter was walking slowly, with his head -hanging forward on his breast, absorbed in painful reflections. - -"If it wasn't for my wrong-headedness," he was saying to himself, "I -should be now on the road to rest and comfort, instead of which I must -put on the collar of poverty again, stray like a wolf among the rocks -and bramble-bushes, and be too often a burden to poor Antoine, who is -kind, who always gives me a hearty welcome, but who is poor and gives me -more bread and wine than I can pay for with partridges and hares for his -table, taken in my snares. And then what breaks my heart is the idea of -leaving forever this poor dear village where I was born, where I have -passed all my life, where all my friends are, and where I can never show -my face again unless like a starved dog that runs the risk of a bullet -to get a piece of bread. And yet all the people here are kind to me; and -if they weren't afraid of the gendarmes they would give me shelter!" - -As he mused thus Jean heard the bell ringing the evening _Angelus_, and -tears rolled unbidden down his tanned cheeks. "No," he thought, "there -isn't a bell within ten leagues that has such a sweet tone as the bell -of Gargilesse church!"--A nightingale sang among the hawthorns in the -hedge near by.--"You are very lucky," he said, speaking aloud in his -revery, "you can build your nest here, steal from all the gardens I know -so well, and feed on everybody's fruit, without any complaint being -lodged against you." - -"Complaint, that's the word," said a voice behind him; "I arrest you in -the name of the law!" - -And Caillaud seized him by the collar. - - - - -VII - -THE ARREST - - -"You? you, Caillaud?" said the astonished carpenter, with the same -accent that Cæsar must have used when he saw Brutus strike. - -"Yes, it's myself, the constable. In the name of the law!" shouted -Caillaud at the top of his voice, in order to be heard by anybody who -happened to be within earshot. But he added in a whisper:--"Off with -you, Père Jean. Come, stand me off and make your legs fly." - -"You want me to resist and so get my affairs into a worse mess than -ever? No, Caillaud, that would be worse for me. But how could you make -up your mind to do the work of a gendarme, to arrest the friend of your -family, your godfather, unhappy man?" - -"But I don't arrest you, godfather," said Caillaud in an undertone. -"Come, follow me, or I call for help!" he yelled with all his lungs. -"Deuce take it!" he added under his breath, "be off, Père Jean; pretend -to hit me and I'll fall." - -"No, my poor Caillaud, that would make you lose your position, or at -least you would be called a coward, a faint-heart. As you have had the -heart to accept the commission, you must go through with it. I see -plainly enough that you were threatened, that your hand was forced; it -surprises me that Monsieur Jarige could make up his mind to treat me -this way." - -"But Monsieur Jarige isn't mayor any longer; Monsieur Cardonnet has his -place." - -"Then I understand; and it makes me long to beat you as a lesson to you -for not resigning at once." - -"You are right, Père Jean," said Caillaud in a heartbroken tone, "I'll -go and resign now; that's the best way. Off with you!" - -"Let him go! and do you--keep your place," said Emile, coming out from -behind a clump of bushes. "Down with you, comrade, as you want to fall," -he added, adroitly tripping him up in schoolboy fashion, "and if you are -asked who contrived this ambush, you can tell my father that his son did -it." - -"Ah! it's a good scheme," said Caillaud, rubbing his knee, "and if your -papa has you put in prison it's none of my business. You threw me down a -little hard, all the same, and I should have preferred to fall on the -grass. Well! has that old fool of a Jean gone yet?" - -"Not yet," said Jean, who had climbed a knoll and was prepared to take -flight. "Thanks, Monsieur Emile, I shall not forget; I would have -submitted to my fate, if the law alone had been concerned; but since I -know that it's a piece of treachery on your father's part, I would -rather throw myself head first into the river than give way to such a -false, evil-minded man. As for you, you deserve to have come from better -stock; you have a good heart, and as long as I live----" - -"Be off," said Emile, walking up to him, "and keep from speaking ill of -my father. I have many things to say to you, but this is not the time. -Will you be at Châteaubrun to-morrow night?" - -"Yes, monsieur. Take care that you are not followed, and don't ask for -me in too loud a tone at the gate. Well, thanks to you I still have the -stars over my head, and I am not sorry for it." - -He darted away like an arrow; and Emile, turning, saw Caillaud lying at -full length on the ground, as if he had fainted. - -"Well? what's the matter?" the young man inquired in dismay; "did I -really hurt you? Are you in pain?" - -"I'm doing very well, monsieur," replied the crafty villager; "but you -see I must wait for some one to come and lift me up, so that I may look -as if I had been beaten." - -"That is useless, I will take the whole responsibility," said Emile. -"Get up and go and tell my father that I forcibly opposed Jean's arrest. -I will follow close behind you, and the rest is my affair." - -"On the contrary, monsieur, you must go first. You see I must limp; for -if I go on the run to tell that you broke my two legs and that I -submitted to it patiently, your papa won't believe me and I shall be -dismissed." - -"Take my arm, lean on me and we will go together," said Emile. - -"That's the idea, monsieur. Help me a little. Not so fast! The devil! my -whole body's lame!" - -"Really? Why I am awfully sorry, my friend." - -"Oh! no, monsieur, it's nothing at all; but that's what I must say." - -"What does this mean?" said Monsieur Cardonnet sternly, when the -constable appeared, leaning on Emile. "Jean resisted; you, like an -idiot, allowed yourself to be bowled over and the delinquent escaped." - -"Excuse me, monsieur, the delinquent did nothing, poor man. It was -monsieur your son here, who, as he passed me, pushed me without meaning -to, just as I was putting my hand on my man; and, _baoun_! down I went -more than fifty feet, head first, on the rocks. The poor dear gentleman -felt very bad indeed, and ran to save me from falling into the river; -and if he hadn't, I'd taken a drink for sure! But I'll tell you who was -well pleased--that was Père Jappeloup, for he ran off while I lay there -all in a heap, not able to move hand or foot to run after him. If you -should be kind enough to let somebody give me a finger of wine, it would -do me a deal of good; for I really believe that my stomach's unhooked." - -Emile, recognizing the fact that this peasant with his simple, wheedling -air was much more adroit than he in lying and arranging everything for -the best, hesitated whether he should accept his version of the -adventure. But he very soon read in his father's piercing eyes that he -would not be satisfied with a tacit confirmation and that, to convince -him, he must show no less effrontery than Master Caillaud. - -"What absurd, incredible tale is this!" said Monsieur Cardonnet with a -frown. "Since when has my son been so strong, so brutal, so intent upon -following the same road with you? If you are so weak on your legs that a -touch of the elbow upsets you and sends you rolling over like a sack of -meal, you must be drunk I should say! Tell me the truth, Emile. Jean -Jappeloup whipped this fellow, perhaps pushed him into the ravine, and -you, who stand there smiling like the child that you are, thought it a -good joke, went to the assistance of this idiot here, and consented to -assume the responsibility for a pretended accident! That's how it was, -isn't it?" - -"No, father, that is not how it was," said Emile with an air of -resolution. "I am a child, it is true; for that reason there may be a -little mischief in my frivolity. Caillaud may think what he pleases of -my way of upsetting people by passing too close to them. If I injured -him I am ready to ask his pardon and to compensate him. Meanwhile, -permit me to send him to your housekeeper, so that she may administer -the cordial he desires; and when we are alone I will tell you frankly -how I came to do this foolish thing." - -"Take him to the pantry," said Monsieur Cardonnet, "and return at once." - -"Ah! Monsieur Emile," said Caillaud to the young man as they went -downstairs, "I didn't sell you, so don't you betray me, will you?" - -"Never fear; drink without losing your wits, and be sure that nobody but -myself will be compromised." - -"And why in the devil do you propose to accuse yourself? begging your -pardon, that would be infernally stupid. You don't realize, do you, that -you may be sent to prison for interfering with a public officer in the -discharge of his duties and assaulting him?" - -"That's my business. Stick to what you said, for you explained matters -very well; I will explain my intentions as I think best." - -"Look you, you have too kind a heart," said Caillaud in amazement; -"you'll never have your father's head!" - -"Well, Emile," said Monsieur Cardonnet, whom his son found pacing his -study excitedly, "will you explain this inconceivable occurrence to me?" - -"I alone am guilty, father," Emile replied firmly. "Let all the -displeasure and all the effects of my misconduct fall upon me. I give -you my word of honor that Jean Jappeloup had submitted to arrest without -the slightest resistance, when I gave the constable a violent push that -threw him down, and that I did it on purpose." - -"Very good," said Monsieur Cardonnet coolly, determined to know the -whole truth; "and the clown let himself be thrown. He let his prey go, -and yet, although he is lying now, he must have seen that it was not -awkwardness but design on your part, mustn't he?" - -"The man did not understand my behavior at all," replied Emile. "He was -taken by surprise, disarmed and thrown down; indeed, I think he was -bruised a little by the fall." - -"And you allowed him to believe that it was an accident on your part, I -trust!" - -"What does it matter what that man thinks of my intentions and what goes -on in the depths of his mind? Your magistracy stops at the threshold of -the conscience, father, and you can judge nothing but facts." - -"Is it my son who speaks to me in this way?" - -"No, father, it is your victim the delinquent whom you have to try and -to punish. When you question me on my own account I will answer as I -ought. But it is a question now of the poor devil who lives by his -humble office. He is submissive to you, he fears you, and if you order -him to take me to prison he is ready to do it." - -"Emile, you arouse my pity. Let us leave this country constable and his -bruises. I forgive him, and I authorize you to give him a handsome -present so that he may hold his tongue, for I don't propose to introduce -you to this neighborhood by an absurd scandal. But will you be kind -enough to explain to me why you are apparently trying to organize a -burlesque drama in the police court? What is this adventure in which you -play the rôle of Don Quixote, taking Caillaud for your Sancho Panza? -Where were you going so fast when you happened to be present at the -carpenter's arrest? What caprice impelled you to deliver that man from -the hands of the law and from my kindly intentions toward him? Have you -gone mad in the six months since we last met? Have you taken a vow of -chivalry, or do you propose to balk my plans and defy me? Answer -seriously if you can, for your father is very serious indeed in his -questions." - -"I should have many things to say in answer to you, father, if you -questioned me concerning my feelings and my ideas. But this is a -question of one particular fact of trifling importance, and I will tell -you in a few words just what happened. I was running after the fugitive, -to induce him to avoid the shame and grief of being arrested. I hoped to -outstrip Caillaud and to persuade Jean to return of his own accord, -accept your offers and submit to the law. As I arrived too late, and as -I could not with loyalty urge the constable not to do his duty, I -prevented him from doing it by exposing myself alone to the penalty of -the offence. I acted on the impulse of the moment, without premeditation -or reflection, impelled by an irresistible outburst of compassion and -sorrow. If I did wrong, reprove me; but if I bring Jean back to you of -his own accord, by gentle means and persuasion, within two days, forgive -me, and confess that foolish brains sometimes have happy inspirations." - -"Emile," said Monsieur Cardonnet, after walking back and forth in -silence for some moments, "I should reproach you severely for entering -into open revolt, I will not say against the municipal law, as to which -I will not play the pedant. There has been in this matter an immense -manifestation of pride on your part and a very grave failure of respect -for paternal authority. I am not disposed to tolerate such outbreaks -often, you must know me well enough to know that, or else you have -become strangely forgetful since we parted; but I will spare you a more -extended remonstrance to-day, for you do not seem inclined to profit by -it. Moreover, what I see of your conduct and what I know of your frame -of mind prove to my satisfaction that we must have a very serious -discussion concerning the very foundation of your ideas and the nature -of your plans for the future. The disaster that has befallen me to-day -leaves me no time to talk with you at greater length to-night. You have -had considerable excitement in the course of the day, and you must need -rest; go and see your mother and go to bed early. As soon as order and -tranquillity are restored in my establishment, I will tell you why I -have recalled you from what you called your exile, and what I expect -from you hereafter." - -"And until this explanation, which I earnestly desire," Emile -replied--"for it will be the first time in my life that you have not -treated me like a child--may I hope, father, that you will not be angry -with me?" - -"When I first see you again after such a long separation, it would be -very hard for me not to be indulgent," said Monsieur Cardonnet, pressing -his hand. - -"Poor Caillaud will not be dismissed?" queried Emile, embracing his -father. - -"No, on condition that you never meddle with the affairs of the -municipality." - -"And you will not have poor Jean arrested?" - -"I have no answer to make to such a question; I had too much confidence -in you, Emile; I see that we do not think alike on certain subjects, and -until we are agreed, I shall not subject myself to discussions which do -not befit my rôle as head of the family. Let that suffice. Good-night, -my son! I have work to do." - -"Can not I help you? you have never believed me capable of sparing you -any fatigue!" - -"I hope that you will become so. But you don't know how to add yet." - -"Figures! always figures!" - -"Go to sleep; I will sit up and work, so that you may be rich some day!" - -"Ah! am I not rich enough already?" thought Emile as he left the room. -"If, as my father has often and justly told me, wealth imposes vast -duties, why waste our lives creating for ourselves those duties which -may exceed our strength?" - -The following day was devoted to repairing in some degree the confusion -caused by the inundation. Monsieur Cardonnet, despite his strength of -character, was profoundly disturbed when he discovered at every step -some unforeseen damage in one or another of the innumerable details of -his undertaking; his workmen were demoralized. The water, which kept the -factory in operation and whose power it was yet impossible to control, -imparted an irregular movement to the machinery, increasing in force as -it struggled to escape over the dams. The proprietor was grave and -thoughtful; he was secretly annoyed on account of the lack of presence -of mind in the men he employed, who seemed to him more machine-like than -the machinery. He had accustomed them to passive, blind obedience, and -he realized that, at critical moments, when the will of a single man -becomes insufficient, slaves are the worst servants who can be found. He -did not call upon Emile to assist him; on the contrary, whenever the -young man came and offered his services, he put him aside on various -pretexts, as if he were really distrustful of him. This method of -punishing him was the most mortifying one to an impulsive, generous -heart. - -Emile tried to find consolation with his mother; but good Madame -Cardonnet was totally lacking in energy, and the ennui which the -constant prostration and, as it were, stupor of her mental faculties -caused all her friends, became in her son's case an unconquerable -feeling of depression, when she tried to divert and entertain him. She -too treated him like a child, and by her manifestations of affection -arrived at the same galling result as her husband. Lacking sufficient -strength of mind to sound the abyss that lay between the two men, and -yet possessing sufficient intelligence to realize its existence, she -turned from it with terror, and strove to play on the brink with her -son, as if it were possible to deceive herself. - -She took him through the house and the gardens, making a thousand -foolish observations and trying to prove to him that she was unhappy -because the river had overflowed. - -"If you had come a day sooner," she said, "you would have seen how -lovely and neat and well-kept everything was! I looked forward to having -your coffee served in a pretty clump of jasmine that stood on the edge -of the terrace yonder; but alas! there's no trace of it now: the very -ground has been carried away, and the water has given us this nasty -black mud and all these stones in exchange." - -"Cheer up, dear mother," said Emile, "we shall soon give it all back to -you; if father's workmen haven't time, I will be your gardener. You will -tell me how it was all arranged; indeed I saw it; it was like a lovely -dream. I had an opportunity to admire your enchanted gardens, your -lovely flowers from the top of the hill, opposite here; and in an -instant they were ruined and destroyed before my eyes; but this damage -can all be repaired: don't grieve so; others are more to be pitied!" - -"And when I think that you were nearly carried away yourself by that -hateful stream, which I detest now! O my child! I deplore the day that -your father conceived the idea of settling here. We were overflowed more -than once during the winter, and he had to begin his work all over -again. This affects him and injures him more than he is willing to -admit. His temper is becoming soured, and his health will suffer in the -end. And all on account of this river!" - -"But don't you think that this new building and this damp air are bad -for your own health, mother?" - -"I don't know at all, my child. I consoled myself for everything with my -flowers and the hope of seeing you again. But here you are, and you have -come to a bog, a sewer, when I had looked forward to seeing you walk on -a carpet of flowers and turf as you smoked your cigar and read! Oh! this -cursed river!" - -When night came, Emile discovered that the day had seemed immeasurably -long to him, hearing the river cursed by everybody and in all imaginable -tones. His father alone continued to say that it was nothing at all, and -that six feet more of bank would bring the brook to its senses once for -all; but his pale face and his clenched teeth, when he spoke, denoted an -internal passion more painful to see than all the ejaculations of the -others to hear. - -The dinner was dull and cold. Monsieur Cardonnet was interrupted and -left the table a score of times to give orders; and as Madame Cardonnet -treated him with boundless respect, the dishes were carried out to be -kept hot and brought back overdone: he declared that they were -detestable; his wife turned pale and red in turn, went herself to the -kitchen, took innumerable pains, being torn between the desire to wait -for her husband and the desire not to keep her son waiting, who decided -that dinner was a very bad and very tedious meal in that wealthy -household. - -They left the table so late, and the fords were still so dangerous in -the darkness, that Emile was compelled to abandon the visit to -Châteaubrun which he had planned. He had described his reception there. - -"Oh! I would go and call there to thank them!" cried Madame Cardonnet. -But her husband added: "You may as well do nothing of the kind. I don't -care to have you draw me into the society of that old drunkard, who -lives on equal terms with the peasants, and who would get tipsy in my -kitchen with my workmen." - -"His daughter is a charming girl," said Madame Cardonnet timidly. - -"His daughter!" retorted the master scornfully. "What daughter! the one -he had by his maidservant?" - -"He has acknowledged her." - -"He did well, for old Janille would have been sadly embarrassed to -acknowledge the child's father! Whether she's charming or not, I hope -that Emile won't take such a journey to-night. It's a dark night and the -roads are in bad condition." - -"Oh no! he won't go to-night," cried Madame Cardonnet; "my dear boy will -not cause me such anxiety. To-morrow, at daybreak, if the river has -returned to its usual limits, will be all right." - -"To-morrow then," said Emile, sorely vexed, but yielding to his mother; -"for it is very certain that I owe them a call to thank them for the -cordial hospitality I received." - -"You certainly do," said Monsieur Cardonnet, "but that, I trust, will be -the extent of your relations with that family, with whom it does not -suit me to associate. Don't make your visit too long: to-morrow evening -I propose to talk with you, Emile." - -At daybreak on the following morning, before his parents had risen, -Emile ordered his horse saddled, and riding across the still disturbed -and angry stream, started off at a gallop on the road to Châteaubrun. - - - - -VIII - -GILBERTE - - -The weather was superb and the sun was rising when Emile found himself -opposite Châteaubrun. That ruin, which had seemed to him so -awe-inspiring by the glare of the lightning-flashes, bore now an -appearance of majesty and splendor which triumphed over the ravages of -time and the despoiler. The morning sunbeams bathed it in a rosy-white -glow and the vegetation with which it was covered bloomed -coquettishly--a fitting garment to be the virginal shroud of so noble a -monument. - -There are in reality few châteaux with entrances so majestically -disposed and so commandingly situated as that of Châteaubrun. The -square structure which contained the gateway and the ogive peristyle is -of a beautiful design; the hewn stone used in the arch and in the frame -of the former portcullis is of imperishable whiteness. The façade of -the château stands at the top of the knoll, covered with turf and -flowers but built on the solid rock which ends in a precipice, at the -foot of which flows a torrential stream. The trees, rocks and patches of -greensward, scattered without order or regularity over these steep -slopes, have a natural charm which the creations of art could never -surpass. In the other direction the view is more extensive and more -grand: the Creuse, crossed diagonally by two dams, forms, among the -fields and the willows, two gentle and melodious waterfalls in its -lovely stream, sometimes so placid, sometimes so frantic in its course, -but everywhere clear as crystal and everywhere bordered by enchanting -landscapes and picturesque ruins. From the top of the large tower of the -château the eye can follow it as it winds in and out among the steep -cliffs and glides like a streak of quicksilver over the dark verdure and -among the rocks covered with pink heather. - -When Emile had crossed the bridge which passes over enormous ditches -partly filled, their banks covered with tufts of grass and flowering -brambles, he observed with pleasure the cleanliness of that vast natural -terrace and all the approaches to the ruin, due to the recent downpour -of rain. All the fragments of plaster had been washed away and all the -scattered pieces of wood, and you would have said that some gigantic -fairy had carefully washed the paths and the old walls, screened the -gravel and cleared the passage of all the rubbish of demolition which -the châtelain would never have been able to have removed. The flood, -which had marred, spoiled, destroyed all the beauty of the new Cardonnet -house, had served to clean and renovate the despoiled monument of -Châteaubrun. Its immovable old walls defied the centuries and the -tempest, and the elevated site they occupied seemed destined to dominate -all the transitory works of later generations. - -Although he was proud, as befitted a descendant of the ancient -bourgeoisie, that intelligent, revengeful, wilful race, which has made -such a glorious record in history and which would still be so exalted if -it had held out its hand to the people instead of trampling them under -foot, Emile was impressed by the majestic aspect which that feudal abode -retained amid its ruins, and he was conscious of a thrill of respectful -pity as he entered--he, a rich and powerful plebeian--that domain where -only the pride of a great name was left to contend against the real -superiority of his position. This generous compassion was all the easier -to entertain because there was nothing in the feelings and habits of the -châtelain either to invite it or to repel it. The excellent Antoine, -who was occupied in trimming fruit trees at the entrance to his garden, -placid, unconcerned and amiable, greeted him with a fatherly air, ran to -meet him and said with a smile: - -"Welcome, once more, my dear Monsieur Emile; for I know who you are now, -and I am very glad to know you. Upon my word your face took my fancy at -the first glance, and since you overthrew the prejudices that Jean tried -to instill in me against your father, I feel that it will be pleasant to -me to see you often in my ruins. Come with me first of all to the -stable, and I will help you to fasten your horse, for Monsieur Charasson -is busy grafting rose-bushes with my daughter and we mustn't interrupt -the little one in such an important occupation. You will breakfast with -me this time; for we owe you a meal that we stole from you the other -day." - -"I did not come to cause you more trouble, my generous host," said -Emile, pressing with an irresistible impulse of friendliness the country -gentleman's broad callous hand. "I wished first of all to thank you for -your kindness to me, and in the second place to meet a man who is your -friend and my own, and with whom I made an appointment for last -evening." - -"I know, I know about that," said Monsieur Antoine, putting his finger -to his lips: "he told me the whole story. But he exaggerated his -grievances against your father, as usual. We will talk about that later, -however, and I have to thank you, on my own account, for your interest -in him. He went away at daybreak, and I don't know if he will be able to -return to-day, for he is more hotly pursued than ever; but I am sure -that his affairs will soon take a turn for the better, thanks to you. -You must tell me what you finally obtained from your father in the -direction of my poor friend's safety and satisfaction. I am authorized -to listen to you and to reply to you, for I have full powers to arrange -the terms of pacification; I am sure that any terms that pass through -your mouth will be honorable! But the matter is not so pressing that you -cannot breakfast with us, and I tell you frankly that I will not begin -negotiations on an empty stomach. Let us begin by feeding your horse, -for animals don't know how to ask for what they want, and we ought to -look out for them before we look out for ourselves, lest we forget them. -Look you, Janille! bring your apron full of oats, for this noble beast -is in the habit of eating them every day I am sure, and I want him to -neigh in token of good-will every time he passes my gate; indeed I want -him to come in in spite of his master, if he happens to forget me." - -Janille, notwithstanding the parsimonious economy that guided all her -actions, unhesitatingly brought a small quantity of oats which she kept -in reserve for great occasions. She was of the opinion that they were a -useless luxury; but she would have sold her last gown for the honor of -her master's house, and on this occasion she said to herself with -generous shrewdness that the present Emile had made her at their last -interview and the one he would not fail to make her to-day would be more -than enough to feed his horse sumptuously as often as he chose to come. - -"Eat, my boy, eat," she said, patting the horse with an air which she -strove to render manly and knowing; then, taking a handful of straw, she -set about rubbing him down. - -"Hold, Dame Janille," cried Emile, taking the straw from her hands, "I -will do that myself." - -"Pray, do you think I wouldn't do it as well as a man?" said the -omni-competent little woman. "Never fear, monsieur, I am as good in the -stable as in the pantry and the laundry; and if I didn't pay my visit to -the hay-rack and the harness-room every day, that little rattle-brain -_jockey_ would never keep monsieur le comte's mare in decent condition. -See how clean and fat she is, poor old _Lanterne_! She isn't handsome, -monsieur, but she's good; she's like everything else here except my -child, who is handsome and good too." - -"Your child!" said Emile, suddenly remembering a fact which deprived -Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun's image of something of its poetic charm. -"You have a child here? I have not seen her." - -"Fie, monsieur! what are you saying?" cried Janille, her pale and -glistening cheeks mantling with a modest blush, while Monsieur Antoine -smiled with some embarrassment. "Apparently you are not aware that I am -unmarried." - -"Excuse me," said Emile, "I have so recently come into this neighborhood -that I am likely to make many absurd mistakes. I thought that you were -married or a widow." - -"It is true that at my age I might have buried several husbands," -rejoined Janille; "for I have not lacked opportunities. But I have -always had a dislike for marriage, because I like to do as I choose. -When I say _our child_, it's on account of my affection for a child whom -I saw born, as you might say, for I had her with me when she was being -weaned, and monsieur le comte allows me to treat his daughter as if she -belonged to me, which doesn't take away any of the respect I owe her. -But if you had seen mademoiselle, you would have noticed that she no -more looks like me than she does like you, and that she has only noble -blood in her veins. _Jour de Dieu_! if I had such a child, where could I -have got her? I should be so proud of her, that I'd tell everybody, even -if it made people speak ill of me. Ha! ha! you are laughing, are you, -Monsieur Antoine? laugh as much as you choose; I am fifteen years older -than you, and evil tongues have nothing to say against me." - -"Nonsense, Janille! nobody dreams of such a thing, so far as I know," -said Monsieur Châteaubrun, affecting an air of gayety. "That would be -doing me too much honor, and I am not conceited enough to boast of it. -As for my daughter, you certainly have the right to call her what you -please, for you have been more than a mother to her, if such a thing is -possible!" - -As he uttered these last words in a serious, agitated tone, there -suddenly came into the châtelain's eyes and voice, as it were a cloud, -and an accent of profound melancholy. But it was incompatible with his -character that any depressing sentiment should be of long duration, and -he soon recovered his usual serenity. - -"Go and prepare breakfast, young madcap," he said playfully to his -female majordomo; "I still have two trees to trim and Monsieur Emile -will come and keep me company." - -The garden of Châteaubrun had formerly been on a vast and magnificent -scale like the rest of the domain; but a large part of it had been sold -with the park, now transformed into a grain-field, and only a few acres -remained. The part nearest the château was lovely in the natural -disorder of its vegetation; the grass and the ornamental trees, left -undisturbed in their vagabond growth, revealed here and there a step or -two and a few fragments of wall, which had been summer-houses and -labyrinths in the days of Louis XV. There, doubtless, mythological -statues, urns, fountains and so-called rustic pavilions had repeated on -a small scale the dainty and affected ornamentation of the royal -palaces. But now it was all shapeless débris, covered with vines and -ivy, lovelier perhaps in the eyes of an artist or a poet than it had -been in the time of its magnificence. - -On a higher level, surrounded with a thorn-hedge to confine the two -goats that grazed at will in the former garden, was the orchard, filled -with venerable trees, whose gnarled and knotty branches, escaping from -the constraint of the pruning-knife and the espalier, assumed odd and -fantastic shapes. There was a curious interlacing of monstrous hydras -and dragons writhing under foot and over head, so that it was difficult -to walk there without tripping over huge roots or leaving one's hat -among the branches. - -"These are old servants of the family," said Monsieur Antoine, breaking -out a path for Emile through these patriarchs of the orchard; "they bear -only once in five or six years; but then, such magnificent, juicy fruit -comes from that rich, but sluggish sap! When I repurchased _my estate_, -everybody advised me to cut down these old stumps; my daughter pleaded -for them because of their great beauty, and it was a good thing that I -followed her advice, for they give a fine shade, and although some of -them yield mighty little in a year, we are sufficiently supplied with -fruit. See this huge apple-tree! It must have been here when my father -was born, and I'll wager that it will live to see my grand-children. -Wouldn't it be downright murder to cut down such a patriarch? There's a -quince-tree that bears only about a dozen quinces a year. That's very -few for its size; but they're as big as my head and as yellow as pure -gold; and such a flavor, monsieur! You'll see them in the fall! See, -here's a cherry-tree that has a very good crop. Yes, the old fellows are -still good for something, don't you think? It's only a matter of knowing -how to prune them properly. A theoretical horticulturist would tell you -that you must stop all this development of branches, clip and prune, so -as to force the sap to transform itself into buds. But when a man is old -himself, his own experience tells him something different. When the -fruit tree has lived fifty years with everything sacrificed to increase -its bearing qualities, you must give it its liberty and hand it over for -a few years to the care of nature. Then it enters into its second -childhood; it puts out new twigs and leaves and that rests it. And when, -instead of a mere clipped skeleton, it has become a real tree again, it -thanks you and rewards you by bearing all you choose. For instance, -here's a big branch that seems to be of no use," he continued, opening -his pruning-knife. "But I shall respect it, for such an extensive -amputation would weaken the tree. In these old bodies the blood is not -renewed fast enough for them to stand operations which youth can undergo -safely. It's the same with vegetables. I am just going to take away the -dead wood, scratch the moss, and freshen up the extremities. Look, it's -very simple." - -The artless gravity with which Monsieur de Châteaubrun immersed himself -in this innocent occupation touched Emile and presented a constant -contrast to what took place in his own home with regard to similar -matters. While a gardener with a large salary, and two assistants, -busily at work from morning till night, were not enough to keep his -mother's garden sufficiently neat and gorgeous, while she worried over a -rose bud that failed to bloom or an unsuccessful graft, Monsieur Antoine -was happy in the proud savagery of his _pupils_, and in his eyes nothing -was more fruitful and more generous than the will of nature. That -old-fashioned orchard, with its fine soft turf, cropped by the -hard-working teeth of a few patient sheep, allowed to wander there -without dog or keeper, with its hardy and capricious vegetation and its -gently undulating slopes, was a beautiful spot where no fear of jealous -surveillance interrupted one's musing. - -"Now that I have finished with my trees," said Monsieur Antoine, putting -on his jacket which he had hung on a branch, "let us go and find my -daughter and have breakfast. You haven't seen my daughter yet, I -believe? But she knows you already, for she is admitted to all of our -poor Jean's little secrets; indeed, he is so fond of her that he often -goes to her for advice instead of me. Go on, _Monsieur_," he said to his -dog, "go and tell your young mistress that breakfast time has come. Ah! -that makes you frisky, doesn't it? Your appetite tells you the time as -well as any watch." - -Monsieur Antoine's dog answered to the name of _Monsieur_, which he gave -him when he was pleased with him, and that of _Sacripant_, which was his -real name, but which Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun did not like, so that -his master only used it when hunting or by way of stern rebuke, when it -happened, as it very rarely did, that he committed some impropriety, -such as eating gluttonously, snoring when he was asleep, or barking when -Jean came over the wall in the middle of the night. The faithful beast -seemed to understand what his master said, for he began to laugh, an -expression of merriment very strongly marked in some dogs, which gives -to their faces an almost human look of intelligence and kindliness. Then -he ran ahead and disappeared down the slope toward the stream. - -As they followed him, Monsieur Antoine called Emile's attention to the -beauty of the landscape that was gradually unfolded before them. "Our -Creuse also took it into its head to overflow the other day," he said; -"but all the hay along the banks had been housed, thanks to Jean's -advice, for he had warned us not to let it get overripe. Everybody -hereabout looks up to him as an oracle, and it's a fact that he has a -great faculty of observation and a prodigious memory. By the aid of -certain signs that nobody else notices, the color of the water or the -clouds, and especially the influence of the moon in the first fortnight -of spring, he can predict infallibly what sort of weather we are to hope -for or fear throughout the year. He would be an invaluable man for your -father, if he would listen to him. He is good at everything, and if I -were in Monsieur Cardonnet's position, nothing would deter me from -trying to make a friend of him; for it's of no use to think of making -him into an assiduous and well-disciplined servant. He has the nature of -the savage, who dies when he is brought into subjection. Jean Jappeloup -will never do anything good except of his own free will; but just get -hold of his heart, which is the biggest heart God ever made, and you -will see how, on important occasions, that man rises above what he seems -to be! Let Monsieur Cardonnet's establishment be endangered by freshet, -fire or any unforeseen catastrophe, and then he will tell you if Jean -Jappeloup's head and arms can be too dearly bought and sheltered!" - -Emile did not listen to the end of this eulogy with the interest which -it would have aroused in him under any other circumstances, for his ears -and his thoughts had taken another direction: a fresh young voice was -singing, or rather humming, at a little distance, one of those melodies, -charming in their melancholy and artless sweetness, which are peculiar -to the country. And the châtelain's daughter, the bachelor's child, -whose mother's name was a mystery to the whole neighborhood, appeared at -the corner of a clump of eglantine, as lovely as the loveliest -wild-flower of that charming solitude. - -Fair-haired and pale, and about eighteen or nineteen years of age, -Gilberte de Châteaubrun had, in her face as in her character, an -admixture of good sense beyond her years and her childish gayety, which -few young women would have retained in such a position as hers; for it -was impossible for her not to be aware of her poverty and of the future -of isolation and privations which was in store for her in that age of -cold calculation and selfishness. She seemed, however, to be no more -affected by it than her father, whom she resembled, feature by feature, -morally as well as physically; her fearless, amiable glance was marked -by the most touching serenity. She blushed deeply when she saw Emile, -but it was the effect of surprise rather than embarrassment; for she -came forward and bowed to him without awkwardness, without that -constrained and slyly-bashful air which has been too highly extolled in -young women, for lack of knowledge as to what it means. It did not occur -to Gilberte that her father's young guest would devour her with his -eyes, and that she should assume a dignified air in order to place a -curb upon the audacity of his secret desires. On the contrary, she -looked at him, to see if his face appealed to her as it did to her -father, and with ready perspicacity she observed that he was very -handsome without being in the least degree vain; that he followed the -fashions to a moderate extent; that he was neither stiff, nor arrogant, -nor presuming; in short, that his expressive face was instinct with -candor, courage and delicacy. Satisfied with this scrutiny, she at once -felt as much at her ease as if there were no stranger with her and her -father. - -"It is true," she said, completing Monsieur de Châteaubrun's sentence -of introduction, "my father was angry with you for running away the -other day without your breakfast. But I understood perfectly that you -were impatient to see your mother, especially in view of the flood when -everyone might well tremble for his friends. Luckily, Madame Cardonnet -didn't get very much of a fright, we were told, and you lost none of -your workmen." - -"Thank God, no one was killed at our place or in the village," Emile -replied. - -"But your property was damaged a good deal, wasn't it?" - -"That is the least interesting point, mademoiselle; the poor people -suffered much more in proportion. Luckily, my father has the power and -the inclination to repair many disasters." - -"They say especially--they say _also_," rejoined the girl, blushing a -little at the word that had escaped her involuntarily--"that madame your -mother is exceedingly kind and charitable. I was talking about her just -now with little Sylvain, whom she overwhelmed with kindness." - -"My mother is perfect," said Emile; "but, on that occasion, it was quite -natural that she should manifest much good-will toward that poor child, -but for whom I should very likely have lost my life through imprudence. -I am impatient to see him and thank him." - -"Here he is," said Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun, pointing to Charasson, -who was coming behind her with a basket and a little jar of pitch. "We -have made more than fifty grafts, and there are some slips there that -Sylvain picked up in the upper part of your garden. They were in what -the gardener threw away after pruning his rose-bushes, and they will -give us some lovely flowers, if our grafting isn't too badly done. You -will look at it, won't you, father? for I am not very skilful yet." - -"Nonsense! you can graft better than I, with your little hands," said -Monsieur Antoine, putting his daughter's pretty fingers to his lips. -"That's woman's work, and requires more deftness than we men can manage. -But you ought to put on your gloves, little one! Those wretched thorns -have no respect for you." - -"What harm do they do, father?" said the girl with a smile. "I am no -princess, and I am glad of it. I am freer and happier." - -Emile did not lose a word of this last sentiment, although it was -uttered in an undertone for her father's ear only; and although he had -stepped forward to meet little Sylvain and bid him a friendly -good-morning. - -"Oh! I am doing very well," replied the page; "I was only afraid of one -thing and that was that the mare might take cold after such a bath. But -by good luck she seems all the better for it, and I was very glad of the -chance to go into your little château and see the beautiful rooms and -your papa's servants, who wear red waistcoats and have gold lace on -their hats!" - -"Ah! that is what turned his head more than anything," said Gilberte, -laughing heartily and disclosing two rows of little teeth as white and -close together as a necklace of pearls. "Monsieur Sylvain here is -overflowing with ambition: he has looked with profound scorn upon his -new jacket and his gray hat since he saw your gold-laced lackeys. If he -ever sees a _chasseur_ with his cock's feather and epaulets, he'll go -mad over him." - -"Poor child!" said Emile, "if he knew how much freer, happier and -honorable his lot is than that of the bedizened lackeys in the large -cities!" - -"He has no suspicion that a livery is degrading," said the girl, "and he -is not aware that he is the luckiest servant that ever lived." - -"I don't complain," rejoined Sylvain; "everybody is kind to me here, -even Mademoiselle Janille, although she is a little watchful, and I -wouldn't like to leave these parts, because my father and mother are at -Cuzion, right near the house! But a bit of a costume, you know, makes a -man over!" - -"So you would like to be dressed better than your master, would you?" -said Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun. "Look at my father, how simple his -dress is. He would be very unhappy if he had to put on a black coat and -white gloves every day." - -"It is quite true that it would be hard for me to take up the habit -again," said Monsieur Antoine. "But do you hear, Janille, my children? -there she is shrieking to us to come to breakfast." - -_My children_ was a general term by which Monsieur Antoine, when he was -in an amiable mood, often addressed Janille and Sylvain when they were -together, or the peasants in his vicinity. - -Gilberte therefore was amazed at the involuntary rapid glance which -young Cardonnet bestowed upon her. He had started, and a confused thrill -of longing, of dread and of pleasure had made his heart beat fast when -he heard himself joined with the lovely Gilberte in the châtelain's -paternal appellation. - - - - -IX - -MONSIEUR ANTOINE - - -The breakfast on this occasion was a little more luxurious than was -customary at Châteaubrun. Janille had had time to make some -preparations. She had procured milk, honey and eggs, and had bravely -sacrificed two pullets which were still cackling when Emile appeared at -the gate, but which had been placed on the gridiron while they were -warm, and were very tender. - -The young man had found an appetite in the orchard, and the meal was -most enjoyable. The praise that he bestowed upon it delighted Janille, -who sat as usual opposite her master and did the honors of the table -with much distinction. - -She was especially touched by her guest's approbation of the wild -blackberries preserved by herself. - -"Little mother," said Gilberte, "you must send a specimen of your skill -with your receipt to Madame Cardonnet, and perhaps she will send us in -exchange some strawberry plants." - -"Those great garden strawberries aren't good for anything," replied -Janille; "they smell of nothing but water. I prefer our little mountain -strawberries, so red and so fragrant. But that won't hinder my giving -Monsieur Emile a big jar of my preserves for his mamma, if she will -accept them." - -"My mother wouldn't want to deprive you of them, my dear Mademoiselle -Janille," Emile replied, especially touched by Gilberte's frank -generosity, and mentally comparing the sincere kindly impulses of that -poor family with the disdainful manners of his own. - -"Oh," said Gilberte with a smile, "that won't be any deprivation to us. -We have plenty of the fruit and we can begin again. Blackberries are not -scarce with us, and if we don't look out, the bramble-bushes that bear -them will pierce our walls and grow in our rooms." - -"And whose fault is it," said Janille, "if we are overrun by brambles? -Didn't I want to cut them all down? I certainly could have done it all -without help from anybody if I had been let." - -"But I protected the poor brambles against you, dear little mother! They -make such pretty garlands around our ruins, that it would be a great -pity to destroy them." - -"I agree that they make a pretty effect," said Janille, "and that you -can't find such fine bushes or such big berries within ten leagues!" - -"You hear her, Monsieur Emile," said Monsieur Antoine. "That's Janille -all over! There's nothing beautiful, good, useful or salutary that is -not found at Châteaubrun. It's a saving grace." - -"_Pardine_! complain, monsieur," retorted Janille; "yes, I advise you to -complain of something!" - -"I complain of nothing," replied the honest nobleman; "God forbid! with -my daughter and you, what more could I ask for my happiness?" - -"Oh! yes; you talk like that when any one is listening to you, but if -our backs are turned, and a little fly stings you, you put on a look of -resignation altogether out of place in your position." - -"My position is what God has made it," rejoined Monsieur Antoine, with -melancholy gentleness. "If my daughter accepts it without regret, it is -not for you or me to reproach Providence." - -"I!" cried Gilberte; "what regret can I have, pray? Tell me, dear -father; for, so far as I am concerned, I should look in vain to find -anything on earth that I lack or that I can ask to have improved." - -"And I am of mademoiselle's opinion," said Emile, deeply touched by the -sincere and nobly affectionate expression on that lovely face; "I am -sure that she is happy, because----" - -"Because what? Tell us, Monsieur Cardonnet!" said Gilberte playfully; -"you were going to say why, and you stopped short." - -"I should be very sorry to seem to say anything insipid," replied Emile, -blushing almost as red as the girl; "but I was thinking that when one -had these three treasures, beauty, youth and amiability, one should be -happy, because one could be sure of being loved." - -"I am happier than you think, then," said Gilberte, putting one hand in -her father's and the other in Janille's; "for I am loved dearly without -reference to those other things. Whether I am beautiful and amiable, I -don't know; but I am sure that if I were ugly and cross, my father and -mother would love me just the same. My happiness therefore comes from -their goodness to me and not from any merit of my own." - -"We will permit you to believe, however," said Monsieur Antoine to -Emile, pressing his daughter to his heart, "that it comes partly from -one and partly from the other." - -"Oh! Monsieur Antoine, see what you've done!" cried Janille; "more of -your absent-mindedness! You've made a mark with your egg on Gilberte's -sleeve." - -"That's nothing," said Monsieur Antoine; "I'll wash it out myself." - -"No! no! that would make it worse; you'd pour the whole carafe on it and -drown my girl. Come here, my child, and let me take out the stain. I -have a horror of stains! Wouldn't it be a pity to spoil this pretty new -dress?" - -Emile looked for the first time at Gilberte's costume. He had hitherto -paid no attention to aught save her graceful figure and the beauty of -her face. She wore a dress of grey drilling, quite new, but coarse, with -a little neckerchief, white as snow, about her neck. Gilberte noticed -his scrutiny, and, instead of being humiliated by it, seemed to take -some pride in saying that she liked her dress, that it was of good -material, that she could defy thorns and briers, and that, as Janille -chose it herself, nothing could be more agreeable to her to wear. - -"The dress is charming, in truth," said Emile; "my mother has one just -like it." - -That was not true; Emile, although naturally truthful, told this little -lie involuntarily. Gilberte was not deceived by it; but she was grateful -to him for the delicacy of his purpose. - -As for Janille, she was visibly flattered by this testimony to her good -taste, for she was almost as proud of that quality as of Gilberte's -beauty. - -"My daughter is no coquette," said she, "but I am for her. And what -would you say, Monsieur Antoine, if your child was not dressed genteelly -and becomingly as befits her rank in society?" - -"We have nothing to do with society, my dear Janille," said Monsieur -Antoine, "and I don't complain. Don't indulge in any useless illusions." - -"You have a disappointed air when you say that, Monsieur Antoine; for my -part, I tell you that rank can't be lost: but that's just like you; you -always throw the blade after the helve!" - -"I throw nothing at all," retorted the châtelain; "on the contrary, I -accept everything as it comes." - -"Oh! you do!" said Janille, who always longed to quarrel with some one, -to keep her tongue and her lively pantomime in practice. "You are very -good, on my word, to accept such a fate as yours! Wouldn't any one say, -to hear you, that you had to have a deal of sense and philosophy for -that? Bah! you're no better than an ingrate!" - -"What's the matter with you, you cross-grained creature?" said Monsieur -Antoine. "I say again that everything is all right and that I am -consoled for everything." - -"Consoled! there you go again; consoled for what, if you please? Haven't -you always been the happiest of men?" - -"No, not always. My life has had its mixture of bitterness like every -man's; but why should I have been treated any better than so many others -who are as good as I am?" - -"No, other men are not so good as you are--I insist upon that, as I also -insist that you have always been treated better than any one. Yes, -monsieur, I'll prove to you, whenever you choose, that you were born -under a lucky star." - -"Ah! you would please me exceedingly if you could really prove that," -said Monsieur Antoine with a smile. - -"Very well, I take you at your word, and I will begin. Monsieur -Cardonnet shall be judge and witness." - -"We will let her have her say, Monsieur Emile," said Monsieur Antoine. -"We have reached the dessert and there's nothing that will keep Janille -from chattering at this stage of the meal. She will say innumerable -foolish things, I warn you! But she is bright and enthusiastic. You -won't be bored listening to her." - -"In the first place," said Janille, bridling up in her determination to -justify this eulogium, "Monsieur was born Comte de Châteaubrun, which -is neither a bad name nor a trifling honor!" - -"The honor has no great significance to-day," said Monsieur de -Châteaubrun; "and as for the name my ancestors handed down to me, as I -have been able to do nothing to add to its splendor, I do not much -deserve to bear it." - -"Nonsense, monsieur, nonsense!" interposed Janille. "I know what you're -coming at, and I'll come at it myself. Let me talk. Monsieur comes into -the world here--in the loveliest country in the world--and he is nursed -by the prettiest and freshest village girl in the neighborhood, an old -friend of mine, although I was several years younger, honest Jean -Jappeloup's mother; he has always been as devoted to monsieur as the -foot is to the leg. He is in trouble now, but his troubles will soon -come to an end, I've no doubt!" - -"Thanks to you!" said Gilberte, looking at Emile; and with that -innocent, kindly glance she paid him for his compliment to her beauty -and her dress. - -"If you start on your usual parentheses," said Monsieur Antoine to -Janille, "we shall never finish." - -"Yes, we will, monsieur," she replied. "I resume, as monsieur le curé -at Cuzion says at the beginning of his sermons. Monsieur was blessed -with an excellent constitution, and, moreover, he was the handsomest -child that ever was seen. In proof of that is the fact he became one of -the handsomest cavaliers in the province, as the ladies of all ranks -lost no time in discovering." - -"Go on, go on, Janille," interposed the châtelain, with a touch of -sadness in his gayety; "there's not much to be said on that subject." - -"Never fear," was her reply, "I'll say nothing that it isn't all right -to say. Monsieur was brought up in the country, in this old château, -which was great and fine in those days--and which is very comfortable to -live in to-day! Playing with the youngsters of his age and with little -Jean Jappeloup, his foster-brother, kept him in excellent health. Come, -monsieur, now complain of your health, and tell us if you know a man of -fifty more active and better preserved than you?" - -"That's all very well; but you don't say that, as I was born in a period -of civil commotion and revolution my early education was neglected." - -"_Pardieu_! monsieur, would you have liked to be born twenty years -earlier and be seventy to-day? That's a strange idea! You were born just -in time, since you still have a long while to live, thank God! As for -education, you lacked nothing; you were sent to school at Bourges, and -you worked very well there." - -"On the contrary, very ill. I had not been accustomed to working with my -mind. I fell asleep during the lessons; my memory had never had any -practice; I had more difficulty in learning the elements of things than -other lads in completing a full course of study." - -"Very well, then you deserved more credit because you had more trouble. -At all events you knew enough to be a gentleman. You weren't intended -for a curé or a school-master. Did you need so much Greek and Latin? -When you came here in vacation you were an accomplished young man. No -one was more skilful than you in bodily exercises; you could bat your -ball over the high tower, and when you called your dogs your voice was -so loud that you could be heard at Cuzion." - -"All that doesn't show hard study," said Monsieur Antoine, laughing at -this panegyric. - -"When you were old enough to leave school, it was the time of the war -with the Austrians and Prussians and Russians. You fought well, for you -received several wounds." - -"Trifling ones," said Monsieur Antoine. - -"Thank God!" rejoined Janille. "Would you have liked to be crippled and -go on crutches! You gathered the laurel, and you returned covered with -glory and with not too many bruises." - -"No, no, Janille, very little glory, I assure you. I did my best; but -say what you will, I was born several years too late; my parents fought -too long against my desire to serve my country under the usurper, as -they called him. I had hardly made a start in the army when I had to -return home, _trailing my wing and dragging my foot_, in utter -consternation and despair at the disaster of Waterloo." - -"I agree, monsieur, that the fall of the Emperor was not a good thing -for you, and that you were generous enough to regret it, although that -man never behaved very well toward you. With the name you bore, he ought -to have made you a general at once, instead of paying no attention -whatever to you." - -"I presume," laughed Monsieur de Châteaubrun, "that his mind was -directed from that duty by other and more pressing affairs. However, you -agree, Janille, that my military career was nipped in the bud, and that, -thanks to my fine education, I was not very well fitted to start on any -other?" - -"You might very well have served under the Bourbons, but you wouldn't do -it." - -"I had the ideas of my generation. Perhaps I should still have them, if -it were all to be done again." - -"Well, monsieur, who could blame you for it? It was very honorable, -according to what people said in the province then, and no one but your -relations condemned you." - -"My relations were proud and inflexible in their legitimist opinions. -You cannot deny that they abandoned me to the disaster that threatened -me, and that they worried very little over the loss of my fortune." - -"You were even prouder than they, for you would never go on your knees -to them." - -"No, whether from recklessness or dignity, I never asked them for -assistance." - -"And you lost your fortune in a great lawsuit against your father's -estate; everybody knows that. But you only lost the case because you -chose to." - -"And it was the noblest and most honorable thing my father ever did in -his life," interposed Gilberte, with much warmth. - -"My children," said Monsieur Antoine, "you mustn't say that I lost the -case; I didn't allow it to come to trial." - -"To be sure, to be sure," said Janille; "for if you had, you would have -won it. There was only one opinion on that point." - -"But my father, recognizing that possession in fact is not possession of -right," said Gilberte, addressing Emile with animation, "refused to take -advantage of his position. You must know this story, Monsieur Cardonnet, -for my father would never dream of telling it to you, and you have so -recently arrived in the province that you cannot have heard it yet. My -grandfather had contracted debts of honor during my father's minority. -He died before circumstances enabled him or made it an urgent duty to -pay them. The claims of the creditors were of no value in law; but my -father, when he investigated his affairs, found a minute of one of these -claims among my grandfather's papers. He might have destroyed it and no -one would have known of its existence. On the contrary, he produced it -and sold all of the family property to pay a sacred debt. My father has -brought me up upon principles which do not permit me to think that he -did any more than his duty; but many wealthy people thought differently. -Some called him a fool and madman. I am very glad that, when you hear -certain upstarts say that Monsieur Antoine de Châteaubrun was ruined by -his own folly, which in their eyes is the greatest possible dishonor, -you will know what to think about my father's dissipation and -wrong-headedness." - -"Ah! mademoiselle," cried Emile, overpowered by his emotion, "how -fortunate you are to be his daughter, and how I envy you this noble -poverty!" - -"Don't make me out a hero, my dear child," said Monsieur Antoine, -pressing Emile's hand. "There is always some truth at the bottom of the -judgments pronounced by men, even when they are harsh and unjust for the -most part. It is very certain that I was always a little extravagant, -that I understood nothing about domestic economy, or business, and that -I deserve less credit than another for sacrificing my fortune, because I -regretted it less." - -This modest apology inspired in Emile such a warm regard for Monsieur -Antoine, that he stooped over the hand which held his and put his lips -to it with a feeling of veneration with which Gilberte was not wholly -unconnected. Gilberte was more moved than she was prepared to be by this -sudden impulse on their young guest's part. She felt a tear trembling on -her eyelid, and lowered her eyes to hide it; she tried to assume a -serious bearing, and, suddenly carried away by an irresistible impulse -of the heart, she almost held out her own hand to the young man; but she -did not yield to this outburst of feeling and artlessly turned it aside -by rising to take Emile's plate and give him another, with the grace and -simplicity of a patriarch's daughter holding the pitcher to the -wayfarer's lips. - -Emile was surprised at first by this act of humble sympathy, so out of -harmony with the conventionalities of the society in which he had lived. -Then he understood it, and his breast was so agitated that he could find -no words to thank the fair hostess of Châteaubrun, his charming -servant. - -"After all this," continued Monsieur Antoine, who saw nothing but the -simplest courtesy in his daughter's action, "Janille must surely agree -that there has been a little misfortune in my life; for that lawsuit had -been going on for some time when I discovered the acknowledgment of his -debt that my father had left behind him, in the drawer of an old -abandoned desk. Until then I had not believed in the good faith of his -creditors. It seemed improbable that they could have been unfortunate -enough to lose their proofs, so I slept on both ears. My Gilberte was -born and I had no suspicion that she was doomed to share with me a -hand-to-mouth existence. The dear child's birth made the blow a little -more severe than it would otherwise have been to my natural -improvidence. Seeing that I was absolutely without resource, I resolved -to work for my living, and I had some hard moments at first." - -"Yes, monsieur, that is true," said Janille, "but you succeeded in -buckling down to work, and you soon recovered your good humor and your -open-hearted gayety, didn't you?" - -"Thanks to you, good Janille, for you did not desert me. We went to -Gargilesse to live with Jean Jappeloup, and the honest fellow found me -something to do." - -"What!" said Emile, "you have been a mechanic, monsieur le comte?" - -"To be sure, my young friend. I was carpenter's apprentice, journeyman -carpenter, and in a few years carpenter's assistant, and not more than -two years ago you could have seen me with a blouse on my back and a -hatchet over my shoulder, going out for my day's work with Jappeloup." - -"That is the reason, then," said Emile, sorely embarrassed, "that----" -He paused, not daring to finish. - -"That is the reason, yes, I understand," rejoined Monsieur Antoine; -"that is the reason that you have heard some one say: 'Old Antoine -degenerated terribly during his poverty; he lived with workingmen; he -was seen laughing and drinking with them in wineshops.' Well, that -requires a little explanation, and I will not make myself out any -stronger or purer than I am. According to the ideas of the nobles and -the rich bourgeois of the province, I should have done better doubtless -to remain melancholy and solemn, proudly crushed by my disgrace, working -in silence, sighing in secret, blushing to receive wages,--I who had had -wage-earners under my orders--and taking no part on Sundays in the -merrymaking of the mechanics who permitted me to work beside them during -the week. Well, I do not know if it would have been better so, but, I -confess, that it would have been entirely foreign to my character. I am -so constituted that it is impossible for me to be affected and horrified -for long by anything under heaven. I had been brought up with Jappeloup -and other peasant children of my own age. I had treated them as my -equals in our childish games. Since then I had never played the master -or the nobleman with them. They received me with open arms in my -distress, and offered me their houses, their bread, their advice, their -tools and their custom. How could I have helped being fond of them? How -could their society seem to me to be unworthy of me? How could I help -sharing my week's wages with them on Sunday? Bah! on the contrary, I -suddenly found joy and pleasure in doing it, as a compensation for my -hard work. Their songs, their meetings, under the trellised arbor where -the holly-branch of the wineshop waved in the wind, their frank -familiarity with me, and my indissoluble friendship with dear Jean, my -foster-brother, my master in carpentry, my comforter, made a new life -for me, which I could not but find very pleasant, especially when I had -succeeded in acquiring enough skill at my trade not to be a burden to -them." - -"It is true enough that you worked hard," said Janille, "and that you -were soon a very great help to poor Jean. Ah! I remember his fits of -anger with you at the beginning, for he was never patient, the dear man, -and you were so awkward! Really, Monsieur Emile, you'd have laughed to -hear Jean swear after Monsieur le Comte, as he would after any little -apprentice. And then, after it was over, they would make it up and shake -hands, so that I used to feel like crying. But as we have actually set -about telling you our whole history, instead of just quarrelling among -ourselves, as I intended to do at first, I propose to tell you the rest -of it; for if we let Monsieur Antoine do it, he'll never let me put in a -word." - -"Go on, Janille, go on!" cried Monsieur Antoine; "I ask your pardon for -having kept you from talking so long!" - - - - -X - -A GOOD ACTION - - -"According to Monsieur Antoine," said Janille, "we were entirely without -means; but if that was the case, it didn't last long. After a few years, -when the Châteaubrun estate had been sold in small lots, the debts -paid, and all that rubbish cleared away, we found that monsieur still -had a little capital left, which, if well invested, would bring him in -about twelve hundred francs a year. Oh! that wasn't to be despised. But, -with monsieur's kindness of heart and generosity, it would probably have -disappeared a little fast. Then it was that my dear Janille, who is -talking to you now, saw that she must take the reins into her hands. It -was she who looked after the investment of the funds, and she didn't -manage so very badly. Then what did she say to monsieur? Do you -remember, monsieur, what I said to you at that time?" - -"I remember very well, Janille, for you talked very wisely. Repeat it -yourself." - -"I said to you: 'Well, Monsieur Antoine, there's enough for you to live -on with your arms folded. But that would be a burden to you, you've -taken a liking to work. You are still young and well, so you can work -for some years to come. You have a daughter, a real treasure, who bids -fair to be as bright as she is pretty; you must think about giving her -an education. We will take her to Paris, put her at boarding-school, and -you will be a carpenter a few years longer.' Monsieur Antoine asked -nothing better. Oh! I must do him the justice to say that he didn't -complain of his work; but, by associating with these peasants, his ideas -had become a little too countrified to suit me. He said that as he was -destined to become a workingman in the country, it would be wiser to -bring up his daughter in accordance with his position in life, to make -an honest village lass of her, to teach her to read, sew, spin and keep -house; but deuce take me if I looked at it in that light! Could I allow -Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun to fall below her rank and not be brought -up like the nobly-born maid she is? Monsieur yielded, and our Gilberte -was educated at Paris, and nothing was spared to give her wit and -talents. She made the most of it like a little angel, and when she was -about seventeen years old I says one day to monsieur: 'I say, Monsieur -Antoine, don't you want to come and take a little walk with me over -Châteaubrun way?' Monsieur, let me bring him here, but, when we were in -the middle of the ruins, he got very depressed. - -"'Why did you bring me here, Janille?' he says with a deep sigh. 'I knew -they had destroyed my poor family nest; I had seen that from a distance, -but I have never had the heart to come in and see all this ruin close. I -hadn't any feeling of pride about the château, but I was fond of it -because I passed my youthful years here; because I was happy here and my -parents died here. If anyone had bought it to live in, if I could see it -in good repair and well kept, I should be half-consoled, for we love -things as we ought to love persons--a little more on their account than -our own. But what pleasure can it give you to show me what speculators -have done to the house of my ancestors?' - -"'Monsieur,' I answered, 'it was necessary for us to come and see what -the damage is, so that we can tell how much we have to spend, and how we -must go to work to repair it. Just imagine that your estate was ruined -by a hurricane in one night; with such a character as I know yours to -be, instead of crying over it, you would go right to work to rebuild -it.' - -"'But there's no rhyme nor reason in your comparison,' says Monsieur -Antoine. 'I haven't the means to repair the château, and even if I had -I should be no better off, for even this carcass no longer belongs to -me.' - -"'Wait a bit,' says I. 'How much did they ask you when you offered to -buy back just the house and the little piece of land next to it, the -orchard, the garden, the hill, and the little meadow on the bank of the -river?' - -"'I didn't ask it seriously, Janille, but simply to see how low the -value of a fine estate had fallen. They told me ten thousand francs for -what was left, and I retired, knowing well enough that ten thousand -francs and I would never pass through the same door.' - -"'Well, monsieur,' says I, 'it's no longer a matter of ten thousand -francs, but only four thousand at this moment. They thought that you -couldn't resist the temptation, and that you would spend what capital -you had left in re-establishing yourself in the ruins of your domain. -That's why they fixed the price at ten thousand francs on a place that -isn't worth the half of it, and that no one but you would ever want; but -since you gave up buying it back they have grown more modest. I have -been bargaining secretly, without your knowledge and under an assumed -name. Say the word, and to-morrow you shall be lord of Châteaubrun.' - -"'But what good would it do me, my dear Janille? What could I do with -this pile of stone and these three or four fragments of wall with no -doors or windows?'" - -"With that I pointed out to monsieur that the square pavilion was still -in very good condition, that the arches were well preserved, the rooms -perfectly dry inside, and that we should only have to cover it with -tiles, repair the woodwork and furnish it simply--a matter of five -hundred francs at most. At that monsieur cried out: 'Don't put such -ideas into my head, Janille; I should think you were trying to disgust -me with my present condition and feed me on illusions. I haven't ten, or -five, or four thousand francs, and it would require ten more years of -privation to save them. We had much better remain as we are.'" - -"'And how do you know, monsieur,' says I, 'that you haven't six thousand -francs, yes, sixty-five hundred? Do you know how much you have? I'll -wager that you know nothing about it.'" - -At this point Monsieur Antoine interrupted Janille. "It is true," he -said, "that I knew nothing about it; that I know nothing about it yet; -and that I never shall know how, with an income of twelve hundred -francs, after paying for my daughter's schooling at Paris for six years, -and living at Gargilesse, as a workingman to be sure, but very -comfortably none the less, in a little house which Janille managed -herself--and, I may add that, although she held the purse-strings, she -allowed me to spend two or three francs on Sundays with my friends. No, -I shall never understand how I could have saved six thousand francs! As -it is altogether impossible, I am forced to explain this miracle to -Monsieur Emile Cardonnet, unless he has already guessed its solution." - -"Yes, monsieur le comte, I have guessed it," said Emile; "Mademoiselle -Janille had saved money in your service when you were rich, or else she -had some money of her own, and it was she who----" - -"No, monsieur," interposed Janille hastily, "nothing of the sort; you -forget that monsieur earned his living at his carpentering, and you can -well believe that mademoiselle's boarding-school wasn't one of the -dearest in Paris, although it was a good school, I flatter myself." - -"Nonsense," said Gilberte, kissing her; "you lie very coolly, Mère -Janille; but you will never make my father and me believe that -Châteaubrun was not bought with your money, that it does not really -belong to you, and that we are not living in your house, although you -bought it in our name." - -"Not at all, not at all, mademoiselle," replied the noble-hearted -Janille, that strange little woman who liked to boast on every occasion -and to make herself heard on every subject, but who, to maintain the -dignity of her masters' rank, of which she was more careful than they -were themselves, energetically denied the noblest action of her whole -life;--"not at all, I tell you, I had nothing to do with it. Is it my -fault if your papa doesn't know how to count five and if you are as -careless as he? Bah! A lot you know about your receipts and your -expenses, both of you! Leave you to yourselves, and we'll see what will -become of you! I tell you that you are in your own house, and that if -there is anything for me to boast of, it is that I managed your affairs -with so much good sense and economy that monsieur found himself one fine -morning richer than he thought. - -"Now," continued Janille, "I will go on and finish our story for -Monsieur Emile. We bought back the château. Jean Jappeloup and Monsieur -Antoine themselves did all the carpentering and cabinet making in this -pavilion, and while they were finishing the work, which lasted hardly -six months, I went to Paris to fetch our child, and happy and proud I -was to bring her back to the château of her ancestors, which she hardly -remembered that she had lived in when she was a baby, poor child! Since -then we have been very happy here, and when I hear Monsieur Antoine -complain of anything, I can't help blaming him; for what man was ever -more blessed than he after all?" - -"But I don't complain of anything," rejoined Monsieur Antoine, "and your -reproach is unjust." - -"Oh! you sometimes look as if you'd like to say that you don't cut as -good a figure here as you used to do, and in that you are wrong. Come, -were you really any richer when you had thirty thousand francs a year? -People robbed you and cheated you and you knew nothing about it. To-day -you have the necessaries of life, and you need have no fear of thieves; -everybody knows that you have no rolls of gold pieces hidden in your -straw bed. You had ten servants, each a greater glutton and sot and -sluggard than the rest; Parisian servants, that tells the whole story. -To-day you have Monsieur Sylvain Charasson, also a glutton and a -sluggard, I agree." As she said this, Janille raised her voice, so that -Sylvain could hear in the kitchen; then added in a lower tone: "But his -stupidity makes you laugh, and when he breaks something, you are not -sorry to find that you're not the most awkward member of the household. -You had ten horses, always badly kept, and unfit to be used because they -weren't properly taken care of; to-day you have your old _Lanterne_, the -best animal in the world, always well-groomed, full of courage and -sober--you should see her eat dry leaves and rushes, just like a goat! -And speaking of goats, where will you find finer ones? Just like two -deer, excellent milkers, and always amusing you with their pretty -antics, climbing over the ruins for your evening entertainment! And what -about your cellar? You had one that was well supplied, but your rascally -flunkeys baptized themselves with wine as they pleased, and you drank -only what was left. Now you drink your light native wine, which you have -always liked, and which is healthy and refreshing. When I take a hand in -making it, it's as clear as water from the rock and doesn't heat your -stomach. And aren't you satisfied with your clothes? You used to have a -wardrobe that was eaten up by the moths, and your waistcoats went out of -fashion before you had worn them; for you never cared for dress. To-day -you have just what you need to keep cool in summer and warm in winter; -the village tailor fits you beautifully and doesn't make your clothes -too tight at the joints. Come, monsieur, confess that everything is for -the best, that you never had less care, and that you are the luckiest of -men; for I have said nothing yet of the privilege of having a lovely -daughter who is happy with you-----" - -"And an incomparable Janille who is intent wholly upon other people's -happiness!" cried Monsieur Antoine with deep emotion mingled with -gayety. "Well! you are right, Janille, and I was persuaded of it -beforehand. _Vive Dieu_! you insult me by doubting it, for I feel that I -am in very truth the spoiled child of Providence, and except for a -secret trouble, of which you are well aware and which you did well not -to mention, there is absolutely nothing which I would change. I drink to -your health, Janille! you have talked like a book! Your health too, -Monsieur Emile! You are young and rich, you are well educated and a -thinking man; therefore you have no reason to envy other people; but I -wish you as pleasant an old age as mine and as tender affections in your -heart. But we have talked enough of ourselves," he added, putting his -glass on the table, "and we mustn't forget our other friends. Let us -talk about the best of them all, after Janille; let us talk about old -Jean Jappeloup and his affairs." - -"Yes, let us talk about him!" cried a loud voice which made everybody -start; and Monsieur Antoine, turning his head, saw Jean Jappeloup in the -doorway. - -"What! Jean in broad daylight!" he cried, in utter amazement. - -"Yes, I have come in broad daylight and through the main gateway too," -replied the carpenter wiping his forehead. "Oh! but I have run! Give me -a glass of wine, Mère Janille, for I am choked with the heat." - -"Poor Jean!" cried Gilberte, running to the door to close it; "were you -pursued? We'll see about hiding you. Perhaps they will come and look for -you here." - -"No, no," said Jean, "no, my good girl, leave the doors open, nobody is -following me. I bring you good news and that is why I hurried so. I am -free, I am happy, I am saved!" - -"_Mon Dieu_!" cried Gilberte, taking the old peasant's dusty head in her -lovely hands, "so my prayer has been granted! I prayed so earnestly for -you last night!" - -"Dear soul from heaven, you brought me good luck," replied Jean, who was -quite unable to return the caresses and answer the questions of Antoine -and Janille. - -"But tell us who has given you back your liberty and peace of mind?" -continued Gilberte, when the carpenter had swallowed a large glassful of -wine. - -"Oh! some one whom you would never guess, who became my surety at once, -and will pay my fines. Come, I give you a hundred guesses." - -"Perhaps it's the curé of Cuzion?" said Janille. "He's such a good man, -although his sermons are a little confused! but he isn't rich enough." - -"Who do you think it is, Gilberte?" said Jean. - -"I would guess the good curé's sister, Madame Rose, who has such a big -heart--except that she is no richer than her brother." - -"No, no! that wouldn't be possible! Your turn, Monsieur Antoine." - -"I can't imagine," replied the châtelain. "Tell us quickly; you're -torturing us." - -"But I will wager that I have guessed," said Emile; "I guess my father! -for I have talked with him, and I know that he intended----" - -"Excuse me, young man," said the carpenter, interrupting him; "I don't -know what your father intended, but I know well enough what I never -intend, and that is to owe him anything, to accept any favor from the -man who began by having me put in prison to force me to accept his -pretended benefactions and his hard terms. Thanks! I esteem you, but as -to your father, let's say no more about him; let's never talk about him -again. Come, come, haven't any of you guessed? Well, what would you say -if I should tell you it was Monsieur de Boisguilbault?" - -That name, which Emile had heard before, for somebody had mentioned it -in his presence at Gargilesse as that of one of the richest landed -proprietors in the neighborhood, produced the effect of an electric -shock on the inhabitants of Châteaubrun: Gilberte jumped; Antoine and -Janille stared at each other, unable to utter a word. - -"That surprises you a little, does it?" continued the carpenter. - -"It seems impossible," replied Janille. "Are you joking? Monsieur de -Boisguilbault, the enemy of all of us?" - -"Why say so?" said Monsieur Antoine. "That man is nobody's enemy -intentionally; he has always done good, never harm." - -"For my part," said Gilberte, "I was sure that he was capable of a good -action. What did I tell you, dear little mother? he's an unhappy man, -anybody can see that on his face; but----" - -"But you don't know him," rejoined Janille, "and you can't say anything -about him. Come, Jean, tell us by what miracle you succeeded in -approaching that cold, stern, haughty man." - -"Chance, or rather the good Lord did it all," replied the carpenter. "I -was going through the little wood that skirts his park, and is separated -from it at that point only by a hedge and a narrow ditch. I glanced over -the hedge to see how beautiful and neat and well-kept everything was. I -was thinking, a little sadly, that I had once been perfectly at home in -that park and that château; that I had worked there for twenty years, -and that I had been fond of monsieur le marquis, although he was never -very amiable. Still he had his kind days in those times; and yet, for -another twenty years I hadn't put my foot on his land, and I shouldn't -dare to ask him for shelter after what had taken place between him and -me. - -"As I was thinking of all this, I heard two horses trotting, and the -next moment I saw two gendarmes riding straight toward me. They hadn't -seen me then; but if I crossed their road they couldn't fail to see me, -and they knew my face so well! I had no time for reflection. I plunged -into the hedge, ran through it like a fox, and found myself in -Boisguilbault park, where I quietly lay down against the fence, while my -friends the gendarmes rode by without so much as turning their heads in -my direction. When they had gone some little distance, I stood up and -was preparing to go out as I had come, when suddenly I felt a hand on my -shoulder and turned, to find myself face to face with Monsieur de -Boisguilbault, who said to me with his sad face and his sepulchral -voice: 'What are you doing here?' - -"'Faith, as you see, monsieur le marquis, I am hiding.' - -"'Why are you hiding?' - -"'Because there are gendarmes within two yards.' - -"'Have you committed a crime, then?' - -"'Yes, I snared two rabbits and killed a hare.' - -"Thereupon, as I saw that he would not ask me many more questions, I -hastily told him my misfortunes in as few words as possible, for you -know that he's a man who always has something in his mind different from -what you're talking about. You never know whether he hears you; he -always looks as if he wasn't bothering himself to listen to you. It's -many a year since I saw him close, for he lives shut up in his park like -a mole in its hole, and I no longer have access to his house. He seemed -to me to have grown very old and very feeble, although he is still as -straight as a poplar; but he is so thin you can see through him, and his -beard is as white as an old goat's. It made me feel badly, and yet, I -was even more vexed than sorry when I saw him all the time I was talking -to him walk along digging up all the weeds in the path with the little -hoe he always has in his hand. I followed him step by step, talking all -the time, telling him about my troubles, not to beg for his help--I -never thought of such a thing--but to see if he still had a little -friendship for me. - -"At last he turned toward me and said, without looking at me: 'Why -didn't you ask some rich man at your village to be your surety?' - -"'The devil!' said I; 'there aren't many rich men in Gargilesse.' - -"'Isn't there a Monsieur Cardonnet who has come there recently?' - -"'Yes, but he's mayor, and it was he who tried to have me arrested.' - -"He didn't say anything more for two or three minutes. I thought he had -forgotten that I was there, and I was just going away, when he said: -'Why didn't you come to me?' - -"'Why!' said I, 'you know very well why I didn't.' - -"'No!' - -"'What, no? Why, don't you remember that, after employing me a long -while and never once finding fault with me--I don't think I deserved to -be found fault with, by the way,--you called me into your study one fine -morning and said: "Here's your pay for these last days; off with you!" -And when I asked you when I should come again, your answer was _never_! -And when I was dissatisfied with that kind of treatment, and asked you -wherein I had failed to do my duty to you, you pointed to the door, -without condescending to open your lips? That was twenty years ago, and -it may be that you have forgotten it. But it has always remained on my -heart, and I consider that you were very hard and unjust to a poor -mechanic who worked as he could and was no more awkward than the -average. I thought at first that you had a mad fit and would get over -it; but I waited in vain, you have never sent for me since. I was too -proud to come and ask you for work; besides I had no lack of it, I have -always had all that I wanted; and at this moment, if I wasn't driven to -hide in the woods, I should have plenty of customers; but what hurt me, -you see, was being turned out like a dog--worse than that, like an idler -or a thief, and your not even giving me a chance to justify myself. I -thought that I must have some enemy in your house and that they had told -you lies about me. But I could never guess who it could be, for I have -never known any other enemies than constables and excisemen. I held my -tongue; I never complained of you, but I pitied you for being quick to -believe evil, and as I was somewhat attached to you, I was sorry to find -that you had faults.'" - -"Monsieur de Boisguilbault seemed all the time not to be listening to -me, but when I had finished, he asked me in an indifferent tone: - -"'How much is your fine?' - -"'The whole business amounts to a thousand francs, besides the costs.' - -"'Very well; go and tell the mayor of your village--Monsieur Cardonnet, -isn't it?--to send some trustworthy person to me with whom I can settle -your affairs. Tell him that my health is bad and I don't go out, and -that I request him to do me this favor.' - -"'Do you offer to be my surety?' - -"'No, I will pay your fine. You can go.' - -"'And when shall I come and work for you to pay off my debt?' - -"'I have no work; don't come at all.' - -"'Do you propose to give me alms?' - -"'No, but to do you a very small favor, which costs me little. That's -enough, leave me.' - -"'And suppose I don't choose to accept it?' - -"'You will make a mistake.' - -"'And you don't want me to thank you?' - -"'It's useless.' - -"Thereupon he fairly turned his back on me and went away for good and -all; but I followed him, and, knowing that long-winded compliments were -not to his taste, I said like this: 'Monsieur de Boisguilbault, shake -hands, if you please!'" - -"What! you dared to say that to him?" cried Janille. - -"Well, why shouldn't I dare? what more straightforward thing can you say -to a man?" - -"And what answer did he make? what did he do?" queried Gilberte. - -"He took my hand abruptly, without hesitation; and he pressed it quite -hard, although his hand was as cold and stiff as a piece of ice." - -"And what did he say?" inquired Monsieur Antoine, who had listened to -this tale with repressed excitement. - -"He said 'be off,'" replied the carpenter; "apparently that phrase -denotes friendship with him, and he almost ran away to avoid me, as far -as his poor thin long legs would enable him to run. And I, for my part, -ran here to tell you all this." - -"And I," said Emile, "will run to my father to tell him of Monsieur de -Boisguilbault's intentions, so that he may send some one to him at once, -as he requests." - -"That hardly sets my mind at rest," replied the carpenter. "Your father -has a grudge against me; he cannot help recognizing the fact that I am -clear of my fine; but he won't want to let me off without the -imprisonment; for he can punish me for being a vagabond and shut me up, -if it's only for a few days--and that would be too much for me." - -"Oh!" cried Gilberte, "I know that Jean could never submit to being -taken to prison by the gendarmes: he would do some other mad thing. -Don't let him be exposed to it, Monsieur Emile; speak to monsieur your -father, entreat him, tell him that----" - -"Oh! mademoiselle," replied Emile warmly, "do not share Jean's bad -opinion of my father: it is unjust. I am sure that my father would have -done for him to-night or to-morrow what Monsieur de Boisguilbault has -done. And as for prosecuting him as a vagabond, I will answer for it -with my head that----" - -"If you will answer for it with your head," interposed Jean, "why not go -at once to Monsieur de Boisguilbault? his house is close at hand. When -you have arranged matters with him, I shall feel more at ease, for I -have confidence in you, and I confess that a single night in prison -would drive me mad. The good Lord's child told you so," he said, looking -at Gilberte, "and she knows me!" - -"I will go at once," rejoined Emile, rising, and bestowing upon Gilberte -a glance alight with zeal and devotion. "Will you show me the way?" - -"Come," said the carpenter. - -"Yes, yes, go!" cried Gilberte, her father and Janille with one breath. -Emile saw that Gilberte was pleased with him, and he ran to get his -horse. - -But as he was descending the path on foot with the carpenter, Monsieur -Châteaubrun ran after him and said with some embarrassment: - -"My dear boy, you have a generous heart and great delicacy of feeling, -and I can safely confide in you; I must warn you of one thing--of small -importance perhaps, but which it is essential for you to know. It is -this, that for some reason or other--in short, that I am on bad terms -with Monsieur de Boisguilbault, so that there is no use of your -mentioning me to him. Avoid mentioning my name before him or telling him -that you come from my house; if you do, it may irritate him and cool his -kindly disposition toward our poor Jean." - -Emile promised to say nothing and followed his guide in the direction of -Boisguilbault, absorbed by his thoughts, and thinking more of the fair -Gilberte than of his companion and his mission. - - - - -XI - -A GHOST - - -However, as they approached the manor of Boisguilbault, Emile began to -wonder what sort of man, whether of superior parts or simply eccentric, -he was to deal with, and he was compelled to attend to the information -which the carpenter, with his rustic good sense, tried to give him -concerning that enigmatical personage. From all that Emile could gather -from this somewhat contradictory information, strewn as it was with -conjectures, he concluded that the Marquis de Boisguilbault was -immensely rich, not at all avaricious, although far from extravagant; -generous so far as his shyness and indifference permitted him to -practise benevolence, that is to say assisting all the poor people who -applied to him, but never taking the trouble to investigate their -sufferings or their needs, and giving every one such a cold and -depressing welcome, that only the most imperative necessity could induce -any one to go near him. And yet he was not a hard and unfeeling man; he -never refused to listen to a complaint or questioned the propriety of -alms-giving. But he was so absent-minded and seemed so indifferent to -everything, that one's heart contracted and congealed in his presence. -He rarely scolded and never punished. Jappeloup was almost the only man -he had ever treated harshly, and the way in which he had now made it up -to him led the carpenter to think that if he had been less proud himself -and had shown himself to the marquis sooner, the latter would not have -remembered the whim that had led him to banish him. - -"However," continued Jean, "there's another person whom Monsieur de -Boisguilbault dislikes even more than he does me, although he has never -tried to injure him. But they will never be on good terms again; and as -Monsieur Antoine mentioned the subject to you, I may venture to tell -you, monsieur, that in that matter Monsieur de Boisguilbault made many -people think that there was a screw loose in his brain. Just fancy that -after he had been for twenty years the friend and adviser, almost a -father to his neighbor Monsieur Antoine de Châteaubrun, he suddenly -turned his back on him and shut his door in his face, without anybody, -not even Monsieur Antoine himself, knowing what it was all about. At -least the pretext was so absurd that you can't explain it except by -thinking that he was cracked. It was for some offence that Monsieur -Antoine committed while hunting over the marquis's land. And observe -that, ever since he came into the world, Monsieur Antoine had always -hunted over Monsieur de Boisguilbault's estates as if they were his own, -as they were comrades and good friends; that Monsieur de Boisguilbault, -had never in his life touched a gun or shot a piece of game, had never -made any objection to his neighbors shooting his game; and lastly that -he had never notified Monsieur Antoine that he didn't want him to hunt -over his land. The result has been that since that time, that is to say, -about twenty years, the two neighbors have never met, never exchanged a -word, and Monsieur de Boisguilbault can't bear to hear the name of -Châteaubrun. For his part Monsieur Antoine, although it touches him -more than he is willing to admit, has persisted in making no advances, -and seems to avoid Monsieur de Boisguilbault as carefully as he is -avoided by him. As my dismissal from Boisguilbault took place about the -same time, I believe that the marquis's anger overflowed on me, or else -that, knowing that I was much attached to Monsieur Antoine, he was -afraid that I would be bold enough to broach the subject to him and -reprove him for his whim. In that respect he made no mistake, for my -tongue isn't sluggish and it is certain that I should have made monsieur -le marquis hear what I had to say. He preferred to take the initiative; -I can't explain his harshness to me in any other way." - -"Has this man a family?" Emile inquired. - -"Not any, monsieur. He married a very pretty young lady, a poor -relation, much too young for him. It resembled a love marriage on his -part, but his conduct didn't show it; for he was neither more cheerful, -nor more approachable, nor more amiable after it. He made no change in -his way of living like a bear, saving the respect I owe him. Monsieur -Antoine continued to be almost the only intimate friend of the house, -and madame was so bored there that one day she went to Paris to live, -and her husband never thought of joining her there or of bringing her -back. She died when she was still very young, without bearing him any -children, and since then, whether because a secret grief has turned his -brain, or because the pleasure of being alone consoles him for -everything, he has lived absolutely secluded in his château, with no -companion, not even a poor dog. His family is almost extinct, he is not -known to have any heirs or any friends; so no one can imagine who will -be enriched by his death." - -"Evidently, he's a monomaniac," said Emile. - -"What's that?" queried the carpenter. - -"I mean that his mind is absorbed by a fixed idea." - -"Yes, I believe that you are right; but what is that idea? that is what -no one can say. He is known to have only one attachment. That is for the -park you see yonder, which he laid out and planted himself, and which he -almost never leaves. Indeed I think he sleeps there, on his feet, -walking about; for he has been seen walking in the paths like a ghost at -two o'clock in the morning, and he frightened some people who had crept -in there to purloin a little fruit or firewood." - -As they had reached a point opposite the park, and from the high path -they were following could look over into it and see a part of it, Emile -was charmed by the beauty of that pleasure-ground, the magnificence of -the trees, the happy arrangement of the shrubbery, the freshness of the -turf and the graceful shape of the different levels, which descended -gradually to the bank of a small stream, one of the bubbling affluents -of the Gargilesse. He thought that no idiot could have created that -species of earthly paradise and turned the charms of nature to account -so successfully. It seemed to him, on the contrary, that a poetic mind -must have guided that arrangement; but the aspect of the château soon -gave the lie to these conjectures. One can imagine nothing uglier, -colder, more unpleasant to the eye than the manor-house of -Boisguilbault. Additions to the original structure had deprived it of -something of its antique character, and the excellent state of repair in -which it was kept made its surroundings all the more repellent. - -Jean stopped at the end of the path where it entered the park, and his -young friend, having given him some of his best cigars to encourage him -to be patient, rode toward the house along a path of discouraging -neatness. Not a blade of grass, not a twig of ivy covered the nakedness -of those high walls, painted an iron-gray, and the only architectural -bit that caught his eye was an escutcheon over the iron gate, bearing -the arms of Boisguilbault, which had been scraped and retouched more -recently than the rest, perhaps at the time of the return of the -Bourbons; at all events there was a marked difference between this crest -and its ponderous framework. Emile drew the inference that the marquis -set much store by his titles and ancient privileges. - -He rang a long while at an enormous gate before it opened; at last a -spring was pressed somewhere in the distance that made it turn on its -hinges, although nobody appeared; and, the young man having passed -through after tying his horse, the gate closed behind him with little -noise, as if an invisible hand had caught him in a trap. A feeling of -depression, almost of terror, took possession of him when he found -himself imprisoned as it were in a large, bare, gravelled courtyard, -surrounded by buildings of uniform size, and as silent as the graveyard -of a convent. A number of yews, trimmed to a point and planted in front -of the main doorways, added to the resemblance. For the rest, not a -flower, not a breath of fragrance from a plant, not a sprig of vine -about the windows, not a spider's-web on the panes, not a broken pane, -not a human sound, not even the crowing of a cock or the bark of a dog; -not a pigeon, not a patch of moss on the roofs; I verily believe that -not even an insect ventured to fly or buzz in the courtyard of -Boisguilbault. - -Emile was looking about for some one to speak to, seeing not even a -footprint on the freshly raked gravel, when he heard a shrill, cracked -voice call to him in a far from pleasing tone: - -"What does monsieur want?" - -After turning about several times to see where the voice came from, -Emile finally discovered at an air-hole of a basement kitchen, an old, -well-powdered white head, with light, expressionless eyes; and, drawing -nearer, he tried to make himself heard. But the old butler's hearing was -as weak as his sight, and he answered the visitor's questions at random. - -"The park can't be seen except on Sunday," he said; "take the trouble to -come again Sunday." - -Emile handed him his card, and the old man, slowly taking his spectacles -from his pocket, without leaving his subterranean air-hole, slowly -examined it; after which he disappeared to reappear at a door just above -his hole. - -"Very good, monsieur," he said; "monsieur le marquis ordered me to admit -the person who came from Monsieur Cardonnet; Monsieur Cardonnet of -Gargilesse, isn't it?" - -Emile bowed in assent. - -"Very good, monsieur," continued the old servant, bowing courteously, -evidently very glad of an opportunity to be polite and hospitable -without violating his orders. "Monsieur le marquis did not think that -you would come so soon; he did not expect you before to-morrow at the -earliest. He is in his park, _I will run_ and tell him. But first I -shall have the honor to escort you to the salon." - -When he talked of running, the old man uttered a strange boast; he had -the gait and the agility of a centenarian. He led Emile to the low, -narrow doorway of a stairway turret, and slowly selecting a key from his -bunch preceded him upstairs to another door studded with great nails and -locked like the first. Another key; and, after passing through a long -corridor, a third key to open the apartments. Emile was taken through -several rooms, where the contrast to the bright sunlight was so great -that he seemed to be in utter darkness. At last he entered a vast salon -and the valet waved him to a chair, saying: - -"Does monsieur wish me to open the blinds?" - -Emile made him understand by signs that it was useless, and the old man -left him alone. - -When his eyes became accustomed to the dim grayish light that crept into -that room, he was struck by the sumptuous character of the furniture. -Everything dated from the time of Louis XIII. and one would have said -that a connoisseur had guided the selection of even the least important -articles. Nothing was lacking; from the frames of the mirrors to the -tiniest nail in the hangings, there was not the slightest departure from -the prevailing style. And it was all authentic, partly worn, still in -good condition, although somewhat tarnished, at once rich and simple. -Emile admired Monsieur de Boisguilbault's good taste and knowledge. He -learned later that the disinclination to move and the horror of change, -which seemed hereditary in that family, were alone responsible for the -marvellous preservation and transmission from father to son of these -treasures, which it is the present fashion to collect at great expense -in _bric-à-brac_ shops, which are to-day the most sumptuous and -interesting places imaginable. - -But the pleasure which the young man experienced in examining these -curiosities was succeeded by a feeling of extraordinary frigidity and -depression. In addition to the icy atmosphere of a house closed at all -seasons to the generous rays of the sun, in addition to the silence -without, there was something funereal in the regularity of that interior -arrangement, which no one ever disturbed, and in that artistic and noble -luxury which no one was invited to enjoy. It was evident from those -tight-locked doors of which the servant kept the keys, from the -cleanliness unmarred by the slightest speck of dust, from the heavy -closed curtains, that the master never entered the salon, and that the -only constant visitors were a broom and a duster. Emile thought with -horror of the life that the dead and gone Marquise de Boisguilbault, -young and lovely as she was, must have led in that house, dumb and dead -for centuries, and he forgave her with all his heart for having gone -elsewhere for a breath of fresh air before she died. "Who knows," he -thought, "that she did not contract in this tomb one of those slow, -deep-seated maladies which cannot be cured when the remedy is sought too -late?" - -He was confirmed in that idea when the door slowly opened and the -châtelain in person appeared before him. Save for the coat it was the -statue of the _Commander_ come down from his pedestal; the same measured -gait, the same pallor, the same absence of expression, the same solemn -and petrified face. - -Monsieur de Boisguilbault was barely seventy years of age, but his was -one of those organizations which have not, which have never had any age. -He had not originally a bad figure nor an ugly face. His features were -quite regular; his figure was still erect and his step firm, so long as -he did not hurry. But excessive thinness had done away with all pretence -of shape, and his clothes seemed to be hung upon a man of wood. His face -neither repelled by disdain, nor inspired aversion; but as it expressed -absolutely nothing, as one would have sought in vain at the first glance -to detect upon it any trace of a thought or emotion referable to any -known type of humanity, it inspired fear; and Emile involuntarily -thought of the German legend, in which a very well-dressed individual -appears at the door of the château and apologizes for being unable to -enter in the state in which he is, for fear of disturbing the company. -"Why, you seem to me to be very decently dressed," says the hospitable -châtelain. "Come in, I beg you." "No, no," the other replies, "it is -impossible, and you would blame me if I did. Be good enough to listen to -me in the doorway; I bring you news from the other world." "What do you -mean by that? Come in; it rains, and the storm will soon burst." "Look -at me carefully," says the mysterious visitor, "and you will see that I -cannot sit at your table without violating all the laws of hospitality. -Can it be that you don't see that I am dead?" The châtelain looks at -him closely and sees that he is, in very truth, dead. He closes the door -between him and the dead man and returns to the banquet hall, where he -swoons. - -Emile did not swoon when Monsieur de Boisguilbault greeted him; but if, -instead of saying, "Excuse me for keeping you waiting, I was in my -park," he had said, "I was just being buried," the young man would not -have been greatly surprised. - -The marquis's superannuated costume heightened the ghost-like aspect of -his face. He had been fashionably dressed once in his life, on his -wedding-day. Since then it had never occurred to him to make any change -in his dress, and he had invariably given his tailor for a model the -coat he had just worn out, on the pretext that he was accustomed to it -and that he was afraid he should be uncomfortable in one of a different -cut. He was dressed therefore in the costume of a dandy of the Empire, -which formed a most extraordinary contrast to his withered, melancholy -face. A very short green coat, nankeen breeches, a very stiff -shirt-frill, heart-shaped boots, and, to remain true to his habits, a -little flaxen wig of the color that his hair used to be, gathered up in -a bunch over the middle of his forehead. A very high starched collar, -which raised his long snow-white whiskers to the level of his eyes, gave -to his long face the shape of a triangle. He was scrupulously clean, and -yet a few bits of dry moss on his clothes showed that he had not made -his toilet expressly to receive his guest, but that he was accustomed to -walk alone in his park in that invariable dress. - -He sat down without speaking, bowed without speaking, and looked at -Emile without speaking. At first the young man was embarrassed by this -silence, and wondered if he should not attribute it to disdain. But when -he saw that the marquis was awkwardly twisting a twig of honeysuckle in -his hands as if to keep himself in countenance, he realized that the old -man was as timid as a child, whether by nature or because of his -long-continued and persistent abandonment of all social relations. - -He determined therefore to begin the conversation, and, wishing to make -himself agreeable to his host, in order to encourage him in his kindly -impulse toward the carpenter, he did not hesitate to be-marquis him at -every word, indulging in secret, it may be, in a feeling of contempt for -his pride of birth. - -But this ironical deference seemed as indifferent to the marquis as the -object of Emile's visit. He answered in monosyllables to thank him for -his promptness and to reiterate his undertaking to pay the delinquent's -fines. - -"This is a noble and praiseworthy act of yours, monsieur le marquis," -said Emile, "and your protégé, in whom I am very deeply interested, is -as grateful as he is worthy. You probably do not know that at the time -of the recent inundation he jumped into the river to save a child, and -succeeded in doing it by incurring great risk." - -"He saved a child--his own?" asked Monsieur de Boisguilbault, who had -not seemed to hear Emile's words, his manner was so indifferent and -preoccupied. - -"No, somebody's else; he didn't know whose. I asked the same question, -and was told that the child's parents were almost strangers to him." - -"And he saved him?" the marquis repeated, after a moment's silence, -during which another imaginary world seemed to have passed before his -brain. "He is very lucky." - -The marquis's voice and accent were even more repellent than his bearing -and features. He spoke slowly; the words seemed to come from his mouth -with an extreme effort, a dull monotone, without the slightest -inflection. "Evidently he never goes out and sees no one because he -knows that he is dead," said Emile to himself, still thinking of his -German legend. - -"Now, monsieur le marquis, will you kindly tell me why you wished my -father to send you an envoy? I am here to receive your instructions." - -"Because"--replied Monsieur de Boisguilbault, a little disturbed at -having to make a direct answer and trying to collect his ideas, -"because--I'll tell you. This man you speak of would not like to go to -jail, and we must prevent it. Tell your father to prevent it." - -"That doesn't concern my father at all, monsieur le marquis; he -certainly will not invoke the rigor of the law against poor Jean, but he -cannot prevent the law's taking its course." - -"I beg your pardon," replied the marquis, "he can speak or send someone -to speak to the local authorities. He has influence or should have." - -"But why shouldn't you do this yourself, monsieur le marquis? You have -been in the province longer than my father, and if you believe in -influence, you must rate your privileges in that regard higher than -ours." - -"The privileges of birth are no longer fashionable," replied Monsieur de -Boisguilbault, with no indication of vexation or regret. "Your father, -being a manufacturer, is sure to be more highly considered than I am. -And then nobody knows me now, I am too old; I don't even know whom to -apply to; I have forgotten all about it. If Monsieur Cardonnet will take -the trouble to speak, that man will not be prosecuted for vagabondage." - -After this long speech, Monsieur de Boisguilbault heaved a great sigh as -if he were thoroughly exhausted. But Emile had already noticed his -strange habit of sighing, which was not precisely the choking of a -victim of asthma nor an expression of mental pain. It was more like a -nervous trick, which did not change the impassibility of his face but -which was so frequent that it acted upon the nerves of his auditor and -eventually produced a most painful impression upon Emile. - -"I think, monsieur le marquis," he said, wishing to sound him a little, -"that you would have a poor opinion of a social system wherein any -privilege, either of birth or fortune, was the only protection of the -poor or the weak against too vigorous laws. I prefer to think that moral -force and influence are on the side of the man who can most successfully -invoke the laws of clemency and humanity." - -"In that case, monsieur, do you act in my place," the marquis replied. - -There was something of humility and something of flattery in that -laconic reply, and yet there was perhaps a touch of irony in it as well. - -"Who knows," said Emile to himself, "that this old misanthrope isn't a -pitiless satirist? Very well; I will defend myself." - -"I am ready to do all that is in my power to do for your protégé," he -replied; "and if I fail, it will be for lack of ability, not for lack of -energy and good-will." - -Perhaps the marquis did not understand this rebuke. He seemed impressed -only by one word which Emile then used for the second time, and he -repeated it in a sort of dazed reverie. - -"Protégé," said he, sighing after his wont. - -"I should have said your debtor," rejoined Emile, who already regretted -his precipitation and feared that he might have injured the carpenter. -"By whatever name you would have me call him, monsieur le marquis, the -man is overflowing with gratitude for your kindness to him, and, if he -had dared, he would have come with me to thank you again." - -A slight flush tinged Monsieur de Boisguilbault's cheeks for an instant, -and he replied in a less hesitating tone: - -"I hope he will leave me in peace hereafter." - -Emile was wounded by this rebuff and he could not resist the impulse to -manifest his feeling. - -"If I were in his place," he said with some warmth, "I should be greatly -distressed to be burdened by an obligation which my devotion, my -gratitude and my services could never remove. You would be even more -generous than you are, monsieur le marquis, if you would allow honest -Jean Jappeloup to offer you his thanks and his services." - -"Monsieur," said Monsieur de Boisguilbault, picking up a pin and -sticking it into his sleeve, whether to avoid manifesting a sort of -confusion which overcame him, or from an inveterate habit of -orderliness, "I warn you that I am irascible--very irascible." - -His voice was so calm and his utterance so slow as he gave Emile this -advice, that he nearly laughed in his face. - -"Upon my word," he thought, "we are a little _cracked_, as Jean says. If -I have been so unfortunate as to offend you, monsieur le marquis," he -said, rising, "I will take my leave in order not to aggravate my -offence, for I might perhaps make the mistake of asking you to be -perfect, and it would be your own fault." - -"How so?" said the marquis, twisting his sprig of honeysuckle with an -agitation which seemed not to extend beyond the ends of his fingers. - -"We are apt to be exacting with those whom we esteem, I would venture to -say with those whom we admire, if I did not fear to offend your -modesty." - -"Are you really going?" said the marquis after a moment of problematical -silence and in a still more problematical tone. - -"Yes, monsieur le marquis, I offer you my compliments." - -"Why will you not dine with me?" - -"That is impossible," Emile replied, bewildered and appalled by such a -suggestion. - -"You would be terribly bored!" said the marquis, with a sigh which -found, I know not how, the road to Emile's heart. - -"Monsieur," he replied, with spontaneous cordiality, "I will come again -and dine with you when you choose." - -"To-morrow, then!" said Monsieur de Boisguilbault in a melancholy tone, -which seemed desirous to contradict the heartiness of his invitation. - -"To-morrow, so be it," rejoined the young man. - -"Oh no! not to-morrow," said the marquis; "to-morrow will be Monday, a -bad day for me. But Tuesday; will that suit you?" - -Emile accepted with very good grace, but in his heart he was dismayed at -the idea of a tête-à-tête of some hours with that dead man, and he -regretted an outburst of compassion which he had been unable to resist. - -Monsieur de Boisguilbault meanwhile seemed to lay aside his fear; he -insisted upon escorting his visitor to the gate where he had tied his -horse. "You have a pretty little animal there," he said, examining -Corbeau with the eye of a connoisseur. "He's a _Brenne_, well-bred, -strong and quiet. Are you a good horseman?" - -"I have more experience and courage than skill," replied Emile; "I have -never had time to learn equestrianism by rule, but I intend to do so as -soon as I have a favorable opportunity." - -"It is a noble and useful exercise," said the marquis; "if you care to -come and see me now and then, I will place what little I know at your -service." - -Emile accepted the offer courteously, but he could not forbear a -significant glance at the slender individual who put himself forward as -a professor. - -"Is this fellow well trained?" Monsieur de Boisguilbault inquired, as he -patted Corbeau's neck. - -"He is docile and willing, but otherwise he's as ignorant as his -master." - -"I don't care very much for animals," said the marquis; "however, I -sometimes give a little attention to horses and I will show you some -very good pupils of mine. Will you allow me to try the qualities of -yours?" - -Emile made haste to turn his courser for the marquis to mount; but he -was so afraid of an accident when he saw how slowly and painfully the -old man hoisted himself into the saddle, that he could not refrain from -warning him, even at the risk of insulting him, that Corbeau was a -little restive and mettlesome. - -The marquis received the warning without taking offence, but persisted -none the less in his plan, with comical gravity. Emile trembled for his -venerable host, and Corbeau quivered with anger and dread under that -strange hand. He even tried to rebel, and from the marquis's gentle -manner of dealing with his rebellion, you would have said that he was -rather ill at ease himself. "There, there, my boy," he said, patting his -neck, "let's not get excited." - -But that was only a consequence of his theories, which forbade the -maltreatment of a horse as the crime of _lèse-science_. He gradually -quieted his steed without punishing him, and riding him about his great -bare gravelled courtyard as if it were a riding-school, he tried him at -all his gaits, and with extraordinary ease made him go through all the -various evolutions and changes of foot which he would have required from -a well-schooled horse. Corbeau seemed to submit without effort; but when -the marquis turned him over to Emile his distended nostrils and his -quarters, dripping with sweat, revealed the mysterious power to which -that firm hand and those long legs had subjected him. - - -[Illustration: _MONSIEUR DE BOISGUILBAULT TRIES -EMILE'S HORSE._ - -_He gradually quieted his steed without punishing him, and riding him -about his great bare gravelled courtyard as if it were a riding-school, -he tried him at all his gaits, and with extraordinary ease made him go -through all the various evolutions and changes of foot which he would -have required from a well-schooled horse._] - - -"I had no idea that he knew so much!" said Emile, by way of flattering -the marquis. - -"He's a very intelligent beast," was the modest reply. - -When Emile was in the saddle, Corbeau reared and plunged furiously, as -if to revenge himself upon a less experienced rider for the wearisome -lesson he had received. - -"That's a strange _dead man_!" said Emile to himself, as he rode rapidly -along the path that led him back to Jean Jappeloup, thinking of that -asthmatic marquis, who was covered with confusion before a child, and -subdued a spirited horse. "Can it be that corpse-like face and that dead -voice belong to a character of iron?" - -He found the carpenter exceedingly impatient and anxious; but when he -had given him an account of the conference, he said: - -"That is first-rate; I am obliged to you and I place my interests in -your hands. But a man must do what he can to help himself, and that is -what I propose to do. While you go and write to the authorities, I will -go and see them. Your writing will take time, and I cannot sleep until I -have embraced my friends at Gargilesse in broad daylight, after vespers, -on the steps of our church. I am off to the village----" - -"And suppose you are arrested on the way?" - -"I shan't be arrested on a road which I know and the gendarmes don't. I -will arrive at night and slip into the king's attorney's kitchen. His -cook is my niece. I have a good tongue and I will explain my position; I -will tell my reasons for what I do, and before sunset to-morrow I will -enter my village with my head in the air." - -Without awaiting Emile's reply, the carpenter darted off like a flash -and disappeared in the bushes. - - - - -XII - -INDUSTRIAL DIPLOMACY - - -When Emile informed his father that the carpenter had found a protector, -and told him how he had employed his day, Monsieur Cardonnet became -thoughtful, and for some moments maintained a silence as problematical -as Monsieur de Boisguilbault's pauses and sighs. But the apparent -coldness of the two men indicated no resemblance between their -respective characters. In the marquis it was due to instinct, habit and -incapacity, whereas, in the manufacturer it was a quality acquired by a -powerful exertion of the will. In the marquis it was due to the slow and -embarrassed working of the mind; in the other, on the contrary, it -served as a veil and a curb to the activity of a too impetuous mind. In -a word, it was assumed in Monsieur Cardonnet. It was a borrowed dignity, -a rôle assumed in order to make an impression on other men; and, while -he seemed thus to hold himself in check, he was calculating feverishly -the best method of venting the wrath that was about to explode, and its -effects. And so, while Monsieur de Boisguilbault's vexed irresolution -resulted only in a few mysterious monosyllables, Monsieur Cardonnet's -deceptive calm covered a storm, the explosion of which he postponed to -suit himself, but which found vent sooner or later in significant and -unambiguous words. It may be said that the life of one was nourished by -its energetic manifestations, whereas the other's wore itself out in -repressed emotions. - -Monsieur Cardonnet was very well aware that his son was not to be easily -convinced, and that it was impossible to intimidate him by violence or -threats. He had come in collision too frequently with that energetic -will, he had had too much experience of his power of resistance, -although it had hitherto been only in regard to trivial matters -pertaining to young men, not to realize that it was essential first of -all to inspire a well-founded respect. He made few false moves therefore -in his presence, but, on the contrary, kept an extremely close watch -upon himself. - -"Well, father, do you regret poor Jean's good luck?" said Emile, "and do -you blame me for meeting his protector's kind intentions half-way? I -felt absolutely certain of your approval, and this suspicious carpenter -must be taught to know you, to respect you, yes, and to like you." - -"All this," said Monsieur Cardonnet, "is mere talk. You must write in -his behalf at once. My secretary is busy, but I presume that you will be -willing to take his place sometimes in confidential matters." - -"Oh! with all my heart," cried Emile. - -"Write then, and I will dictate." - -And Monsieur Cardonnet dictated several letters overflowing with zeal -and solicitude for the delinquent, and couched in terms of rare -propriety and dignity. He went so far as to offer himself as security -for Jean Jappeloup, in case--although he said it was impossible--that -Monsieur de Boisguilbault, who had anticipated his own intentions, -should recede from his undertaking. When these letters were signed and -sealed, he bade Emile despatch them at once by a messenger, and added: - -"Now I have done as you wished; I have interrupted my business so that -your protégé should not be subjected to the slightest delay. I return -to my work. We shall dine in an hour, and then you must stay with your -mother, whom you have neglected a little to-day. But to-night, when the -men have stopped work, I trust that you will hold yourself at my -disposal and that I may be able to talk with you on serious subjects." - -"I am at your service, father, this evening and my whole life, as you -know very well," said Emile, embracing him. - -Monsieur Cardonnet congratulated himself for not yielding to an angry -impulse; he had recovered all his influence over Emile. In the evening, -when the factory was closed and the workmen dismissed, he betook himself -to a part of his garden which the flood had failed to reach, and walked -there a long while alone, reflecting as to what he should say to this -child who was so hard to manage, not intending to summon him until he -should feel that he was in perfect control of himself. - -The feverish fatigue which follows a day of giving orders and -overlooking others, the spectacle of devastation which he still had -before his eyes, and perhaps the state of the atmosphere as well, were -ill adapted to soothe the nervous irritation which had become habitual -with Monsieur Cardonnet. The temperature had indulged in such a sudden -and violent change that the result was abnormal and enervating. The warm -air was laden with vapors, as in November, although it was midsummer. -But it was not the cool, transparent mist of autumn, but rather a -suffocating smoke which exhaled from the ground. The path where the -manufacturer strode was bordered on one side by rose-bushes and other -brilliant flowers. On the other there were only débris, boards piled in -disorder, huge stones brought thither by the water; and from that point, -at which the flood had stopped, to the bank of the stream, several acres -of garden, covered with black mud streaked with red gravel, resembled an -American forest flooded and half-uprooted by the overflow of the Ohio or -Mississippi. The young trees that had been overthrown lay with their -branches interlaced in pools of stagnant water, which could find no -outlet under those fortuitous dikes. Beautiful plants, crushed and -besmirched, tried in vain to rise, but remained lying in the mud, while, -in the case of some others, the abundant moisture had already caused -superb flowers to bloom triumphantly upon half-broken stalks. Their -delicious fragrance struggled against the brackish odor of the slime, -and when a faint breeze raised the mist, that fragrance and that strange -odor reached the nostrils alternately. A multitude of frogs, which -seemed to have fallen with the rain, were croaking with disgusting -energy among the reeds; and the roar of the factory, which it was not -yet possible to stop, so that the machinery was constantly running and -wearing itself out uselessly, made Monsieur Cardonnet feverishly -impatient. Meanwhile the nightingale sang in the thickets that had been -left unharmed, and saluted the full moon with the nonchalance of a lover -or an artist. It was a medley of happiness and consternation, of -ugliness and beauty, as if omnipotent Nature laughed at losses ruinous -to man but trifling to herself, who needed but a day of sunlight and a -cool, damp night to repair them. - -Despite Cardonnet's efforts to concentrate his thoughts upon the -interests of his family, he was disturbed and distracted at every turn -by his anxiety concerning his pecuniary interests. "Infernal river," he -thought, glaring involuntarily at the torrent that flowed proudly and -mockingly at his feet, "when will you abandon an impossible fight? I -shall find a way to chain you up and curb you at last. More stone, more -iron, and you will flow within the bounds that my hand marks out for -you. Oh! I shall succeed in overcoming your reckless power, in -anticipating your whims, in stimulating your languor and crushing your -temper. The genius of man is bound to triumph over the blind rebellion -of nature on this spot. Twenty more men, and you will feel the curb. -Money, and more money! It takes a small mountain of money to stop -mountains of water. It is all a question of time and opportunity. My -product must come to hand on the appointed day, to meet my expenses. A -month of carelessness or discouragement would ruin everything. Credit is -a pit that one must dig without hesitation, because at the bottom lies -the treasure of profit. I must dig on! I must keep digging! The man is a -fool and a coward who stops on the way and allows his plans and his -outlay to be swallowed up in space. No, no, treacherous stream, feminine -terror, lying predictions of the envious, you shall not frighten me, you -shall not induce me to abandon my work, when I have made so many -sacrifices on account of it, when the sweat of so many men has already -flowed in vain, when my brain has already expended so much effort and my -intelligence has given birth to so many miracles! Either this stream -shall draw my dead body into its slime, or it shall submissively carry -the results of my toil!" - -And in the painful tension of his faculties, Monsieur Cardonnet stamped -his foot on the bank with a sort of frenzied enthusiasm. - -Meanwhile the thought came to his mind that from his own blood had come -forth an obstacle more alarming for the future than storms and the -river. His son could ruin or, at least, sadly embarrass everything in a -day. However intense the man's earnestness and the jealousy of his -character, he could never be satisfied to work for himself alone, and -there is no capitalist who does not live in the future by virtue of his -family ties. Cardonnet felt a fierce affection for his son in the depths -of his heart. Oh! if he could only recast that rebellious mind and -identify Emile with his own life! How proud he would be, what a feeling -of security he would enjoy! But this boy, who had superior faculties for -anything except what his father desired, seemed to have conceived a -conscientious contempt for wealth, and it was necessary to find some -joint in his armor, some vulnerable point at which that terrible passion -could be forced into his system. Cardonnet was well aware what chords -must be touched; but could he counteract or change the nature of his own -mental habit and his own talent sufficiently to produce no discord? The -instrument was at once powerful and delicate. The slightest lack of -harmony in the theory he was about to expound would be detected by a -watchful and perspicacious judge. - -In a word it was necessary that Cardonnet, a man of violent temper and -at the same time of much adroitness, in whom, however, the habit of -domination was more powerful than the habit of strategy, should fight a -terrific battle with himself, stifle every violent impulse, and speak -the language of a conviction that was not altogether genuine. At last, -feeling calmer, and deeming himself sufficiently prepared, he sent for -Emile and returned to await his coming on the spot where he had lately -been absorbed in a long and painful meditation. - -"Well, father," said the young man, taking his hand affectionately and -with evident emotion, for he felt that the moment was at hand when he -should know which was destined to carry the day in his heart, filial -affection, or terror and reproof; "well, father, here I am, ready to -receive the communication you promised me. I am twenty-one years old, -and I feel that I am becoming a man. You have delayed a long while to -set me free from the law of silence and blind confidence; my heart has -submitted as long as it can, but my common sense is beginning to speak -very loudly, and I await your paternal voice to reconcile them. You will -do it, I have no doubt, and throw open the doors of life to me; for thus -far I have done nothing but dream and wait and look. I have been -assailed by strange doubts, and I have suffered much already without -daring to mention it to you. Now you will cure me, you will give me the -key to this labyrinth in which I have gone astray; you will mark out for -me a path to the future which I shall delight to follow; happy and proud -if I can walk beside you!" - -"My son," replied Monsieur Cardonnet, somewhat disturbed by this -effusive exordium, "you have acquired, _yonder_, a habit of using -emphatic language which I cannot imitate. This manner of talking is -ill-advised, in that the mind gets heated and excited, and soon goes -astray in an outburst of exaggerated emotion. I know that you love me -and believe in me. You know that I cherish you above all things, and -that your future is my only aim, my only thought. Let us talk -reasonably, then, and coolly, if it is possible. Let us first of all -review your brief and happy life. You were born in comfort, and as I -worked hard and constantly, wealth took its place under your feet, so -quickly and so naturally that you hardly noticed it. Each year increased -the possibilities of your future career, and you were hardly more than a -child when I began to think of your old age and of the future of your -children. You showed a praiseworthy disposition to work--but only at -useless arts, drawing, music, poetry,--ornamental accomplishments. It -was my duty to combat and I did combat the development of these artistic -instincts, when I saw that they threatened to stifle more essential and -more solid faculties. - -"By creating your fortune, I created duties for you. The fine arts are -the blessing and the treasure of the poor man; but wealth demands powers -of a sterner temper to support the weight of the obligations it imposes. -I questioned myself; I saw what my own education lacked, and it seemed -to me that we ought to complement each other, since we were, by the law -of blood, partners in the same enterprise. I was well versed in the -industrial theories to which I had devoted myself; but as I had not had -experience in putting them in practice early enough in life, as I had -not studied the practical part of my vocation and could solve problems -in geometry and mechanics only by instinct and a sort of divination, I -was likely to make mistakes, to start upon false scents, to allow myself -to be led astray by my own dreams or those of other people, in a word, -to lose, in addition to large sums of money, days, weeks, years, that is -to say, time, which is the most valuable of all forms of capital. I -determined therefore that you should be instructed in the mechanical -sciences immediately after leaving school, and you forced yourself to -work hard and faithfully, despite your youth. But your mind soon chose -to take a flight which carried you away from my goal. - -"The study of the exact sciences led you, against my will and your own, -to a passion for the natural sciences, and, starting off at random, you -thought of nothing but astronomy and of dreaming of worlds to which we -can never go. After a contest in which I was not the stronger, I made -you abandon those sciences, although I was not able to bring you back to -a healthy and profitable application to the others; and, abandoning the -idea of making you a mechanical engineer, I looked about to see in what -way you could be useful to me. When I say useful to me, I assume that -you do not mistake the sense in which I use the words. As my fortune was -yours, it was my duty to train you to the work which will probably wear -my life out to your advantage before long; that is in the natural order -of things. I am happy to do my duty, and I shall persist in doing it in -spite of you, if necessary. But should not good sense and paternal -affection impel me to make you capable of preserving and defending that -fortune, at all events, if not of developing it? My ignorance of the law -had placed me a hundred times at the mercy of foolish or treacherous -advice. I had been victimized by those parasites of pettifoggery who, -having neither any genuine knowledge nor any healthy understanding of -business, demand blind submission from their clients, and endanger their -most valuable interests by folly, obstinacy, presumption, false tactics, -useless subtleties and the rest. Thereupon, I said to myself that with a -keen, quick intellect like yours, you could learn the law in a few years -and obtain a sufficiently accurate idea of the details of procedure to -need no other guide, no other adviser, and, above all, no other -confidant than yourself. I had no desire to make of you an orator, an -advocate, an assize court comedian, but I asked you to obtain your -certificates and pass your examinations. You promised to do it!" - -"Well, father, have I ever rebelled, have I broken my promise?" said -Emile, surprised to hear Monsieur Cardonnet speak with superb and as it -were insulting contempt of that profession of which he had done his best -to extol the honor and brilliancy, when it was a question of persuading -his son to study it. - -"Emile," rejoined the manufacturer, "I do not propose to reproach you; -but you have a passive, apathetic way of submitting, that is a hundred -times worse than resistance. If I could have foreseen that you would -waste your time, I would very quickly have thought of something else; -for, as I have told you, time is the capital of capital, and here are -two years of your life which have had no result in the way of developing -your faculties and therefore none in the way of assuring your future." - -"I flatter myself that the contrary is true," said Emile, with a smile -of mingled sweetness and pride, "and I can assure you, father, that I -have worked hard, read a great deal, thought a great deal--I dare not -say learned a great deal--since I have been at Poitiers." - -"Oh! I know very well what you have read and learned, Emile! I should -have found it out from your letters even if I had not learned -it from my correspondent; and I tell you that all this fine -philosophico-metaphysico-politico-economical learning is of all things -the vainest, the falsest, the most chimerical and the most ridiculous, -not to say the most dangerous, for a young man. It has gone so far that -your last letters would have made me roar with laughter as a judge, if I -had not felt a mortal disappointment as a father; and it was precisely -because I saw that you had mounted a new hobby-horse and were about to -take your flight through space once more that I resolved to summon you -here, perhaps for a time only, perhaps for good, if I do not succeed in -restoring you to your senses." - -"Your sarcasm and your contempt are very cruel, father, and grieve my -heart more than they wound my self-esteem. That I am not in full accord -with you is possible. I am prepared to hear you deny all my beliefs; but -that you should repulse me with ironical jeers, when, for the first time -in my life, I feel a longing and have the courage to pour all my -thoughts and all my emotions into your bosom--that is a very bitter -thing to me, and does me more harm than you think." - -"There is more pride than you think in this puerile gentleness. Am I not -your father, your best friend? Should I not force you to hear the truth -when you are deceiving yourself and lead you back when you go astray? -Come! a truce to vanity between us! I think more of your intelligence -than you do yourself, for I do not propose to allow it to degenerate by -feeding on unhealthy food. Listen to me, Emile! I know very well that it -is the fashion among the young men of to-day to pose as legislators, to -philosophize on every subject, to reform institutions that will last -much longer than they will, and to invent religions and social -systems--a new morality. The imagination delights in these chimeras, and -they are very innocent when they don't last too long. But we must leave -it all on the benches at school, and learn to know and understand -society before destroying it. We soon discover that it is far superior -to us, and that the wisest course is to submit to it, with shrewd -tolerance. You are too big a boy now to waste your desires and -reflections on a subject that has no bottom. I wish you to become -interested in real, positive life; to study the meaning and application -of the laws by which we are governed, instead of exhausting yourself in -criticizing them. On the other hand, if such study tends to create a -spirit of reaction and of disgust with the truth, you must abandon it -and set about finding something useful to do for which you feel that you -are fitted. Come, we are here to have an understanding and arrive at -some conclusion: no vain declamations, no poetic dithyrambs against -heaven and mankind! Poor creatures of a day that we are, we have no time -to waste in trying to ascertain our destiny before and after our brief -appearance on earth. We shall never solve that enigma. It is our bounden -duty to work incessantly here on earth and to go hence without a murmur. -We must account for our labors to the generation that precedes us and -shapes us, and to that which follows us and which we shape. That is why -family bonds are sacred and the rights of inheritance inalienable, -despite your fine communistic theories, which I have never been able to -understand, because they are not ripe and the human race must still wait -for centuries before accepting them. Tell me, what do you propose to -do?" - -"I have absolutely no idea," replied Emile, overwhelmed by this -avalanche of narrow-minded, cold commonplaces, uttered with brutal and -arrogant fluency. "You solve with so much assurance questions which it -will probably require my whole life to solve, that I am unable to follow -you in this ardent race toward an unknown goal. I am too weak and my -intelligence is apparently too limited to find in my own energy the -motive or the reward of so many efforts. My tastes in no wise incline me -to make them. I love mental labor, and I should love bodily labor, if it -should become the servant of the other in procuring the gratification of -the heart; but to work in order to hoard, to hoard in order to retain -and increase one's hoard, until death puts an end to this unreasoning -thirst--that has neither sense nor any attraction to me. I possess no -faculty which you can employ for that object; I am not born a gambler -and the enthralling chances of the rise and fall of my fortune will -never cause me the slightest emotion. If my aspirations and my -enthusiasm are chimeras unworthy of a serious mind, if there is no -eternal truth, no divine reason for the existence of things, no ideal -which we can carry in our heart to sustain ourselves and guide our -footsteps through the evils and injustices of the present, then I no -longer exist, I no longer believe in anything; I consent to die for you, -father; but as to living and struggling like you and with you, I have -neither the heart nor the arm nor the head for that sort of work." - -Monsieur Cardonnet quivered with rage, but he restrained himself. Not -without design had he thus awkwardly aroused his son's indignation and -spirit of resistance. He had determined to lead him on to speak out his -whole thought, and to test his enthusiasm, so to speak. When he realized -from the young man's bitter tone and desperate expression that it really -was as serious as he had feared, he determined to go around the obstacle -and to manœuvre in such a way as to recover his influence. - - - - -XIII - -THE STRUGGLE - - -"Emile," rejoined the manufacturer with well-feigned calmness, "I see -that we have been talking for some moments without understanding each -other, and that if we continue on this tack you will pick a quarrel with -me and treat me as if you were a young saint and I an old heathen. With -whom are you in such a passion? I was quite right, at the outset, to try -to put you on your guard against enthusiasm. All this warmth of brain is -simply youthful effervescence, and when you are as old as I am and have -had a little experience and are accustomed to doing your duty, you won't -think it necessary to flap your wings in order to be honest, or to shout -your convictions so loud. Beware of emphasis, which is nothing more than -the language of self-satisfied vanity. Tell me, boy, do you happen to -believe that honor, morality, good faith in keeping engagements, humane -sentiments, pity for the unfortunate, devotion to country, respect for -the rights of others, domestic virtues and the love of one's neighbor -are very rare and substantially impossible virtues in these days and in -the world we live in?" - -"Yes, father, I do firmly believe it." - -"Well, I believe nothing of the kind. I am less misanthropic at fifty -than you are at one-and-twenty; I have a better opinion of my -fellow-men, apparently because I don't possess your lights and your -infallible glance!" - -"In heaven's name! do not make fun of me, father; you break my heart." - -"Very well, let us talk seriously. I will assume with you that those -virtues are the religion and the rule of life of a small number of -people. Will you at least do me the honor to assume that they are not -wholly foreign to your father's character?" - -"Most of your acts, father, have convinced me that to do good was your -sole ambition. Why then do your words seem to attempt to show me that -you have a less noble aim?" - -"That is precisely what I want to come at. You agree that my conduct is -irreproachable, and yet you are scandalized to hear me appeal to calm -common sense and to the counsel of sound logic! Tell me, what would you -think of your father if, every hour in the day, you should hear him -declaiming against those who do not follow his example? If, setting -himself up as a model, and all puffed out with self-love and -self-admiration, he should weary you at every turn with his own praises -and with anathemas hurled at the rest of mankind? You would hold your -peace and throw a veil over that annoying absurdity; but, do what you -would, the thought would come that your worthy father had one deplorable -weakness and that his vanity detracted from his merit." - -"Doubtless, father, I prefer your reserve and your judicious modesty; -but when we are alone together, and on the rare and solemn occasions -when you deign to open your heart to me, should I not be overjoyed to -hear you extol noble ideas and kindle a holy enthusiasm in my heart, -instead of hearing you sneer at my aspirations and trample them -contemptuously in the dirt." - -"I do not despise noble ideas, nor do I laugh at your worthy -aspirations. What I do spurn and what I desire to stifle in you are the -declamation and braggadocio of the new humanitarian schools. I cannot -endure their holding up principles as old as the world in the guise of -truths unheard of until this day. I would like you to love duty with -immovable tranquillity, and perform it with the stoical silence of -genuine conviction. Believe me, an acquaintance with good and evil -doesn't date from yesterday, and I did not wait to learn justice until -you had sucked in the celestial manna while smoking your cigar on the -sidewalks of Poitiers." - -"All this may be true, generally speaking," said Emile, heated by -Monsieur Cardonnet's persistent irony. "There are old citizens who, like -you, father, practise virtue without ostentation, and there may be -impertinent students who preach it without loving it and, as it were, -without knowing what it is. But your last shaft of satire I can not take -to my own account or that of my young friends. I do not claim to be -anything more than a child and do not pride myself on any experience I -may have had. On the contrary, I come with respect and confidence, -actuated only by good instincts and good intentions, to ask you for the -truth, for advice, example, assistance and instruction. I have on my -side only my youthful ideas, and I lay them at your feet. Disgusted as I -am by the shocking contradictions which the laws of society recognize -and sanction, I implore you to tell me how you have been able to accept -them without protest, and to remain an honest man. I confess that I am -weak and ignorant, for I cannot conceive the possibility of such a -thing. So tell me, I pray you, instead of heaping freezing sarcasm on -me. Am I blameworthy in asking for light? am I insolent and mad because -I desire to know the laws of my conscience and the aim of my life? Yes, -your character is noble and your conduct judicious and wise; your heart -is kind and your hand liberal; you assist the poor man and you pay him -handsomely for his labor. But whither are you going by this straight, -sure road? It seems to me that you sometimes lack indulgence, and your -severity has often frightened me. - -"I have always said to myself that your sight was clearer and your mind -more provident than those of tender, timid natures, that the momentary -suffering you inflict was with a view to doing lasting good and to -strengthening the foundations of talent; and so, notwithstanding my -distaste for the studies you imposed upon me, notwithstanding the -sacrifice of my tastes to your hidden purposes, and the constant denial -and stifling of my desires at their birth, I made it the law of my life -to follow you and obey you in everything. But the time has come when you -must open my eyes if you wish me to succeed in this superhuman effort; -for the study of the law doesn't satisfy my conscience; I cannot imagine -myself ever engaging in legal contests, still less compelling myself, -like you, to urge men on to toil for my benefit, unless I see clearly -whither I am going and what sacrifice beneficial to mankind I shall have -consummated at the cost of my happiness." - -"Your happiness then would consist in doing nothing and living with your -arms folded, staring at the stars? It seems that work of any sort vexes -and tires you, even the study of the law, which all young men learn in -sport?" - -"You are well aware that the contrary is true, father; you saw me become -passionately interested in the most abstract studies, and you stopped me -as if I were rushing to my destruction. You know well, however, what my -wishes were, when you urged me to seek some material application of the -sciences I preferred. You were not willing that I should be an artist or -a poet; perhaps you were right; but I might have been a naturalist, or -at least an agriculturist, and you forbade that. And yet that was a -real, practical application. - -"Love of nature impelled me toward life in the country. The infinite -pleasure that I took in investigating nature's laws and mysteries led me -naturally to the discovery of its concealed forces and to the attempt to -guide them and make them more fruitful by intelligent toil. Yes, that -was my vocation, you may be sure. Agriculture is in its infancy; the -peasant wears himself out in monotonous routine tasks; vast tracts of -land are untilled. Science would increase tenfold the richness of the -soil and lighten the labor of man. - -"My ideas concerning society were in accord with my dreams of such a -future. I asked you to send me to some model farm to study. I should -have been happy to become a peasant, to work with mind and body, to be -constantly in contact with men and things as nature knows them. I would -have applied myself with zeal, I would have ploughed farther than some -others perhaps in the field of discoveries! And some day I would have -founded, upon some desert, naked tract of land transformed by my labors, -a colony of free men living together like brothers and loving me as a -brother. That was my only ambition, in that direction alone was I -thirsty for fortune and glory. Was it an insane freak? and why did you -require me to go and work like a slave to learn a code of laws that will -never be mine?" - -"There you are! there you are!" said Monsieur Cardonnet shrugging his -shoulders; "there we have the Utopia of Brother Emile, Moravian brother, -Quaker, Neo-Christian, Neo-Platonist and God knows what. It is -magnificent, but it is absurd." - -"Pray tell me why, father? for again you pronounce sentence without -giving any reasons." - -"Because, mingling your socialistic Utopias with your vain speculations -as a scientist, you would have poured treasures upon the barren rock, -you would not have raised wheat from the sterile soil nor would you have -raised men capable of living as brothers from the communistic idea. You -would have spent foolishly with one hand what I had saved with the -other; and, at forty years of age, with your imagination run dry, at the -end of your genius and your confidence, disgusted with the imbecility or -the perversity of your disciples, mad perhaps--for that is what -excitable and romantic minds come to when they seek to put their dreams -in practice, you would have come back to me, crushed by your -helplessness, angry with mankind, and too old to return to the right -road. Whereas, if you listen to me and follow me, we will travel -together over a straight, sure road, and within ten years we shall have -made a fortune of which I don't dare name the amount, for you would not -believe me." - -"Let us admit that this is not a dream also, father, for it makes little -difference for my present purpose; what shall we do with this fortune?" - -"Whatever you choose, all the good that you may then dream of doing; for -I am not at all disturbed about your common sense and prudence, if you -will wait for experience of life and allow your brain to mature in -peace." - -"What do you say? we will do good! you must tell me about that, father, -and I will be all ears! What is the blessing with which we will endow -mankind?" - -"You ask the question! In heaven's name, what divine mystery do you -expect to find in human affairs? We shall have bestowed upon a whole -province the benefits of industrial activity! Are we not already on the -way? Is not work the source and sustenance of work? do we not employ -more men here in a day than agriculture and the petty uncivilized trades -that I propose to put down used to employ in a month? Do they not -receive higher wages? Are they not in a fair way to acquire the spirit -of order, prudence, sobriety, all the virtues that they lack? Where are -these virtues, the poor man's only blessing, concealed? In absorbing -work, in salutary fatigue and in proportionate wages. The good mechanic -has the family spirit, respect for property, submission to the laws, -economy, and the habit and the advantages of saving. Idleness, with all -the wretched arguments it engenders, is what ruins him. Keep him busy, -overwhelm him with work; he is strong, and will become stronger; he will -cease to dream of overturning society. He will become orderly in his -conduct, his house will be well kept, he will introduce comfort and -tranquillity there. And if he lives to be old and infirm, however -willing you may be to assist him, it will not be necessary. He will have -thought of the future himself; he will no longer need alms and a -protector like your friend Jappeloup the vagabond; he will be really a -free man. There is no other way to save the people, Emile. I am sorry to -tell you that it will take longer to carry out this plan than to -conceive a fine Utopian scheme; but if it be a long and hard -undertaking, it is worthy of a philosopher like you, and I do not -consider it beyond the strength of a hard worker of my sort." - -"What! is that the whole ideal of industry?" said Emile, crushed by this -conclusion. "Have the people no other future than incessant toil, for -the benefit of a class that is never to work at all?" - -"That is not my idea," Monsieur Cardonnet replied; "I hate and despise -idlers; that is why I don't like poets and metaphysicians. I think that -everybody should work according to his powers, and my _ideal_, as that -word seems to please you, is not far removed from that of the -Saint-Simonians: 'To every one according to his capacity,' recompense -proportioned to desert. But in these days the manufacturing industry has -not yet become so firmly established that we can think about a moral -system of subdivision. We must look at what is and not speculate as to -what is possible. The whole movement of the age tends toward -manufacturing. Let it reign and triumph then; let all men work, some -with the arm, some with the brain; it is for him who has more brain than -arm to direct the others: it is his right and his duty to make a -fortune. His wealth becomes sacred, since it is destined to increase in -order that there may be more work and higher wages. Society should lend -a hand therefore in every way to establish the power of the sagacious -man; his sagacity is a public blessing; and he himself should struggle -constantly to increase his activity; it is his duty, his religion, his -philosophy. In short he must be rich in order to keep growing richer, as -you said, Emile, not realizing that you were uttering the most valuable -of axioms." - -"So, father, you would give to a man only as long as he works? Pray, do -you make no account of the man who cannot work?" - -"I find in wealth the means of assisting the infirm and the insane." - -"But the sluggard?" - -"I try to correct him, and if I fail, I turn him over to the law, since -he is certain before long to become a nuisance and to incur its -penalties." - -"In a perfectly constituted society that might be just, because the -sluggard would be a monstrous exception; but in exercising authority -according to such strict rules as yours, when you demand from the -workingman all his strength, all his time, all his thoughts, all his -life, ah! how many would be dismissed as sluggards and abandoned to -their fate!" - -"With the advantages accruing from the increase of manufacturing, we -should very soon succeed in increasing the well-being of the poorer -classes to such an extent that we could easily found schools where their -children would be taught the love of work at almost no expense." - -"I think that you are mistaken, father; but even if it were true that -the rich would give their attention to the education of the poor, the -love of incessant work, without other compensation than the certainty of -a pittance for one's old age, is so contrary to nature that you can -never kindle it in children. A few exceptional natures, consumed by -energy or ambition, will sacrifice their youth; but whoever is -simple-hearted, loving, inclined to reverie, to innocent and legitimate -pleasures, and under the influence of that craving for affection and -tranquillity which is the lawful privilege of the human race, will fly -from this jail of incessant toil in which you seek to confine him, and -will prefer the chances of poverty to the security of slavery. Ah! -father, your rugged constitution, your untiring energy, your stoical -sobriety and your inveterate habit of working make you an exceptional -man, and you imagine a society formed after your image, you do not see -that there is no suitable place there for any but exceptional men. -Permit me to tell you that that is a Utopian conception far more -appalling than mine." - -"Well, Emile, I wish that you believed in it," said Monsieur Cardonnet -warmly; "it is a source of strength, and an invaluable stimulant in this -society of dreamers, idlers and apathetic creatures in which I am -devoured with impatience. Be like me, and if we should find in France, -at this moment, a hundred men like us, I promise you that there would be -no more exceptions a hundred years hence. Activity is contagious, -magnetic, miracle-working! it was through activity that Napoléon held -sway over Europe: he would have owned all Europe if he had been a -manufacturer instead of a fighting man. Oh! since you are an enthusiast, -be enthusiastic for my ideas! shake off your languor and share my fever! -If we do not attract the whole race, we shall make great breaches -through which our descendants will see it moving about in a sacred -frenzy." - -"No, father, never!" cried Emile, dismayed by Monsieur Cardonnet's -terrible energy; "for that is not the road for mankind to follow. There -is in it no trace of love or pity or gentleness. Man was not born to -know naught but suffering and to extend his conquests over matter only. -The conquests of the intellect in the domain of ideas, the pleasures and -refinements of the heart, which, according to your plan, should be -carefully regulated accessories in the workingman's life, will always be -the noblest and sweetest aspiration of every normally constituted man. -Do you not see that you cut off one whole side of the benevolent -intentions of God? that you do not give the slave of toil time to -breathe and to know himself? that education directed solely to -moneymaking will make mere brutish machines and not complete men? You -say that you conceive an ideal to be realized in the course of -centuries, that a time may come when every one will be rewarded -according to his capacity. Well, I say that your formula is false -because it is incomplete, and unless we add to it: 'To everyone -according to his needs,' it is unjust, it is simply asserting the right -of him who is strongest in intellect or will, it is aristocracy and -privilege under other forms. O father, instead of fighting with the -strong against the weak, let us fight with the weak against the strong. -Let us try! but in that case let us not think of making our fortunes, -let us renounce the idea of hoarding for our own benefit. Give your -consent, for I, for whom you are working to-day, give my consent. Let us -try to identify our ideals in this way, and let us renounce personal -profit while devoting ourselves to work. Since we cannot by ourselves -alone create a society in which all the members have an equal interest, -let us be the workmen of the future, devoted to the weak and incapable -of the present." - - -[Illustration: _EMILE IN CONFERENCE WITH HIS -FATHER._ - -_When he realized from the young man's bitter tone and desperate -expression that it really was as serious as he had feared, he determined -to go around the obstacle and to manœuvre in such a way as to recover -his influence._] - - -"If Napoléon's genius had been trained to this doctrine, perhaps it -would have converted the world; but let us find a hundred men like us, -let this fever to acquire wealth become a divine zeal, let the longing -to practise charity consume us, let us give all our workmen a share in -all our profits, let our great fortune be not your property and my -heritage, but the property of all those who have assisted us, according -to their abilities and their strength, in amassing it; let the workman -who brings his stone be put in a way to know as much of the material -joys of life as you who bring your genius; let him too be able to live -in a fine house, to breathe pure air, to eat healthy food, to rest after -fatigue, and to educate his children; let us find our reward, not in the -useless luxury with which you and I can surround ourselves, but in the -joy of having made others happy--I can understand that ambition and be -carried away by it. And then, father, dear father, your work will be -blessed. - -"This indolence and apathy which irritate you, and which are simply the -result of a struggle in which a few triumph to the detriment of the vast -majority who lose their courage and succumb, will themselves disappear -in the natural course of things. Then you will find so much zeal and -love about you that you will no longer be obliged to wear yourself out -alone in order to stimulate all the others. How could it be otherwise -to-day, and of what do you complain? Under the law of selfishness each -one gives of his strength and his energy in proportion to the share of -the profits he receives. A marvellous result, truly, that you, who -receive all the profit, should be the only zealous, assiduous worker, -while the paid worker, who receives in your employ a trifle more alms -than he would receive elsewhere, brings you only a little more of his -zeal. You pay higher wages--that is a fine thing, certainly, and you are -more to be commended than the majority of your rivals, who would prefer -to lower them; but you have it in your power to increase the zeal of -your employés tenfold, a hundred-fold, to kindle as by a miracle the -flame of devotion, the intelligence of the heart in those benumbed and -paralyzed creatures, and you do not choose to do it!--Why not, father? -It is not that you care for the enjoyments of luxury; for you enjoy -nothing unless it be the intoxication of your plans and your triumphs. -Very well; do away with your individual profit; you have only to do it, -and I will abandon my claim to it with the greatest joy! Let us be -simply the trustees and managers of the common profits. This fortune -that you dream of, of which you dare not tell me the amount, will so -surpass your anticipations and your hopes, that you will soon have the -means to give your workmen moral, intellectual and physical pleasures -which will make new men of them, complete men, true men! and such men I -have never seen anywhere. All equilibrium is destroyed; I see only -knaves and brutes, tyrants and slaves, powerful and greedy eagles and -stupid and cowardly sparrows destined to be their prey. We live -according to the blind law of the savage nature; the code of savage -instinct which governs the brute is still the soul of our pretended -civilization; and we dare to say that the manufacturing industry will -save the world without departing from that path! No, no, father, all -these declamations of political economy are false and misleading! If you -compel me to be rich and powerful, as you have said so many times, and -if, by reason of the vulgar influence of money, the adorers of money -send me to represent their interests in the counsels of the nation, I -shall say what I have in my mind; I shall speak, and I suppose that I -shall speak only once: for they will put me to silence or force me to -leave the hall; but people will remember what I say, and they who chose -me will have reason to repent their choice!" - -This discussion was prolonged far into the night, and it will be readily -understood that Emile did not convert his father. Monsieur Cardonnet was -not evil-minded, nor impious, nor voluntarily blameworthy toward God or -man. Indeed, certain practical virtues were very strongly accentuated in -him, and he had great talent in one special field. But his iron will was -the result of the entire absence of idealism in his character. - -He loved his son but could not understand him. He was kind and attentive -to his wife, but he had never failed to stifle in her any thought -capable of interfering with his daily routine. He would have liked to be -able to reduce Emile to subjection in the same way; but, realizing that -was impossible, he was intensely annoyed and tears of vexation moistened -his burning eyes more than once during that stormy interview. He -sincerely believed that he was logically right; that his ideas were the -only really admissible and practicable ones. - -He asked himself by what fatality he happened to have a dreamer and a -Utopian for a son, and more than once he raised his powerful arms to -heaven, asking with indescribable pain what crime he had committed that -such a calamity should be visited upon him. - -Emile, worn out by fatigue and disappointment, was moved to pity at last -for that wounded heart and that incurable blindness. - -"Let us talk no more about these matters, father," he said, wiping away -his own tears, which had their source farther down in his heart; "we -cannot become identified with each other. I can only continue to show my -submission and my filial love, thinking no more of myself and of a -happiness which I sacrifice to you. What are your orders? Shall I return -to Poitiers and go on with my studies until I pass my examinations? -Shall I stay here and act as your secretary and steward? I will close my -eyes and work like a machine so long as it is possible for me to do it. -I will look upon myself as your employé; I will enter your service----" - -"And you will cease to look upon me as your father?" said Monsieur -Cardonnet. "No, Emile; stay with me, but be perfectly free. I give you -three months, during which, living as you will in the bosom of your -family, far from the declamations of the beardless philosophers who have -ruined you, you will recover your senses unassisted. You are blessed -with a robust temperament, and it may be that absorbing mental labor has -overheated your brain. I look upon you as a sick child whom I have taken -into the country to cure. Walk, ride, hunt; in a word, amuse yourself in -order to reestablish your equilibrium, which seems to me more disturbed -than that of society. I hope that you will abate your intolerance when -you see that your home is not a hotbed of wickedness and corruption. -Before long, perhaps, you will tell me voluntarily that profitless -musing bores you, and that you feel that you must help me." - -Emile bowed, without speaking, and left his father, after embracing him -with a feeling of profound sorrow. Monsieur Cardonnet, having been able -to do nothing better than temporize, tossed about a long while in his -bed, and finally fell asleep, saying, to himself, contrary to his -custom, that one must sometimes rely more upon Providence than upon -oneself. - - - - -XIV - -FIRST LOVE - - -The energetic Cardonnet, entirely engrossed by his daily occupations, or -sufficiently self-controlled not to allow the slightest trace of his -inward suffering to appear on the surface, resumed his air of glacial -dignity on the following day. - -Emile, overwhelmed with dismay and sadness, strove to smile in presence -of his mother, who was disturbed by his distraught air and altered -expression. But she was so overawed that she lacked even the penetration -peculiar to her sex. All her faculties had grown rusty, and at forty she -was already an octogenarian, mentally speaking. And yet she loved her -husband, as the result of a need of loving which had never been -satisfied. She had no definite grievances to allege against him, for he -had never openly maltreated her or made a slave of her; but every -impulse of the heart or the imagination had always been stifled in her -by irony and a sort of contemptuous pity, and she had accustomed herself -to entertain no thought or desire outside of the circle drawn about her -by an inflexible hand. - -To oversee all the details of the housekeeping had become something more -than a wise and self-imposed occupation. It had been made a law of her -existence, so serious and so sacred that she might have been compared to -a Roman matron in respect to the trivial solemnity of domestic toil, if -in no other respect. - -Thus she presented in her person the strange anachronism of a woman of -our own time, capable of reasoning and feeling, but who had insanely -forced herself to retrograde some thousands of years in order to make -herself like one of those women of ancient times whose glory it was to -proclaim the inferiority of their sex. - -The strange and sad feature of her position was that she did not realize -it, and that she acted as she did--so she would say in a whisper--for -the sake of peace. And she did not obtain it! The more she immolated -herself, the more she bored her lord and master. - -Nothing weakens and destroys the intelligence so quickly as blind -submission. - -Madame Cardonnet was an example of this truth. - -Her brain had shrivelled in slavery, and her husband, not realizing that -it was the result of his domination, had reached the point of despising -her in secret. - -Several years earlier Cardonnet had been terribly jealous, and his wife, -although faded and worn, still trembled at the idea that he might impute -a vicious thought to her. She had acquired the habit of not listening or -looking, so that she could say confidently when any man was mentioned to -her: "I didn't look at him; I don't know what he said; I paid no -attention to him." The utmost that she dared do was look at her son and -question him; for, as to her husband, if she was made anxious by the -unusual pallor of his cheeks or the increased severity of his glance, he -would speedily compel her to lower her eyes, saying: "In heaven's name, -what is there extraordinary about me that you should stare at me as if -you didn't know me?" Sometimes, at night, he would notice that she had -been weeping, and he would become affectionate once more after his -fashion. "Tell me, what's the matter? Is something troubling the poor -little woman? Would you like a new shawl? Would you like me to take you -to drive? No? Then it must be because the camellias are frozen? We will -have some sent down from Paris that are more hardy and so beautiful that -you won't regret the old ones." And, in truth, he lost no opportunity to -gratify his helpmeet's innocent tastes, at any price. He even required -her to dress more richly than she cared to do. It was his idea that -wives are children who must be rewarded for being good with toys and -gimcracks. - -"It is certain," Madame Cardonnet would say to herself at such times, -"that my husband loves me dearly, and he is very attentive to me. What -have I to complain of, and what is the reason that I always feel -depressed?" - -She saw that Emile was gloomy and downcast, and she could not extort the -secret of his trouble from him. She questioned him at tedious length -concerning his health, and advised him to go to bed early. She had a -feeling that it was something more serious than the result of insomnia; -but she said to herself that it was much better to allow a sorrow to -fall asleep in silence than to keep it alive by trying to allay it. - -That evening Emile, as he was walking near the entrance to the village, -met Jean Jappeloup, who had returned several hours earlier and was -joyously celebrating his arrival with several friends, in the doorway of -a rustic dwelling. - -"Well," said the young man holding out his hand, "are your affairs -settled?" - -"With the authorities, yes, monsieur, but not with poverty. I made my -submission, I argued as well as I could with the king's attorney and he -listened to me patiently; he said a few stupid things by way of sermon; -but he's not a bad fellow and he was just about to dismiss me, saying -that he would do his best to prevent any prosecution, when your letters -arrived. He read them without making a sign; but he paid some attention -to them, for he said to me: 'Well, set your mind at rest, settle down -somewhere, don't poach any more, find some work, and everything will be -all right.'--So here I am; my friends have received me warmly, as you -see, for I have already been asked to lodge in this house while I look -about. But I must give my mind to my most pressing necessity, which is -to earn something to buy clothes with, and before night I am going to -make the tour of the village, to look for work among the good people." - -"Listen, Jean," said Emile, walking beside him; "I have no large amount -of money at my disposal; my father makes me an allowance, but I don't -know whether he will continue it now that I am to live at home; however, -I have a few hundred francs for which I have no use here, and I beg you -to accept them, to buy clothes and provide for your first needs. You -will make me feel aggrieved if you refuse. In a few days your -ill-founded anger against my father will have passed away and you will -come and ask him for work; or better still, authorize me to ask him for -you; he will pay you higher wages than you will get anywhere else, and -he will relax the severity of his original terms, I am sure; so----" - -"No, Monsieur Emile," the carpenter replied. "I will take neither your -money nor your father's work. I don't know how Monsieur Cardonnet treats -you, nor how much money he gives you, but I know that a young man like -you is always embarrassed when he hasn't a piece of gold or silver in -his pocket to gratify his whims when occasion offers. You have done -enough for me; I am well pleased with you, and, if I find an -opportunity, you will see that you didn't offer your hand to an ingrate. -But as for serving your father in any way, never! I was very near -committing that folly and God would not permit it. I forgive him for the -way in which he caused my arrest by Caillaud, but it was a contemptible -act! However, as he may not have known that boy is my godson, and as he -has since written kindly of me to the king's attorney to obtain my -pardon, I must think no more of my grievance. In any event I would -trample it under foot now because of you. But as for helping to build -your factories--no! you don't need my arms, you will find plenty of -others, and you know my reasons. What you are doing is a bad thing and -will ruin many people, if it doesn't ruin everybody some day. Already -your dams and your reservoirs are drowning all the small mills on the -stream above you. Already your piles of stone and dirt have ruined the -meadows all around, for the flood carried them all onto your neighbors' -land. Thus, you see, the rich man injures the poor man even against his -will. I don't choose to have it said that Jean Jappeloup lent his hand -to the ruin of his neighborhood. Don't say any more about it. I mean to -take up my trade again in a small way, and I shall have no lack of work. -Now that your great enterprises employ all my fellows, no one in the -village can find anybody to work for him. I shall inherit their -customers but must give them back when your work fails. For mark my -words; your father greases his wheels by paying a high price for the -sweat of the workingman's brow to-day; but he won't be able to continue -long on that footing, or his expenses will exceed his profits. The day -will come--and perhaps it's not far away!--when he will run his -factories at a loss, and then, woe to those who have sacrificed their -position on the strength of fine promises! They will be forced to do -whatever your father chooses and the time will have come to make them -disgorge. You don't believe it? So much the better for you! that proves -that you won't be at all responsible for the trouble that is brewing; -but you won't be able to prevent it. So good night, my fine fellow! -don't speak in my behalf to your father, for I should give you the lie. -The good Lord has helped me out of my trouble; I propose to please Him -in everything now and to do only such things as my conscience will never -blame me for. Being poor myself, I shall be more useful to the poor than -your father with all his wealth. I will build houses for my equals and -they will make more by paying me small wages than by earning big wages -with you. You will see that I am right, Monsieur Emile, and everybody -will tell you so some time; but it will be too late to repent of having -put their necks in the halter!" - -Emile could not overcome the carpenter's obstinacy, and he returned home -even more depressed than when he went out. That incorruptible -workingman's predictions caused him a vague alarm. - -As he approached the factory he met his father's secretary, Monsieur -Galuchet, a stout young man, very talented in the way of ciphering, but -of very limited capacity in other respects. - -It was the hour of repose and Galuchet was taking advantage of it to -fish for gudgeons. This was his favorite pastime; and when he had a -goodly number in his basket, he would count them, and adding the count -to the total of his previous catches, would say proudly as he wound up -his line: - -"This is the seven hundred and eighty-second gudgeon I have caught with -this hook in two months. I am very sorry I didn't count what I caught -last year." - -Emile leaned against a tree to watch him fish. The fellow's phlegmatic -watchfulness and puerile patience disgusted him. He could not understand -how he could be perfectly happy just because he had a salary that placed -him out of reach of want. He tried to make him talk, saying to himself -that he might perhaps find beneath that thick envelope some ray of -light, some sympathetic chord which would make that young man's society -a source of comfort to him in his distress. But Monsieur Cardonnet -selected his subordinates with an unerring eye and hand. Constant -Galuchet was a fool; he understood nothing, knew nothing outside of -arithmetic and bookkeeping. When he had been at work at his figures for -twelve hours he had just enough reasoning power left to catch gudgeons. - -However, Emile by mere chance led him to say certain things that cast an -ominous light into his mind. That human machine was capable of reckoning -profits and losses and of figuring the balance at the foot of a sheet of -paper. While exhibiting the most complete ignorance of Monsieur -Cardonnet's plans and resources, Constant observed that the wages of the -men were exorbitant and that, if they were not reduced by half in two -months, the funds invested in the enterprise would be insufficient. - -"But that doesn't disturb monsieur your father," he added; "you pay your -workmen as you feed a horse, according to the amount of work you require -of him. When you double his work you double his pay, as you double the -quantity of oats; then, when you're no longer in such a hurry, you cut -down the pay or the rations proportionately." - -"My father won't do that," said Emile; "he might with horses, but not -with men." - -"Don't say that, monsieur," rejoined Galuchet; "monsieur your father -knows what he's about, he won't do anything foolish, never fear." - -And he carried off his gudgeons, delighted to have had an opportunity to -set the son's mind at rest concerning the father's apparent imprudence. - -"Oh! if that should be true!" thought Emile, as he walked excitedly -along the bank of the stream; "if it should prove that this temporary -generosity conceals inhuman cunning! Suppose that Jean's suspicions were -well-founded! that my father, while following the blind doctrines of -society, has no greater store of virtue or intelligence than other -speculators have, to diminish the disastrous results of his ambition! -But no, it is impossible; my father is kind-hearted, he loves his -fellow-men." - -But Emile had death in his heart; the thought of all this waste of -energy and of life for the benefit of his future made him recoil in -horror and disgust. He wondered how it was that all these men who were -working to build his fortune did not hate him, and he was ready to hate -himself in order to balance the scales of justice. - -On the following day, he was still profoundly distressed, but he hailed -with something like delight the day which he was to devote in part to -Monsieur de Boisguilbault, because he had made up his mind to go and -pass the day at Châteaubrun without saying a word to anybody. As he -mounted his horse, Monsieur Cardonnet made divers satirical remarks: - -"You are starting early to go to Boisguilbault! it would seem that the -amiable marquis's society has charms for you; I should never have -suspected it, and I can't imagine what secret method you have of keeping -awake after each of his remarks." - -"If this is your way of informing me that you do not like what I am -doing," said Emile, impatiently preparing to dismount, "I am ready to -give it up, although I accepted an invitation for to-day." - -"I not like it!" rejoined the manufacturer; "why it is a matter of -perfect indifference to me whether you are bored there or somewhere -else. As your father's house is the place where you find least pleasure, -I am anxious that you should derive some recompense from the society of -the noble personages with whom you associate." - -Under any other circumstances, Emile would have postponed his departure -in order to prove, or at least to make him believe that the rebuke was -not merited; but he was beginning to understand that it was his father's -tactics to rally him when he wished to make him talk; and as he felt -invincibly drawn toward Châteaubrun he determined not to allow himself -to be trapped. - -Although nothing in the world stung him more keenly than the ridicule of -those whom he loved, he made an effort to seem to take it in good part. - -"I anticipate so much pleasure at Monsieur de Boisguilbault's," he said, -"that I propose to go there by the longest road, and my détour will -probably extend to five or six leagues, unless you need me, father, in -which case I will gladly sacrifice to you the delights of a ride in the -hot sun over perpendicular roads." - -But Monsieur Cardonnet was not deceived by his stratagem and replied -with a clear and penetrating glance: - -"Go where the devil of youth drives you! I am not disturbed about you, -for a very good reason." - -"Very good," said Emile to himself as he galloped away, "if you're not -disturbed about me, I won't disturb myself about your threats." - -And, feeling the fire of anger blazing in his breast, in spite of his -efforts, he indulged in a long, hard run to calm himself. - -"O God," he said after some time, "forgive me for these angry outbreaks, -which I cannot repress. Thou knowest that my heart is full of love, and -that it asks nothing better than to respect and venerate my father, who -makes it his business to stifle all its impulses and to freeze all its -affections." - -Whether from hesitation or from prudence, he made a long detour before -he turned his horse's head in the direction of Châteaubrun; and when, -from the crest of a hill, he saw that he was a long distance from the -ruins, which stood out against the sky on the horizon, he so bitterly -regretted the time he had wasted that he drove the spurs into his -horse's sides in order to arrive there more quickly. - -He did in fact arrive there from the valley of the Creuse in less than -half an hour, almost as rapidly as a bird on the wing, having endangered -his life a hundred times leaping ditches and galloping on the brink of -precipices. A violent longing, which he did not choose to analyze, gave -him wings. - -"I don't love her," he said to himself; "I hardly know her; I cannot -love her! In any event I should love her to no purpose! It is not she -who attracts me any more than her worthy father, his romantic château, -his environment of repose, happiness and freedom from care. I long to -see people who are happy, so that I may forget that I am not and never -shall be!" - -He met Sylvain Charasson, who was engaged in stretching cloth in the -Creuse. The child ran to meet him with an eager delighted air. - -"You won't find Monsieur Antoine," he said. "He's gone to market to sell -six sheep; but Mademoiselle Janille's at home, and Mademoiselle -Gilberte, too." - -"Do you think I shall not disturb them?" - -"Oh! not at all, not at all, Monsieur Emile; they'll be very glad to see -you, for they often talk about you with Monsieur Antoine at dinner. They -say that they think a great deal of you." - -"Take my horse, then," said Emile, "I can go faster on foot." - -"Yes, yes," replied the child. "Look, just behind what used to be the -terrace. You climb the breach, take a little jump and you'll be in the -courtyard. That's _Jean's road_." - -Emile leaped down on the grass, which deadened the sound of his -footsteps, and approached the square pavilion without frightening the -two goats, who seemed to know him already. - -Monsieur Sacripant, who was no prouder than his master, and did not -disdain to perform at need the duties of sheep dog, although he belonged -to the nobler breed of hunters, had escorted the sheep to market. - -As he was about to enter, Emile found that his heart was beating so -fast--a fact that he attributed to his rapid climb up the side of the -cliff--that he paused a moment to recover himself and make his entrée -with due dignity. He heard the sound of a spinning-wheel inside, and no -music had ever struck more pleasantly on his ear. Then the dull hissing -of the little instrument of toil ceased and he heard Gilberte's voice -saying: - -"Well, it's quite true, Janille, that I don't enjoy myself the days that -father is away. If you weren't here with me, I should be bored -outright!" - -"Work, my child, work," replied Janille; "that's the way to avoid being -bored." - -"But I do work, and still I am not amused. I know well enough that -there's no need of being amused; but I always am, and am always ready to -laugh and jump when father's with us. Confess, little mother, that if we -had to live long away from him, we should lose all our happiness and -good spirits! Oh! it would be impossible to live without father! I -should much rather die at once." - -"Well, well, those are pretty ideas!" said Janille. "What in heaven's -name will you think about next, little head? Your father is still young -and well, thank God! so what has put all this nonsense into your head -these last two or three days?" - -"What do you say? these last two or three days?" - -"Why, yes, fully two or three days; several times you have chosen to -worry about what would become of us if we should lose your dear father, -which God forbid!" - -"Lose him!" cried Gilberte. "Oh! don't speak of such a thing; it makes -me shudder, and I never thought of it. Oh! no, I could never think of -it!" - -"Well, upon my word, if you're not crying! Fie! mademoiselle, do you -want to make your dear Mère Janille cry too? Oh! Monsieur Antoine would -be very pleased to see you with your eyes all red when he comes home! He -would be quite capable of crying too, the dear man! Come, you haven't -walked enough to-day, my child; fasten up your wool and we'll go and -feed the hens. It will amuse you to see the pretty partridges your -little Blanche has just hatched." - -Emile heard the motherly kiss from Janille which closed this speech, and -as the two women would surely find him at the door, he stepped back and -coughed slightly to warn them of his presence. - -"Someone in the courtyard!" cried Gilberte. "I am so happy; I am sure -it's father!" - -And she ran eagerly to meet Emile, so fast, that when she found herself -face to face with him on the threshold, she almost fell into his arms. -But great as her confusion was when she discovered her mistake, it was -less than Emile's; for, in her innocence, she threw it off with a hearty -laugh, while the young man lost his self-possession altogether at the -bare idea that he had been very near receiving an embrace which was not -intended for him. - -Gilberte was so lovely with her eyes still moist with tears and her -rippling, childish laugh, that he was dazzled as it were, and ceased to -wonder whether it was honest Antoine, the lovely ruins or the fair -Gilberte that he had been in such haste to see once more. - -"Well, well," said Janille, "you almost frightened us; but you are -welcome, Monsieur Emile, as our master says; Monsieur Antoine will -return before long. Meanwhile you must have something cool to drink. I -will go to the cellar and draw some wine." - -Emile remonstrated, and said, holding her back by the sleeve: - -"If you go to the cellar, I will go with you; not to drink your wine, -but to see the cellar itself, which you said is so interesting, so dark -and deep." - -"You mustn't go now," said Janille; "it's too cold there and you are too -warm. Yes, you are warm! you're as red as a strawberry. You go and rest -a bit, and then, while we are waiting for Monsieur Antoine, we'll show -you the cellars, the underground vaults and the whole château, which -you haven't examined very thoroughly yet, although it's well worth -while. Ah! there are people who come a long way to see it; it's a little -bit tiresome to us, and my girl goes to her room and reads while they -are here; but Monsieur Antoine says that we can't refuse to admit them, -especially travellers who have come a long way, and that, when you're -the owner of a curious and interesting piece of property, you haven't -any right to prevent other people from enjoying it." - -Janille attributed to her master the argument she had put into his mind -and his mouth. The fact is that she collected a considerable amount from -exhibiting the ruins, which she employed, like everything belonging to -her, in secretly adding to the comfort of the family. - -Emile, eagerly accepting whatever they chose to offer him, consented to -take a glass of water, and as Janille ran to fill her pitcher at the -fountain, he was left alone with Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun. - - - - -XV - -THE STAIRCASE - - -While a practised rake may congratulate himself upon the unhoped-for -accident which procures him a tête-à-tête with the object of his -pursuit, a pure-hearted young man, who is sincerely in love, is more -likely to be confused, almost terrified, when such good fortune comes to -him for the first time. - -So it was with Emile Cardonnet: the respect that Mademoiselle de -Châteaubrun inspired was so profound that he feared to raise his eyes -to hers at that moment, lest he should show himself in any degree -unworthy of the confidence reposed in him. - -Gilberte, even more naïve than he, did not feel the same embarrassment. -The thought that Emile could abuse, even by a careless word, her -isolation and her inexperience, found no place in a mind so noble and -innocent as hers, and her sacred ignorance preserved her from any -suspicion of that sort. So she was the first to break the silence, and -her voice, as by enchantment, brought tranquillity to the young -visitor's agitated breast. There are voices so sympathetic and so -penetrating, that to hear them pronounce two or three trivial words is -enough to fill one with affection for the persons whose characters they -describe, even before one sees them. Gilberte's voice was of this -number. On hearing her speak or laugh or sing, you felt that there had -never been in her mind an evil or unkind thought. - -The thing that moves and charms us in the song of birds is not so much -the melody, opposed to all our musical conventions, or the extraordinary -power of their flexible organs, as a certain accent of primitive -innocence, of which nothing in the language of men can convey an idea. -It seemed, on listening to Gilberte, that the same comparison could be -aptly applied to her, and that the most indifferent things acquired, on -passing between her lips, a meaning much deeper than that which they -expressed by themselves. - -"We saw our friend Jean this morning," she said; "he came at daybreak -and carried away all my father's tools, in order to do his first day's -work; for he has found work already, and we have strong hopes that there -will be no lack of it. He told us all that you did and tried to do for -him last evening, and I assure you, monsieur, that, for all the pride -and perhaps roughness of his refusal, he is as grateful as he ought to -be." - -"What I have been able to do for him amounts to so little that I am -ashamed to speak of it," said Emile. "I am especially grieved that he -allows his obstinacy to deprive him of a certainty of employment, for it -seems to me that his position is still very precarious. To begin a life -of toil, at sixty, and to have neither a house, nor clothes, nor even -the necessary tools, is a terrifying prospect, is it not, mademoiselle?" - -"Still, I am not terrified," replied Gilberte. "Brought up as I have -been in uncertainty, and living from day to day, as it were, perhaps I -have myself fallen into the habit of looking upon poverty with that same -happy indifference. Either I am naturally of that disposition, or Jean's -heedlessness reassures me; it is certain that none of us felt the least -uneasiness in the congratulations we exchanged this morning. It takes so -little to satisfy Jean! He is as sober and as healthy as a wild man. He -has never been better than during these two months that he has lived in -the woods, walking all day and sleeping most of the time in the open -air. He declares that his sight has grown keener, that his youth has -returned again, and that, if the summer would last all the time, he -would never need to come back to the village to live. But in the bottom -of his heart he has an invincible affection for his native place, and -furthermore he would not be satisfied to be idle long. We urged him this -morning to settle down here with us, and to live as we do, without -thought for the morrow. - -"'There is room enough here and plenty of material for you to build -yourself a house,' said my father. 'I have all the stone you need and -enough old trees for your frame, and I'll help you to put it up as you -helped me with mine.' - -"But Jean wouldn't listen to that. - -"'Very good,' said he, 'but what in heaven's name should I do to kill -time when you have set me up as a country gentleman? I can't live on my -income, and I don't propose to be a burden to you during the thirty -years that I still have to live, it may be. Even if you were rich enough -to support me, I should die of ennui. It's all right for you, Monsieur -Antoine, you were brought up to do nothing. Although you're no sluggard -and you have proved it--it costs you nothing to resume the habit of -living like a _monsieur_; but there's no more hunting and coursing for -me; pray, am I to sit with folded arms? I should go mad at the end of -the first week.'" - -"So," said Emile, thinking of his father's theory of incessant toil and -no repose in old age, "so Jean will never feel the longing to be free, -although he makes so many sacrifices to his alleged freedom?" - -"Why, are freedom and idleness the same thing?" said Gilberte, in a tone -of surprise. "I think not. Jean is passionately fond of work, and all -his freedom consists in choosing the work that pleases him; when he -works to gratify his inclination and his natural inventiveness, he works -with all the more ardor." - -"Yes, mademoiselle, you are right," said Emile, with sudden melancholy, -"and that is the whole secret. Man is born to work always, but to work -according to his aptitudes and in proportion to the enjoyment he derives -from it! Ah! if only I were a skilful carpenter! with what joy I would -go and work with Jean Jappeloup, for the benefit of such a wise and -unselfish man!" - -"Well, well, monsieur," said Janille, as she returned to the room, -ostentatiously balancing her earthenware pitcher on her head, to display -her strength, "you talk just like Monsieur Antoine. If you'll believe -it, he wanted to go to Gargilesse this morning with Jean and work with -him as a journeyman, as he used to do! Poor dear man! his kind heart -carried him to that length. - -"'You helped me to earn my living long enough,' he said; 'now I propose -to help you earn yours. You refuse to share my table and my house; -accept at least the price of my work, as I don't need it.'" - -"And Monsieur Antoine would have done as he said. At his age and with -his rank, he would go and hammer away like a deaf man on those great -blocks of wood!" - -"Why did you prevent him, Mère Janille? Why did Jean obstinately -refuse? My father's health would have been no worse for it, and it would -be consistent with all the noble impulses of his life. Ah! why cannot I -too wield an axe and serve my apprenticeship to the man who supported my -father so long, while I, knowing nothing about our means of existence, -learned to sing and draw to please you. Really, women are good for -nothing in this world!" - -"What's that! what's that! women good for nothing!" cried Janille; "very -good, let us both start out, climb up on the roofs, square timber and -drive nails. Upon my word I could do better at it than you, old and -small as I am; but meanwhile, your papa, who's about as clever with his -hands as a frog with his tail, will spin our flax and Jean will iron our -caps." - -"You are right, mother," replied Gilberte; "my wheel is loaded and I -have done nothing to-day. If we make haste we shall have cloth enough to -make clothes for Jean before next winter. I am going to work and make up -for lost time; but it's true none the less that you are an aristocrat, -not to want my father to be a workman again when he pleases." - -"Let me tell you the truth then," said Janille, with a solemn, -confidential air. "Monsieur Antoine never succeeded in being a good -workman. He had more courage than skill, and my only reason for letting -him work was to prevent him from getting depressed and discouraged. Ask -Jean if he didn't have to work twice as hard to mend Monsieur's -mistakes, as he would have done if he'd been working alone. But Monsieur -always seemed to be doing a lot of work, so the customers were satisfied -and he was well paid. But it's true all the same that I was never easy -in my mind in those days and that I don't sigh for them. I always -shuddered for fear Monsieur Antoine would hit his arm or his leg instead -of a timber, or would fall off his ladder when, in his absent-minded -way, he would sit down on the rung as if he were by his own fireside." - -"You frighten me, Janille," said Gilberte. "Oh! if that is the case, you -did well to disgust him, by your joking, with the idea of working again, -and in that, as in everything else, you are our Providence!" - -Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun spoke even more truly than she knew. -Janille had been the good angel of Antoine de Châteaubrun's existence. -Without her prudence, her motherly domination and her shrewd judgment, -that excellent man would not have passed through the slough of poverty -without deteriorating a little morally. At all events he would not have -retained his external dignity as well as the generous purity of his -instincts. He would often have sinned by too great resignation and -self-abandonment. Being naturally inclined to effusiveness and -prodigality, he would have become intemperate; he would have acquired as -many faults of the common people as of their good qualities, and perhaps -he would have ended by meriting in some degree the disdain which fools -and vainglorious parvenus felt justified in entertaining for him, even -as it was. - -But, thanks to Janille, who, without thwarting him openly, had always -maintained the equilibrium and instilled moderation, he had emerged from -the test with honor and had not ceased to deserve the esteem and respect -of judicious people. - -The sound of Gilberte's spinning-wheel interrupted the conversation, or -at least made it less coherent. She was unwilling to interrupt her work -again until her task was completed; and yet she seemed to display more -ardor than the apparent motive of her activity called for. She urged -Emile not to subject himself to the tedium of listening to that -monotonous clattering, but to go with Janille and explore the ruins; -but, as Janille also wanted to finish her spinning, Gilberte -unconsciously worked even faster than before, in order to finish as soon -as she, and to be one of the party. - -"I am ashamed of my inaction," said Emile, who dared not gaze too fondly -at the young spinstress's lovely arms or watch her motions too closely, -for fear of attracting Janille's sharp little eyes; "haven't you some -work to give me?" - -"What can you do?" queried Gilberte with a smile. - -"Whatever Sylvain Charasson can do, I flatter myself," he replied. - -"I might send you to water my lettuce," said Janille, laughing outright, -"but that would deprive us of your company. Suppose you wind up the -clock, which seems to have stopped?" - -"Oh! it stopped three days ago," said Gilberte, "and I haven't been able -to make it go. I think there's something broken." - -"Ah! that's the job for me," cried Emile; "I have studied mechanics a -little--unwillingly, to be sure--and I don't believe that this cuckoo -affair is very complicated." - -"And suppose you break my clock altogether?" said Janille. - -"Oh! let him break it if it amuses him," said Gilberte, with a -good-natured air in which he could detect her father's easy-going -heedlessness. - -"I ask the privilege of breaking it, if that is its destiny," said -Emile, "provided that I may be permitted to replace it." - -"All right!" said Janille, "if it turns out so, I want one just like it, -no finer and no larger; this one suits us: it strikes clear and yet -doesn't deafen us." - -Emile set to work; he took the little German clock apart, and, having -examined it, found nothing more to do than remove a little dust from the -interior. Leaning over the table near Gilberte he carefully cleaned and -readjusted the rough machinery, exchanging with the two women an -occasional remark of a playful turn, which led to a pleasant sort of -familiarity between them. - -It is commonly said that people become expansive and confidential while -eating together; but intimacy comes more readily and naturally to those -who work together. All three of them felt it; and when they had finished -their various tasks they were almost members of the same family. - -"You're right at home at that business," said Janille, when she saw that -her clock was going; "you would almost do for a clockmaker. Now let's go -for a walk; I will go first and light my lantern to take you into the -cellars." - -"Monsieur," said Gilberte, when Janille had left the room, "you said -just now that you expected to dine with Monsieur de Boisguilbault. May I -not ask you what sort of impression that gentleman made upon you?" - -"I should have difficulty in defining it," replied Emile. "It is a -mixture of repulsion and sympathy, so strange that I feel that I must -see him again, examine him closely and then reflect further, before -attempting to interpret so odd a character. Don't you know him, -mademoiselle, and can you not assist me to understand him?" - -"I do not know him at all; I have seen him only once or twice in my -life, although we live very near him; and, because of what I had heard -about him, I was very anxious to see him; but he was riding on the same -road with my father and myself, and the instant that he caught sight of -us, he spurred his horse, bowed to us without looking at us, apparently -without knowing who we were, and was out of sight in a moment: you would -have said he was trying to hide in the dust that his horse's feet kicked -up." - -"Has Monsieur de Châteaubrun no relations with him, although he is so -near a neighbor?" - -"Oh! that's a very strange thing," said Gilberte, lowering her voice -confidentially, "but I may speak to you about it, Monsieur Emile, -because it seems to me that you may be able to solve the mystery. My -father was very intimate with Monsieur de Boisguilbault in his younger -days. I know that much, although he never speaks of him, and Janille -avoids answering me when I question her; but Jean, who knows no more -than I do about the cause of their rupture, has often told me that he -can remember a time when they were inseparable. That is what has always -made me think that Monsieur de Boisguilbault is neither so proud nor so -cold as he seems; for my father with his good humor and vivacity could -never have been on warm terms with a haughty disposition and a cold -heart. I must tell you too that I have overheard some conversation about -him between my father and Janille, when they thought that I was not -listening. My father said that the only irreparable misfortune of his -life was the loss of Monsieur de Boisguilbault's friendship, that he -should never be consoled for it, and that he would not hesitate to -sacrifice an eye or an arm or a leg to recover it. Janille called his -lamentations nonsense and advised him not to make the slightest step -toward reconciliation because she knew the man well and he would never -forget the affair that had made the trouble between them. - -"'Very well,' said my father, 'I would prefer to have an explanation, to -submit to his reproaches; I would rather have fought a duel with him, -when we were of almost equal strength, than have to endure this -implacable silence and frigid persistence which cuts me to the heart. -No, Janille, no, I shall never be reconciled to it, and if I die without -shaking hands with him, I shall regret that I ever lived.' - -"Janille tried to divert his mind, and she succeeded, for my father is -impressionable and too affectionate to be willing to depress others with -his melancholy. But you, Monsieur Emile, who love your parents so -dearly, will understand that this secret grief of my father's has -weighed heavily on my heart ever since I discovered it. So that I can -think of nothing that I would not undertake to relieve him from it. For -a whole year I have been thinking about it constantly, and twenty times -I have dreamed that I went to Boisguilbault, threw myself at that -unforgiving man's feet and said to him: - -"'My father is the best of men and your most faithful friend. His -virtues have made him happy in spite of his ill-fortune; he has but one -sorrow, but it is a deep one and you can dispel it with a word.' - -"But he repulsed me and turned me out of his house in a rage. I woke in -deadly terror, and one night when I called his name, Janille got up and -took me in her arms and said: - -"'Why do you think about that wretched man? he has no power over you and -he wouldn't dare attack your father.' - -"From that I saw that Janille hated him; but whenever she happens to say -a word against him, my father warmly defends him. What is there between -them? Almost nothing, perhaps. A puerile sensitiveness, a dispute about -hunting, so Jean Jappeloup declares. If that were certain, wouldn't it -be possible to reconcile them? My father dreams of Monsieur de -Boisguilbault too, and sometimes, when he dozes in his chair after -supper, he mutters his name in a tone of profound distress. Monsieur -Emile, I appeal to your generosity and prudence to induce Monsieur de -Boisguilbault to speak, if possible. I have always intended to grasp the -first opportunity that presented itself to reconcile two men who have -been so closely attached to each other, and if Jean had been fully taken -back into the marquis's favor, I should have hoped great things from his -boldness and his natural shrewdness. But he too is the victim of a -strange caprice on Monsieur de Boisguilbault's part, and I can think of -nobody but you who can help me." - -"You cannot doubt that will be my most constant endeavor henceforth," -said Emile, with fervor. And as he heard Janille returning, her little -clogs clattering on the flagstones, he stood on a chair as if to adjust -the clock, but really to hide the blissful confusion born of Gilberte's -confidence. - -Gilberte also was moved. She had made a great effort to summon courage -to open her heart to a young man whom she hardly knew; and she was not -so childish or so countrified that she did not realize that she had gone -beyond conventional propriety. - -The loyal creature was distressed at the thought that she had a secret -from Janille; but she took comfort in the purity of her intentions, and -it was impossible to believe Emile capable of taking advantage of her. -For the first time in her life the instinctive craft of her sex guided -her action when the housekeeper returned. She felt that her face was on -fire, and she stooped to pick up a needle which she had purposely -dropped. - -Thus Janille's penetration was routed by two children who were far from -adroit in all other respects, and they set forth gayly to explore the -subterranean regions. - -The passage directly beneath the square pavilion led to a steep -staircase which descended to a terrifying depth in the solid rock. -Janille went first, at a deliberate gait, with the composure due to her -frequent exercise of the functions of _cicerone_ with visitors. Emile -followed her, to feel the way for Gilberte, who was neither awkward nor -timid, but for whose safety Janille was constantly alarmed. - -"Take care, my dear," she said at every step. "Hold her if she falls, -Monsieur Emile. Mademoiselle is absent-minded like her dear father: it -runs in the family. They're a pair of children who would have killed -themselves a hundred times over if I had not always had my eye on them." - -Emile was happy to be able to share Janille's task. He pushed the -rubbish aside, and, as the staircase became more and more dilapidated -and difficult, he deemed himself justified in offering his hand, which -was declined at first, but afterward accepted as necessary. - -Who can describe the violence and ecstasy of a first love in an ardent -heart? Emile trembled so when he took Gilberte's hand in his that he -could no longer talk and joke with Janille nor reply to Gilberte, who -continued to jest at first, but gradually became more and more agitated -until she could think of nothing to say. - -They descended in this way only ten or twelve steps, but meanwhile time -ceased to move for Emile; and when he passed the whole of the following -night trying to review the emotions of that moment, it seemed to him -that it had lasted a century. - -His past life appeared thenceforth like a dream, and his personality was -transformed. When he recalled his childhood, the years at school, the -tedium or the pleasure of study, he was no longer the passive, fettered -creature he had hitherto felt himself to be; it was Gilberte's lover who -lived through those years, thenceforth radiant, enlightened with a new -light. He saw himself as a mere child, then as an active, impetuous -school-boy, and, finally, as a dreamy, earnest student; and those -various personages, who had seemed to him to differ like the phases of -his life, became in his eyes a single being, a privileged being, who -moved triumphantly forward toward the bright daylight where Gilberte's -hand was to be placed in his. - -The underground staircase led to the base of the rocky hill which was -crowned by the Château. It was a means of exit in case of a siege, and -Janille was not sparing of encomiums upon that difficult and scientific -piece of work. - -Although she lived on terms of absolute equality with her masters, and -would not have waived the privilege at any price, so thoroughly -convinced was she of her rights, the little woman none the less had some -strangely persistent feudal ideas; and, by dint of identifying herself -with the ruins of Châteaubrun, she had reached the point of admiring -everything in their past history, of which she had, to tell the truth, a -very confused idea. Perhaps, too, she thought it her duty, to humble the -pride of the wealthy bourgeoisie by vaunting loudly before Emile the -ancient might of Gilberte's ancestors. - -"See, monsieur," she said, escorting him from dungeon to dungeon, "this -is where they brought people to their senses. You can still see the iron -rings to which they fastened prisoners after their fetters were put on. -This is a dungeon where they say three men were devoured by a huge -serpent. The great noblemen of long ago had such creatures at their -disposal. We will show to you the _oubliettes_ in a moment: it was no -joke to get into them! Ah! if you had come down here before the -Revolution, perhaps you would have done well to make the sign of the -Cross instead of laughing!" - -"Luckily we can laugh here now," said Gilberte, "and think of something -else besides those horrible legends. I thank the good Lord that I was -born in an age when it is very hard to believe in them, and I prefer our -old nest as it is to-day, demolished and harmless forever. You know, -Janille, what my father always says to the people of Cuzion, when they -come and ask him for some of our stone for building purposes: 'Help -yourselves, my friends, help yourselves; it will be the first time it -ever served any good purpose!'" - -"Never mind," rejoined Janille, "it's worth something to have been first -in one's province and the master of everybody else!" - -"It makes me realize all the more forcibly," replied the girl, "the -pleasure of being everybody else's equal and of no longer causing fear -to anybody." - -"Oh! that is a glory and a joy which I envy!" cried Emile. - - - - -XVI - -THE TALISMAN - - -If Gilberte had been told a week earlier that a day was coming when the -tranquillity of her heart would be disturbed by strange commotions, when -the circle of her affections would not only be extended to admit a -stranger to a place beside her father, Janille and the carpenter, but -would suddenly be broken in order that a new name might be placed among -those cherished names, she would not have believed that such a miracle -could be and would have been terrified by the suggestion. - -And yet she had a vague feeling that henceforth the image of this young -man with the black hair, sparkling eye and slender figure, would dog her -footsteps and follow her even in her sleep. - -She spurned the thought of such a fatality, but she could not escape -from it. Her chaste and gentle heart did not go forth to meet the -intoxicating emotion that came to seek it; but she was destined to feel -it when Emile's hand quivered and trembled on touching hers. - -Incredible and mysterious power of attraction which nothing can turn -aside and which determines the fate of youth before it has had time to -become acquainted with itself and to prepare for attack or defence! - -Somewhat excited by the first stings of this secret flame, Gilberte -received them playfully. Her serenity was not disturbed on the surface, -and while Emile was already compelled to put force upon himself in order -to conceal his emotion, she continued to smile and to talk freely, -pending the time when regret at his departure and impatience for his -return should make her understand that his presence was rapidly becoming -imperatively necessary to her. - -Janille did not leave them again; but their conversation gradually -drifted to subjects which Janille, despite her keen penetration, was far -from understanding. - -Gilberte had received as thorough an education as any girl educated at a -Parisian boarding-school, and it is undoubtedly true that the education -of women has made notable progress in the majority of those -establishments in the past twenty years. The learning, the good sense -and the manners of the women who have charge of them have undergone a -similar amelioration, and talented men have deemed it not beneath their -dignity to give courses of lectures in history, literature and -elementary science for the benefit of that intelligent and perspicacious -moiety of the human race. - -Gilberte had acquired some notion of what are called "accomplishments"; -but, while complying with her father's wishes in this respect, she had -given more attention to the development of her intellectual faculties. - -She had seasonably reflected that the fine arts would be but a feeble -resource in a life of poverty and retirement, that household cares would -take too much of her time, and that, as she was destined to work with -her hands, it was her duty to train her mind so that she might not -suffer from absence of thought and from a disorderly imagination. - -A sub-mistress, a woman of much merit, of whom she had made a friend and -the confidante of her precarious future, had advised this employment of -her faculties, and the girl, impressed by the wisdom of her advice, had -followed it implicitly. - -This very pleasure in learning and retaining useful information had, -however, caused the child some unhappiness since she had been deprived -of books in the ruins of Châteaubrun. Monsieur Antoine would have made -any sacrifice to procure books for her, if he could have detected her -desire for them; but Gilberte, seeing how restricted their means were, -and desiring more than all else that her father's comfort should not be -impaired, was very careful not to mention the subject. - -Janille had said to herself, once for all, that her girl "had learning -enough," and, judging her by herself--for the old lady was coquettish -still in the matter of dress, with all her parsimony,--she employed her -little savings in buying for her from time to time, a calico dress or a -bit of lace. - -Gilberte feigned to receive these little gifts with extreme pleasure, in -order not to lessen the pleasure which her old nurse derived from -bringing them to her. But she sighed to herself at the thought that with -the modest price of that finery she might have given her a volume of -history or poetry. - -She devoted her hours of leisure to reading again and again the few -books she had brought from her school, and she almost knew them by -heart. - -Once or twice, without divulging her purpose, she had persuaded Janille, -who held the strings of the common purse, to give her the money intended -for a new gown. But on these occasions it happened that Jean needed -shoes, or that some poor people near by had no clothes for their -children; and Gilberte supplied what she called the most urgent needs, -postponing the purchase of her books to better days. - -The curé of Cuzion had lent her an Abridgment of some of the Fathers of -the Church, and the _Lives of the Saints_, upon which she had feasted -for a long time; for, when you have no choice, you compel your mind to -enjoy serious things, despite the youthful impulse to indulge in less -austere amusements. - -This necessity is sometimes a salutary thing for healthy minds, and when -Gilberte artlessly lamented her ignorance to Emile, he was astonished to -find her, on the contrary, so well informed as to certain fundamental -matters which he himself had accepted on the faith of others, without -studying them. - -Love and enthusiasm aiding, he speedily discovered that Gilberte was an -accomplished young woman, and proclaimed her, in his own mind, the most -intelligent and most perfect of human creatures; and it was relatively -true. The greatest and best of mortals is the one who is most -sympathetic with us, who understands us best, who is best able to -develop and nourish the best qualities of our mind; in a word, the one -who would make our life most blissful and complete if our lives could be -absolutely blended. - -"Ah! I have done well to keep my heart empty and my mind pure hitherto," -said Emile to himself, "and I thank thee, O God, for having assisted me! -for surely this is the woman who was destined for me, and without whom I -should simply have vegetated and suffered." - -While talking on general subjects, Gilberte allowed her regret at being -deprived of books to appear, and Emile speedily divined that regret was -deeper than she cared to reveal to Janille. - -He reflected sorrowfully that there was not a single volume in his -father's house except commercial and industrial treatises, and that, -expecting to return to Poitiers, he had left there what few books he -owned. - -But Gilberte suggested that there was a very extensive library at -Boisguilbault. Jean had done some work long ago in a large room full of -books, and it was much to be regretted that the families were at odds, -for she might have taken advantage of the proximity of such a treasure. - -At this juncture, Janille, who always knitted as she walked, raised her -head. - -"It's probably a lot of tiresome old books," she said, "and for my part -I should be very sorry to put my nose into them; I should be afraid they -would make me a lunatic like the man who lives on them." - -"Why, does Monsieur de Boisguilbault read very much?" asked Gilberte; -"he must be very learned." - -"Well, what good has it done him to read so much and be so learned? He -has never done anybody any good with it, and it hasn't made him loving -or lovable." - -Janille, unwilling to expose herself to further questions concerning a -man whom she hated, without knowing or caring to say why she hated him, -walked toward her goats as if to prevent them from nibbling a vine which -grew around the door of the square pavilion. - -Emile took advantage of this moment to say to Gilberte that, if there -were so many books at Boisguilbault, she should soon have them at her -disposal, even if he had to borrow them stealthily. - -Gilberte could only thank him with a smile, not daring to add a glance -thereto; she was beginning to feel embarrassed with him when Janille was -not there. - -"On my word!" said Janille, retracing her steps, "Monsieur Antoine is in -no hurry to return. I know him: he's chattering somewhere at this -minute! He has met some old friends and is treating them at the -wineshop, forgetting the time and spending his money. And then, if some -whining creature wants to borrow ten or fifteen francs to buy a -miserable goat or a brace or two of scrawny geese, he'll let him have -it! He'd give away all he has about him if he wasn't afraid of being -scolded when he comes home. He took six sheep, you see, and if he only -brings back the price of five in his purse, as it happens too often, let -him look out for _ma mie_ Janille! he won't go to market again without -me! Hark--there's the clock striking four--thanks to Monsieur Emile, who -fixed it so well,--and I'll bet that your father has no more than just -started for home, at the best." - -"Four o'clock!" exclaimed Emile; "why that's Monsieur de Boisguilbault's -dinner-hour. I haven't a moment to lose." - -"Go at once then," said Gilberte, "for we mustn't make him any more -ill-disposed toward us than he is already." - -"What difference does it make to us whether he bears us ill-will or -not?" said Janille. "Do you really mean to go without seeing Monsieur -Antoine?" - -"I must, I am very sorry to say!" - -"Where is that little villain of a Charasson?" cried Janille. "Asleep in -a corner, I'll warrant, and not thinking about bringing up your horse! -When monsieur is absent, Sylvain disappears. Here, you wicked rascal, -where are you hiding?" - -"I wish that you could provide me with a charm!" said Emile to Gilberte, -while Janille was seeking Sylvain and calling him in tones more -vociferous than really angry. "I am going forth, like a knight errant, -to enter the wizard's den and try to extort from him his secrets and the -words that will put an end to your distress." - -"Here," said Gilberte, laughingly, taking a flower from her belt, "here -is the loveliest rose from my garden; perhaps its fragrance may possess -the salutary power of putting its enemy's prudence to sleep and -softening his ferocity. Leave it on his table, try to induce him to -admire it and smell it. He is a horticulturist, but I doubt if he has in -his great garden so fine a specimen as this product of my last year's -graft. If I were a châtelaine of the good old days which Janille -regrets, perhaps I could invoke a spell that would impart a magic power -to this flower. But, being a poor girl, I can only pray to God to -instill mercy into that cruel heart, even as he caused the dew to fall -and open this rose-bud." - -"Must I leave my talisman, pray?" said Emile, hiding the rose in his -breast: "may I not keep it to use another time?" - -The tone in which he asked this question and the emotion discernible -upon his face caused Gilberte a moment's artless surprise. She looked at -him with an uncertain expression, unable as yet to understand the value -he attached to the flower taken from her girdle. She tried to smile, as -at a jest, but felt that the blood rose to her cheeks; and as Janille -reappeared, she made no reply. - -Emile, drunk with love, descended with reckless speed the dangerous path -down the hill. When he was at the foot he ventured to turn, and saw -Gilberte following him with her eyes from her rose-covered terrace, her -hands apparently busied trimming her favorite plants. - -She surely was not dressed more daintily than usual that day. Her dress -was clean, like everything that passed through Janille's scrupulous -hands; but it had been washed and ironed so many times that the color -had changed from lilac to that indefinable tint which the hortensia -assumes just as it withers. - -Her superb golden hair, rebelling against the fetters imposed upon it, -escaped from its confinement and formed a sort of halo of gold about her -head. A snow-white, tightly-fitting chemisette surrounded her lovely -neck and suggested the graceful outlines of her shoulders. In Emile's -eyes she was resplendent in the sunbeams falling full upon her, for she -made no effort to shield herself from them. Sunburn was powerless to -impair that rich carnation, and her pale, faded costume made her seem -all the fresher. - -Moreover, the imagination of a lover of twenty years is too rich to be -embarrassed by a mere matter of dress. That faded gown assumed in -Emile's eyes a hue more gorgeous than that of all the richest stuffs of -the Orient, and he wondered why the painters of the Renaissance had -never been able to clothe their smiling madonnas and their triumphant -saints so magnificently. - -He stood as if nailed to the spot for several minutes, and, except for -the impatience of his horse tossing his head and pawing the ground, he -would have forgotten entirely that Monsieur de Boisguilbault had another -hour to wait for him. - -He had had to make several detours to reach the foot of the hill, and -the distance in a straight line was not so great that the two young -people could not see each other quite plainly. Gilberte observed the -hesitation of the horseman, who could not make up his mind to lose sight -of her; so she went behind the rose-bushes, to conceal herself from him, -but she continued to watch him for a long time through the branches. - -Janille had walked in the opposite direction to meet her master. Not -until Gilberte heard her father's voice did she break the spell that -held her. It was the first time that she had ever allowed Janille to -anticipate her in going to meet him and relieve him of his game-bag and -his stick. - -As he approached Boisguilbault, Emile made and remade a hundred times -his plan of attack upon the fortress where that incomprehensible -individual lay entrenched. - -Impelled by his romantic disposition, he had a sort of presentiment that -Gilberte's destiny--and consequently his own--was written in mysterious -characters in some obscure corner of that old manor, whose high gray -walls rose before him. - -Tall, gloomy, melancholy and silent as its aged lord, that isolated -abode seemed to defy the bold attacks of curiosity. But Emile was -spurred on by a passionate determination. As Gilberte's confidant and -agent, he said to himself, pressing the rose, already withered, against -his lips, that he would have the necessary courage and address to -triumph over every obstacle. - -He found Monsieur de Boisguilbault alone on his stoop, idle and -impassive as always. He made haste to apologize for delaying the old -gentleman's dinner, on the plea that he had lost his way, and, being as -yet unfamiliar with the neighborhood, had passed nearly two hours -finding it. - -Monsieur de Boisguilbault asked no questions as to the route he had -taken. One would have said that he dreaded the name of Châteaubrun; -but, with refinement of courtesy, he assured his guest that he had no -idea of the time and had not thought of being impatient. He had been -somewhat disturbed, none the less, as Emile soon discovered from some -faltering remarks that he made, and the young man fancied that he could -see that, amid the profound tedium of his solitary life, the marquis's -sensitive nature would have suffered keenly if he had broken his word. - -The dinner was excellent and served by the old retainer with scrupulous -punctuality. He was the only servant to be seen in the château. The -others, buried in the kitchen, which was underground, did not appear at -all. It seemed that this was the result of a sort of standing order, and -that their dean was the only one who did not offend the master's eye. - -The old man was very infirm, but he was so accustomed to his duties that -the marquis had to say almost nothing to him; and when it happened that -he did not anticipate his master's desires, a sign was sufficient to -convey them to him. - -His deafness seemed admirably suited to Monsieur de Boisguilbault's -taciturnity, and perhaps the latter was not sorry to have about him a -man whose impaired vision made it impossible for him to read his -features: he was rather a machine than a servant; for, being deprived by -his infirmities of the power of mental communication with his -fellow-men, he no longer had any desire or occasion therefor. - -One could readily conceive that those two old men were well fitted to -live together without a thought of being bored by each other's company, -there was so little apparent life in either of them. - -The dinner was served with due regularity, but not rapidly. They were -two hours at table. Emile observed that his host ate almost nothing, and -seemed to have no other purpose in eating than to induce him to taste -all the dishes, which were appetizing and toothsome. The wines were -exquisite, and old Martin poured them from bottles covered with the dust -of ages, which he held horizontally, taking care not to jar them in the -slightest degree. - -The marquis barely wet his lips, but motioned to his old servant to fill -Emile's glass, who, being habitually very abstemious, kept close watch -upon himself, to see that he did not allow his reason to succumb to the -repeated experiments with the numerous specimens from that seignorial -cellar. - -"Is this your ordinary fare, monsieur le marquis?" he asked, marvelling -that such a sumptuous repast should be provided for two persons. - -"I--I really don't know," the marquis replied; "I have nothing to do -with it. Martin is my housekeeper. I never have any appetite, and I -never notice what I eat. Do the things seem good to you?" - -"Exquisite; and if I had the honor of being admitted to your table -often, I should beg Martin to entertain me less splendidly, for I should -be afraid of becoming a gourmand." - -"Why not? it's one variety of enjoyment. Happy are they who have many -others!" - -"But there are those which are more elevating and less expensive," -rejoined Emile; "so many people lack the necessaries of life that I -should be ashamed to find that the luxuries were necessary to me." - -"You are right," said Monsieur de Boisguilbault, with his accustomed -sigh. "Well, I will tell Martin to serve you a simpler dinner another -time. He supposed that at your age you would have a large appetite; but -it seems to me that you eat like a man who has finished growing. How old -are you?" - -"Twenty-one." - -"I should have thought that you were older." - -"From my face?" - -"No, from your ideas." - -"I would like my father to hear your opinion, monsieur le marquis, and -to become imbued with it," rejoined Emile with a smile; "for he always -treats me like a child." - -"What sort of a man is your father?" said Monsieur de Boisguilbault, -with an ingenuous absent-mindedness which removed the sting from what -might have seemed at first blush a most impertinent question. - -"My father," replied Emile, "is a friend whose esteem I desire and whose -blame I dread. I can think of no better way to describe an energetic, -stern and just character." - -"I have heard it said that he was a very able man, very wealthy and very -jealous of his influence. Those are not disadvantages if he makes a good -use of them." - -"What in your opinion, monsieur le marquis, is the best use that he can -make of them?" - -"Ah! it would take a long while to tell!" sighed the marquis; "you ought -to know as well as I." - -And, roused momentarily by the confidence Emile designedly manifested in -him in order to induce a similar confidence on his part, he relapsed -into his torpor, as if he feared to make an effort to throw it off. - -"I absolutely must break this secular ice," thought Emile. "Perhaps it's -not so difficult as people think. Perhaps I shall be the first who ever -tried it!" - -And, while maintaining, as he was bound to do, a discreet silence -concerning the apprehensions which his father's ambition aroused in him, -and concerning the painful conflict between their respective opinions, -he spoke freely and enthusiastically of his own beliefs, of his -sympathies and even of his dreams for the future of the human race. - -He was certain that the marquis would take him for a madman, and he -amused himself by inviting contradictions which would enable him at last -to penetrate that mysterious mind. - -"If I could only bring about an explosion of contempt or indignation!" -he said to himself; "then I could discover the strength or weakness of -the citadel." - -And he unconsciously adopted with the marquis the same tactics that his -father had recently employed with him; he affected to attack and -demolish everything that he assumed to be in any degree sacred in the -old legitimist's eyes; "the nobility, the money power, large estates, -the power of individuals, the slavery of the masses, the Jesuitism of -the church, the alleged divine right of kings, the inequality of -privileges and pleasures which is the basis of society as at present -constituted, the domination of man over woman, who is treated as -merchandise in the marriage contract and as real estate in the contract -of public morality; in a word, all those heathenish laws which the -Gospel has failed to banish from our institutions and which the -political scheming of the Church has consecrated." - -Monsieur de Boisguilbault seemed to listen more attentively than usual; -his great blue eyes were wide open, as if, in default of wine, his -amazement at such a sweeping declaration of the rights of man had -utterly stupefied him. - -Emile glanced at his glass, which was filled with tokay a hundred years -old, and resolved to have recourse to it for inspiration if the natural -warmth of his youthful enthusiasm was insufficient to avert the -avalanche of snow that was about to fall upon him. - -But he did not need that stimulant; for, whether because the snow had -become too hard to be detached from the glacier, or because Monsieur de -Boisguilbault, while seeming to listen, had heard nothing, the rash -profession of faith of that child of the century was not interrupted and -came to an end in the most profound silence. - -"Well, monsieur le marquis," said Emile, amazed by this listless -toleration of his views, "do you subscribe to my opinions, or do they -seem to you unworthy of being combated?" - -Monsieur de Boisguilbault did not reply; a wan smile played about his -lips, which moved as if to speak but emitted only the problematical -sigh. But he placed his hand on Emile's, and it seemed to the younger -man that he felt a cool moisture, which imparted to that hand of stone -some symptom of life. - -At last he rose and said: - -"We will take our coffee in the park.--For I am entirely of your -opinion," he added after a pause, as if he were finishing aloud a -sentence he had begun under his breath. - -"Really?" cried Emile, resolutely passing his arm through his host's. - -"Why not, pray?" rejoined the latter coolly. - -"Then all these things are indifferent to you?" - -"God grant it!" replied Monsieur de Boisguilbault, with a more -pronounced sigh than usual. - - - - -XVII - -THAW - - -Emile had as yet admired the park of Boisguilbault only over the hedges -and through the gate. He was more than ever impressed by the beauty of -that pleasure-ground, by the luxuriance of the plants and their happy -arrangement. - -Nature had done much, but art had seconded her with great taste and -judgment. The sloping ground was diversified by innumerable picturesque -irregularities, and an abundant spring, bubbling up among the rocks, -sent forth streams in all directions, keeping all things green under the -superb trees. - -The valley and the slope on the other side, which also belonged to the -marquis, were covered with a dense vegetation which partly concealed the -division walls and hedges, so that from all the elevated points, which -afforded views of a beautiful and extensive landscape, the park seemed -to extend to the horizon. - -"This is an enchanted spot," said Emile, "and one needs only to see it -to be sure that you are a great poet." - -"There are many great poets of my sort," replied the marquis, "that is -to say, people who feel poetry but cannot express it." - -"Is the spoken or written word alone interesting, I pray to know?" -exclaimed Emile. "Is not the painter who nobly interprets nature a poet -too? And if that is incontestable, does not the artist who actually -improves upon nature, and modifies it in order to develop all its -beauty,--does not he produce a grand poetic result?" - -"You express that very well," rejoined Monsieur de Boisguilbault, in a -tone of indolent indifference, which was not, however, wholly devoid of -kindliness. - -But Emile would have preferred discussion to this careless assent to -everything he said, and he was afraid that his main attack had failed. -"What can I invent to vex him and make him come out of his shell?" he -said to himself. "There is no one of the famous sieges in history that -can be compared to this." - -The coffee was served in a pretty Swiss chalet; the exactness of the -copy and the scrupulous neatness aroused Emile's admiration for a -moment; but the absence of human beings and domestic animals in that -rustic retreat was so noticeable that it was impossible to maintain the -illusion. And yet nothing was missing: the moss-covered hillside studded -with firs, nor the thread of sparkling water falling into a stone basin -at the door, and flowing from it with a gentle murmur; the chalet, -constructed entirely of resinous wood with a pretty arrangement of -balustrades and built against huge granite rocks, the pretty overhanging -roof, the interior furnished in the German fashion, even to the service -of blue earthenware--all new and clean and glistening and -deserted--resembled a dainty Fribourg toy rather than a rustic dwelling. - -Even the stiff, lifeless figures of the old marquis and his old -majordomo gave one the impression of painted wooden images, placed there -to complete the resemblance. - -"You have been in Switzerland, I presume, monsieur le marquis," said -Emile, "and this is a reminiscence of some favorite spot?" - -"I have traveled very little," Monsieur de Boisguilbault replied, -"although I set out one day with the intention of making the tour of the -world. Switzerland happened to be in my way; the country pleased me and -I went no farther, saying to myself that I should probably find nothing -better after taking a deal of trouble." - -"I see that you prefer this country to all others, and that you have -come back here forever?" - -"Forever, most assuredly." - -"This is Switzerland in miniature, and if the imagination is less keenly -aroused by grand spectacles, the fatigues and dangers of travel are much -less great." - -"I had other reasons for settling down on my own estate." - -"Is it indiscreet to ask you what they are?" - -"Are you really curious to know, then?" said the marquis with an -equivocal smile. - -"Curious! no; I am not curious in the impertinent and ridiculous meaning -of the word; but to one of my age, one's own destiny and other people's -is an enigma, and one always imagines that he may derive valuable -information from the experience and wisdom of certain men." - -"Why do you say _certain men_? Am I not like the rest of the world?" - -"Oh! not at all, monsieur le marquis!" - -"You surprise me greatly," said Monsieur de Boisguilbault in exactly the -same tone in which he had said, a few moments earlier: _I am entirely of -your opinion_. And he added: "Won't you put some sugar in your coffee?" - -"I am more surprised," said Emile, mechanically helping himself to -sugar, "that you do not realize how solemn and impressive your solitude, -your gravity, and I will venture to add, your melancholy, must be to a -child like myself." - -"Do I frighten you?" said Monsieur de Boisguilbault with a deep sigh. - -"You frighten me terribly, monsieur le marquis, I frankly admit; but do -not take my ingenuousness in bad part, for it is no less certain that I -am impelled by an entirely contrary sentiment of irresistible -attraction, to overcome that sentiment of fear." - -"That is strange," said the marquis, "very strange: pray explain it to -me." - -"It is very simple. As a young man of my age goes about seeking the -solution of his own future in the present or in the past of men of -maturer years, it terrifies him to see an invincible sadness and a dumb -but profound distaste for life, written upon austere brows." - -"Yes, that is why my external appearance repels you. Do not be afraid to -say it. You are not the first and I expected it." - -"Repel is not the word, since, notwithstanding the sort of magnetic -stupor into which you cast me, I am drawn toward you by a peculiar -attraction." - -"Peculiar!--aye, very peculiar, and you are the more eccentric of us -two. I was struck, the first moment I saw you, by the manifest -dissimilarity of your character to that of the men whom I knew in my -younger days." - -"And was that impression unfavorable to me, monsieur le marquis?" - -"Quite the contrary," replied Monsieur de Boisguilbault in that voice, -utterly without inflection, which made it impossible to estimate the -bearing of his replies. "Martin," he added, leaning toward his old -servant who bent himself double to hear him, "you can take all this -away. Are there any workmen left in the park?" - -"No, monsieur le marquis, nobody." - -"In that case, close the gate when you go away." - -Emile remained alone with his host in the solitude of the vast park. The -marquis took his arm and led him to a seat on the cliffs above the -chalet, where there was a lovely view. - -The sun, as it sank toward the horizon, projected the shadows of the -tall poplars from one side to the other of the ravine, like a dark -curtain intersected by brilliant streaks. The violet rays shot up into -an opal-hued sky, above an ocean of dark verdure; and as the sounds of -toil in the fields died gradually away, the voice of the mountain -streams and the plaintive note of the turtle doves could be heard more -distinctly. - -It was a magnificent evening, and young Cardonnet, turning his eyes and -thoughts upon the distant hills of Châteaubrun, fell into a pleasant -reverie. He was reflecting that he might venture to indulge in that -mental recreation before making another assault, when his adversary -suddenly made an unexpected sortie and broke the silence. - -"Monsieur Cardonnet," said he, "if, when you told me that you felt a -sort of sympathy for me despite the ennui that I cause you, you did not -say it simply to be polite, or by way of jest, this is the reason: we -profess the same principles, we are both communists." - -"Can it be true?" cried Emile, astounded by this declaration and -thinking that he must be dreaming. "I thought just now that you answered -me as you did simply to be courteous or by way of jest; but am I really -so fortunate as to find in you a justification of my desires and my -dreams?" - -"What is there surprising in that?" rejoined the marquis calmly. "May -not the truth make itself known in solitude as well as in a crowd, and -have I not lived long enough to be able to distinguish good from evil, -the true from the false? You take me for a very matter-of-fact, very -cold man. It is possible that I am; at my age a man is too tired of -himself to care to examine himself; but, outside of our individuality, -there are general realities sufficiently worthy of interest to divert -our thoughts from our ennui. - -"For a long time I retained the opinions and prejudices in which I was -reared; my natural indolence was content not to scrutinize them too -closely, and then I had internal anxieties which kept me from thinking -about them. But since old age has set me free from all pretension to -happiness and from every sort of regret or special interest in anything, -I have felt the need of obtaining an insight into the general life of my -fellow-men, and, consequently, into the meaning of the divine laws as -applied to mankind. - -"Certain Saint-Simonian pamphlets fell into my hands by chance, I read -them to pass the time, having as yet no idea that they could go beyond -the bold theories of Jean-Jacques and Voltaire, with whom careful study -had reconciled me. - -"I determined to know more of the principles of this new school, and I -passed from that to the study of Fourier. I admitted everything, -although I did not very clearly distinguish their contradictions, and it -still saddened me to see the ancient world crumble under the weight of -theories invincible in their system of criticism, confused and -incomplete in their principles of organization. It was not until five or -six years ago that I accepted with perfect disinterestedness and great -mental satisfaction the principle of a social revolution. - -"The attempts at communism had seemed to me monstrous at first, on the -faith of those who combated them. I read the newspapers and publications -of all the schools, and I gradually lost myself in that labyrinth, -without being repelled by fatigue. Little by little the communist -hypothesis came forth from its clouds; able expositions shed light into -my mind. I felt that I must go back to the teaching of history and to -the tradition of the human race. - -"I had a well-selected library of the best documents and the most -serious works of the past. My father had been fond of reading, and I had -hated it for so many years that I did not even know what precious -resources he had left me for my old age. I set to work all alone. I -learned again the dead languages, which I had forgotten; I read for the -first time, in the original sources, the history of religions and -philosophies, and the day came at last when the great men, the saints, -the prophets, the poets, the martyrs, the heretics, the scholars, the -enlightened orthodox believers, the innovators, the artists, the -reformers of all times, all countries, of all the revolutions and of all -the forms of worship seemed to me to be in accord, proclaiming in every -form, and even in their apparent contradictions, one eternal truth, as -logical and as clear as the light of day, namely the equality of rights, -and the inevitable necessity of equality of enjoyment thereof as a -rigorous consequence of the first. - -"Since then I have been surprised by only one thing, and that is that in -the time in which we live, with so many resources and discoveries, so -much activity, intelligence and freedom of opinion, the world is still -plunged in such utter ignorance of the logical results of the facts and -ideas which are forcing it to transform itself; that there are so many -self-styled theologians encouraged and supported by the State and by the -Church, and that no one of them has ever thought of devoting his life to -the very simple labor which led me to certainty; and lastly, that while -rushing onward to the catastrophe of its dissolution, the world of the -past thinks to preserve itself by the strength and wrath of the destiny -which hurries it on and swallows it, whereas those who know the secret -of the law of the future have not as yet sufficient tranquillity and -good sense to laugh at insults and to proclaim, with head erect, that -they are communists and nothing else. - -"You talk of dreams and Utopias with eloquence and enthusiasm, Monsieur -Cardonnet; I forgive you for making use of those expressions because at -your age truth arouses enthusiasm, and one makes of it an ideal which he -purposely places rather high and rather far away, in order to have the -pleasure of reaching it by earnest effort. But I can not work myself up -as you do over this truth, which seems to me as simple, as manifest and -as incontestable as it seems to you novel, bold and romantic. In my case -it is the result of a deeper study and of a more firmly seated -certainty. I do not dislike your vivacity, but I should not blame myself -if I were to combat it a little in order to prevent you from endangering -the doctrine by over-eagerness. - -"Beware of that: you are too happily endowed ever to become ridiculous, -and you will please even those people who fight against you; but be -careful lest, by talking too fast and to too many disaffected persons of -matters so serious and so worthy of respect, you tempt them to resort to -systematic contradictions and to defend themselves in bad faith. - -"What would you say of a young priest who should deliver sermons at the -dinner-table? You would say that he belittled the majesty of his texts. -Communistic truth is as deserving of respect as gospel truth, since it -is in reality the same truth. Let us not speak of it lightly, therefore, -and after the manner of political discussion. If you are excited, you -must make sure that you are entirely master of yourself before -proclaiming it; if you are phlegmatic, like me, you must wait until you -acquire a little self-confidence and mental activity before opening your -heart to other men on such a subject. - -"You see, Monsieur Cardonnet, people must not have a chance to say that -this is all folly, idle dreaming, feverish declamation, or a vision of -mysticism. That has been said quite enough, and enough weak minds have -given people the right to say it. - -"We have seen Saint-Simonism pass through its phase of trances and -feverish and disordered visions; that did not prevent the survival of -whatever was viable in Saint-Simonism. - -"Despite the aberrations of Fourier, the lucid portions of his system -survive and will bear a critical examination. Truth triumphs and pursues -its way through whatever disguise one views it and in whatever disguise -one clothes it. But it would be much better that, in the age of reason -which we have reached, the ridiculous manifestations of a blind -enthusiasm should disappear entirely. Is not that your opinion? Has not -the hour struck when serious-minded people should take possession of -their true domain, and when those things that are logically proved -should be professed by logicians? - -"What does it matter if they are said to be inapplicable? Does it -follow, because the majority of men still know and practise only what is -wrong and false, that the clear-sighted man must follow the blind over -the precipice? - -"It's of no use to urge upon me the necessity of obeying bad laws and -wrongful prejudices. Although my acts may be forced to conform to them, -my mind will be only the more firmly convinced of the necessity of -protesting against them. - -"Was Jesus Christ in error because, during eighteen centuries, the -truths demonstrated by him have germinated slowly, and have not yet -bloomed in legislation? - -"And now that the problems suggested by his ideal are beginning to -approach a solution in the minds of some of us, how is it that we are -taxed with madness because we see and believe what will be seen and -believed by all men a hundred years hence? Be assured therefore that it -is not necessary to be a poet or a seer to be perfectly convinced of the -reality of what you are pleased to call sublime dreams. To be sure, -truth is sublime, and the men who discover it are sublime as well. But -they who, having received it and touched it, conform their lives to it -as an excellent thing, have not really the right to be proud; for if, -when they have once understood it, they reject it, they would be nothing -less than idiots or madmen." - -Monsieur de Boisguilbault spoke with a facility most extraordinary for -him, and he might have talked on for a long while before the stupefied -Emile would have thought of interrupting him. - -Emile would never have believed that what he called his faith and his -ideal could bloom in so cold and apathetic a mind, and he asked himself -at first if it were not enough to sicken himself with it to find himself -in the company of such an adept. But, little by little, notwithstanding -his moderate way of speaking, the monotony of his accent and the -immobility of his features, Monsieur de Boisguilbault acquired an -extraordinary influence over him. That impassive man seemed to him an -embodiment of the living law, the voice of destiny pronouncing its -decrees over the abyss of eternity. - -The solitude of that beautiful spot, the cloudless sky which, as the -afterglow faded, seemed to raise its blue vault higher and higher toward -the empyrean, the darkness gathering under the great trees, and the -murmur of the rippling stream, which seemed in its placid continuity, -the natural accompaniment of that calm, even voice--all combined to -plunge Emile into a profound emotion akin to the mysterious awe which -the response of the oracle in the sacred oaks must have produced in the -youthful neophytes. - -"Monsieur de Boisguilbault," said the young man, deeply impressed by -what he had heard, "I cannot better express my submission to your -enlightened views than by asking your pardon, from the bottom of my -heart, for the way in which I extorted them from you. I was far from -believing that you entertained such ideas, and I was drawn toward you by -curiosity rather than by respect. But be sure that you will find in me -henceforth the devotion of a son if you deem me worthy to manifest it." - -"I never had any children," replied the marquis, taking Emile's hand in -his and retaining it several moments; for he seemed to be revivified, -and a sort of vital warmth enlivened his soft, dry skin. "Perhaps I was -not worthy of having them; perhaps I should have brought them up badly! -Nevertheless, I have deeply regretted that I have never had that joy. -Now, I am entirely resigned to death; but if a little affection should -come to me from without, I should accept it gratefully. I am not very -trustful. Solitude breeds distrust. But I will make for your sake some -effort to overcome my natural disposition, so that you may not be -offended by my defects, especially by my surly humor, which horrifies -everybody." - -"That is because nobody knows you," rejoined Emile. "People look upon -you as very different from what you are. You are thought to be proud and -obstinately attached to the chimera of ancient privileges. You have -evidently taken care, with great cruelty toward yourself, not to allow -your real character to be divined by any one." - -"Why should I have explained myself? What does it matter what people -think of me? for, in the society in which I vegetate, my real opinions -would seem even more ridiculous than those commonly attributed to me. If -the cause which my mind has embraced would derive any benefit from a -public declaration of my homage or my adhesion, no ridicule would turn -me from it; but such adhesion on the part of a man so little loved as I -am would be more harmful than useful to the progress of the truth. I -cannot lie, and if any one had ever taken the trouble to come and -question me, during these latter years since my opinions became fixed, -it is probable that I should have said to him what I have said to you; -but the circle of solitude grows wider about me every day and I have no -right to complain. One must be amiable, in order to please, and I do not -know how to make myself amiable, God having denied me certain gifts, -which it is impossible for me to feign." - -Emile strove earnestly and affectionately to allay, so far as he could, -the secret bitterness concealed beneath Monsieur de Boisguilbault's -resignation. - -"It is very easy for me to be content with the present," said the old -man with a sad smile. "I have very few years to live; although I am -neither very old nor very ill, I feel that my vital thread is worn out, -and my blood congeals and thickens every day. I might perhaps complain -of having had no joys in the past; but when the past has fled, what does -it matter what it was?--bliss or despair, strength or weakness, it has -all vanished like a dream." - -"But not without leaving traces behind," said Emile. "Even if memory -itself should disappear, our emotions, according as they were pleasant -or painful, will have deposited their balm or their poison, and our -hearts will be tranquil or broken according to the experience they have -had. I think that you must have suffered terribly in the past, although -your brave heart refuses to descend to lamentation, and that suffering, -which you conceal with too much pride, perhaps, increases my respect and -my sympathy for you." - -"I have suffered more from the absence of happiness than from what is -commonly called unhappiness. I agree that a sort of pride has already -prevented me from seeking a remedy in the sympathy of others. Friendship -must needs come to seek me out, for I could not run after it." - -"But in that case, would you have accepted it?" - -"Oh! certainly," said Monsieur de Boisguilbault, still in a cold tone, -but with a sigh that went to Emile's heart. - -"And is it too late now?" asked the young man, with profound and -respectful pity. - -"Now--why, I should have to believe in it," replied the marquis, "or -dare to ask for it--and from whom, pray?" - -"Why not from him who listens to you and understands you to-day? Perhaps -he is the first who has done so for a long time." - -"That is true!" - -"Very well, do you despise my youth? Do you deem me incapable of a -serious sentiment, and do you fear that you will grow younger by -bestowing a little affection on a boy?" - -"But suppose I should make you grow older, Emile?" - -"Very good; as I shall strive, for my part, to make you retrace your -steps, the struggle will be advantageous to both of us. I shall gain in -wisdom unquestionably, and perhaps you will find some alleviation of the -wearisome monotony of your life. Believe in me, Monsieur de -Boisguilbault: at my age one cannot pretend; if I dare to offer you my -respectful attention, it is because I am capable of performing the -duties that accompany it, and of appreciating the advantages of your -affection!" - -Monsieur de Boisguilbault took Emile's hand once more, and pressed it -very warmly, but made no reply. - -By the light of the moon, which was just rising, the young man saw a -tear glisten an instant on the old man's withered cheek and disappear in -his silvery whiskers. - -Emile had conquered; he was happy and proud. - -The youth of to-day profess a malignant contempt for old age, but our -hero, on the contrary, felt a legitimate pride in triumphing over the -reserve and distrust of that venerable and unhappy man. He was flattered -by the thought that he had brought some consolation to that desolate -patriarch and had made up to him for the neglect or injustice of other -men. - -He walked with him a long time in his beautiful park, and asked him many -questions, the confiding artlessness of which did not offend the -marquis. He expressed his surprise, for instance, that Monsieur de -Boisguilbault, being wealthy and unhampered by family ties, had not -tried to put his opinions in practice and to found some communistic -association. - -"That would be impossible for me," the old man replied. "I have not a -trace of the initiative spirit; my indolence is invincible, and I have -never, in my whole life, been able to exert any influence upon others. I -should be less fitted for it now than ever, especially as it would not -be merely a matter of devising a simple plan of organization applicable -to the present time, but we must have moral and religious formulas, an -exposition of principles and sentiment. I recognize the necessity of -sentiment to convince men's minds; but it is not in my line. I have not -the faculty of laying my heart bare, and my heart has not enough -vitality to impart eloquence to my words. Nor do I think the time has -come--you do not think that it has, do you? Very well, I do not propose -to disturb your conviction; you are built for difficult enterprises, may -you find the opportunity to act! As for myself, I have projects for the -future--after my death. Some day, perhaps I will tell you what they are. -Look at this beautiful garden that I have created--I have not done it -without a purpose--but I want to know you better before explaining my -plans; will you forgive me?" - -"I bow to your wish, and I am certain beforehand that your predilection -for this earthly paradise is not simply the mania of an idle landowner." - -"I began in that way, however. My house had become distasteful to me; -nothing gratifies indolence and disgust like immutable order, and that -is why the house is so carefully kept and orderly. But I care for -nothing that it contains, and I may tell you in confidence that I have -not slept in it for fifteen years. The chalet where we took our coffee -is my real home. There is a bedroom there and a study, which I did not -show you and which no one has entered since they were built, not even -Martin. Please not mention this to anybody, for perhaps public -inquisitiveness would follow me there. It already besieges the park -persistently enough on Sundays. All the idlers of the neighborhood stay -here until eleven o'clock at night, and I stay away until the closing of -the gates compels them to leave. On Monday I rise very late so that the -workmen may have time to remove all traces of the invasion before I have -seen them. Martin looks out for that. Don't accuse me of misanthropy, -although perhaps I deserve the charge to some extent. Try rather to -explain the anomaly of a man thoroughly imbued with the necessity of -life in common, and yet compelled by his instincts to shun the presence -of his fellow-men. I belong to this generation of individual egotists, -and that which is a vice in others is a disease in me. There are reasons -for this. But I prefer not to discuss them in order that I may not have -to recall them." - -Emile dared not ask any direct questions, although he resolved that he -would discover one by one all Monsieur de Boisguilbault's secrets, or at -least all those in which the Châteaubrun family was interested. But he -considered that he had won enough victories for one day, and that he -must win the marquis's esteem and affection, if possible, before -obtaining his full confidence. - -He desired simply to obtain access to the library, and the marquis -promised to throw it open to him at their next interview, for which, -however, they appointed no time. Monsieur de Boisguilbault, perhaps -because of a return of his former distrust, wished to see if Emile would -come again soon of his own motion. - - - - -XVIII - -STORM - - -From that day Emile no longer lived at his parents' house. He was there -in the body at night, to be sure, and during some hours of the day; but -his mind was more frequently at Boisguilbault and his heart almost -always at Châteaubrun. - -He went frequently to Boisguilbault, more frequently than he would have -done, perhaps, had it not been for the proximity of Châteaubrun and the -pretexts afforded by his first visit. - -In the first place there were books to carry to Gilberte, and although -the marquis gave him permission to draw upon the library at his -discretion, he was careful to carry them one by one, so that he might -always have an excuse for calling upon her. - -It did not occur to Monsieur Antoine or Janille to be surprised at the -pleasure which Gilberte derived from reading, or to superintend her -choice of books; for Janille could not read, and prudence was not -Monsieur Antoine's forte. But the maid's guardian angel was no more -heedful of the purity of her thoughts than was Emile. His love enveloped -Gilberte with an inviolable respect, and the child's saintlike innocence -was a treasure of which he showed himself a more jealous guardian than -her father, to whom, as Janille expressed it, good fortune had always -come when he was asleep. - -How carefully therefore did he turn the leaves of a volume before -handing it to her,--whatever its subject,--history, morals, poetry or -romance,--lest it should contain some word that might make her blush! - -If, in her trustful ignorance, she asked him to procure her some book in -which he remembered that there were certain passages that ought not to -be put before the eyes of a young virgin, he would reply that he had -looked through the collection at Boisguilbault in vain; that it was not -there. - -A mother could have acted no more wisely under such circumstances than -Gilberte's young lover, and in proportion as the father, in his -affectionate heedlessness, unwittingly smoothed the way for attempts at -corruption, Emile made it his sacred and cherished duty to justify the -confidence of those ingenuous hearts. - -Emile's opportunities for talking with Gilberte as to what took place -between himself and Monsieur de Boisguilbault were very rare and brief, -for Janille almost never left them; and when they were with Monsieur -Antoine, Gilberte instinctively and from habit clung to her father's -side. - -However she soon learned that the friendship between young Cardonnet and -the old marquis was making great strides, and that it was based upon a -remarkable harmony of principles and ideas. But Emile did his best to -conceal from her the ill success of his attempts to bring about a -reconciliation between the two families: we shall set forth, in due -time, the result of his efforts in that direction. - -Hoping always to succeed in time, Emile dissembled his frequent rebuffs; -and Gilberte, divining the embarrassments and the delicate nature of the -mission he had accepted, did not press him in the fear of displaying too -great eagerness and persistence. - -And then, it should be said that Gilberte gradually became less -interested in the success of the enterprise, while Emile, for his part, -felt that his resolution became day by day more earnest. - -Love absorbs every other thought; and these two young people, by dint of -thinking of each other soon had no leisure to think of anything else. -Their whole existence became sentiment, that is to say passion, and the -hours flew by in the intoxication of being together, or dragged heavily -in anticipation of the moment which was to bring them together. - -It was a strange thing to Monsieur Cardonnet, who was watching his son -closely, and to Emile, who no longer realized what was going on within -him, and yet it was entirely natural, inevitable indeed, that the -passion which had absorbed our hero's first youth,--that is to say, the -desire to acquire knowledge, to understand and take part in general -life,--gave place to a gentle slumber of the intellect and to something -like forgetfulness of his favorite theories. - -In a society where all things were in harmony, love would surely become -a stimulant to patriotism and to social virtue. But when bold and -generous impulses are doomed to maintain a painful conflict with the men -and things that surround us, the personal affections capture us and -dominate us to the point of producing a sort of numbness of the other -faculties. - -The common people seek in intoxication by alcohol oblivion of their -privations, and the lover finds in the intoxication produced by his -mistress's eyes a sort of philter that induces oblivion of everything -else. Emile was too young to know how to suffer and to desire to suffer, -but he had already suffered much. Now that happiness had come in search -of him, how could he think of eluding it? Let us admit, without too much -shame for the poor boy, that he no longer thought of laws or facts or -the future, of the past of the world, of the vices of society, or the -means of saving it, of human misery or the divine will, of Heaven or -earth. Earth, Heaven, God's law, destiny, the world--his love was all of -these; and provided he could see Gilberte and read his fate in her eyes, -it mattered little to him if the universe crumbled about his ears. - -He could not open a book or sustain a discussion. When he had tired -himself out scouring all the paths that led in the direction of his -beloved, he dozed beside his mother's chair or read the newspapers to -her without understanding a word of what his voice said; and when he was -alone in his chamber, he would undress very hurriedly so that he could -put out his light and avoid the sight of external objects. - -Then the darkness would be illuminated by the inward fire which gave him -life, and his radiant vision would appear before him. In that ecstatic -state he ceased to have the sensations of sleep or of waking. He dreamed -with his eyes open, he saw with his eyes closed. - -A word of playful affection, a smile from Gilberte, the touch of her -dress brushing against him as she passed, a blade of grass which she had -broken and which he had seized upon,--any one of these was enough to -occupy his mind during the night; and no sooner did the first rays of -dawn appear than he ran to groom his horse himself so that he might -start the earlier. He forgot to eat and considered it perfectly natural -that he should live on the morning dew and the breeze that blew from -Châteaubrun. - -He dared not go there every day, although he might have done so without -fear that Monsieur Antoine would receive him less warmly. But there is -in love a shrinking modesty which takes fright at happiness at the -moment of grasping it. So he wandered about in every direction, and hid -in the woods, where he could gaze at the ruins of Châteaubrun through -the branches, as if he were afraid of being caught in the act of -adoration. - -At night, when Jean Jappeloup had finished his day's work, as he did not -as yet earn enough to hire a house and did not choose to be a burden to -his friends, and as the nights were warm and pleasant, he repaired to a -small abandoned chapel, on the hill which formed the centre of the -village, and before lying down on the straw with which he had made a -bed, went to say his prayers at the pretty little church of Gargilesse. - -He went down, from preference, into the Roman crypt which still bears -traces of the curious frescoes of the fifteenth century. From the -daintily-carved window of that underground apartment one overlooks walls -of rock and the green ravines through which the Gargilesse flows. - -The carpenter had been deprived longer than he liked of the sight of his -dear native place, and he often interrupted his placid, pensive prayer -to gaze on the landscape, still half-praying, half-musing, in that -peculiar frame of mind characteristic of simple-hearted folk, peasants, -especially after the fatigue of the day. - -It was then that Emile, when he had dined and walked a while with his -mother, came to join the carpenter, to admire the pretty structure with -him, and then to chat on the hill-top of everything that he could not -talk about at home--of Châteaubrun, Monsieur Antoine, Janille, and, -lastly, of Gilberte. - -There was one person who loved Gilberte almost as dearly as Emile, but -with another kind of love: that person was Jean. He did not precisely -look upon her as his daughter, for, blended with the paternal sentiment, -there was a sort of respect for a nature so adorable, a sort of -unpolished enthusiasm which he would not have had for his own children. -But he was proud of her beauty, of her goodness, of her common sense and -of her courage, like a man who knows the value of those qualities, and -feels keenly the honor of a noble attachment. - -The familiarity with which he expressed himself concerning her, dropping -the title of mademoiselle in accordance with his habit of calling every -one by his or her name, in no wise detracted from his instinctive -veneration for her, and Emile's ears were not wounded thereby, although -he would never have dared do the same. - -The young man took keen delight in hearing of Gilberte's childish sports -and pretty ways, of her kindly impulses, of her generous and delicate -attentions to the friend who, but for her, would have lacked everything. - -"When I was wandering in the mountains not long ago," said Jappeloup, "I -was pressed so close sometimes that I dared not leave the hole in the -cliff or the branches of some tree with dense foliage, in which I had -hidden in the morning. At such times hunger took hold of me, and one -night when I was thoroughly done up with weakness and fatigue, and was -creeping round the mountain, saying to myself that it was a long, long -way to Châteaubrun, and if I should happen to meet gendarmes on the way -I shouldn't have the strength to run, I saw a little wagon on the road -with several bundles of straw, and Gilberte walking alongside and making -signs to me. She had come all that distance with Sylvain Charasson, -looking for me everywhere, and watching like a little quail under a -bush. I lay down and hid in the straw. Gilberte sat down by my side, and -Sylvain led us back to Châteaubrun, where I went in under the noses of -the gendarmes, who were hunting for me not two steps away. - -"Another time we had agreed that Sylvain should bring me something to -eat and put it in the hollow trunk of an old willow about a league from -Châteaubrun. It was horrible weather, pelting rain, and I had a strong -suspicion that the little rascal, who likes to be comfortable, would -pretend to forget me or would eat my dinner on the road. However, I went -there at the time agreed upon, and I found the little basket well filled -and well out of sight. But what do you suppose I spied near the willow? -The print of a cunning little foot on the damp sand, and I was able to -follow the poor little foot along the ground, where it had sunk in more -than once over the ankle. The dear child had got wet through, dirty and -tired, because she wouldn't trust anyone but herself to look after her -old friend! - -"And still another day she saw the bloodhounds marching straight for an -old ruin, where, thinking that I was perfectly safe, I was calmly taking -a nap at midday. It was terribly hot that day! It was the very day you -arrived in the neighborhood. Well, Gilberte took the short cut, a very -rough and dangerous path, where the horsemen could not have followed -her, and arrived a quarter of an hour ahead of them, all red and all out -of breath, to wake me and tell me to make tracks. She was sick -afterward, poor dear heart, and her people knew nothing about it. That -was what made me particularly anxious that evening, when we took supper -at Châteaubrun and Janille told us that she had gone to bed. - -"Ah! yes, the little one has always had a great heart. If the King of -France knew her worth he would be too much honored to obtain her hand -for the best of his sons. When she was no bigger than my fist, any one -could see that she would be as pretty and lovable a creature as ever -was. You may seek as you will among the greatest and richest ladies, my -boy, you will never find a Gilberte like Gilberte de Châteaubrun!" - -Emile listened with delight, asked him innumerable questions, and made -him repeat the same stories ten times over. - -It was not long before Monsieur Cardonnet discovered the cause of the -change that had taken place in Emile. There was no more melancholy, no -more painful reticence, no more indirect reproof. It seemed as if Emile -had never been in opposition to him on any subject whatever, or at least -had never noticed that his father had different ideas from his own. He -had become a child once more in many respects. He did not heave sighs at -this or that plan of study; he seemed not to see things which might have -offended his principles; he dreamed of naught but lovely, sunny -mornings, long walks, precipices to climb, solitudes to explore; and yet -he brought back neither sketches, nor plants, nor mineralogical -specimens, as he would have done at other times. - -Country life pleased him above all things. It was the loveliest region -in the world; the open air and exercise in the saddle did him a vast -amount of good; in a word, everything was for the best, provided that he -was allowed to have his way; and if he fell into a fit of musing, he -would come out of it with a smile that seemed to say: - -"I have things within me to occupy my mind, and what you say to me is -nothing compared to what I think." - -If Monsieur Cardonnet, by some artifice, succeeded in keeping him at -home, he seemed distressed for a moment, then, suddenly assuming an air -of resignation, like a man whom it is impossible to dispossess of his -stock of happiness, he made haste to obey, and set about his task in -order to have done with it the sooner. - -"There's a pretty girl at the bottom of all this," said Monsieur -Cardonnet to himself, "and it is love that makes this rebellious mind so -docile. It's a very good thing to know. So the philosophical, -argumentative fever may give way to thirst for pleasure or to -sentimental reveries! I was very foolish not to reckon on his youth and -the passions of youth! I must let this storm rage--it will blow away the -obstacle upon which I should have gone to pieces; and when it is time to -stay the storm, I will see what it is best to do. Make haste with your -riding about the country and your loving, my poor Emile! It's the same -with you as with this mountain stream that has declared war on me: you -will both submit when you feel the hand of the master!" - -Monsieur Cardonnet was not conscious of his cruelty. He believed neither -in the force nor duration of love, and attached no more importance to a -young man's despair than to a child's tears. If he had thought that -Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun could become the victim of his plan of -waiting, he might perhaps have been conscience-stricken. But the spirit -of a proprietor and of _everyone for himself_, prevented him from -foreseeing the danger of another. - -"It's old Antoine's business to look out for his daughter," he thought. -"If the old sot sleeps on his own perils, he has at all events a -servant-mistress who has nothing better to do than put the key of the -famous pavilion in her pocket at night. I can open the duenna's eyes -when the time comes." - -With this persuasion he left Emile almost free, both as to his time and -his acts. He confined himself to ridiculing and bitterly decrying the -family of Châteaubrun when opportunity offered, in order to protect -himself from the reproach of having openly encouraged his son's suit. - -In his opinion, Antoine de Châteaubrun was really a poor creature, a -man of no consideration, whom poverty had degraded and idleness -brutalized. He saw with vainglorious pleasure the former lords of the -soil, thus fallen from their high estate, take refuge in the arms of the -people, not daring to have recourse to the protection and companionship -of the newly rich. - -Monsieur de Boisguilbault found no favor in his eyes, although it was -difficult to reproach him with dissipation and impropriety of conduct. -The wealth which he had succeeded in retaining gave much more umbrage to -Cardonnet than the name of Châteaubrun, and while he despised the -count, he had a sort of hatred for the marquis. He declared that he was -a fit subject for the lunatic hospital, and he blushed for him, he said, -because of the idiotic use he had made of so long a life and so vast a -fortune. - -Emile took pains to defend Monsieur de Boisguilbault, but without -avowing that he saw him two or three times a week. He was afraid that -his father, by suggesting to him that he must make his visits more -infrequent, would deprive him of the excuse he had for making a short -call on the family at Châteaubrun as he rode by. He needed that excuse -particularly on Gilberte's account, for he was confident that Monsieur -Antoine would make no comment; but he was afraid that Janille might -convince Mademoiselle that her dignity demanded that she should keep at -a respectful distance a young man who was too wealthy to marry her, -according to worldly ideas. - -He foresaw clearly enough that the day would come when his assiduity -would be observed. - -"But by that time," he said to himself, "perhaps she will love me, and I -can explain the seriousness of my attentions." - -This thought naturally led him to anticipate a long and vehement -opposition on Monsieur Cardonnet's part; but thereupon there rose in him -a sort of well-spring of courage and determination; his heart beat like -that of a soldier rushing forward to the assault, burning to plant his -flag on the breach with his own hand; he felt that he quivered like the -war-horse intoxicated by the smell of powder. - -Sometimes, when his father overwhelmed one of his workmen with his cold, -concentrated wrath, he would fold his arms and involuntarily measure him -with his eye. - -"We shall see," he would say to himself, "if such things will terrify -me, and if such a blast will make me bend when he raises his hand -against the sacred ark of my love.--O father! you have succeeded in -turning me aside from the studies to which I was devoted, in stifling -all my aspirations in my bosom, in wounding my self-esteem with impunity -and trampling on my sympathies. If you demand the sacrifice of my -intelligence and my inclinations, why, I will submit once more. But the -sacrifice of my love! Ah! you are too prudent, too discerning to demand -it, for if you did, you would see that, while I am your son to love you, -I have your blood in my veins to resist you. We should shatter ourselves -against each other, like two machines of equal strength, and you would -have to become a parricide in order to win the victory." - -Awaiting that terrible day, which Emile accustomed himself to -contemplate, he allowed his father's secret rancor to vent itself in -empty words against the worthy Antoine and his faithful Janille. It had -even become a matter of indifference whether he did or did not allude to -the doubtful parentage of the count's daughter. It mattered little to -him whether she had plebeian blood in her veins, and he hardly heard -what Monsieur Cardonnet said on that subject. - -It seemed to him, furthermore, that it would have been an insult to -Gilberte's father to seek to defend him against the other accusations of -his father. He smiled almost like a martyr, who receives a wound and -defies pain. - -Thus, despite all his shrewdness, Cardonnet was on the wrong road and -was dragging his son with him into the abyss, flattering himself that he -could readily hold him back when they had reached the brink. He thought -that he knew the human heart, because he knew the secret of human -weaknesses; but he who knows only the weak and miserable side of men and -things, knows only half of the truth. - -"I have made him submit on more important occasions," he said to -himself; "an _amourette_ is of no account." - -He was right as to _amourettes_; perhaps he had had experience of them; -but a great passion was to him an inaccessible ideal, and he had no -conception of the sublime or disastrous resolutions it can inspire. - -It may be that Monsieur de Boisguilbault contributed in some degree to -allay Emile's tempestuous ardor in regard to social questions; sometimes -his tone of glacial security had aroused the impetuous youth's -impatience; but more frequently he realized that tranquil prophet was -right in submitting patiently to the present, in view of what the future -was certain to bring forth. - -When the marquis discoursed to him in the name of the logic of -ideas--sovereign of all worlds and mother of human destinies--instead of -irritating him as Monsieur Cardonnet did by invoking the false and -clumsy logic of facts, he succeeded in pacifying and convincing him. - -If the contrast between the two sometimes caused a sort of generous -irritability in the least patient of the two, the more tranquil soon -recovered his influence and disclosed the power that was concealed -within him and that made him, so to speak, superior to himself. - -Monsieur Cardonnet's raillery had wounded Emile deeply, and had almost -driven him to the exaggeration of fanaticism. Monsieur de -Boisguilbault's exalted good sense reconciled him to himself, and he -felt proud to have the sanction of an old man so enlightened and so -rigid in his deductions. As they were in perfect accord as to the -fundamental points, their discussions could not last long, and as -communism was the only subject capable of rousing the marquis from his -usual taciturnity, it often happened that they were silent for a long -while in a sort of reverie _à deux_. - -But Emile was never bored at Boisguilbault. The beauty of the park, the -library, and, above all, the reserved but indubitable pleasure which the -marquis derived from his society, made his visits agreeably restful and -delightful to him as a relief from more intense emotions. He created for -himself there, unconsciously, a second home, much more in conformity -with his tastes than the noisy factory and his father's household, -managed as it was with military strictness. - -Châteaubrun would have been a retreat even more after his heart. There -he loved everything and everybody, without exception: the family, the -old ruins, even the domestic animals and the plants. But to enjoy the -happiness of passing his life there, he must scale the walls of heaven; -and as he must needs fall back to the earth after his dream, Emile found -that the fall was less severe at Boisguilbault than at Gargilesse. -Boisguilbault was a sort of half-way station between the bottomless pit -and heaven; the _limbo_ between purgatory and paradise. He was so warmly -welcomed there, and so warmly urged to remain, that he became accustomed -to the idea that he was at home there. He busied himself about the park, -arranged the books, and took riding-lessons in the main courtyard. - -Gradually the old marquis yielded to the pleasures of companionship, and -sometimes his smile indicated genuine cheerfulness. He did not realize -the fact or did not choose to admit it: but the young man became -necessary to him and brought life to him. For hours at a time he seemed -to accept the boon indifferently, but when Emile was about to leave him -that pale face would gradually change its expression, and the wheeze of -asthma would become a sigh of affection and regret when the young man -leaped upon his horse, impatient to descend the hill. - -At last it became evident to Emile, who was learning day by day to -decipher that mysterious book, that the old man's heart was affectionate -and sympathetic, that he regretted, secretly but constantly, that he had -adopted a life of solitude, and that he had other reasons for taking -that course than a misanthropic temperament simply. - -He believed that the time had come to probe the wound and suggest the -remedy. The name of Antoine de Châteaubrun, which he had already -mentioned many times to no purpose, and which had died away, leaving no -echo, in the silence of the park, came once more to his lips and clung -there more obstinately. The marquis was forced to hear it and make some -reply. - -"My dear Emile," he said, in the most solemn tone he had as yet assumed -with him, "you can cause me much pain, and if such is your purpose, I -will furnish you with the means, namely, to speak to me of the person -you have just mentioned." - -"I know," replied the young man, "but----" - -"You know!" Monsieur de Boisguilbault interrupted him; "what do you -know?" - -And, as he asked this question, he seemed so indignant, and his lifeless -eyes were filled with such threatening fire, that Emile, taken by -surprise, remembered what was said at their first interview about his -alleged irascibility, although it was said in such a tone that at the -time he had been unable to view it in any other light than as a boastful -joke. - -"Answer me!" continued Monsieur de Boisguilbault, in a milder voice but -with a bitter smile. "If you know the causes of my resentment, how dare -you remind me of them?" - -"If they are serious," replied Emile, "I certainly know nothing of them; -for what I have been told is so frivolous that I am entirely unable to -credit it, seeing how angry you are with me." - -"Frivolous! frivolous! In heaven's name what has anyone told you? Be -honest: don't hope to deceive me!" - -"Since when, pray, have I given you the right to suspect me of anything -so base as falsehood?" retorted Emile, becoming a little heated in his -turn. - -"Monsieur Cardonnet," said the marquis, taking the young man's arm in a -hand that trembled like the leaf fluttering in the autumn breeze, "I do -not think that you will seek to make sport of my suffering. Speak, -therefore, and tell me what you know, for I must hear it." - -"I know what people say and no more. They say that you broke off a -friendship of twenty years' standing because of a quarrel about a deer. -One of those creatures, which you had tamed for your amusement, escaped -from your enclosure, and Monsieur de Châteaubrun, having fallen in with -it a short distance from your park, was inconsiderate enough to kill it. -It would have been exceedingly inconsiderate, it is true, as there are -no deer in this region, so that he must have known that it was one of -your pets; Monsieur de Châteaubrun has always been very absent-minded, -and that is not an injury of the sort for which one cannot forgive a -friend." - -"Who told you that story? He, I suppose?" - -"He has never mentioned the subject to me. It was Jean, the carpenter, -another man whom you won't talk about, although you have been very kind -to him, who told me that he has never known of any other reason for -misunderstanding between you." - -"And from whom did he obtain this interesting explanation? from the -maid-servant, doubtless?" - -"No, monsieur le marquis. The servant never mentions you any more than -the master does. What I have told you is the story generally believed -among the peasants." - -"And the basis of it is true," rejoined Monsieur de Boisguilbault, after -a long pause, which seemed to restore his tranquillity entirely. "Why -should you be surprised, Emile? Don't you know that it only takes a drop -of water to make a lake overflow?" - -"But if your lake of bitterness was filled with such drops of water -only, how can I fail to be surprised by your sensitiveness? I can -discover no other fault in Monsieur de Châteaubrun than constant -inertia and heedlessness. If it was a series of absent-minded freaks and -_gaucheries_ that made his presence insupportable to you, I must say -that I do not recognize your accustomed good judgment and tolerant -spirit. I, whom you often call a volcano in eruption, should have been -more patient than you, for Monsieur Antoine's fits of abstraction amuse -me rather than irritate me, and I see in them a proof of his openness of -heart and the artlessness of his mind." - -"Emile, Emile, you are not qualified to judge of such matters," rejoined -Monsieur de Boisguilbault with an embarrassed air. "I am very -absent-minded myself, and I suffer from my own mistakes. Those of other -people are evidently more than I can stand, you see. Affection lives -only upon contrasts, they say. Two deaf or two blind men are sadly bored -together. In short, I was tired of that man! say no more to me about -him." - -"I cannot believe that prohibition is intended seriously. O my -noble-hearted friend, turn your wrath upon me alone; if I insist; but it -is impossible for me to avoid seeing that this rupture is one of the -principal causes of your sadness. At the bottom of your heart you -reproach yourself with it as an act of injustice; and who can say that -it is not the only source of your misanthropy? We find it difficult to -tolerate other men when there is in the depths of our minds something -for which we cannot give ourselves absolution. I believe, and I dare to -tell you, that you would be comforted if you should repair the injury -which you inflicted on one of your fellow-men so many years ago." - -"The injury I inflicted on him? What injury, pray? What revenge did I -take on him? to whom did I ever say an unkind word of him? to whom have -I complained? what do you yourself know of my inmost feelings toward -him? The miserable fellow had better hold his peace! he will commit a -great sin if he complains of my conduct." - -"He does not complain of it, monsieur le marquis, but he deplores the -loss of your friendship. That regret disturbs his sleep and sometimes -obscures the serenity of his amiable and resigned heart. He does not of -his own accord mention your name, but if anybody mentions it in his -presence, he speaks of you in the highest terms and his eyes fill with -tears. And then, too, there is some one very near to him who suffers -even more than himself in his sorrow, some one who respects you, who -fears you and who dares not implore you, but whose affection and -gratitude would be a blessing in your loneliness and a support in your -old age." - -"What do you mean, Emile?" said the marquis, painfully affected. "Are -you speaking of yourself? Does your friendship for me depend upon that -condition? That would be very cruel on your part." - -"There is no question of me in this matter," Emile replied. "My -attachment to you is too profound, and my sympathy too instinctive for -me to put any price on them. I am speaking of some one who knows you -only through me, but who had already divined your character and who does -full justice to your noble qualities; of a person a thousand times more -estimable than I, whom you would love with a father's affection if you -knew her; in a word, I am speaking of an angel, of Mademoiselle Gilberte -de Châteaubrun." - -Emile had no sooner pronounced that name, upon which he relied as a -magic charm, than he saw his host's expression change in an alarming -manner. The knobs of his thin, sallow cheeks flushed purple; his eyes -started from their sockets; his arms and legs twitched convulsively. He -tried to speak and stammered unintelligible words. At last he succeeded -in saying this: - -"Enough, monsieur, that is enough, too much. Never be so misguided as to -mention that _demoiselle's_ name to me!" - -And, leaving the cliff in the park, where this conversation took place, -he entered the chalet and closed the door violently behind him. - - - - -XIX - -THE PORTRAIT - - -Emile did not return to Boisguilbault for several days. His sorrow was -deep-seated. At first he was annoyed and angry at the marquis's -distressing and incomprehensible caprice. But soon, after reflecting -upon that strange episode, he conceived an immense pity for that -diseased mind, which, amid ideas so lucid and instincts so affectionate, -nourished a deplorable sort of mania, paroxysms of hatred or resentment -closely akin to mental alienation. - -That was the only explanation that the young man could conceive of the -violent effect produced on his venerable friend by the adored name of -Gilberte. He was so dismayed by the discovery, that he no longer felt -the courage to pursue so hopeless an undertaking and determined to -inform Mademoiselle frankly of his failure. - -He bent his steps toward the ruins one evening, depressed by his -discomfiture, and for the first time he was sad on his arrival. But love -is a magician who overturns all our anticipations by unexpected favors -or cruelties. - -Gilberte was alone. To be sure, Janille was not far away; but as she -left the house to find one of her goats, and as Gilberte did not know in -what direction she had gone, so that they could not go to meet her, they -had a plausible excuse for indulging in a tête-à-tête. Gilberte also -seemed a little sad. She would have been sorely embarrassed to say why, -or how it happened that, after passing five minutes with Emile, she -entirely forgot that she had had any gloomy thoughts prior to his -arrival. - -They had dined at Châteaubrun long before: according to a custom of -many years' standing, they ate at the same hours as the peasants, that -is to say, in the morning, at noon, and after the day's work--a -perfectly logical arrangement for those who do not turn night into day. - -The sun was sinking when Emile arrived: it was the hour when all things -are lovely--grave and smiling at once. Emile fancied that he had never -before appreciated Gilberte's beauty, he was so impressed by it at that -moment; as if it were the first time, as if he had not been living for -six weeks in an ecstasy of contemplation. - -No matter; he persuaded himself that he had hitherto noticed only the -half of her hair and only the hundredth part of the charms contained in -her smile, of her grace of movement, of the inestimable treasures of her -glance. - -He had some important things to say to her, he remembered nothing. He -could think of nothing but looking at her and listening to her. All that -she said was so striking, so novel to him! How redolent she was of the -richness of nature, how she made him realize the perfection of its most -trivial details! If she showed him a flower, he discovered shades of -coloring therein whose delicacy or beauty he had never before -appreciated; if she spoke in terms of admiration of the sky, he -discovered that he had never seen the sky so lovely. The landscape at -which she gazed assumed a magical aspect and he could think of nothing -to say, except: - -"Oh! yes, how lovely it is! Oh! you are right. Of course, of course, -what you see and what you say is so true!" - -There is a delicious stupidity in the mind of a lover: everything means -_I love you_! and it would be a vain task to seek any other meaning to -their monotonous agreement on all subjects. Still, although she was even -less experienced than Emile, Gilberte, being a woman, understood a -little more clearly what she herself felt, whereas Emile loved, as we -breathe, without reflecting that a problem or a prodigy is connected -with every minute of our lives. - -Gilberte questioned herself more and was more overcome with -astonishment. She speedily made an effort to change the form of their -conversation, in which, by dint of saying nothing at all, they said far -too much. - -She mentioned Monsieur de Boisguilbault, and Emile was compelled to say -that he had no hope. All his disappointment reawoke at that admission -and he bitterly lamented the destiny that deprived him of his sole -opportunity to make himself useful to Monsieur de Châteaubrun and to -gratify Gilberte. - -"Oh! have no fear on that score," said the girl innocently, "I shall be -none the less under obligation to you; for thanks to your zeal and -courage my mind is at rest on the main point. Let me tell you what -worried me most. In view of the marquis's haughty obstinacy and my -father's generous humility, an intolerable suspicion had found its way -into my mind. I fancied that my dear father might have inflicted some -grave injury upon him--unintentionally, I am sure,--and I was anxious to -discover the secret so that I could take upon myself to repair it. Oh! I -would have done it at the cost of my life! But now----" - -"But now! well, now," said Monsieur Antoine, suddenly appearing around a -clump of wild shrubs, and smiling with his usual expression of frank -trustfulness, "what the deuce are you telling in such a serious tone, -and what is it that you would repair at the cost of your life, my dear -love? I see, Emile, that she has taken you for her confessor, and that -she is accusing herself of killing a fly with too much temper. What is -it? Come, speak out; for your embarrassed air makes me long to laugh. -Can it be by any chance that you have secrets from your old father?" - -"Oh! no, father! I never will have a secret from you!" cried Gilberte, -throwing an arm around Antoine's neck and laying her pink cheek against -his copper-colored one. "And then you listen at keyholes in the open -air, so you are going to be compelled to hear what is under -consideration. If you find any reason to blame us, remember that you -have forfeited the right to do it by taking me by surprise and -criticising my words. Listen, Monsieur Emile, I am going to tell him -everything, for it is much better that he should know it. My dear -father, you are unhappy over Monsieur de Boisguilbault's unjust -resentment against you on account of a mere trifle." - -"Ah! _diantre_! do you propose to talk about that? What's the use? You -know well that it's a painful subject to me!" said Monsieur Antoine, his -good-humored face suddenly becoming clouded. - -"You must talk about it, as it is for the last time," said Gilberte. -"What I am going to say will pain you, and yet I am sure that it will -take a great weight off your heart. Come, come, dear father, don't turn -your head away, and don't put on that careworn expression that makes -your Gilberte feel so pained. I know very well that you don't want me to -mention the marquis's name before you; you say that it's none of my -affair and that I can do nothing to bring you together. But it is too -bad to treat me as a little girl, and I am quite old enough to know a -little something of your sorrows so that I can help you to find -consolation for them. Very good; I was making inquiries of Monsieur -Cardonnet,--who sees Monsieur de Boisguilbault frequently, and to whom -he has given his confidence on many important matters,--as to that -gentleman's frame of mind toward us. I was saying to him that to relieve -you from the regret which you still feel for having unintentionally -wounded him, I would give my life--wasn't that what I was saying?" - -"And then?" queried Monsieur de Châteaubrun, putting his daughter's -pretty hand to his lips with a preoccupied air. - -"And then," she continued, "Monsieur Emile had already told me what I -wanted to know, namely, that Monsieur de Boisguilbault still nourishes -an intense resentment, but that we need think no more about it, because -it is founded upon nothing at all, and you have, thank God! nothing with -which to reproach yourself! Indeed, I was sure of it, dearest father; I -simply dreaded one of your fits of absent-mindedness. But now you can -set your mind at rest, although you will be distressed, I am sure, at -your old friend's deplorable condition. Monsieur de Boisguilbault really -is what he is said to be, and you must recognize it as everybody else -does--the poor man is mad." - -"Mad!" cried Monsieur Antoine, terror-stricken and grief-stricken at -once, "really mad? Have you heard him talk wildly, Emile? Does he suffer -much? does he complain? has he been pronounced mad by the doctors? Oh! -that is horrible news to me!" - -And honest Antoine, sinking upon a bench, tried in vain to repress his -sobs. His robust breast swelled as if it would burst. - -"_O mon Dieu_! see how he loves him still!" cried Gilberte, throwing -herself on her knees at her father's feet and covering him with kisses. -"Oh! forgive me, forgive me, father dear! I spoke too hastily! I have -pained you! Come and help me to console him, Emile." - -Emile started when Gilberte, in her excitement, forgot for the first -time to call him _monsieur_. It seemed that she looked upon him as a -brother, and, in an outburst of emotion, he too knelt beside poor -Antoine, who seemed to be threatened with an apoplectic stroke, he was -so red and so oppressed. - -"Never fear," said Emile, "matters have not reached that point and never -will, I trust. Monsieur de Boisguilbault is not ill; he has the full -enjoyment of all his faculties. His monomania, if we may so describe his -professed repulsion for your family, is not a new disease; only, finding -that strange freak in a man so tranquil and tolerant in all other -respects, I believed for a long while that there must be some serious -reasons for it, and I am forced to admit now that there are none; that -it is a streak of temporary madness, which he will forget if it is not -stirred up again, and that you are not the sole object of it, since -other persons, of whom he has never had any reason to complain, and whom -he does not know at all, inspire the same unhealthy feeling of horror -and repulsion." - -"Explain yourself," said Monsieur Antoine, beginning to breathe once -more; "who are these other persons?" - -"Why, Jean, for one," replied Emile. "You know very well that he has no -reason to dread his presence as he does, and that excellent man is -entirely at sea as to any possible cause of ill-will the marquis can -have toward him." - -"He has no reason to reproach him, nor anyone else; but I know very well -what he imagines. Go on! if Jean is the only other one, the marquis is -not mad in the least degree, he is simply unjust or mistaken as to our -friend the carpenter. But it is as impossible to convince him of his -mistake as to close the wound that is bleeding in his heart. Poor -Boisguilbault! Ah! Gilberte, I would gladly sacrifice my life to enable -him to forget the past. Let us say no more about it." - -"One word more," said Gilberte, "for that word will enlighten you, -father. Jean Jappeloup is not the only one whom the marquis detests so -bitterly; he has the same feeling against me, whom he has hardly seen, -who have never spoken to him, and of whom he most assuredly can have no -reason to complain. Upon mentioning my name, with the purpose of calming -him, Monsieur Cardonnet, who will tell you so himself, found that his -anger sprang up afresh, and he slammed the door, shouting, as if he had -heard the name of a mortal enemy: - -"'Woe to you if you ever mention that _demoiselle_ to me!'" - -Monsieur de Châteaubrun hung his head and sat for some moments without -speaking. Several times he wiped the perspiration from his broad brow -with his coarse blue and white handkerchief. Then he took Gilberte's -hand and Emile's in his, unconsciously placing them so that they -touched, so engrossed was he by every other subject except the -possibility of their love. - -"My children," he said, "you thought that you were doing me good, and -you have added to my grief. I thank you none the less for your kind -intentions, but I wish you both to give me your word not to refer to -this subject again with me, nor with each other, nor in Janille's -presence or Jean's, nor you, Emile, with Monsieur de Boisguilbault. -Never, never--do you understand?" he added, in the most solemn and -impressive tone of which he was capable. Then, addressing Emile more -particularly, and pressing his hand against Gilberte's with less -consciousness than before of his acts: - -"My dear Monsieur Emile," he said, with emotion, "you have been led by -your friendship for me to do a very imprudent thing. Remember that the -first time you went to Boisguilbault I said to you: 'Do not mention my -name in that house, if you do not wish to injure my friend Jean!' And -now you have injured me myself by forgetting my injunction. All that I -can tell you is that Monsieur de Boisguilbault is no more insane than -any of us three, and that, if he is unjust to Jean or my daughter, who -are both innocent of my wrong-doing, it is because one naturally -includes an enemy's friends and kindred in the hatred which he inspires. -Monsieur de Boisguilbault would be very cruel not to forgive me if he -could read my heart; but his suffering is too great to allow him to do -it. Respect his grief, therefore, Emile, and do not call a man insane -whose misfortunes deserve the consolation of your friendship and all the -consideration of which you are capable. Come! promise me that you will -not conspire together for my repose any more, for whatever you do will -really be conspiring against it." - -Emile and Gilberte promised, trembling with excitement; whereupon -Antoine said to them: "That is well, my children; there are incurable -diseases and griefs that one must learn to submit to in silence. Now let -us go to see if Janille has found her goat. I have in my basket some -apricots I have been picking for you two; for I saw Emile coming up the -path, and I was determined to regale him with the first ripe fruit from -my old trees." - -After divers efforts, Antoine recovered his cheerful humor--with greater -ease than Gilberte and Emile. The latter dared make no further comments -or investigations; for whatever concerned Gilberte was sacred to him, -and Antoine's earnest injunction to give no more thought to the matter -was sufficient inducement for him to try and put it out of his mind. But -there were many other subjects of anxiety in his heart, and love had -taken such deep root there that he fell into fits of abstraction more -complete than Monsieur Antoine's. - -When he found himself on the road to Gargilesse, at the point where the -road to Boisguilbault branches off, his horse, which was equally -attached to both places, turned toward Boisguilbault. Emile did not -notice it at first, and, when he did notice it, he said to himself that -Providence willed it so; that he had left the melancholy old man, whom -he had promised to love as his father, all alone for three days; and -that, at the risk of being coldly received, he must go at once and -obtain his pardon. - -The gates of the park were not closed for the night when he arrived at -the foot of the hill. He entered and rode in the direction of the -chalet, expecting that, even if he did not find the marquis there, he -would surely arrive as soon as it was dark. - -Having hitched _Corbeau_ to the balcony rail of the ground floor, he -knocked softly at the door of the Swiss chalet, and, as a little breeze -had sprung up with the sunset, it seemed to him that he could hear -sounds inside and the marquis's feeble voice bidding him come in. But it -was a pure illusion, for when he had opened the door he noticed that the -interior was empty. - -However, Monsieur de Boisguilbault might be in the invisible room to -which he was accustomed to retire at night. Emile coughed and stamped on -the floor to give notice of his presence, determined to go away without -seeing him, rather than pass through the door that was closed to -everybody without exception. - -As no sound replied to the noise he made, he concluded that the marquis -was still at the château, and he was about to walk in that direction -when a gust of wind blew a window violently open, also a door at the end -of the room. He turned toward the door, expecting to see Monsieur de -Boisguilbault, but no one appeared, and Emile found himself looking into -a small study, the disorderly arrangement of which was as noticeable as -the scrupulous neatness of the apartments at the château. - -He would have considered it an impertinence on his part to enter the -room or even to scrutinize from a distance the cheap, common furniture -and the mass of old books and papers which he saw confusedly at the -first glance. But there was one thing that arrested his attention in -spite of himself--a life-size portrait of a woman, hung at the farther -end of that den, directly opposite him, so that it was impossible for -him not to see it, to say nothing of the fact that it would have been -difficult not to gaze at so fine a painting and so charming a face. - - -[Illustration: _EMILE EXAMINES THE PORTRAIT OF -THE MARQUISE DE BOISGUILBAULT._ - -_Nothing could be more refined and charming than that youthful face; -doubtless it was Madame de Boisguilbault, and our hero forgot himself -altogether as he gazed with deep interest at the features of that woman, -whose life and death must have had so vast an influence on the destiny -of the recluse._] - - -The lady was dressed in the style of the Empire; but a sky-blue shawl -richly embroidered and draped over her shoulders, concealed the apparent -deformity produced by the fashionable short waist of that period. The -arrangement of her hair, in so-called natural curls, was most becoming, -and the hair itself was of a magnificent golden hue. - -Nothing could be more refined and charming than that youthful face; -doubtless it was Madame de Boisguilbault, and our hero forgot himself -altogether as he gazed with deep interest at the features of that woman, -whose life and death must have had so vast an influence on the destiny -of the recluse. - -But it rarely happens that a portrait gives us a just idea of the -original; indeed, in the majority of cases one may say that nothing -resembles the person so little as his image. - -Emile had thought of the marchioness as a pale, melancholy creature; he -saw a fashionable beauty, with a proud, sweet smile, with a noble and -triumphant bearing. Was she like that before or after her marriage? Or -was hers a nature entirely different from what he had supposed? - -One thing of which he was certain was that he had before him a most -fascinating face, and, as it was impossible for him to look upon the -image of youth and beauty without thinking instantly of Gilberte, he -began to compare the two types, in which it seemed to him that he -discovered points of resemblance. The light was rapidly failing, and, as -Emile dared not take a step toward the mysterious study, the outlines of -the portrait soon became very indistinct. The white flesh and golden -hair, standing forth from the shadow, produced so powerful an illusion -upon him, that he thought that he had a portrait of Gilberte before him, -and when he could no longer see aught but a sort of mist filled with -dancing sparks, he had to make a strong effort of his will to remember -that in his first impression, the only reliable one under such -circumstances, there had been no thought of a resemblance between Madame -de Boisguilbault's face and Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun's. - -He left the chalet, and, meeting no one in the park, went on to the -château. - -The same silence and solitude reigned in the courtyard. He mounted the -stairs in the turret, but did not as usual meet Martin coming to -announce him in that ceremonious tone from which he never departed, even -with the only habitué of the house. - -At last he reached the salon, which was always very dark, the blinds -being closed night and day; and, seized with a vague alarm, as if death -had entered that house in which there was so little life at the best, he -ran through the other rooms and at last found Monsieur de Boisguilbault -lying on a bed. He was as pale and motionless as a corpse. The last rays -of daylight cast a vague and melancholy reflection into the room, and -old Martin, whose deafness prevented him from hearing Emile's approach, -had every appearance of a statue as he sat at his master's pillow. - -Emile darted to the bed and seized the marquis's hand. It was burning; -and as the two old men awoke, one from the troubled sleep of fever, the -other from the drowsiness of fatigue or inaction, the young man soon -satisfied himself that the marquis's indisposition was in itself of -little consequence. However, the ravages which two days of illness had -wrought in that feeble, worn out frame were most disquieting for the -future. - -"Ah! you have done well to come!" said Monsieur de Boisguilbault, -pressing Emile's hand feebly; "ennui would soon have consumed me if you -had abandoned me!" - -And Martin, who had not heard his master's words, but seemed to receive -his thoughts on the rebound, repeated in a louder voice than he -supposed: - -"Ah! Monsieur Emile, you did well to come! Monsieur le marquis was -suffering terribly from ennui because you didn't come." - -Thereupon he told him that monsieur le marquis had been taken with the -fever as he was about to go to the park two nights before, and had -tranquilly made up his mind that he was going to die. He had insisted on -going to bed in that very room, although he was not accustomed to sleep -there, and he had given him instructions as if he never expected to get -up again. He had a very restless night and the next morning he said to -him: - -"I feel much better; this will not amount to anything; but I feel as -tired as if I had made a long journey and I need to rest a little. -Perfect silence, Martin; little light, little nursing and no doctor; -those are my orders. Don't be alarmed about me." - -"And as I couldn't help being frightened," continued the old retainer, -"monsieur le marquis said to me: - -"'Never fear, my dear fellow, my time hasn't come yet.'" - -"Is monsieur le marquis subject to such attacks?" Emile inquired; "are -they serious? do they last long?" - -But he had forgotten that Martin could hear nobody but his master, and, -at a signal from the latter, he had already left the room. - -"I allowed the poor old deaf fellow to have his say," said Monsieur de -Boisguilbault, "for it would have been of no use to try to interrupt -him. But don't take me for a coward from his story. I am not afraid of -death, Emile; I used to long for it; now I await it calmly. I have been -conscious of its approach for a long time; but it comes slowly, and I -shall die as I have lived, without haste. I am subject to intermittent -fevers which take away my appetite and my sleep, but which no one ever -discovers because they leave me enough strength for the little I have to -do. I do not believe in medicine; thus far it has found no means of -curing disease without attacking the vital principle. In whatever form -it assumes, it is empiricism, and I prefer bending under God's hand to -leaping and capering under the hand of a man. This time I was harder hit -than usual; I felt weaker mentally, and I will confess without shame, -Emile, that I realized that I could no longer live alone. Old men are -like children for falling in love with a new pleasure; but when it comes -to losing it, they are not easily consoled like children. They become -old men again and die. Don't be embarrassed by what I say: it is the -fever that makes me so talkative. When I am cured, I shall not say it, I -shall not even think it; but I shall always feel it as an instinct -beneath my apathy. Do not feel that you are chained henceforth to my sad -old age. It is of little importance whether I live a year more or less, -or whether a friendly hand closes the eyes of him who has lived alone. -But I thank you for coming again. Let us talk no more of me, but of you. -What have you been doing during these sad days?" - -"I have been sad myself because I have passed them away from you," Emile -replied. - -"Is it possible! Such is life, such is man. To make oneself suffer by -making others suffer! That is a convincing proof of the brotherhood of -souls." - -Emile passed two hours with the marquis, and found him more confidential -and more affectionate than he had ever been. He felt that his attachment -to him became stronger, and he determined that he would cause him no -more suffering. And when, upon taking his leave, he expressed some -anxiety because he had allowed him to talk so earnestly, the marquis -replied: - -"Never fear. Come again to-morrow and you will find me on my feet. That -is not the kind of thing that tires one; it is the absence of -opportunities for pouring out one's heart that dries up and kills." - - - - -XX - -THE FORTRESS OF CROZANT - - -The marquis was in fact almost well on the following day, and -breakfasted with Emile. Thenceforth nothing disturbed that curious -friendship between an old man and a very young man; and, thanks to -Monsieur de Châteaubrun's final declarations, the painful apprehensions -of insanity no longer impaired the pleasure which Emile took in Monsieur -de Boisguilbault's society. He refrained, as he had promised Antoine, -from ever mentioning his name, and made up for it by opening his heart -to the marquis concerning all his other secrets; for it was impossible -for him not to describe his past life, not to impart to him his plans -for the future, and, as a consequence thereof, the suffering, allayed -for a time, but inevitably lasting, which his father's opposition had -caused him and was certain to cause him at the first provocation. - -Monsieur de Boisguilbault encouraged Emile in his projects of respect -and submission; but he was amazed at the pains Monsieur Cardonnet had -always taken to stifle the legitimate instincts of a son so well -inclined to work and so richly endowed. - -The liking for agriculture and the intelligent understanding of it -displayed by Emile seemed to point to a noble and generous vocation for -him, and the marquis said to himself that if he had had the good fortune -to possess such a son, he would have been able to make use in his -lifetime of the great fortune which he had destined for the poor, but of -which he had been unable to make any use in the present. - -He could not refrain from saying with a sigh that a man was blessed of -heaven who found in a son, in a friend, in another self, a mind fertile -in invention and the means of completing in all seriousness the work of -his destiny. In his heart he accused Cardonnet of seeking to consecrate -to evil purposes the forces and the instruments which God had given him -to assist him in doing good, and he looked upon him as a blind and -obstinate tyrant, who placed money above the happiness of his fellows -and his own, as if man were the slave of material things and not the -servant of truth before all else. - -Monsieur de Boisguilbault was not however essentially religious. Emile -found him always too indifferent in that respect. When the marquis had -said: "I believe in God," he thought that he could dispense with saying: -"I adore Him." When his thoughts, taking the highest flight of which he -was capable, rose to a sort of invocation which was not so much prayer -as homage, he said to God: "Thy name is wisdom!" Emile added: "Thy name -is love!" Whereupon the old man would reply: "It is the same thing;" and -he was right. - -Emile could hardly contradict him; but in that disposition to insist -upon the sublime character of the divine logic and rectitude, one could -but be conscious of the absence of that exalted passion for the -inexhaustible loving-kindness of the Omnipotent, which Emile bore in his -bosom. But, when the facts, the miseries of life, human weakness, and -all the evil that is done on earth seemed to give the lie to that theory -of a merciful Providence, and Emile became in a measure discouraged, the -old logician triumphed in the superiority of his faith. - -He never doubted, he could not doubt. He did not need to see in order to -know, he said, and the coming and going of the plagues of this world no -more disturbed in his eyes the moral order of eternal affairs than the -passing of a cloud over the sun disturbed their physical order. His -resignation was not due to a feeling of humility or affection; for he -admitted that he had never been able to reconcile himself to his own -sorrows except outwardly; but he believed in a well-spring of optimistic -fatalism for the universe at large which was in striking contrast with -his personal pessimism, and which formed the most unique feature of his -mind and his character. - -"Just see," he would say, "logic is everywhere! It is infinite in the -works of God; but it is incomplete and intangible in everything, because -everything is finite, even man himself, although he is the most -impressive reflection of the infinite on this little earth. No man can -understand infinite wisdom except as an abstract idea; for, if he looks -within himself and about him, he cannot grasp it or fix it in his mind -in any way. You often call me a logician; I accept the name: I love -logic and cultivate it. I have a tremendous craving for it and I care -for nothing that is not akin to it. But am I logical in my acts and my -instincts? Less than any one on earth. The more I test myself, the more -conscious I am of the abyss of contradictions, the chaotic confusion -within me. Very good; I am a special example of what man is in general; -and the more illogical I am in my own eyes, the more strongly I feel -that the logic of God is soaring over my poor feeble head, which would -go astray without that celestial compass and would foolishly hold the -earth responsible for its own weakness." - -Once he took Emile into the country and they explored, on horseback, the -marquis's vast estates. Emile was struck by the small income produced by -such territorial wealth. - -"All these farms are let at the lowest possible price," said the -marquis; "when one is unable to escape from the present economical -notions, the best he can do is to bear as lightly as possible on the -hard-working cultivator of the soil. These people are grateful to me, as -you see, and wish me long life. God save the mark! They consider me very -kind, although they do not much like my face. They do not know that I do -not care for them as they understand the word, and that I see in them -only victims whom I cannot save, but whose executioner I do not choose -to be. I know very well that, under logical legislation, this estate -should produce a hundred times as much as it does. My dissatisfaction is -allayed when I think of it; but in order to think of it and to sustain -myself with the certainty that it will some day be the instrument of the -voluntary labor of a multitude of prudent men, I must avoid seeing it in -its present state, for this spectacle saddens me and turns me cold; for -this reason I very rarely expose myself to it." - -It was in fact about two years since Monsieur de Boisguilbault had -visited his farms and made the circuit of his domain. He could make up -his mind to do it only in case of absolute necessity. He was greeted -everywhere with demonstrations of respect and affection which were not -without a touch of superstitious terror; for his solitude and eccentric -habits had given him the reputation of a sorcerer with many peasants. - -Many a time, during a storm, they had said sadly: "Ah! if Monsieur de -Boisguilbault chose to prevent the hail, he could do it! but, instead of -doing what he can, he is always looking for something else that nobody -knows and that he will never find perhaps!" - -"Well, Emile, what would you do with all this, if it were yours?" said -the marquis as they rode home; "for in asking you to make this tiresome -round of visits with me, I had no other purpose than to question you." - -"I would try!" Emile replied, warmly. - -"Of course," said the marquis, "I would try to found a genuine _commune_ -if I could. But I should try in vain, I should fail. And you, too, -perhaps!" - -"What does it matter?" - -"That is the generous, insane cry of youth: what does it matter if you -fail, providing only that you are doing something, eh? You yield to a -craving for activity and do not see the obstacles. There are obstacles, -however, and the worst of all is this: that there are no men. In that -sense your father is right in appealing to a brutal but none the less -powerful fact. Men's minds are not ripe, their hearts are not -well-disposed; I see much land and many arms, but I do not see a single -mind detached from the _ego_ which governs the earth. A little more -time, Emile, for the idea to bloom and spread; it will not be so long as -people think; I shall not see it, but you will. Be patient, therefore!" - -"What do you mean? does time do anything without us?" - -"No, but it will do nothing without us _all_. There are times when one -should be consoled for not being at work, if one is learning; then comes -the time when one can learn and work at the same time. Do you feel that -you are strong?" - -"Very!" - -"So much the better! And I believe it!--Well, Emile, we will talk some -day--soon perhaps, in my next attack of fever, when my pulse beats a -little faster than it does to-day." - -In such conversations as this Emile found strength to live through the -hours that he could not pass with Gilberte. There was something lacking -in his friendship with Monsieur de Boisguilbault: it was the being able -to speak to him of her and to tell him of his love. But there is in -happy love a something superb which can do very well without advice of -others, and the time when Emile would feel the need of complaining and -of seeking a support under the burden of despair had not yet arrived. - -In what did this happiness consist, do you ask? In the first place, he -was in love--that is almost enough for him who loves dearly. And then he -knew that he was loved, although he had never dared to ask the question -and she would have dared even less to tell him so. - -Meanwhile clouds were gathering on the horizon and Emile was destined to -feel the approach of the storm. One day Janille said to him as he was -leaving Châteaubrun: "Don't come again for three or four days; we have -some business to attend to in the neighborhood and we shall be away." -Emile turned pale: he thought that he was receiving his sentence, and he -hardly had strength to ask what day the family would have returned to -its penates. "Oh! toward the end of the week, I suppose," said Janille. -"Indeed it is probable that I shall stay here; I am too old to run about -over mountains, and you might come in as you ride by and ask if Monsieur -Antoine and his daughter have returned." - -"You will allow me then to call upon you?" said Emile, striving to -conceal his mortal suffering. - -"Why not, if your heart bids you?" replied the little old woman, drawing -herself up with an air in which the distrustful Emile fancied that he -could detect a touch of malice. "I am not afraid of being compromised!" - -"It's all over," thought Emile. "My assiduity has been observed, and -although Monsieur Antoine and his daughter have no suspicion as yet, -Janille has made up her mind to turn me out. Her power here is absolute -and the critical moment has arrived. Well, Mademoiselle Janille," he -said, "I will come to see you to-morrow. I shall take great pleasure in -talking with you." - -"How well that happens," said Janille; "I am very anxious to talk too! -But I have some flax to pick to-morrow and I shall not expect you until -the next day. That is understood; I shall be at home all day; don't fail -to come. Good-night, Monsieur Emile, we will have a good friendly talk. -Oh! you see I too am very fond of you!" - -There was no longer any doubt in Emile's mind; the housekeeper at -Châteaubrun had opened her eyes to his love. Some officious neighbor -was beginning to be surprised to see him so often on the road to the -ruins. Antoine knew nothing as yet, nor Gilberte; for the latter, when -she told him that her father was going away for a few days, could not -have foreseen that Janille would arrange for her to go with him. The -shrewd housekeeper had laid her plans well: first to get Emile out of -the way, and then to arrange for Gilberte to go away unexpectedly, thus -making sure of a few days in which to avert the little outbreak which -she anticipated on the young man's part. - -"Well, then, I must speak," said Emile to himself; "and why should I -recoil from the inevitable end of my secret aspirations? I will tell her -loyal governess and her excellent father that I love her and aspire to -her hand. I will ask for a little time to broach the subject to my -father and come to an understanding with him as to my choice of a -career, for I have made none as yet, and my fate must be decided. There -will be a fierce struggle, but I shall be strong, for I love. It is not -a question of myself alone, so I shall have invincible courage, I shall -have the gift of persuasion, I shall carry the day!" - -Despite all this confidence, Emile passed the night in horrible -perplexity. He imagined the conversation he was about to have with -Janille, and he could have written out the questions and answers, so -well he knew the little woman's self-possession and outspokenness. - -"Ah! but you must speak to your father first of all, monsieur,"--she -would surely say,--"and have an understanding with him; for it is quite -useless to disturb Monsieur Antoine's mind with a conditional request, -with projects that may not be realized. Meanwhile, do not come here any -more, or come very little, for no one is supposed to be aware of your -intentions, and Gilberte is not the girl to listen to you unless she is -sure that she can be your wife." - -Then, too, he feared that Janille, who was very matter-of-fact, would -treat the possibility of Monsieur Cardonnet's consent as a pure -delusion, and would forbid him to make frequent visits unless he should -produce satisfactory proof that he was at liberty to choose for himself. - -Thus was it fully demonstrated that Emile must enter upon the conflict -with his father first of all, and must govern his actions accordingly; -that is to say, go infrequently to Châteaubrun until he had reason to -entertain a strong hope of victory, or, if he had no ground for hope, to -abstain forever from destroying the happiness of the family of -Châteaubrun by fruitless overtures--in a word, he must go away and -renounce Gilberte. - -But it was utterly impossible for Emile to include that alternative -among the possibilities. The idea of death would find its way more -easily into an infant's head than that of renouncing the woman he loves -into the head of a man who is deeply in love. - -Thus Emile could more readily conceive the possibility of blowing out -his brains before his father's eyes than of yielding to his will. "Very -well!" he said to himself, "I will speak to-morrow to this terrible -master, and I will speak to him in such a way that I shall be able to -appear at Châteaubrun with my head erect." - -And yet, when the morrow came, Emile, instead of feeling inspired by all -the force of his determination, felt so exhausted by insomnia, and so -overwhelmed by sadness, that he feared his own weakness and did not -speak. Indeed, what can be more painful, when the heart has revelled in -a blissful dream, than to find oneself brought suddenly face to face -with a cruel reality? When one has enjoyed all by oneself the delicious -secret of a chastely hidden passion, to be forced to reveal it in cold -blood to those who do not understand it or who scorn it? - -Whether Emile should make the avowal to his father or to Janille, he -must lay bare his heart, filled as it was with a modest languor and a -holy ecstasy, to hearts that had never known or had long been closed to -sentiments of that nature. And he had dreamed of such a sublime -_dénouement_! Should not Gilberte, alone with him under the eye of God, -be the first to receive in her heart the sacred word love when it should -escape from his lips? - -The world and the laws of honor, so unfeeling in such cases, were to -deprive the virginity of his passion of all that was purest and most -ideal about it! He suffered intensely, and it seemed to him that a -century of bitter sorrow had elapsed between his dreams of the day -before and the gloomy day that was beginning. - -He mounted his horse, determined to seek at a distance, in some solitary -spot, the calm and resignation necessary to enable him to withstand the -first shock. He intended to avoid Châteaubrun; but he found himself -near the ruin, unconscious how he had come thither. He rode by without -turning his head, ascended the rough road where, in the howling storm, -he had first seen the château by the light of the lightning flashes. He -recognized the rocks behind which he had found shelter with Jean -Jappeloup, and he could not realize that more than two months had passed -since that night when he was so light-hearted, so self-controlled, so -different from what he had since become. - -He rode on toward Eguzon, in order to see once more the whole of the -road he had then passed over, as he had not visited it since. But when -he reached the first houses, the sight of the villagers scrutinizing him -caused the same thrill of horror and misanthropy which Monsieur de -Boisguilbault would have been likely to feel at such a time. He turned -sharply into a dark, wooded road at his left and rode into the country, -without any definite goal. - -This rough but fascinating road, passing now over broad, flat rocks, now -over the fresh green sward, now over fine sand, and bordered by -venerable chestnuts with furrowed trunks and enormous roots, conducted -him to vast moors, where he rode slowly along, content to be alone at -last in a desolate region. The road stretched before him, sometimes in -zigzag fashion, sometimes straight up and down, through fields covered -with broom and furze, and over sandy hillocks intersected by brooks that -had no well-defined bed and no fixed course. - -From time to time a partridge skimmed along the grass at his feet, or a -kingfisher flew like an arrow across a swamp, a flash of blue and fiery -red. - -After an hour's ride, being still absorbed in his thoughts, he saw that -the path became narrower, plunged into the bushes, and finally -disappeared under his feet. He raised his eyes and saw before him, -beyond steep precipices and deep ravines, the ruins of Crozant rising -like a sharp arrow over curiously jagged peaks of such extent that one -could hardly embrace the whole at a single glance. - -Emile had already visited that interesting fortress, but by a more -direct road, and as his preoccupation had prevented him from taking his -bearings, he was uncertain for a moment where he was. Nothing could be -more consonant with his frame of mind than that wild locality and those -desolate ruins. He left his horse at a hut and descended on foot the -narrow path that led down to the bed of the torrent by a series of steps -cut in the rock. Then he ascended by similar means and buried himself in -the ruins, where he remained for several hours, a prey to an intensity -of suffering which the aspect of a spot that was so horrifying and so -sublime exalted at times almost to delirium. - -Few fortresses so advantageously situated as that of Crozant were -erected in the first centuries of feudalism. The mountain on which it -stands descends perpendicularly on all sides, to two mountain streams, -the Creuse and the Sédelle, which unite tumultuously at the end of the -peninsula and keep up a constant roaring as they leap over huge -fragments of stone. The sides of the mountain are very peculiar, -bristling everywhere with long, grayish rocks, which rise from the abyss -like giants or hang like stalactites over the torrent. - -The ruins of the château have taken on so completely the color and -shape of the surrounding rocks that in many places one can hardly -distinguish them at a little distance. - -It is hard to say which was the bolder and the more tragically inspired -in that spot, nature or man, and one cannot imagine, upon such a stage, -other than scenes of implacable fury and unending despair. - -A drawbridge, several dark posterns and a double encircling wall, -flanked by towers and bastions, the remains of which can still be seen, -made this fortress impregnable before the invention of cannon. And yet -almost nothing is known of the history of a place that was of such -importance in the wars of the Middle Ages. - -A vague tradition attributes its construction to certain Saracen chiefs -who are said to have defended themselves there for a long while. The -frost, which is severe and of long duration in that region, accelerates -each year the destruction of those fortifications which cannon-balls -have shattered and years have reduced to dust. The great square donjon, -however, which has the aspect of a Saracen structure, still stands in -the centre, and, being undermined, threatens to fall at any moment, like -all the rest. Several towers, of which a single side only is standing, -planted upon cone-shaped points of rock, present the appearance of sharp -rocky peaks around which clouds of birds of prey scream incessantly. - -The circuit of the fortress cannot be made without danger. In many -places there is no trace of a path, and the foot trembles on the brink -of precipices over which the water plunges headlong. - -The approach of the enemy could be detected only from the top of the -towers of observation; for on a level with the lower portions of the -buildings and the summit of the mountain, the view was restricted by -other barren mountains. But to-day there are gaps in their rocky sides, -patches of fertile soil where noble trees grow freely, often uprooted by -the rising of the waters when they have reached a considerable height. - -A few goats, less wild than the wretched children who guard them, cling -to the ruins and climb fearlessly over the precipitous cliffs. - -The whole spot is so magnificently desolate and so rich in contrasts -that the painter knows not where to stop. The imagination of the artist -would find a superfluity of material in that gorgeous panorama of terror -and menace. - -Emile passed several hours there, plunged in the chaos of his -uncertainty and his projects. As he had left home at daybreak, he was -consumed by hunger, but paid no heed to the physical discomfort which -aggravated his mental distress. Stretched out upon a rock, he was -watching the vultures hovering overhead and thinking of the tortures of -Prometheus, when the distant sound of a man's voice, which seemed not -unfamiliar to him, sent a thrill through his whole being. He rose and -ran to the edge of the precipice and saw three persons descending the -path on the opposite side of the ravine. - -A man in a blouse and broad-brimmed gray hat rode ahead, turning from -time to time to warn those who came behind to be careful; next to him -came a peasant leading a donkey by the bridle, and on the donkey was a -woman in a faded lilac dress and a simple straw hat. - -Emile darted to meet them, without asking himself if Janille had spoken, -if they were on their guard against him, if they were likely to greet -him coldly. He ran and leaped like a stone thrown down the steep side of -the ravine. He ran as the crow flies, crossing the stream, which bounded -with empty threats over the slippery stones, and reached the other slope -to receive a hearty welcome from honest Antoine, and to take from the -hands of Sylvain Charasson the bridle of the modest steed who bore -Gilberte and her sweet smile and her blushing cheek and the joyous air -which she tried in vain to restrain. Janille was not there. Janille had -not spoken! - -How much sweeter joy seems after sorrow, and how quickly love makes up -for the time wasted in suffering! Emile no longer remembered the day -before and thought no more of the morrow. - -When he was among the ruins of Crozant once more, leading his beloved in -triumph, he broke off all the branches he could reach and threw them -under the donkey's feet, as the Hebrews of old strewed pearls along the -track of the divine Master's humble beast. - -Then he took Gilberte in his arms to put her down upon the loveliest bit -of greensward he could find, although she needed no such assistance to -alight from so small and placid a creature. Emile was no longer timid, -for he was mad; and if Antoine had not been the least clear-sighted of -mankind, he would have realized that it was of no more use to think of -holding in check that exalted passion, than of preventing the Creuse or -the Sédelle from flowing and roaring. - -"Well, I am dying of hunger," said Monsieur Antoine, "and before I -inquire how it happens that we meet so opportunely, I should like to -hear something about luncheon. One guest more does not alarm us, for -Janille has stuffed us with provender. Open your game-bag, you young -rascal," he said to Sylvain, "while I go and cut a hole in the bag that -my daughter has _en croupe_. Then Emile will run to the house yonder and -obtain a supply of brown bread. Let us stay by the stream, it is pure -water from the rock and is excellent when taken in small quantities with -a generous quantity of wine." - -The repast was soon spread on the grass, Gilberte took a huge lotus leaf -for a plate, and her father carved with a sort of sabre which he called -a clasp-knife. In addition to the bread, Emile brought milk for Gilberte -and wild cherries which were voted delicious, their bitter taste having -at all events the merit of stimulating the appetite. Sylvain, perched -like a monkey on an overhanging bough, had as generous a share as the -others and ate with the more enjoyment, he said, because Mademoiselle -Janille's eyes were not there to count his mouthfuls with an air of -reproof. Emile was satisfied in a moment. Laugh as you will at the -heroes in novels who never eat, it is very certain that lovers have -little appetite, and that therein novels are as true as life itself. - -What bliss for Emile, after believing that when he saw Gilberte again, -she would be stern and distrustful of him, to find her as he had left -her the day before, entirely without constraint and overflowing with -dignified trustfulness! And how he loved Antoine for being incapable of -a suspicion and for displaying the same open-hearted gayety. - -Never had he felt so light-hearted himself; never had he seen a lovelier -day than that mild September day, never a more cheerful and enchanted -spot than that frowning fortress of Crozant! And Gilberte wore that day -her lilac dress, which he had not seen for a long while, and which -reminded him of the day and hour when he had fallen madly in love with -her! - -He learned that they had set out to visit a relative at La Clavière -before going to Argenton for two days, and that, finding no one at that -château, they had determined to make a detour to Crozant and remain -there until evening; and it was only midday! Emile imagined that he had -all eternity before him. Monsieur Antoine lay down in the shade after -luncheon and slept soundly. The two lovers, followed by Charasson, -undertook to make the circuit of the fortress. - - - - -XXI - -MONSIEUR ANTOINE'S NAP - - -The page of Châteaubrun amused the young couple for a few moments with -his ingenuous remarks; but he was speedily vanquished by the longing to -run, and started off in pursuit of the goats, narrowly escaped having -trouble with their keepers, and ended by making it up with them and -playing at quoits on the bank of the Creuse, while Emile and Gilberte -attempted to follow the course of the Sédelle on the other side of the -mountain. - -As the torrent has eaten away the base of the cliff in many places, they -had sometimes to crawl, sometimes to retrace their steps, sometimes to -step on stones that were level with the water, and all of this not -without some difficulty and some danger. But youth is adventurous and -love is afraid of nothing. - -A special providence protects both alike, and our lovers came bravely -forth from all the perils of their undertaking,--Emile trembling with an -emotion very different from fear when he lifted Gilberte or held her in -his arms; Gilberte laughing to conceal her confusion or to forget it. - -Gilberte was strong, active and brave, like a true child of the -mountain; and yet, by dint of passing over a constant succession of -obstacles, she became breathless, sank on the moss beside the leaping -stream, and threw her hat on the grass, having to put up her hair which -had fallen over her shoulders. - -"Do go and pick me that lovely digitalis over yonder," she said to -Emile, thinking that she would have time to rearrange her locks before -he returned. But he went and came again so quickly that he found her -still inundated by the golden flood which her little hands could hardly -gather up into a single braid. - -Standing beside her, he gazed in admiration at those treasures which she -twisted up behind her head with more impatience than pride, and which -she would have cut off long before as being an annoying burden, if -Antoine and Janille had not strenuously objected. - -At that moment, however, she was grateful to them for refusing to allow -it; for, although she was little inclined to coquetry, she saw that -Emile was lost in admiration, and she had done nothing to arouse it. If -there are some triumphs of beauty, which love cannot refuse to enjoy, -they are those above all which are unforeseen and involuntary. That -beautiful hair would have been a genuine compensation to an ugly woman, -and in Gilberte's case it was a lavish outlay of nature added to all her -other gifts. - -It should be said that Gilberte, like her father, was industrious rather -than clever with her hands, and moreover, she had lost all her pins -while running and the heavy braid, hurriedly twisted, twice burst its -bonds and fell to her feet. - -Emile's eyes were still fixed upon her; Gilberte did not see them, but -she felt them, as if the atmosphere were filled with the fire of that -passionate gaze. She soon became so confused that she forgot to be -merry, and finally, as ordinarily, made an effort to relieve, by a jest, -their mutual emotion. - -"I wish this hair was _my own_," she said; "then I would cut it off and -throw it into the stream." - -There was an opportunity for a well-turned compliment; but Emile was -careful not to take advantage of it. What could he say about that hair -which would express the love he bore it? He had never touched it and he -was dying with the longing to do so. He glanced furtively about. A -circle of rocks and shrubs isolated Gilberte and himself from the whole -world. There was no spot on the mountain from which they could be seen. -One would have said that she had selected that sheltered retreat to -tempt him, and yet the innocent maiden had not thought of it, nor did -she think that she was in any danger there. - -Emile was no longer master of himself. Insomnia, alarm, grief and joy -had kindled fever in his blood. He knelt beside Gilberte and took a -handful of her rebellious hair in his trembling hand; then, as she -started, he dropped it again, saying: - -"I thought it was a wasp, but it is only a bit of moss." - -"You frightened me," said Gilberte, shaking her head; "I thought it was -a snake." - -Meanwhile Emile's hand was clinging to her hair and could not let it go. -On the pretext of assisting Gilberte to collect the scattered locks of -which the breeze disputed possession with her, he touched it a hundred -times, and at last put his lips to it stealthily. Gilberte did not seem -to notice it, and hurriedly replacing her hat upon the ill-assured mass, -she rose and said with an air which she strove to render unconcerned: - -"Let us go to see if my father has awakened." - -But she was trembling; a sudden pallor had driven the brilliant color -from her cheeks; her heart was ready to burst; she staggered and leaned -against the rock to keep from falling. Emile was at her feet. - -What did he say to her? He did not know himself, and the echoes of -Crozant did not retain his words. Gilberte did not hear them distinctly; -she had the roar of the torrent in her ears, increased a hundredfold by -the throbbing of the blood in her arteries, and it seemed to her that -the mountain, seized with convulsions, was swaying to and fro over her -head. - -She had no legs with which to fly, indeed she did not think of it. In -vain does one fly from love; when it has found its way into the heart, -it takes root there and accompanies it everywhere. Gilberte did not know -that there was any other peril in love than that of allowing her heart -to be taken by surprise, and, in truth, there were no others for her -with Emile. That danger was great enough, Heaven knows, and the vertigo -it caused was full of irresistible delights. - -All that Gilberte could say was to repeat with a sort of terror, -instinct with regret and pain: - -"No, no! you must not love me!" - -"That means that you hate me then!" rejoined Emile; and Gilberte turned -her face away, for she had not the courage to lie. "Very well," he -continued; "if you do not love me, what harm does it do for you to know -that I love you? Let me tell you so, since I can conceal it no longer. -It is a matter of indifference to you, and one does not fear what one -despises. Know that it is true then, and if I leave you, if I am to see -you no more, at all events understand why it is: it is because I am -dying for love of you, because I cannot sleep or work, because I am -losing my wits and shall soon find myself telling your father what I am -telling you now. I would rather be driven away by you than by the -others. So drive me away; but you shall hear me now, because my secret -is suffocating me; I love you, Gilberte, I love you so that it is -killing me!"--And Emile's heart was so full that it overflowed in sobs. - -Gilberte attempted to leave him; but she sat down only a few feet away -and began to weep. There was more joy than bitterness behind those -tears. So that Emile soon went to her to comfort her and was soon -comforted in his turn; for there was naught but affection and regret in -the terror that she felt. - -"I am a poor girl," she said, "you are rich and your father, they say, -thinks of nothing but increasing his fortune. You cannot marry me, and I -ought not to think of marrying in my position. It would be by mere -chance if I should fall in with a man as poor as myself, who had -received a little education; and I have never counted on that chance. I -said to myself long ago that I must make the best of my lot, in order to -accustom myself to a sense of true dignity, which consists in not -envying others and in forming oneself to simple tastes and honorable -employment. So I do not think of marriage at all, since it would -probably be necessary to change my way of thinking in order to find a -husband. I must tell you that Janille got an idea into her head several -days ago that troubles me a great deal. She wants my father to seek a -husband for me. Seek a husband! Isn't that shameful and humiliating? Can -you imagine anything more repulsive? And yet the dear old soul cannot -understand my objection, and as my father was going to Argenton to -receive the quarterly payment of his small pension, she suddenly decided -this morning that he must take me and introduce me to some of his -acquaintances. We can't resist Janille, so we started; but my father, -thank heaven! doesn't know how to find husbands, and I shall be so -cunning about helping him not to think of it, that this little excursion -will result in nothing. You see, Monsieur Emile, that you mustn't pay -your court to a girl who has no illusions and who has made up her mind, -without regret or shame, to remain unmarried. I supposed that you would -understand this, and that your friendly sentiments would prevent you -from seeking to ruffle my quiet life. So forget this folly which has -passed through your mind, and look upon me simply as a sister, who will -forget what you have said, if you promise to love her with a calm and -brotherly love. Why should we part? it would be a great sorrow to my -father and me!" - -"It would be a great sorrow to you, Gilberte?" said Emile; "why is it -that you weep when you say such cold words to me? Either I do not -understand you, or you are concealing something from me. And do you want -me to tell you what I think that I divine? that you have not enough -esteem for me to listen to me with confidence. You take me for a young -madman, who prates of love without religion or conscience, and you think -that you can treat me like a child to whom you would say: 'I forgive -you, don't do it again.' But, if you believe that a genuine, serious -passion can be allayed by a few cold words, you are a child yourself, -Gilberte, and you have no feeling at all for me in the depths of your -heart. O my God, can it be possible? and do those eyes that avoid mine, -that hand that spurns me, mean contempt or incredulity?" - -"Haven't I said enough? Do you think that I can consent to love you, -with the certainty that you will belong to another sooner or later? It -seems to me that love means living together forever: that is why, when I -renounced the thought of marriage, I had to renounce the thought of -love." - -"I understand it so, too, Gilberte: love means living together forever! -To my mind not even death can put an end to it; did I not say all that -to you when I told you that I loved you? Ah! cruel Gilberte, you failed -to understand me, or else you do not choose to understand me; but if you -loved me you would not doubt. You would not tell me that you are poor, -you would forget all about it as I do." - -"O _mon Dieu_! I do not doubt you, Emile; I know that you are as -incapable as myself of being guided by self-interest. But I ask you -again, are we stronger than destiny, than your father's will, for -instance?" - -"Yes, Gilberte, yes, stronger than the whole world, if--we love each -other." - -It is quite useless to repeat the remainder of the interview. We might -describe certain interludes of dismay and discouragement, when Gilberte, -becoming reasonable, that is to say miserable, once more, pointed out -obstacles and manifested a pride which, while not strongly marked, was -sufficiently intense to lead her to prefer eternal solitude to the -humiliation of a struggle against arrogance and wealth. We might tell by -what honorable and manly arguments Emile sought to restore her -confidence. But the strongest arguments, those to which Gilberte found -no reply, are those which we cannot transcribe, for they were all -enthusiasm and ingenuous pantomime. - -Lovers are not eloquent after the manner of rhetoricians, and their -words written down have never had much meaning for those to whom they -were not addressed. If we could remember in cooler moments the -insignificant remark that caused us to lose our wits, we should not -understand how it could be and should jeer at ourselves. - -But the tone and the glance find magical resources in passion, and Emile -soon succeeded in persuading Gilberte of what he himself believed at -that moment: namely that nothing was simpler or easier than for them to -marry, consequently that nothing was more legitimate and necessary than -that they should love each other with all their strength. - -The noble-hearted girl loved Emile too dearly to harbor the thought that -he was a rash and presumptuous youth. He said that he would overcome any -possible resistance on his father's part, and Gilberte knew nothing of -Monsieur Cardonnet except by vague rumors. Emile guaranteed his loving -mother's consent and that assurance set Gilberte's conscience at rest. -She soon shared all his illusions, and it was agreed that he should -speak to his father before applying to Monsieur Antoine. - -A selfish or ambitious girl would have been more prudent. She would have -made the avowal of her feelings depend upon harsher conditions. She -would have refused to see her lover again until such time as he should -come prepared to go through with all the formalities, including the -request for her hand. But Gilberte's mind never entertained such -precautions. - -She felt in her heart a something infinite, a faith in and respect for -her lover's word, which had no bounds. She was no longer disturbed save -by one thing; the thought that she might become a source of discord and -affliction in Emile's family on the day that he spoke to his father. - -She could entertain no doubt of the victory which he was so certain of -winning; but the thought of the battle pained her and she would have -liked to postpone the awful moment. - -"Listen," she said, with angelic naïveté, "there is no hurry; we are -happy as we are, and young enough to wait. I am afraid indeed that will -be your father's principal and strongest objection; you are only -twenty-one, and he may fear that you have not made your choice with -sufficient care, that you have not examined your fiancée's character -closely enough. If he talks to you about waiting, and asks for time to -reflect, submit to every test. Even if we should not be united for -several years, what does it matter, provided that we see each other, -since we cannot doubt each other's constancy?" - -"Oh! you are a saint!" Emile replied, kissing the edge of her scarf, -"and I will be worthy of you." - -When they returned to the place where they had left Antoine, they saw -him at some distance talking with a miller of his acquaintance, and they -went to the foot of the great tower to meet him. - -The hours passed for them like seconds, and yet they were as full of -events as centuries. How many things they said to each other, and how -many more they did not say! Then the happiness of looking at each other, -of understanding and loving each other, became so intense that they were -seized with a wild gayety, and, joining hands, ran down the steep -slopes, leaping like deer, throwing stones to the foot of the -precipices, so transported with an unfamiliar joy that they were no more -conscious of danger than young children. - -Emile pushed the débris from his path or jumped over it excitedly. One -would have said that he fancied that he was confronted by obstacles -placed in his way by destiny. Gilberte had no fear, either for him or -for herself. She laughed aloud; she shouted and sang like a bird in the -air, and forgot to fasten up her hair, which floated in the wind, and -sometimes completely enveloped her like a veil of fire. - -When her father surprised her in the midst of her excitement she rushed -to him and embraced him passionately, as if she wished to communicate to -him all the joy with which her heart was flooded. The good man's hat -fell off during this sudden embrace and started to roll into the ravine. -Gilberte darted like a flash to catch it, and Antoine, terrified by her -impetuosity, darted to catch his daughter. Both were in great danger -when Emile passed them, seized the flying hat on the wing, and, as he -replaced it on Antoine's head, took his turn at pressing that fond -father in his arms. - -"_Vive Dieu_!" cried Antoine, ordering them back to a less perilous -spot, "you both receive me very warmly, but you frighten me even more! -For God's sake did you meet the devil's goat that makes those whom it -bewitches with its glance run and jump about like lunatics? Is it the -mountain air that makes you so wild, little girl? All the better say I, -but don't run such risks as that. What color! What a sparkling eye! I -see that I must take you out for a walk often, that you don't have -enough exercise at the house. She has made me anxious lately, do you -know, Emile? She doesn't eat, she reads too much, and I have been -thinking of throwing all your books out of the window if it goes on. -Luckily she seems different to-day, and, that being the case, I am -tempted to take her as far as Saint-Germain-Beaupré. It's a fine place -to look at. We will pass the day there to-morrow, and if you choose to -come with us we will have a royal good time. Come, Emile, what do you -say? What does it matter if we go to Argenton a day later, eh, Gilberte? -And even suppose we spend only one day there?" - -"Or don't go there at all?" said Gilberte, jumping for joy. "Let's go to -Saint-Germain, father; I have never been there. Oh! what a fine idea!" - -"We are on the road," continued Monsieur de Châteaubrun, "but we must -go to pass the night at Fresselines, for staying here is not to be -thought of. However, Fresselines and Confolens are well worth seeing. -The roads are not good, and we must start before dark. Monsieur -Charasson, go and give poor Lanterne some oats. She likes journeys, for -they are the only opportunities she ever has for feasting. You will take -the donkey back to the people who lent him to you, up at Vitra, and then -go to wait for us, with the barrow and Monsieur Emile's horse, on the -other side of the stream. We will be there in two hours." - -"And I," said Emile, "will write a line to my mother, so that she won't -worry over my absence, and I will find a child somewhere to carry my -note." - -"Send one of these little savages so far? that won't be easy. Upon my -word! we are in luck, for yonder is someone from your place if I am not -mistaken." - -Emile turned and saw Constant Galuchet, his father's secretary, who had -just thrown his coat on the grass, and, having enveloped his head in a -pocket handkerchief, was engaged in baiting his hook. - -"Hallo! Constant, do you come as far as this to catch gudgeons?" asked -Emile. - -"Oh! no indeed, monsieur," replied Galuchet, with a serious air, "I -cherish the hope of catching a trout." - -"But do you expect to return to Gargilesse to-night?" - -"Certainly, monsieur. Your father didn't want me to-day, so he gave me -permission to take the whole day; but as soon as I have caught my trout, -please God, I shall leave this wretched spot." - -"And suppose you catch nothing?" - -"Then I shall curse still more bitterly the idea that occurred to me of -coming so far to see such a hovel. What a horrible place, monsieur? Can -anyone imagine a more melancholy country and a château in worse -condition? And to think that tourists tell you that it's superb, and -that nobody should live on the Creuse without going to see Crozant! -Unless there are fish in this stream, I'll be hanged if you ever catch -me here again. But I have no faith in their stream. This clear water is -detestable for angling, and the constant noise makes your headache. I am -sick with it." - -"I see that you haven't had a very pleasant walk," said Gilberte, who -had never seen Galuchet's absurd face before, and who was sorely tempted -to laugh at his prosaic scorn. "But you must agree that these ruins are -very impressive; at all events they are unique. Have you been up in the -great tower?" - -"God forbid, mademoiselle!" replied Galuchet, flattered by Gilberte's -attention, and gazing at her with his wide-open round eyes, which were -extraordinarily far apart and separated by a curious little bunch of -sandy eyebrows. "I can see the interior of the barrack from here, as it -is open on all sides like a lantern, and I don't think it's worth the -trouble of breaking one's neck." And taking Gilberte's smile for -approval of this stinging satire, he added, in a tone which he -considered jocose and clever: "A fine country, on my word! not even -dog-tooth will grow here! If the Moorish kings were no better housed -than that, I congratulate them! Those fellows had vile taste, and they -must have cut a curious figure! Doubtless they wore clogs and ate with -their fingers." - -"That is a very wise historical commentary," said Emile to Gilberte, who -was biting her handkerchief to avoid laughing outright at Monsieur -Galuchet's knowing tone and comical countenance. - -"Oh! I see that monsieur is very sarcastic," she replied. "He is -entitled to be, as he comes from Paris where everybody is witty and has -fine manners, while here he is among savages." - -"I cannot say that at this moment," retorted Galuchet, shooting a -killing glance at the fair Gilberte whom he found very much to his -liking; "but frankly, this province is a little behind the times. The -people are very dirty. Look at those barefooted, ragged children! In -Paris everybody has shoes, and those who haven't any don't go out on -Sunday. I tried to get something to eat at a house to-day: there was -nothing except black bread that a dog wouldn't eat, and goat's milk that -smelt decidedly rank. Those people have no shame, to live so miserably!" - -"May it not be that they are too poor to do better?" said Gilberte, -disgusted by Monsieur Galuchet's aristocratic tone. - - -[Illustration: _GALUCHET SURPRISED._ - -_Emile turned and saw Constant Galuchet, his father's secretary, who had -just thrown his coat on the grass, and, having enveloped his head in a -pocket handkerchief, was engaged in baiting his hook._] - - -"It is rather because they are too lazy," he replied, somewhat -bewildered by that suggestion, which had not occurred to him. - -"What do you know about it, pray?" retorted Gilberte, with an -indignation which he did not understand. - -"This young woman is very piquant," he thought, "and her little air of -determination pleases me immensely. If I should talk to her long, I -would show her that I am no blockhead of a provincial." - -"Well," said Emile to Gilberte, while Constant hunted for worms under -the stones, in order to bait his hook, "you have seen the features of a -perfect idiot." - -"I am afraid he is more conceited than foolish," she replied. - -"Come, come, children, you are not indulgent," observed honest Antoine. -"That young man is not handsome, I agree, but he seems to be a good -fellow, and Monsieur Cardonnet is well satisfied with him. He is very -obliging and has offered several times to do little favors for me. -Indeed he once gave me a very nice line, such as we can't find -hereabout; unfortunately I lost it before I went home, so that Janille -scolded me that day almost as much as she did the day I lost my hat. By -the way, Monsieur Galuchet," he added, raising his voice, "you promised -to come to fish in our neighborhood; I don't disturb my fish much, I -haven't your patience, so that you are likely to find some. I count upon -seeing you one of these days; come to breakfast at the house and then I -will take you to a good place; there are plenty of barbel, and they are -good sport." - -"You are too kind, monsieur," said Galuchet; "I will certainly come some -Sunday, since you are pleased to overwhelm me with your courtesy." - -And Galuchet, enchanted to have perpetrated that sentence, bowed as -gracefully as he could and took his leave, after Emile had given him his -message for his parents. - -Gilberte was somewhat disposed to find fault with her father for such -excessive benevolence to so dull and unattractive a subject; but she was -too kind-hearted herself not to overcome her repugnance very quickly, -and in a moment she had ceased to think of it, the more readily because -on that day it was impossible for her to feel vexed at anything. - -Thanks to their frame of mind, our lovers found all the incidents of the -remainder of their journey agreeable and amusing. Monsieur Antoine's old -mare, hitched to a sort of open buggy, which he was justified in calling -his wheelbarrow, performed prodigies of skill and courage in the -shocking roads that they had to follow to reach their destination. The -vehicle had room for three persons, and Sylvain Charasson, seated in the -middle, drove the peaceful Lanterne _superlatively_--to use his own -expression. - -The horrible jolting of a carriage so poorly hung in no wise disturbed -Gilberte and her father, who were accustomed to occasional discomfort -and never allowed their plans to be disarranged by the weather or the -state of the roads. - -Emile rode in front on horseback, to give warning and to help them to -alight when the road became too dangerous. Then, when they came out on -the soft sandy soil of the moors, he dropped behind, to chat with the -others, and above all to look at Gilberte. - -Never was dandy in the Bois de Boulogne, darting his eyes into his -triumphant mistress's superb calèche, so happy and so proud as Emile, -as he followed the lovely country girl whom he adored, along the -ill-defined roads of that desert, by the light of the first stars. - -What did it matter to him whether she was seated on a sort of litter -drawn by a sorry nag, or in a fine carriage? whether she was dressed in -silk and velvet, or in a faded calico? She wore torn gloves which showed -the tips of her pink fingers resting on the back of the wagon. To save -her Sunday scarf she had folded it and placed it on her knee. Her -graceful figure, slender and willowy, was even more graceful without it. -The soft evening breeze seemed to caress with zest her alabaster neck. -Emile's breath mingled with the breezes and he was bound like the slave -to the chariot of the conqueror. - -There was one time when the vehicle, owing to Sylvain's lack of caution, -stopped short, and nearly came in collision with Emile's horse's head. - -Monsieur Sacripant had placed one paw on the step, to signify that he -was tired and that they must take him inside. Monsieur Antoine alighted -to seize him by the skin of his neck and toss him in on the floor of the -wagon, for the poor beast no longer had enough spring in his legs to -jump so high. Meanwhile Gilberte patted Corbeau's nose and passed her -little hand through his black mane. Emile felt that his heart was -beating as if a magnetic current conveyed her caresses to him. He was on -the point of making some remark concerning Corbeau's happiness, as -naïve as those Galuchet would have been likely to make on such an -occasion; but he contented himself with being stupid silently. One is so -happy when, having no lack of wit, he is conscious of an attack of such -stupidity! - -It was quite dark when they reached Fresselines. The trees and rocks had -become simply black masses, whence the solemn and majestic roar of the -stream came forth. - -A delicious lassitude and the cool night air cast Emile and Gilberte -into a sort of blissful drowsiness. They had before them the whole of -the next day, a whole century of happiness. - -The inn at which they alighted, and which was the best in the village, -had only two beds, in two different rooms. They decided that Gilberte -should have the better room, and that Monsieur Antoine and Emile should -share the other, each taking a mattress. But when they came to inspect -the beds, they found that there was but one mattress to each, and Emile -took a childish pleasure in the thought of sleeping on the straw in the -barn. - -This arrangement, which threatened Charasson with a like fate, seemed -sorely to displease the page of Châteaubrun. That young man liked his -comfort, especially when he was travelling. Being accustomed to attend -his master in all his journeys, he made amends for the austere régime -of Janille at Châteaubrun by eating and sleeping to his heart's content -when away from home. - -Monsieur Antoine, while making sport of him with a rough sort of gayety, -overlooked all his whims and made himself his slave, talking to him as -to a negro all the while. Thus, while Sylvain made a pretence of -grooming the horse and harnessing him, it was always his master who -handled the curry-comb and lifted the shafts. - -If the child fell asleep while driving, Antoine would rub his eyes, pick -up the reins, and struggle against sleep rather than wake his page. - -If there were only one portion of meat at supper, Monsieur Antoine would -say to Charasson, as he feasted his eyes on the appetizing dish: "You -may share the bones with Monsieur Sacripant;" but the goodman would, -almost unconsciously, gnaw the bones himself and leave the best piece -for Sylvain. Thus the crafty urchin knew his master's ways, and the more -he was threatened with having to go hungry and work and lose his sleep, -the more surely he relied on his lucky star. - -However, when he saw that Monsieur Antoine paid no attention to the -matter of his sleeping accommodations, and that Emile was content with -the straw, he began, while he was serving the supper, to yawn and -stretch, and to observe that they had a long journey, that infernal -place was at the world's end, and that he had really thought they would -never get there. - -Antoine turned a deaf ear to it all, and, although the supper was far -from dainty, ate with excellent appetite. - -"This is how I like to travel," he said, clinking his glass against -Emile's every other minute, as a consequence of the habit he had fallen -into with Jean Jappeloup; "when I have all the comforts and everybody I -love with me. Don't talk to me about taking long journeys in a -post-chaise or on a ship, wandering about the world, alone and -miserable, in quest of fortune. It's very nice to enjoy the little money -one may have, riding about a beautiful region where you know everybody -you meet by name, and every house, every tree and every rut! Am I not -just as comfortable here as at home? If I had Jean and Janille at the -table, I should think I was at Châteaubrun, for I have my daughter here -and one of my best friends; and my dog, too, and even Monsieur -Charasson, who is as pleased as a king to see the world and be quartered -according to his deserts." - -"It pleases you to say that, monsieur," replied Charasson, who, instead -of waiting on the table, had seated himself in the chimney corner; "this -is an abominable inn, and they make you sleep with the dogs." - -"Well, you good-for-naught, isn't that too good for you?" retorted -Monsieur Antoine, in his sternest voice; "you're very lucky not to be -sent to perch with the hens! Deuce take it, you sybarite, you have straw -to sleep on; but I suppose you are afraid of dying of hunger in the -night, eh?" - -"Excuse me, monsieur, the straw here is hay and hay makes your -headache." - -"If that's so, you can lie on the floor at the foot of my bed, to teach -you to complain. You stand like a hunchback, so a hard bed like that -will do you a deal of good. Go and prepare your master's bed and spread -the horse blanket for Monsieur Sacripant." - -Emile wondered what would be the end of this jest, which Monsieur -Antoine seemed determined to carry on to the end with a sober face, and, -when Gilberte had gone to her room, he followed Monsieur Antoine to his -to find out whether he would persuade his page to make the best of the -straw. - -The count amused himself by causing himself to be waited on like a man -of quality. "Come," he said, "pull off my boots, give me my nightcap and -put out the lights. You can stretch yourself on the bricks here, and -look out for yourself if you are unlucky enough to snore! Good-night, -Emile. Go to bed; you won't be vexed with the company of this rascal, -who would prevent you from sleeping. He'll sleep on the floor, to punish -him for his absurd complaints." - -After about two hours' sleep, Emile was awakened with a start by the -fall of a heavy body on the straw beside him. "It's nothing, it's only -I," said Monsieur Antoine; "don't let me disturb you. I undertook to -share my bed with that good-for-naught; but my gentleman, on the plea -that he is growing, must needs have the fidgets in his legs, and he -kicked me so many times that I abandoned the field to him. Let him sleep -in a bed, as he's so set upon it! for my part, I shall be much more -comfortable here." - -Such was the exemplary punishment which the page of Châteaubrun -underwent at Fresselines. - - - - -XXII - -INTRIGUE - - -We will leave Emile to forget his appointment with Janille, and to -wander over hill and dale with the object of his thoughts; and we will -take up the thread of the events in which his destiny is involved, at -the Cardonnet factory. - -Monsieur Cardonnet was beginning to be seriously annoyed by Emile's -continual absences, and to say to himself that the time would soon come -to keep watch on and regulate his actions. "Now that his mind is -diverted from his socialism," he thought, "it is time for him to take -hold of some profitable reality. Argument will have little effect on a -mind so addicted to discussion. It seems that his hobby-horse is in the -stable for a while, and I won't do anything to make him take him out; -but let us see if we cannot replace theories by practice. At his age a -man is led by instinct rather than by ideas, although he proudly fancies -that the contrary is true; first of all let us bind him down to some -practical work and make him devote himself to it, against his will, if -necessary. He is too hard-working and intelligent not to do well what he -is compelled to do. Gradually whatever employment I may have provided -for him will become a necessity to him. He was always like that. Even -although he detested the study of the law, he learned the law. Very -good, let him finish his law-studies, even if he is destined to hate it -more and more, and to relapse into the aberrations which have disturbed -me so. I know now that it won't take very much time or a very clever -coquette to rid him of the coat of pedagogy of the new schools." - -But it was the middle of vacation, and Monsieur Cardonnet had no -immediate pretext for sending Emile back to Poitiers. Moreover, he had -great hopes of his stay at Gargilesse; for, little by little, Emile -overcame his repugnance to the occupations which his father marked out -for him from time to time, and seemed to be no longer engrossed by the -object for which he had fought so earnestly. All the work that Emile did -he did in a superior way and Monsieur Cardonnet flattered himself that -he could drive love from his mind when he chose, without impairing the -submission and the talents of which he sometimes reaped the fruits. - -Nothing was farther from Madame Cardonnet's intention than to call her -husband's attention to Emile's strange conduct. If she could have -divined the joy which her son derived from absenting himself thus, and -the secret of that joy, she would have assisted to save appearances and -with more affection than prudence, would have become his accomplice. But -she imagined that Monsieur Cardonnet's manner, which was often cold and -sarcastic, was the only cause of the discomfort Emile suffered in his -father's house; and, nursing a secret grudge against her lord and master -therefor, she suffered bitterly because she enjoyed so little of her -son's society. When Galuchet returned with the information that Monsieur -Emile would not be at home until the evening of the next day or the next -but one, she could not restrain her tears, and said in an undertone: -"Now he has begun to pass the night away from home! He is not willing -even to sleep here; he must be very unhappy!" - -"Upon my word, that's a pretty subject for lamentation!" said Monsieur -Cardonnet with a shrug. "Is your son a girl, that you are so frightened -for him to pass a night away from home? If you begin this way, you are -not at the end of your troubles; for this is only the beginning of the -escapades a young man is likely to indulge in! Constant," he said to his -secretary when they were alone, "who were the people in whose company -you met my son?" - -"Oh! a very agreeable party, monsieur. Monsieur Antoine de Châteaubrun, -who is a high-liver, a stout, jovial man, altogether agreeable in his -manners; and his daughter, a superb woman, with a perfect figure, the -most attractive creature you can imagine." - -"I see that you are a connoisseur, Galuchet, and that you missed none of -the damsel's charms." - -"_Dame!_ monsieur, when a man has eyes, he uses them," said Galuchet, -with a loud laugh of self-satisfaction; for it very rarely happened that -his employer did him the honor to talk with him on a subject unconnected -with his duties. - -"And it is with these same persons, I suppose, that my son continued his -romantic excursions?" - -"I think so, monsieur; for I saw him in the distance on horseback, as if -accompanying them." - -"Have you ever been to Châteaubrun, Galuchet?" - -"Yes, monsieur, I went there once when the masters were absent, and if I -had known that I should find no one there but the old servant I wouldn't -have been such a fool." - -"Why?" - -"Because I might have seen the château for nothing at another time, I -have no doubt; whereas that old witch, after showing me around her den, -demanded fifty centimes, monsieur, as the price of her condescension! -It's a shame to bleed people for showing them such a ruin!" - -"I thought that old Antoine had made some repairs since I was there." - -"Repairs, monsieur! it's a pitiful sight! They have rebuilt one corner, -about as big as your hand, and they didn't even have money enough to put -wall-papers on their rooms. The master isn't half so well lodged as I am -in your house! It's a depressing place, inside! Heaps of stones in the -courtyard to break your legs over, nettles, brambles, no door under a -great archway that resembles the entrance to the château of Vincennes -and which would be pretty enough if they would give it a coat of plaster -of Paris; but all the rest in such a state! Not a wall secure, not a -staircase that doesn't shake, cracks big enough to hold a man, ivy that -they don't even take the pains to tear down, although it would be easy -enough, and rooms that have neither floor nor ceiling! On my word, the -people hereabout are genuine Gascons for boasting about their old -châteaux, and sending you about on break-neck roads, to find -what?--ruins and thistles! Crozant is a stupendous fraud, and -Châteaubrun is little better than Crozant!" - -"So you were not charmed with Crozant either? But my son seemed to like -it immensely, I'll be bound?" - -"Monsieur Emile might very well like it, with such a pretty slip of a -girl on his arm! If I had been in his shoes I shouldn't have complained -overmuch about the place; but for my part, as I went there hoping to -catch a trout and didn't get as much as a gudgeon, I am not very well -satisfied with my walk, especially as it is twenty kilometres each way, -making four myriameters on foot." - -"Are you tired, Galuchet?" - -"Yes, monsieur, very tired and very dissatisfied! they'll never catch me -in their Moorish kings' fortress again." - -And Galuchet, recalling with pride his jest of the morning, repeated -complacently and with a cunning smile: - -"Those kings must have cut a curious figure! doubtless they wore clogs -and ate with their fingers." - -"You are very bright to-night, Galuchet," rejoined Monsieur Cardonnet, -not deigning to smile; "but, smitten as you are, if you were brighter -you would find some pretext for calling on old Châteaubrun from time to -time." - -"I need no pretexts, monsieur," replied Galuchet in an important tone. -"I am well acquainted with him; he has often invited me to fish in his -stream, and again to-day he urged me to go to breakfast with him some -Sunday." - -"Very well, why don't you go? I am glad to allow you a little recreation -from time to time." - -"You are too kind, monsieur; if you don't need me, I will go next -Sunday, for I am very fond of fishing." - -"Galuchet, my boy, you are an idiot!" - -"What's that, monsieur?" said Galuchet, disconcerted. - -"I tell you, my dear fellow, you are an idiot," Cardonnet calmly -repeated. "You think of nothing but catching gudgeons, when you might be -paying court to a pretty girl." - -"Oh! I don't know about that, monsieur!" said Galuchet, scratching his -ear with a fatuous air; "I should like the girl well enough, that's -true! she's a jewel! blue eyes, fair hair that's a metre and a half -long, I'll wager, superb teeth, and a mischievous little glance. I could -be dead in love with her, if I chose!" - -"And why don't you choose?" - -"_Dame!_ if I had ten thousand francs of my own, I might suit her! but -when one has nothing, one is hardly a suitable match for a girl who has -nothing." - -"Is your salary equal to her income?" - -"Why her income is contingent, and old Janille, who is supposed to be -her mother--I must confess, it would be a little distasteful to me to be -the son-in-law of a servant,--old Janille would certainly insist on a -small sum to begin housekeeping with." - -"Do you think ten thousand francs would be enough?" - -"I have no idea; but it seems to me that those people have no right to -be very ambitious. Their hovel isn't worth four thousand francs; the -mountain, the garden, a bit of meadow on the edge of the stream, all -overgrown with rushes, and the orchard where there are some fruit trees -good for nothing but to burn,--all those together wouldn't bring in a -hundred francs a year. They say Monsieur Antoine has a little capital in -government securities. It can't be much, judging from the life they -lead. But, if I were sure of a thousand francs a year, I would arrange -matters with the girl. She pleases me and I am old enough to settle -down." - -"Monsieur Antoine has twelve hundred francs a year, I know." - -"Reverting to his daughter, monsieur?" - -"I am sure of it." - -"But, although he has recognized her, she is a natural daughter and -entitled to only half of it." - -"Well, do you feel that you can aspire to her hand now?" - -"Thanks, monsieur! What are we to live on? and bring up children?" - -"Of course you would need a little capital. We might be able to find -that for you, Galuchet, if your happiness absolutely depended on it." - -"I do not know how to acknowledge your kindness, monsieur, but----" - -"But what? come, don't scratch your ear so much, but answer." - -"I don't dare, monsieur." - -"Why not? don't I talk to you as if I were your friend?" - -"I am deeply touched by it," rejoined Galuchet, "but----" - -"But you annoy me. Speak, in heaven's name!" - -"Well, monsieur, even though you should call me a fool again, I will say -what I think. I think that Monsieur Emile is paying court to that young -lady." - -"Do you mean it?" exclaimed Monsieur Cardonnet, feigning surprise. - -"If monsieur is not aware of it, I should be very sorry to be the cause -of trouble between him and his son." - -"Is there any common rumor to that effect?" - -"I don't know whether people are talking about it; I pay little -attention to gossip; but I myself have noticed that Monsieur Emile goes -to Châteaubrun very often." - -"What does that prove?" - -"That is as monsieur may choose to think, and it is all the same to me. -I simply meant to say that if I had any idea of marrying a young woman, -I should not be very well pleased to come in second." - -"I can imagine that. But it is hardly likely that my son would pay -serious attention to a young woman whom he neither would nor could -marry. My son has lofty sentiments, he would never descend to a -falsehood, to false promises. If the girl is virtuous, be assured that -her relations with Emile are entirely innocent. Isn't that your -opinion?" - -"I will have whatever opinion monsieur may desire on that subject." - -"That is altogether too accommodating! If you were in love with -Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun, wouldn't you try to find out the truth for -yourself?" - -"Certainly, monsieur; but I can hardly be in love with her, having seen -her but once." - -"Well, listen to me, Galuchet: you can do me a service. What you have -just told me makes me a little more anxious than it makes you, and all -that we have been saying, by way of conjecture and jest, will have at -all events, the serious result of having warned me of certain dangers. I -tell you again that my son is too honorable a man to seduce a penniless, -inexperienced girl; but it might happen to him, if he sees her too -often, to conceive for her somewhat too warm a feeling, which would -expose them both to temporary but unnecessary suffering. It would be -very easy for me to cut the whole thing off short by sending Emile away -at once; but that would interfere with the plan I have formed of -training him to share my occupations, and I regret to be compelled for -so unimportant a reason to part with him under present circumstances. -Consent therefore to help me. You are sure of a warm welcome at -Châteaubrun; go there often, as often as my son; make yourself the -friend of the family. Père Antoine's unsuspecting nature will assist -you. Look about you, observe, and report to me all that happens. If your -presence annoys my son, it will be a proof that the danger exists; if he -tries to have you turned out, stand your ground, and pose unhesitatingly -as an aspirant to the young lady's hand." - -"And what if I am accepted?" - -"So much the better for you!" - -"That depends, monsieur, on how far things have gone between her and -your son." - -"You must be very simple if with time and address you can't find out -about that, as you are going there in the quality of an observer." - -"And suppose I find that I have arrived too late?" - -"You will retire." - -"I shall have made a ridiculous campaign, and Monsieur Emile will bear -me a grudge for it." - -"Galuchet, I don't ask anything for nothing. Certainly, all this can't -be done without some ennui and some unpleasantness for you; but there's -a good bonus at the end of all the sacrifices I ask you to make." - -"That's enough, monsieur, and I have only one other word to say; and -that is that in case the girl should suit me, and I should suit her too, -I should be too poor at this moment to go to housekeeping." - -"We have already anticipated that contingency. I would assist you to -make a position for yourself. For example, you undertake to work for me -for a certain time, and I make you an advance of five thousand francs on -your salary, and a bonus of five thousand francs in addition, if -necessary." - -"This is no longer a jest, a conjecture, I suppose?" said Galuchet, -scratching his head harder than ever. - -"I don't often jest, as you know, and this time I am not jesting at -all." - -"Very good, monsieur; you are too kind to me. I will plant myself beside -Monsieur Emile, and he will be very shrewd if I lose sight of him!" - -"He will be shrewder than you, and that will not be difficult," thought -Monsieur Cardonnet as soon as Galuchet had retired; "but a rival of your -sort will be enough to make him feel humiliated by his choice, very -soon; and if she prefers a dull lout like you for a husband to a -handsome chance suitor like him, he will have received a useful lesson. -In that event a trifling sacrifice for Monsieur Galuchet's establishment -would not be draining the sea dry, especially as that would keep him in -my service and cut short his ambition to leave me. But that is the worst -possible result of my plan, and Galuchet has twenty chances to one of -being shown the door sooner or later. Meanwhile I shall have had time to -think of something better, and I shall at all events have succeeded in -worrying Emile, in disenchanting him, in fastening to his sides an enemy -whom he will hardly know how to combat--ennui in the shape of Constant -Galuchet." - -Cardonnet's idea did not lack depth, and if it had not been too soon or -too late for Emile to renounce his illusions, it might have been -successful. Any sort of competition stimulates vulgar minds, but a -refined mind suffers from an unworthy rivalry. An exalted nature will -infallibly be disgusted with the being who takes pleasure in the homage -of stupidity; the mere fact that the object of his adoration tolerates -such homage too patiently may be enough to cause him to blush and take -himself away. But Cardonnet reckoned without Gilberte's pride. - -Emile returned from his excursion more inflamed with passion than ever, -and in such a state of blissful enthusiasm that it seemed to him -impossible that he should not triumph over everything. The generous -Gilberte had powerfully assisted his illusion by sharing it, and therein -she had shown herself, by her lack of prudence and her openness of -heart, the worthy child of Antoine. Emile might well have reproached -himself, however, for having gone so far with her without having first -made sure of Monsieur Cardonnet's consent. That was a terrible -imprudence; indeed it was culpable rashness; for, unless a miracle -should happen, he could reckon on his father's refusal. But Emile was in -that state of delirious excitement in which one reckons on miracles and -deems himself almost a god because he is loved. - -However, he returned to Gargilesse without having made up his mind at -what moment he would announce his sentiments to his family; for Gilberte -had insisted that he should do nothing suddenly, and had received his -promise to begin by gradually appealing to the affection of his parents, -by governing his conduct in accordance with their wishes. Thus Emile was -to make amends for an absence which had doubtless caused them some -anxiety, by staying with them all the rest of the week and working -zealously at whatever his father chose to give him to do. "You must not -come to see us until next Sunday," Gilberte had said when they parted, -"and then we will arrange our plans for the following week." The poor -child felt that she must live from day to day, and, like Emile, she -derived infinite pleasure from caressing in her thoughts the mystery of -a love of which they alone realized the charm and the depth. - -Emile kept his word. He did not absent himself from home during the -week, and contented himself with writing Monsieur de Boisguilbault an -affectionate letter to set his mind at rest concerning his sentiments, -in case the suspicious old man should take alarm because he did not see -him. He followed his father like a shadow; he even asked him for -employment, and devoted himself to the construction of the factory like -one who took the deepest interest in the success of the undertaking. -But, as it is not natural to do violence to one's own heart for long, it -was impossible for him to push the indolent workmen. Monsieur Cardonnet -derived no sort of benefit from the employment of men of that -description. They lacked energy, and the rivalry of the more active -produced discouragement in them instead of emulation. They were well -paid, but, as they saw, from the master's dissatisfaction, that they -would not be retained long, they determined to make the most of the -present, and consequently economized in their food. When Emile saw them -sitting on the damp stones, with their feet in the mud, eating a piece -of black bread and raw onions, like the Hebrew slaves employed in -building the Pyramids, he had such a feeling of compassion for them that -he would have preferred giving them his own blood to drink, to -abandoning them to that slow death of toil and starvation. - -Thereupon, he tried to persuade his father, since he could not save all -those numerous lives, to afford them at all events some temporary relief -by feeding them better than they fed themselves, or by giving them, at -least, a little wine. But Monsieur Cardonnet reminded him, only too -justly, that, as all the vines were frozen in the preceding year, they -could not obtain wine in that country except at a very high price, and -that it was for the table of the bourgeois only. Where no general system -of economy was practised, it was easy to prove that economy in special -directions was powerless to bring about any important amelioration, and -to demonstrate, by the unanswerable evidence of figures, that they must -either abandon the idea of building or compel the mechanic to undergo -the unpleasant necessities of his position. Monsieur Cardonnet did his -utmost to remedy the evil, but that utmost was confined within narrow -limits. Emile submitted and sighed; he could give Gilberte no stronger -proof of his love than to hold his peace. - -"Well," said Monsieur Cardonnet, "I see that you will never be very -sharp in the matter of superintending; but when I am no longer in this -world, it will be enough if you realize the need of having a good -superintendent in my place. The material part of the work is the least -poetic; you will find your field of activity in the direction of art and -science, which have their place in manufacturing as in everything else. -Come to my study, help me to understand the things that escape my -comprehension, and place your genius at the service of my energy." - -During that week Emile had to read, to study, to comprehend and to -summarize several works on hydrostatics. Monsieur Cardonnet did not -think that he really needed to have that work done, but it was one way -of testing Emile, and he was overjoyed by his rapidity and mental -keenness. Such studies could arouse no disgust in a mind occupied with -theories. Anything connected with science may have some useful -application in the future, and when one has not under his eyes the -deplorable conditions through which social inequality compels the men of -the present day to pass, in the execution of any work, he may well -become deeply interested in the abstract theories of science. Monsieur -Cardonnet recognized Emile's lofty intelligence and said to himself -that, with such eminent faculties, it was not possible that he would -always close his eyes to what he called evidence. - -When Sunday arrived, it seemed to Emile that a century had passed since -he had seen that enchanted palace of Châteaubrun, where, in his eyes, -nature was lovelier, the air softer and the light more glorious than in -any spot on earth. He began with Boisguilbault however; for he -remembered that Constant Galuchet was to breakfast at Châteaubrun, and -he hoped that uninteresting individual would have departed or would be -busy with his fishing when he arrived; but he was far from anticipating -Monsieur Constant's Machiavelism. He found him still at table with -Monsieur Antoine, a little overburdened by the native wine, to which he -was not accustomed, shuffling about on his chair and making commonplace -remarks, while Gilberte, sitting in the courtyard, waited impatiently -until a relaxation of vigilance on Janille's part should enable her to -go out on the terrace and watch for her lover's coming. - -But Janille did not relax her vigilance; she was prowling about in every -corner of the ruins and was on the spot to receive half the salutation -which Emile addressed to Gilberte. But Emile saw, at the first glance, -that she had said nothing. - -"Really, monsieur," she said, lisping with more affectation than usual, -"you are not polite, and you have nearly caused a rivals' quarrel -between my girl and me. What! you lead me to hope that you will come and -keep me company in her absence, you even go so far as to appoint a day, -and then, instead of coming here, you go and enjoy yourself taking an -excursion with mademoiselle, on the pretext that she is forty years -younger than me! as if that was my fault, and as if I am not as light of -foot and as lively to talk with as a mere girl! It was very rude on your -part, and you have done well to let my anger lie for a few days; for if -you had come sooner you would have had a very cold reception." - -"Hasn't Monsieur Antoine justified me," rejoined Emile, "by telling you -how entirely unforeseen our meeting at Crozant was, and that our trip to -Saint Germain was suggested by him on the spur of the moment? Forgive -me, dear Mademoiselle Janille, and be sure that nothing less than being -ten leagues away would have induced me to break my appointment with -you." - -"I know, I know," said Janille, in a meaning tone, "that it was Monsieur -Antoine who did all the harm; he is so inconsiderate! but I should have -thought that you would be more reasonable." - -"I am very reasonable, my dear Janille," replied Emile in the same tone, -"and I have proved it by passing the week with my father, working to -please him, in spite of my longing to come and obtain my pardon." - -"And you did well, my boy; for it is a good thing for young men to be -employed." - -"You will be satisfied with me hereafter," said Emile, glancing at -Gilberte, "and my father has already forgiven me for the time I have -wasted. He is very kind to me, and I will show my appreciation of his -kindness by forcing myself to undergo the most painful sacrifices, even -that of seeing you a little less frequently henceforth, Mademoiselle -Janille; so scold me to-day, quickly, but not too hard, and forgive me -even more quickly, for I shall probably be able to come here very seldom -for several weeks. I have much work to do, and my courage would fail me -if I knew that you were angry with me." - -"Well, well, you are a good boy, and no one can bear you a grudge," said -Janille. "I see," she added with a knowing air, lowering her voice, -"that we understand each other perfectly without any further -explanation, and that it's a good thing to have people of honor and good -sense like you to deal with." - -This result of the explanations threatened by Janille relieved Emile -from a great anxiety. His position was quite serious enough, without -being complicated by the alarms and questions of that faithful retainer. -The advice Gilberte had given him, to come more rarely and to let time -do its work, was thus proved to be most judicious, and if she had been a -trained diplomatist, she could not have acted more shrewdly on that -occasion. In very truth, how many marriages between persons of unequal -fortune would become possible, did not the woman, by her exactions, her -pride or her suspicion, involve the man enamored of her in a labyrinth -of suffering and anxiety, amid which his prudence and courage in -overcoming obstacles fail him! With Gilberte's childlike innocence was -blended calm common sense and unselfish courage. She did not look upon -her union with Emile as possible until after several years, and she felt -that her love was strong enough to wait. That cruel future appeared to -her heart, overflowing with faith, like a day radiant with sunshine; and -therein she was not so foolish as some might think. It is faith and not -prudence that moves mountains. - - - - -XXIII - -THE DEVIL'S ROCK - - -Emile had forgotten even Constant Galuchet's name when he found himself -once more within the walls of the dear old château; and when he went in -to salute Monsieur Antoine, the stupid features of his father's clerk -produced the same effect upon him that a caterpillar produces upon one -who puts out his hand unsuspiciously to pluck a fruit. Galuchet had -prepared to greet Emile with the assured air of a man who has taken -possession first of a coveted seat, and who can afford an affable -greeting to those who come too late. A little more and he would have -done the honors of the château to Emile. But the young man's cold and -mocking glance, as he replied to his familiar and effusive salutation, -disconcerted him sadly; that glance seemed to say to him: - -"What are you doing here?" - -Meanwhile Galuchet, who thought much more of earning Monsieur -Cardonnet's liberality than of winning Gilberte's good graces, made a -mighty effort to recover his self-possession, and his face, while not -expressing actual hostility, assumed an unaccustomed air of insolence -which was, under the circumstances, as injudicious as possible. - -Emile had determined to make the best of the native wine, and, in order -not to offend Monsieur de Châteaubrun, he did not refuse to drink with -him on his arrival. It may be that, by virtue of the utter fascination -which took possession of him in the place where Gilberte passed her -days, he really considered that thin, sour beverage better than all the -choice wines in his father's cellar. But on this occasion it seemed -bitter to him, when Galuchet, assuming the air of a man who condescends -to howl with the wolves, put out his glass toward his, proposing to -touch glasses after the manner of Monsieur de Châteaubrun. He -accompanied this familiarity with an unpleasantly vulgar movement of the -elbow and shoulder, thinking to imitate in jovial mood Monsieur -Antoine's patriarchal simplicity. - -"Monsieur le comte," said Emile, ostentatiously treating Antoine with -even more respect than usual, "I fear that you have induced Monsieur -Constant Galuchet to drink too much. See how red his eyes are and how he -stares! Be careful; I warn you that his head is very weak." - -"My head weak, Monsieur Emile! why do you say that my head is weak?" -retorted Galuchet. "You have never seen me drunk, so far as I know." - -"This will be the first time that I shall have had that pleasure, if you -continue to drink as you are doing." - -"So it would give you pleasure to see me commit an impropriety?" - -"I trust that will not happen, if you follow my advice." - -"Very good," said Galuchet, rising, "if Monsieur Antoine cares to take a -walk, I shall be glad to offer my arm to Mademoiselle Gilberte, and then -you can see if I walk crooked." - -"I prefer not to risk the experiment," said Gilberte, who was sitting at -the door of the pavilion, caressing Monsieur Sacripant. - -"So you take sides against me, too, Mademoiselle Gilberte?" rejoined -Galuchet, walking toward her; "do you believe what Monsieur Emile says?" - -"My daughter takes sides against no one, monsieur," said Janille, "and I -don't understand why you bother your head about somebody who doesn't -bother her head about you." - -"If you forbid her to take my arm," replied Galuchet, "I have nothing to -say. It seems to me, however, that it's no breach of true French -courtesy to offer a young lady your arm." - -"My mother does not forbid me to accept your arm, monsieur," said -Gilberte, sweetly but with much dignity; "but I thank you for your -courtesy. I am not a Parisian and I can hardly appreciate the custom of -taking a support in walking. Besides, our paths do not permit that -custom." - -"Your paths are no worse than those at Crozant, and the rougher they are -the more need there is for people to help one another. I saw you plainly -enough at Crozant put your lovely hand on Monsieur Emile's shoulder, to -go down the mountain; oh! I saw it, Mademoiselle Gilberte, and I would -have liked right well to be in his place!" - -"Monsieur Galuchet, if you had not drunk beyond all reason," said Emile, -"you would not concern yourself so much about me, and I beg you not to -concern yourself about me at all." - -"Hoity-toity! now you are losing your temper, are you?" said Galuchet, -trying to adopt a good-natured tone. "Everybody is hard on me here, -except Monsieur Antoine." - -"Perhaps that is because you are a little too familiar with everybody," -retorted Emile. - -"What's going on here?" said Jean Jappeloup, entering the room. "Are you -quarreling? Here am I, to make peace. Good-day, _ma mie_ Janille; -good-day, my Gilberte du bon Dieu; good-day, friend Emile; good-day, -Antoine, my master: and good-day, you," he said to Galuchet; "I don't -know you, but it's all the same. Ah! it's Père Cardonnet's man of -business!--Ah! good-day to you, my dear Monsieur Sacripant; I didn't -notice your greeting." - -"_Vive Dieu_!" cried Antoine, "better late than never; but do you know, -Jean, you are going wrong? When we only have one day a week to see -you,--and God knows how long the week is without you!--you get here at -noon on Sunday!" - -"Listen, master----" - -"I don't want you to call me master." - -"What if I choose to call you so? I was your master long enough, and it -would be a bore to me to give orders all the time. Now, I choose to be -your apprentice, for a little change. Come, give me something fresh and -cool to drink, quickly, Janille. I am warm! Not that I am hungry; they -wouldn't let me go after mass, my good friends at Gargilesse! I must -needs stop and chatter a little with Mère Laroze, and you can't keep -your throat from getting dry when you talk without drinking. But I came -fast, because I knew you would be thinking about me here. You see, -Gilberte, since I came back to the old place the Sunday would have to be -forty-eight hours long to allow me to satisfy all the friends who are -glad to see me!" - -"Well, my dear Jean, if you are happy, that consoles us a little for -seeing you less often," said Gilberte. - -"Happy?" rejoined the carpenter; "there's no happier man than I on the -face of the earth!" - -"That's easy to see," said Janille. "See how he has cheered up since he -ceased to be tracked every morning like an old rabbit! And then he -shaves every Sunday now, and he has new clothes that look very well on -him." - -"And who was it who spun the wool for this pretty drugget?" said Jean. -"Why, _ma mie_ Janille and the good Lord's child! And who gave the wool? -my master's sheep. And who paid the cost? it is paid in friendship here. -You don't have coats like this, bourgeois. I wouldn't change my fustian -jacket for your black broadcloth swallow-tail." - -"I would be satisfied with the spinstress," observed Galuchet, glancing -at Gilberte. - -"You?" said Jean, good-humoredly bringing his hand down on Galuchet's -shoulder with force enough to crush an ox; "you have spinstresses like -this one? Why, _ma mie_ Janille is too young for you, my boy; and as for -the other, I would kill her if she should spin a bit of wool as long as -your nose for you!" - -Galuchet was wounded by this allusion to his flat nose, and retorted, -rubbing his shoulder: - -"Look you, peasant, your manners are _too touching_; joke with your -equals, I have nothing to say to you." - -"What's this gentleman's name?" Jean asked Monsieur Antoine. "I can't -remember his devil of a name." - -"Come, come, Jean, you go a little too fast, old fellow," replied -Monsieur Antoine. "Don't undertake to tease Monsieur Galuchet; he's a -very worthy young man, and, furthermore, he is my guest." - -"Well said, master! Let us make peace, Monsieur Maljuché. Will you have -a pinch of snuff?" - -"I don't use it," replied Galuchet, haughtily. "With Monsieur Antoine's -permission, I will leave the table." - -"At your pleasure, young man, at your pleasure," said the châtelain. -"Monsieur Emile doesn't enjoy long sessions either, and you can stroll -about a bit. Janille will show you the château, or, if you prefer to go -down to the brook, get your lines ready. We will join you directly, and -take you where you will find good sport." - -"Oh! yes," said the carpenter, "he's a fisher of small fry! He does -nothing else every evening at Gargilesse, and when anyone speaks to him -he makes a wry face because it disturbs his fish. Well, we will go -directly and help him to catch something better than his small fry. Look -you, Monsieur Maljuché, if I don't put you in the way of carrying home -a salmon for your supper, I'll agree to change names with you. You don't -need to be in such a hurry. The boat should be in good condition, for I -nailed a plank in its belly not long ago. We'll find an old harpoon -somewhere, and the _Devil's Rock_, where the salmon usually go to take a -nap in the sun, isn't far away. But it's a dangerous place, and you must -not go alone." - -"We will all go," said Gilberte, "if Jean manages the boat. It's very -interesting sport, and the place itself is magnificent." - -"Oh! if you are coming, Mademoiselle Gilberte, I will await your -pleasure," said Galuchet. - -"Hear that! wouldn't anyone think she was going on your account, -paper-scratcher? This youngster is impertinent beyond everything. Is -everybody like that where you come from? Oh! don't put on that indignant -expression and look over your shoulder, for it doesn't frighten me much. -If you choose to be agreeable, I will be, too; but if, just because you -are dressed in black like a notary, you think you can leave the table -when I remain, you are much mistaken. Sit down, sit down, Maljuché! I -haven't finished drinking, and you are going to drink with me." - -"I have had enough," said Galuchet, resisting. "I tell you I have had -enough!" - -But the carpenter would have broken him in two like a lath rather than -let him go. He forced him to sit down again on the bench and swallow -several more bumpers, Galuchet striving to show a bold front to -evil-fortune, and Monsieur Antoine shielding him ineffectually against -his old friend's malicious shafts, although he did not share the -antipathy which the secretary's face and manners aroused in the rest of -the family. - -Emile had slowly followed Gilberte and Janille into the courtyard, and, -despite the little old woman's jealous watchfulness, he had succeeded in -telling his sweetheart that he had obeyed her orders zealously, and that -he found his father in such a favorable frame of mind that he could -safely risk some overture in the following week. But Gilberte thought -that the risk would be too great, and urged him to persevere in that -sedentary, laborious life. Courage seemed easy to them both. Now that -Emile was sure that he was loved, he was so happy that he thought that -he could demand nothing more of fortune for a long while. There was a -divine tranquillity in the depths of his heart. Gilberte's clear and -searching glance said so many things to him now! - -There is, in the dawn of a lover's happiness, a moment of tranquil -beatitude, when the most penetrating observer would have difficulty in -detecting the secret on the surface. The desire to see and speak to each -other every hour seems to disappear with the anxious longing to reach an -understanding. When their hearts are bound together by a mutual avowal, -neither witnesses nor separation can embarrass them or part them in -reality. Thus the clear-sighted Janille was deceived by their peaceful -merriment and by the prudence which comes only when suffering and doubt -are at an end. The perturbation which Janille had often noticed in young -Cardonnet, the sudden flush that rose to Gilberte's cheeks at certain -words of which she alone had grasped the meaning, her sadness and her -ill-designed agitation when he was late in coming, all had vanished -since the trip to Crozant, and Janille was amazed that an incident the -consequences of which she had dreaded had caused a favorable change in -the state of affairs. - -"I was mistaken," she said to herself. "My girl is not thinking too much -about him; and if he thinks of her, he will know enough to say nothing, -and draw back little by little, rather than endanger our repose. He is -behaving well, and it would be a pity to hurt his feelings, since he -understood me with half a word, and is carrying out my wishes of his own -accord." - -If Jean Jappeloup had conspired with Emile to take vengeance on Galuchet -for his pretensions, he could have done no better than he did; for -during more than an hour, while the lovers were strolling about with -Janille in the neighborhood of the pavilion, he employed sometimes -cunning raillery, sometimes open force to keep him at the table and make -him drink, _willy-nilly_. In this test, which was beyond his strength, -Galuchet soon lost the little good sense with which nature had endowed -him. He was much scandalized at first by the châtelain's habits and -conceived a profound contempt for him whom he regarded as the count's -companion in debauchery. In a word, Galuchet, who had no trace of -elevation in his feelings or his ideas, and who was not worth a single -hair from the heads of those two rough-spoken worthies, deemed himself -degraded, and promised himself that he would, in his report to his -master, depict in startling colors the painful task he had undertaken. -But, as he drank, his wits went astray altogether, his vulgar instincts -gained the upper hand of his secret vanity, and he began to laugh, to -pound on the table, to talk loud, to boast of innumerable feats of -valor, and to make such a pitiful exhibition of himself, that Jappeloup, -who was as refined as his manners were abrupt, took compassion on him -and gave him a severe lecture with a cold and serious air. - -"You don't know how to drink, my friend," he said; "you are ugly when -you laugh and you are stupid when you try to be witty. If I ventured to -give Monsieur Antoine a piece of advice, it would be to give you a glass -of water when you come to breakfast with him, otherwise you might make -remarks before his daughter that would force me to put you out of doors. -You thought, when you saw us all so merry and so unceremonious with one -another, that we were vulgar folk and that you must become vulgar to -descend to our level. You made a mistake. Whoever has nothing evil in -his heart or unclean in his mind can let himself go; and even if I -should be so drunk that I couldn't stand, I shouldn't be afraid that I -could be made to blush the next day for anything I had said. It seems -that it's not the same with you; that is why you do well to dress in -black from head to foot and make people who don't know you think you're -a gentleman; for if there is a peasant here, you are the man!" - -Antoine tried to soften the sermon, and Galuchet tried to get angry. -Jean shrugged his shoulders and left the table to avoid having to give -him a lesson more appropriate to the state of his intellect. - -When they left the pavilion Galuchet was still walking straight; but his -head was so heavy and so heated, that he dared not utter a word before -Gilberte, for fear of saying one thing for another. - -"Well," said Gilberte to Jappeloup, "are we going to the Devil's Rock? -It's more than a year since I was there; Janille will never let father -take me there because she says it's too dangerous and one can't afford -to be absent-minded there; but she will let me go with you, my good -Jean! Do you feel that your hand is still strong and your eye sure -enough?" - -"I?" said Jappeloup, "why, I feel as well equal to the task as if I were -no more than twenty-five." - -"And you are not tipsy?" said Janille, taking hold of Jean's sleeve and -standing on tiptoe to look into his eyes. - -"Look, look all you please," said he. "If you can do this, I will agree -that I am tipsy!" And he placed on his head a pitcher of water that -Janille was carrying, and ran several yards without upsetting it. - -"Very good," said Janille; "I could do as much if I chose, but it's no -use; I am sure of you, and I trust my girl with you. For my part, I -haven't the time to go along. Do you, Monsieur Emile, just keep an eye -on the father, for he is quite capable of trying to step ashore in -mid-stream, if he is busy laughing or talking." - -"And who will keep an eye on Maljuché?" queried Jappeloup, pointing to -Galuchet, who had gone ahead with Monsieur Antoine. "I won't be -responsible for him." - -"Nor I," said Gilberte. - -"Never fear," said Emile, "I will undertake to keep him quiet." - -"It's not at all certain that you will succeed," rejoined Jean; "if he -isn't drunk, he's something like it. You can't say that he's downright -_rich_, but he's just _comfortable_. A bed would be better for him than -a boat." - -"You can notice how he goes down the mountain," suggested Janille; "and -if there's danger of his sinking you, leave him on the rocks on the -bank." - -Galuchet was already in the boat with Monsieur de Châteaubrun when the -others arrived. He was flushed and silent. But when they were in -midstream the swift current made him dizzy and he began to sway so -violently from side to side that Jappeloup, losing patience, took a rope -and bound his body securely to the thwart on which he sat. He fell -asleep in that position. - -"You have a delightful secretary there," said Gilberte to Emile. "I -trust, dear papa, that you won't invite him to breakfast again." - -"Oh! bless my soul, it's not his fault," replied Monsieur Antoine, "but -Jean's, who made him drink more than he wanted." - -"What does a man amount to who can't drink without getting drunk?" said -Jean; "he's worse than nobody." - -The boat glided swiftly down-stream to a spot where the rocks on each -side approached so nearly that it was impossible to pass without great -danger. Jean was one of the most powerful men in the province. His -fearless nature and his strong will added tenfold to his physical -strength. He was accustomed to enter into the most trivial undertakings -with as much passionate enthusiasm as if he were setting out to conquer -the world; and yet, notwithstanding this youthful excitability, his -presence of mind was wonderful. He guided the boat in the centre of the -current, and, when they entered the narrow passage, threw her across the -stream and avoided the shock of a collision with the cliff by leaning -out and grasping it with his hand. Emile, who seconded him, gallantly -relieved him from time to time, and, the boat being thus held in place, -they made ready the harpoon and waited in silence for the prey to pass. -Every one knows that the fish always try to swim up against the current, -but they were frightened by the unusual barrier and kept approaching and -retreating. The lookout leaned forward, stretching his arms as far as he -could. Monsieur Antoine and Gilberte, kneeling behind him, watched to -see that the movement he made in throwing the harpoon did not sink the -boat or drag him overboard. Gilberte, when it was the carpenter's turn, -clung to his coat, fearing that he would fall into the water; and when -Emile's turn came, she earnestly urged her father to hold him with all -his strength. But soon, trusting to no one else, she seized his jacket -herself, and more than once he felt the touch of her lovely arms, ready -to embrace him in case of accident. - -In this situation, which was dangerous for all, Jean's attention and -Antoine's was completely absorbed by the excitement of fishing, and the -same excitement served the two lovers as a pretext for exchanging -glances and words, which Galuchet, although half awake, was in no -condition to observe. What would Monsieur Cardonnet have thought could -he have seen how well his agent was earning his reward! - -At last a salmon was speared, amid frantic shouts from Jean Jappeloup, -and Galuchet, partly aroused by the sight of the capture, tried to take -a hand in landing him. But his clumsiness and obstinacy spoiled -everything, and Jean, beside himself with wrath, turned the boat around, -saying: - -"When you want to fish for salmon, you will go with somebody besides me. -Gudgeons of this size aren't in your line, and if we stayed here long, I -should break your head with the shaft of my harpoon." - -"God preserve me from coming again with such a boor as you," retorted -Galuchet, sitting on the edge of the boat. - -"Don't sit there," said the carpenter; "you are in my way, and you would -do much better to help me pull up against this current, which runs like -a mill-race. Here is Monsieur Emile working like a good fellow, and you, -stout and strong as you are, fold your arms and watch the sweat roll off -us." - -"Faith, it's your own fault," retorted Galuchet; "you made me drink and -I am good for nothing." - -"Very good, but you are heavy, and as you are not working you can go -ashore. To the bank, to the bank, my little Emile! let us get rid of -bundles that are in the way!" - -They headed for the shore; but Galuchet considered the proposed step -insulting, and refused to land, blaspheming in the most reckless way. - -"Ten thousand devils!" cried Jappeloup, thoroughly angry, "you have made -me lose a superb salmon, but you shan't make me break my back in your -service!" - -And he pushed him out of the boat; but Galuchet, because he resisted, -fell between the boat and the bank, into the water, up to his waist. - -"Faith, that's well done," said Jappeloup, "that will put a little water -in your wine." - -And he pulled the boat rapidly out of Galuchet's reach, for, in his -rage, he tried to upset her. - -"Ah! the miserable fellow!" cried the carpenter, "confess, that if there -are some good beasts, there are many vicious ones. Let him wallow," he -said to his companions, who feared that poor Galuchet, because of his -fuddled condition, might drown, although the water was not dangerously -deep. "If he sinks too far I'll stick my harpoon in his belt and fish -him up like a salmon. Bah! if it were anything of value, we might have -reason to be anxious, but things that are good for nothing, dead cats -and empty bottles, always float." - -In a few moments Galuchet jumped up on the bank, shook his fist and -vanished. - -This ridiculous incident depressed Gilberte. For the first time she -detected a serious inconvenience in her father's too great good-nature. -His rustic and simple manners, which were those of the people about him -and were the expression of a kindly and innocent nature, began to -terrify her, as not affording such enlightened and judicious protection -as her age and sex demanded. - -"I am a poor country girl," she said to herself, "and I can get along -very well with peasants; but on the condition that no ill-bred -semi-bourgeois undertakes to interfere; for then the peasants become a -little too violent in their wrath, and the life I lead does not put me -out of reach of a coward's revenge." - -Thereupon she thought of Emile as a protector destined for her by -heaven; but she asked herself amid what surroundings he himself was -compelled to live, and the idea that Monsieur Cardonnet employed people -of the Galuchet species caused her a sort of vague alarm with regard to -his character and habits. - -When Jean Jappeloup returned to Gargilesse that evening, he found -Galuchet lying like a dead man in the middle of the road. The poor -devil, sobered momentarily by the bath he had taken, had entered a -wineshop to dry his clothes, and as he was afraid of his health, he had -allowed himself to be persuaded to take a glass of eau-de-vie, which had -finished him. He was returning home literally on all fours. Jean had had -time to forget his anger, nor was he the man to leave a fellow-man in -danger of being trampled upon by horses' feet. He lifted him up, -submitted patiently to his threats and insults, and led him, more than -half carrying him, to the factory; and Galuchet, who did not recognize -him, went in, swearing that he would be revenged on the scoundrel who -had tried to drown him. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SIN OF MONSIEUR ANTOINE, -VOLUME I (OF 2) *** - -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/67460-0.zip b/old/67460-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 5e41137..0000000 --- a/old/67460-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67460-h.zip b/old/67460-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 64c3cf6..0000000 --- a/old/67460-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67460-h/67460-h.htm b/old/67460-h/67460-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index b2bea1e..0000000 --- a/old/67460-h/67460-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14329 +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 The Sin of Monsieur Antoine - Vol. 1 (of 2), 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; - text-indent:4%; -} - -.p2 {margin-top: 2em;} -.p4 {margin-top: 4em;} -.p6 {margin-top: 6em;} - -.nind {text-indent:0%;} - -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;} - - -.linenum { - position: absolute; - top: auto; - right: 10%; -} /* poetry number */ - -.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; -} - - -/* Poetry */ -.poem { - margin-left:10%; - margin-right:10%; - text-align: left; -} - -.poem br {display: none;} -.poetry-container { text-align: center; } -.poem { display: inline-block; text-align: left; } -.poem .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} - - -/* 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> -<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Sin of Monsieur Antoine, Volume I (of 2), by George Sand</p> -<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> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Sin of Monsieur Antoine, Volume I (of 2)</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em;'>The Masterpieces of George Sand. Volume 5</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: George Sand</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Translator: George Burnham Ives</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Illustrator: Pierre Vidal</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: February 21, 2022 [eBook #67460]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Dagny and Laura Natal Rodrigues (Images generously made available by Hathi Trust Digital Library.)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SIN OF MONSIEUR ANTOINE, VOLUME I (OF 2) ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/antoine01_cover.jpg" width="500" alt="" /> -</div> - - -<h2>The Masterpieces of George Sand,<br /> -Amandine Lucille Aurore Dupin, Baroness<br /> -Dudevant, <i>NOW FOR THE FIRST<br /> -TIME COMPLETELY TRANSLATED<br /> -INTO ENGLISH THE SIN<br /> -OF MONSIEUR ANTOINE, AND LEONE<br /> -LEONI BY G. BURNHAM IVES</i></h2> - -<p><br /></p> - -<h4><i>WITH TWELVE PHOTOGRAVURES AFTER PAINTINGS BY<br /> -PIERRE VIDAL</i></h4> - -<p><br /></p> - -<h3><i>VOLUME I</i></h3> - -<p><br /></p> - -<h4><i>PRINTED ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS BY<br /> -GEORGE BARRIE & SON<br /> -PHILADELPHIA</i></h4> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>CONTENTS</h4> -<p class="nind"><a href="#INTRODUCTION">INTRODUCTION</a><br /> -CHAPTER<br /> -I. <a href="#chap01">EGUZON</a><br /> -II. <a href="#chap02">THE MANOR OF CHÂTEAUBRUN</a><br /> -III. <a href="#chap03">MONSIEUR CARDONNET</a><br /> -IV. <a href="#chap04">THE VISION</a><br /> -V. <a href="#chap05">THE DRIBE</a><br /> -VI. <a href="#chap06">JEAN THE CARPENTER</a><br /> -VII. <a href="#chap07">THE ARREST</a><br /> -VIII. <a href="#chap08">GILBERTE</a><br /> -IX. <a href="#chap09">MONSIEUR ANTOINE</a><br /> -X. <a href="#chap10">A GOOD ACTION</a><br /> -XI. <a href="#chap11">A GHOST</a><br /> -XII. <a href="#chap12">INDUSTRIAL DIPLOMACY</a><br /> -XIII. <a href="#chap13">THE STRUGGLE</a><br /> -XIV. <a href="#chap14">FIRST LOVE</a><br /> -XV. <a href="#chap15">THE STAIRCASE</a><br /> -XVI. <a href="#chap16">THE TALISMAN</a><br /> -XVII. <a href="#chap17">THAW</a><br /> -XVIII. <a href="#chap18">STORM</a><br /> -XIX. <a href="#chap19">THE PORTRAIT</a><br /> -XX. <a href="#chap20">THE FORTRESS OF CROZANT</a><br /> -XXI. <a href="#chap21">MONSIEUR ANTOINE'S NAP</a><br /> -XXII. <a href="#chap22">INTRIGUE</a><br /> -XXIII. <a href="#chap23">THE DEVIL'S ROCK</a></p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS -<br /> -THE SIN OF MONSIEUR ANTOINE -<br /> -<i>VOLUME I</i></h4> - - -<p class="nind"> -<a href="#figure01">EMILE'S FIRST MEETING WITH GILBERTE.</a><br /> -<a href="#figure02">EMILE ENTERTAINED BY MONSIEUR ANTOINE.</a><br /> -<a href="#figure03">MONSIEUR DE BOISGUILBAULT TRIES EMILE'S HORSE.</a><br /> -<a href="#figure04">EMILE IN CONFERENCE WITH HIS FATHER.</a><br /> -<a href="#figure05">EMILE EXAMINES THE PORTRAIT OF THE MARQUISE DE<br /> -BOISGUILBAULT.</a><br /> -<a href="#figure06">GALUCHET SURPRISED.</a></p> - -<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>EMILE'S FIRST MEETING WITH -GILBERTE.</i> -</p> -<p> -<i>A fresh young voice was singing, or rather humming, at a little -distance, one of those sweet melodies, which are peculiar to the -country. And the châtelain's daughter, the bachelor's child, whose -mother's name was a mystery to the whole neighborhood, appeared at the -corner of a clump of eglantine, as lovely as the loveliest wild flower -of that charming solitude.</i></p></div> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="INTRODUCTION">INTRODUCTION</a></h4> - -<p> -I wrote the <i>Sin of Monsieur Antoine</i> in the country, during a season -of tranquillity, outward and inward, such as seldom occurs in one's life. -It was in 1845, a period when criticism of society, as it was, and -dreams of an ideal society attained in the press a degree of freedom of -development comparable to that of the eighteenth century. Some day, -perhaps, people will find it difficult to believe the trivial but -exceedingly characteristic fact I am about to mention. -</p> - -<p> -At that period, if one wished to be independent, to maintain directly or -indirectly the boldest ideas opposed to the vices of the existing social -organization and to give expression to the liveliest hopes of the -philosophical sentiment, it was hardly possible to apply to the -opposition newspapers. The most advanced of them unfortunately had not -readers enough to give satisfactory publicity to the ideas one desired -to put forth. The more moderate nourished a profound aversion for -socialism, and, in the course of the last ten years of Louis-Philippe's -reign, one of these organs of the reformist opposition, the most -important by reason of its age and the number of its subscribers, did me -the honor several times to ask me for a serial novel, always on the -condition that it should contain nothing of a socialistic tendency. -</p> - -<p> -That condition was very difficult, perhaps impossible of fulfilment, to -a mind absorbed by the sufferings and the needs of its generation. There -are very few serious-minded artists who do not allow themselves to be -influenced in their work by the threats of the present or the promises -of the future, with more or less adroit circumlocution, with more or -less effusion and enthusiasm. Moreover it was the time to say all that -one thought, all that one believed. It was one's duty to do it, because -it was possible. As the social war did not seem imminent, the monarchy, -making no concessions to the needs of the people, seemed powerful enough -to defy longer than it did the current of ideas. -</p> - -<p> -These ideas, at which only a small number of conservative minds had as -yet taken fright, had really taken firm root only in a small number of -observant and laborious minds. So long as they seemed to have no -application to political actualities, the ruling power worried very -little about theories and allowed every man to make one for himself, to -publish his dream, to construct the future city innocently in his -chimney corner, in the garden of his imagination. -</p> - -<p> -The conservative journals became therefore the refuge of the socialist -novel. Eugène Sue published his in the <i>Débats</i> and the -<i>Constitutionnel</i>. I published mine in the <i>Constitutionnel</i> -and the <i>Epoque</i>. At about the same time the <i>National</i> was -attacking the socialistic writers in its <i>feuilletons</i>, and -overwhelming them with very bitter insults or very clever satire. -</p> - -<p> -The <i>Epoque</i>, a journal which had a very brief life, but which began -by surpassing in ardor all the conservative and absolutist organs of the -moment, was the frame wherein I was given absolute liberty to publish a -socialistic novel. On all the blank walls of Paris was placarded in huge -letters: <i>Read the Epoque</i>! <i>Read the Sin of Monsieur Antoine</i>! -</p> - -<p> -The following year, as we were wandering through the moors of Crozant -and among the ruins of Châteaubrun, a rustic field in which my pen had -always taken delight, a Parisian friend of mine called out facetiously -to the half-civilized shepherds of those solitudes: "Have you read the -<i>Epoque</i>? Have you read the <i>Sin of Monsieur Antoine</i>?" And as -they fled, terrified by those incomprehensible words, he said to me with a -laugh: "How evident it is that these socialistic novels go to the heads -of the country people!" -</p> - -<p> -An old woman, an excellent talker, came to Châteaubrun to reprove me -because I had written a book <i>full of lies</i> about her and her master. -She thought that I had intended to introduce the proprietor of the -château and herself on my stage. She had heard of the book. People had -told her that there was <i>not a word of truth</i> in it. It was impossible -to make her understand what a novel is, and yet she invented one -herself, for she told us of the assassination of Louis XVI. and Marie -Antoinette, <i>who were stabbed in their carriage by the populace of -Paris</i>. They who accuse socialistic writers of inflaming people's minds -should remember that they have forgotten to teach the peasants to read. -</p> - -<p> -Shall I deny, now that the masses are stirring, the communism of -Monsieur de Boisguilbault, a very eccentric and yet not altogether -imaginary character in my novel? God forbid, especially after the -socialists have been accused, in every key, of preaching the division of -property. -</p> - -<p> -The diametrically opposite idea, that of common ownership by -association, should be the least dangerous of all in the eyes of the -conservatives, since it is unfortunately the least understood and the -least popular among the masses. It is especially antipathetic in the -country districts and can be realized only by the initiative of a strong -government or by a philosophic, religious and Christian renovation, the -work of centuries it may be! -</p> - -<p> -Attempts to form workingmen's associations have been made, however, -among the best informed, the most moral, the most patient portion of the -industrial population of the large cities. Enlightened governments, -whatever their motto, will always protect these associations, because -they offer a refuge to the genuinely social and religious thought of the -future. Probably imperfect at their birth, they will perfect themselves -in time, and when it is clearly proved that they do not destroy, but, on -the contrary, preserve respect for family and property, they will -insensibly lead to reciprocity among all classes, and to a union of -interests and attachments,—the only path of safety open to the -society of the future. -</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 60%;">GEORGE SAND.</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>THE SIN OF MONSIEUR ANTOINE</h4> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap01"></a></h4> - -<h4>I -<br /><br /> -EGUZON</h4> - -<p> -There are few localities in France as unattractive as the town of Eguzon -on the confines of La Marche and Berry, in the southwest part of the -latter province. Eighty to a hundred houses, all of more or less -wretched appearance, with the exception of two or three whose opulent -proprietors we will not name for fear of offending their modesty, line -the two or three streets and surround the public square of that -municipality, famous for leagues around by reason of the litigious -nature of its population and the difficulty of reaching it. Despite this -last drawback, which will soon disappear, thanks to the laying out of a -new road, Eguzon sees many travellers boldly traverse the solitudes by -which it is surrounded and risk the springs of their <i>carrioles</i> on -its terrible pavement. The only inn is situated on the only square, which -seems the more vast because it has one side open to the fields as if -awaiting the new buildings of future citizens; and this inn is sometimes -compelled, in the summer, to invite its too numerous guests to accept -accommodation in the neighboring houses, which are thrown open to them, -we are bound to say, with much hospitality. Eguzon, you see, is the -central point of a picturesque neighborhood dotted with imposing ruins, -and whether one desires to visit Châteaubrun, Crozant, Prugne-au-Pot, -or the still habitable and inhabited château of Saint-Germain, he must -necessarily sleep at Eguzon, in order to start betimes on these -different excursions on the following morning. -</p> - -<p> -Several years ago, one lowering, stormy evening in June, the good people -of Eguzon opened their eyes to their fullest extent to see a young man -of attractive exterior crossing the square to leave the town just after -sunset. The weather was threatening; it was growing dark more quickly -than usual, and yet the young traveller, after taking a light repast at -the inn, where he halted just long enough to rest his horse, rode boldly -away toward the north, heedless of the representations of the innkeeper, -and apparently caring naught for the dangers of the road. None knew him; -he had answered all questions with an impatient gesture only, and all -remonstrances with a smile. When the sound of his horse's hoofs had died -away in the distance, the loafers about the inn said to one another: -</p> - -<p> -"That fellow knows the road well or doesn't know it at all. Either he -has been over it a hundred times and knows every stone by name, or he -doesn't suspect what sort of a place it is, and will find himself in a -deal of trouble." -</p> - -<p> -"He's a stranger and not of these parts," said a knowing individual with -a judicial air. "He wouldn't listen to anything but his own head; but -half an hour hence, when the storm breaks, you'll see him coming back -again." -</p> - -<p> -"If he doesn't break his neck first, going down the Pont des Piles," -observed a third. -</p> - -<p> -"Faith!" said the bystanders in chorus, "that's his business! Let's go -and close our shutters, so that the hail won't break our window-panes." -</p> - -<p> -And throughout the village there was a great noise of doors and windows -being hastily barred, while the wind, which was beginning to moan over -the moors, outstripped the breathless maid-servants, and sent back into -their faces the folding leaves of the heavy shutters wherein the -mechanics of the province, in conformity with the traditions of their -ancestors, spared neither oak nor iron bolts. From time to time a voice -could be heard from one end of the street to the other, and such remarks -as these were shouted from doorway to doorway: "Is all yours in?" "<i>Ah -oua!</i> I've got two loads still on the ground." "And I've got six -standing!" "Well, I don't care, mine are all in the barn." They were -talking about hay. -</p> - -<p> -The traveller, riding an excellent Brenne hackney, left the clouds -behind him and, quickening his pace, flattered himself that he could -outstrip the storm; but, at a sudden turn in the road, he realized that -he must inevitably be taken in flank. He unfolded his cloak, which was -strapped to his valise, tied his cap under his chin, and, digging his -spurs into his horse, galloped on once more, hoping at least to reach -and cross, by daylight, the dangerous spot that had been described to -him. But his hope was disappointed; the road became so difficult that he -had to go at a footpace and watch his horse to keep him from falling -over the rocks with which the ground was strewn. When he reached the top -of the ravine of La Creuse, the storm-cloud had enveloped the whole sky; -it was quite dark, and he could judge the depth of the abyss he was -skirting only by the dull, muffled roar of the torrent. -</p> - -<p> -With the rashness of his twenty years the young man disregarded his -horse's prudent hesitation and forced him to take the chances of a -descent which the docile beast found more uneven and steeper at every -step. But suddenly he stopped and threw himself back on his haunches, -and his rider, who was slightly startled by the shock, saw, by the light -of a brilliant flash, that he was on the extreme edge of a perpendicular -precipice, and that another step would infallibly have hurled him to the -bottom of La Creuse. -</p> - -<p> -The rain was beginning to fall, and a furious squall twisted the tops of -the old chestnut trees on the level of the road. The west wind forced -man and horse alike toward the stream, and the danger became so real -that the traveller was obliged to dismount, in order to present less -surface to the wind and to guide his horse more surely in the darkness. -What the lightning flash had enabled him to see of the landscape had -seemed wonderfully beautiful to him; moreover, his situation whetted the -task for adventure which is characteristic of youth. -</p> - -<p> -A second flash enabled him to distinguish his surroundings, and he -profited by a third to familiarize himself with the objects nearest at -hand. The road was not narrow, but its very width made it hard to -follow. There were some half a dozen vaguely defined tracks, marked only -by hoof-prints and wheel-ruts, forming divers paths, interlaced as if by -chance, on the slope of a hill; and as there was neither hedge, nor -ditch, nor any sign of cultivation, those who passed that way had -climbed the hill wherever they happened to choose; thus with each season -a new road was opened, or some old one reopened which time and nonuse -had closed. Between each two of these capricious tracks were little -mounds of rock or tufts of furze, which looked just alike in the -darkness, and as no two of them were on the same level it was difficult -to pass from one to the other without risking a fall which might well -end in the abyss; for they all sloped sidewise as well as forward, so -that one must lean backward and to the left. Thus no one of these -winding paths was safe; for since the spring all had been trodden -equally hard, the natives taking any one of them at random in broad -daylight; but, on a dark night, it was of the greatest importance not to -lose one's footing, and the young man, who was more careful of the knees -of the horse he loved than of his own life, concluded to halt behind a -rock that was high enough to shelter them both from the violence of the -wind, and to wait there until the sky should brighten up a bit. He leaned -against <i>Corbeau</i>, and, raising a corner of his waterproof cloak -in such wise as to protect his companion's quarters and the saddle, he -fell into a romantic reverie, as well pleased to hear the howling of the -tempest as the good people of Eguzon, assuming them to be thinking of -him at all at that moment, supposed him to be anxious and disappointed. -</p> - -<p> -The successive flashes soon afforded him a sufficient acquaintance with -the surrounding country. Directly in front of him the road climbed the -opposite slope of the ravine, equally steep and presenting difficulties -of the same nature. The Creuse, a clear, swift stream, flowed not very -noisily at the foot of the precipice and drew its banks together to pass -with a dull, never-ending roar under the arches of an old bridge that -seemed in a very dilapidated condition. The view opposite was limited by -the steep incline; but at the left he could catch glimpses of sloping, -well-cultivated meadows, through the middle of which the stream wound; -and opposite our traveller, on the crest of a hill bristling with huge -boulders interspersed with rich vegetation, rose the dilapidated towers -of a vast ruined manor. But, even if it had occurred to the young man to -seek shelter there from the storm, it would have been difficult to find -a way of reaching it; for there was no apparent communication between -the road and the ruin, and another ravine, traversed by a stream that -emptied into the Creuse, separated the two hills. The site was most -picturesque and the pallid gleam of the lightning imparted a touch of -the terrible which one would have sought in vain by daylight. Gigantic -chimneys, exposed by the falling of the roofs, towered up toward the -heavy clouds that hovered over the château and seemed to rend it -asunder. When the sky was lighted by the swift flashes, the ruins were -outlined in white against the dark background of the atmosphere, and, on -the contrary, when the eyes had accustomed themselves to the succeeding -darkness, they formed a dark mass against a lighter horizon. A large -star, which the clouds seemed not to dare to cover, shone a long while -over the haughty donjon, like a carbuncle on a giant's head. At last it -disappeared, and the torrents of rain, falling with redoubled force, -made it impossible for the traveller to distinguish anything except -through a thick veil. The water, falling on the rocks near by and on the -ground hardened by the recent extreme heat, rebounded like white foam -and at times resembled clouds of dust raised by the wind. -</p> - -<p> -As he moved forward to shelter his horse more effectually behind the -rock, the young man discovered that he was not alone. Another man had -come to that spot in search of shelter, or perhaps had taken possession -of it first. It was impossible to tell, in those alternations of -dazzling light and intense darkness. The horseman had not time to obtain -a good view of the pedestrian; he seemed to be wretchedly dressed and -not of very attractive appearance. Indeed he seemed inclined to keep out -of sight by crouching as far under the rock as possible; but as soon as -he concluded, from an exclamation of the traveller, that he was -discovered, he unhesitatingly addressed him in a loud, clear voice: -</p> - -<p> -"This is bad weather for riding, monsieur, and if you're wise you will -go back to Eguzon to sleep." -</p> - -<p> -"Much obliged, my friend," replied the young man, making his stout, -lead-handled hunting-crop whistle through the air, in order to give his -problematical companion to understand that he was armed. -</p> - -<p> -The latter understood the warning and answered it by tapping the rock, -as if absent-mindedly, with an enormous holly staff, which broke off -several splinters of stone. The weapon was stout and so was the wrist -that wielded it. -</p> - -<p> -"You won't go far to-night in such weather," continued the pedestrian. -</p> - -<p> -"I shall go as far as I choose," replied the horseman, "and I should not -advise anybody to take it into his head to delay me on the way." -</p> - -<p> -"Are you afraid of robbers that you meet friendly overtures with -threats? I don't know what province you come from, my young man, but you -hardly seem to know what province you are in. Thank God, there are -neither highwaymen, nor assassins among us." -</p> - -<p> -The stranger's proud but frank tone inspired confidence. The young man -rejoined more mildly: -</p> - -<p> -"You're of this province, are you, comrade?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, I am, and always shall be." -</p> - -<p> -"You are right to propose to remain here; it's a beautiful country." -</p> - -<p> -"Not always though! At this moment, for instance, it's none too -pleasant; the weather is venting its spite, and it will be bad all -night." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you think so?" -</p> - -<p> -"I am sure of it. If you follow the valley of the Creuse you'll have the -storm for company till to-morrow noon, but I fancy that you didn't start -out so late without expecting to find shelter near at hand?" -</p> - -<p> -"To tell you the truth, I am inclined to think that the place I am going -to is farther away than I supposed at first. I fancied that they tried -to keep me at Eguzon by exaggerating the distance and the bad condition -of the roads; but I see, from the little progress I have made in an -hour, that they hardly overstated it." -</p> - -<p> -"Not to be inquisitive, where might you be going?" -</p> - -<p> -"To Gargilesse. How far do you call it?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not far, monsieur, if you could see where you are going; but, if you -don't know the country, it will take you all night; for what you see -from here is nothing in comparison with the break-neck places you have -to descend to go from the ravine of La Creuse to that of Gargilesse, and -you risk your life to boot." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, my friend, will you undertake to guide me, for a good round sum?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, monsieur, thank you." -</p> - -<p> -"Is the road very dangerous that you are so disobliging?" -</p> - -<p> -"The road is not dangerous to me, for I know it as well as you probably -know the streets of Paris; but what reason have I for passing the night -in getting drenched just to please you?" -</p> - -<p> -"I am not particular about it, and I can do without your help; but I -didn't ask you to favor me for nothing; I offered you——" -</p> - -<p> -"Enough! enough! you are rich and I am poor, but I am not a beggar yet, -and I have reasons for not making myself the servant of the first comer. -However, if I knew who you were——" -</p> - -<p> -"Are you suspicious of me?" said the young man, whose curiosity was -aroused by his companion's proud and fearless character. "To prove that -distrust is an unworthy feeling, I will pay you in advance. How much do -you want?" -</p> - -<p> -"I beg your pardon, excuse me, monsieur, I want nothing; I have neither -wife nor children, I need nothing for the moment; besides I have a -friend, a good fellow, whose house is not far away, and I shall take -advantage of the first flash to go there and have supper and sleep on a -good bed. Why should I deprive myself of that for you? Let us see! is it -because you have a good horse and new clothes?" -</p> - -<p> -"I like your pride, so far as that goes! But it seems to me not well -done of you to refuse an exchange of favors." -</p> - -<p> -"I have done you all the service in my power by telling you not to take -any risks at night in such vile weather, on roads that will be -impassable in half an hour. What more do you want?" -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing. When I asked for your assistance I wanted to ascertain the -character of the people of this neighborhood, that's all. I see now that -their good will toward strangers is limited to words." -</p> - -<p> -"Toward strangers!" cried the native, in a melancholy and reproachful -tone which impressed the traveller. "In Heaven's name isn't that too -much for those who have never done us aught but harm? I tell you, -monsieur, men are unjust; but God's sight is clear, and he knows well -that the poor peasant allows himself to be shorn, without revenging -himself, by the shrewd people who come from the great cities." -</p> - -<p> -"Have the people from the cities done so much harm in your country -districts, pray? That is a fact that I know nothing of and am not -responsible for, as this is my first visit." -</p> - -<p> -"You are going to Gargilesse. I suppose of course you are going to see -Monsieur Cardonnet? You are either a relation or friend of his, I am -sure?" -</p> - -<p> -"Who is this Monsieur Cardonnet, whom you seem to hold in ill-will?" -asked the young man, after a moment's hesitation. -</p> - -<p> -"Enough, monsieur," the peasant replied; "if you don't know him anything -that I could say would hardly interest you, and if you are rich you have -nothing to fear from him. The poor people are the only ones he has a -grudge against." -</p> - -<p> -"But after all," rejoined the traveller, with a sort of restrained -emotion, "it may be that I have reasons for wanting to know what people -in this country think of this Monsieur Cardonnet. If you refuse to give -any reason for your bad opinion of him, it must be because you have some -personal spite against him, not at all creditable to yourself." -</p> - -<p> -"I am accountable to nobody," retorted the peasant, "and my opinion is -my own. Good-night, monsieur. See, the rain is a little less violent. I -am sorry to be unable to offer you a shelter; but I have only the -château you see yonder, which is not mine. However," he added, after -taking a few steps, and as if regretting that he had not shown more -respect for the duties of hospitality, "if your heart should prompt you -to come and ask a bed for the night, I can answer for it you would be -welcome." -</p> - -<p> -"Is yonder ruin occupied?" asked the traveller, who had to descend the -ravine to cross the Creuse, and had walked along beside the peasant, -supporting his horse by the rein. -</p> - -<p> -"It is a ruin, in truth," his companion replied, repressing a sigh; "but -although I am not so very old, I have seen that château in perfect -repair, and so magnificent, outside as well as inside, that a king would -have been well lodged there. The owner didn't spend a great deal, but it -didn't require much repairing, it was so solid and well built; and the -walls were so well laid, the stone mantels and window frames so -beautifully carved that it would have been impossible to make it any -finer than the architects and masons did when they built it. But -everything goes, riches like all the rest, and the last lord of -Châteaubrun has just repurchased the château of his ancestors for four -thousand francs." -</p> - -<p> -"Is it possible that such a mass of stone, even in its present -condition, is worth so little?" -</p> - -<p> -"What is left would still be worth a good deal if one could take it down -and carry it away; but where in this vicinity can he find workmen and -machines capable of pulling down those old walls? I don't know what they -built with in old times, but that cement is so hard that you would say -the towers and high walls are made of a single stone. And then, you see -how it was planted on the very top of a mountain, with precipices on all -sides! What carts and what horses could carry down such materials? -Unless the hill crumbles they will stay there as long as the rock that -holds them, and there are still ceilings enough left to cover one poor -gentleman and one poor girl." -</p> - -<p> -"So this last of the Châteaubruns has a daughter, has he?" asked the -young man, pausing to look at the manor with more interest than he had -yet shown. "And she lives there?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, yes, she lives there among the gerfalcons and screech-owls, and -yet she is young and pretty, all the same. There's no lack of air and -water here, and in spite of the new laws against free hunting, we still -see hares and partridges now and then on the lord of Châteaubrun's -table. Look you, if you have no business that compels you to risk your -life to arrive before daybreak, come with me; I will undertake to -procure you a warm welcome at the château. Even if you should arrive -there alone, without recommendation, it's enough that the weather is bad -and that you have the face of a Christian, to ensure your being well -received and well treated at Monsieur Antoine de Châteaubrun's." -</p> - -<p> -"But this gentleman is poor, it seems, and I am reluctant to impose on -his goodness of heart." -</p> - -<p> -"On the contrary, you will gratify him. Come, the storm, you see, is -going to begin again with more violence than before, and my conscience -would trouble me if I should leave you thus all alone on the mountain. -You mustn't bear me ill-will because I refused my services. I have my -reasons, which you could not judge fairly, and which there is no need of -my telling you; but I shall sleep better if you follow my advice. -Besides, I know Monsieur Antoine; he would be angry with me for not -holding fast to you and taking you to his house; he would be quite -capable of running after you, which would be a bad thing for him after -supper." -</p> - -<p> -"And you don't think that his daughter would be displeased to have a -stranger arrive thus unexpectedly?" -</p> - -<p> -"His daughter is his daughter; that is to say, she is as good as he is, -if not better, although that seems hardly possible." -</p> - -<p> -The young man hesitated some time longer, but, drawn on by a romantic -attraction, and already drawing in his imagination the portrait of the -pearl of beauty he was about to find behind those frowning walls, he -said to himself that he was not expected at Gargilesse until the -following day; that by arriving at midnight he should disturb his -parents in their sleep; and, lastly, that it would be downright -imprudence to persist in his plan, and that his mother would certainly -dissuade him from it, if she could see him at that moment. Moved by all -the excellent reasons which a man gives himself when the demon of youth -and curiosity takes a hand, he followed his guide in the direction of -the old château. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap02"></a></h4> - -<h4>II -<br /><br /> -THE MANOR OF CHÂTEAUBRUN</h4> - -<p> -After climbing with difficulty a very steep road, or rather a stairway -cut in the rock, our travellers reached the entrance of Châteaubrun in -about twenty minutes. The wind and the rain redoubled in violence, and -the young man hardly had leisure to observe the huge portal, which -offered to his sight, at that moment, nothing more than an ill-defined -mass of formidable proportions. He noticed simply that the seignorial -portcullis was replaced by a wooden fence like those which enclose all -the fields in the province. -</p> - -<p> -"Wait a moment, monsieur," said his guide. "I will climb over and get -the key; for latterly old Janille has minded to have a padlock here, as -if there were anything to steal in her master's house! However, her -intentions are good, and I don't blame her." -</p> - -<p> -The peasant scaled the fence very cleverly, and, while awaiting for him -to return and admit him, the young man tried in vain to make out the -arrangement of the ruined masses of architecture which he could see -confusedly inside the courtyard; it was like a glimpse of chaos. -</p> - -<p> -After a few moments he saw several persons approaching. The gate was -speedily opened; one took his horse, another his hand, and a third went -ahead carrying a lantern, which was very essential for their guidance -among the rubbish and brushwood that obstructed their passage. At last, -after passing across part of the courtyard and through several enormous -dark rooms, open to all the winds of heaven, they reached a small oblong -room with an arched ceiling, which might formerly have been used as a -pantry or as a store-room between the kitchen and the stables. This room -had been cleaned and whitewashed, and was used by the lord of -Châteaubrun as salon and dining-room. A small fireplace had recently -been built there, with mantel and uprights of polished, glistening wood; -the huge cast-iron plate, which had been taken from one of the great -fireplaces and which filled the whole back, together with the great -fire-dogs of polished iron, sent out the heat and light beautifully into -the bare white room, which, with the aid of a small tin lamp, was -perfectly lighted. A chestnut table, which could be made to hold as many -as six covers on great occasions, a few straw-seated chairs, and a -German cuckoo clock, purchased from a peddler for six francs, composed -the whole furniture of this modest salon. But everything was -scrupulously clean; the table and chairs, roughly carved by some local -cabinet-maker, shone in a way that bore witness to the assiduous use of -the brush and duster. The hearth was carefully swept, the floor sanded -in the English fashion, contrary to the customs of the province; and in -an earthenware pot on the mantel was a huge bunch of roses mingled with -wild-flowers plucked on the hillside roundabout. -</p> - -<p> -At first glance there was nothing <i>cherché</i>, in the poetic or -picturesque sense, in that modest interior; and yet, on examining it -more closely, one would see that, in that abode, as in all those of all -mankind, the natural taste and temperament of its presiding genius had -governed in the choice as in the arrangement of the furniture. The young -man, who then entered the room for the first time, and who was left -alone there for a moment while his hosts busied themselves in -preparations to make him as comfortable as possible, soon formed an idea -of the mental condition of the inhabitants of that retreat. It was -evident that they had refined habits and that they still felt a craving -for the comforts of life; that, being in a very precarious financial -condition, they had had the good sense to proscribe every species of -mere external vanity, and had chosen, for their place of assemblage, -among the few still intact apartments in that great building, the one -that could most easily be kept clean, heated, furnished and lighted; and -that, nevertheless, they had instinctively given the preference to a -well-proportioned, attractive room. This little nook was in fact the -first floor of a square pavilion added, toward the close of the -Renaissance, to the venerable buildings which looked upon the principal -courtyard. The artist who had planned this sharp-angled turret had done -his best to soften the transition from one to the other of two such -different styles. For the shape of the windows he had gone back to the -defensive system of loop-holes and small apertures through which to -watch the enemy; but it was easy to see that the small round windows had -never been intended to fire cannon through, and that they were simply -for purposes of ornament. Being tastefully framed with red brick and -white stone, in alternation, they formed an attractive setting for the -interior of the room, and divers recesses between the windows decorated -in the same way, avoided the necessity for papers, hangings, or even -articles of furniture, with which the wall might have been covered, -without adding to their simple and pleasant aspect. -</p> - -<p> -In one of these recesses, the base of which, about three feet from the -floor, was formed by a flagstone white as snow and glistening like -marble, stood a pretty little rustic spinning-wheel, with its distaff -filled with brown flax; and as he contemplated that slight and primitive -instrument of toil the traveller lost himself in reflections from which -he was roused by the rustling of a woman's dress behind him. He turned -hastily; but the sudden rapid beating of his youthful heart was checked -by a severe disappointment. It was an old servant, who had entered the -room noiselessly, thanks to the fine sand with which the floor was -covered, and was leaning over to throw an armful of wild grapevine roots -on the fire. -</p> - -<p> -"Come near the fire, monsieur," she said, lisping with a sort of -affectation, "and give me your cap and cloak, so that I can have them -dried in the kitchen. That's a fine cloak for the rain; I don't know -what they call this material, but I've seen it in Paris. It would be a -good thing to see such a cloak on Monsieur le Comte's shoulders! But it -must cost a lot, and besides, he hasn't said that he would wear it. He -thinks he's still twenty-five years old, and he declares that the water -from the sky never yet gave an honest man a cold; however, he began to -have a touch of sciatica last winter. But a man isn't afraid of those -things at your age. Never mind, warm your bones all the same; here, turn -your chair like this and you'll be more comfortable. You're from Paris, -I am sure; I can tell by your complexion, which is too fresh for our -country; a fine country, monsieur, but very hot in summer and very cold -in winter. You will say that it's as cold to-night as a night in -November; that's true enough, but what can you expect? it's on account -of the storm. But this little room is very comfortable, very easy to -heat; in a moment you'll see if I'm not right. We are lucky to have -plenty of dead wood. There are so many old trees about here, and we can -keep the oven going all winter just with the brambles that grow in the -courtyard. To be sure, we don't do much cooking. Monsieur le Comte is a -small eater and his daughter's like him; the little servant is the -heartiest eater in the house; why, he has to have three pounds of bread -a day; but I bake for him separate, and I don't spare the rye. That's -good enough for him, and with a little bran it goes farther and isn't -bad for the health. Ha! ha! that makes you laugh, does it? and me too. -You see, I have always liked to laugh and talk; the work goes off just -as fast, for I like to be quick in everything. Monsieur Antoine is like -me; when he has once spoken, off you must go like the wind. So we have -always agreed on that point. You'll excuse us, monsieur, if we keep you -waiting a little while. Monsieur has gone down the cellar with the man -who brought you here, and the stairs are so broken down that they can't -go very fast; but it's a fine cellar, monsieur; the walls are more than -ten feet thick, and it's so far underground that when you're down there -you feel as if you were buried alive. Really! it's a funny feeling. They -say that there was a time when they used to put prisoners of war there; -now, we don't put anybody there and our wine keeps very well. What -delays us is that our child has already gone to bed; she had a sick -headache to-day because she went out in the sun without a hat. She says -that she means to get used to it, and that she can get along without hat -or umbrella just as well as I can; but she's mistaken; she's been -brought up like a young lady, as she should have been, poor child! for -when I say <i>our</i> child, I don't mean that I am Mademoiselle Gilberte's -mother; she's no more like me than a goldfinch is like a sparrow; but as -I brought her up, I have always kept the habit of calling her my girl: -she would never let me stop calling her <i>thou</i>. She's such a sweet -child! I am sorry she's in bed, but you will see her to-morrow; for you -won't go away without breakfast, you won't be let go, and she'll help me -to serve you a little better than I can do alone. It's not courage that -I lack, however, monsieur, for I have a good pair of legs; I have always -been thin, as you see me, with my short body, and you would never think -me as old as I am. Come! how old would you call me?" -</p> - -<p> -The young man thought that, thanks to this question, he would be able to -put in a word at last, to thank her and to guide her, for he was very -desirous of fuller details concerning Mademoiselle Gilberte; but the -good woman did not await his reply, but continued volubly: -</p> - -<p> -"I am sixty-four years old, monsieur, that is to say, I shall be on -Saint-Jean's day, and I do more work alone than three young hussies -could ever do. My blood runs quick, you see, monsieur. I am not from -Berry, I was born in Marche, more than half a league from here; so you -can understand it. Ah! you are looking at our child's work? Do you know -that is spun as even and fine as the best spinner in the province can do -it? She wanted me to teach her to spin. 'Look you, mother,' she said, -for she always calls me that; she never knew her own mother and always -loved me as if I was, although we were about as much alike as a rose and -a nettle; 'look you, mother,' she said, 'all that embroidery and drawing -and nonsense they taught me at the convent will never do me any good -here. Teach me to spin and knit and sew, so that I can help you make -father's clothes.'" -</p> - -<p> -Just as the good woman's indefatigable monologue was beginning to be -interesting to her weary auditor, she left the room, as she had already -done several times; for she did not remain quiet a moment, and, while -talking, had covered the table with a coarse white cloth, laid plates, -glasses and knives; had swept the hearth, wiped the chairs and rekindled -the fire ten times, always resuming her soliloquy at the point where she -had let it drop. But this time her voice, which began to lisp in the -passageway outside the door, was drowned by other stronger voices, and -the Comte de Châteaubrun and the peasant who had guided our traveller -at last appeared before him, each carrying two large earthenware jugs -which they placed on the table. Not until then had the young man had an -opportunity to see their faces distinctly. -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Châteaubrun was a man of some fifty years, of medium -height, with a noble and commanding figure, broad-shouldered, with a -neck like a bull, the limbs of an athlete, a skin quite as tanned as his -companion's, and large hands, calloused and roughened by hunting and by -the sunlight and the cold air; a genuine poacher's hands, if such things -can be, for the worthy nobleman had too little land not to hunt on that -of other people. -</p> - -<p> -He had a frank, ruddy, smiling face, a firm walk and the voice of a -stentor. His hunting costume, neat and clean although patched at the -elbow, his coarse shirt, his leather gaiters, his grizzly beard which -was patiently waiting for Sunday,—everything about him indicated that -his life was rough and wild, whereas his pleasant face, his hearty, -affectionate manners and an ease of bearing, not unmixed with dignity, -recalled the courteous gentleman and the man who was accustomed to -protect and assist, rather than to be protected and assisted. -</p> - -<p> -His companion the peasant was not nearly as presentable. The storm and -the muddy roads had wrought havoc with his jacket and his shoes. While -the nobleman's beard may have been six or seven days old, the villager's -was fully fourteen or fifteen. He was thin, bony and wiry, several -inches taller than the other, and although his face also expressed -good-nature and cordiality, it had, if we may so describe it, flashes of -malevolence, of melancholy and haughty aloofness. It was evident that he -had more intelligence or was more unfortunate than the lord of -Châteaubrun. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, monsieur," said the nobleman, "are you a little dryer than you -were? You are welcome here and my supper is at your service." -</p> - -<p> -"I am grateful for your generous welcome," replied the traveller, "but I -am afraid you will deem me lacking in courtesy if I do not tell you -first of all who I am." -</p> - -<p> -"No matter, no matter," rejoined the count, whom hereafter we shall call -Monsieur Antoine, as he was generally called in the neighborhood; "you -can tell me that later, if you choose; so far as I am concerned, I have -no questions to ask you, and I consider that I can satisfy the demands -of hospitality without making you give your names and titles. You are -travelling, you are a stranger in the province, caught by an infernal -night at the very gate of my house; those are your titles and your -claims. In addition you have an attractive face and a manner that -pleases me; I believe therefore that I shall be rewarded for my -confidences by the pleasure of having accommodated a good fellow. Come, -sit you down, and eat and drink." -</p> - -<p> -"You are too kind and I am touched by your frank and amiable manner of -welcoming strangers. But I do not need any refreshment, monsieur, and it -is quite enough that you should allow me to wait here until the end of -the storm. I had supper at Eguzon hardly an hour ago. So do not serve -anything for me, I beg you." -</p> - -<p> -"You have supped already? why, that's no reason! Is your stomach one of -those that can digest only one meal at a time? At your age I would have -supped every hour in the night if I had had the chance. A ride in the -saddle and the mountain air are quite enough to renew the appetite. To -be sure, one's stomach is less obliging at fifty; so that I consider -myself well-treated if I have half a glass of good wine with a crust of -stale bread. But do not stand on ceremony here. You have come in the -nick of time, for I was just about to sit down, and as my poor little -one has a sick-headache to-day, Janille and I were very depressed at the -idea of eating alone: so your arrival is a comfort to us, and this good -fellow's too, my old playmate, whom I am always glad to see. Come, sit -you down here beside me," he said to the peasant, "and you, Mère -Janille, opposite me. Do the honors; for you know I have a heavy hand, -and when I undertake to carve, I cut the joint and platter and cloth, -and sometimes the table, and you don't like that." -</p> - -<p> -The supper which Dame Janille had spread on the table with an air of -condescension consisted of a goat's-milk cheese, a sheep's-milk cheese, -a plate of nuts, a plateful of prunes, a large round loaf of rye bread, -and four jugs of wine brought by the master in person. The -table-companions set about discussing this frugal meal with evident -satisfaction, with the exception of the traveller, who had no appetite, -and who was well content to observe the good grace with which the worthy -host invited him, without embarrassment or false shame, to partake of -his splendid banquet. There was in that cordial and ingenuous ease -something at once fatherly and childlike which won the young man's -heart. -</p> - -<p> -True to the law of generosity which he had imposed upon himself, -Monsieur Antoine asked his guest no questions and even avoided remarks -which might suggest curiosity in disguise. The peasant seemed a little -more uneasy and was more reserved. But soon, being insensibly drawn into -the general conversation which Monsieur Antoine and Dame Janille had -begun, he laid aside his reserve and allowed his glass to be filled so -often that the traveller began to stare in amazement at a man capable of -drinking so much, not only without losing his wits but without departing -from his usual self-possession and gravity. -</p> - -<p> -But with the master of the house it was very different. He had not drunk -half of the contents of the jug beside him when his eye began to kindle, -his nose to turn red and his hand to tremble. However he did not lose -his wits, even after all the jugs had been emptied by himself and his -friend the peasant—for Janille, whether from economy or from natural -sobriety, merely poured a few drops of wine into her water, and the -traveller, having made a heroic effort to swallow the first bumper, -abstained from further indulgence in that sour, cloudy and execrable -beverage. -</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>EMILE ENTERTAINED BY MONSIEUR -ANTOINE.</i> -</p> -<p> -<i>But this time, her voice, which began to lisp in the passage-way -outside the door, was drowned by other stronger voices, and the Comte de -Châteaubrun and the peasant who had guided our traveller at last -appeared before him, each carrying two large earthenware jugs which they -placed on the table.</i></p></div> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -The two countrymen, however, seemed to enjoy it hugely. After a quarter -of an hour, Janille, who could not live without moving about, left the -table, took up her knitting and began to work in the chimney corner, -constantly scratching her head with her needle, but never disturbing the -thin bands of hair, still black as a crow's wing, which protruded from -under her cap. That spruce little old woman might once have been pretty; -her delicate profile did not lack distinction, and if she had been less -affected, less intent upon appearing fashionable and knowing, our -traveller would have been attracted to her as well. -</p> - -<p> -The other persons, who, in the absence of the <i>young lady</i>, formed -Monsieur Antoine's household, were a young peasant, of some fifteen -years, wide-awake and light-footed, who performed the functions of -factotum, and an old hunting-dog, with a lifeless eye, thin flanks and a -melancholy, dreamy air; he lay beside his master and dropped asleep -philosophically between every two mouthfuls that he gave him, calling -him monsieur with a gravely jocose air. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap03"></a></h4> - -<h4>III -<br /><br /> -MONSIEUR CARDONNET</h4> - -<p> -They had been at table more than an hour, and Monsieur Antoine seemed in -nowise weary of sitting there. He and his friend the peasant lingered -over their little cheeses and their great tankards with the majestic -indifference which is almost an art in the native Berrichon. Putting -their knives alternately to that appetizing morsel, the odor of which -was devoid of any agreeable quality, they cut it into small pieces, -which they placed carefully on their earthenware plates and ate crumb by -crumb on their rye bread. Between every two mouthfuls they took a -swallow of the native wine, after touching their glasses and exchanging -such compliments as: "Here's to you, comrade!" "Here's to you, Monsieur -Antoine!" or: "Here's your good health, old fellow!" "The same to you, -master!" -</p> - -<p> -At that rate, the feast might well last all night, and the traveller, -who had exhausted himself in efforts to appear to eat and drink, -although he avoided doing it as far as possible, was beginning to find -it difficult to contend against his drowsiness, when the conversation, -which had thus far been concerned with the weather, the hay crop, the -price of cattle and the new growth of the vines, gradually took a turn -which interested him deeply. -</p> - -<p> -"If this weather continues," said the peasant, listening to the rain -which was falling in torrents, "the streams will fill up this month as -they did in March. The Gargilesse is not in good humor and Monsieur -Cardonnet may suffer some damage." -</p> - -<p> -"So much the worse," rejoined Monsieur Antoine; "it would be a pity, for -he has made some extensive and valuable improvements on that little -stream." -</p> - -<p> -"True, but the little stream snaps its fingers at them," replied the -peasant, "and for my part I don't think it would be such a great pity." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes it would, yes it would! that man has already spent more than two -hundred thousand francs at Gargilesse, and it needs only a fit of temper -on the part of the river, as we say, to ruin it all." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, would that be such a great misfortune, Monsieur Antoine?" -</p> - -<p> -"I don't say that it would be an irreparable misfortune for a man who is -said to be worth a million," rejoined the châtelain, who in his -sincerity persisted in misunderstanding his guest's hostile feeling -toward Monsieur Cardonnet; "but it would be a pity none the less." -</p> - -<p> -"And that is just why I should laugh in my sleeve if a little hard luck -should make that hole in his purse." -</p> - -<p> -"That's a wicked feeling to have, old fellow! Why should you have a -grudge against this stranger? He has never benefited or injured you or -me." -</p> - -<p> -"He has injured you, Monsieur Antoine, and me and the whole province. -Yes, I tell you that he has done it on purpose and that he will keep on -doing it to everybody. Let the buzzard's beak grow and you'll see how -he'll come down on your poultry-yard." -</p> - -<p> -"Still your wrong-headed ideas, old fellow! for you have wrong-headed -ideas, as I've told you a hundred times. You are down on the man because -he's rich. Is that his fault?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, it is his fault. A man who started perhaps as low as I -did, and who has gone ahead so fast, isn't an honest man." -</p> - -<p> -"Nonsense! What are you talking about? Do you imagine that a man can't -make a fortune without stealing?" -</p> - -<p> -"I don't know anything about it, but I believe it. I know that you were -born rich and that you are not rich now. I know that I was born poor and -always shall be poor; and it's my opinion that if you'd gone off to some -other country without paying your father's debts, and if I had made it -my business to cheat and shave and scrape, we might both be riding in -our carriages to-day. I beg your pardon, if I offend you!" added the -peasant in a proud, uncompromising tone, addressing the young man, who -gave very decided indications of painful excitement. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur," said the châtelain, "it may be that you know Monsieur -Cardonnet, that you are in his employ or are under some obligation to -him. I beg you to pay no heed to what this worthy villager may say. He -has exaggerated ideas on many subjects which he doesn't fully -understand. You may be sure that he is neither malignant nor jealous at -bottom, nor capable of inflicting the slightest injury on Monsieur -Cardonnet." -</p> - -<p> -"I attach little importance to his words," replied the young stranger. -"I am simply astonished, monsieur le comte, that a man whom you honor -with your esteem should take pleasure in blackening another man's -reputation without having the slightest fact to allege against him and -without knowing anything of his antecedents. I have already asked your -guest for some information concerning this Monsieur Cardonnet, whom he -seems to hate personally, and he refused to give me any explanation of -his sentiments. I leave it to you: is it possible for one to base a just -opinion on gratuitous imputations, and if you or I should form an -opinion unfavorable to Monsieur Cardonnet, would not your guest have -been guilty of an unworthy act?" -</p> - -<p> -"You speak according to my heart and my mind, young man," replied -Monsieur Antoine. "You," he added, turning to his rustic guest and -striking the table angrily with his fist, while he looked at him with an -expression in which affection and kindliness triumphed over displeasure, -"you are wrong, and you will be good enough to tell us at once what -grievance you have against the said Cardonnet, so that we can judge -whether it has any force. If not, we shall consider that you have a -soured mind and an evil tongue." -</p> - -<p> -"I have nothing to say more than everybody knows," replied the peasant -calmly, and with no sign of being intimidated by the sermon. "We see -things and judge them as we see them; but as this young man doesn't know -Monsieur Cardonnet," he added, with a penetrating glance at the -traveller, "and since he is so anxious to know what sort of man he is, -do you tell him yourself, Monsieur Antoine; and when you have given the -main facts I will fill in the details. I will tell monsieur the cause -and the effect, and he can judge for himself unless he has some better -reason than mine for not saying what he thinks." -</p> - -<p> -"All right, I agree," said Monsieur Antoine, who paid less attention -than his companion to the young man's increasing agitation. "I will tell -things as they are, and, if I go astray, I authorize Mère Janille, who -has the memory and accuracy of an almanac, to interrupt and contradict -me. As for you, you little rascal," he said, turning to the page in -short jacket and wooden shoes, "try not to stare into the whites of my -eyes so when I speak to you. Your fixed stare gives me the vertigo, and -your wide-open mouth looks like a well that I may fall into. Well, what -is it? what are you laughing at? Understand that a ne'er-do-well of your -age should never presume to laugh in his master's presence. Stand behind -me and behave as respectfully as <i>Monsieur</i>." -</p> - -<p> -As he spoke, he pointed to his dog, and his manner was so serious and -his voice so loud as he made the jest, that the traveller wondered if he -were not subject to spasms of seignorial domination altogether out of -keeping with his usual good-nature. But a glance at the boy's face was -enough to convince him that it was simply a game to which he was -well-used, for he cheerfully took his place beside the dog and began to -play with him, without a trace of sulkiness or shame. -</p> - -<p> -However, as Monsieur Antoine's manners were marked by an originality -which could hardly be understood at the first meeting, the young man -believed that he was beginning to grow light-headed by dint of much -drinking, and he determined not to attach the least importance to what -he was about to say. But it very rarely happened that the count lost his -head, even after he had lost his legs, and he had resorted to his -favorite pastime of bantering his neighbors only to divert the painful -impression to which this discussion had given rise as between his -guests. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur," he began. -</p> - -<p> -But he was at once interrupted by his dog, who, being also accustomed to -his habit of jesting, concluded that he was the person addressed and -walked up to his master and touched his arm, capering as friskily as his -age would permit. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, <i>Monsieur</i>," he continued, looking down at him with a playful -stare, "what does this mean? Since when have you been as ill-bred as a -human being? Go to sleep at once, and don't you ever make me spill wine -on the tablecloth again, or you'll have Dame Janille about your ears. It -was on a fine spring day last year, young man——" continued -Monsieur Antoine. -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me, monsieur," interposed Janille, "it was only the 19th of -March, so it was still winter." -</p> - -<p> -"Is it worth while haggling over a difference of two days? What is -certain is that it was magnificent weather, as warm as it is in June, -and quite dry too." -</p> - -<p> -"That's true enough," exclaimed the little groom, "for I couldn't water -monsieur's horse at the little fountain." -</p> - -<p> -"That has nothing to do with it," said Monsieur Antoine, tapping the -floor with his foot; "hold your tongue, boy. You may speak when you're -spoken to; just open your ears in order to improve your mind and your -heart, if there's room for improvement. I was saying, then, that I was -returning from a country fair one beautiful day, and walking quietly -along on foot, when I met a tall man, very handsome although he was -little if any younger than I, and his black eyes and pale, almost yellow -complexion gave him a somewhat harsh and forbidding look. He was in a -cabriolet, driving down a steep hill, strewn with loose stones as our -fathers used to build roads, and was urging his horse forward, -apparently unconscious of the danger. I could not help warning him. -'Monsieur,' said I, 'no four-wheeled, three-wheeled or two-wheeled -carriage has ever gone down this hill, in the memory of man. In my -opinion it is likely to result in breaking your neck, even if it is not -impossible, and if you prefer a road that is a little longer but much -safer, I'll show you the way.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Much obliged,' he replied with just a suspicion of surliness, 'this -road seems to me practicable enough and I promise you that my horse will -come out all right.' -</p> - -<p> -"'That's your business,' said I, 'and what I said was said from purely -human motives.' -</p> - -<p> -"'I thank you, monsieur, and as you are so courteous, I shall be glad to -reciprocate. You are on foot, going in the same direction that I am; if -you will get in with me, you will reach the valley sooner and I shall -have the pleasure of your company.'" -</p> - -<p> -"All that is true," said Janille; "you told it just like that the same -evening except that you said that the gentleman had on a long blue -overcoat." -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me, Ma'mselle Janille," said the child, "monsieur said black." -</p> - -<p> -"Blue, I tell you, master upstart!" -</p> - -<p> -"No, Mère Janille, black." -</p> - -<p> -"Blue, I am sure of it!" -</p> - -<p> -"I could swear it was black." -</p> - -<p> -"Come, come, stop your quarrelling, it was green!" cried Monsieur -Antoine. "Don't interrupt again, Mère Janille; and you, you naughty -varlet, go to the kitchen and see if I am there, or put your tongue in -your pocket; take your choice." -</p> - -<p> -"I would rather listen, monsieur; I won't speak again." -</p> - -<p> -"Now then," continued the châtelain, "I hesitated a moment between the -fear of breaking my bones if I accepted and of being considered a coward -if I refused. 'After all,' I said to myself, 'this fellow doesn't look -like a lunatic, and seems to have no reason for risking his life. I have -no doubt he has a wonderful horse and an excellent wagon.' I took my -place beside him, and we began to descend the precipice at a fast trot, -without a single false step on the part of the horse, or a moment's loss -of resolution and self-possession on the part of the master. He talked -to me about this thing and that and asked me many questions about the -province; and I confess that I answered a little crookedly, for I was -not altogether easy in my mind. 'So far so good,' I said to him when we -reached the bank of the Gargilesse without accident; 'we have come -safely down the break-neck, but we can't cross the water here; it's as -low as possible, but even so, it is not fordable at this point; we must -go up a little way to the left.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Do you call this water?' said he, shrugging his shoulders; 'for my -part I see nothing but stones and rushes. Nonsense! the idea of turning -aside for a dry stream!' -</p> - -<p> -"'As you choose,' I rejoined, a little mortified. His scornful audacity -stung me; I knew that he was going straight into a veritable gulf, and -yet, as I am not naturally a coward, and as I did not like the idea of -being called one, I declined his offer to allow me to get down. I would -have liked him to be punished by having reason to be well frightened, -even at the expense of having a dip in the river myself, although I -don't like water. -</p> - -<p> -"But I had neither the satisfaction nor the mortification: the cabriolet -did not founder. In the centre of the stream, which has dug out a -channel with beveled edges, so to speak, in that spot, the horse was in -up to his nostrils; the carriage was lifted up by the current. The -gentleman in the green overcoat—for it was green, -Janille—lashed the horse; she lost her footing, floundered, swam, -and by a miracle landed us on the bank, with no other injury than a -rather cool foot-bath. I did not lose my wits, I can swim as well as any -man, but my companion admitted that he knew no more about it than a -stick of wood; and yet he had neither faltered, nor swore, nor changed -color. He's a plucky fellow, I thought, and his self-possession did not -displease me, although there was something scornful in his perfect -tranquillity as there is in the devil's laugh. -</p> - -<p> -"'If you are going to Gargilesse, we can go on together, for I am going -there too,' I said. -</p> - -<p> -"'Very good,' he replied. 'Where is Gargilesse?' -</p> - -<p> -"'Oh! then you are not going there?' -</p> - -<p> -"'I am not going anywhere to-day,' said he, 'and I am ready to go -anywhere.' -</p> - -<p> -"I am not superstitious, monsieur, and yet my old nurse's stories came -into my mind, I don't know why, and I had a moment of idiotic distrust, -as if I were sitting beside Satan in a cabriolet. I glanced furtively at -this individual who travelled thus across mountains and rivers, with no -end in view, apparently just for the pleasure of exposing himself or me -with him to danger; and I, like a booby, had let him persuade me to get -into his infernal gig! -</p> - -<p> -"Seeing that I did not speak, he thought it advisable to reassure me. -</p> - -<p> -"'My way of travelling about the country surprises you, I see,' he said; -'the fact is that I propose to set up a manufacturing establishment in -whatever place seems to me the most suitable. I have some money to -invest—whether for myself or for other people is of little -consequence to you, I suppose; but you can help me, with a few hints, to -attain my object.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Very good,' I said, my confidence being fully restored when I found -that he talked sensibly; 'but, before advising you, I must know what -sort of an establishment you propose to set up.' -</p> - -<p> -"'If you will answer all the questions I ask you, that will be enough,' -he said, evading my question. 'For example, what is the maximum force of -this little stream we have just crossed, between this spot and the point -where it empties into the Creuse?' -</p> - -<p> -"'It is very irregular; you have just seen it at its minimum; but -freshets are frequent and tremendous; and if you choose to inspect the -principal mill, formerly the property of the religious community of -Gargilesse, you will be convinced of the havoc wrought by the torrent, -of the constant damage suffered by that poor old building, and of the -utter folly of laying out much money on it.' -</p> - -<p> -"'But by laying out money, monsieur, the unruly forces of nature can be -confined! Where the poor, rustic mill goes under, the powerful, solidly -built factory will triumph!' -</p> - -<p> -"'True,' I replied, 'in every river the big fish eat the little ones.' -</p> - -<p> -"He did not take up that suggestion but continued to question me as we -drove along. I, being obliging as a matter of duty, and something of an -idler by nature, took him everywhere. We went into several mills, he -talked with the millers, examined everything with great care, and -returned to Gargilesse, where he talked with the mayor and the principal -men of the town, requesting me to introduce him to them at once. He -accepted the curé's invitation to dinner, allowed himself to be made -much of without ceremony, and hinted that he was in a position to render -greater services than he received. He talked little, but listened -eagerly and asked questions about all manner of things, including some -that seemed to have little connection with business: for instance, -whether the people in this neighborhood were sincerely pious or only -superstitious; whether the bourgeois were fond of luxuries or sacrificed -them to economy; whether the prevailing opinion was liberal or -democratic; of what sort of men the general council of the department -was made up—and Heaven knows what else! At night he hired a guide and -went to Le Pin to sleep, and I did not see him again for three days. -Then he drove by Châteaubrun and stopped at my door, to thank me, he -said, for the courtesy I had shown him; but in reality I think to ask me -some more questions. 'I shall return in a month,' he said, as he took -leave of me, 'and I think that I shall decide on Gargilesse. It is -central, and I like the place, and I have an idea that your little -stream, to which you give such a bad name, will not be very difficult to -subdue. It will cost me less to control it than the Creuse; and, -moreover, the little risk that we ran in crossing it and that we -overcame, makes me think that it is my destiny to conquer in this spot.' -</p> - -<p> -"And with that he left me. That man was Monsieur Cardonnet. -</p> - -<p> -"Less than three weeks after, he returned with an English mill engineer -and several mechanics of the same nation; and since then he has kept -earth and stone and iron constantly in commotion at Gargilesse. Being -entirely absorbed by his work, he rises before daybreak and is the last -to go to bed. No matter what the weather may be, he is in the mud up to -his knees; not a movement on the part of his workmen escapes him; he -knows the why and how of everything, and is pushing forward the -construction of an enormous mill, a dwelling-house, with garden and -buildings, sheds, dams, roads and bridges—in a word, a magnificent -establishment. During his absence, his agents had managed the purchase -of the property without allowing his name to appear. He paid a high -price, but people thought at first that he didn't understand business -and that he had come here to <i>take it easy</i>. They laughed at him still -more when he increased the wages of his workmen, and when, to induce the -municipal council to allow him to divert the course of the stream as he -chose, he agreed to build a road, which cost him an enormous sum. They -said: 'He's a fool; the extravagance of his plans will ruin him.' But -after all is said, I believe he's as shrewd as most men, and I will -wager that he will prove to be successful in his choice of a location -and in the investment of his money. The stream troubled him a good deal -last autumn, but luckily it has been very quiet this spring, and he will -have time to finish his buildings before the rains come again, if we -have no unusual storms during the summer. He does things on a large -scale, and puts in more money than is necessary, that's the truth; but -if he has a passion for finishing quickly what he has begun, and has the -means and the inclination to pay a high price for the sweat of the poor -laboring man's brow, where is the harm? It seems to me that it's an -extremely good thing, on the contrary, and that, instead of calling the -man a hare-brained fool, as some do, or a crafty speculator, as others -do, we ought to thank him for bestowing on our province the advantage of -industrial activity, I have said! Now let the other side take its turn." -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap04"></a></h4> - -<h4>IV -<br /><br /> -THE VISION</h4> - -<p> -Before the peasant, who had continued to nibble at his bread with a -thoughtful expression, was prepared to begin, the young man thanked -Monsieur Antoine warmly for his narrative and for his generous -interpretation of Monsieur Cardonnet's course. Without admitting that he -was in any way connected with that gentleman, he seemed to be deeply -touched by the judgment of his character which the Comte de Châteaubrun -expressed, and he added: -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, I believe that by seeking the best side of things one -goes astray less often than by doing the opposite. A determined -speculator would be parsimonious in the details of his undertaking, and -then one would be justified in suspecting his rectitude. But when we see -an intelligent and active man pay handsomely for labor——" -</p> - -<p> -"One moment, if you please," interposed the peasant. "You are upright -men and noble hearts; I am glad to believe it of this young gentleman, -as I am sure of it in your case, Monsieur Antoine. But, meaning no -offence, I will venture to tell you that you see no farther than the end -of your nose. Look you. I will suppose that I have a large sum of money -to invest, and that my purpose is not to obtain simply a fair and -legitimate return from it, as it is right for everybody to do, but to -double or treble my capital in a few years. I am not foolish enough to -announce my purpose to the people I am forced to ruin. I begin by -wheedling them, by making a show of generosity, and, to remove all -distrust, by making myself appear, if need be, a brainless prodigal. -That done, I have my dupes where I want them. I have sacrificed a -hundred thousand francs, I will say, on those little wiles. A hundred -thousand francs is a deal of money for the province! but, so far as I am -concerned, if I have several millions, it's simply the bonus that I pay. -Everybody likes me; although some laugh at my simplicity, the greater -number pity me and esteem me. No one takes any precautions. Time flies -fast and my brain still faster; I have cast the net and all the fish are -nibbling. First the little ones—the small fry that you swallow -without anyone noticing it; then the big ones, until they have all -disappeared." -</p> - -<p> -"What do you mean by all your metaphors?" said Monsieur Antoine, -shrugging his shoulders. "If you go on talking figuratively, I am going -to sleep. Come, hurry, it's getting late." -</p> - -<p> -"What I mean is plain enough," continued the peasant. "When I have once -ruined all the small concerns that competed with me I become a more -powerful lord than your ancestors were before the Revolution, Monsieur -Antoine! I govern over the head of the laws, and while I have a poor -devil locked up for the slightest peccadillo, I take the liberty to do -whatever pleases me or suits my convenience. I take everybody's -property—with their daughters and wives thrown in, if they take my -fancy—I control the business and supplies of a whole department. By -my skill I have forced down the price of crops; but, when everything is in -my hands, I raise prices to suit myself, and, as soon as I can safely do -it, I obtain a monopoly and starve the people. And then it's a small -matter to kill off competition; I soon get control of the money, which -is the key to everything. I do a banking business on the sly, wholesale -and retail. I oblige so many people, that I am everybody's creditor and -everybody belongs to me. People find out that they no longer like me; -but they see that I am to be feared, and the most powerful handle me -carefully, while the small fry tremble and sigh all about me. However, -as I have some intelligence and cunning, I play the great man from time -to time. I rescue a few families, I contribute to some charitable -organization. It is a method of greasing the wheel of my fortune, which -rolls on the more rapidly for it; for people begin again to have a -little esteem for me. I am no longer considered kind-hearted and -foolish, but just and great. From the prefect of the department to the -village curé and from the curé to the beggar, everyone is in the -hollow of my hand; but the whole province suffers and no one detects the -cause. No other fortune than mine will increase, and every modest -competence will shrink, because I shall have dried up all the springs of -wealth, raised the price of the necessaries of life and lowered that of -the superfluities—just the reverse of what should be. The dealer will -find himself in trouble and the consumer too. But I shall prosper -because I shall be, by virtue of my wealth, the only resource of dealer -and consumer alike. And at last people will say, 'What in heaven's name -is happening? the small tradesmen are stripped and the small buyers are -stripped. We have more pretty houses and more fine clothes staring us in -the face than we used to have, and all those things cost less, so they -say; but we haven't a sou in our pockets. We have all been frantic to -make a show and now we are consumed by debts. But Monsieur Cardonnet -isn't responsible for it all, for he does good and, if it weren't for -him, we should all be ruined. Let us make haste and do something for -Monsieur Cardonnet; let him be mayor, prefect, deputy, minister, king, -if possible, and the province is saved!' -</p> - -<p> -"That, messieurs, is the way I would make other people carry me on their -backs if I were Monsieur Cardonnet, and it is what I am very sure -Monsieur Cardonnet intends to do. Now, tell me that I am wrong to look -askance at him; that I am a prophet of evil, and that nothing of what I -predict will happen. God grant that you may be right! but for my part I -can feel the hail coming in the distance, and there is only one hope -that sustains me; it is that the stream will be less foolish than men; -that it will not allow itself to be bridled by the fine machines they -put between its teeth, and that some fine morning it will give Monsieur -Cardonnet's mills a body blow that will sicken him of playing with it, -and will induce him to take his capital and its consequences and carry -it somewhere else. Now, I have said my say. If I have formed a hasty -judgment, may God who has heard me forgive me!" -</p> - -<p> -The peasant had spoken with great animation. The fire of keen insight -darted from his blue eyes, and a smile of sorrowful indignation played -about his mobile lips. The traveller examined that strongly-marked face, -shaded by a heavy grizzly beard, wrinkled by fatigue, by exposure to the -air, perhaps by disappointment as well; and, despite the pain that his -language caused, he could not help thinking him handsome, and admiring, -in the facility with which he bluntly expressed his thoughts, a sort of -natural eloquence instinct with sincerity and love of justice; for, -although his words, of which we have failed to express all the rustic -homeliness, were simple and sometimes vulgar, his gestures were emphatic -and the tone of his voice commanded attention. A feeling of profound -depression had taken possession of his hearers, while he drew without -any artifice, and unsparingly, the portrait of the pitiless and -persevering rich man. The wine had had no effect upon him, and every -time that he raised his eyes to the young man's face, he seemed to look -into his very soul and sternly question him. Monsieur Antoine, although -slightly affected by the weight of the wine he was carrying, had lost -nothing of his harangue, and submitting as usual to the ascendancy of -that mind, of stouter temper than his own, he heaved a deep sigh from -time to time. -</p> - -<p> -When the peasant had finished, "May God forgive you, indeed, my friend, -if your judgment is at fault," he said, raising his glass as an offering -to the Deity: "and if you are right, may Providence avert such a scourge -from the heads of the poor and weak!" -</p> - -<p> -"Listen to me, Monsieur de Châteaubrun, and you too, my friend," cried -the young man, taking a hand of each of his companions in his own, "God, -who hears all the words of man, and who reads their real sentiments in -the depths of their hearts, knows that these evils are not to be -dreaded, and that your apprehensions are only chimeras. I know the man -of whom you speak; I know him well; and, although his face is cold, his -character obstinate, his intellect active and strong, I will answer to -you for the loyalty of his purposes and the noble use he will make of -his fortune. There is something alarming, I agree, in the firmness of -his will, and I am not surprised that his inflexible manner has caused -a sort of vertigo here, as if a supernatural being had appeared in the -midst of your peaceful fields. But that strength of purpose is based -upon moral and religious principles, which make him, if not the mildest -and most affable of men, the most rigidly just and the most royally -generous." -</p> - -<p> -"So much the better, deuce take it!" rejoined the châtelain, clinking -his glass against the peasant's. "I drink to your health, and I am happy -to have reason to esteem a man when I am on the point of cursing him. -Come, don't be obstinate, old fellow, but believe this young man, who -talks like a book and knows more about the subject than you and I do. -Why, he says that he knows Cardonnet! that he knows him well! what more -do you want? He will answer for him. So we need not worry any more. And -now, friends, let us go to bed," continued the châtelain, delighted to -accept the guaranty of a man of whom he knew nothing at all, not even -his name, for a man of whom he knew little; "the clock is striking -eleven, and that's an undue hour." -</p> - -<p> -"I am going to take my leave of you," said the traveller, "and continue -my journey, asking your permission to come soon to thank you for your -kindness." -</p> - -<p> -"You shall not go away to-night," cried Monsieur Antoine; "it is -impossible, it rains bucketfuls, the roads are drowned, and you couldn't -see your own feet. If you persist in going, I never want to see you -again." -</p> - -<p> -He was so urgent and the storm was in fact so fierce that the young man -was fain to accept the proffered hospitality. -</p> - -<p> -Sylvain Charasson—that was the name of the page—brought a -lantern, and Monsieur Antoine, taking the traveller's arm, guided him -among the ruins of the manor-house in search of a bedroom. -</p> - -<p> -All the floors of the square pavilion were occupied by the Châteaubrun -family; but, in addition to that small wing which was intact and -recently restored, there was an enormous tower on the other side of the -courtyard, the oldest part, the highest, the thickest, the most -impervious of the whole pile, the rooms which it contained, one above -another, being arched with stone and even more solidly constructed than -the square pavilion. The band of speculators who had purchased the -château several years before for purposes of demolition, and had -carried away all the wood and iron to the last door-hinge, had found -nothing to demolish on the lower floors, and Monsieur Antoine had had -one floor cleaned and closed, for use on the rare occasions when he had -an opportunity to entertain a guest. It had been a great display of -magnificence on the poor fellow's part to replace the doors and windows -and put a bed and a few chairs in that apartment, which was not -necessary for the accommodation of his family. He had made the effort -cheerfully, saying to Janille: "It isn't everything to be comfortable -yourself; you must think about being able to give your neighbor -shelter." And yet, when the young man entered that dismal feudal donjon, -and found himself, as it were, confined in a jail, his heart sank, and -he would gladly have followed the peasant, who went, as his custom was, -to lie on the fresh straw with Sylvain Charasson. But Monsieur Antoine -was so pleased and so proud to be able to do the honors of a <i>guest -chamber</i>, despite his poverty, that his young guest felt bound to accept -for his lodgings one of the frowning prisons of the Middle Ages. -</p> - -<p> -However, there was a good fire in the huge fireplace, and the bed, which -consisted of a mattress of oat-chaff with a thick quilt spread upon it, -was not to be despised. Everything was cheap and clean. The young man -soon drove away the melancholy thoughts that assail every traveller -quartered in such a place, and, despite the rumbling of the thunder, the -cries of the night-birds and the roar of the wind and rain, which shook -his windows, while the rats made furious assaults upon his door, he was -soon sound asleep. -</p> - -<p> -His sleep, however, was disturbed by strange dreams, and he had a sort -of nightmare just before dawn, as if it were impossible to pass the -night in a place stained with the mysterious crimes of feudal days -without being made the victim of painful visions. He dreamed that -Monsieur Cardonnet entered the room, and as he struggled to get out of -bed and run to meet him, he made an imperative sign to him not to stir; -then, coming to him with an impassive air, he climbed on his chest, -paying no heed to his groans and giving no indication upon his stony -face that he was aware of the agony he caused him. -</p> - -<p> -Crushed beneath that terrible weight, the sleeper struggled in vain for -a space that seemed to him more than a century, and he had the -death-rattle in his throat when he succeeded in rousing himself. But, -although the day was beginning to break, and he could see everything in -the tower distinctly, he remained so completely under the influence of -his dream that he fancied that he still saw that inflexible face before -his eyes and felt the weight of a body as heavy as a mountain of brass -on his crushed and sunken chest. He arose and walked around the room -several times before returning to bed, for, although he was anxious to -make an early start, he was overcome by an unconquerable feeling of -prostration. But his eyes were no sooner closed than the spectre -recurred to his determination to stifle him, until, feeling that he was -at the point of death, the young man cried out in a broken voice: -"Father! father! what have I done to you, and why have you determined to -murder your own son?" -</p> - -<p> -The sound of his own voice woke him, and, finding that he was still -pursued by the apparition, he ran to the window and opened it. As soon -as the cool outer air entered that low room, in the atmosphere of which -there was something lethargic, the hallucination vanished, and he -dressed in haste, in order to leave the place where he had been the -plaything of such a cruel fancy. But, notwithstanding all his efforts to -think of something else, he could not shake off a feeling of painful -disquietude, and the <i>guest-chamber</i> of Châteaubrun seemed to him even -more dismal than on the night before. -</p> - -<p> -The dull, gray light enabled him at last to see the whole of the -château from his window. -</p> - -<p> -It was literally nothing but a heap of ruins, the still magnificent -ruins of a seignorial abode built at different periods. The courtyard, -overgrown with weeds, through which the infrequent going and coming of a -family reduced to the strict necessaries of life had worn only two or -three narrow paths, from the large tower to the small one, and from the -well to the main entrance, was surrounded opposite his window by -crumbling walls which could be recognized as the foundations and lower -courses of several buildings, among others a dainty chapel, of which the -pediment, with a pretty rose-window surrounded by festoons of ivy, was -still standing. At the end of the courtyard, in the centre of which was -a large well, rose the dismantled skeleton of what had once been the -principal abiding-place of the lords of Châteaubrun from the time of -François I. to the Revolution. This once sumptuous edifice was now -naught but a shapeless skeleton, open on all sides, a strange mass of -ruins to which the crumbling away of the interior partitions imparted an -appearance of enormous height. Neither the towers in which the graceful -spiral staircases were enclosed, nor the great frescoed rooms, nor the -beautiful mantels of carved stone had been respected by the hammer of -the demolisher, and some few vestiges of this splendor, which they had -been unable to reach, some fragments of richly decorated friezes, some -garlands of leaves carved by the skilful craftsmen of the Renaissance, -and an escutcheon bearing the arms of France crossed by the baton of -bastardy—all of fine white stone, which time had not yet been able to -darken—presented the melancholy spectacle of a work of art -remorselessly sacrificed to the brutal law of necessity. -</p> - -<p> -When young Cardonnet turned his eyes toward the small pavilion occupied -by the last scion of a once wealthy and illustrious family, he felt a -thrill of compassion as he reflected that there was in that pavilion a -young woman whose ancestresses had had pages, vassals, fine horses and -packs of hounds, whereas this inheritress of a ghastly ruin was destined -perhaps, like the Princess Nausicaa, to wash her own linen at the -fountain. -</p> - -<p> -As he made this reflection he saw a little round window on the upper -floor of the square pavilion open gently, and a woman's head, supported -by the loveliest neck imaginable, lean forward as if to speak to some -one in the courtyard. Emile Cardonnet, although he belonged to a -generation of myopes, had excellent sight, and the distance was not so -great that he could not distinguish the features belonging to that -graceful blond head, whose hair the wind tossed about in some confusion. -It seemed to him what in fact it was, an angel's head, arrayed in all -the bloom of youth, sweet and noble at the same time. The tone of the -voice was fascinating and the pronunciation was remarkably elegant. -</p> - -<p> -"So it rained all night, did it, Jean?" she said. "See how full of water -the courtyard is! All the fields I can see from my window are like -ponds." -</p> - -<p> -"It's a regular deluge, my dear child," the peasant, who seemed to be an -intimate friend of the family, replied from below, "a genuine -water-spout! I don't know whether the worst of the storm broke here or -somewhere else, but I never saw the fountain so full." -</p> - -<p> -"The roads must be all washed out, Jean, and you had better stay here. -Is father awake?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not yet, Gilberte, but Mère Janille is up and about." -</p> - -<p> -"Will you ask her to come up to my room, my old Jean? I have something -to ask her." -</p> - -<p> -"I will go at once." -</p> - -<p> -The girl closed the window without apparently noticing that the -traveller's window was open and that he was standing there looking at -her. -</p> - -<p> -A moment later he was in the courtyard, where the rain had transformed -the paths into little torrents, and he found Sylvain Charasson in the -stable, cleaning his horse and Monsieur Antoine's, and discussing the -effects of such a terrible night with the peasant whose Christian name -Emile Cardonnet had learned at last. The night before, this man had -caused him a sort of indefinable uneasiness, as if there were something -mysterious and fateful about him. He had noticed that Monsieur Antoine -had not once called him by name, and that, on several occasions when -Janille had been on the point of doing so, he had warned her with a -glance to be careful. They called him only <i>friend</i>, <i>comrade</i> -or <i>old fellow</i>, and it seemed that his name was a secret which -they did not choose to divulge. Who could this man be, who had the -outward aspect and the language of a peasant and who, nevertheless, -carried his gloomy anticipations so far, and his severe criticism to -such a point. -</p> - -<p> -Emile strove to enter into conversation with him, but to no purpose; he -was even more reserved than on the preceding day, and when he was -questioned concerning the damage done by the storm, he replied simply: -</p> - -<p> -"I advise you to lose no time in starting for Gargilesse if you want to -find any bridges across the stream, for in less than two hours there'll -be a most infernal <i>dribe</i> there." -</p> - -<p> -"What do you mean by that? I don't understand that word." -</p> - -<p> -"You don't know what a <i>dribe</i> is? Well, you will see one to-day and -you'll never forget it. Good-day, monsieur; be off at once for your -friend Cardonnet will be in trouble before long." -</p> - -<p> -And he turned away without another word. -</p> - -<p> -Impelled by a vague feeling of alarm, Emile hastily saddled his horse -himself, and said to Charasson, tossing him a piece of money: -</p> - -<p> -"Tell your master, my boy, that I have gone without taking leave of him, -but that I shall come again soon to thank him for his kindness to me." -</p> - -<p> -He was riding through the gateway when Janille came running up to detain -him. She insisted on waking Monsieur Antoine; mademoiselle was dressing; -breakfast would be ready in a moment; the roads were too wet; it was -going to rain again. The young man, with many thanks, succeeded in -escaping from her hospitable attentions, and made her also a present, -which she seemed very glad to accept. But he had not reached the foot of -the hill when he heard a horse trotting behind him, his great, heavy -feet just razing the ground. It was Sylvain Charasson, mounted on -Monsieur Antoine's mare, with no other bridle than a rope halter passed -between the animal's teeth, riding hastily after him. "I am going to -guide you, monsieur," he cried, as he passed him; "Mademoiselle Janille -says you'll kill yourself, as you don't know the roads, and that's the -truth too." -</p> - -<p> -"All right, but take the shortest road," replied the young man. -</p> - -<p> -"Never fear," rejoined the rustic page, and, plying his clogs, he urged -the hollow-backed mare into a fast trot, her huge stomach, stuffed with -hay unmixed with oats, presenting a striking contrast to her thin flanks -and bony chest. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap05"></a></h4> - -<h4>V -<br /><br /> -THE DRIBE</h4> - -<p> -The slopes crowned by Châteaubrun were so steep that the young man and -his new guide were delayed by no torrent of any size and soon reached -the valley. But as they rode rapidly by a small pond full to the brim, -the boy exclaimed, with a glance of amazement: "The <i>Font-Margot</i> -full! That means a lot of damage in the low lands. We shall have trouble -crossing the river. Let's hurry, monsieur!"—He urged the mare to a -gallop; and despite her ungainly build and her broad, flat feet -embellished with a fringe of long hair that trailed on the ground, she -picked her way over the uneven ground with remarkable skill and sureness -of foot. -</p> - -<p> -The extensive plains of this region form great plateaus broken by -ravines, which, with their abrupt and deep declivities, make veritable -mountains to ascend and descend. After riding about an hour, our -travellers found themselves opposite the valley of Gargilesse, and a -fascinating landscape was spread out before them. The village of -Gargilesse, built like a sugar-loaf on a steep knoll, and overlooked by -its pretty church and its ancient monastery, seemed to rise from the -depths of the precipices; and the boy pointed out to Emile a number of -enormous buildings, entirely new and of fine appearance, at the bottom -of the steepest of those precipices, saying: -</p> - -<p> -"Look, monsieur, there are Monsieur Cardonnet's buildings." -</p> - -<p> -It was the first time that Emile, who was a law-student at Poitiers and -passed his vacations at Paris, had visited the region where his father -had been engaged for a year past in an important undertaking. The -natural aspect of the spot seemed to him beautiful, and he was grateful -to his parents for having happened upon a location where industry could -flourish without banishing the influences of poesy. -</p> - -<p> -They had still some distance to ride across the plateau before reaching -the slope, where all the details of the landscape could be embraced in a -single glance. As Emile approached the edge he discovered new beauties, -and the convent-château of Gargilesse, planted proudly on the rock over -the Cardonnet factories, seemed a decoration placed there designedly to -crown the whole picture. The sides of the ravine, into which the little -stream flowed swiftly, were covered with hardy vegetation, and the young -man, who involuntarily allowed his attention to be absorbed by the -external aspect of his new inheritance, observed with satisfaction that, -amid the clearing away that had to be done to install the establishment -in such a thickly-wooded spot, they had spared some magnificent old -trees, which were the noblest ornament of the dwelling-house. -</p> - -<p> -This house, situated a little behind the factory, was convenient, -tasteful, simple in its richness, and the fact that there were curtains -at almost all the windows indicated that it was already occupied. It was -surrounded by a fine garden, terraced along the stream, and from afar he -could distinguish the bright colors of the blooming plants which had -been substituted as if by enchantment for the willow stumps and pools of -stagnant water with which the banks were formerly bordered. The young -man's heart beat fast when he saw a woman descend the steps of this -modern château and walk slowly among her favorite flowers; for it was -his mother. He threw up his arms and waved his cap to attract her -attention, but without success. Madame Cardonnet was intent upon -examining her horticultural pets; she did not expect her son until -evening. -</p> - -<p> -On a more open space Emile saw the complicated, -scientifically-constructed buildings of the factory; and fifty or more -busy workmen moving amid the medley of materials of all sorts—some -cutting stone, others preparing the mortar, others trimming rafters, -others loading carts drawn by enormous horses. As it was absolutely -necessary to descend the steep road at a foot-pace, little Charasson -found opportunity to speak. -</p> - -<p> -"This is a bad place, isn't it, monsieur? Keep a tight rein on your -horse! It would be a good thing if Monsieur Cardonnet would build a road -to take people from our house to his factory. See what fine roads he's -built in other directions! and the pretty bridges! all of stone, you -see! Before he came you had to wet your feet crossing the river in -summer, and in winter you didn't cross at all. He's the kind of man that -everybody ought to kiss the ground he walks on." -</p> - -<p> -"So you don't agree with your friend Jean who says so much ill of him?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! Jean! Jean! you needn't pay much attention to his croaking. He's a -man who has <i>ennuis</i>, and he sees everything crooked lately, although -he isn't an unkind man, not at all. But he's the only man hereabout who -talks like that; everybody else is all in favor of Monsieur Cardonnet. -He isn't stingy, I tell you. He talks a little hard, he pushes his -workmen a little, but bless me! he pays; you ought to see the wages he -pays! and if you do break your back working, if you're well paid you -ought to be satisfied, eh, monsieur?" -</p> - -<p> -The young man stifled a sigh. He did not absolutely agree with Monsieur -Sylvain Charasson's theory of economic compensations, and, however much -he might desire to approve his father's course, he could not see very -clearly how wages could replace the loss of health and life. -</p> - -<p> -"I'm surprised not to see him on his workmen's backs," added the page of -Châteaubrun ingenuously and with no malicious intent, "for he isn't in -the habit of giving them much time to breathe. Ah, indeed! he's a man to -push work ahead! He isn't like Mère Janille at our house, who's always -making a noise and never lets other people do anything. He doesn't seem -to move about, but anyone would say he did the work with his eyes. When -a workman speaks or puts down his pick to light his pipe, or just takes -a little bit of a nap at noon in the heat of the day, he'll say, without -losing his temper: 'Look here, you can't smoke or sleep comfortably -here; go home, you'll be more comfortable.'—And that's all. He won't -employ him again for a week, and the second time it's a month, and the -third he's done for good." -</p> - -<p> -Emile sighed again: he recognized his father's inflexible severity in -these details, and he had to turn his thoughts toward the presumed -object of his efforts in order to be reconciled to his methods. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! <i>pardine</i>! there he is," cried the boy, pointing to Monsieur -Cardonnet, whose tall figure and dark clothes were discernible on the -other bank. "He's looking at the water; perhaps he's afraid of the -<i>dribe</i>, although he usually says it's all nonsense." -</p> - -<p> -"So the <i>dribe</i> is a freshet, is it?" queried Emile, beginning to -understand the word, a corruption of <i>dérive</i>. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, it's like a waterspout, that comes with great storms. But -the storm has passed and the <i>dribe</i> hasn't come, and I believe Jean -was all wrong in his prophesying. And yet, monsieur, look at the water, -how low it is! it's almost dried up since yesterday and that's a bad -sign. Let's hurry across, it may come any minute." -</p> - -<p> -They quickened their pace and easily forded the first arm of the stream. -But in the effort that Emile's horse made to climb the somewhat steep -bank of the little island, he broke his girths, and his rider had to -dismount and try to fix his saddle. It was not an easy task, and in his -haste to join his parents Emile bungled over it; the knot that he had -made slipped when he put his foot in the stirrup, and Charasson was -obliged to cut off a piece of the rope he was using for a bridle in -order to make the necessary repairs. All this took some time, during -which their attention was wholly diverted from the disaster Sylvain -dreaded. The island was covered with a dense growth of willows which -made it impossible for them to look ten yards in any direction. -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly a noise like the prolonged rumble of thunder reached their -ears. Emile, mistaking the cause of the noise, looked up at the sky, -which was perfectly clear overhead. But the child turned pale as death. -</p> - -<p> -"The <i>dribe</i>!" he cried, "the <i>dribe</i>! we must run for it, -monsieur!" -</p> - -<p> -They crossed the island at a gallop; but before they were clear of the -willow scrub, they were met by waves of yellowish water covered with -foam. It was already up to their horses' breasts when they found -themselves face to face with the swollen torrent, which was spreading -furiously over the surrounding country. -</p> - -<p> -Emile would have attempted to cross; but his guide clung to him. -</p> - -<p> -"No, monsieur, no," he cried; "it's too late. See the force of the -stream and the logs it's bringing down! No man or beast could go through -that. Let us leave the horses, monsieur, let us leave the horses; -perhaps they will have sense enough to save themselves; but it's too -much of a risk for Christians! Look, there's the footbridge gone! Do as -I do, monsieur, do as I do, or you're a dead man!" -</p> - -<p> -And Charasson, who already had the water up to his shoulders, began to -run nimbly up a tree. Emile, judging from the fury of the torrent, which -increased a foot in depth every second, that courage would be sheer -folly, and thinking of his mother, decided to follow the little -peasant's example. -</p> - -<p> -"Not that one, monsieur, not that one!" cried the boy, seeing him start -to climb an aspen. "That's too weak, it will be carried away like a -straw. Come up here, by me; for the love of God, climb my tree!" -</p> - -<p> -Emile, recognizing the wisdom of Sylvain's suggestion,—for the child, -in the midst of his terror, lost neither his presence of mind nor the -commendable desire to save his neighbor,—ran to the old oak to which -he was clinging and soon succeeded in reaching a position not far from him, -on a stout branch several feet above the water. But they had soon to -abandon that post to the angry element, which continued to rise; and, -ascending in their turn from branch to branch, they succeeded in saving -their lives. -</p> - -<p> -When the inundation had reached its highest point, Emile was far enough -from the ground to see what was taking place in the valley. He concealed -himself as well as he could in the foliage, to avoid being seen from the -house, and imposed silence on Sylvain, who wished to call for help; for -he was afraid that his parents, especially his mother, would be terribly -frightened if they should discover his presence and his perilous -situation. He could see his father, who was watching the effects of the -<i>dribe</i> and retreating slowly as the water rose in his garden and -invaded the whole factory. He seemed to give ground regretfully before -that scourge of the valley, which he had contemned, and which he -pretended to contemn still. At last, he saw him distinctly, standing at -one of the windows of his house with Madame Cardonnet, while the workmen -scattered and fled to the high land, leaving their jackets and -implements in the mud. Some, taken by surprise by the deluge in the -lower floors of the factory, had gone up hastily to the roof; and, -although the more far-sighted may have rejoiced secretly because that -disaster promised a prolongation of their lucrative employment, the -majority yielded to a natural feeling of consternation when they found -the result of their labors lost or endangered. -</p> - -<p> -The stones, the newly rough-cast walls, the freshly-hewn timbers, -everything that did not offer much resistance, was floating about at -random amid eddying masses of foam. The bridges, barely finished, were -swept away, being torn from the newly-built piers, which were unequal to -the task of supporting them. The garden was half under water, and the -sashes of the greenhouse, the boxes of flowers and the gardener's -wheelbarrows could be seen sailing swiftly away among the trees. -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly, loud cries were heard in the factory. A huge piece of timber -had been driven violently against the underpinning of the principal -machine, and the building seemed on the point of falling in under the -violent shock. There were at least twelve persons, men, women and -children, on the roof. They all shrieked and wept. Emile felt a cold -perspiration start out all over him. Heedless of the perils to which he -himself was exposed, if the oak should be uprooted, he was horrified at -the impending fate of those families whom he saw running wildly about in -their distress. He was on the point of jumping into the water to fly to -their assistance. But he heard his father's powerful voice shouting to -them from the stoop, with the aid of a speaking-trumpet. -</p> - -<p> -"Don't stir; the raft is nearly finished; there is no danger where you -are." -</p> - -<p> -Such was the master's ascendancy that they became calm, and Emile -himself instinctively yielded to it. -</p> - -<p> -On the other side of the island there was a far more desolating -spectacle. The villagers were running after their cattle, the women -after their children. Piercing shrieks directed Emile's attention more -particularly toward a point which the vegetation concealed from his -eyes; but he soon saw a powerful man near the opposite bank, swimming -and carrying a child. The current was less strong on that side than it -was at the factory, and yet the swimmer seemed to be making his way -through the water with extraordinary difficulty, and several times the -water covered him completely. -</p> - -<p> -"I will go and help him!" cried Emile, moved even to tears, and -preparing once more to jump from the tree. -</p> - -<p> -"No, monsieur, no!" cried Charasson, holding him back. "See, he's out of -the current now, he's safe; he isn't swimming now, he's walking in the -mud. Poor man! what a hard time he had. But the child isn't dead, he's -crying and yelling like a little devil. Poor little fellow! don't cry -any more, you're safe! But look, will you! may the devil fly away with -me if it wasn't old Jean who pulled him out of the water! Yes, monsieur, -yes, it's Jean. He's a brave fellow, I tell you! Ah! see how the father -thanks him, how the mother hugs his legs, and yet they're not very -clean, those poor legs of his! Ah! monsieur, Jean has a big heart, and -there's not his like in the world. If he knew we were here, he'd come -and help us out of the scrape. I have a mind to call him." -</p> - -<p> -"Do nothing of the kind. We are safe and he would risk his life again. -Yes, I see that he's a fine fellow. Is he any relative to the child and -to those people." -</p> - -<p> -"No, monsieur, no. They are the Michauds, and they're nothing to him or -to me either; but when anything goes wrong anywhere, Jean is sure to -turn up, and where no one else would dare to take the risk, he'll go -ahead, even when there's nothing at all, not even a glass of wine to be -made by it. But the good Lord knows that this country isn't healthy for -Jean, and that this is hardly the place for him." -</p> - -<p> -"Why, is he exposed to any other danger at Gargilesse than that of being -drowned like everybody else?" -</p> - -<p> -Sylvain did not reply, and seemed to blame himself for having said too -much. -</p> - -<p> -"The water is falling a little," he said, to divert Emile's attention; -"in a couple of hours, perhaps we can go back the way we came; but it -will be six hours at least before we can cross over to Monsieur -Cardonnet's." -</p> - -<p> -This prospect was not very attractive; however Emile, who was determined -not to alarm his parents at any price, resigned himself to it as best he -could. But a fresh incident caused him to change his mind before half an -hour had passed. The water receded rapidly from the highest points it -had flooded; and on the other side of the lake it had formed between him -and his father's abode, he saw some workmen leading two horses toward -the house, one entirely bare, the other saddled and bridled. -</p> - -<p> -"Our beasts, monsieur," said Sylvain Charasson; "God bless me! both our -beasts have come out safe! I supposed my poor mare was in the Creuse -before this! Ah! Monsieur Antoine will be glad enough when I bring back -his <i>Lanterne</i>! She'll have earned her oats, and perhaps Janille won't -refuse to give her a peck. And your black, monsieur—you're not sorry -to see him on his feet, are you? He must know how to swim a little!" -</p> - -<p> -Emile rapidly considered what would happen. Monsieur Cardonnet did not -know his horse, to be sure, for he had bought him <i>en route</i>; but they -would open the valise, they would soon discover that it belonged to him, -and their first thought would be that he was dead. He speedily decided -to show himself, and after many attempts to make his voice heard above -that of the torrent, whose fury was only slightly abated, he succeeded -in making the people on the roof of the factory understand that he was -there and that Monsieur and Madame Cardonnet must be so informed at -once. The news passed from mouth to mouth, through the various places of -refuge, as quickly as he could wish, and he soon espied his mother at -the window, waving her handkerchief, and his father in person on a raft -propelled by two strong men, who were pushing out into the current with -dogged determination. Emile succeeded in turning them back, by shouting -to them, not without many words lost and repeated again and again, that -he was safe, that they must wait a while longer before coming to him, -and that the most important thing was to set free the persons who were -imprisoned in the factory. Everything was done as he desired, and when -there was no longer any danger for any one, he climbed down from the -tree, stepped in the water up to his middle, and walked to meet the -raft, holding little Charasson under the arms and helping him to keep -his footing. Three hours after the passage of the <i>dribe</i>, Emile and -his guide were in front of a good fire, Madame Cardonnet was covering her -child with kisses and tears; and the page of Châteaubrun, no less -petted than he, was describing eloquently the perils they had overcome. -</p> - -<p> -Emile adored his mother. His love for her was still the most fervent -passion of his life. He had not seen her since the vacation, which they -had passed together in Paris, free from the constant and frequent -reproofs of their common master, Monsieur Cardonnet. They both suffered -from the yoke they were compelled to wear, and they understood each -other on that point, although they had never mentioned it. Madame -Cardonnet, a gentle, affectionate, weak creature, felt that her son had -a good share of her husband's mental energy and firmness, combined with -a generous and sensitive heart which would expose him to great sorrow -when those two masterful characters should come in collision on those -points as to which their ideas differed. So she had swallowed all the -disappointments of her life, taking care not to reveal them to her son, -who was her only joy and her most dearly cherished consolation. Although -she was not fully convinced of her husband's right to wound her and -oppress her without remission, she had always seemed to accept her -position as if in obedience to a law of nature and a religious precept. -Passive obedience, thus taught by example, had become an instinctive -habit in young Emile; but had it been otherwise, sound reasoning would -long since have led him to adopt a different course. But when he saw -that everybody bowed at the slightest indication of the paternal will, -his mother first of all, it had not occurred to him that things might -and should be different. Meanwhile the weight of the despotic atmosphere -in which he lived had induced in him, from childhood, a sort of -melancholy, of nameless unhappiness, of which he rarely sought the -cause. It is a law of nature that children shall reverse the lessons -that they do not like; and so Emile, early in life, had received from -external facts an impulsion directly contrary to that which his father -would fain have given him. -</p> - -<p> -The consequences of this natural and inevitable antagonism will be -sufficiently developed by the progress of this narrative, so that it is -unnecessary to describe them here. -</p> - -<p> -After giving his mother time to recover in some measure from the emotion -she had experienced, Emile followed his father, who called him to come -and investigate the effects of the disaster. Monsieur Cardonnet -displayed a tranquillity superior to all reverses of fortune, and -whatever annoyance he may have felt he showed nothing of it. He walked -silently through a double line of peasants who had flocked together to -gratify their curiosity and to witness the spectacle of his misfortune, -some with indifference, a few with sincere interest, the majority with -that unavowed but irresistible satisfaction which the poor man prudently -keeps out of sight but which he infallibly feels when he sees the wrath -of the elements visited on the rich man and himself alike. All these -villagers had lost something by the inundation, one a small crop of hay, -another a bit of kitchen garden, a third a lamb, a hen or two, or a pile -of fire-wood; very trivial losses in reality, but comparatively as -severe as the wealthy manufacturer's. But when they saw the wreck of -that fine property, but yesterday so prosperous, they could not forbear -a thrill of consternation, as if wealth had something worthy of respect -in itself, despite the jealousy it arouses. -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur Cardonnet did not wait until the water had entirely receded -before resuming work. He sent men to scour the surrounding fields for -the materials carried away by the current. He armed the others with -spades and pickaxes to clear away the mud and débris which obstructed -the approaches to the factory, and when it was possible to enter, he -entered first of all, in order to avoid any waste of emotion because of -the exaggerations that the first feeling of amazement might extort from -others. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap06"></a></h4> - -<h4>VI -<br /><br /> -JEAN THE CARPENTER</h4> - -<p> -"Take a pencil, Emile," said the manufacturer to his son, who followed -him, fearing that he might meet with some accident; "make no mistake in -the figures I am going to call off to you.—One, two, three wheels -broken here.—The staircase carried away.—The large engine -damaged—three thousand, five, seven or eight—Let us take the -highest figure; that's the safest way in business.—Put down eight -thousand francs.—What! the dam broken? that's strange! Put down -fifteen thousand. We must rebuild it all in Roman cement. There's a -corner that has given way.—Write, Emile.—Emile, have you -written that?" -</p> - -<p> -For an hour Monsieur Cardonnet continued thus to estimate his losses and -the necessary outlay; and when he called upon his son to foot up the -figures, he shrugged his shoulders impatiently because the young man, -whether from distraction or because he was out of practice, did not -perform that task as rapidly as he wished. -</p> - -<p> -"Have you done it?" he asked, after two or three moments of restrained -impatience. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, father; it amounts to about eighty thousand francs." -</p> - -<p> -"About?" repeated Monsieur Cardonnet with a frown. "What sort of a word -is that? Well, well," he added, glancing at him with a penetrating, -mocking expression, "I see that you are a little confused from being -perched up in a tree. I have made the calculation in my head, and I -regret that I am obliged to tell you that it was done before you had -sharpened your pencil. There'll be eighty-one thousand five hundred -francs to be laid out all over again." -</p> - -<p> -"That's a good deal," said Emile, striving to conceal his impatience -beneath a serious air. -</p> - -<p> -"I wouldn't have believed that this little water-course could have so -much force," observed Monsieur Cardonnet, as calmly as if he were making -an expert estimate of a loss in which he was not interested; "but it -won't take long to repair. Holà! you fellows.—There's a beam caught -between two of the large wheels, and there's just enough water left to -keep it banging. Take it out of there at once or my wheels will be -broken." -</p> - -<p> -They made haste to obey, but the task was more difficult than it seemed. -All the weight of the machinery seemed to rest on that obstacle, which -bade fair not to be the first to give way. Several men rubbed the skin -off their hands to no purpose. -</p> - -<p> -"Look out and not hurt yourselves!" cried Emile instinctively, taking a -hand himself to lessen their difficulty. -</p> - -<p> -But Monsieur Cardonnet shouted in his turn: -</p> - -<p> -"Pull there! push!—Bah! your arms are made of flax!" -</p> - -<p> -The perspiration was rolling down their faces, but they made no headway. -</p> - -<p> -"Get away from there, all of you," suddenly exclaimed a voice that Emile -instantly recognized, "and let me try it—I prefer to do it alone." -</p> - -<p> -And Jean, armed with a crow-bar, quickly pried out a large stone which -no one had noticed. Then, with wonderful dexterity, he gave the beam a -powerful push. -</p> - -<p> -"Gently, deuce take it!" cried Monsieur Cardonnet, "you'll smash -everything." -</p> - -<p> -"If I smash anything, I'll pay for it," retorted the peasant, with -playful bluntness. "Now, two of you boys come here. All together now! -Courage, little Pierre, that's good!—Another bit, my old -Guillaume!—Oh! the clever fellows!—Softly! softly! let me take -my foot away, or you'll crush it for me, son of the devil!—Now she -goes!—push—don't be afraid—I have it!" -</p> - -<p> -And in less than two minutes Jean, whose presence and voice seemed to -electrify the other workmen, relieved the machinery of the extraneous -object which endangered it. -</p> - -<p> -"Come with me, Jean," said Monsieur Cardonnet, thereupon. -</p> - -<p> -"What for?" rejoined the peasant. "I have done enough of that sort of -work for to-day, monsieur." -</p> - -<p> -"That is why I want you to come and drink a glass of my best wine. Come, -I say, I have something to say to you. My son, go and tell your mother -to put some Malaga on my table." -</p> - -<p> -"Your son?" said Jean, looking at Emile with some signs of emotion. "If -he is your son, I will go with you, for he seems to me like a good -fellow." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, my son is a good fellow, Jean," said Monsieur Cardonnet to the -peasant, when the latter accepted a full glass from Emile's hand. "And -you are a good fellow, too, and it's high time that you should show it a -little better than you have been doing for two months past." -</p> - -<p> -"I beg your pardon, monsieur," replied Jean, looking about him with a -suspicious air, "but I am too old to go to school, and I didn't come -here all in a sweat to listen to moral preaching as cold as hoar-frost. -Here's your health, Monsieur Cardonnet; and I thank you, young man, -whose feelings I must have hurt last night. You bear me no grudge, do -you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Wait a moment," said Monsieur Cardonnet; "before you go back to your -fox's hole, take this <i>pour-boire</i>." -</p> - -<p> -And he handed him a piece of gold. -</p> - -<p> -"Keep it, keep it," said Jean testily, pushing away the proffered -gratuity with a movement of his elbow. "I am not self-seeking, as you -must know, and it wasn't to please you that I helped your carpenters. It -was simply to keep them from breaking their backs for nothing. And then -when a man knows his trade it irritates him to see people go about it -wrong end to. My blood's a little quick, and in spite of myself I -meddled in something that didn't concern me." -</p> - -<p> -"Just as you happened to be where you had no business to be," rejoined -Monsieur Cardonnet sternly, and with an evident purpose to awe the -audacious peasant. "Jean, this is the last opportunity for us to come to -an understanding and make each other's acquaintance; make the most of it -or you'll be sorry. When I came here last year, I observed your -activity, your intelligence, and the affection with which all the -workmen and all the people of this village regarded you. I received most -satisfactory accounts of your probity, and I resolved to put you in -charge of my carpentering work; I offered to pay you double wages, by -the day or by the job as you chose. You made me nonsensical answers as -if you did not consider me a serious-minded man." -</p> - -<p> -"That was not the trouble, monsieur, begging your pardon. I told you -that I didn't need your work because I had more work in the village than -I could do." -</p> - -<p> -"A mere pretext and a lie! Your affairs were in bad shape then and now -they're in worse shape than ever! Being prosecuted for debt, you have -been obliged to leave your house, to abandon your workshop, and to hide -in the mountains, like game pursued by hunters." -</p> - -<p> -"When you undertake to argue," rejoined Jean, haughtily, "you should -tell the truth. I am not prosecuted for debt, as you say, monsieur. I -have always been an honest, well-behaved man, and if I owe a sou in the -village or the neighborhood, let some one come forward and say so and -raise his hand against me. Search and you will find no one!" -</p> - -<p> -"None the less, there are three warrants out against you, and the -gendarmes have been chasing you for two months and can't succeed in -apprehending you." -</p> - -<p> -"And so it will be as long as I choose! The great difficulty is that the -worthy gendarmes ride their horses along one bank of the Creuse, while I -ply my legs along the other! They are very sick, poor fellows! being -paid to take the air and make reports as to what they don't do. Don't -pity them so deeply, Monsieur Cardonnet, the government pays them, and -the government is rich enough for me to dodge the payment of a thousand -francs—for it's the truth that I am sentenced to pay a thousand -francs or go to prison! It surprises you, doesn't it, young man, that a -poor devil who has always obliged his neighbor instead of injuring him -should be hunted like an escaped convict? You haven't a bad heart yet, -although you are rich, because you are young. Let me tell you what my -crime was. For sending three bottles of wine from my vineyard to a -friend who was sick, I was arrested by the excisemen for selling wine -without paying the taxes on it; and as I could not lie and humiliate -myself for the sake of compromising, as I told the truth, which is that -I did not sell a drop of wine, and consequently could not be punished, I -was sentenced to pay what they call the minimum fine, five hundred -francs. The minimum, if you please! five hundred francs, my year's -wages, for a gift of three bottles of wine! To say nothing of the fact -that my poor comrade was sentenced too, and that was what made me -angriest. And as I could not pay such an amount, they seized everything, -ransacked everything, sold everything I had, even my carpentering tools. -After that, where was the use of paying for a license to carry on a -trade that wouldn't support me? I stopped doing it; and one day, when I -was working as a journeyman away from home, there was another -prosecution and a quarrel with the deputy, when I almost forgot myself -and struck him. What was to become of me? There was no bread in my -chest, so I took my gun and went out into the furze and killed a hare. -Formerly, in this country, poaching had become a custom and a privilege. -The nobles in the old days didn't keep such close watch, just after the -Revolution; they even poached with us when they had a fancy to do so." -</p> - -<p> -"Witness Monsieur de Châteaubrun, who does it still," said Monsieur de -Cardonnet, ironically. -</p> - -<p> -"As long as he doesn't trespass on your estates, what harm does that do -you?" retorted the peasant in an irritated tone. "However, for shooting -a hare and catching two rabbits in a trap I was taken again and -sentenced to pay a fine, and to imprisonment. But I escaped from the -claws of the gendarmes as they were taking me to the government <i>inn</i>, -and since then I have lived as I choose, and haven't chosen to hold out -my arm for the chain to be put on." -</p> - -<p> -"Everyone knows very well how you live, Jean," said Monsieur Cardonnet. -"You wander about night and day, poaching everywhere and at all seasons, -never sleeping two nights in succession in the same place, but generally -in the open air; sometimes accepting hospitality at Châteaubrun, whose -châtelain was nursed by your mother. I do not blame him for assisting -you, but he would act more wisely, from the point of view of your own -interests, to preach work and a regular life to you. But come, we have -had enough of these useless words, and now you must listen to me. I am -sorry for your lot, and I am going to restore your liberty by becoming -surety for you. You will get off with a few days' imprisonment, just for -form's sake. I will pay all your fines, and then you can hold up your -head once more. Isn't that clear?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! you are right, father," cried Emile; "you are kind and just. Well, -Jean, did I deceive you?" -</p> - -<p> -"It seems that you have met before," said Monsieur Cardonnet. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, father," replied Emile warmly. "Jean rendered me a great service -last night; and what draws me to him even more strongly is that I saw -him this morning risk his life seriously to pull a child out of the -water, and he saved him. Jean, accept my father's offer and let his -generosity triumph over misplaced pride." -</p> - -<p> -"That is very well, Monsieur Emile," replied the carpenter. "You love -your father; that is as it should be. I respected mine. But let us see, -Monsieur Cardonnet, on what conditions will you do all this for me?" -</p> - -<p> -"That you work on my buildings," replied the manufacturer. "You shall -have the superintendence of the carpentering." -</p> - -<p> -"Work on your factory, which will be the ruin of so many people!" -</p> - -<p> -"No, but which will make the fortune of all my workmen, and yours, too." -</p> - -<p> -"Well," said Jean, somewhat shaken, "if I don't do your work others will -and I shan't be able to prevent them. I will work for you then, until I -have earned a thousand francs. But who will keep me while I am paying my -debt to you day by day?" -</p> - -<p> -"I will, for I will add a third to your day's wages." -</p> - -<p> -"A third is very little, for I must dress myself. I am stripped bare." -</p> - -<p> -"Well! I will double it. Your day's wages would be thirty sous at the -current rate hereabout; I will pay you three francs and you shall -receive half of it every day, the other half going toward your -indebtedness to me." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well; it will take a long while—at least four years." -</p> - -<p> -"You are wrong; it will be just two years. I think that two years hence -I shall have nothing more to build." -</p> - -<p> -"What, monsieur, I am to work for you every day—every day in the year -without a break?" -</p> - -<p> -"Except Sunday." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! Sunday—I should think so! But shan't I have one or two days a -week to pass as I choose?" -</p> - -<p> -"Jean, you are growing lazy, I see. There's one result of a vagabond -life already." -</p> - -<p> -"Hush!" exclaimed the carpenter, proudly, "lazy yourself! Jean was never -lazy, and he won't begin at sixty. But I'll tell you, I have an idea -that induces me to take your work. I have an idea of building myself a -little house. As they've sold mine, I prefer to have a new one, built by -myself alone, to suit my taste, my fancy. That's why I want at least one -day a week." -</p> - -<p> -"That is something I will not allow," replied the manufacturer stiffly. -"You will have no house, you will have no tools of your own, you will -sleep under my roof, you will eat under my roof, you will use no tools -but mine, you——" -</p> - -<p> -"That's quite enough to show me that I shall be your property and your -slave. Thanks, monsieur, the bargain's off." -</p> - -<p> -And he walked toward the door. -</p> - -<p> -Emile considered his father's terms very hard; but Jean's plight would -become still harder if he refused them. So he tried to bring about a -compromise. -</p> - -<p> -"Good Jean," he said, retaining him, "reflect, I implore you. Two years -are soon passed, and with the little savings you will be able to make in -that time, especially," he added, looking at Monsieur Cardonnet with an -expression that was at once imploring and firm, "as my father will keep -you in addition to the wages agreed upon——" -</p> - -<p> -"Really?" said Jean, shaken once more. -</p> - -<p> -"Granted," said Monsieur Cardonnet. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Jean, your clothes are a small matter, and my mother and I will -take pleasure in replenishing your wardrobe. At the end of two years, -therefore, you will have a thousand francs net; that is enough to build -a bachelor's house for your own use, as you are a bachelor." -</p> - -<p> -"A widower, monsieur," sighed Jean, "and a son killed in the field." -</p> - -<p> -"Whereas, if you use up your salary every week," said the elder -Cardonnet, unmoved, "you will waste it, and at the end of the year you -will have built nothing and saved nothing." -</p> - -<p> -"You take too much interest in me; what difference does that make to -you?" -</p> - -<p> -"It makes this difference, that my work, being constantly interrupted, -will progress slowly, that I shall never have you at hand, and that, two -years hence, when you come and offer to work longer for me, I shall not -need you any longer. I shall have been compelled to give your place to -some one else." -</p> - -<p> -"There will always be work to be done keeping the plant in order. Do you -think I mean to cheat you out of your money?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, but I should prefer being cheated to being delayed." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! what a hurry you are in to enjoy your prosperity! Well! give me one -day a week and let me have my own tools." -</p> - -<p> -"He seems to think a great deal of this day of freedom, father," said -Emile; "let him have it." -</p> - -<p> -"I will let him have Sunday." -</p> - -<p> -"And I accept it only as a day of rest," said Jean, indignantly; "do you -take me for a pagan? I don't work on Sunday, monsieur; that would bring -me ill-luck, and I should do bad work for both you and myself." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, my father will give you Monday——" -</p> - -<p> -"Hush, Emile, not Monday! I don't agree to that. You don't know this -man. Intelligent as he is and prolific in inventions, sometimes -successful, often puerile, he never enjoys himself except when he is -working at absurd things for his own use; he is something of a -carpenter, a cabinet-maker, Heaven knows what! He is clever with his -hands, but when he abandons himself to his own whims, he becomes idle, -absent-minded and incapable of serious work." -</p> - -<p> -"He is an artist, father," said Emile, smiling, but with tears in his -eyes; "have a little compassion for genius!" -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur Cardonnet cast a contemptuous glance at his son, but Jean took -the young man's hand. -</p> - -<p> -"My boy," he said, with his strange and noble familiarity, "I do not -know whether you really do me justice or are laughing at me, but what -you say is true! I have too much of the spirit of invention for the sort -of work he would have me do here. When I work for my friends in the -village, for Monsieur Antoine or the curé or the mayor or poor beggars -like myself, they say: 'Do as you please, carry out your own ideas, old -fellow! it may take a little longer, but it will be all right!' And then -I take pleasure in working, yes, so much pleasure that I don't count the -hours and spend part of the night at it. It tires me, it gives me the -fever, it almost kills me sometimes! but I like it, you see, my boy, as -other men like wine. It's my amusement. Oh! you laugh and make fun of -me, Monsieur Cardonnet; your sneering is an insult, and you shouldn't -have me, no, you shouldn't have me, even if the gendarmes were here and -my head was in danger. Sell myself to you, body and soul, for two years! -Do what pleases you, watch you plan, and not give my opinion! for if you -know me, I know you too: I know what sort of a man you are, and that -there isn't a nail driven on your premises until you've measured it. And -I shall be a day-laborer, working to pay my taxes as my dead and gone -father worked for the abbés of Gargilesse. No, God forbid! I will not -sell my soul to such tiresome, stupid labor. If you would give me my day -of recreation and compensation, to satisfy my old customers and myself! -but no, not an hour!" -</p> - -<p> -"No, not an hour," said Monsieur Cardonnet angrily; for the self-esteem -of the artist was now involved on both sides. "Off with you, I'll have -none of you; take this napoléon and go and get hanged elsewhere." -</p> - -<p> -"They don't hang people now, monsieur," said Jean, throwing the gold -piece on the floor, "and even if they did, I shouldn't be the first -honest man who ever passed through the hangman's hands." -</p> - -<p> -"Emile," said Monsieur Cardonnet, as soon as he was gone, "go and send -up the constable, that man standing on the stoop with a little iron fork -in his hand." -</p> - -<p> -"Great Heaven! what are you going to do?" said Emile in dismay. -</p> - -<p> -"Bring that man back to reason, to respectable behavior, to work, to -safety, to happiness. When he has passed a night in jail, he will be -more tractable, and some day he will bless me for delivering him from -his internal devil." -</p> - -<p> -"But, father, to interfere with personal liberty! You can't——" -</p> - -<p> -"I am mayor since this morning, and it is my duty to lock up vagabonds. -Do as I say, Emile, or I will go myself." -</p> - -<p> -Emile still hesitated. Monsieur Cardonnet, unable to brook the slightest -shade of resistance, pushed him sharply away from the door and went out, -to issue orders to the constable, in the capacity of chief magistrate of -the village, to arrest Jean Jappeloup, native of Gargilesse, a carpenter -by trade, and without any known domicile. -</p> - -<p> -This mission was extremely distasteful to the rustic functionary, and -Monsieur Cardonnet read his hesitation on his face. -</p> - -<p> -"Caillaud," he said, in an imperative tone, "your dismissal within a -week, or twenty francs reward!" -</p> - -<p> -"Very good, monsieur," said Caillaud; and he set off at a round pace, -waving his pike. -</p> - -<p> -He overtook the fugitive within two gun-shots of the village; it was not -a difficult task, for the latter was walking slowly, with his head -hanging forward on his breast, absorbed in painful reflections. -</p> - -<p> -"If it wasn't for my wrong-headedness," he was saying to himself, "I -should be now on the road to rest and comfort, instead of which I must -put on the collar of poverty again, stray like a wolf among the rocks -and bramble-bushes, and be too often a burden to poor Antoine, who is -kind, who always gives me a hearty welcome, but who is poor and gives me -more bread and wine than I can pay for with partridges and hares for his -table, taken in my snares. And then what breaks my heart is the idea of -leaving forever this poor dear village where I was born, where I have -passed all my life, where all my friends are, and where I can never show -my face again unless like a starved dog that runs the risk of a bullet -to get a piece of bread. And yet all the people here are kind to me; and -if they weren't afraid of the gendarmes they would give me shelter!" -</p> - -<p> -As he mused thus Jean heard the bell ringing the evening <i>Angelus</i>, -and tears rolled unbidden down his tanned cheeks. "No," he thought, -"there isn't a bell within ten leagues that has such a sweet tone as the -bell of Gargilesse church!"—A nightingale sang among the hawthorns -in the hedge near by.—"You are very lucky," he said, speaking -aloud in his revery, "you can build your nest here, steal from all the -gardens I know so well, and feed on everybody's fruit, without any -complaint being lodged against you." -</p> - -<p> -"Complaint, that's the word," said a voice behind him; "I arrest you in -the name of the law!" -</p> - -<p> -And Caillaud seized him by the collar. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap07"></a></h4> - -<h4>VII -<br /><br /> -THE ARREST</h4> - -<p> -"You? you, Caillaud?" said the astonished carpenter, with the same -accent that Cæsar must have used when he saw Brutus strike. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, it's myself, the constable. In the name of the law!" shouted -Caillaud at the top of his voice, in order to be heard by anybody who -happened to be within earshot. But he added in a whisper:—"Off with -you, Père Jean. Come, stand me off and make your legs fly." -</p> - -<p> -"You want me to resist and so get my affairs into a worse mess than -ever? No, Caillaud, that would be worse for me. But how could you make -up your mind to do the work of a gendarme, to arrest the friend of your -family, your godfather, unhappy man?" -</p> - -<p> -"But I don't arrest you, godfather," said Caillaud in an undertone. -"Come, follow me, or I call for help!" he yelled with all his lungs. -"Deuce take it!" he added under his breath, "be off, Père Jean; pretend -to hit me and I'll fall." -</p> - -<p> -"No, my poor Caillaud, that would make you lose your position, or at -least you would be called a coward, a faint-heart. As you have had the -heart to accept the commission, you must go through with it. I see -plainly enough that you were threatened, that your hand was forced; it -surprises me that Monsieur Jarige could make up his mind to treat me -this way." -</p> - -<p> -"But Monsieur Jarige isn't mayor any longer; Monsieur Cardonnet has his -place." -</p> - -<p> -"Then I understand; and it makes me long to beat you as a lesson to you -for not resigning at once." -</p> - -<p> -"You are right, Père Jean," said Caillaud in a heartbroken tone, "I'll -go and resign now; that's the best way. Off with you!" -</p> - -<p> -"Let him go! and do you—keep your place," said Emile, coming out from -behind a clump of bushes. "Down with you, comrade, as you want to fall," -he added, adroitly tripping him up in schoolboy fashion, "and if you are -asked who contrived this ambush, you can tell my father that his son did -it." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! it's a good scheme," said Caillaud, rubbing his knee, "and if your -papa has you put in prison it's none of my business. You threw me down a -little hard, all the same, and I should have preferred to fall on the -grass. Well! has that old fool of a Jean gone yet?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not yet," said Jean, who had climbed a knoll and was prepared to take -flight. "Thanks, Monsieur Emile, I shall not forget; I would have -submitted to my fate, if the law alone had been concerned; but since I -know that it's a piece of treachery on your father's part, I would -rather throw myself head first into the river than give way to such a -false, evil-minded man. As for you, you deserve to have come from better -stock; you have a good heart, and as long as I live——" -</p> - -<p> -"Be off," said Emile, walking up to him, "and keep from speaking ill of -my father. I have many things to say to you, but this is not the time. -Will you be at Châteaubrun to-morrow night?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, monsieur. Take care that you are not followed, and don't ask for -me in too loud a tone at the gate. Well, thanks to you I still have the -stars over my head, and I am not sorry for it." -</p> - -<p> -He darted away like an arrow; and Emile, turning, saw Caillaud lying at -full length on the ground, as if he had fainted. -</p> - -<p> -"Well? what's the matter?" the young man inquired in dismay; "did I -really hurt you? Are you in pain?" -</p> - -<p> -"I'm doing very well, monsieur," replied the crafty villager; "but you -see I must wait for some one to come and lift me up, so that I may look -as if I had been beaten." -</p> - -<p> -"That is useless, I will take the whole responsibility," said Emile. -"Get up and go and tell my father that I forcibly opposed Jean's arrest. -I will follow close behind you, and the rest is my affair." -</p> - -<p> -"On the contrary, monsieur, you must go first. You see I must limp; for -if I go on the run to tell that you broke my two legs and that I -submitted to it patiently, your papa won't believe me and I shall be -dismissed." -</p> - -<p> -"Take my arm, lean on me and we will go together," said Emile. -</p> - -<p> -"That's the idea, monsieur. Help me a little. Not so fast! The devil! my -whole body's lame!" -</p> - -<p> -"Really? Why I am awfully sorry, my friend." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! no, monsieur, it's nothing at all; but that's what I must say." -</p> - -<p> -"What does this mean?" said Monsieur Cardonnet sternly, when the -constable appeared, leaning on Emile. "Jean resisted; you, like an -idiot, allowed yourself to be bowled over and the delinquent escaped." -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me, monsieur, the delinquent did nothing, poor man. It was -monsieur your son here, who, as he passed me, pushed me without meaning -to, just as I was putting my hand on my man; and, <i>baoun</i>! down I went -more than fifty feet, head first, on the rocks. The poor dear gentleman -felt very bad indeed, and ran to save me from falling into the river; -and if he hadn't, I'd taken a drink for sure! But I'll tell you who was -well pleased—that was Père Jappeloup, for he ran off while I lay -there all in a heap, not able to move hand or foot to run after him. If you -should be kind enough to let somebody give me a finger of wine, it would -do me a deal of good; for I really believe that my stomach's unhooked." -</p> - -<p> -Emile, recognizing the fact that this peasant with his simple, wheedling -air was much more adroit than he in lying and arranging everything for -the best, hesitated whether he should accept his version of the -adventure. But he very soon read in his father's piercing eyes that he -would not be satisfied with a tacit confirmation and that, to convince -him, he must show no less effrontery than Master Caillaud. -</p> - -<p> -"What absurd, incredible tale is this!" said Monsieur Cardonnet with a -frown. "Since when has my son been so strong, so brutal, so intent upon -following the same road with you? If you are so weak on your legs that a -touch of the elbow upsets you and sends you rolling over like a sack of -meal, you must be drunk I should say! Tell me the truth, Emile. Jean -Jappeloup whipped this fellow, perhaps pushed him into the ravine, and -you, who stand there smiling like the child that you are, thought it a -good joke, went to the assistance of this idiot here, and consented to -assume the responsibility for a pretended accident! That's how it was, -isn't it?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, father, that is not how it was," said Emile with an air of -resolution. "I am a child, it is true; for that reason there may be a -little mischief in my frivolity. Caillaud may think what he pleases of -my way of upsetting people by passing too close to them. If I injured -him I am ready to ask his pardon and to compensate him. Meanwhile, -permit me to send him to your housekeeper, so that she may administer -the cordial he desires; and when we are alone I will tell you frankly -how I came to do this foolish thing." -</p> - -<p> -"Take him to the pantry," said Monsieur Cardonnet, "and return at once." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! Monsieur Emile," said Caillaud to the young man as they went -downstairs, "I didn't sell you, so don't you betray me, will you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Never fear; drink without losing your wits, and be sure that nobody but -myself will be compromised." -</p> - -<p> -"And why in the devil do you propose to accuse yourself? begging your -pardon, that would be infernally stupid. You don't realize, do you, that -you may be sent to prison for interfering with a public officer in the -discharge of his duties and assaulting him?" -</p> - -<p> -"That's my business. Stick to what you said, for you explained matters -very well; I will explain my intentions as I think best." -</p> - -<p> -"Look you, you have too kind a heart," said Caillaud in amazement; -"you'll never have your father's head!" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Emile," said Monsieur Cardonnet, whom his son found pacing his -study excitedly, "will you explain this inconceivable occurrence to me?" -</p> - -<p> -"I alone am guilty, father," Emile replied firmly. "Let all the -displeasure and all the effects of my misconduct fall upon me. I give -you my word of honor that Jean Jappeloup had submitted to arrest without -the slightest resistance, when I gave the constable a violent push that -threw him down, and that I did it on purpose." -</p> - -<p> -"Very good," said Monsieur Cardonnet coolly, determined to know the -whole truth; "and the clown let himself be thrown. He let his prey go, -and yet, although he is lying now, he must have seen that it was not -awkwardness but design on your part, mustn't he?" -</p> - -<p> -"The man did not understand my behavior at all," replied Emile. "He was -taken by surprise, disarmed and thrown down; indeed, I think he was -bruised a little by the fall." -</p> - -<p> -"And you allowed him to believe that it was an accident on your part, I -trust!" -</p> - -<p> -"What does it matter what that man thinks of my intentions and what goes -on in the depths of his mind? Your magistracy stops at the threshold of -the conscience, father, and you can judge nothing but facts." -</p> - -<p> -"Is it my son who speaks to me in this way?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, father, it is your victim the delinquent whom you have to try and -to punish. When you question me on my own account I will answer as I -ought. But it is a question now of the poor devil who lives by his -humble office. He is submissive to you, he fears you, and if you order -him to take me to prison he is ready to do it." -</p> - -<p> -"Emile, you arouse my pity. Let us leave this country constable and his -bruises. I forgive him, and I authorize you to give him a handsome -present so that he may hold his tongue, for I don't propose to introduce -you to this neighborhood by an absurd scandal. But will you be kind -enough to explain to me why you are apparently trying to organize a -burlesque drama in the police court? What is this adventure in which you -play the rôle of Don Quixote, taking Caillaud for your Sancho Panza? -Where were you going so fast when you happened to be present at the -carpenter's arrest? What caprice impelled you to deliver that man from -the hands of the law and from my kindly intentions toward him? Have you -gone mad in the six months since we last met? Have you taken a vow of -chivalry, or do you propose to balk my plans and defy me? Answer -seriously if you can, for your father is very serious indeed in his -questions." -</p> - -<p> -"I should have many things to say in answer to you, father, if you -questioned me concerning my feelings and my ideas. But this is a -question of one particular fact of trifling importance, and I will tell -you in a few words just what happened. I was running after the fugitive, -to induce him to avoid the shame and grief of being arrested. I hoped to -outstrip Caillaud and to persuade Jean to return of his own accord, -accept your offers and submit to the law. As I arrived too late, and as -I could not with loyalty urge the constable not to do his duty, I -prevented him from doing it by exposing myself alone to the penalty of -the offence. I acted on the impulse of the moment, without premeditation -or reflection, impelled by an irresistible outburst of compassion and -sorrow. If I did wrong, reprove me; but if I bring Jean back to you of -his own accord, by gentle means and persuasion, within two days, forgive -me, and confess that foolish brains sometimes have happy inspirations." -</p> - -<p> -"Emile," said Monsieur Cardonnet, after walking back and forth in -silence for some moments, "I should reproach you severely for entering -into open revolt, I will not say against the municipal law, as to which -I will not play the pedant. There has been in this matter an immense -manifestation of pride on your part and a very grave failure of respect -for paternal authority. I am not disposed to tolerate such outbreaks -often, you must know me well enough to know that, or else you have -become strangely forgetful since we parted; but I will spare you a more -extended remonstrance to-day, for you do not seem inclined to profit by -it. Moreover, what I see of your conduct and what I know of your frame -of mind prove to my satisfaction that we must have a very serious -discussion concerning the very foundation of your ideas and the nature -of your plans for the future. The disaster that has befallen me to-day -leaves me no time to talk with you at greater length to-night. You have -had considerable excitement in the course of the day, and you must need -rest; go and see your mother and go to bed early. As soon as order and -tranquillity are restored in my establishment, I will tell you why I -have recalled you from what you called your exile, and what I expect -from you hereafter." -</p> - -<p> -"And until this explanation, which I earnestly desire," Emile -replied—"for it will be the first time in my life that you have not -treated me like a child—may I hope, father, that you will not be -angry with me?" -</p> - -<p> -"When I first see you again after such a long separation, it would be -very hard for me not to be indulgent," said Monsieur Cardonnet, pressing -his hand. -</p> - -<p> -"Poor Caillaud will not be dismissed?" queried Emile, embracing his -father. -</p> - -<p> -"No, on condition that you never meddle with the affairs of the -municipality." -</p> - -<p> -"And you will not have poor Jean arrested?" -</p> - -<p> -"I have no answer to make to such a question; I had too much confidence -in you, Emile; I see that we do not think alike on certain subjects, and -until we are agreed, I shall not subject myself to discussions which do -not befit my rôle as head of the family. Let that suffice. Good-night, -my son! I have work to do." -</p> - -<p> -"Can not I help you? you have never believed me capable of sparing you -any fatigue!" -</p> - -<p> -"I hope that you will become so. But you don't know how to add yet." -</p> - -<p> -"Figures! always figures!" -</p> - -<p> -"Go to sleep; I will sit up and work, so that you may be rich some day!" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! am I not rich enough already?" thought Emile as he left the room. -"If, as my father has often and justly told me, wealth imposes vast -duties, why waste our lives creating for ourselves those duties which -may exceed our strength?" -</p> - -<p> -The following day was devoted to repairing in some degree the confusion -caused by the inundation. Monsieur Cardonnet, despite his strength of -character, was profoundly disturbed when he discovered at every step -some unforeseen damage in one or another of the innumerable details of -his undertaking; his workmen were demoralized. The water, which kept the -factory in operation and whose power it was yet impossible to control, -imparted an irregular movement to the machinery, increasing in force as -it struggled to escape over the dams. The proprietor was grave and -thoughtful; he was secretly annoyed on account of the lack of presence -of mind in the men he employed, who seemed to him more machine-like than -the machinery. He had accustomed them to passive, blind obedience, and -he realized that, at critical moments, when the will of a single man -becomes insufficient, slaves are the worst servants who can be found. He -did not call upon Emile to assist him; on the contrary, whenever the -young man came and offered his services, he put him aside on various -pretexts, as if he were really distrustful of him. This method of -punishing him was the most mortifying one to an impulsive, generous -heart. -</p> - -<p> -Emile tried to find consolation with his mother; but good Madame -Cardonnet was totally lacking in energy, and the ennui which the -constant prostration and, as it were, stupor of her mental faculties -caused all her friends, became in her son's case an unconquerable -feeling of depression, when she tried to divert and entertain him. She -too treated him like a child, and by her manifestations of affection -arrived at the same galling result as her husband. Lacking sufficient -strength of mind to sound the abyss that lay between the two men, and -yet possessing sufficient intelligence to realize its existence, she -turned from it with terror, and strove to play on the brink with her -son, as if it were possible to deceive herself. -</p> - -<p> -She took him through the house and the gardens, making a thousand -foolish observations and trying to prove to him that she was unhappy -because the river had overflowed. -</p> - -<p> -"If you had come a day sooner," she said, "you would have seen how -lovely and neat and well-kept everything was! I looked forward to having -your coffee served in a pretty clump of jasmine that stood on the edge -of the terrace yonder; but alas! there's no trace of it now: the very -ground has been carried away, and the water has given us this nasty -black mud and all these stones in exchange." -</p> - -<p> -"Cheer up, dear mother," said Emile, "we shall soon give it all back to -you; if father's workmen haven't time, I will be your gardener. You will -tell me how it was all arranged; indeed I saw it; it was like a lovely -dream. I had an opportunity to admire your enchanted gardens, your -lovely flowers from the top of the hill, opposite here; and in an -instant they were ruined and destroyed before my eyes; but this damage -can all be repaired: don't grieve so; others are more to be pitied!" -</p> - -<p> -"And when I think that you were nearly carried away yourself by that -hateful stream, which I detest now! O my child! I deplore the day that -your father conceived the idea of settling here. We were overflowed more -than once during the winter, and he had to begin his work all over -again. This affects him and injures him more than he is willing to -admit. His temper is becoming soured, and his health will suffer in the -end. And all on account of this river!" -</p> - -<p> -"But don't you think that this new building and this damp air are bad -for your own health, mother?" -</p> - -<p> -"I don't know at all, my child. I consoled myself for everything with my -flowers and the hope of seeing you again. But here you are, and you have -come to a bog, a sewer, when I had looked forward to seeing you walk on -a carpet of flowers and turf as you smoked your cigar and read! Oh! this -cursed river!" -</p> - -<p> -When night came, Emile discovered that the day had seemed immeasurably -long to him, hearing the river cursed by everybody and in all imaginable -tones. His father alone continued to say that it was nothing at all, and -that six feet more of bank would bring the brook to its senses once for -all; but his pale face and his clenched teeth, when he spoke, denoted an -internal passion more painful to see than all the ejaculations of the -others to hear. -</p> - -<p> -The dinner was dull and cold. Monsieur Cardonnet was interrupted and -left the table a score of times to give orders; and as Madame Cardonnet -treated him with boundless respect, the dishes were carried out to be -kept hot and brought back overdone: he declared that they were -detestable; his wife turned pale and red in turn, went herself to the -kitchen, took innumerable pains, being torn between the desire to wait -for her husband and the desire not to keep her son waiting, who decided -that dinner was a very bad and very tedious meal in that wealthy -household. -</p> - -<p> -They left the table so late, and the fords were still so dangerous in -the darkness, that Emile was compelled to abandon the visit to -Châteaubrun which he had planned. He had described his reception there. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! I would go and call there to thank them!" cried Madame Cardonnet. -But her husband added: "You may as well do nothing of the kind. I don't -care to have you draw me into the society of that old drunkard, who -lives on equal terms with the peasants, and who would get tipsy in my -kitchen with my workmen." -</p> - -<p> -"His daughter is a charming girl," said Madame Cardonnet timidly. -</p> - -<p> -"His daughter!" retorted the master scornfully. "What daughter! the one -he had by his maidservant?" -</p> - -<p> -"He has acknowledged her." -</p> - -<p> -"He did well, for old Janille would have been sadly embarrassed to -acknowledge the child's father! Whether she's charming or not, I hope -that Emile won't take such a journey to-night. It's a dark night and the -roads are in bad condition." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh no! he won't go to-night," cried Madame Cardonnet; "my dear boy will -not cause me such anxiety. To-morrow, at daybreak, if the river has -returned to its usual limits, will be all right." -</p> - -<p> -"To-morrow then," said Emile, sorely vexed, but yielding to his mother; -"for it is very certain that I owe them a call to thank them for the -cordial hospitality I received." -</p> - -<p> -"You certainly do," said Monsieur Cardonnet, "but that, I trust, will be -the extent of your relations with that family, with whom it does not -suit me to associate. Don't make your visit too long: to-morrow evening -I propose to talk with you, Emile." -</p> - -<p> -At daybreak on the following morning, before his parents had risen, -Emile ordered his horse saddled, and riding across the still disturbed -and angry stream, started off at a gallop on the road to Châteaubrun. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap08"></a></h4> - -<h4>VIII -<br /><br /> -GILBERTE</h4> - -<p> -The weather was superb and the sun was rising when Emile found himself -opposite Châteaubrun. That ruin, which had seemed to him so -awe-inspiring by the glare of the lightning-flashes, bore now an -appearance of majesty and splendor which triumphed over the ravages of -time and the despoiler. The morning sunbeams bathed it in a rosy-white -glow and the vegetation with which it was covered bloomed -coquettishly—a fitting garment to be the virginal shroud of so noble -a monument. -</p> - -<p> -There are in reality few châteaux with entrances so majestically -disposed and so commandingly situated as that of Châteaubrun. The -square structure which contained the gateway and the ogive peristyle is -of a beautiful design; the hewn stone used in the arch and in the frame -of the former portcullis is of imperishable whiteness. The façade of -the château stands at the top of the knoll, covered with turf and -flowers but built on the solid rock which ends in a precipice, at the -foot of which flows a torrential stream. The trees, rocks and patches of -greensward, scattered without order or regularity over these steep -slopes, have a natural charm which the creations of art could never -surpass. In the other direction the view is more extensive and more -grand: the Creuse, crossed diagonally by two dams, forms, among the -fields and the willows, two gentle and melodious waterfalls in its -lovely stream, sometimes so placid, sometimes so frantic in its course, -but everywhere clear as crystal and everywhere bordered by enchanting -landscapes and picturesque ruins. From the top of the large tower of the -château the eye can follow it as it winds in and out among the steep -cliffs and glides like a streak of quicksilver over the dark verdure and -among the rocks covered with pink heather. -</p> - -<p> -When Emile had crossed the bridge which passes over enormous ditches -partly filled, their banks covered with tufts of grass and flowering -brambles, he observed with pleasure the cleanliness of that vast natural -terrace and all the approaches to the ruin, due to the recent downpour -of rain. All the fragments of plaster had been washed away and all the -scattered pieces of wood, and you would have said that some gigantic -fairy had carefully washed the paths and the old walls, screened the -gravel and cleared the passage of all the rubbish of demolition which -the châtelain would never have been able to have removed. The flood, -which had marred, spoiled, destroyed all the beauty of the new Cardonnet -house, had served to clean and renovate the despoiled monument of -Châteaubrun. Its immovable old walls defied the centuries and the -tempest, and the elevated site they occupied seemed destined to dominate -all the transitory works of later generations. -</p> - -<p> -Although he was proud, as befitted a descendant of the ancient -bourgeoisie, that intelligent, revengeful, wilful race, which has made -such a glorious record in history and which would still be so exalted if -it had held out its hand to the people instead of trampling them under -foot, Emile was impressed by the majestic aspect which that feudal abode -retained amid its ruins, and he was conscious of a thrill of respectful -pity as he entered—he, a rich and powerful plebeian—that domain -where only the pride of a great name was left to contend against the real -superiority of his position. This generous compassion was all the easier -to entertain because there was nothing in the feelings and habits of the -châtelain either to invite it or to repel it. The excellent Antoine, -who was occupied in trimming fruit trees at the entrance to his garden, -placid, unconcerned and amiable, greeted him with a fatherly air, ran to -meet him and said with a smile: -</p> - -<p> -"Welcome, once more, my dear Monsieur Emile; for I know who you are now, -and I am very glad to know you. Upon my word your face took my fancy at -the first glance, and since you overthrew the prejudices that Jean tried -to instill in me against your father, I feel that it will be pleasant to -me to see you often in my ruins. Come with me first of all to the -stable, and I will help you to fasten your horse, for Monsieur Charasson -is busy grafting rose-bushes with my daughter and we mustn't interrupt -the little one in such an important occupation. You will breakfast with -me this time; for we owe you a meal that we stole from you the other -day." -</p> - -<p> -"I did not come to cause you more trouble, my generous host," said -Emile, pressing with an irresistible impulse of friendliness the country -gentleman's broad callous hand. "I wished first of all to thank you for -your kindness to me, and in the second place to meet a man who is your -friend and my own, and with whom I made an appointment for last -evening." -</p> - -<p> -"I know, I know about that," said Monsieur Antoine, putting his finger -to his lips: "he told me the whole story. But he exaggerated his -grievances against your father, as usual. We will talk about that later, -however, and I have to thank you, on my own account, for your interest -in him. He went away at daybreak, and I don't know if he will be able to -return to-day, for he is more hotly pursued than ever; but I am sure -that his affairs will soon take a turn for the better, thanks to you. -You must tell me what you finally obtained from your father in the -direction of my poor friend's safety and satisfaction. I am authorized -to listen to you and to reply to you, for I have full powers to arrange -the terms of pacification; I am sure that any terms that pass through -your mouth will be honorable! But the matter is not so pressing that you -cannot breakfast with us, and I tell you frankly that I will not begin -negotiations on an empty stomach. Let us begin by feeding your horse, -for animals don't know how to ask for what they want, and we ought to -look out for them before we look out for ourselves, lest we forget them. -Look you, Janille! bring your apron full of oats, for this noble beast -is in the habit of eating them every day I am sure, and I want him to -neigh in token of good-will every time he passes my gate; indeed I want -him to come in in spite of his master, if he happens to forget me." -</p> - -<p> -Janille, notwithstanding the parsimonious economy that guided all her -actions, unhesitatingly brought a small quantity of oats which she kept -in reserve for great occasions. She was of the opinion that they were a -useless luxury; but she would have sold her last gown for the honor of -her master's house, and on this occasion she said to herself with -generous shrewdness that the present Emile had made her at their last -interview and the one he would not fail to make her to-day would be more -than enough to feed his horse sumptuously as often as he chose to come. -</p> - -<p> -"Eat, my boy, eat," she said, patting the horse with an air which she -strove to render manly and knowing; then, taking a handful of straw, she -set about rubbing him down. -</p> - -<p> -"Hold, Dame Janille," cried Emile, taking the straw from her hands, "I -will do that myself." -</p> - -<p> -"Pray, do you think I wouldn't do it as well as a man?" said the -omni-competent little woman. "Never fear, monsieur, I am as good in the -stable as in the pantry and the laundry; and if I didn't pay my visit to -the hay-rack and the harness-room every day, that little rattle-brain -<i>jockey</i> would never keep monsieur le comte's mare in decent -condition. See how clean and fat she is, poor old <i>Lanterne</i>! She -isn't handsome, monsieur, but she's good; she's like everything else -here except my child, who is handsome and good too." -</p> - -<p> -"Your child!" said Emile, suddenly remembering a fact which deprived -Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun's image of something of its poetic charm. -"You have a child here? I have not seen her." -</p> - -<p> -"Fie, monsieur! what are you saying?" cried Janille, her pale and -glistening cheeks mantling with a modest blush, while Monsieur Antoine -smiled with some embarrassment. "Apparently you are not aware that I am -unmarried." -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me," said Emile, "I have so recently come into this neighborhood -that I am likely to make many absurd mistakes. I thought that you were -married or a widow." -</p> - -<p> -"It is true that at my age I might have buried several husbands," -rejoined Janille; "for I have not lacked opportunities. But I have -always had a dislike for marriage, because I like to do as I choose. -When I say <i>our child</i>, it's on account of my affection for a child -whom I saw born, as you might say, for I had her with me when she was -being weaned, and monsieur le comte allows me to treat his daughter as -if she belonged to me, which doesn't take away any of the respect I owe -her. But if you had seen mademoiselle, you would have noticed that she -no more looks like me than she does like you, and that she has only -noble blood in her veins. <i>Jour de Dieu</i>! if I had such a child, -where could I have got her? I should be so proud of her, that I'd tell -everybody, even if it made people speak ill of me. Ha! ha! you are -laughing, are you, Monsieur Antoine? laugh as much as you choose; I am -fifteen years older than you, and evil tongues have nothing to say -against me." -</p> - -<p> -"Nonsense, Janille! nobody dreams of such a thing, so far as I know," -said Monsieur Châteaubrun, affecting an air of gayety. "That would be -doing me too much honor, and I am not conceited enough to boast of it. -As for my daughter, you certainly have the right to call her what you -please, for you have been more than a mother to her, if such a thing is -possible!" -</p> - -<p> -As he uttered these last words in a serious, agitated tone, there -suddenly came into the châtelain's eyes and voice, as it were a cloud, -and an accent of profound melancholy. But it was incompatible with his -character that any depressing sentiment should be of long duration, and -he soon recovered his usual serenity. -</p> - -<p> -"Go and prepare breakfast, young madcap," he said playfully to his -female majordomo; "I still have two trees to trim and Monsieur Emile -will come and keep me company." -</p> - -<p> -The garden of Châteaubrun had formerly been on a vast and magnificent -scale like the rest of the domain; but a large part of it had been sold -with the park, now transformed into a grain-field, and only a few acres -remained. The part nearest the château was lovely in the natural -disorder of its vegetation; the grass and the ornamental trees, left -undisturbed in their vagabond growth, revealed here and there a step or -two and a few fragments of wall, which had been summer-houses and -labyrinths in the days of Louis XV. There, doubtless, mythological -statues, urns, fountains and so-called rustic pavilions had repeated on -a small scale the dainty and affected ornamentation of the royal -palaces. But now it was all shapeless débris, covered with vines and -ivy, lovelier perhaps in the eyes of an artist or a poet than it had -been in the time of its magnificence. -</p> - -<p> -On a higher level, surrounded with a thorn-hedge to confine the two -goats that grazed at will in the former garden, was the orchard, filled -with venerable trees, whose gnarled and knotty branches, escaping from -the constraint of the pruning-knife and the espalier, assumed odd and -fantastic shapes. There was a curious interlacing of monstrous hydras -and dragons writhing under foot and over head, so that it was difficult -to walk there without tripping over huge roots or leaving one's hat -among the branches. -</p> - -<p> -"These are old servants of the family," said Monsieur Antoine, breaking -out a path for Emile through these patriarchs of the orchard; "they bear -only once in five or six years; but then, such magnificent, juicy fruit -comes from that rich, but sluggish sap! When I repurchased <i>my -estate</i>, everybody advised me to cut down these old stumps; my -daughter pleaded for them because of their great beauty, and it was a -good thing that I followed her advice, for they give a fine shade, and -although some of them yield mighty little in a year, we are sufficiently -supplied with fruit. See this huge apple-tree! It must have been here -when my father was born, and I'll wager that it will live to see my -grand-children. Wouldn't it be downright murder to cut down such a -patriarch? There's a quince-tree that bears only about a dozen quinces a -year. That's very few for its size; but they're as big as my head and as -yellow as pure gold; and such a flavor, monsieur! You'll see them in the -fall! See, here's a cherry-tree that has a very good crop. Yes, the old -fellows are still good for something, don't you think? It's only a -matter of knowing how to prune them properly. A theoretical -horticulturist would tell you that you must stop all this development of -branches, clip and prune, so as to force the sap to transform itself -into buds. But when a man is old himself, his own experience tells him -something different. When the fruit tree has lived fifty years with -everything sacrificed to increase its bearing qualities, you must give -it its liberty and hand it over for a few years to the care of nature. -Then it enters into its second childhood; it puts out new twigs and -leaves and that rests it. And when, instead of a mere clipped skeleton, -it has become a real tree again, it thanks you and rewards you by -bearing all you choose. For instance, here's a big branch that seems to -be of no use," he continued, opening his pruning-knife. "But I shall -respect it, for such an extensive amputation would weaken the tree. In -these old bodies the blood is not renewed fast enough for them to stand -operations which youth can undergo safely. It's the same with -vegetables. I am just going to take away the dead wood, scratch the -moss, and freshen up the extremities. Look, it's very simple." -</p> - -<p> -The artless gravity with which Monsieur de Châteaubrun immersed himself -in this innocent occupation touched Emile and presented a constant -contrast to what took place in his own home with regard to similar -matters. While a gardener with a large salary, and two assistants, -busily at work from morning till night, were not enough to keep his -mother's garden sufficiently neat and gorgeous, while she worried over a -rose bud that failed to bloom or an unsuccessful graft, Monsieur Antoine -was happy in the proud savagery of his <i>pupils</i>, and in his eyes -nothing was more fruitful and more generous than the will of nature. That -old-fashioned orchard, with its fine soft turf, cropped by the -hard-working teeth of a few patient sheep, allowed to wander there -without dog or keeper, with its hardy and capricious vegetation and its -gently undulating slopes, was a beautiful spot where no fear of jealous -surveillance interrupted one's musing. -</p> - -<p> -"Now that I have finished with my trees," said Monsieur Antoine, putting -on his jacket which he had hung on a branch, "let us go and find my -daughter and have breakfast. You haven't seen my daughter yet, I -believe? But she knows you already, for she is admitted to all of our -poor Jean's little secrets; indeed, he is so fond of her that he often -goes to her for advice instead of me. Go on, <i>Monsieur</i>," he said to -his dog, "go and tell your young mistress that breakfast time has come. Ah! -that makes you frisky, doesn't it? Your appetite tells you the time as -well as any watch." -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur Antoine's dog answered to the name of <i>Monsieur</i>, which he -gave him when he was pleased with him, and that of <i>Sacripant</i>, -which was his real name, but which Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun did not -like, so that his master only used it when hunting or by way of stern -rebuke, when it happened, as it very rarely did, that he committed some -impropriety, such as eating gluttonously, snoring when he was asleep, or -barking when Jean came over the wall in the middle of the night. The -faithful beast seemed to understand what his master said, for he began -to laugh, an expression of merriment very strongly marked in some dogs, -which gives to their faces an almost human look of intelligence and -kindliness. Then he ran ahead and disappeared down the slope toward the -stream. -</p> - -<p> -As they followed him, Monsieur Antoine called Emile's attention to the -beauty of the landscape that was gradually unfolded before them. "Our -Creuse also took it into its head to overflow the other day," he said; -"but all the hay along the banks had been housed, thanks to Jean's -advice, for he had warned us not to let it get overripe. Everybody -hereabout looks up to him as an oracle, and it's a fact that he has a -great faculty of observation and a prodigious memory. By the aid of -certain signs that nobody else notices, the color of the water or the -clouds, and especially the influence of the moon in the first fortnight -of spring, he can predict infallibly what sort of weather we are to hope -for or fear throughout the year. He would be an invaluable man for your -father, if he would listen to him. He is good at everything, and if I -were in Monsieur Cardonnet's position, nothing would deter me from -trying to make a friend of him; for it's of no use to think of making -him into an assiduous and well-disciplined servant. He has the nature of -the savage, who dies when he is brought into subjection. Jean Jappeloup -will never do anything good except of his own free will; but just get -hold of his heart, which is the biggest heart God ever made, and you -will see how, on important occasions, that man rises above what he seems -to be! Let Monsieur Cardonnet's establishment be endangered by freshet, -fire or any unforeseen catastrophe, and then he will tell you if Jean -Jappeloup's head and arms can be too dearly bought and sheltered!" -</p> - -<p> -Emile did not listen to the end of this eulogy with the interest which -it would have aroused in him under any other circumstances, for his ears -and his thoughts had taken another direction: a fresh young voice was -singing, or rather humming, at a little distance, one of those melodies, -charming in their melancholy and artless sweetness, which are peculiar -to the country. And the châtelain's daughter, the bachelor's child, -whose mother's name was a mystery to the whole neighborhood, appeared at -the corner of a clump of eglantine, as lovely as the loveliest -wild-flower of that charming solitude. -</p> - -<p> -Fair-haired and pale, and about eighteen or nineteen years of age, -Gilberte de Châteaubrun had, in her face as in her character, an -admixture of good sense beyond her years and her childish gayety, which -few young women would have retained in such a position as hers; for it -was impossible for her not to be aware of her poverty and of the future -of isolation and privations which was in store for her in that age of -cold calculation and selfishness. She seemed, however, to be no more -affected by it than her father, whom she resembled, feature by feature, -morally as well as physically; her fearless, amiable glance was marked -by the most touching serenity. She blushed deeply when she saw Emile, -but it was the effect of surprise rather than embarrassment; for she -came forward and bowed to him without awkwardness, without that -constrained and slyly-bashful air which has been too highly extolled in -young women, for lack of knowledge as to what it means. It did not occur -to Gilberte that her father's young guest would devour her with his -eyes, and that she should assume a dignified air in order to place a -curb upon the audacity of his secret desires. On the contrary, she -looked at him, to see if his face appealed to her as it did to her -father, and with ready perspicacity she observed that he was very -handsome without being in the least degree vain; that he followed the -fashions to a moderate extent; that he was neither stiff, nor arrogant, -nor presuming; in short, that his expressive face was instinct with -candor, courage and delicacy. Satisfied with this scrutiny, she at once -felt as much at her ease as if there were no stranger with her and her -father. -</p> - -<p> -"It is true," she said, completing Monsieur de Châteaubrun's sentence -of introduction, "my father was angry with you for running away the -other day without your breakfast. But I understood perfectly that you -were impatient to see your mother, especially in view of the flood when -everyone might well tremble for his friends. Luckily, Madame Cardonnet -didn't get very much of a fright, we were told, and you lost none of -your workmen." -</p> - -<p> -"Thank God, no one was killed at our place or in the village," Emile -replied. -</p> - -<p> -"But your property was damaged a good deal, wasn't it?" -</p> - -<p> -"That is the least interesting point, mademoiselle; the poor people -suffered much more in proportion. Luckily, my father has the power and -the inclination to repair many disasters." -</p> - -<p> -"They say especially—they say <i>also</i>," rejoined -the girl, blushing a little at the word that had escaped her -involuntarily—"that madame your mother is exceedingly kind and -charitable. I was talking about her just now with little Sylvain, whom -she overwhelmed with kindness." -</p> - -<p> -"My mother is perfect," said Emile; "but, on that occasion, it was quite -natural that she should manifest much good-will toward that poor child, -but for whom I should very likely have lost my life through imprudence. -I am impatient to see him and thank him." -</p> - -<p> -"Here he is," said Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun, pointing to Charasson, -who was coming behind her with a basket and a little jar of pitch. "We -have made more than fifty grafts, and there are some slips there that -Sylvain picked up in the upper part of your garden. They were in what -the gardener threw away after pruning his rose-bushes, and they will -give us some lovely flowers, if our grafting isn't too badly done. You -will look at it, won't you, father? for I am not very skilful yet." -</p> - -<p> -"Nonsense! you can graft better than I, with your little hands," said -Monsieur Antoine, putting his daughter's pretty fingers to his lips. -"That's woman's work, and requires more deftness than we men can manage. -But you ought to put on your gloves, little one! Those wretched thorns -have no respect for you." -</p> - -<p> -"What harm do they do, father?" said the girl with a smile. "I am no -princess, and I am glad of it. I am freer and happier." -</p> - -<p> -Emile did not lose a word of this last sentiment, although it was -uttered in an undertone for her father's ear only; and although he had -stepped forward to meet little Sylvain and bid him a friendly -good-morning. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! I am doing very well," replied the page; "I was only afraid of one -thing and that was that the mare might take cold after such a bath. But -by good luck she seems all the better for it, and I was very glad of the -chance to go into your little château and see the beautiful rooms and -your papa's servants, who wear red waistcoats and have gold lace on -their hats!" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! that is what turned his head more than anything," said Gilberte, -laughing heartily and disclosing two rows of little teeth as white and -close together as a necklace of pearls. "Monsieur Sylvain here is -overflowing with ambition: he has looked with profound scorn upon his -new jacket and his gray hat since he saw your gold-laced lackeys. If he -ever sees a <i>chasseur</i> with his cock's feather and epaulets, he'll go -mad over him." -</p> - -<p> -"Poor child!" said Emile, "if he knew how much freer, happier and -honorable his lot is than that of the bedizened lackeys in the large -cities!" -</p> - -<p> -"He has no suspicion that a livery is degrading," said the girl, "and he -is not aware that he is the luckiest servant that ever lived." -</p> - -<p> -"I don't complain," rejoined Sylvain; "everybody is kind to me here, -even Mademoiselle Janille, although she is a little watchful, and I -wouldn't like to leave these parts, because my father and mother are at -Cuzion, right near the house! But a bit of a costume, you know, makes a -man over!" -</p> - -<p> -"So you would like to be dressed better than your master, would you?" -said Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun. "Look at my father, how simple his -dress is. He would be very unhappy if he had to put on a black coat and -white gloves every day." -</p> - -<p> -"It is quite true that it would be hard for me to take up the habit -again," said Monsieur Antoine. "But do you hear, Janille, my children? -there she is shrieking to us to come to breakfast." -</p> - -<p> -<i>My children</i> was a general term by which Monsieur Antoine, when he -was in an amiable mood, often addressed Janille and Sylvain when they were -together, or the peasants in his vicinity. -</p> - -<p> -Gilberte therefore was amazed at the involuntary rapid glance which -young Cardonnet bestowed upon her. He had started, and a confused thrill -of longing, of dread and of pleasure had made his heart beat fast when -he heard himself joined with the lovely Gilberte in the châtelain's -paternal appellation. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap09"></a></h4> - -<h4>IX -<br /><br /> -MONSIEUR ANTOINE</h4> - -<p> -The breakfast on this occasion was a little more luxurious than was -customary at Châteaubrun. Janille had had time to make some -preparations. She had procured milk, honey and eggs, and had bravely -sacrificed two pullets which were still cackling when Emile appeared at -the gate, but which had been placed on the gridiron while they were -warm, and were very tender. -</p> - -<p> -The young man had found an appetite in the orchard, and the meal was -most enjoyable. The praise that he bestowed upon it delighted Janille, -who sat as usual opposite her master and did the honors of the table -with much distinction. -</p> - -<p> -She was especially touched by her guest's approbation of the wild -blackberries preserved by herself. -</p> - -<p> -"Little mother," said Gilberte, "you must send a specimen of your skill -with your receipt to Madame Cardonnet, and perhaps she will send us in -exchange some strawberry plants." -</p> - -<p> -"Those great garden strawberries aren't good for anything," replied -Janille; "they smell of nothing but water. I prefer our little mountain -strawberries, so red and so fragrant. But that won't hinder my giving -Monsieur Emile a big jar of my preserves for his mamma, if she will -accept them." -</p> - -<p> -"My mother wouldn't want to deprive you of them, my dear Mademoiselle -Janille," Emile replied, especially touched by Gilberte's frank -generosity, and mentally comparing the sincere kindly impulses of that -poor family with the disdainful manners of his own. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh," said Gilberte with a smile, "that won't be any deprivation to us. -We have plenty of the fruit and we can begin again. Blackberries are not -scarce with us, and if we don't look out, the bramble-bushes that bear -them will pierce our walls and grow in our rooms." -</p> - -<p> -"And whose fault is it," said Janille, "if we are overrun by brambles? -Didn't I want to cut them all down? I certainly could have done it all -without help from anybody if I had been let." -</p> - -<p> -"But I protected the poor brambles against you, dear little mother! They -make such pretty garlands around our ruins, that it would be a great -pity to destroy them." -</p> - -<p> -"I agree that they make a pretty effect," said Janille, "and that you -can't find such fine bushes or such big berries within ten leagues!" -</p> - -<p> -"You hear her, Monsieur Emile," said Monsieur Antoine. "That's Janille -all over! There's nothing beautiful, good, useful or salutary that is -not found at Châteaubrun. It's a saving grace." -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Pardine</i>! complain, monsieur," retorted Janille; "yes, I advise you -to complain of something!" -</p> - -<p> -"I complain of nothing," replied the honest nobleman; "God forbid! with -my daughter and you, what more could I ask for my happiness?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! yes; you talk like that when any one is listening to you, but if -our backs are turned, and a little fly stings you, you put on a look of -resignation altogether out of place in your position." -</p> - -<p> -"My position is what God has made it," rejoined Monsieur Antoine, with -melancholy gentleness. "If my daughter accepts it without regret, it is -not for you or me to reproach Providence." -</p> - -<p> -"I!" cried Gilberte; "what regret can I have, pray? Tell me, dear -father; for, so far as I am concerned, I should look in vain to find -anything on earth that I lack or that I can ask to have improved." -</p> - -<p> -"And I am of mademoiselle's opinion," said Emile, deeply touched by the -sincere and nobly affectionate expression on that lovely face; "I am -sure that she is happy, because——" -</p> - -<p> -"Because what? Tell us, Monsieur Cardonnet!" said Gilberte playfully; -"you were going to say why, and you stopped short." -</p> - -<p> -"I should be very sorry to seem to say anything insipid," replied Emile, -blushing almost as red as the girl; "but I was thinking that when one -had these three treasures, beauty, youth and amiability, one should be -happy, because one could be sure of being loved." -</p> - -<p> -"I am happier than you think, then," said Gilberte, putting one hand in -her father's and the other in Janille's; "for I am loved dearly without -reference to those other things. Whether I am beautiful and amiable, I -don't know; but I am sure that if I were ugly and cross, my father and -mother would love me just the same. My happiness therefore comes from -their goodness to me and not from any merit of my own." -</p> - -<p> -"We will permit you to believe, however," said Monsieur Antoine to -Emile, pressing his daughter to his heart, "that it comes partly from -one and partly from the other." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! Monsieur Antoine, see what you've done!" cried Janille; "more of -your absent-mindedness! You've made a mark with your egg on Gilberte's -sleeve." -</p> - -<p> -"That's nothing," said Monsieur Antoine; "I'll wash it out myself." -</p> - -<p> -"No! no! that would make it worse; you'd pour the whole carafe on it and -drown my girl. Come here, my child, and let me take out the stain. I -have a horror of stains! Wouldn't it be a pity to spoil this pretty new -dress?" -</p> - -<p> -Emile looked for the first time at Gilberte's costume. He had hitherto -paid no attention to aught save her graceful figure and the beauty of -her face. She wore a dress of grey drilling, quite new, but coarse, with -a little neckerchief, white as snow, about her neck. Gilberte noticed -his scrutiny, and, instead of being humiliated by it, seemed to take -some pride in saying that she liked her dress, that it was of good -material, that she could defy thorns and briers, and that, as Janille -chose it herself, nothing could be more agreeable to her to wear. -</p> - -<p> -"The dress is charming, in truth," said Emile; "my mother has one just -like it." -</p> - -<p> -That was not true; Emile, although naturally truthful, told this little -lie involuntarily. Gilberte was not deceived by it; but she was grateful -to him for the delicacy of his purpose. -</p> - -<p> -As for Janille, she was visibly flattered by this testimony to her good -taste, for she was almost as proud of that quality as of Gilberte's -beauty. -</p> - -<p> -"My daughter is no coquette," said she, "but I am for her. And what -would you say, Monsieur Antoine, if your child was not dressed genteelly -and becomingly as befits her rank in society?" -</p> - -<p> -"We have nothing to do with society, my dear Janille," said Monsieur -Antoine, "and I don't complain. Don't indulge in any useless illusions." -</p> - -<p> -"You have a disappointed air when you say that, Monsieur Antoine; for my -part, I tell you that rank can't be lost: but that's just like you; you -always throw the blade after the helve!" -</p> - -<p> -"I throw nothing at all," retorted the châtelain; "on the contrary, I -accept everything as it comes." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! you do!" said Janille, who always longed to quarrel with some one, -to keep her tongue and her lively pantomime in practice. "You are very -good, on my word, to accept such a fate as yours! Wouldn't any one say, -to hear you, that you had to have a deal of sense and philosophy for -that? Bah! you're no better than an ingrate!" -</p> - -<p> -"What's the matter with you, you cross-grained creature?" said Monsieur -Antoine. "I say again that everything is all right and that I am -consoled for everything." -</p> - -<p> -"Consoled! there you go again; consoled for what, if you please? Haven't -you always been the happiest of men?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, not always. My life has had its mixture of bitterness like every -man's; but why should I have been treated any better than so many others -who are as good as I am?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, other men are not so good as you are—I insist upon that, as I -also insist that you have always been treated better than any one. Yes, -monsieur, I'll prove to you, whenever you choose, that you were born -under a lucky star." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! you would please me exceedingly if you could really prove that," -said Monsieur Antoine with a smile. -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, I take you at your word, and I will begin. Monsieur -Cardonnet shall be judge and witness." -</p> - -<p> -"We will let her have her say, Monsieur Emile," said Monsieur Antoine. -"We have reached the dessert and there's nothing that will keep Janille -from chattering at this stage of the meal. She will say innumerable -foolish things, I warn you! But she is bright and enthusiastic. You -won't be bored listening to her." -</p> - -<p> -"In the first place," said Janille, bridling up in her determination to -justify this eulogium, "Monsieur was born Comte de Châteaubrun, which -is neither a bad name nor a trifling honor!" -</p> - -<p> -"The honor has no great significance to-day," said Monsieur de -Châteaubrun; "and as for the name my ancestors handed down to me, as I -have been able to do nothing to add to its splendor, I do not much -deserve to bear it." -</p> - -<p> -"Nonsense, monsieur, nonsense!" interposed Janille. "I know what you're -coming at, and I'll come at it myself. Let me talk. Monsieur comes into -the world here—in the loveliest country in the world—and he is -nursed by the prettiest and freshest village girl in the neighborhood, an -old friend of mine, although I was several years younger, honest Jean -Jappeloup's mother; he has always been as devoted to monsieur as the -foot is to the leg. He is in trouble now, but his troubles will soon -come to an end, I've no doubt!" -</p> - -<p> -"Thanks to you!" said Gilberte, looking at Emile; and with that -innocent, kindly glance she paid him for his compliment to her beauty -and her dress. -</p> - -<p> -"If you start on your usual parentheses," said Monsieur Antoine to -Janille, "we shall never finish." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, we will, monsieur," she replied. "I resume, as monsieur le curé -at Cuzion says at the beginning of his sermons. Monsieur was blessed -with an excellent constitution, and, moreover, he was the handsomest -child that ever was seen. In proof of that is the fact he became one of -the handsomest cavaliers in the province, as the ladies of all ranks -lost no time in discovering." -</p> - -<p> -"Go on, go on, Janille," interposed the châtelain, with a touch of -sadness in his gayety; "there's not much to be said on that subject." -</p> - -<p> -"Never fear," was her reply, "I'll say nothing that it isn't all right -to say. Monsieur was brought up in the country, in this old château, which -was great and fine in those days—and which is very comfortable to -live in to-day! Playing with the youngsters of his age and with little -Jean Jappeloup, his foster-brother, kept him in excellent health. Come, -monsieur, now complain of your health, and tell us if you know a man of -fifty more active and better preserved than you?" -</p> - -<p> -"That's all very well; but you don't say that, as I was born in a period -of civil commotion and revolution my early education was neglected." -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Pardieu</i>! monsieur, would you have liked to be born twenty years -earlier and be seventy to-day? That's a strange idea! You were born just -in time, since you still have a long while to live, thank God! As for -education, you lacked nothing; you were sent to school at Bourges, and -you worked very well there." -</p> - -<p> -"On the contrary, very ill. I had not been accustomed to working with my -mind. I fell asleep during the lessons; my memory had never had any -practice; I had more difficulty in learning the elements of things than -other lads in completing a full course of study." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, then you deserved more credit because you had more trouble. -At all events you knew enough to be a gentleman. You weren't intended -for a curé or a school-master. Did you need so much Greek and Latin? -When you came here in vacation you were an accomplished young man. No -one was more skilful than you in bodily exercises; you could bat your -ball over the high tower, and when you called your dogs your voice was -so loud that you could be heard at Cuzion." -</p> - -<p> -"All that doesn't show hard study," said Monsieur Antoine, laughing at -this panegyric. -</p> - -<p> -"When you were old enough to leave school, it was the time of the war -with the Austrians and Prussians and Russians. You fought well, for you -received several wounds." -</p> - -<p> -"Trifling ones," said Monsieur Antoine. -</p> - -<p> -"Thank God!" rejoined Janille. "Would you have liked to be crippled and -go on crutches! You gathered the laurel, and you returned covered with -glory and with not too many bruises." -</p> - -<p> -"No, no, Janille, very little glory, I assure you. I did my best; but -say what you will, I was born several years too late; my parents fought -too long against my desire to serve my country under the usurper, as -they called him. I had hardly made a start in the army when I had to -return home, <i>trailing my wing and dragging my foot</i>, in utter -consternation and despair at the disaster of Waterloo." -</p> - -<p> -"I agree, monsieur, that the fall of the Emperor was not a good thing -for you, and that you were generous enough to regret it, although that -man never behaved very well toward you. With the name you bore, he ought -to have made you a general at once, instead of paying no attention -whatever to you." -</p> - -<p> -"I presume," laughed Monsieur de Châteaubrun, "that his mind was -directed from that duty by other and more pressing affairs. However, you -agree, Janille, that my military career was nipped in the bud, and that, -thanks to my fine education, I was not very well fitted to start on any -other?" -</p> - -<p> -"You might very well have served under the Bourbons, but you wouldn't do -it." -</p> - -<p> -"I had the ideas of my generation. Perhaps I should still have them, if -it were all to be done again." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, monsieur, who could blame you for it? It was very honorable, -according to what people said in the province then, and no one but your -relations condemned you." -</p> - -<p> -"My relations were proud and inflexible in their legitimist opinions. -You cannot deny that they abandoned me to the disaster that threatened -me, and that they worried very little over the loss of my fortune." -</p> - -<p> -"You were even prouder than they, for you would never go on your knees -to them." -</p> - -<p> -"No, whether from recklessness or dignity, I never asked them for -assistance." -</p> - -<p> -"And you lost your fortune in a great lawsuit against your father's -estate; everybody knows that. But you only lost the case because you -chose to." -</p> - -<p> -"And it was the noblest and most honorable thing my father ever did in -his life," interposed Gilberte, with much warmth. -</p> - -<p> -"My children," said Monsieur Antoine, "you mustn't say that I lost the -case; I didn't allow it to come to trial." -</p> - -<p> -"To be sure, to be sure," said Janille; "for if you had, you would have -won it. There was only one opinion on that point." -</p> - -<p> -"But my father, recognizing that possession in fact is not possession of -right," said Gilberte, addressing Emile with animation, "refused to take -advantage of his position. You must know this story, Monsieur Cardonnet, -for my father would never dream of telling it to you, and you have so -recently arrived in the province that you cannot have heard it yet. My -grandfather had contracted debts of honor during my father's minority. -He died before circumstances enabled him or made it an urgent duty to -pay them. The claims of the creditors were of no value in law; but my -father, when he investigated his affairs, found a minute of one of these -claims among my grandfather's papers. He might have destroyed it and no -one would have known of its existence. On the contrary, he produced it -and sold all of the family property to pay a sacred debt. My father has -brought me up upon principles which do not permit me to think that he -did any more than his duty; but many wealthy people thought differently. -Some called him a fool and madman. I am very glad that, when you hear -certain upstarts say that Monsieur Antoine de Châteaubrun was ruined by -his own folly, which in their eyes is the greatest possible dishonor, -you will know what to think about my father's dissipation and -wrong-headedness." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! mademoiselle," cried Emile, overpowered by his emotion, "how -fortunate you are to be his daughter, and how I envy you this noble -poverty!" -</p> - -<p> -"Don't make me out a hero, my dear child," said Monsieur Antoine, -pressing Emile's hand. "There is always some truth at the bottom of the -judgments pronounced by men, even when they are harsh and unjust for the -most part. It is very certain that I was always a little extravagant, -that I understood nothing about domestic economy, or business, and that -I deserve less credit than another for sacrificing my fortune, because I -regretted it less." -</p> - -<p> -This modest apology inspired in Emile such a warm regard for Monsieur -Antoine, that he stooped over the hand which held his and put his lips -to it with a feeling of veneration with which Gilberte was not wholly -unconnected. Gilberte was more moved than she was prepared to be by this -sudden impulse on their young guest's part. She felt a tear trembling on -her eyelid, and lowered her eyes to hide it; she tried to assume a -serious bearing, and, suddenly carried away by an irresistible impulse -of the heart, she almost held out her own hand to the young man; but she -did not yield to this outburst of feeling and artlessly turned it aside -by rising to take Emile's plate and give him another, with the grace and -simplicity of a patriarch's daughter holding the pitcher to the -wayfarer's lips. -</p> - -<p> -Emile was surprised at first by this act of humble sympathy, so out of -harmony with the conventionalities of the society in which he had lived. -Then he understood it, and his breast was so agitated that he could find -no words to thank the fair hostess of Châteaubrun, his charming -servant. -</p> - -<p> -"After all this," continued Monsieur Antoine, who saw nothing but the -simplest courtesy in his daughter's action, "Janille must surely agree -that there has been a little misfortune in my life; for that lawsuit had -been going on for some time when I discovered the acknowledgment of his -debt that my father had left behind him, in the drawer of an old -abandoned desk. Until then I had not believed in the good faith of his -creditors. It seemed improbable that they could have been unfortunate -enough to lose their proofs, so I slept on both ears. My Gilberte was -born and I had no suspicion that she was doomed to share with me a -hand-to-mouth existence. The dear child's birth made the blow a little -more severe than it would otherwise have been to my natural -improvidence. Seeing that I was absolutely without resource, I resolved -to work for my living, and I had some hard moments at first." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, that is true," said Janille, "but you succeeded in -buckling down to work, and you soon recovered your good humor and your -open-hearted gayety, didn't you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Thanks to you, good Janille, for you did not desert me. We went to -Gargilesse to live with Jean Jappeloup, and the honest fellow found me -something to do." -</p> - -<p> -"What!" said Emile, "you have been a mechanic, monsieur le comte?" -</p> - -<p> -"To be sure, my young friend. I was carpenter's apprentice, journeyman -carpenter, and in a few years carpenter's assistant, and not more than -two years ago you could have seen me with a blouse on my back and a -hatchet over my shoulder, going out for my day's work with Jappeloup." -</p> - -<p> -"That is the reason, then," said Emile, sorely embarrassed, -"that——" He paused, not daring to finish. -</p> - -<p> -"That is the reason, yes, I understand," rejoined Monsieur Antoine; -"that is the reason that you have heard some one say: 'Old Antoine -degenerated terribly during his poverty; he lived with workingmen; he -was seen laughing and drinking with them in wineshops.' Well, that -requires a little explanation, and I will not make myself out any -stronger or purer than I am. According to the ideas of the nobles and -the rich bourgeois of the province, I should have done better doubtless to -remain melancholy and solemn, proudly crushed by my disgrace, working in -silence, sighing in secret, blushing to receive wages,—I who had had -wage-earners under my orders—and taking no part on Sundays in the -merrymaking of the mechanics who permitted me to work beside them during -the week. Well, I do not know if it would have been better so, but, I -confess, that it would have been entirely foreign to my character. I am -so constituted that it is impossible for me to be affected and horrified -for long by anything under heaven. I had been brought up with Jappeloup -and other peasant children of my own age. I had treated them as my -equals in our childish games. Since then I had never played the master -or the nobleman with them. They received me with open arms in my -distress, and offered me their houses, their bread, their advice, their -tools and their custom. How could I have helped being fond of them? How -could their society seem to me to be unworthy of me? How could I help -sharing my week's wages with them on Sunday? Bah! on the contrary, I -suddenly found joy and pleasure in doing it, as a compensation for my -hard work. Their songs, their meetings, under the trellised arbor where -the holly-branch of the wineshop waved in the wind, their frank -familiarity with me, and my indissoluble friendship with dear Jean, my -foster-brother, my master in carpentry, my comforter, made a new life -for me, which I could not but find very pleasant, especially when I had -succeeded in acquiring enough skill at my trade not to be a burden to -them." -</p> - -<p> -"It is true enough that you worked hard," said Janille, "and that you -were soon a very great help to poor Jean. Ah! I remember his fits of -anger with you at the beginning, for he was never patient, the dear man, -and you were so awkward! Really, Monsieur Emile, you'd have laughed to -hear Jean swear after Monsieur le Comte, as he would after any little -apprentice. And then, after it was over, they would make it up and shake -hands, so that I used to feel like crying. But as we have actually set -about telling you our whole history, instead of just quarrelling among -ourselves, as I intended to do at first, I propose to tell you the rest -of it; for if we let Monsieur Antoine do it, he'll never let me put in a -word." -</p> - -<p> -"Go on, Janille, go on!" cried Monsieur Antoine; "I ask your pardon for -having kept you from talking so long!" -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap10"></a></h4> - -<h4>X -<br /><br /> -A GOOD ACTION</h4> - -<p> -"According to Monsieur Antoine," said Janille, "we were entirely without -means; but if that was the case, it didn't last long. After a few years, -when the Châteaubrun estate had been sold in small lots, the debts -paid, and all that rubbish cleared away, we found that monsieur still -had a little capital left, which, if well invested, would bring him in -about twelve hundred francs a year. Oh! that wasn't to be despised. But, -with monsieur's kindness of heart and generosity, it would probably have -disappeared a little fast. Then it was that my dear Janille, who is -talking to you now, saw that she must take the reins into her hands. It -was she who looked after the investment of the funds, and she didn't -manage so very badly. Then what did she say to monsieur? Do you -remember, monsieur, what I said to you at that time?" -</p> - -<p> -"I remember very well, Janille, for you talked very wisely. Repeat it -yourself." -</p> - -<p> -"I said to you: 'Well, Monsieur Antoine, there's enough for you to live -on with your arms folded. But that would be a burden to you, you've -taken a liking to work. You are still young and well, so you can work -for some years to come. You have a daughter, a real treasure, who bids -fair to be as bright as she is pretty; you must think about giving her -an education. We will take her to Paris, put her at boarding-school, and -you will be a carpenter a few years longer.' Monsieur Antoine asked -nothing better. Oh! I must do him the justice to say that he didn't -complain of his work; but, by associating with these peasants, his ideas -had become a little too countrified to suit me. He said that as he was -destined to become a workingman in the country, it would be wiser to -bring up his daughter in accordance with his position in life, to make -an honest village lass of her, to teach her to read, sew, spin and keep -house; but deuce take me if I looked at it in that light! Could I allow -Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun to fall below her rank and not be brought -up like the nobly-born maid she is? Monsieur yielded, and our Gilberte -was educated at Paris, and nothing was spared to give her wit and -talents. She made the most of it like a little angel, and when she was -about seventeen years old I says one day to monsieur: 'I say, Monsieur -Antoine, don't you want to come and take a little walk with me over -Châteaubrun way?' Monsieur, let me bring him here, but, when we were in -the middle of the ruins, he got very depressed. -</p> - -<p> -"'Why did you bring me here, Janille?' he says with a deep sigh. 'I knew -they had destroyed my poor family nest; I had seen that from a distance, -but I have never had the heart to come in and see all this ruin close. I -hadn't any feeling of pride about the château, but I was fond of it -because I passed my youthful years here; because I was happy here and my -parents died here. If anyone had bought it to live in, if I could see it -in good repair and well kept, I should be half-consoled, for we love things -as we ought to love persons—a little more on their account than -our own. But what pleasure can it give you to show me what speculators -have done to the house of my ancestors?' -</p> - -<p> -"'Monsieur,' I answered, 'it was necessary for us to come and see what -the damage is, so that we can tell how much we have to spend, and how we -must go to work to repair it. Just imagine that your estate was ruined -by a hurricane in one night; with such a character as I know yours to -be, instead of crying over it, you would go right to work to rebuild -it.' -</p> - -<p> -"'But there's no rhyme nor reason in your comparison,' says Monsieur -Antoine. 'I haven't the means to repair the château, and even if I had -I should be no better off, for even this carcass no longer belongs to -me.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Wait a bit,' says I. 'How much did they ask you when you offered to -buy back just the house and the little piece of land next to it, the -orchard, the garden, the hill, and the little meadow on the bank of the -river?' -</p> - -<p> -"'I didn't ask it seriously, Janille, but simply to see how low the -value of a fine estate had fallen. They told me ten thousand francs for -what was left, and I retired, knowing well enough that ten thousand -francs and I would never pass through the same door.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Well, monsieur,' says I, 'it's no longer a matter of ten thousand -francs, but only four thousand at this moment. They thought that you -couldn't resist the temptation, and that you would spend what capital -you had left in re-establishing yourself in the ruins of your domain. -That's why they fixed the price at ten thousand francs on a place that -isn't worth the half of it, and that no one but you would ever want; but -since you gave up buying it back they have grown more modest. I have -been bargaining secretly, without your knowledge and under an assumed -name. Say the word, and to-morrow you shall be lord of Châteaubrun.' -</p> - -<p> -"'But what good would it do me, my dear Janille? What could I do with -this pile of stone and these three or four fragments of wall with no -doors or windows?'" -</p> - -<p> -"With that I pointed out to monsieur that the square pavilion was still -in very good condition, that the arches were well preserved, the rooms -perfectly dry inside, and that we should only have to cover it with -tiles, repair the woodwork and furnish it simply—a matter of five -hundred francs at most. At that monsieur cried out: 'Don't put such -ideas into my head, Janille; I should think you were trying to disgust -me with my present condition and feed me on illusions. I haven't ten, or -five, or four thousand francs, and it would require ten more years of -privation to save them. We had much better remain as we are.'" -</p> - -<p> -"'And how do you know, monsieur,' says I, 'that you haven't six thousand -francs, yes, sixty-five hundred? Do you know how much you have? I'll -wager that you know nothing about it.'" -</p> - -<p> -At this point Monsieur Antoine interrupted Janille. "It is true," he -said, "that I knew nothing about it; that I know nothing about it yet; -and that I never shall know how, with an income of twelve hundred -francs, after paying for my daughter's schooling at Paris for six years, -and living at Gargilesse, as a workingman to be sure, but very -comfortably none the less, in a little house which Janille managed -herself—and, I may add that, although she held the purse-strings, she -allowed me to spend two or three francs on Sundays with my friends. No, -I shall never understand how I could have saved six thousand francs! As -it is altogether impossible, I am forced to explain this miracle to -Monsieur Emile Cardonnet, unless he has already guessed its solution." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, monsieur le comte, I have guessed it," said Emile; "Mademoiselle -Janille had saved money in your service when you were rich, or else she -had some money of her own, and it was she who——" -</p> - -<p> -"No, monsieur," interposed Janille hastily, "nothing of the sort; you -forget that monsieur earned his living at his carpentering, and you can -well believe that mademoiselle's boarding-school wasn't one of the -dearest in Paris, although it was a good school, I flatter myself." -</p> - -<p> -"Nonsense," said Gilberte, kissing her; "you lie very coolly, Mère -Janille; but you will never make my father and me believe that -Châteaubrun was not bought with your money, that it does not really -belong to you, and that we are not living in your house, although you -bought it in our name." -</p> - -<p> -"Not at all, not at all, mademoiselle," replied the noble-hearted -Janille, that strange little woman who liked to boast on every occasion -and to make herself heard on every subject, but who, to maintain the -dignity of her masters' rank, of which she was more careful than they -were themselves, energetically denied the noblest action of her whole -life;—"not at all, I tell you, I had nothing to do with it. Is it my -fault if your papa doesn't know how to count five and if you are as -careless as he? Bah! A lot you know about your receipts and your -expenses, both of you! Leave you to yourselves, and we'll see what will -become of you! I tell you that you are in your own house, and that if -there is anything for me to boast of, it is that I managed your affairs -with so much good sense and economy that monsieur found himself one fine -morning richer than he thought. -</p> - -<p> -"Now," continued Janille, "I will go on and finish our story for -Monsieur Emile. We bought back the château. Jean Jappeloup and Monsieur -Antoine themselves did all the carpentering and cabinet making in this -pavilion, and while they were finishing the work, which lasted hardly -six months, I went to Paris to fetch our child, and happy and proud I -was to bring her back to the château of her ancestors, which she hardly -remembered that she had lived in when she was a baby, poor child! Since -then we have been very happy here, and when I hear Monsieur Antoine -complain of anything, I can't help blaming him; for what man was ever -more blessed than he after all?" -</p> - -<p> -"But I don't complain of anything," rejoined Monsieur Antoine, "and your -reproach is unjust." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! you sometimes look as if you'd like to say that you don't cut as -good a figure here as you used to do, and in that you are wrong. Come, -were you really any richer when you had thirty thousand francs a year? -People robbed you and cheated you and you knew nothing about it. To-day -you have the necessaries of life, and you need have no fear of thieves; -everybody knows that you have no rolls of gold pieces hidden in your -straw bed. You had ten servants, each a greater glutton and sot and -sluggard than the rest; Parisian servants, that tells the whole story. -To-day you have Monsieur Sylvain Charasson, also a glutton and a -sluggard, I agree." As she said this, Janille raised her voice, so that -Sylvain could hear in the kitchen; then added in a lower tone: "But his -stupidity makes you laugh, and when he breaks something, you are not -sorry to find that you're not the most awkward member of the household. -You had ten horses, always badly kept, and unfit to be used because they -weren't properly taken care of; to-day you have your old <i>Lanterne</i>, -the best animal in the world, always well-groomed, full of courage and -sober—you should see her eat dry leaves and rushes, just like a goat! -And speaking of goats, where will you find finer ones? Just like two -deer, excellent milkers, and always amusing you with their pretty -antics, climbing over the ruins for your evening entertainment! And what -about your cellar? You had one that was well supplied, but your rascally -flunkeys baptized themselves with wine as they pleased, and you drank -only what was left. Now you drink your light native wine, which you have -always liked, and which is healthy and refreshing. When I take a hand in -making it, it's as clear as water from the rock and doesn't heat your -stomach. And aren't you satisfied with your clothes? You used to have a -wardrobe that was eaten up by the moths, and your waistcoats went out of -fashion before you had worn them; for you never cared for dress. To-day -you have just what you need to keep cool in summer and warm in winter; -the village tailor fits you beautifully and doesn't make your clothes -too tight at the joints. Come, monsieur, confess that everything is for -the best, that you never had less care, and that you are the luckiest of -men; for I have said nothing yet of the privilege of having a lovely -daughter who is happy with you——-" -</p> - -<p> -"And an incomparable Janille who is intent wholly upon other people's -happiness!" cried Monsieur Antoine with deep emotion mingled with -gayety. "Well! you are right, Janille, and I was persuaded of it -beforehand. <i>Vive Dieu</i>! you insult me by doubting it, for I feel -that I am in very truth the spoiled child of Providence, and except for a -secret trouble, of which you are well aware and which you did well not -to mention, there is absolutely nothing which I would change. I drink to -your health, Janille! you have talked like a book! Your health too, -Monsieur Emile! You are young and rich, you are well educated and a -thinking man; therefore you have no reason to envy other people; but I -wish you as pleasant an old age as mine and as tender affections in your -heart. But we have talked enough of ourselves," he added, putting his -glass on the table, "and we mustn't forget our other friends. Let us -talk about the best of them all, after Janille; let us talk about old -Jean Jappeloup and his affairs." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, let us talk about him!" cried a loud voice which made everybody -start; and Monsieur Antoine, turning his head, saw Jean Jappeloup in the -doorway. -</p> - -<p> -"What! Jean in broad daylight!" he cried, in utter amazement. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, I have come in broad daylight and through the main gateway too," -replied the carpenter wiping his forehead. "Oh! but I have run! Give me -a glass of wine, Mère Janille, for I am choked with the heat." -</p> - -<p> -"Poor Jean!" cried Gilberte, running to the door to close it; "were you -pursued? We'll see about hiding you. Perhaps they will come and look for -you here." -</p> - -<p> -"No, no," said Jean, "no, my good girl, leave the doors open, nobody is -following me. I bring you good news and that is why I hurried so. I am -free, I am happy, I am saved!" -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Mon Dieu</i>!" cried Gilberte, taking the old peasant's dusty head in -her lovely hands, "so my prayer has been granted! I prayed so earnestly -for you last night!" -</p> - -<p> -"Dear soul from heaven, you brought me good luck," replied Jean, who was -quite unable to return the caresses and answer the questions of Antoine -and Janille. -</p> - -<p> -"But tell us who has given you back your liberty and peace of mind?" -continued Gilberte, when the carpenter had swallowed a large glassful of -wine. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! some one whom you would never guess, who became my surety at once, -and will pay my fines. Come, I give you a hundred guesses." -</p> - -<p> -"Perhaps it's the curé of Cuzion?" said Janille. "He's such a good man, -although his sermons are a little confused! but he isn't rich enough." -</p> - -<p> -"Who do you think it is, Gilberte?" said Jean. -</p> - -<p> -"I would guess the good curé's sister, Madame Rose, who has such a big -heart—except that she is no richer than her brother." -</p> - -<p> -"No, no! that wouldn't be possible! Your turn, Monsieur Antoine." -</p> - -<p> -"I can't imagine," replied the châtelain. "Tell us quickly; you're -torturing us." -</p> - -<p> -"But I will wager that I have guessed," said Emile; "I guess my father! -for I have talked with him, and I know that he intended——" -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me, young man," said the carpenter, interrupting him; "I don't -know what your father intended, but I know well enough what I never -intend, and that is to owe him anything, to accept any favor from the -man who began by having me put in prison to force me to accept his -pretended benefactions and his hard terms. Thanks! I esteem you, but as -to your father, let's say no more about him; let's never talk about him -again. Come, come, haven't any of you guessed? Well, what would you say -if I should tell you it was Monsieur de Boisguilbault?" -</p> - -<p> -That name, which Emile had heard before, for somebody had mentioned it -in his presence at Gargilesse as that of one of the richest landed -proprietors in the neighborhood, produced the effect of an electric -shock on the inhabitants of Châteaubrun: Gilberte jumped; Antoine and -Janille stared at each other, unable to utter a word. -</p> - -<p> -"That surprises you a little, does it?" continued the carpenter. -</p> - -<p> -"It seems impossible," replied Janille. "Are you joking? Monsieur de -Boisguilbault, the enemy of all of us?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why say so?" said Monsieur Antoine. "That man is nobody's enemy -intentionally; he has always done good, never harm." -</p> - -<p> -"For my part," said Gilberte, "I was sure that he was capable of a good -action. What did I tell you, dear little mother? he's an unhappy man, -anybody can see that on his face; but——" -</p> - -<p> -"But you don't know him," rejoined Janille, "and you can't say anything -about him. Come, Jean, tell us by what miracle you succeeded in -approaching that cold, stern, haughty man." -</p> - -<p> -"Chance, or rather the good Lord did it all," replied the carpenter. "I -was going through the little wood that skirts his park, and is separated -from it at that point only by a hedge and a narrow ditch. I glanced over -the hedge to see how beautiful and neat and well-kept everything was. I -was thinking, a little sadly, that I had once been perfectly at home in -that park and that château; that I had worked there for twenty years, -and that I had been fond of monsieur le marquis, although he was never -very amiable. Still he had his kind days in those times; and yet, for -another twenty years I hadn't put my foot on his land, and I shouldn't -dare to ask him for shelter after what had taken place between him and -me. -</p> - -<p> -"As I was thinking of all this, I heard two horses trotting, and the -next moment I saw two gendarmes riding straight toward me. They hadn't -seen me then; but if I crossed their road they couldn't fail to see me, -and they knew my face so well! I had no time for reflection. I plunged -into the hedge, ran through it like a fox, and found myself in -Boisguilbault park, where I quietly lay down against the fence, while my -friends the gendarmes rode by without so much as turning their heads in -my direction. When they had gone some little distance, I stood up and -was preparing to go out as I had come, when suddenly I felt a hand on my -shoulder and turned, to find myself face to face with Monsieur de -Boisguilbault, who said to me with his sad face and his sepulchral -voice: 'What are you doing here?' -</p> - -<p> -"'Faith, as you see, monsieur le marquis, I am hiding.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Why are you hiding?' -</p> - -<p> -"'Because there are gendarmes within two yards.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Have you committed a crime, then?' -</p> - -<p> -"'Yes, I snared two rabbits and killed a hare.' -</p> - -<p> -"Thereupon, as I saw that he would not ask me many more questions, I -hastily told him my misfortunes in as few words as possible, for you -know that he's a man who always has something in his mind different from -what you're talking about. You never know whether he hears you; he -always looks as if he wasn't bothering himself to listen to you. It's -many a year since I saw him close, for he lives shut up in his park like -a mole in its hole, and I no longer have access to his house. He seemed -to me to have grown very old and very feeble, although he is still as -straight as a poplar; but he is so thin you can see through him, and his -beard is as white as an old goat's. It made me feel badly, and yet, I -was even more vexed than sorry when I saw him all the time I was talking -to him walk along digging up all the weeds in the path with the little -hoe he always has in his hand. I followed him step by step, talking all -the time, telling him about my troubles, not to beg for his help—I -never thought of such a thing—but to see if he still had a little -friendship for me. -</p> - -<p> -"At last he turned toward me and said, without looking at me: 'Why -didn't you ask some rich man at your village to be your surety?' -</p> - -<p> -"'The devil!' said I; 'there aren't many rich men in Gargilesse.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Isn't there a Monsieur Cardonnet who has come there recently?' -</p> - -<p> -"'Yes, but he's mayor, and it was he who tried to have me arrested.' -</p> - -<p> -"He didn't say anything more for two or three minutes. I thought he had -forgotten that I was there, and I was just going away, when he said: -'Why didn't you come to me?' -</p> - -<p> -"'Why!' said I, 'you know very well why I didn't.' -</p> - -<p> -"'No!' -</p> - -<p> -"'What, no? Why, don't you remember that, after employing me a long -while and never once finding fault with me—I don't think I -deserved to be found fault with, by the way,—you called me into -your study one fine morning and said: "Here's your pay for these last -days; off with you!" And when I asked you when I should come again, your -answer was <i>never</i>! And when I was dissatisfied with that kind of -treatment, and asked you wherein I had failed to do my duty to you, you -pointed to the door, without condescending to open your lips? That was -twenty years ago, and it may be that you have forgotten it. But it has -always remained on my heart, and I consider that you were very hard and -unjust to a poor mechanic who worked as he could and was no more awkward -than the average. I thought at first that you had a mad fit and would -get over it; but I waited in vain, you have never sent for me since. I -was too proud to come and ask you for work; besides I had no lack of it, -I have always had all that I wanted; and at this moment, if I wasn't -driven to hide in the woods, I should have plenty of customers; but what -hurt me, you see, was being turned out like a dog—worse than that, -like an idler or a thief, and your not even giving me a chance to -justify myself. I thought that I must have some enemy in your house and -that they had told you lies about me. But I could never guess who it -could be, for I have never known any other enemies than constables and -excisemen. I held my tongue; I never complained of you, but I pitied you -for being quick to believe evil, and as I was somewhat attached to you, -I was sorry to find that you had faults.'" -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur de Boisguilbault seemed all the time not to be listening to -me, but when I had finished, he asked me in an indifferent tone: -</p> - -<p> -"'How much is your fine?' -</p> - -<p> -"'The whole business amounts to a thousand francs, besides the costs.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Very well; go and tell the mayor of your village—Monsieur -Cardonnet, isn't it?—to send some trustworthy person to me with -whom I can settle your affairs. Tell him that my health is bad and I -don't go out, and that I request him to do me this favor.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Do you offer to be my surety?' -</p> - -<p> -"'No, I will pay your fine. You can go.' -</p> - -<p> -"'And when shall I come and work for you to pay off my debt?' -</p> - -<p> -"'I have no work; don't come at all.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Do you propose to give me alms?' -</p> - -<p> -"'No, but to do you a very small favor, which costs me little. That's -enough, leave me.' -</p> - -<p> -"'And suppose I don't choose to accept it?' -</p> - -<p> -"'You will make a mistake.' -</p> - -<p> -"'And you don't want me to thank you?' -</p> - -<p> -"'It's useless.' -</p> - -<p> -"Thereupon he fairly turned his back on me and went away for good and -all; but I followed him, and, knowing that long-winded compliments were -not to his taste, I said like this: 'Monsieur de Boisguilbault, shake -hands, if you please!'" -</p> - -<p> -"What! you dared to say that to him?" cried Janille. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, why shouldn't I dare? what more straightforward thing can you say -to a man?" -</p> - -<p> -"And what answer did he make? what did he do?" queried Gilberte. -</p> - -<p> -"He took my hand abruptly, without hesitation; and he pressed it quite -hard, although his hand was as cold and stiff as a piece of ice." -</p> - -<p> -"And what did he say?" inquired Monsieur Antoine, who had listened to -this tale with repressed excitement. -</p> - -<p> -"He said 'be off,'" replied the carpenter; "apparently that phrase -denotes friendship with him, and he almost ran away to avoid me, as far -as his poor thin long legs would enable him to run. And I, for my part, -ran here to tell you all this." -</p> - -<p> -"And I," said Emile, "will run to my father to tell him of Monsieur de -Boisguilbault's intentions, so that he may send some one to him at once, -as he requests." -</p> - -<p> -"That hardly sets my mind at rest," replied the carpenter. "Your father -has a grudge against me; he cannot help recognizing the fact that I am -clear of my fine; but he won't want to let me off without the -imprisonment; for he can punish me for being a vagabond and shut me up, -if it's only for a few days—and that would be too much for me." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh!" cried Gilberte, "I know that Jean could never submit to being -taken to prison by the gendarmes: he would do some other mad thing. -Don't let him be exposed to it, Monsieur Emile; speak to monsieur your -father, entreat him, tell him that——" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! mademoiselle," replied Emile warmly, "do not share Jean's bad -opinion of my father: it is unjust. I am sure that my father would have -done for him to-night or to-morrow what Monsieur de Boisguilbault has -done. And as for prosecuting him as a vagabond, I will answer for it -with my head that——" -</p> - -<p> -"If you will answer for it with your head," interposed Jean, "why not go -at once to Monsieur de Boisguilbault? his house is close at hand. When -you have arranged matters with him, I shall feel more at ease, for I -have confidence in you, and I confess that a single night in prison -would drive me mad. The good Lord's child told you so," he said, looking -at Gilberte, "and she knows me!" -</p> - -<p> -"I will go at once," rejoined Emile, rising, and bestowing upon Gilberte -a glance alight with zeal and devotion. "Will you show me the way?" -</p> - -<p> -"Come," said the carpenter. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, yes, go!" cried Gilberte, her father and Janille with one breath. -Emile saw that Gilberte was pleased with him, and he ran to get his -horse. -</p> - -<p> -But as he was descending the path on foot with the carpenter, Monsieur -Châteaubrun ran after him and said with some embarrassment: -</p> - -<p> -"My dear boy, you have a generous heart and great delicacy of feeling, and -I can safely confide in you; I must warn you of one thing—of small -importance perhaps, but which it is essential for you to know. It is -this, that for some reason or other—in short, that I am on bad terms -with Monsieur de Boisguilbault, so that there is no use of your -mentioning me to him. Avoid mentioning my name before him or telling him -that you come from my house; if you do, it may irritate him and cool his -kindly disposition toward our poor Jean." -</p> - -<p> -Emile promised to say nothing and followed his guide in the direction of -Boisguilbault, absorbed by his thoughts, and thinking more of the fair -Gilberte than of his companion and his mission. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap11"></a></h4> - -<h4>XI -<br /><br /> -A GHOST</h4> - -<p> -However, as they approached the manor of Boisguilbault, Emile began to -wonder what sort of man, whether of superior parts or simply eccentric, -he was to deal with, and he was compelled to attend to the information -which the carpenter, with his rustic good sense, tried to give him -concerning that enigmatical personage. From all that Emile could gather -from this somewhat contradictory information, strewn as it was with -conjectures, he concluded that the Marquis de Boisguilbault was -immensely rich, not at all avaricious, although far from extravagant; -generous so far as his shyness and indifference permitted him to -practise benevolence, that is to say assisting all the poor people who -applied to him, but never taking the trouble to investigate their -sufferings or their needs, and giving every one such a cold and -depressing welcome, that only the most imperative necessity could induce -any one to go near him. And yet he was not a hard and unfeeling man; he -never refused to listen to a complaint or questioned the propriety of -alms-giving. But he was so absent-minded and seemed so indifferent to -everything, that one's heart contracted and congealed in his presence. -He rarely scolded and never punished. Jappeloup was almost the only man -he had ever treated harshly, and the way in which he had now made it up -to him led the carpenter to think that if he had been less proud himself -and had shown himself to the marquis sooner, the latter would not have -remembered the whim that had led him to banish him. -</p> - -<p> -"However," continued Jean, "there's another person whom Monsieur de -Boisguilbault dislikes even more than he does me, although he has never -tried to injure him. But they will never be on good terms again; and as -Monsieur Antoine mentioned the subject to you, I may venture to tell -you, monsieur, that in that matter Monsieur de Boisguilbault made many -people think that there was a screw loose in his brain. Just fancy that -after he had been for twenty years the friend and adviser, almost a -father to his neighbor Monsieur Antoine de Châteaubrun, he suddenly -turned his back on him and shut his door in his face, without anybody, -not even Monsieur Antoine himself, knowing what it was all about. At -least the pretext was so absurd that you can't explain it except by -thinking that he was cracked. It was for some offence that Monsieur -Antoine committed while hunting over the marquis's land. And observe -that, ever since he came into the world, Monsieur Antoine had always -hunted over Monsieur de Boisguilbault's estates as if they were his own, -as they were comrades and good friends; that Monsieur de Boisguilbault, -had never in his life touched a gun or shot a piece of game, had never -made any objection to his neighbors shooting his game; and lastly that -he had never notified Monsieur Antoine that he didn't want him to hunt -over his land. The result has been that since that time, that is to say, -about twenty years, the two neighbors have never met, never exchanged a -word, and Monsieur de Boisguilbault can't bear to hear the name of -Châteaubrun. For his part Monsieur Antoine, although it touches him -more than he is willing to admit, has persisted in making no advances, -and seems to avoid Monsieur de Boisguilbault as carefully as he is -avoided by him. As my dismissal from Boisguilbault took place about the -same time, I believe that the marquis's anger overflowed on me, or else -that, knowing that I was much attached to Monsieur Antoine, he was -afraid that I would be bold enough to broach the subject to him and -reprove him for his whim. In that respect he made no mistake, for my -tongue isn't sluggish and it is certain that I should have made monsieur -le marquis hear what I had to say. He preferred to take the initiative; -I can't explain his harshness to me in any other way." -</p> - -<p> -"Has this man a family?" Emile inquired. -</p> - -<p> -"Not any, monsieur. He married a very pretty young lady, a poor -relation, much too young for him. It resembled a love marriage on his -part, but his conduct didn't show it; for he was neither more cheerful, -nor more approachable, nor more amiable after it. He made no change in -his way of living like a bear, saving the respect I owe him. Monsieur -Antoine continued to be almost the only intimate friend of the house, -and madame was so bored there that one day she went to Paris to live, -and her husband never thought of joining her there or of bringing her -back. She died when she was still very young, without bearing him any -children, and since then, whether because a secret grief has turned his -brain, or because the pleasure of being alone consoles him for -everything, he has lived absolutely secluded in his château, with no -companion, not even a poor dog. His family is almost extinct, he is not -known to have any heirs or any friends; so no one can imagine who will -be enriched by his death." -</p> - -<p> -"Evidently, he's a monomaniac," said Emile. -</p> - -<p> -"What's that?" queried the carpenter. -</p> - -<p> -"I mean that his mind is absorbed by a fixed idea." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, I believe that you are right; but what is that idea? that is what -no one can say. He is known to have only one attachment. That is for the -park you see yonder, which he laid out and planted himself, and which he -almost never leaves. Indeed I think he sleeps there, on his feet, -walking about; for he has been seen walking in the paths like a ghost at -two o'clock in the morning, and he frightened some people who had crept -in there to purloin a little fruit or firewood." -</p> - -<p> -As they had reached a point opposite the park, and from the high path -they were following could look over into it and see a part of it, Emile -was charmed by the beauty of that pleasure-ground, the magnificence of -the trees, the happy arrangement of the shrubbery, the freshness of the -turf and the graceful shape of the different levels, which descended -gradually to the bank of a small stream, one of the bubbling affluents -of the Gargilesse. He thought that no idiot could have created that -species of earthly paradise and turned the charms of nature to account -so successfully. It seemed to him, on the contrary, that a poetic mind -must have guided that arrangement; but the aspect of the château soon -gave the lie to these conjectures. One can imagine nothing uglier, -colder, more unpleasant to the eye than the manor-house of -Boisguilbault. Additions to the original structure had deprived it of -something of its antique character, and the excellent state of repair in -which it was kept made its surroundings all the more repellent. -</p> - -<p> -Jean stopped at the end of the path where it entered the park, and his -young friend, having given him some of his best cigars to encourage him -to be patient, rode toward the house along a path of discouraging -neatness. Not a blade of grass, not a twig of ivy covered the nakedness -of those high walls, painted an iron-gray, and the only architectural -bit that caught his eye was an escutcheon over the iron gate, bearing -the arms of Boisguilbault, which had been scraped and retouched more -recently than the rest, perhaps at the time of the return of the -Bourbons; at all events there was a marked difference between this crest -and its ponderous framework. Emile drew the inference that the marquis -set much store by his titles and ancient privileges. -</p> - -<p> -He rang a long while at an enormous gate before it opened; at last a -spring was pressed somewhere in the distance that made it turn on its -hinges, although nobody appeared; and, the young man having passed -through after tying his horse, the gate closed behind him with little -noise, as if an invisible hand had caught him in a trap. A feeling of -depression, almost of terror, took possession of him when he found -himself imprisoned as it were in a large, bare, gravelled courtyard, -surrounded by buildings of uniform size, and as silent as the graveyard -of a convent. A number of yews, trimmed to a point and planted in front -of the main doorways, added to the resemblance. For the rest, not a -flower, not a breath of fragrance from a plant, not a sprig of vine -about the windows, not a spider's-web on the panes, not a broken pane, -not a human sound, not even the crowing of a cock or the bark of a dog; -not a pigeon, not a patch of moss on the roofs; I verily believe that -not even an insect ventured to fly or buzz in the courtyard of -Boisguilbault. -</p> - -<p> -Emile was looking about for some one to speak to, seeing not even a -footprint on the freshly raked gravel, when he heard a shrill, cracked -voice call to him in a far from pleasing tone: -</p> - -<p> -"What does monsieur want?" -</p> - -<p> -After turning about several times to see where the voice came from, -Emile finally discovered at an air-hole of a basement kitchen, an old, -well-powdered white head, with light, expressionless eyes; and, drawing -nearer, he tried to make himself heard. But the old butler's hearing was -as weak as his sight, and he answered the visitor's questions at random. -</p> - -<p> -"The park can't be seen except on Sunday," he said; "take the trouble to -come again Sunday." -</p> - -<p> -Emile handed him his card, and the old man, slowly taking his spectacles -from his pocket, without leaving his subterranean air-hole, slowly -examined it; after which he disappeared to reappear at a door just above -his hole. -</p> - -<p> -"Very good, monsieur," he said; "monsieur le marquis ordered me to admit -the person who came from Monsieur Cardonnet; Monsieur Cardonnet of -Gargilesse, isn't it?" -</p> - -<p> -Emile bowed in assent. -</p> - -<p> -"Very good, monsieur," continued the old servant, bowing courteously, -evidently very glad of an opportunity to be polite and hospitable -without violating his orders. "Monsieur le marquis did not think that -you would come so soon; he did not expect you before to-morrow at the -earliest. He is in his park, <i>I will run</i> and tell him. But first I -shall have the honor to escort you to the salon." -</p> - -<p> -When he talked of running, the old man uttered a strange boast; he had -the gait and the agility of a centenarian. He led Emile to the low, -narrow doorway of a stairway turret, and slowly selecting a key from his -bunch preceded him upstairs to another door studded with great nails and -locked like the first. Another key; and, after passing through a long -corridor, a third key to open the apartments. Emile was taken through -several rooms, where the contrast to the bright sunlight was so great -that he seemed to be in utter darkness. At last he entered a vast salon -and the valet waved him to a chair, saying: -</p> - -<p> -"Does monsieur wish me to open the blinds?" -</p> - -<p> -Emile made him understand by signs that it was useless, and the old man -left him alone. -</p> - -<p> -When his eyes became accustomed to the dim grayish light that crept into -that room, he was struck by the sumptuous character of the furniture. -Everything dated from the time of Louis XIII. and one would have said -that a connoisseur had guided the selection of even the least important -articles. Nothing was lacking; from the frames of the mirrors to the -tiniest nail in the hangings, there was not the slightest departure from -the prevailing style. And it was all authentic, partly worn, still in -good condition, although somewhat tarnished, at once rich and simple. -Emile admired Monsieur de Boisguilbault's good taste and knowledge. He -learned later that the disinclination to move and the horror of change, -which seemed hereditary in that family, were alone responsible for the -marvellous preservation and transmission from father to son of these -treasures, which it is the present fashion to collect at great expense -in <i>bric-à-brac</i> shops, which are to-day the most sumptuous and -interesting places imaginable. -</p> - -<p> -But the pleasure which the young man experienced in examining these -curiosities was succeeded by a feeling of extraordinary frigidity and -depression. In addition to the icy atmosphere of a house closed at all -seasons to the generous rays of the sun, in addition to the silence -without, there was something funereal in the regularity of that interior -arrangement, which no one ever disturbed, and in that artistic and noble -luxury which no one was invited to enjoy. It was evident from those -tight-locked doors of which the servant kept the keys, from the -cleanliness unmarred by the slightest speck of dust, from the heavy -closed curtains, that the master never entered the salon, and that the -only constant visitors were a broom and a duster. Emile thought with -horror of the life that the dead and gone Marquise de Boisguilbault, -young and lovely as she was, must have led in that house, dumb and dead -for centuries, and he forgave her with all his heart for having gone -elsewhere for a breath of fresh air before she died. "Who knows," he -thought, "that she did not contract in this tomb one of those slow, -deep-seated maladies which cannot be cured when the remedy is sought too -late?" -</p> - -<p> -He was confirmed in that idea when the door slowly opened and the châtelain -in person appeared before him. Save for the coat it was the statue of the -<i>Commander</i> come down from his pedestal; the same measured -gait, the same pallor, the same absence of expression, the same solemn -and petrified face. -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Boisguilbault was barely seventy years of age, but his was -one of those organizations which have not, which have never had any age. -He had not originally a bad figure nor an ugly face. His features were -quite regular; his figure was still erect and his step firm, so long as -he did not hurry. But excessive thinness had done away with all pretence -of shape, and his clothes seemed to be hung upon a man of wood. His face -neither repelled by disdain, nor inspired aversion; but as it expressed -absolutely nothing, as one would have sought in vain at the first glance -to detect upon it any trace of a thought or emotion referable to any -known type of humanity, it inspired fear; and Emile involuntarily -thought of the German legend, in which a very well-dressed individual -appears at the door of the château and apologizes for being unable to -enter in the state in which he is, for fear of disturbing the company. -"Why, you seem to me to be very decently dressed," says the hospitable -châtelain. "Come in, I beg you." "No, no," the other replies, "it is -impossible, and you would blame me if I did. Be good enough to listen to -me in the doorway; I bring you news from the other world." "What do you -mean by that? Come in; it rains, and the storm will soon burst." "Look -at me carefully," says the mysterious visitor, "and you will see that I -cannot sit at your table without violating all the laws of hospitality. -Can it be that you don't see that I am dead?" The châtelain looks at -him closely and sees that he is, in very truth, dead. He closes the door -between him and the dead man and returns to the banquet hall, where he -swoons. -</p> - -<p> -Emile did not swoon when Monsieur de Boisguilbault greeted him; but if, -instead of saying, "Excuse me for keeping you waiting, I was in my -park," he had said, "I was just being buried," the young man would not -have been greatly surprised. -</p> - -<p> -The marquis's superannuated costume heightened the ghost-like aspect of -his face. He had been fashionably dressed once in his life, on his -wedding-day. Since then it had never occurred to him to make any change -in his dress, and he had invariably given his tailor for a model the -coat he had just worn out, on the pretext that he was accustomed to it -and that he was afraid he should be uncomfortable in one of a different -cut. He was dressed therefore in the costume of a dandy of the Empire, -which formed a most extraordinary contrast to his withered, melancholy -face. A very short green coat, nankeen breeches, a very stiff -shirt-frill, heart-shaped boots, and, to remain true to his habits, a -little flaxen wig of the color that his hair used to be, gathered up in -a bunch over the middle of his forehead. A very high starched collar, -which raised his long snow-white whiskers to the level of his eyes, gave -to his long face the shape of a triangle. He was scrupulously clean, and -yet a few bits of dry moss on his clothes showed that he had not made -his toilet expressly to receive his guest, but that he was accustomed to -walk alone in his park in that invariable dress. -</p> - -<p> -He sat down without speaking, bowed without speaking, and looked at -Emile without speaking. At first the young man was embarrassed by this -silence, and wondered if he should not attribute it to disdain. But when -he saw that the marquis was awkwardly twisting a twig of honeysuckle in -his hands as if to keep himself in countenance, he realized that the old -man was as timid as a child, whether by nature or because of his -long-continued and persistent abandonment of all social relations. -</p> - -<p> -He determined therefore to begin the conversation, and, wishing to make -himself agreeable to his host, in order to encourage him in his kindly -impulse toward the carpenter, he did not hesitate to be-marquis him at -every word, indulging in secret, it may be, in a feeling of contempt for -his pride of birth. -</p> - -<p> -But this ironical deference seemed as indifferent to the marquis as the -object of Emile's visit. He answered in monosyllables to thank him for -his promptness and to reiterate his undertaking to pay the delinquent's -fines. -</p> - -<p> -"This is a noble and praiseworthy act of yours, monsieur le marquis," -said Emile, "and your protégé, in whom I am very deeply interested, is -as grateful as he is worthy. You probably do not know that at the time -of the recent inundation he jumped into the river to save a child, and -succeeded in doing it by incurring great risk." -</p> - -<p> -"He saved a child—his own?" asked Monsieur de Boisguilbault, who had -not seemed to hear Emile's words, his manner was so indifferent and -preoccupied. -</p> - -<p> -"No, somebody's else; he didn't know whose. I asked the same question, -and was told that the child's parents were almost strangers to him." -</p> - -<p> -"And he saved him?" the marquis repeated, after a moment's silence, -during which another imaginary world seemed to have passed before his -brain. "He is very lucky." -</p> - -<p> -The marquis's voice and accent were even more repellent than his bearing -and features. He spoke slowly; the words seemed to come from his mouth -with an extreme effort, a dull monotone, without the slightest -inflection. "Evidently he never goes out and sees no one because he -knows that he is dead," said Emile to himself, still thinking of his -German legend. -</p> - -<p> -"Now, monsieur le marquis, will you kindly tell me why you wished my -father to send you an envoy? I am here to receive your instructions." -</p> - -<p> -"Because"—replied Monsieur de Boisguilbault, a little disturbed at -having to make a direct answer and trying to collect his ideas, -"because—I'll tell you. This man you speak of would not like to go to -jail, and we must prevent it. Tell your father to prevent it." -</p> - -<p> -"That doesn't concern my father at all, monsieur le marquis; he -certainly will not invoke the rigor of the law against poor Jean, but he -cannot prevent the law's taking its course." -</p> - -<p> -"I beg your pardon," replied the marquis, "he can speak or send someone -to speak to the local authorities. He has influence or should have." -</p> - -<p> -"But why shouldn't you do this yourself, monsieur le marquis? You have -been in the province longer than my father, and if you believe in -influence, you must rate your privileges in that regard higher than -ours." -</p> - -<p> -"The privileges of birth are no longer fashionable," replied Monsieur de -Boisguilbault, with no indication of vexation or regret. "Your father, -being a manufacturer, is sure to be more highly considered than I am. -And then nobody knows me now, I am too old; I don't even know whom to -apply to; I have forgotten all about it. If Monsieur Cardonnet will take -the trouble to speak, that man will not be prosecuted for vagabondage." -</p> - -<p> -After this long speech, Monsieur de Boisguilbault heaved a great sigh as -if he were thoroughly exhausted. But Emile had already noticed his -strange habit of sighing, which was not precisely the choking of a -victim of asthma nor an expression of mental pain. It was more like a -nervous trick, which did not change the impassibility of his face but -which was so frequent that it acted upon the nerves of his auditor and -eventually produced a most painful impression upon Emile. -</p> - -<p> -"I think, monsieur le marquis," he said, wishing to sound him a little, -"that you would have a poor opinion of a social system wherein any -privilege, either of birth or fortune, was the only protection of the -poor or the weak against too vigorous laws. I prefer to think that moral -force and influence are on the side of the man who can most successfully -invoke the laws of clemency and humanity." -</p> - -<p> -"In that case, monsieur, do you act in my place," the marquis replied. -</p> - -<p> -There was something of humility and something of flattery in that -laconic reply, and yet there was perhaps a touch of irony in it as well. -</p> - -<p> -"Who knows," said Emile to himself, "that this old misanthrope isn't a -pitiless satirist? Very well; I will defend myself." -</p> - -<p> -"I am ready to do all that is in my power to do for your protégé," he -replied; "and if I fail, it will be for lack of ability, not for lack of -energy and good-will." -</p> - -<p> -Perhaps the marquis did not understand this rebuke. He seemed impressed -only by one word which Emile then used for the second time, and he -repeated it in a sort of dazed reverie. -</p> - -<p> -"Protégé," said he, sighing after his wont. -</p> - -<p> -"I should have said your debtor," rejoined Emile, who already regretted -his precipitation and feared that he might have injured the carpenter. -"By whatever name you would have me call him, monsieur le marquis, the -man is overflowing with gratitude for your kindness to him, and, if he -had dared, he would have come with me to thank you again." -</p> - -<p> -A slight flush tinged Monsieur de Boisguilbault's cheeks for an instant, -and he replied in a less hesitating tone: -</p> - -<p> -"I hope he will leave me in peace hereafter." -</p> - -<p> -Emile was wounded by this rebuff and he could not resist the impulse to -manifest his feeling. -</p> - -<p> -"If I were in his place," he said with some warmth, "I should be greatly -distressed to be burdened by an obligation which my devotion, my -gratitude and my services could never remove. You would be even more -generous than you are, monsieur le marquis, if you would allow honest -Jean Jappeloup to offer you his thanks and his services." -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur," said Monsieur de Boisguilbault, picking up a pin and -sticking it into his sleeve, whether to avoid manifesting a sort of -confusion which overcame him, or from an inveterate habit of -orderliness, "I warn you that I am irascible—very irascible." -</p> - -<p> -His voice was so calm and his utterance so slow as he gave Emile this -advice, that he nearly laughed in his face. -</p> - -<p> -"Upon my word," he thought, "we are a little <i>cracked</i>, as Jean says. -If I have been so unfortunate as to offend you, monsieur le marquis," he -said, rising, "I will take my leave in order not to aggravate my -offence, for I might perhaps make the mistake of asking you to be -perfect, and it would be your own fault." -</p> - -<p> -"How so?" said the marquis, twisting his sprig of honeysuckle with an -agitation which seemed not to extend beyond the ends of his fingers. -</p> - -<p> -"We are apt to be exacting with those whom we esteem, I would venture to -say with those whom we admire, if I did not fear to offend your -modesty." -</p> - -<p> -"Are you really going?" said the marquis after a moment of problematical -silence and in a still more problematical tone. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, monsieur le marquis, I offer you my compliments." -</p> - -<p> -"Why will you not dine with me?" -</p> - -<p> -"That is impossible," Emile replied, bewildered and appalled by such a -suggestion. -</p> - -<p> -"You would be terribly bored!" said the marquis, with a sigh which -found, I know not how, the road to Emile's heart. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur," he replied, with spontaneous cordiality, "I will come again -and dine with you when you choose." -</p> - -<p> -"To-morrow, then!" said Monsieur de Boisguilbault in a melancholy tone, -which seemed desirous to contradict the heartiness of his invitation. -</p> - -<p> -"To-morrow, so be it," rejoined the young man. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh no! not to-morrow," said the marquis; "to-morrow will be Monday, a -bad day for me. But Tuesday; will that suit you?" -</p> - -<p> -Emile accepted with very good grace, but in his heart he was dismayed at -the idea of a tête-à-tête of some hours with that dead man, and he -regretted an outburst of compassion which he had been unable to resist. -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Boisguilbault meanwhile seemed to lay aside his fear; he -insisted upon escorting his visitor to the gate where he had tied his -horse. "You have a pretty little animal there," he said, examining -Corbeau with the eye of a connoisseur. "He's a <i>Brenne</i>, well-bred, -strong and quiet. Are you a good horseman?" -</p> - -<p> -"I have more experience and courage than skill," replied Emile; "I have -never had time to learn equestrianism by rule, but I intend to do so as -soon as I have a favorable opportunity." -</p> - -<p> -"It is a noble and useful exercise," said the marquis; "if you care to -come and see me now and then, I will place what little I know at your -service." -</p> - -<p> -Emile accepted the offer courteously, but he could not forbear a -significant glance at the slender individual who put himself forward as -a professor. -</p> - -<p> -"Is this fellow well trained?" Monsieur de Boisguilbault inquired, as he -patted Corbeau's neck. -</p> - -<p> -"He is docile and willing, but otherwise he's as ignorant as his -master." -</p> - -<p> -"I don't care very much for animals," said the marquis; "however, I -sometimes give a little attention to horses and I will show you some -very good pupils of mine. Will you allow me to try the qualities of -yours?" -</p> - -<p> -Emile made haste to turn his courser for the marquis to mount; but he -was so afraid of an accident when he saw how slowly and painfully the -old man hoisted himself into the saddle, that he could not refrain from -warning him, even at the risk of insulting him, that Corbeau was a -little restive and mettlesome. -</p> - -<p> -The marquis received the warning without taking offence, but persisted -none the less in his plan, with comical gravity. Emile trembled for his -venerable host, and Corbeau quivered with anger and dread under that -strange hand. He even tried to rebel, and from the marquis's gentle -manner of dealing with his rebellion, you would have said that he was -rather ill at ease himself. "There, there, my boy," he said, patting his -neck, "let's not get excited." -</p> - -<p> -But that was only a consequence of his theories, which forbade the -maltreatment of a horse as the crime of <i>lèse-science</i>. He gradually -quieted his steed without punishing him, and riding him about his great -bare gravelled courtyard as if it were a riding-school, he tried him at -all his gaits, and with extraordinary ease made him go through all the -various evolutions and changes of foot which he would have required from -a well-schooled horse. Corbeau seemed to submit without effort; but when -the marquis turned him over to Emile his distended nostrils and his -quarters, dripping with sweat, revealed the mysterious power to which -that firm hand and those long legs had subjected him. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure03"></a> -<br /> -<img src="images/figure03.jpg" width="400" alt="" /> -<p class="center"><i>MONSIEUR DE BOISGUILBAULT TRIES -EMILE'S HORSE.</i> -</p> -<p> -<i>He gradually quieted his steed without punishing him, and riding him -about his great bare gravelled courtyard as if it were a riding-school, -he tried him at all his gaits, and with extraordinary ease made him go -through all the various evolutions and changes of foot which he would -have required from a well-schooled horse.</i></p></div> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -"I had no idea that he knew so much!" said Emile, by way of flattering -the marquis. -</p> - -<p> -"He's a very intelligent beast," was the modest reply. -</p> - -<p> -When Emile was in the saddle, Corbeau reared and plunged furiously, as -if to revenge himself upon a less experienced rider for the wearisome -lesson he had received. -</p> - -<p> -"That's a strange <i>dead man</i>!" said Emile to himself, as he rode -rapidly along the path that led him back to Jean Jappeloup, thinking of -that asthmatic marquis, who was covered with confusion before a child, -and subdued a spirited horse. "Can it be that corpse-like face and that -dead voice belong to a character of iron?" -</p> - -<p> -He found the carpenter exceedingly impatient and anxious; but when he -had given him an account of the conference, he said: -</p> - -<p> -"That is first-rate; I am obliged to you and I place my interests in -your hands. But a man must do what he can to help himself, and that is -what I propose to do. While you go and write to the authorities, I will -go and see them. Your writing will take time, and I cannot sleep until I -have embraced my friends at Gargilesse in broad daylight, after vespers, -on the steps of our church. I am off to the village——" -</p> - -<p> -"And suppose you are arrested on the way?" -</p> - -<p> -"I shan't be arrested on a road which I know and the gendarmes don't. I -will arrive at night and slip into the king's attorney's kitchen. His -cook is my niece. I have a good tongue and I will explain my position; I -will tell my reasons for what I do, and before sunset to-morrow I will -enter my village with my head in the air." -</p> - -<p> -Without awaiting Emile's reply, the carpenter darted off like a flash -and disappeared in the bushes. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap12"></a></h4> - -<h4>XII -<br /><br /> -INDUSTRIAL DIPLOMACY</h4> - -<p> -When Emile informed his father that the carpenter had found a protector, -and told him how he had employed his day, Monsieur Cardonnet became -thoughtful, and for some moments maintained a silence as problematical -as Monsieur de Boisguilbault's pauses and sighs. But the apparent -coldness of the two men indicated no resemblance between their -respective characters. In the marquis it was due to instinct, habit and -incapacity, whereas, in the manufacturer it was a quality acquired by a -powerful exertion of the will. In the marquis it was due to the slow and -embarrassed working of the mind; in the other, on the contrary, it -served as a veil and a curb to the activity of a too impetuous mind. In -a word, it was assumed in Monsieur Cardonnet. It was a borrowed dignity, -a rôle assumed in order to make an impression on other men; and, while -he seemed thus to hold himself in check, he was calculating feverishly -the best method of venting the wrath that was about to explode, and its -effects. And so, while Monsieur de Boisguilbault's vexed irresolution -resulted only in a few mysterious monosyllables, Monsieur Cardonnet's -deceptive calm covered a storm, the explosion of which he postponed to -suit himself, but which found vent sooner or later in significant and -unambiguous words. It may be said that the life of one was nourished by -its energetic manifestations, whereas the other's wore itself out in -repressed emotions. -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur Cardonnet was very well aware that his son was not to be easily -convinced, and that it was impossible to intimidate him by violence or -threats. He had come in collision too frequently with that energetic -will, he had had too much experience of his power of resistance, -although it had hitherto been only in regard to trivial matters -pertaining to young men, not to realize that it was essential first of -all to inspire a well-founded respect. He made few false moves therefore -in his presence, but, on the contrary, kept an extremely close watch -upon himself. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, father, do you regret poor Jean's good luck?" said Emile, "and do -you blame me for meeting his protector's kind intentions half-way? I -felt absolutely certain of your approval, and this suspicious carpenter -must be taught to know you, to respect you, yes, and to like you." -</p> - -<p> -"All this," said Monsieur Cardonnet, "is mere talk. You must write in -his behalf at once. My secretary is busy, but I presume that you will be -willing to take his place sometimes in confidential matters." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! with all my heart," cried Emile. -</p> - -<p> -"Write then, and I will dictate." -</p> - -<p> -And Monsieur Cardonnet dictated several letters overflowing with zeal -and solicitude for the delinquent, and couched in terms of rare -propriety and dignity. He went so far as to offer himself as security -for Jean Jappeloup, in case—although he said it was -impossible—that Monsieur de Boisguilbault, who had anticipated his -own intentions, should recede from his undertaking. When these letters -were signed and sealed, he bade Emile despatch them at once by a -messenger, and added: -</p> - -<p> -"Now I have done as you wished; I have interrupted my business so that -your protégé should not be subjected to the slightest delay. I return -to my work. We shall dine in an hour, and then you must stay with your -mother, whom you have neglected a little to-day. But to-night, when the -men have stopped work, I trust that you will hold yourself at my -disposal and that I may be able to talk with you on serious subjects." -</p> - -<p> -"I am at your service, father, this evening and my whole life, as you -know very well," said Emile, embracing him. -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur Cardonnet congratulated himself for not yielding to an angry -impulse; he had recovered all his influence over Emile. In the evening, -when the factory was closed and the workmen dismissed, he betook himself -to a part of his garden which the flood had failed to reach, and walked -there a long while alone, reflecting as to what he should say to this -child who was so hard to manage, not intending to summon him until he -should feel that he was in perfect control of himself. -</p> - -<p> -The feverish fatigue which follows a day of giving orders and -overlooking others, the spectacle of devastation which he still had -before his eyes, and perhaps the state of the atmosphere as well, were -ill adapted to soothe the nervous irritation which had become habitual -with Monsieur Cardonnet. The temperature had indulged in such a sudden -and violent change that the result was abnormal and enervating. The warm -air was laden with vapors, as in November, although it was midsummer. -But it was not the cool, transparent mist of autumn, but rather a -suffocating smoke which exhaled from the ground. The path where the -manufacturer strode was bordered on one side by rose-bushes and other -brilliant flowers. On the other there were only débris, boards piled in -disorder, huge stones brought thither by the water; and from that point, -at which the flood had stopped, to the bank of the stream, several acres -of garden, covered with black mud streaked with red gravel, resembled an -American forest flooded and half-uprooted by the overflow of the Ohio or -Mississippi. The young trees that had been overthrown lay with their -branches interlaced in pools of stagnant water, which could find no -outlet under those fortuitous dikes. Beautiful plants, crushed and -besmirched, tried in vain to rise, but remained lying in the mud, while, -in the case of some others, the abundant moisture had already caused -superb flowers to bloom triumphantly upon half-broken stalks. Their -delicious fragrance struggled against the brackish odor of the slime, -and when a faint breeze raised the mist, that fragrance and that strange -odor reached the nostrils alternately. A multitude of frogs, which -seemed to have fallen with the rain, were croaking with disgusting -energy among the reeds; and the roar of the factory, which it was not -yet possible to stop, so that the machinery was constantly running and -wearing itself out uselessly, made Monsieur Cardonnet feverishly -impatient. Meanwhile the nightingale sang in the thickets that had been -left unharmed, and saluted the full moon with the nonchalance of a lover -or an artist. It was a medley of happiness and consternation, of -ugliness and beauty, as if omnipotent Nature laughed at losses ruinous -to man but trifling to herself, who needed but a day of sunlight and a -cool, damp night to repair them. -</p> - -<p> -Despite Cardonnet's efforts to concentrate his thoughts upon the -interests of his family, he was disturbed and distracted at every turn -by his anxiety concerning his pecuniary interests. "Infernal river," he -thought, glaring involuntarily at the torrent that flowed proudly and -mockingly at his feet, "when will you abandon an impossible fight? I -shall find a way to chain you up and curb you at last. More stone, more -iron, and you will flow within the bounds that my hand marks out for -you. Oh! I shall succeed in overcoming your reckless power, in -anticipating your whims, in stimulating your languor and crushing your -temper. The genius of man is bound to triumph over the blind rebellion -of nature on this spot. Twenty more men, and you will feel the curb. -Money, and more money! It takes a small mountain of money to stop -mountains of water. It is all a question of time and opportunity. My -product must come to hand on the appointed day, to meet my expenses. A -month of carelessness or discouragement would ruin everything. Credit is -a pit that one must dig without hesitation, because at the bottom lies -the treasure of profit. I must dig on! I must keep digging! The man is a -fool and a coward who stops on the way and allows his plans and his -outlay to be swallowed up in space. No, no, treacherous stream, feminine -terror, lying predictions of the envious, you shall not frighten me, you -shall not induce me to abandon my work, when I have made so many -sacrifices on account of it, when the sweat of so many men has already -flowed in vain, when my brain has already expended so much effort and my -intelligence has given birth to so many miracles! Either this stream -shall draw my dead body into its slime, or it shall submissively carry -the results of my toil!" -</p> - -<p> -And in the painful tension of his faculties, Monsieur Cardonnet stamped -his foot on the bank with a sort of frenzied enthusiasm. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile the thought came to his mind that from his own blood had come -forth an obstacle more alarming for the future than storms and the -river. His son could ruin or, at least, sadly embarrass everything in a -day. However intense the man's earnestness and the jealousy of his -character, he could never be satisfied to work for himself alone, and -there is no capitalist who does not live in the future by virtue of his -family ties. Cardonnet felt a fierce affection for his son in the depths -of his heart. Oh! if he could only recast that rebellious mind and -identify Emile with his own life! How proud he would be, what a feeling -of security he would enjoy! But this boy, who had superior faculties for -anything except what his father desired, seemed to have conceived a -conscientious contempt for wealth, and it was necessary to find some -joint in his armor, some vulnerable point at which that terrible passion -could be forced into his system. Cardonnet was well aware what chords -must be touched; but could he counteract or change the nature of his own -mental habit and his own talent sufficiently to produce no discord? The -instrument was at once powerful and delicate. The slightest lack of -harmony in the theory he was about to expound would be detected by a -watchful and perspicacious judge. -</p> - -<p> -In a word it was necessary that Cardonnet, a man of violent temper and -at the same time of much adroitness, in whom, however, the habit of -domination was more powerful than the habit of strategy, should fight a -terrific battle with himself, stifle every violent impulse, and speak -the language of a conviction that was not altogether genuine. At last, -feeling calmer, and deeming himself sufficiently prepared, he sent for -Emile and returned to await his coming on the spot where he had lately -been absorbed in a long and painful meditation. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, father," said the young man, taking his hand affectionately and -with evident emotion, for he felt that the moment was at hand when he -should know which was destined to carry the day in his heart, filial -affection, or terror and reproof; "well, father, here I am, ready to -receive the communication you promised me. I am twenty-one years old, -and I feel that I am becoming a man. You have delayed a long while to -set me free from the law of silence and blind confidence; my heart has -submitted as long as it can, but my common sense is beginning to speak -very loudly, and I await your paternal voice to reconcile them. You will -do it, I have no doubt, and throw open the doors of life to me; for thus -far I have done nothing but dream and wait and look. I have been -assailed by strange doubts, and I have suffered much already without -daring to mention it to you. Now you will cure me, you will give me the -key to this labyrinth in which I have gone astray; you will mark out for -me a path to the future which I shall delight to follow; happy and proud -if I can walk beside you!" -</p> - -<p> -"My son," replied Monsieur Cardonnet, somewhat disturbed by this -effusive exordium, "you have acquired, <i>yonder</i>, a habit of using -emphatic language which I cannot imitate. This manner of talking is -ill-advised, in that the mind gets heated and excited, and soon goes -astray in an outburst of exaggerated emotion. I know that you love me -and believe in me. You know that I cherish you above all things, and -that your future is my only aim, my only thought. Let us talk -reasonably, then, and coolly, if it is possible. Let us first of all -review your brief and happy life. You were born in comfort, and as I -worked hard and constantly, wealth took its place under your feet, so -quickly and so naturally that you hardly noticed it. Each year increased -the possibilities of your future career, and you were hardly more than a -child when I began to think of your old age and of the future of your -children. You showed a praiseworthy disposition to work—but only at -useless arts, drawing, music, poetry,—ornamental accomplishments. It -was my duty to combat and I did combat the development of these artistic -instincts, when I saw that they threatened to stifle more essential and -more solid faculties. -</p> - -<p> -"By creating your fortune, I created duties for you. The fine arts are -the blessing and the treasure of the poor man; but wealth demands powers -of a sterner temper to support the weight of the obligations it imposes. -I questioned myself; I saw what my own education lacked, and it seemed -to me that we ought to complement each other, since we were, by the law -of blood, partners in the same enterprise. I was well versed in the -industrial theories to which I had devoted myself; but as I had not had -experience in putting them in practice early enough in life, as I had -not studied the practical part of my vocation and could solve problems -in geometry and mechanics only by instinct and a sort of divination, I -was likely to make mistakes, to start upon false scents, to allow myself -to be led astray by my own dreams or those of other people, in a word, -to lose, in addition to large sums of money, days, weeks, years, that is -to say, time, which is the most valuable of all forms of capital. I -determined therefore that you should be instructed in the mechanical -sciences immediately after leaving school, and you forced yourself to -work hard and faithfully, despite your youth. But your mind soon chose -to take a flight which carried you away from my goal. -</p> - -<p> -"The study of the exact sciences led you, against my will and your own, -to a passion for the natural sciences, and, starting off at random, you -thought of nothing but astronomy and of dreaming of worlds to which we -can never go. After a contest in which I was not the stronger, I made -you abandon those sciences, although I was not able to bring you back to -a healthy and profitable application to the others; and, abandoning the -idea of making you a mechanical engineer, I looked about to see in what -way you could be useful to me. When I say useful to me, I assume that -you do not mistake the sense in which I use the words. As my fortune was -yours, it was my duty to train you to the work which will probably wear -my life out to your advantage before long; that is in the natural order -of things. I am happy to do my duty, and I shall persist in doing it in -spite of you, if necessary. But should not good sense and paternal -affection impel me to make you capable of preserving and defending that -fortune, at all events, if not of developing it? My ignorance of the law -had placed me a hundred times at the mercy of foolish or treacherous -advice. I had been victimized by those parasites of pettifoggery who, -having neither any genuine knowledge nor any healthy understanding of -business, demand blind submission from their clients, and endanger their -most valuable interests by folly, obstinacy, presumption, false tactics, -useless subtleties and the rest. Thereupon, I said to myself that with a -keen, quick intellect like yours, you could learn the law in a few years -and obtain a sufficiently accurate idea of the details of procedure to -need no other guide, no other adviser, and, above all, no other -confidant than yourself. I had no desire to make of you an orator, an -advocate, an assize court comedian, but I asked you to obtain your -certificates and pass your examinations. You promised to do it!" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, father, have I ever rebelled, have I broken my promise?" said -Emile, surprised to hear Monsieur Cardonnet speak with superb and as it -were insulting contempt of that profession of which he had done his best -to extol the honor and brilliancy, when it was a question of persuading -his son to study it. -</p> - -<p> -"Emile," rejoined the manufacturer, "I do not propose to reproach you; -but you have a passive, apathetic way of submitting, that is a hundred -times worse than resistance. If I could have foreseen that you would -waste your time, I would very quickly have thought of something else; -for, as I have told you, time is the capital of capital, and here are -two years of your life which have had no result in the way of developing -your faculties and therefore none in the way of assuring your future." -</p> - -<p> -"I flatter myself that the contrary is true," said Emile, with a smile -of mingled sweetness and pride, "and I can assure you, father, that I -have worked hard, read a great deal, thought a great deal—I dare not -say learned a great deal—since I have been at Poitiers." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! I know very well what you have read and learned, Emile! I should -have found it out from your letters even if I had not learned -it from my correspondent; and I tell you that all this fine -philosophico-metaphysico-politico-economical learning is of all things -the vainest, the falsest, the most chimerical and the most ridiculous, -not to say the most dangerous, for a young man. It has gone so far that -your last letters would have made me roar with laughter as a judge, if I -had not felt a mortal disappointment as a father; and it was precisely -because I saw that you had mounted a new hobby-horse and were about to -take your flight through space once more that I resolved to summon you -here, perhaps for a time only, perhaps for good, if I do not succeed in -restoring you to your senses." -</p> - -<p> -"Your sarcasm and your contempt are very cruel, father, and grieve my -heart more than they wound my self-esteem. That I am not in full accord -with you is possible. I am prepared to hear you deny all my beliefs; but -that you should repulse me with ironical jeers, when, for the first time -in my life, I feel a longing and have the courage to pour all my -thoughts and all my emotions into your bosom—that is a very bitter -thing to me, and does me more harm than you think." -</p> - -<p> -"There is more pride than you think in this puerile gentleness. Am I not -your father, your best friend? Should I not force you to hear the truth -when you are deceiving yourself and lead you back when you go astray? -Come! a truce to vanity between us! I think more of your intelligence -than you do yourself, for I do not propose to allow it to degenerate by -feeding on unhealthy food. Listen to me, Emile! I know very well that it -is the fashion among the young men of to-day to pose as legislators, to -philosophize on every subject, to reform institutions that will last -much longer than they will, and to invent religions and social -systems—a new morality. The imagination delights in these chimeras, -and they are very innocent when they don't last too long. But we must leave -it all on the benches at school, and learn to know and understand -society before destroying it. We soon discover that it is far superior -to us, and that the wisest course is to submit to it, with shrewd -tolerance. You are too big a boy now to waste your desires and -reflections on a subject that has no bottom. I wish you to become -interested in real, positive life; to study the meaning and application -of the laws by which we are governed, instead of exhausting yourself in -criticizing them. On the other hand, if such study tends to create a -spirit of reaction and of disgust with the truth, you must abandon it -and set about finding something useful to do for which you feel that you -are fitted. Come, we are here to have an understanding and arrive at -some conclusion: no vain declamations, no poetic dithyrambs against -heaven and mankind! Poor creatures of a day that we are, we have no time -to waste in trying to ascertain our destiny before and after our brief -appearance on earth. We shall never solve that enigma. It is our bounden -duty to work incessantly here on earth and to go hence without a murmur. -We must account for our labors to the generation that precedes us and -shapes us, and to that which follows us and which we shape. That is why -family bonds are sacred and the rights of inheritance inalienable, -despite your fine communistic theories, which I have never been able to -understand, because they are not ripe and the human race must still wait -for centuries before accepting them. Tell me, what do you propose to -do?" -</p> - -<p> -"I have absolutely no idea," replied Emile, overwhelmed by this -avalanche of narrow-minded, cold commonplaces, uttered with brutal and -arrogant fluency. "You solve with so much assurance questions which it -will probably require my whole life to solve, that I am unable to follow -you in this ardent race toward an unknown goal. I am too weak and my -intelligence is apparently too limited to find in my own energy the -motive or the reward of so many efforts. My tastes in no wise incline me -to make them. I love mental labor, and I should love bodily labor, if it -should become the servant of the other in procuring the gratification of -the heart; but to work in order to hoard, to hoard in order to retain -and increase one's hoard, until death puts an end to this unreasoning -thirst—that has neither sense nor any attraction to me. I possess no -faculty which you can employ for that object; I am not born a gambler -and the enthralling chances of the rise and fall of my fortune will -never cause me the slightest emotion. If my aspirations and my -enthusiasm are chimeras unworthy of a serious mind, if there is no -eternal truth, no divine reason for the existence of things, no ideal -which we can carry in our heart to sustain ourselves and guide our -footsteps through the evils and injustices of the present, then I no -longer exist, I no longer believe in anything; I consent to die for you, -father; but as to living and struggling like you and with you, I have -neither the heart nor the arm nor the head for that sort of work." -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur Cardonnet quivered with rage, but he restrained himself. Not -without design had he thus awkwardly aroused his son's indignation and -spirit of resistance. He had determined to lead him on to speak out his -whole thought, and to test his enthusiasm, so to speak. When he realized -from the young man's bitter tone and desperate expression that it really -was as serious as he had feared, he determined to go around the obstacle -and to manœuvre in such a way as to recover his influence. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap13"></a></h4> - -<h4>XIII -<br /><br /> -THE STRUGGLE</h4> - -<p> -"Emile," rejoined the manufacturer with well-feigned calmness, "I see -that we have been talking for some moments without understanding each -other, and that if we continue on this tack you will pick a quarrel with -me and treat me as if you were a young saint and I an old heathen. With -whom are you in such a passion? I was quite right, at the outset, to try -to put you on your guard against enthusiasm. All this warmth of brain is -simply youthful effervescence, and when you are as old as I am and have -had a little experience and are accustomed to doing your duty, you won't -think it necessary to flap your wings in order to be honest, or to shout -your convictions so loud. Beware of emphasis, which is nothing more than -the language of self-satisfied vanity. Tell me, boy, do you happen to -believe that honor, morality, good faith in keeping engagements, humane -sentiments, pity for the unfortunate, devotion to country, respect for -the rights of others, domestic virtues and the love of one's neighbor -are very rare and substantially impossible virtues in these days and in -the world we live in?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, father, I do firmly believe it." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, I believe nothing of the kind. I am less misanthropic at fifty -than you are at one-and-twenty; I have a better opinion of my -fellow-men, apparently because I don't possess your lights and your -infallible glance!" -</p> - -<p> -"In heaven's name! do not make fun of me, father; you break my heart." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, let us talk seriously. I will assume with you that those -virtues are the religion and the rule of life of a small number of -people. Will you at least do me the honor to assume that they are not -wholly foreign to your father's character?" -</p> - -<p> -"Most of your acts, father, have convinced me that to do good was your -sole ambition. Why then do your words seem to attempt to show me that -you have a less noble aim?" -</p> - -<p> -"That is precisely what I want to come at. You agree that my conduct is -irreproachable, and yet you are scandalized to hear me appeal to calm -common sense and to the counsel of sound logic! Tell me, what would you -think of your father if, every hour in the day, you should hear him -declaiming against those who do not follow his example? If, setting -himself up as a model, and all puffed out with self-love and -self-admiration, he should weary you at every turn with his own praises -and with anathemas hurled at the rest of mankind? You would hold your -peace and throw a veil over that annoying absurdity; but, do what you -would, the thought would come that your worthy father had one deplorable -weakness and that his vanity detracted from his merit." -</p> - -<p> -"Doubtless, father, I prefer your reserve and your judicious modesty; -but when we are alone together, and on the rare and solemn occasions -when you deign to open your heart to me, should I not be overjoyed to -hear you extol noble ideas and kindle a holy enthusiasm in my heart, -instead of hearing you sneer at my aspirations and trample them -contemptuously in the dirt." -</p> - -<p> -"I do not despise noble ideas, nor do I laugh at your worthy -aspirations. What I do spurn and what I desire to stifle in you are the -declamation and braggadocio of the new humanitarian schools. I cannot -endure their holding up principles as old as the world in the guise of -truths unheard of until this day. I would like you to love duty with -immovable tranquillity, and perform it with the stoical silence of -genuine conviction. Believe me, an acquaintance with good and evil -doesn't date from yesterday, and I did not wait to learn justice until -you had sucked in the celestial manna while smoking your cigar on the -sidewalks of Poitiers." -</p> - -<p> -"All this may be true, generally speaking," said Emile, heated by -Monsieur Cardonnet's persistent irony. "There are old citizens who, like -you, father, practise virtue without ostentation, and there may be -impertinent students who preach it without loving it and, as it were, -without knowing what it is. But your last shaft of satire I can not take -to my own account or that of my young friends. I do not claim to be -anything more than a child and do not pride myself on any experience I -may have had. On the contrary, I come with respect and confidence, -actuated only by good instincts and good intentions, to ask you for the -truth, for advice, example, assistance and instruction. I have on my -side only my youthful ideas, and I lay them at your feet. Disgusted as I -am by the shocking contradictions which the laws of society recognize -and sanction, I implore you to tell me how you have been able to accept -them without protest, and to remain an honest man. I confess that I am -weak and ignorant, for I cannot conceive the possibility of such a -thing. So tell me, I pray you, instead of heaping freezing sarcasm on -me. Am I blameworthy in asking for light? am I insolent and mad because -I desire to know the laws of my conscience and the aim of my life? Yes, -your character is noble and your conduct judicious and wise; your heart -is kind and your hand liberal; you assist the poor man and you pay him -handsomely for his labor. But whither are you going by this straight, -sure road? It seems to me that you sometimes lack indulgence, and your -severity has often frightened me. -</p> - -<p> -"I have always said to myself that your sight was clearer and your mind -more provident than those of tender, timid natures, that the momentary -suffering you inflict was with a view to doing lasting good and to -strengthening the foundations of talent; and so, notwithstanding my -distaste for the studies you imposed upon me, notwithstanding the -sacrifice of my tastes to your hidden purposes, and the constant denial -and stifling of my desires at their birth, I made it the law of my life -to follow you and obey you in everything. But the time has come when you -must open my eyes if you wish me to succeed in this superhuman effort; -for the study of the law doesn't satisfy my conscience; I cannot imagine -myself ever engaging in legal contests, still less compelling myself, -like you, to urge men on to toil for my benefit, unless I see clearly -whither I am going and what sacrifice beneficial to mankind I shall have -consummated at the cost of my happiness." -</p> - -<p> -"Your happiness then would consist in doing nothing and living with your -arms folded, staring at the stars? It seems that work of any sort vexes -and tires you, even the study of the law, which all young men learn in -sport?" -</p> - -<p> -"You are well aware that the contrary is true, father; you saw me become -passionately interested in the most abstract studies, and you stopped me -as if I were rushing to my destruction. You know well, however, what my -wishes were, when you urged me to seek some material application of the -sciences I preferred. You were not willing that I should be an artist or -a poet; perhaps you were right; but I might have been a naturalist, or -at least an agriculturist, and you forbade that. And yet that was a -real, practical application. -</p> - -<p> -"Love of nature impelled me toward life in the country. The infinite -pleasure that I took in investigating nature's laws and mysteries led me -naturally to the discovery of its concealed forces and to the attempt to -guide them and make them more fruitful by intelligent toil. Yes, that -was my vocation, you may be sure. Agriculture is in its infancy; the -peasant wears himself out in monotonous routine tasks; vast tracts of -land are untilled. Science would increase tenfold the richness of the -soil and lighten the labor of man. -</p> - -<p> -"My ideas concerning society were in accord with my dreams of such a -future. I asked you to send me to some model farm to study. I should -have been happy to become a peasant, to work with mind and body, to be -constantly in contact with men and things as nature knows them. I would -have applied myself with zeal, I would have ploughed farther than some -others perhaps in the field of discoveries! And some day I would have -founded, upon some desert, naked tract of land transformed by my labors, -a colony of free men living together like brothers and loving me as a -brother. That was my only ambition, in that direction alone was I -thirsty for fortune and glory. Was it an insane freak? and why did you -require me to go and work like a slave to learn a code of laws that will -never be mine?" -</p> - -<p> -"There you are! there you are!" said Monsieur Cardonnet shrugging his -shoulders; "there we have the Utopia of Brother Emile, Moravian brother, -Quaker, Neo-Christian, Neo-Platonist and God knows what. It is -magnificent, but it is absurd." -</p> - -<p> -"Pray tell me why, father? for again you pronounce sentence without -giving any reasons." -</p> - -<p> -"Because, mingling your socialistic Utopias with your vain speculations -as a scientist, you would have poured treasures upon the barren rock, -you would not have raised wheat from the sterile soil nor would you have -raised men capable of living as brothers from the communistic idea. You -would have spent foolishly with one hand what I had saved with the -other; and, at forty years of age, with your imagination run dry, at the -end of your genius and your confidence, disgusted with the imbecility or -the perversity of your disciples, mad perhaps—for that is what -excitable and romantic minds come to when they seek to put their dreams -in practice, you would have come back to me, crushed by your -helplessness, angry with mankind, and too old to return to the right -road. Whereas, if you listen to me and follow me, we will travel -together over a straight, sure road, and within ten years we shall have -made a fortune of which I don't dare name the amount, for you would not -believe me." -</p> - -<p> -"Let us admit that this is not a dream also, father, for it makes little -difference for my present purpose; what shall we do with this fortune?" -</p> - -<p> -"Whatever you choose, all the good that you may then dream of doing; for -I am not at all disturbed about your common sense and prudence, if you -will wait for experience of life and allow your brain to mature in -peace." -</p> - -<p> -"What do you say? we will do good! you must tell me about that, father, -and I will be all ears! What is the blessing with which we will endow -mankind?" -</p> - -<p> -"You ask the question! In heaven's name, what divine mystery do you -expect to find in human affairs? We shall have bestowed upon a whole -province the benefits of industrial activity! Are we not already on the -way? Is not work the source and sustenance of work? do we not employ -more men here in a day than agriculture and the petty uncivilized trades -that I propose to put down used to employ in a month? Do they not -receive higher wages? Are they not in a fair way to acquire the spirit -of order, prudence, sobriety, all the virtues that they lack? Where are -these virtues, the poor man's only blessing, concealed? In absorbing -work, in salutary fatigue and in proportionate wages. The good mechanic -has the family spirit, respect for property, submission to the laws, -economy, and the habit and the advantages of saving. Idleness, with all -the wretched arguments it engenders, is what ruins him. Keep him busy, -overwhelm him with work; he is strong, and will become stronger; he will -cease to dream of overturning society. He will become orderly in his -conduct, his house will be well kept, he will introduce comfort and -tranquillity there. And if he lives to be old and infirm, however -willing you may be to assist him, it will not be necessary. He will have -thought of the future himself; he will no longer need alms and a -protector like your friend Jappeloup the vagabond; he will be really a -free man. There is no other way to save the people, Emile. I am sorry to -tell you that it will take longer to carry out this plan than to -conceive a fine Utopian scheme; but if it be a long and hard -undertaking, it is worthy of a philosopher like you, and I do not -consider it beyond the strength of a hard worker of my sort." -</p> - -<p> -"What! is that the whole ideal of industry?" said Emile, crushed by this -conclusion. "Have the people no other future than incessant toil, for -the benefit of a class that is never to work at all?" -</p> - -<p> -"That is not my idea," Monsieur Cardonnet replied; "I hate and despise -idlers; that is why I don't like poets and metaphysicians. I think that -everybody should work according to his powers, and my <i>ideal</i>, as -that word seems to please you, is not far removed from that of the -Saint-Simonians: 'To every one according to his capacity,' recompense -proportioned to desert. But in these days the manufacturing industry has -not yet become so firmly established that we can think about a moral -system of subdivision. We must look at what is and not speculate as to -what is possible. The whole movement of the age tends toward -manufacturing. Let it reign and triumph then; let all men work, some -with the arm, some with the brain; it is for him who has more brain than -arm to direct the others: it is his right and his duty to make a -fortune. His wealth becomes sacred, since it is destined to increase in -order that there may be more work and higher wages. Society should lend -a hand therefore in every way to establish the power of the sagacious -man; his sagacity is a public blessing; and he himself should struggle -constantly to increase his activity; it is his duty, his religion, his -philosophy. In short he must be rich in order to keep growing richer, as -you said, Emile, not realizing that you were uttering the most valuable -of axioms." -</p> - -<p> -"So, father, you would give to a man only as long as he works? Pray, do -you make no account of the man who cannot work?" -</p> - -<p> -"I find in wealth the means of assisting the infirm and the insane." -</p> - -<p> -"But the sluggard?" -</p> - -<p> -"I try to correct him, and if I fail, I turn him over to the law, since -he is certain before long to become a nuisance and to incur its -penalties." -</p> - -<p> -"In a perfectly constituted society that might be just, because the -sluggard would be a monstrous exception; but in exercising authority -according to such strict rules as yours, when you demand from the -workingman all his strength, all his time, all his thoughts, all his -life, ah! how many would be dismissed as sluggards and abandoned to -their fate!" -</p> - -<p> -"With the advantages accruing from the increase of manufacturing, we -should very soon succeed in increasing the well-being of the poorer -classes to such an extent that we could easily found schools where their -children would be taught the love of work at almost no expense." -</p> - -<p> -"I think that you are mistaken, father; but even if it were true that -the rich would give their attention to the education of the poor, the -love of incessant work, without other compensation than the certainty of -a pittance for one's old age, is so contrary to nature that you can -never kindle it in children. A few exceptional natures, consumed by -energy or ambition, will sacrifice their youth; but whoever is -simple-hearted, loving, inclined to reverie, to innocent and legitimate -pleasures, and under the influence of that craving for affection and -tranquillity which is the lawful privilege of the human race, will fly -from this jail of incessant toil in which you seek to confine him, and -will prefer the chances of poverty to the security of slavery. Ah! -father, your rugged constitution, your untiring energy, your stoical -sobriety and your inveterate habit of working make you an exceptional -man, and you imagine a society formed after your image, you do not see -that there is no suitable place there for any but exceptional men. -Permit me to tell you that that is a Utopian conception far more -appalling than mine." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Emile, I wish that you believed in it," said Monsieur Cardonnet -warmly; "it is a source of strength, and an invaluable stimulant in this -society of dreamers, idlers and apathetic creatures in which I am -devoured with impatience. Be like me, and if we should find in France, -at this moment, a hundred men like us, I promise you that there would be -no more exceptions a hundred years hence. Activity is contagious, -magnetic, miracle-working! it was through activity that Napoléon held -sway over Europe: he would have owned all Europe if he had been a -manufacturer instead of a fighting man. Oh! since you are an enthusiast, -be enthusiastic for my ideas! shake off your languor and share my fever! -If we do not attract the whole race, we shall make great breaches -through which our descendants will see it moving about in a sacred -frenzy." -</p> - -<p> -"No, father, never!" cried Emile, dismayed by Monsieur Cardonnet's -terrible energy; "for that is not the road for mankind to follow. There -is in it no trace of love or pity or gentleness. Man was not born to -know naught but suffering and to extend his conquests over matter only. -The conquests of the intellect in the domain of ideas, the pleasures and -refinements of the heart, which, according to your plan, should be -carefully regulated accessories in the workingman's life, will always be -the noblest and sweetest aspiration of every normally constituted man. -Do you not see that you cut off one whole side of the benevolent -intentions of God? that you do not give the slave of toil time to -breathe and to know himself? that education directed solely to -moneymaking will make mere brutish machines and not complete men? You -say that you conceive an ideal to be realized in the course of -centuries, that a time may come when every one will be rewarded -according to his capacity. Well, I say that your formula is false -because it is incomplete, and unless we add to it: 'To everyone -according to his needs,' it is unjust, it is simply asserting the right -of him who is strongest in intellect or will, it is aristocracy and -privilege under other forms. O father, instead of fighting with the -strong against the weak, let us fight with the weak against the strong. -Let us try! but in that case let us not think of making our fortunes, -let us renounce the idea of hoarding for our own benefit. Give your -consent, for I, for whom you are working to-day, give my consent. Let us -try to identify our ideals in this way, and let us renounce personal -profit while devoting ourselves to work. Since we cannot by ourselves -alone create a society in which all the members have an equal interest, -let us be the workmen of the future, devoted to the weak and incapable -of the present." -</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>EMILE IN CONFERENCE WITH HIS -FATHER.</i> -</p> -<p> -<i>When he realized from the young man's bitter tone and desperate -expression that it really was as serious as he had feared, he determined -to go around the obstacle and to manœuvre in such a way as to recover -his influence.</i></p></div> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -"If Napoléon's genius had been trained to this doctrine, perhaps it -would have converted the world; but let us find a hundred men like us, -let this fever to acquire wealth become a divine zeal, let the longing -to practise charity consume us, let us give all our workmen a share in -all our profits, let our great fortune be not your property and my -heritage, but the property of all those who have assisted us, according -to their abilities and their strength, in amassing it; let the workman -who brings his stone be put in a way to know as much of the material -joys of life as you who bring your genius; let him too be able to live -in a fine house, to breathe pure air, to eat healthy food, to rest after -fatigue, and to educate his children; let us find our reward, not in the -useless luxury with which you and I can surround ourselves, but in the -joy of having made others happy—I can understand that ambition and be -carried away by it. And then, father, dear father, your work will be -blessed. -</p> - -<p> -"This indolence and apathy which irritate you, and which are simply the -result of a struggle in which a few triumph to the detriment of the vast -majority who lose their courage and succumb, will themselves disappear -in the natural course of things. Then you will find so much zeal and -love about you that you will no longer be obliged to wear yourself out -alone in order to stimulate all the others. How could it be otherwise -to-day, and of what do you complain? Under the law of selfishness each -one gives of his strength and his energy in proportion to the share of -the profits he receives. A marvellous result, truly, that you, who -receive all the profit, should be the only zealous, assiduous worker, -while the paid worker, who receives in your employ a trifle more alms -than he would receive elsewhere, brings you only a little more of his zeal. -You pay higher wages—that is a fine thing, certainly, and you are -more to be commended than the majority of your rivals, who would prefer -to lower them; but you have it in your power to increase the zeal of -your employés tenfold, a hundred-fold, to kindle as by a miracle the -flame of devotion, the intelligence of the heart in those benumbed and -paralyzed creatures, and you do not choose to do it!—Why not, father? -It is not that you care for the enjoyments of luxury; for you enjoy -nothing unless it be the intoxication of your plans and your triumphs. -Very well; do away with your individual profit; you have only to do it, -and I will abandon my claim to it with the greatest joy! Let us be -simply the trustees and managers of the common profits. This fortune -that you dream of, of which you dare not tell me the amount, will so -surpass your anticipations and your hopes, that you will soon have the -means to give your workmen moral, intellectual and physical pleasures -which will make new men of them, complete men, true men! and such men I -have never seen anywhere. All equilibrium is destroyed; I see only -knaves and brutes, tyrants and slaves, powerful and greedy eagles and -stupid and cowardly sparrows destined to be their prey. We live -according to the blind law of the savage nature; the code of savage -instinct which governs the brute is still the soul of our pretended -civilization; and we dare to say that the manufacturing industry will -save the world without departing from that path! No, no, father, all -these declamations of political economy are false and misleading! If you -compel me to be rich and powerful, as you have said so many times, and -if, by reason of the vulgar influence of money, the adorers of money -send me to represent their interests in the counsels of the nation, I -shall say what I have in my mind; I shall speak, and I suppose that I -shall speak only once: for they will put me to silence or force me to -leave the hall; but people will remember what I say, and they who chose -me will have reason to repent their choice!" -</p> - -<p> -This discussion was prolonged far into the night, and it will be readily -understood that Emile did not convert his father. Monsieur Cardonnet was -not evil-minded, nor impious, nor voluntarily blameworthy toward God or -man. Indeed, certain practical virtues were very strongly accentuated in -him, and he had great talent in one special field. But his iron will was -the result of the entire absence of idealism in his character. -</p> - -<p> -He loved his son but could not understand him. He was kind and attentive -to his wife, but he had never failed to stifle in her any thought -capable of interfering with his daily routine. He would have liked to be -able to reduce Emile to subjection in the same way; but, realizing that -was impossible, he was intensely annoyed and tears of vexation moistened -his burning eyes more than once during that stormy interview. He -sincerely believed that he was logically right; that his ideas were the -only really admissible and practicable ones. -</p> - -<p> -He asked himself by what fatality he happened to have a dreamer and a -Utopian for a son, and more than once he raised his powerful arms to -heaven, asking with indescribable pain what crime he had committed that -such a calamity should be visited upon him. -</p> - -<p> -Emile, worn out by fatigue and disappointment, was moved to pity at last -for that wounded heart and that incurable blindness. -</p> - -<p> -"Let us talk no more about these matters, father," he said, wiping away -his own tears, which had their source farther down in his heart; "we -cannot become identified with each other. I can only continue to show my -submission and my filial love, thinking no more of myself and of a -happiness which I sacrifice to you. What are your orders? Shall I return -to Poitiers and go on with my studies until I pass my examinations? -Shall I stay here and act as your secretary and steward? I will close my -eyes and work like a machine so long as it is possible for me -to do it. I will look upon myself as your employé; I will enter your -service——" -</p> - -<p> -"And you will cease to look upon me as your father?" said Monsieur -Cardonnet. "No, Emile; stay with me, but be perfectly free. I give you -three months, during which, living as you will in the bosom of your -family, far from the declamations of the beardless philosophers who have -ruined you, you will recover your senses unassisted. You are blessed -with a robust temperament, and it may be that absorbing mental labor has -overheated your brain. I look upon you as a sick child whom I have taken -into the country to cure. Walk, ride, hunt; in a word, amuse yourself in -order to reestablish your equilibrium, which seems to me more disturbed -than that of society. I hope that you will abate your intolerance when -you see that your home is not a hotbed of wickedness and corruption. -Before long, perhaps, you will tell me voluntarily that profitless -musing bores you, and that you feel that you must help me." -</p> - -<p> -Emile bowed, without speaking, and left his father, after embracing him -with a feeling of profound sorrow. Monsieur Cardonnet, having been able -to do nothing better than temporize, tossed about a long while in his -bed, and finally fell asleep, saying, to himself, contrary to his -custom, that one must sometimes rely more upon Providence than upon -oneself. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap14"></a></h4> - -<h4>XIV -<br /><br /> -FIRST LOVE</h4> - -<p> -The energetic Cardonnet, entirely engrossed by his daily occupations, or -sufficiently self-controlled not to allow the slightest trace of his -inward suffering to appear on the surface, resumed his air of glacial -dignity on the following day. -</p> - -<p> -Emile, overwhelmed with dismay and sadness, strove to smile in presence -of his mother, who was disturbed by his distraught air and altered -expression. But she was so overawed that she lacked even the penetration -peculiar to her sex. All her faculties had grown rusty, and at forty she -was already an octogenarian, mentally speaking. And yet she loved her -husband, as the result of a need of loving which had never been -satisfied. She had no definite grievances to allege against him, for he -had never openly maltreated her or made a slave of her; but every -impulse of the heart or the imagination had always been stifled in her -by irony and a sort of contemptuous pity, and she had accustomed herself -to entertain no thought or desire outside of the circle drawn about her -by an inflexible hand. -</p> - -<p> -To oversee all the details of the housekeeping had become something more -than a wise and self-imposed occupation. It had been made a law of her -existence, so serious and so sacred that she might have been compared to -a Roman matron in respect to the trivial solemnity of domestic toil, if -in no other respect. -</p> - -<p> -Thus she presented in her person the strange anachronism of a woman of -our own time, capable of reasoning and feeling, but who had insanely -forced herself to retrograde some thousands of years in order to make -herself like one of those women of ancient times whose glory it was to -proclaim the inferiority of their sex. -</p> - -<p> -The strange and sad feature of her position was that she did not realize -it, and that she acted as she did—so she would say in a -whisper—for the sake of peace. And she did not obtain it! The more -she immolated herself, the more she bored her lord and master. -</p> - -<p> -Nothing weakens and destroys the intelligence so quickly as blind -submission. -</p> - -<p> -Madame Cardonnet was an example of this truth. -</p> - -<p> -Her brain had shrivelled in slavery, and her husband, not realizing that -it was the result of his domination, had reached the point of despising -her in secret. -</p> - -<p> -Several years earlier Cardonnet had been terribly jealous, and his wife, -although faded and worn, still trembled at the idea that he might impute -a vicious thought to her. She had acquired the habit of not listening or -looking, so that she could say confidently when any man was mentioned to -her: "I didn't look at him; I don't know what he said; I paid no -attention to him." The utmost that she dared do was look at her son and -question him; for, as to her husband, if she was made anxious by the -unusual pallor of his cheeks or the increased severity of his glance, he -would speedily compel her to lower her eyes, saying: "In heaven's name, -what is there extraordinary about me that you should stare at me as if -you didn't know me?" Sometimes, at night, he would notice that she had -been weeping, and he would become affectionate once more after his -fashion. "Tell me, what's the matter? Is something troubling the poor -little woman? Would you like a new shawl? Would you like me to take you -to drive? No? Then it must be because the camellias are frozen? We will -have some sent down from Paris that are more hardy and so beautiful that -you won't regret the old ones." And, in truth, he lost no opportunity to -gratify his helpmeet's innocent tastes, at any price. He even required -her to dress more richly than she cared to do. It was his idea that -wives are children who must be rewarded for being good with toys and -gimcracks. -</p> - -<p> -"It is certain," Madame Cardonnet would say to herself at such times, -"that my husband loves me dearly, and he is very attentive to me. What -have I to complain of, and what is the reason that I always feel -depressed?" -</p> - -<p> -She saw that Emile was gloomy and downcast, and she could not extort the -secret of his trouble from him. She questioned him at tedious length -concerning his health, and advised him to go to bed early. She had a -feeling that it was something more serious than the result of insomnia; -but she said to herself that it was much better to allow a sorrow to -fall asleep in silence than to keep it alive by trying to allay it. -</p> - -<p> -That evening Emile, as he was walking near the entrance to the village, -met Jean Jappeloup, who had returned several hours earlier and was -joyously celebrating his arrival with several friends, in the doorway of -a rustic dwelling. -</p> - -<p> -"Well," said the young man holding out his hand, "are your affairs -settled?" -</p> - -<p> -"With the authorities, yes, monsieur, but not with poverty. I made my -submission, I argued as well as I could with the king's attorney and he -listened to me patiently; he said a few stupid things by way of sermon; -but he's not a bad fellow and he was just about to dismiss me, saying -that he would do his best to prevent any prosecution, when your letters -arrived. He read them without making a sign; but he paid some attention -to them, for he said to me: 'Well, set your mind at rest, settle down -somewhere, don't poach any more, find some work, and everything will be -all right.'—So here I am; my friends have received me warmly, as you -see, for I have already been asked to lodge in this house while I look -about. But I must give my mind to my most pressing necessity, which is -to earn something to buy clothes with, and before night I am going to -make the tour of the village, to look for work among the good people." -</p> - -<p> -"Listen, Jean," said Emile, walking beside him; "I have no large amount -of money at my disposal; my father makes me an allowance, but I don't -know whether he will continue it now that I am to live at home; however, -I have a few hundred francs for which I have no use here, and I beg you -to accept them, to buy clothes and provide for your first needs. You -will make me feel aggrieved if you refuse. In a few days your -ill-founded anger against my father will have passed away and you will -come and ask him for work; or better still, authorize me to ask -him for you; he will pay you higher wages than you will get anywhere -else, and he will relax the severity of his original terms, I am sure; -so——" -</p> - -<p> -"No, Monsieur Emile," the carpenter replied. "I will take neither your -money nor your father's work. I don't know how Monsieur Cardonnet treats -you, nor how much money he gives you, but I know that a young man like -you is always embarrassed when he hasn't a piece of gold or silver in -his pocket to gratify his whims when occasion offers. You have done -enough for me; I am well pleased with you, and, if I find an -opportunity, you will see that you didn't offer your hand to an ingrate. -But as for serving your father in any way, never! I was very near -committing that folly and God would not permit it. I forgive him for the -way in which he caused my arrest by Caillaud, but it was a contemptible -act! However, as he may not have known that boy is my godson, and as he -has since written kindly of me to the king's attorney to obtain my -pardon, I must think no more of my grievance. In any event I would -trample it under foot now because of you. But as for helping to build -your factories—no! you don't need my arms, you will find plenty of -others, and you know my reasons. What you are doing is a bad thing and -will ruin many people, if it doesn't ruin everybody some day. Already -your dams and your reservoirs are drowning all the small mills on the -stream above you. Already your piles of stone and dirt have ruined the -meadows all around, for the flood carried them all onto your neighbors' -land. Thus, you see, the rich man injures the poor man even against his -will. I don't choose to have it said that Jean Jappeloup lent his hand -to the ruin of his neighborhood. Don't say any more about it. I mean to -take up my trade again in a small way, and I shall have no lack of work. -Now that your great enterprises employ all my fellows, no one in the -village can find anybody to work for him. I shall inherit their -customers but must give them back when your work fails. For mark my -words; your father greases his wheels by paying a high price for the -sweat of the workingman's brow to-day; but he won't be able to continue -long on that footing, or his expenses will exceed his profits. The day -will come—and perhaps it's not far away!—when he will run his -factories at a loss, and then, woe to those who have sacrificed their -position on the strength of fine promises! They will be forced to do -whatever your father chooses and the time will have come to make them -disgorge. You don't believe it? So much the better for you! that proves -that you won't be at all responsible for the trouble that is brewing; -but you won't be able to prevent it. So good night, my fine fellow! -don't speak in my behalf to your father, for I should give you the lie. -The good Lord has helped me out of my trouble; I propose to please Him -in everything now and to do only such things as my conscience will never -blame me for. Being poor myself, I shall be more useful to the poor than -your father with all his wealth. I will build houses for my equals and -they will make more by paying me small wages than by earning big wages -with you. You will see that I am right, Monsieur Emile, and everybody -will tell you so some time; but it will be too late to repent of having -put their necks in the halter!" -</p> - -<p> -Emile could not overcome the carpenter's obstinacy, and he returned home -even more depressed than when he went out. That incorruptible -workingman's predictions caused him a vague alarm. -</p> - -<p> -As he approached the factory he met his father's secretary, Monsieur -Galuchet, a stout young man, very talented in the way of ciphering, but -of very limited capacity in other respects. -</p> - -<p> -It was the hour of repose and Galuchet was taking advantage of it to -fish for gudgeons. This was his favorite pastime; and when he had a -goodly number in his basket, he would count them, and adding the count -to the total of his previous catches, would say proudly as he wound up -his line: -</p> - -<p> -"This is the seven hundred and eighty-second gudgeon I have caught with -this hook in two months. I am very sorry I didn't count what I caught -last year." -</p> - -<p> -Emile leaned against a tree to watch him fish. The fellow's phlegmatic -watchfulness and puerile patience disgusted him. He could not understand -how he could be perfectly happy just because he had a salary that placed -him out of reach of want. He tried to make him talk, saying to himself -that he might perhaps find beneath that thick envelope some ray of -light, some sympathetic chord which would make that young man's society -a source of comfort to him in his distress. But Monsieur Cardonnet -selected his subordinates with an unerring eye and hand. Constant -Galuchet was a fool; he understood nothing, knew nothing outside of -arithmetic and bookkeeping. When he had been at work at his figures for -twelve hours he had just enough reasoning power left to catch gudgeons. -</p> - -<p> -However, Emile by mere chance led him to say certain things that cast an -ominous light into his mind. That human machine was capable of reckoning -profits and losses and of figuring the balance at the foot of a sheet of -paper. While exhibiting the most complete ignorance of Monsieur -Cardonnet's plans and resources, Constant observed that the wages of the -men were exorbitant and that, if they were not reduced by half in two -months, the funds invested in the enterprise would be insufficient. -</p> - -<p> -"But that doesn't disturb monsieur your father," he added; "you pay your -workmen as you feed a horse, according to the amount of work you require -of him. When you double his work you double his pay, as you double the -quantity of oats; then, when you're no longer in such a hurry, you cut -down the pay or the rations proportionately." -</p> - -<p> -"My father won't do that," said Emile; "he might with horses, but not -with men." -</p> - -<p> -"Don't say that, monsieur," rejoined Galuchet; "monsieur your father -knows what he's about, he won't do anything foolish, never fear." -</p> - -<p> -And he carried off his gudgeons, delighted to have had an opportunity to -set the son's mind at rest concerning the father's apparent imprudence. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! if that should be true!" thought Emile, as he walked excitedly -along the bank of the stream; "if it should prove that this temporary -generosity conceals inhuman cunning! Suppose that Jean's suspicions were -well-founded! that my father, while following the blind doctrines of -society, has no greater store of virtue or intelligence than other -speculators have, to diminish the disastrous results of his ambition! -But no, it is impossible; my father is kind-hearted, he loves his -fellow-men." -</p> - -<p> -But Emile had death in his heart; the thought of all this waste of -energy and of life for the benefit of his future made him recoil in -horror and disgust. He wondered how it was that all these men who were -working to build his fortune did not hate him, and he was ready to hate -himself in order to balance the scales of justice. -</p> - -<p> -On the following day, he was still profoundly distressed, but he hailed -with something like delight the day which he was to devote in part to -Monsieur de Boisguilbault, because he had made up his mind to go and -pass the day at Châteaubrun without saying a word to anybody. As he -mounted his horse, Monsieur Cardonnet made divers satirical remarks: -</p> - -<p> -"You are starting early to go to Boisguilbault! it would seem that the -amiable marquis's society has charms for you; I should never have -suspected it, and I can't imagine what secret method you have of keeping -awake after each of his remarks." -</p> - -<p> -"If this is your way of informing me that you do not like what I am -doing," said Emile, impatiently preparing to dismount, "I am ready to -give it up, although I accepted an invitation for to-day." -</p> - -<p> -"I not like it!" rejoined the manufacturer; "why it is a matter of -perfect indifference to me whether you are bored there or somewhere -else. As your father's house is the place where you find least pleasure, -I am anxious that you should derive some recompense from the society of -the noble personages with whom you associate." -</p> - -<p> -Under any other circumstances, Emile would have postponed his departure -in order to prove, or at least to make him believe that the rebuke was -not merited; but he was beginning to understand that it was his father's -tactics to rally him when he wished to make him talk; and as he felt -invincibly drawn toward Châteaubrun he determined not to allow himself -to be trapped. -</p> - -<p> -Although nothing in the world stung him more keenly than the ridicule of -those whom he loved, he made an effort to seem to take it in good part. -</p> - -<p> -"I anticipate so much pleasure at Monsieur de Boisguilbault's," he said, -"that I propose to go there by the longest road, and my détour will -probably extend to five or six leagues, unless you need me, father, in -which case I will gladly sacrifice to you the delights of a ride in the -hot sun over perpendicular roads." -</p> - -<p> -But Monsieur Cardonnet was not deceived by his stratagem and replied -with a clear and penetrating glance: -</p> - -<p> -"Go where the devil of youth drives you! I am not disturbed about you, -for a very good reason." -</p> - -<p> -"Very good," said Emile to himself as he galloped away, "if you're not -disturbed about me, I won't disturb myself about your threats." -</p> - -<p> -And, feeling the fire of anger blazing in his breast, in spite of his -efforts, he indulged in a long, hard run to calm himself. -</p> - -<p> -"O God," he said after some time, "forgive me for these angry outbreaks, -which I cannot repress. Thou knowest that my heart is full of love, and -that it asks nothing better than to respect and venerate my father, who -makes it his business to stifle all its impulses and to freeze all its -affections." -</p> - -<p> -Whether from hesitation or from prudence, he made a long detour before -he turned his horse's head in the direction of Châteaubrun; and when, -from the crest of a hill, he saw that he was a long distance from the -ruins, which stood out against the sky on the horizon, he so bitterly -regretted the time he had wasted that he drove the spurs into his -horse's sides in order to arrive there more quickly. -</p> - -<p> -He did in fact arrive there from the valley of the Creuse in less than -half an hour, almost as rapidly as a bird on the wing, having endangered -his life a hundred times leaping ditches and galloping on the brink of -precipices. A violent longing, which he did not choose to analyze, gave -him wings. -</p> - -<p> -"I don't love her," he said to himself; "I hardly know her; I cannot -love her! In any event I should love her to no purpose! It is not she -who attracts me any more than her worthy father, his romantic château, -his environment of repose, happiness and freedom from care. I long to -see people who are happy, so that I may forget that I am not and never -shall be!" -</p> - -<p> -He met Sylvain Charasson, who was engaged in stretching cloth in the -Creuse. The child ran to meet him with an eager delighted air. -</p> - -<p> -"You won't find Monsieur Antoine," he said. "He's gone to market to sell -six sheep; but Mademoiselle Janille's at home, and Mademoiselle -Gilberte, too." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you think I shall not disturb them?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! not at all, not at all, Monsieur Emile; they'll be very glad to see -you, for they often talk about you with Monsieur Antoine at dinner. They -say that they think a great deal of you." -</p> - -<p> -"Take my horse, then," said Emile, "I can go faster on foot." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, yes," replied the child. "Look, just behind what used to be the -terrace. You climb the breach, take a little jump and you'll be in the -courtyard. That's <i>Jean's road</i>." -</p> - -<p> -Emile leaped down on the grass, which deadened the sound of his -footsteps, and approached the square pavilion without frightening the -two goats, who seemed to know him already. -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur Sacripant, who was no prouder than his master, and did not -disdain to perform at need the duties of sheep dog, although he belonged -to the nobler breed of hunters, had escorted the sheep to market. -</p> - -<p> -As he was about to enter, Emile found that his heart was beating so -fast—a fact that he attributed to his rapid climb up the side of the -cliff—that he paused a moment to recover himself and make his entrée -with due dignity. He heard the sound of a spinning-wheel inside, and no -music had ever struck more pleasantly on his ear. Then the dull hissing -of the little instrument of toil ceased and he heard Gilberte's voice -saying: -</p> - -<p> -"Well, it's quite true, Janille, that I don't enjoy myself the days that -father is away. If you weren't here with me, I should be bored -outright!" -</p> - -<p> -"Work, my child, work," replied Janille; "that's the way to avoid being -bored." -</p> - -<p> -"But I do work, and still I am not amused. I know well enough that -there's no need of being amused; but I always am, and am always ready to -laugh and jump when father's with us. Confess, little mother, that if we -had to live long away from him, we should lose all our happiness and -good spirits! Oh! it would be impossible to live without father! I -should much rather die at once." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, well, those are pretty ideas!" said Janille. "What in heaven's -name will you think about next, little head? Your father is still young -and well, thank God! so what has put all this nonsense into your head -these last two or three days?" -</p> - -<p> -"What do you say? these last two or three days?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, yes, fully two or three days; several times you have chosen to -worry about what would become of us if we should lose your dear father, -which God forbid!" -</p> - -<p> -"Lose him!" cried Gilberte. "Oh! don't speak of such a thing; it makes -me shudder, and I never thought of it. Oh! no, I could never think of -it!" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, upon my word, if you're not crying! Fie! mademoiselle, do you -want to make your dear Mère Janille cry too? Oh! Monsieur Antoine would -be very pleased to see you with your eyes all red when he comes home! He -would be quite capable of crying too, the dear man! Come, you haven't -walked enough to-day, my child; fasten up your wool and we'll go and -feed the hens. It will amuse you to see the pretty partridges your -little Blanche has just hatched." -</p> - -<p> -Emile heard the motherly kiss from Janille which closed this speech, and -as the two women would surely find him at the door, he stepped back and -coughed slightly to warn them of his presence. -</p> - -<p> -"Someone in the courtyard!" cried Gilberte. "I am so happy; I am sure -it's father!" -</p> - -<p> -And she ran eagerly to meet Emile, so fast, that when she found herself -face to face with him on the threshold, she almost fell into his arms. -But great as her confusion was when she discovered her mistake, it was -less than Emile's; for, in her innocence, she threw it off with a hearty -laugh, while the young man lost his self-possession altogether at the -bare idea that he had been very near receiving an embrace which was not -intended for him. -</p> - -<p> -Gilberte was so lovely with her eyes still moist with tears and her -rippling, childish laugh, that he was dazzled as it were, and ceased to -wonder whether it was honest Antoine, the lovely ruins or the fair -Gilberte that he had been in such haste to see once more. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, well," said Janille, "you almost frightened us; but you are -welcome, Monsieur Emile, as our master says; Monsieur Antoine will -return before long. Meanwhile you must have something cool to drink. I -will go to the cellar and draw some wine." -</p> - -<p> -Emile remonstrated, and said, holding her back by the sleeve: -</p> - -<p> -"If you go to the cellar, I will go with you; not to drink your wine, -but to see the cellar itself, which you said is so interesting, so dark -and deep." -</p> - -<p> -"You mustn't go now," said Janille; "it's too cold there and you are too -warm. Yes, you are warm! you're as red as a strawberry. You go and rest -a bit, and then, while we are waiting for Monsieur Antoine, we'll show -you the cellars, the underground vaults and the whole château, which -you haven't examined very thoroughly yet, although it's well worth -while. Ah! there are people who come a long way to see it; it's a little -bit tiresome to us, and my girl goes to her room and reads while they -are here; but Monsieur Antoine says that we can't refuse to admit them, -especially travellers who have come a long way, and that, when you're -the owner of a curious and interesting piece of property, you haven't -any right to prevent other people from enjoying it." -</p> - -<p> -Janille attributed to her master the argument she had put into his mind -and his mouth. The fact is that she collected a considerable amount from -exhibiting the ruins, which she employed, like everything belonging to -her, in secretly adding to the comfort of the family. -</p> - -<p> -Emile, eagerly accepting whatever they chose to offer him, consented to -take a glass of water, and as Janille ran to fill her pitcher at the -fountain, he was left alone with Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap15"></a></h4> - -<h4>XV -<br /><br /> -THE STAIRCASE</h4> - -<p> -While a practised rake may congratulate himself upon the unhoped-for -accident which procures him a tête-à-tête with the object of his -pursuit, a pure-hearted young man, who is sincerely in love, is more -likely to be confused, almost terrified, when such good fortune comes to -him for the first time. -</p> - -<p> -So it was with Emile Cardonnet: the respect that Mademoiselle de -Châteaubrun inspired was so profound that he feared to raise his eyes -to hers at that moment, lest he should show himself in any degree -unworthy of the confidence reposed in him. -</p> - -<p> -Gilberte, even more naïve than he, did not feel the same embarrassment. -The thought that Emile could abuse, even by a careless word, her -isolation and her inexperience, found no place in a mind so noble and -innocent as hers, and her sacred ignorance preserved her from any -suspicion of that sort. So she was the first to break the silence, and -her voice, as by enchantment, brought tranquillity to the young -visitor's agitated breast. There are voices so sympathetic and so -penetrating, that to hear them pronounce two or three trivial words is -enough to fill one with affection for the persons whose characters they -describe, even before one sees them. Gilberte's voice was of this -number. On hearing her speak or laugh or sing, you felt that there had -never been in her mind an evil or unkind thought. -</p> - -<p> -The thing that moves and charms us in the song of birds is not so much -the melody, opposed to all our musical conventions, or the extraordinary -power of their flexible organs, as a certain accent of primitive -innocence, of which nothing in the language of men can convey an idea. -It seemed, on listening to Gilberte, that the same comparison could be -aptly applied to her, and that the most indifferent things acquired, on -passing between her lips, a meaning much deeper than that which they -expressed by themselves. -</p> - -<p> -"We saw our friend Jean this morning," she said; "he came at daybreak -and carried away all my father's tools, in order to do his first day's -work; for he has found work already, and we have strong hopes that there -will be no lack of it. He told us all that you did and tried to do for -him last evening, and I assure you, monsieur, that, for all the pride -and perhaps roughness of his refusal, he is as grateful as he ought to -be." -</p> - -<p> -"What I have been able to do for him amounts to so little that I am -ashamed to speak of it," said Emile. "I am especially grieved that he -allows his obstinacy to deprive him of a certainty of employment, for it -seems to me that his position is still very precarious. To begin a life -of toil, at sixty, and to have neither a house, nor clothes, nor even -the necessary tools, is a terrifying prospect, is it not, mademoiselle?" -</p> - -<p> -"Still, I am not terrified," replied Gilberte. "Brought up as I have -been in uncertainty, and living from day to day, as it were, perhaps I -have myself fallen into the habit of looking upon poverty with that same -happy indifference. Either I am naturally of that disposition, or Jean's -heedlessness reassures me; it is certain that none of us felt the least -uneasiness in the congratulations we exchanged this morning. It takes so -little to satisfy Jean! He is as sober and as healthy as a wild man. He -has never been better than during these two months that he has lived in -the woods, walking all day and sleeping most of the time in the open -air. He declares that his sight has grown keener, that his youth has -returned again, and that, if the summer would last all the time, he -would never need to come back to the village to live. But in the bottom -of his heart he has an invincible affection for his native place, and -furthermore he would not be satisfied to be idle long. We urged him this -morning to settle down here with us, and to live as we do, without -thought for the morrow. -</p> - -<p> -"'There is room enough here and plenty of material for you to build -yourself a house,' said my father. 'I have all the stone you need and -enough old trees for your frame, and I'll help you to put it up as you -helped me with mine.' -</p> - -<p> -"But Jean wouldn't listen to that. -</p> - -<p> -"'Very good,' said he, 'but what in heaven's name should I do to kill -time when you have set me up as a country gentleman? I can't live on my -income, and I don't propose to be a burden to you during the thirty -years that I still have to live, it may be. Even if you were rich enough -to support me, I should die of ennui. It's all right for you, Monsieur -Antoine, you were brought up to do nothing. Although you're no sluggard -and you have proved it—it costs you nothing to resume the habit of -living like a <i>monsieur</i>; but there's no more hunting and coursing for -me; pray, am I to sit with folded arms? I should go mad at the end of -the first week.'" -</p> - -<p> -"So," said Emile, thinking of his father's theory of incessant toil and -no repose in old age, "so Jean will never feel the longing to be free, -although he makes so many sacrifices to his alleged freedom?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, are freedom and idleness the same thing?" said Gilberte, in a tone -of surprise. "I think not. Jean is passionately fond of work, and all -his freedom consists in choosing the work that pleases him; when he -works to gratify his inclination and his natural inventiveness, he works -with all the more ardor." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, mademoiselle, you are right," said Emile, with sudden melancholy, -"and that is the whole secret. Man is born to work always, but to work -according to his aptitudes and in proportion to the enjoyment he derives -from it! Ah! if only I were a skilful carpenter! with what joy I would -go and work with Jean Jappeloup, for the benefit of such a wise and -unselfish man!" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, well, monsieur," said Janille, as she returned to the room, -ostentatiously balancing her earthenware pitcher on her head, to display -her strength, "you talk just like Monsieur Antoine. If you'll believe -it, he wanted to go to Gargilesse this morning with Jean and work with -him as a journeyman, as he used to do! Poor dear man! his kind heart -carried him to that length. -</p> - -<p> -"'You helped me to earn my living long enough,' he said; 'now I propose -to help you earn yours. You refuse to share my table and my house; -accept at least the price of my work, as I don't need it.'" -</p> - -<p> -"And Monsieur Antoine would have done as he said. At his age and with -his rank, he would go and hammer away like a deaf man on those great -blocks of wood!" -</p> - -<p> -"Why did you prevent him, Mère Janille? Why did Jean obstinately -refuse? My father's health would have been no worse for it, and it would -be consistent with all the noble impulses of his life. Ah! why cannot I -too wield an axe and serve my apprenticeship to the man who supported my -father so long, while I, knowing nothing about our means of existence, -learned to sing and draw to please you. Really, women are good for -nothing in this world!" -</p> - -<p> -"What's that! what's that! women good for nothing!" cried Janille; "very -good, let us both start out, climb up on the roofs, square timber and -drive nails. Upon my word I could do better at it than you, old and -small as I am; but meanwhile, your papa, who's about as clever with his -hands as a frog with his tail, will spin our flax and Jean will iron our -caps." -</p> - -<p> -"You are right, mother," replied Gilberte; "my wheel is loaded and I -have done nothing to-day. If we make haste we shall have cloth enough to -make clothes for Jean before next winter. I am going to work and make up -for lost time; but it's true none the less that you are an aristocrat, -not to want my father to be a workman again when he pleases." -</p> - -<p> -"Let me tell you the truth then," said Janille, with a solemn, -confidential air. "Monsieur Antoine never succeeded in being a good -workman. He had more courage than skill, and my only reason for letting -him work was to prevent him from getting depressed and discouraged. Ask -Jean if he didn't have to work twice as hard to mend Monsieur's -mistakes, as he would have done if he'd been working alone. But Monsieur -always seemed to be doing a lot of work, so the customers were satisfied -and he was well paid. But it's true all the same that I was never easy -in my mind in those days and that I don't sigh for them. I always -shuddered for fear Monsieur Antoine would hit his arm or his leg instead -of a timber, or would fall off his ladder when, in his absent-minded -way, he would sit down on the rung as if he were by his own fireside." -</p> - -<p> -"You frighten me, Janille," said Gilberte. "Oh! if that is the case, you -did well to disgust him, by your joking, with the idea of working again, -and in that, as in everything else, you are our Providence!" -</p> - -<p> -Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun spoke even more truly than she knew. -Janille had been the good angel of Antoine de Châteaubrun's existence. -Without her prudence, her motherly domination and her shrewd judgment, -that excellent man would not have passed through the slough of poverty -without deteriorating a little morally. At all events he would not have -retained his external dignity as well as the generous purity of his -instincts. He would often have sinned by too great resignation and -self-abandonment. Being naturally inclined to effusiveness and -prodigality, he would have become intemperate; he would have acquired as -many faults of the common people as of their good qualities, and perhaps -he would have ended by meriting in some degree the disdain which fools -and vainglorious parvenus felt justified in entertaining for him, even -as it was. -</p> - -<p> -But, thanks to Janille, who, without thwarting him openly, had always -maintained the equilibrium and instilled moderation, he had emerged from -the test with honor and had not ceased to deserve the esteem and respect -of judicious people. -</p> - -<p> -The sound of Gilberte's spinning-wheel interrupted the conversation, or -at least made it less coherent. She was unwilling to interrupt her work -again until her task was completed; and yet she seemed to display more -ardor than the apparent motive of her activity called for. She urged -Emile not to subject himself to the tedium of listening to that -monotonous clattering, but to go with Janille and explore the ruins; -but, as Janille also wanted to finish her spinning, Gilberte -unconsciously worked even faster than before, in order to finish as soon -as she, and to be one of the party. -</p> - -<p> -"I am ashamed of my inaction," said Emile, who dared not gaze too fondly -at the young spinstress's lovely arms or watch her motions too closely, -for fear of attracting Janille's sharp little eyes; "haven't you some -work to give me?" -</p> - -<p> -"What can you do?" queried Gilberte with a smile. -</p> - -<p> -"Whatever Sylvain Charasson can do, I flatter myself," he replied. -</p> - -<p> -"I might send you to water my lettuce," said Janille, laughing outright, -"but that would deprive us of your company. Suppose you wind up the -clock, which seems to have stopped?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! it stopped three days ago," said Gilberte, "and I haven't been able -to make it go. I think there's something broken." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! that's the job for me," cried Emile; "I have studied mechanics a -little—unwillingly, to be sure—and I don't believe that this -cuckoo affair is very complicated." -</p> - -<p> -"And suppose you break my clock altogether?" said Janille. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! let him break it if it amuses him," said Gilberte, with a -good-natured air in which he could detect her father's easy-going -heedlessness. -</p> - -<p> -"I ask the privilege of breaking it, if that is its destiny," said -Emile, "provided that I may be permitted to replace it." -</p> - -<p> -"All right!" said Janille, "if it turns out so, I want one just like it, -no finer and no larger; this one suits us: it strikes clear and yet -doesn't deafen us." -</p> - -<p> -Emile set to work; he took the little German clock apart, and, having -examined it, found nothing more to do than remove a little dust from the -interior. Leaning over the table near Gilberte he carefully cleaned and -readjusted the rough machinery, exchanging with the two women an -occasional remark of a playful turn, which led to a pleasant sort of -familiarity between them. -</p> - -<p> -It is commonly said that people become expansive and confidential while -eating together; but intimacy comes more readily and naturally to those -who work together. All three of them felt it; and when they had finished -their various tasks they were almost members of the same family. -</p> - -<p> -"You're right at home at that business," said Janille, when she saw that -her clock was going; "you would almost do for a clockmaker. Now let's go -for a walk; I will go first and light my lantern to take you into the -cellars." -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur," said Gilberte, when Janille had left the room, "you said -just now that you expected to dine with Monsieur de Boisguilbault. May I -not ask you what sort of impression that gentleman made upon you?" -</p> - -<p> -"I should have difficulty in defining it," replied Emile. "It is a -mixture of repulsion and sympathy, so strange that I feel that I must -see him again, examine him closely and then reflect further, before -attempting to interpret so odd a character. Don't you know him, -mademoiselle, and can you not assist me to understand him?" -</p> - -<p> -"I do not know him at all; I have seen him only once or twice in my -life, although we live very near him; and, because of what I had heard -about him, I was very anxious to see him; but he was riding on the same -road with my father and myself, and the instant that he caught sight of -us, he spurred his horse, bowed to us without looking at us, apparently -without knowing who we were, and was out of sight in a moment: you would -have said he was trying to hide in the dust that his horse's feet kicked -up." -</p> - -<p> -"Has Monsieur de Châteaubrun no relations with him, although he is so -near a neighbor?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! that's a very strange thing," said Gilberte, lowering her voice -confidentially, "but I may speak to you about it, Monsieur Emile, -because it seems to me that you may be able to solve the mystery. My -father was very intimate with Monsieur de Boisguilbault in his younger -days. I know that much, although he never speaks of him, and Janille -avoids answering me when I question her; but Jean, who knows no more -than I do about the cause of their rupture, has often told me that he -can remember a time when they were inseparable. That is what has always -made me think that Monsieur de Boisguilbault is neither so proud nor so -cold as he seems; for my father with his good humor and vivacity could -never have been on warm terms with a haughty disposition and a cold -heart. I must tell you too that I have overheard some conversation about -him between my father and Janille, when they thought that I was not -listening. My father said that the only irreparable misfortune of his -life was the loss of Monsieur de Boisguilbault's friendship, that he -should never be consoled for it, and that he would not hesitate to -sacrifice an eye or an arm or a leg to recover it. Janille called his -lamentations nonsense and advised him not to make the slightest step -toward reconciliation because she knew the man well and he would never -forget the affair that had made the trouble between them. -</p> - -<p> -"'Very well,' said my father, 'I would prefer to have an explanation, to -submit to his reproaches; I would rather have fought a duel with him, -when we were of almost equal strength, than have to endure this -implacable silence and frigid persistence which cuts me to the heart. -No, Janille, no, I shall never be reconciled to it, and if I die without -shaking hands with him, I shall regret that I ever lived.' -</p> - -<p> -"Janille tried to divert his mind, and she succeeded, for my father is -impressionable and too affectionate to be willing to depress others with -his melancholy. But you, Monsieur Emile, who love your parents so -dearly, will understand that this secret grief of my father's has -weighed heavily on my heart ever since I discovered it. So that I can -think of nothing that I would not undertake to relieve him from it. For -a whole year I have been thinking about it constantly, and twenty times -I have dreamed that I went to Boisguilbault, threw myself at that -unforgiving man's feet and said to him: -</p> - -<p> -"'My father is the best of men and your most faithful friend. His -virtues have made him happy in spite of his ill-fortune; he has but one -sorrow, but it is a deep one and you can dispel it with a word.' -</p> - -<p> -"But he repulsed me and turned me out of his house in a rage. I woke in -deadly terror, and one night when I called his name, Janille got up and -took me in her arms and said: -</p> - -<p> -"'Why do you think about that wretched man? he has no power over you and -he wouldn't dare attack your father.' -</p> - -<p> -"From that I saw that Janille hated him; but whenever she happens to say -a word against him, my father warmly defends him. What is there between -them? Almost nothing, perhaps. A puerile sensitiveness, a dispute about -hunting, so Jean Jappeloup declares. If that were certain, wouldn't it -be possible to reconcile them? My father dreams of Monsieur de -Boisguilbault too, and sometimes, when he dozes in his chair after -supper, he mutters his name in a tone of profound distress. Monsieur -Emile, I appeal to your generosity and prudence to induce Monsieur de -Boisguilbault to speak, if possible. I have always intended to grasp the -first opportunity that presented itself to reconcile two men who have -been so closely attached to each other, and if Jean had been fully taken -back into the marquis's favor, I should have hoped great things from his -boldness and his natural shrewdness. But he too is the victim of a -strange caprice on Monsieur de Boisguilbault's part, and I can think of -nobody but you who can help me." -</p> - -<p> -"You cannot doubt that will be my most constant endeavor henceforth," -said Emile, with fervor. And as he heard Janille returning, her little -clogs clattering on the flagstones, he stood on a chair as if to adjust -the clock, but really to hide the blissful confusion born of Gilberte's -confidence. -</p> - -<p> -Gilberte also was moved. She had made a great effort to summon courage -to open her heart to a young man whom she hardly knew; and she was not -so childish or so countrified that she did not realize that she had gone -beyond conventional propriety. -</p> - -<p> -The loyal creature was distressed at the thought that she had a secret -from Janille; but she took comfort in the purity of her intentions, and -it was impossible to believe Emile capable of taking advantage of her. -For the first time in her life the instinctive craft of her sex guided -her action when the housekeeper returned. She felt that her face was on -fire, and she stooped to pick up a needle which she had purposely -dropped. -</p> - -<p> -Thus Janille's penetration was routed by two children who were far from -adroit in all other respects, and they set forth gayly to explore the -subterranean regions. -</p> - -<p> -The passage directly beneath the square pavilion led to a steep -staircase which descended to a terrifying depth in the solid rock. -Janille went first, at a deliberate gait, with the composure due to her -frequent exercise of the functions of <i>cicerone</i> with visitors. Emile -followed her, to feel the way for Gilberte, who was neither awkward nor -timid, but for whose safety Janille was constantly alarmed. -</p> - -<p> -"Take care, my dear," she said at every step. "Hold her if she falls, -Monsieur Emile. Mademoiselle is absent-minded like her dear father: it -runs in the family. They're a pair of children who would have killed -themselves a hundred times over if I had not always had my eye on them." -</p> - -<p> -Emile was happy to be able to share Janille's task. He pushed the -rubbish aside, and, as the staircase became more and more dilapidated -and difficult, he deemed himself justified in offering his hand, which -was declined at first, but afterward accepted as necessary. -</p> - -<p> -Who can describe the violence and ecstasy of a first love in an ardent -heart? Emile trembled so when he took Gilberte's hand in his that he -could no longer talk and joke with Janille nor reply to Gilberte, who -continued to jest at first, but gradually became more and more agitated -until she could think of nothing to say. -</p> - -<p> -They descended in this way only ten or twelve steps, but meanwhile time -ceased to move for Emile; and when he passed the whole of the following -night trying to review the emotions of that moment, it seemed to him -that it had lasted a century. -</p> - -<p> -His past life appeared thenceforth like a dream, and his personality was -transformed. When he recalled his childhood, the years at school, the -tedium or the pleasure of study, he was no longer the passive, fettered -creature he had hitherto felt himself to be; it was Gilberte's lover who -lived through those years, thenceforth radiant, enlightened with a new -light. He saw himself as a mere child, then as an active, impetuous -school-boy, and, finally, as a dreamy, earnest student; and those -various personages, who had seemed to him to differ like the phases of -his life, became in his eyes a single being, a privileged being, who -moved triumphantly forward toward the bright daylight where Gilberte's -hand was to be placed in his. -</p> - -<p> -The underground staircase led to the base of the rocky hill which was -crowned by the Château. It was a means of exit in case of a siege, and -Janille was not sparing of encomiums upon that difficult and scientific -piece of work. -</p> - -<p> -Although she lived on terms of absolute equality with her masters, and -would not have waived the privilege at any price, so thoroughly -convinced was she of her rights, the little woman none the less had some -strangely persistent feudal ideas; and, by dint of identifying herself -with the ruins of Châteaubrun, she had reached the point of admiring -everything in their past history, of which she had, to tell the truth, a -very confused idea. Perhaps, too, she thought it her duty, to humble the -pride of the wealthy bourgeoisie by vaunting loudly before Emile the -ancient might of Gilberte's ancestors. -</p> - -<p> -"See, monsieur," she said, escorting him from dungeon to dungeon, "this -is where they brought people to their senses. You can still see the iron -rings to which they fastened prisoners after their fetters were put on. -This is a dungeon where they say three men were devoured by a huge -serpent. The great noblemen of long ago had such creatures at their -disposal. We will show to you the <i>oubliettes</i> in a moment: it was no -joke to get into them! Ah! if you had come down here before the -Revolution, perhaps you would have done well to make the sign of the -Cross instead of laughing!" -</p> - -<p> -"Luckily we can laugh here now," said Gilberte, "and think of something -else besides those horrible legends. I thank the good Lord that I was -born in an age when it is very hard to believe in them, and I prefer our -old nest as it is to-day, demolished and harmless forever. You know, -Janille, what my father always says to the people of Cuzion, when they -come and ask him for some of our stone for building purposes: 'Help -yourselves, my friends, help yourselves; it will be the first time it -ever served any good purpose!'" -</p> - -<p> -"Never mind," rejoined Janille, "it's worth something to have been first -in one's province and the master of everybody else!" -</p> - -<p> -"It makes me realize all the more forcibly," replied the girl, "the -pleasure of being everybody else's equal and of no longer causing fear -to anybody." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! that is a glory and a joy which I envy!" cried Emile. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap16"></a></h4> - -<h4>XVI -<br /><br /> -THE TALISMAN</h4> - -<p> -If Gilberte had been told a week earlier that a day was coming when the -tranquillity of her heart would be disturbed by strange commotions, when -the circle of her affections would not only be extended to admit a -stranger to a place beside her father, Janille and the carpenter, but -would suddenly be broken in order that a new name might be placed among -those cherished names, she would not have believed that such a miracle -could be and would have been terrified by the suggestion. -</p> - -<p> -And yet she had a vague feeling that henceforth the image of this young -man with the black hair, sparkling eye and slender figure, would dog her -footsteps and follow her even in her sleep. -</p> - -<p> -She spurned the thought of such a fatality, but she could not escape -from it. Her chaste and gentle heart did not go forth to meet the -intoxicating emotion that came to seek it; but she was destined to feel -it when Emile's hand quivered and trembled on touching hers. -</p> - -<p> -Incredible and mysterious power of attraction which nothing can turn -aside and which determines the fate of youth before it has had time to -become acquainted with itself and to prepare for attack or defence! -</p> - -<p> -Somewhat excited by the first stings of this secret flame, Gilberte -received them playfully. Her serenity was not disturbed on the surface, -and while Emile was already compelled to put force upon himself in order -to conceal his emotion, she continued to smile and to talk freely, -pending the time when regret at his departure and impatience for his -return should make her understand that his presence was rapidly becoming -imperatively necessary to her. -</p> - -<p> -Janille did not leave them again; but their conversation gradually -drifted to subjects which Janille, despite her keen penetration, was far -from understanding. -</p> - -<p> -Gilberte had received as thorough an education as any girl educated at a -Parisian boarding-school, and it is undoubtedly true that the education -of women has made notable progress in the majority of those -establishments in the past twenty years. The learning, the good sense -and the manners of the women who have charge of them have undergone a -similar amelioration, and talented men have deemed it not beneath their -dignity to give courses of lectures in history, literature and -elementary science for the benefit of that intelligent and perspicacious -moiety of the human race. -</p> - -<p> -Gilberte had acquired some notion of what are called "accomplishments"; -but, while complying with her father's wishes in this respect, she had -given more attention to the development of her intellectual faculties. -</p> - -<p> -She had seasonably reflected that the fine arts would be but a feeble -resource in a life of poverty and retirement, that household cares would -take too much of her time, and that, as she was destined to work with -her hands, it was her duty to train her mind so that she might not -suffer from absence of thought and from a disorderly imagination. -</p> - -<p> -A sub-mistress, a woman of much merit, of whom she had made a friend and -the confidante of her precarious future, had advised this employment of -her faculties, and the girl, impressed by the wisdom of her advice, had -followed it implicitly. -</p> - -<p> -This very pleasure in learning and retaining useful information had, -however, caused the child some unhappiness since she had been deprived -of books in the ruins of Châteaubrun. Monsieur Antoine would have made -any sacrifice to procure books for her, if he could have detected her -desire for them; but Gilberte, seeing how restricted their means were, -and desiring more than all else that her father's comfort should not be -impaired, was very careful not to mention the subject. -</p> - -<p> -Janille had said to herself, once for all, that her girl "had learning -enough," and, judging her by herself—for the old lady was coquettish -still in the matter of dress, with all her parsimony,—she employed -her little savings in buying for her from time to time, a calico dress or a -bit of lace. -</p> - -<p> -Gilberte feigned to receive these little gifts with extreme pleasure, in -order not to lessen the pleasure which her old nurse derived from -bringing them to her. But she sighed to herself at the thought that with -the modest price of that finery she might have given her a volume of -history or poetry. -</p> - -<p> -She devoted her hours of leisure to reading again and again the few -books she had brought from her school, and she almost knew them by -heart. -</p> - -<p> -Once or twice, without divulging her purpose, she had persuaded Janille, -who held the strings of the common purse, to give her the money intended -for a new gown. But on these occasions it happened that Jean needed -shoes, or that some poor people near by had no clothes for their -children; and Gilberte supplied what she called the most urgent needs, -postponing the purchase of her books to better days. -</p> - -<p> -The curé of Cuzion had lent her an Abridgment of some of the Fathers of -the Church, and the <i>Lives of the Saints</i>, upon which she had feasted -for a long time; for, when you have no choice, you compel your mind to -enjoy serious things, despite the youthful impulse to indulge in less -austere amusements. -</p> - -<p> -This necessity is sometimes a salutary thing for healthy minds, and when -Gilberte artlessly lamented her ignorance to Emile, he was astonished to -find her, on the contrary, so well informed as to certain fundamental -matters which he himself had accepted on the faith of others, without -studying them. -</p> - -<p> -Love and enthusiasm aiding, he speedily discovered that Gilberte was an -accomplished young woman, and proclaimed her, in his own mind, the most -intelligent and most perfect of human creatures; and it was relatively -true. The greatest and best of mortals is the one who is most -sympathetic with us, who understands us best, who is best able to -develop and nourish the best qualities of our mind; in a word, the one -who would make our life most blissful and complete if our lives could be -absolutely blended. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! I have done well to keep my heart empty and my mind pure hitherto," -said Emile to himself, "and I thank thee, O God, for having assisted me! -for surely this is the woman who was destined for me, and without whom I -should simply have vegetated and suffered." -</p> - -<p> -While talking on general subjects, Gilberte allowed her regret at being -deprived of books to appear, and Emile speedily divined that regret was -deeper than she cared to reveal to Janille. -</p> - -<p> -He reflected sorrowfully that there was not a single volume in his -father's house except commercial and industrial treatises, and that, -expecting to return to Poitiers, he had left there what few books he -owned. -</p> - -<p> -But Gilberte suggested that there was a very extensive library at -Boisguilbault. Jean had done some work long ago in a large room full of -books, and it was much to be regretted that the families were at odds, -for she might have taken advantage of the proximity of such a treasure. -</p> - -<p> -At this juncture, Janille, who always knitted as she walked, raised her -head. -</p> - -<p> -"It's probably a lot of tiresome old books," she said, "and for my part -I should be very sorry to put my nose into them; I should be afraid they -would make me a lunatic like the man who lives on them." -</p> - -<p> -"Why, does Monsieur de Boisguilbault read very much?" asked Gilberte; -"he must be very learned." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, what good has it done him to read so much and be so learned? He -has never done anybody any good with it, and it hasn't made him loving -or lovable." -</p> - -<p> -Janille, unwilling to expose herself to further questions concerning a -man whom she hated, without knowing or caring to say why she hated him, -walked toward her goats as if to prevent them from nibbling a vine which -grew around the door of the square pavilion. -</p> - -<p> -Emile took advantage of this moment to say to Gilberte that, if there -were so many books at Boisguilbault, she should soon have them at her -disposal, even if he had to borrow them stealthily. -</p> - -<p> -Gilberte could only thank him with a smile, not daring to add a glance -thereto; she was beginning to feel embarrassed with him when Janille was -not there. -</p> - -<p> -"On my word!" said Janille, retracing her steps, "Monsieur Antoine is in -no hurry to return. I know him: he's chattering somewhere at this -minute! He has met some old friends and is treating them at the -wineshop, forgetting the time and spending his money. And then, if some -whining creature wants to borrow ten or fifteen francs to buy a -miserable goat or a brace or two of scrawny geese, he'll let him have -it! He'd give away all he has about him if he wasn't afraid of being -scolded when he comes home. He took six sheep, you see, and if he only -brings back the price of five in his purse, as it happens too often, let -him look out for <i>ma mie</i> Janille! he won't go to market again without -me! Hark—there's the clock striking four—thanks to Monsieur -Emile, who fixed it so well,—and I'll bet that your father has no -more than just started for home, at the best." -</p> - -<p> -"Four o'clock!" exclaimed Emile; "why that's Monsieur de Boisguilbault's -dinner-hour. I haven't a moment to lose." -</p> - -<p> -"Go at once then," said Gilberte, "for we mustn't make him any more -ill-disposed toward us than he is already." -</p> - -<p> -"What difference does it make to us whether he bears us ill-will or -not?" said Janille. "Do you really mean to go without seeing Monsieur -Antoine?" -</p> - -<p> -"I must, I am very sorry to say!" -</p> - -<p> -"Where is that little villain of a Charasson?" cried Janille. "Asleep in -a corner, I'll warrant, and not thinking about bringing up your horse! -When monsieur is absent, Sylvain disappears. Here, you wicked rascal, -where are you hiding?" -</p> - -<p> -"I wish that you could provide me with a charm!" said Emile to Gilberte, -while Janille was seeking Sylvain and calling him in tones more -vociferous than really angry. "I am going forth, like a knight errant, -to enter the wizard's den and try to extort from him his secrets and the -words that will put an end to your distress." -</p> - -<p> -"Here," said Gilberte, laughingly, taking a flower from her belt, "here -is the loveliest rose from my garden; perhaps its fragrance may possess -the salutary power of putting its enemy's prudence to sleep and -softening his ferocity. Leave it on his table, try to induce him to -admire it and smell it. He is a horticulturist, but I doubt if he has in -his great garden so fine a specimen as this product of my last year's -graft. If I were a châtelaine of the good old days which Janille -regrets, perhaps I could invoke a spell that would impart a magic power -to this flower. But, being a poor girl, I can only pray to God to -instill mercy into that cruel heart, even as he caused the dew to fall -and open this rose-bud." -</p> - -<p> -"Must I leave my talisman, pray?" said Emile, hiding the rose in his -breast: "may I not keep it to use another time?" -</p> - -<p> -The tone in which he asked this question and the emotion discernible -upon his face caused Gilberte a moment's artless surprise. She looked at -him with an uncertain expression, unable as yet to understand the value -he attached to the flower taken from her girdle. She tried to smile, as -at a jest, but felt that the blood rose to her cheeks; and as Janille -reappeared, she made no reply. -</p> - -<p> -Emile, drunk with love, descended with reckless speed the dangerous path -down the hill. When he was at the foot he ventured to turn, and saw -Gilberte following him with her eyes from her rose-covered terrace, her -hands apparently busied trimming her favorite plants. -</p> - -<p> -She surely was not dressed more daintily than usual that day. Her dress -was clean, like everything that passed through Janille's scrupulous -hands; but it had been washed and ironed so many times that the color -had changed from lilac to that indefinable tint which the hortensia -assumes just as it withers. -</p> - -<p> -Her superb golden hair, rebelling against the fetters imposed upon it, -escaped from its confinement and formed a sort of halo of gold about her -head. A snow-white, tightly-fitting chemisette surrounded her lovely -neck and suggested the graceful outlines of her shoulders. In Emile's -eyes she was resplendent in the sunbeams falling full upon her, for she -made no effort to shield herself from them. Sunburn was powerless to -impair that rich carnation, and her pale, faded costume made her seem -all the fresher. -</p> - -<p> -Moreover, the imagination of a lover of twenty years is too rich to be -embarrassed by a mere matter of dress. That faded gown assumed in -Emile's eyes a hue more gorgeous than that of all the richest stuffs of -the Orient, and he wondered why the painters of the Renaissance had -never been able to clothe their smiling madonnas and their triumphant -saints so magnificently. -</p> - -<p> -He stood as if nailed to the spot for several minutes, and, except for -the impatience of his horse tossing his head and pawing the ground, he -would have forgotten entirely that Monsieur de Boisguilbault had another -hour to wait for him. -</p> - -<p> -He had had to make several detours to reach the foot of the hill, and -the distance in a straight line was not so great that the two young -people could not see each other quite plainly. Gilberte observed the -hesitation of the horseman, who could not make up his mind to lose sight -of her; so she went behind the rose-bushes, to conceal herself from him, -but she continued to watch him for a long time through the branches. -</p> - -<p> -Janille had walked in the opposite direction to meet her master. Not -until Gilberte heard her father's voice did she break the spell that -held her. It was the first time that she had ever allowed Janille to -anticipate her in going to meet him and relieve him of his game-bag and -his stick. -</p> - -<p> -As he approached Boisguilbault, Emile made and remade a hundred times -his plan of attack upon the fortress where that incomprehensible -individual lay entrenched. -</p> - -<p> -Impelled by his romantic disposition, he had a sort of presentiment that -Gilberte's destiny—and consequently his own—was written in -mysterious characters in some obscure corner of that old manor, whose high -gray walls rose before him. -</p> - -<p> -Tall, gloomy, melancholy and silent as its aged lord, that isolated -abode seemed to defy the bold attacks of curiosity. But Emile was -spurred on by a passionate determination. As Gilberte's confidant and -agent, he said to himself, pressing the rose, already withered, against -his lips, that he would have the necessary courage and address to -triumph over every obstacle. -</p> - -<p> -He found Monsieur de Boisguilbault alone on his stoop, idle and -impassive as always. He made haste to apologize for delaying the old -gentleman's dinner, on the plea that he had lost his way, and, being as -yet unfamiliar with the neighborhood, had passed nearly two hours -finding it. -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Boisguilbault asked no questions as to the route he had -taken. One would have said that he dreaded the name of Châteaubrun; -but, with refinement of courtesy, he assured his guest that he had no -idea of the time and had not thought of being impatient. He had been -somewhat disturbed, none the less, as Emile soon discovered from some -faltering remarks that he made, and the young man fancied that he could -see that, amid the profound tedium of his solitary life, the marquis's -sensitive nature would have suffered keenly if he had broken his word. -</p> - -<p> -The dinner was excellent and served by the old retainer with scrupulous -punctuality. He was the only servant to be seen in the château. The -others, buried in the kitchen, which was underground, did not appear at -all. It seemed that this was the result of a sort of standing order, and -that their dean was the only one who did not offend the master's eye. -</p> - -<p> -The old man was very infirm, but he was so accustomed to his duties that -the marquis had to say almost nothing to him; and when it happened that -he did not anticipate his master's desires, a sign was sufficient to -convey them to him. -</p> - -<p> -His deafness seemed admirably suited to Monsieur de Boisguilbault's -taciturnity, and perhaps the latter was not sorry to have about him a -man whose impaired vision made it impossible for him to read his -features: he was rather a machine than a servant; for, being deprived by -his infirmities of the power of mental communication with his -fellow-men, he no longer had any desire or occasion therefor. -</p> - -<p> -One could readily conceive that those two old men were well fitted to -live together without a thought of being bored by each other's company, -there was so little apparent life in either of them. -</p> - -<p> -The dinner was served with due regularity, but not rapidly. They were -two hours at table. Emile observed that his host ate almost nothing, and -seemed to have no other purpose in eating than to induce him to taste -all the dishes, which were appetizing and toothsome. The wines were -exquisite, and old Martin poured them from bottles covered with the dust -of ages, which he held horizontally, taking care not to jar them in the -slightest degree. -</p> - -<p> -The marquis barely wet his lips, but motioned to his old servant to fill -Emile's glass, who, being habitually very abstemious, kept close watch -upon himself, to see that he did not allow his reason to succumb to the -repeated experiments with the numerous specimens from that seignorial -cellar. -</p> - -<p> -"Is this your ordinary fare, monsieur le marquis?" he asked, marvelling -that such a sumptuous repast should be provided for two persons. -</p> - -<p> -"I—I really don't know," the marquis replied; "I have nothing to do -with it. Martin is my housekeeper. I never have any appetite, and I -never notice what I eat. Do the things seem good to you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Exquisite; and if I had the honor of being admitted to your table -often, I should beg Martin to entertain me less splendidly, for I should -be afraid of becoming a gourmand." -</p> - -<p> -"Why not? it's one variety of enjoyment. Happy are they who have many -others!" -</p> - -<p> -"But there are those which are more elevating and less expensive," -rejoined Emile; "so many people lack the necessaries of life that I -should be ashamed to find that the luxuries were necessary to me." -</p> - -<p> -"You are right," said Monsieur de Boisguilbault, with his accustomed -sigh. "Well, I will tell Martin to serve you a simpler dinner another -time. He supposed that at your age you would have a large appetite; but -it seems to me that you eat like a man who has finished growing. How old -are you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Twenty-one." -</p> - -<p> -"I should have thought that you were older." -</p> - -<p> -"From my face?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, from your ideas." -</p> - -<p> -"I would like my father to hear your opinion, monsieur le marquis, and -to become imbued with it," rejoined Emile with a smile; "for he always -treats me like a child." -</p> - -<p> -"What sort of a man is your father?" said Monsieur de Boisguilbault, -with an ingenuous absent-mindedness which removed the sting from what -might have seemed at first blush a most impertinent question. -</p> - -<p> -"My father," replied Emile, "is a friend whose esteem I desire and whose -blame I dread. I can think of no better way to describe an energetic, -stern and just character." -</p> - -<p> -"I have heard it said that he was a very able man, very wealthy and very -jealous of his influence. Those are not disadvantages if he makes a good -use of them." -</p> - -<p> -"What in your opinion, monsieur le marquis, is the best use that he can -make of them?" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! it would take a long while to tell!" sighed the marquis; "you ought -to know as well as I." -</p> - -<p> -And, roused momentarily by the confidence Emile designedly manifested in -him in order to induce a similar confidence on his part, he relapsed -into his torpor, as if he feared to make an effort to throw it off. -</p> - -<p> -"I absolutely must break this secular ice," thought Emile. "Perhaps it's -not so difficult as people think. Perhaps I shall be the first who ever -tried it!" -</p> - -<p> -And, while maintaining, as he was bound to do, a discreet silence -concerning the apprehensions which his father's ambition aroused in him, -and concerning the painful conflict between their respective opinions, -he spoke freely and enthusiastically of his own beliefs, of his -sympathies and even of his dreams for the future of the human race. -</p> - -<p> -He was certain that the marquis would take him for a madman, and he -amused himself by inviting contradictions which would enable him at last -to penetrate that mysterious mind. -</p> - -<p> -"If I could only bring about an explosion of contempt or indignation!" -he said to himself; "then I could discover the strength or weakness of -the citadel." -</p> - -<p> -And he unconsciously adopted with the marquis the same tactics that his -father had recently employed with him; he affected to attack and -demolish everything that he assumed to be in any degree sacred in the -old legitimist's eyes; "the nobility, the money power, large estates, -the power of individuals, the slavery of the masses, the Jesuitism of -the church, the alleged divine right of kings, the inequality of -privileges and pleasures which is the basis of society as at present -constituted, the domination of man over woman, who is treated as -merchandise in the marriage contract and as real estate in the contract -of public morality; in a word, all those heathenish laws which the -Gospel has failed to banish from our institutions and which the -political scheming of the Church has consecrated." -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Boisguilbault seemed to listen more attentively than usual; -his great blue eyes were wide open, as if, in default of wine, his -amazement at such a sweeping declaration of the rights of man had -utterly stupefied him. -</p> - -<p> -Emile glanced at his glass, which was filled with tokay a hundred years -old, and resolved to have recourse to it for inspiration if the natural -warmth of his youthful enthusiasm was insufficient to avert the -avalanche of snow that was about to fall upon him. -</p> - -<p> -But he did not need that stimulant; for, whether because the snow had -become too hard to be detached from the glacier, or because Monsieur de -Boisguilbault, while seeming to listen, had heard nothing, the rash -profession of faith of that child of the century was not interrupted and -came to an end in the most profound silence. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, monsieur le marquis," said Emile, amazed by this listless -toleration of his views, "do you subscribe to my opinions, or do they -seem to you unworthy of being combated?" -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Boisguilbault did not reply; a wan smile played about his -lips, which moved as if to speak but emitted only the problematical -sigh. But he placed his hand on Emile's, and it seemed to the younger -man that he felt a cool moisture, which imparted to that hand of stone -some symptom of life. -</p> - -<p> -At last he rose and said: -</p> - -<p> -"We will take our coffee in the park.—For I am entirely of your -opinion," he added after a pause, as if he were finishing aloud a -sentence he had begun under his breath. -</p> - -<p> -"Really?" cried Emile, resolutely passing his arm through his host's. -</p> - -<p> -"Why not, pray?" rejoined the latter coolly. -</p> - -<p> -"Then all these things are indifferent to you?" -</p> - -<p> -"God grant it!" replied Monsieur de Boisguilbault, with a more -pronounced sigh than usual. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap17"></a></h4> - -<h4>XVII -<br /><br /> -THAW</h4> - -<p> -Emile had as yet admired the park of Boisguilbault only over the hedges -and through the gate. He was more than ever impressed by the beauty of -that pleasure-ground, by the luxuriance of the plants and their happy -arrangement. -</p> - -<p> -Nature had done much, but art had seconded her with great taste and -judgment. The sloping ground was diversified by innumerable picturesque -irregularities, and an abundant spring, bubbling up among the rocks, -sent forth streams in all directions, keeping all things green under the -superb trees. -</p> - -<p> -The valley and the slope on the other side, which also belonged to the -marquis, were covered with a dense vegetation which partly concealed the -division walls and hedges, so that from all the elevated points, which -afforded views of a beautiful and extensive landscape, the park seemed -to extend to the horizon. -</p> - -<p> -"This is an enchanted spot," said Emile, "and one needs only to see it -to be sure that you are a great poet." -</p> - -<p> -"There are many great poets of my sort," replied the marquis, "that is -to say, people who feel poetry but cannot express it." -</p> - -<p> -"Is the spoken or written word alone interesting, I pray to know?" -exclaimed Emile. "Is not the painter who nobly interprets nature a poet -too? And if that is incontestable, does not the artist who actually -improves upon nature, and modifies it in order to develop all its -beauty,—does not he produce a grand poetic result?" -</p> - -<p> -"You express that very well," rejoined Monsieur de Boisguilbault, in a -tone of indolent indifference, which was not, however, wholly devoid of -kindliness. -</p> - -<p> -But Emile would have preferred discussion to this careless assent to -everything he said, and he was afraid that his main attack had failed. -"What can I invent to vex him and make him come out of his shell?" he -said to himself. "There is no one of the famous sieges in history that -can be compared to this." -</p> - -<p> -The coffee was served in a pretty Swiss chalet; the exactness of the -copy and the scrupulous neatness aroused Emile's admiration for a -moment; but the absence of human beings and domestic animals in that -rustic retreat was so noticeable that it was impossible to maintain the -illusion. And yet nothing was missing: the moss-covered hillside studded -with firs, nor the thread of sparkling water falling into a stone basin -at the door, and flowing from it with a gentle murmur; the chalet, -constructed entirely of resinous wood with a pretty arrangement of -balustrades and built against huge granite rocks, the pretty overhanging -roof, the interior furnished in the German fashion, even to the service -of blue earthenware—all new and clean and glistening and -deserted—resembled a dainty Fribourg toy rather than a rustic -dwelling. -</p> - -<p> -Even the stiff, lifeless figures of the old marquis and his old -majordomo gave one the impression of painted wooden images, placed there -to complete the resemblance. -</p> - -<p> -"You have been in Switzerland, I presume, monsieur le marquis," said -Emile, "and this is a reminiscence of some favorite spot?" -</p> - -<p> -"I have traveled very little," Monsieur de Boisguilbault replied, -"although I set out one day with the intention of making the tour of the -world. Switzerland happened to be in my way; the country pleased me and -I went no farther, saying to myself that I should probably find nothing -better after taking a deal of trouble." -</p> - -<p> -"I see that you prefer this country to all others, and that you have -come back here forever?" -</p> - -<p> -"Forever, most assuredly." -</p> - -<p> -"This is Switzerland in miniature, and if the imagination is less keenly -aroused by grand spectacles, the fatigues and dangers of travel are much -less great." -</p> - -<p> -"I had other reasons for settling down on my own estate." -</p> - -<p> -"Is it indiscreet to ask you what they are?" -</p> - -<p> -"Are you really curious to know, then?" said the marquis with an -equivocal smile. -</p> - -<p> -"Curious! no; I am not curious in the impertinent and ridiculous meaning -of the word; but to one of my age, one's own destiny and other people's -is an enigma, and one always imagines that he may derive valuable -information from the experience and wisdom of certain men." -</p> - -<p> -"Why do you say <i>certain men</i>? Am I not like the rest of the world?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! not at all, monsieur le marquis!" -</p> - -<p> -"You surprise me greatly," said Monsieur de Boisguilbault in exactly the -same tone in which he had said, a few moments earlier: <i>I am entirely of -your opinion</i>. And he added: "Won't you put some sugar in your coffee?" -</p> - -<p> -"I am more surprised," said Emile, mechanically helping himself to -sugar, "that you do not realize how solemn and impressive your solitude, -your gravity, and I will venture to add, your melancholy, must be to a -child like myself." -</p> - -<p> -"Do I frighten you?" said Monsieur de Boisguilbault with a deep sigh. -</p> - -<p> -"You frighten me terribly, monsieur le marquis, I frankly admit; but do -not take my ingenuousness in bad part, for it is no less certain that I -am impelled by an entirely contrary sentiment of irresistible -attraction, to overcome that sentiment of fear." -</p> - -<p> -"That is strange," said the marquis, "very strange: pray explain it to -me." -</p> - -<p> -"It is very simple. As a young man of my age goes about seeking the -solution of his own future in the present or in the past of men of -maturer years, it terrifies him to see an invincible sadness and a dumb -but profound distaste for life, written upon austere brows." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, that is why my external appearance repels you. Do not be afraid to -say it. You are not the first and I expected it." -</p> - -<p> -"Repel is not the word, since, notwithstanding the sort of magnetic -stupor into which you cast me, I am drawn toward you by a peculiar -attraction." -</p> - -<p> -"Peculiar!—aye, very peculiar, and you are the more eccentric of us -two. I was struck, the first moment I saw you, by the manifest -dissimilarity of your character to that of the men whom I knew in my -younger days." -</p> - -<p> -"And was that impression unfavorable to me, monsieur le marquis?" -</p> - -<p> -"Quite the contrary," replied Monsieur de Boisguilbault in that voice, -utterly without inflection, which made it impossible to estimate the -bearing of his replies. "Martin," he added, leaning toward his old -servant who bent himself double to hear him, "you can take all this -away. Are there any workmen left in the park?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, monsieur le marquis, nobody." -</p> - -<p> -"In that case, close the gate when you go away." -</p> - -<p> -Emile remained alone with his host in the solitude of the vast park. The -marquis took his arm and led him to a seat on the cliffs above the -chalet, where there was a lovely view. -</p> - -<p> -The sun, as it sank toward the horizon, projected the shadows of the -tall poplars from one side to the other of the ravine, like a dark -curtain intersected by brilliant streaks. The violet rays shot up into -an opal-hued sky, above an ocean of dark verdure; and as the sounds of -toil in the fields died gradually away, the voice of the mountain -streams and the plaintive note of the turtle doves could be heard more -distinctly. -</p> - -<p> -It was a magnificent evening, and young Cardonnet, turning his eyes and -thoughts upon the distant hills of Châteaubrun, fell into a pleasant -reverie. He was reflecting that he might venture to indulge in that -mental recreation before making another assault, when his adversary -suddenly made an unexpected sortie and broke the silence. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur Cardonnet," said he, "if, when you told me that you felt a -sort of sympathy for me despite the ennui that I cause you, you did not -say it simply to be polite, or by way of jest, this is the reason: we -profess the same principles, we are both communists." -</p> - -<p> -"Can it be true?" cried Emile, astounded by this declaration and -thinking that he must be dreaming. "I thought just now that you answered -me as you did simply to be courteous or by way of jest; but am I really -so fortunate as to find in you a justification of my desires and my -dreams?" -</p> - -<p> -"What is there surprising in that?" rejoined the marquis calmly. "May -not the truth make itself known in solitude as well as in a crowd, and -have I not lived long enough to be able to distinguish good from evil, -the true from the false? You take me for a very matter-of-fact, very -cold man. It is possible that I am; at my age a man is too tired of -himself to care to examine himself; but, outside of our individuality, -there are general realities sufficiently worthy of interest to divert -our thoughts from our ennui. -</p> - -<p> -"For a long time I retained the opinions and prejudices in which I was -reared; my natural indolence was content not to scrutinize them too -closely, and then I had internal anxieties which kept me from thinking -about them. But since old age has set me free from all pretension to -happiness and from every sort of regret or special interest in anything, -I have felt the need of obtaining an insight into the general life of my -fellow-men, and, consequently, into the meaning of the divine laws as -applied to mankind. -</p> - -<p> -"Certain Saint-Simonian pamphlets fell into my hands by chance, I read -them to pass the time, having as yet no idea that they could go beyond -the bold theories of Jean-Jacques and Voltaire, with whom careful study -had reconciled me. -</p> - -<p> -"I determined to know more of the principles of this new school, and I -passed from that to the study of Fourier. I admitted everything, -although I did not very clearly distinguish their contradictions, and it -still saddened me to see the ancient world crumble under the weight of -theories invincible in their system of criticism, confused and -incomplete in their principles of organization. It was not until five or -six years ago that I accepted with perfect disinterestedness and great -mental satisfaction the principle of a social revolution. -</p> - -<p> -"The attempts at communism had seemed to me monstrous at first, on the -faith of those who combated them. I read the newspapers and publications -of all the schools, and I gradually lost myself in that labyrinth, -without being repelled by fatigue. Little by little the communist -hypothesis came forth from its clouds; able expositions shed light into -my mind. I felt that I must go back to the teaching of history and to -the tradition of the human race. -</p> - -<p> -"I had a well-selected library of the best documents and the most -serious works of the past. My father had been fond of reading, and I had -hated it for so many years that I did not even know what precious -resources he had left me for my old age. I set to work all alone. I -learned again the dead languages, which I had forgotten; I read for the -first time, in the original sources, the history of religions and -philosophies, and the day came at last when the great men, the saints, -the prophets, the poets, the martyrs, the heretics, the scholars, the -enlightened orthodox believers, the innovators, the artists, the -reformers of all times, all countries, of all the revolutions and of all -the forms of worship seemed to me to be in accord, proclaiming in every -form, and even in their apparent contradictions, one eternal truth, as -logical and as clear as the light of day, namely the equality of rights, -and the inevitable necessity of equality of enjoyment thereof as a -rigorous consequence of the first. -</p> - -<p> -"Since then I have been surprised by only one thing, and that is that in -the time in which we live, with so many resources and discoveries, so -much activity, intelligence and freedom of opinion, the world is still -plunged in such utter ignorance of the logical results of the facts and -ideas which are forcing it to transform itself; that there are so many -self-styled theologians encouraged and supported by the State and by the -Church, and that no one of them has ever thought of devoting his life to -the very simple labor which led me to certainty; and lastly, that while -rushing onward to the catastrophe of its dissolution, the world of the -past thinks to preserve itself by the strength and wrath of the destiny -which hurries it on and swallows it, whereas those who know the secret -of the law of the future have not as yet sufficient tranquillity and -good sense to laugh at insults and to proclaim, with head erect, that -they are communists and nothing else. -</p> - -<p> -"You talk of dreams and Utopias with eloquence and enthusiasm, Monsieur -Cardonnet; I forgive you for making use of those expressions because at -your age truth arouses enthusiasm, and one makes of it an ideal which he -purposely places rather high and rather far away, in order to have the -pleasure of reaching it by earnest effort. But I can not work myself up -as you do over this truth, which seems to me as simple, as manifest and -as incontestable as it seems to you novel, bold and romantic. In my case -it is the result of a deeper study and of a more firmly seated -certainty. I do not dislike your vivacity, but I should not blame myself -if I were to combat it a little in order to prevent you from endangering -the doctrine by over-eagerness. -</p> - -<p> -"Beware of that: you are too happily endowed ever to become ridiculous, -and you will please even those people who fight against you; but be -careful lest, by talking too fast and to too many disaffected persons of -matters so serious and so worthy of respect, you tempt them to resort to -systematic contradictions and to defend themselves in bad faith. -</p> - -<p> -"What would you say of a young priest who should deliver sermons at the -dinner-table? You would say that he belittled the majesty of his texts. -Communistic truth is as deserving of respect as gospel truth, since it -is in reality the same truth. Let us not speak of it lightly, therefore, -and after the manner of political discussion. If you are excited, you -must make sure that you are entirely master of yourself before -proclaiming it; if you are phlegmatic, like me, you must wait until you -acquire a little self-confidence and mental activity before opening your -heart to other men on such a subject. -</p> - -<p> -"You see, Monsieur Cardonnet, people must not have a chance to say that -this is all folly, idle dreaming, feverish declamation, or a vision of -mysticism. That has been said quite enough, and enough weak minds have -given people the right to say it. -</p> - -<p> -"We have seen Saint-Simonism pass through its phase of trances and -feverish and disordered visions; that did not prevent the survival of -whatever was viable in Saint-Simonism. -</p> - -<p> -"Despite the aberrations of Fourier, the lucid portions of his system -survive and will bear a critical examination. Truth triumphs and pursues -its way through whatever disguise one views it and in whatever disguise -one clothes it. But it would be much better that, in the age of reason -which we have reached, the ridiculous manifestations of a blind -enthusiasm should disappear entirely. Is not that your opinion? Has not -the hour struck when serious-minded people should take possession of -their true domain, and when those things that are logically proved -should be professed by logicians? -</p> - -<p> -"What does it matter if they are said to be inapplicable? Does it -follow, because the majority of men still know and practise only what is -wrong and false, that the clear-sighted man must follow the blind over -the precipice? -</p> - -<p> -"It's of no use to urge upon me the necessity of obeying bad laws and -wrongful prejudices. Although my acts may be forced to conform to them, -my mind will be only the more firmly convinced of the necessity of -protesting against them. -</p> - -<p> -"Was Jesus Christ in error because, during eighteen centuries, the -truths demonstrated by him have germinated slowly, and have not yet -bloomed in legislation? -</p> - -<p> -"And now that the problems suggested by his ideal are beginning to -approach a solution in the minds of some of us, how is it that we are -taxed with madness because we see and believe what will be seen and -believed by all men a hundred years hence? Be assured therefore that it -is not necessary to be a poet or a seer to be perfectly convinced of the -reality of what you are pleased to call sublime dreams. To be sure, -truth is sublime, and the men who discover it are sublime as well. But -they who, having received it and touched it, conform their lives to it -as an excellent thing, have not really the right to be proud; for if, -when they have once understood it, they reject it, they would be nothing -less than idiots or madmen." -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Boisguilbault spoke with a facility most extraordinary for -him, and he might have talked on for a long while before the stupefied -Emile would have thought of interrupting him. -</p> - -<p> -Emile would never have believed that what he called his faith and his -ideal could bloom in so cold and apathetic a mind, and he asked himself -at first if it were not enough to sicken himself with it to find himself -in the company of such an adept. But, little by little, notwithstanding -his moderate way of speaking, the monotony of his accent and the -immobility of his features, Monsieur de Boisguilbault acquired an -extraordinary influence over him. That impassive man seemed to him an -embodiment of the living law, the voice of destiny pronouncing its -decrees over the abyss of eternity. -</p> - -<p> -The solitude of that beautiful spot, the cloudless sky which, as the -afterglow faded, seemed to raise its blue vault higher and higher toward -the empyrean, the darkness gathering under the great trees, and the -murmur of the rippling stream, which seemed in its placid continuity, -the natural accompaniment of that calm, even voice—all combined to -plunge Emile into a profound emotion akin to the mysterious awe which -the response of the oracle in the sacred oaks must have produced in the -youthful neophytes. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur de Boisguilbault," said the young man, deeply impressed by -what he had heard, "I cannot better express my submission to your -enlightened views than by asking your pardon, from the bottom of my -heart, for the way in which I extorted them from you. I was far from -believing that you entertained such ideas, and I was drawn toward you by -curiosity rather than by respect. But be sure that you will find in me -henceforth the devotion of a son if you deem me worthy to manifest it." -</p> - -<p> -"I never had any children," replied the marquis, taking Emile's hand in -his and retaining it several moments; for he seemed to be revivified, -and a sort of vital warmth enlivened his soft, dry skin. "Perhaps I was -not worthy of having them; perhaps I should have brought them up badly! -Nevertheless, I have deeply regretted that I have never had that joy. -Now, I am entirely resigned to death; but if a little affection should -come to me from without, I should accept it gratefully. I am not very -trustful. Solitude breeds distrust. But I will make for your sake some -effort to overcome my natural disposition, so that you may not be -offended by my defects, especially by my surly humor, which horrifies -everybody." -</p> - -<p> -"That is because nobody knows you," rejoined Emile. "People look upon -you as very different from what you are. You are thought to be proud and -obstinately attached to the chimera of ancient privileges. You have -evidently taken care, with great cruelty toward yourself, not to allow -your real character to be divined by any one." -</p> - -<p> -"Why should I have explained myself? What does it matter what people -think of me? for, in the society in which I vegetate, my real opinions -would seem even more ridiculous than those commonly attributed to me. If -the cause which my mind has embraced would derive any benefit from a -public declaration of my homage or my adhesion, no ridicule would turn -me from it; but such adhesion on the part of a man so little loved as I -am would be more harmful than useful to the progress of the truth. I -cannot lie, and if any one had ever taken the trouble to come and -question me, during these latter years since my opinions became fixed, -it is probable that I should have said to him what I have said to you; -but the circle of solitude grows wider about me every day and I have no -right to complain. One must be amiable, in order to please, and I do not -know how to make myself amiable, God having denied me certain gifts, -which it is impossible for me to feign." -</p> - -<p> -Emile strove earnestly and affectionately to allay, so far as he could, -the secret bitterness concealed beneath Monsieur de Boisguilbault's -resignation. -</p> - -<p> -"It is very easy for me to be content with the present," said the old -man with a sad smile. "I have very few years to live; although I am -neither very old nor very ill, I feel that my vital thread is worn out, -and my blood congeals and thickens every day. I might perhaps complain -of having had no joys in the past; but when the past has fled, what does -it matter what it was?—bliss or despair, strength or weakness, it has -all vanished like a dream." -</p> - -<p> -"But not without leaving traces behind," said Emile. "Even if memory -itself should disappear, our emotions, according as they were pleasant -or painful, will have deposited their balm or their poison, and our -hearts will be tranquil or broken according to the experience they have -had. I think that you must have suffered terribly in the past, although -your brave heart refuses to descend to lamentation, and that suffering, -which you conceal with too much pride, perhaps, increases my respect and -my sympathy for you." -</p> - -<p> -"I have suffered more from the absence of happiness than from what is -commonly called unhappiness. I agree that a sort of pride has already -prevented me from seeking a remedy in the sympathy of others. Friendship -must needs come to seek me out, for I could not run after it." -</p> - -<p> -"But in that case, would you have accepted it?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! certainly," said Monsieur de Boisguilbault, still in a cold tone, -but with a sigh that went to Emile's heart. -</p> - -<p> -"And is it too late now?" asked the young man, with profound and -respectful pity. -</p> - -<p> -"Now—why, I should have to believe in it," replied the marquis, "or -dare to ask for it—and from whom, pray?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why not from him who listens to you and understands you to-day? Perhaps -he is the first who has done so for a long time." -</p> - -<p> -"That is true!" -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, do you despise my youth? Do you deem me incapable of a -serious sentiment, and do you fear that you will grow younger by -bestowing a little affection on a boy?" -</p> - -<p> -"But suppose I should make you grow older, Emile?" -</p> - -<p> -"Very good; as I shall strive, for my part, to make you retrace your -steps, the struggle will be advantageous to both of us. I shall gain in -wisdom unquestionably, and perhaps you will find some alleviation of the -wearisome monotony of your life. Believe in me, Monsieur de -Boisguilbault: at my age one cannot pretend; if I dare to offer you my -respectful attention, it is because I am capable of performing the -duties that accompany it, and of appreciating the advantages of your -affection!" -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Boisguilbault took Emile's hand once more, and pressed it -very warmly, but made no reply. -</p> - -<p> -By the light of the moon, which was just rising, the young man saw a -tear glisten an instant on the old man's withered cheek and disappear in -his silvery whiskers. -</p> - -<p> -Emile had conquered; he was happy and proud. -</p> - -<p> -The youth of to-day profess a malignant contempt for old age, but our -hero, on the contrary, felt a legitimate pride in triumphing over the -reserve and distrust of that venerable and unhappy man. He was flattered -by the thought that he had brought some consolation to that desolate -patriarch and had made up to him for the neglect or injustice of other -men. -</p> - -<p> -He walked with him a long time in his beautiful park, and asked him many -questions, the confiding artlessness of which did not offend the -marquis. He expressed his surprise, for instance, that Monsieur de -Boisguilbault, being wealthy and unhampered by family ties, had not -tried to put his opinions in practice and to found some communistic -association. -</p> - -<p> -"That would be impossible for me," the old man replied. "I have not a -trace of the initiative spirit; my indolence is invincible, and I have -never, in my whole life, been able to exert any influence upon others. I -should be less fitted for it now than ever, especially as it would not -be merely a matter of devising a simple plan of organization applicable -to the present time, but we must have moral and religious formulas, an -exposition of principles and sentiment. I recognize the necessity of -sentiment to convince men's minds; but it is not in my line. I have not -the faculty of laying my heart bare, and my heart has not enough -vitality to impart eloquence to my words. Nor do I think the time has -come—you do not think that it has, do you? Very well, I do not -propose to disturb your conviction; you are built for difficult -enterprises, may you find the opportunity to act! As for myself, I have -projects for the future—after my death. Some day, perhaps I will -tell you what they are. Look at this beautiful garden that I have -created—I have not done it without a purpose—but I want to -know you better before explaining my plans; will you forgive me?" -</p> - -<p> -"I bow to your wish, and I am certain beforehand that your predilection -for this earthly paradise is not simply the mania of an idle landowner." -</p> - -<p> -"I began in that way, however. My house had become distasteful to me; -nothing gratifies indolence and disgust like immutable order, and that -is why the house is so carefully kept and orderly. But I care for -nothing that it contains, and I may tell you in confidence that I have -not slept in it for fifteen years. The chalet where we took our coffee -is my real home. There is a bedroom there and a study, which I did not -show you and which no one has entered since they were built, not even -Martin. Please not mention this to anybody, for perhaps public -inquisitiveness would follow me there. It already besieges the park -persistently enough on Sundays. All the idlers of the neighborhood stay -here until eleven o'clock at night, and I stay away until the closing of -the gates compels them to leave. On Monday I rise very late so that the -workmen may have time to remove all traces of the invasion before I have -seen them. Martin looks out for that. Don't accuse me of misanthropy, -although perhaps I deserve the charge to some extent. Try rather to -explain the anomaly of a man thoroughly imbued with the necessity of -life in common, and yet compelled by his instincts to shun the presence -of his fellow-men. I belong to this generation of individual egotists, -and that which is a vice in others is a disease in me. There are reasons -for this. But I prefer not to discuss them in order that I may not have -to recall them." -</p> - -<p> -Emile dared not ask any direct questions, although he resolved that he -would discover one by one all Monsieur de Boisguilbault's secrets, or at -least all those in which the Châteaubrun family was interested. But he -considered that he had won enough victories for one day, and that he -must win the marquis's esteem and affection, if possible, before -obtaining his full confidence. -</p> - -<p> -He desired simply to obtain access to the library, and the marquis -promised to throw it open to him at their next interview, for which, -however, they appointed no time. Monsieur de Boisguilbault, perhaps -because of a return of his former distrust, wished to see if Emile would -come again soon of his own motion. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap18"></a></h4> - -<h4>XVIII -<br /><br /> -STORM</h4> - -<p> -From that day Emile no longer lived at his parents' house. He was there -in the body at night, to be sure, and during some hours of the day; but -his mind was more frequently at Boisguilbault and his heart almost -always at Châteaubrun. -</p> - -<p> -He went frequently to Boisguilbault, more frequently than he would have -done, perhaps, had it not been for the proximity of Châteaubrun and the -pretexts afforded by his first visit. -</p> - -<p> -In the first place there were books to carry to Gilberte, and although -the marquis gave him permission to draw upon the library at his -discretion, he was careful to carry them one by one, so that he might -always have an excuse for calling upon her. -</p> - -<p> -It did not occur to Monsieur Antoine or Janille to be surprised at the -pleasure which Gilberte derived from reading, or to superintend her -choice of books; for Janille could not read, and prudence was not -Monsieur Antoine's forte. But the maid's guardian angel was no more -heedful of the purity of her thoughts than was Emile. His love enveloped -Gilberte with an inviolable respect, and the child's saintlike innocence -was a treasure of which he showed himself a more jealous guardian than -her father, to whom, as Janille expressed it, good fortune had always -come when he was asleep. -</p> - -<p> -How carefully therefore did he turn the leaves of a volume before handing -it to her,—whatever its subject,—history, morals, poetry or -romance,—lest it should contain some word that might make her blush! -</p> - -<p> -If, in her trustful ignorance, she asked him to procure her some book in -which he remembered that there were certain passages that ought not to -be put before the eyes of a young virgin, he would reply that he had -looked through the collection at Boisguilbault in vain; that it was not -there. -</p> - -<p> -A mother could have acted no more wisely under such circumstances than -Gilberte's young lover, and in proportion as the father, in his -affectionate heedlessness, unwittingly smoothed the way for attempts at -corruption, Emile made it his sacred and cherished duty to justify the -confidence of those ingenuous hearts. -</p> - -<p> -Emile's opportunities for talking with Gilberte as to what took place -between himself and Monsieur de Boisguilbault were very rare and brief, -for Janille almost never left them; and when they were with Monsieur -Antoine, Gilberte instinctively and from habit clung to her father's -side. -</p> - -<p> -However she soon learned that the friendship between young Cardonnet and -the old marquis was making great strides, and that it was based upon a -remarkable harmony of principles and ideas. But Emile did his best to -conceal from her the ill success of his attempts to bring about a -reconciliation between the two families: we shall set forth, in due -time, the result of his efforts in that direction. -</p> - -<p> -Hoping always to succeed in time, Emile dissembled his frequent rebuffs; -and Gilberte, divining the embarrassments and the delicate nature of the -mission he had accepted, did not press him in the fear of displaying too -great eagerness and persistence. -</p> - -<p> -And then, it should be said that Gilberte gradually became less -interested in the success of the enterprise, while Emile, for his part, -felt that his resolution became day by day more earnest. -</p> - -<p> -Love absorbs every other thought; and these two young people, by dint of -thinking of each other soon had no leisure to think of anything else. -Their whole existence became sentiment, that is to say passion, and the -hours flew by in the intoxication of being together, or dragged heavily -in anticipation of the moment which was to bring them together. -</p> - -<p> -It was a strange thing to Monsieur Cardonnet, who was watching his son -closely, and to Emile, who no longer realized what was going on within -him, and yet it was entirely natural, inevitable indeed, that the -passion which had absorbed our hero's first youth,—that is to say, -the desire to acquire knowledge, to understand and take part in general -life,—gave place to a gentle slumber of the intellect and to -something like forgetfulness of his favorite theories. -</p> - -<p> -In a society where all things were in harmony, love would surely become -a stimulant to patriotism and to social virtue. But when bold and -generous impulses are doomed to maintain a painful conflict with the men -and things that surround us, the personal affections capture us and -dominate us to the point of producing a sort of numbness of the other -faculties. -</p> - -<p> -The common people seek in intoxication by alcohol oblivion of their -privations, and the lover finds in the intoxication produced by his -mistress's eyes a sort of philter that induces oblivion of everything -else. Emile was too young to know how to suffer and to desire to suffer, -but he had already suffered much. Now that happiness had come in search -of him, how could he think of eluding it? Let us admit, without too much -shame for the poor boy, that he no longer thought of laws or facts or -the future, of the past of the world, of the vices of society, or the -means of saving it, of human misery or the divine will, of Heaven or -earth. Earth, Heaven, God's law, destiny, the world—his love was all -of these; and provided he could see Gilberte and read his fate in her eyes, -it mattered little to him if the universe crumbled about his ears. -</p> - -<p> -He could not open a book or sustain a discussion. When he had tired -himself out scouring all the paths that led in the direction of his -beloved, he dozed beside his mother's chair or read the newspapers to -her without understanding a word of what his voice said; and when he was -alone in his chamber, he would undress very hurriedly so that he could -put out his light and avoid the sight of external objects. -</p> - -<p> -Then the darkness would be illuminated by the inward fire which gave him -life, and his radiant vision would appear before him. In that ecstatic -state he ceased to have the sensations of sleep or of waking. He dreamed -with his eyes open, he saw with his eyes closed. -</p> - -<p> -A word of playful affection, a smile from Gilberte, the touch of her -dress brushing against him as she passed, a blade of grass which she had -broken and which he had seized upon,—any one of these was enough to -occupy his mind during the night; and no sooner did the first rays of -dawn appear than he ran to groom his horse himself so that he might -start the earlier. He forgot to eat and considered it perfectly natural -that he should live on the morning dew and the breeze that blew from -Châteaubrun. -</p> - -<p> -He dared not go there every day, although he might have done so without -fear that Monsieur Antoine would receive him less warmly. But there is -in love a shrinking modesty which takes fright at happiness at the -moment of grasping it. So he wandered about in every direction, and hid -in the woods, where he could gaze at the ruins of Châteaubrun through -the branches, as if he were afraid of being caught in the act of -adoration. -</p> - -<p> -At night, when Jean Jappeloup had finished his day's work, as he did not -as yet earn enough to hire a house and did not choose to be a burden to -his friends, and as the nights were warm and pleasant, he repaired to a -small abandoned chapel, on the hill which formed the centre of the -village, and before lying down on the straw with which he had made a -bed, went to say his prayers at the pretty little church of Gargilesse. -</p> - -<p> -He went down, from preference, into the Roman crypt which still bears -traces of the curious frescoes of the fifteenth century. From the -daintily-carved window of that underground apartment one overlooks walls -of rock and the green ravines through which the Gargilesse flows. -</p> - -<p> -The carpenter had been deprived longer than he liked of the sight of his -dear native place, and he often interrupted his placid, pensive prayer -to gaze on the landscape, still half-praying, half-musing, in that -peculiar frame of mind characteristic of simple-hearted folk, peasants, -especially after the fatigue of the day. -</p> - -<p> -It was then that Emile, when he had dined and walked a while with his -mother, came to join the carpenter, to admire the pretty structure with -him, and then to chat on the hill-top of everything that he could not -talk about at home—of Châteaubrun, Monsieur Antoine, Janille, and, -lastly, of Gilberte. -</p> - -<p> -There was one person who loved Gilberte almost as dearly as Emile, but -with another kind of love: that person was Jean. He did not precisely -look upon her as his daughter, for, blended with the paternal sentiment, -there was a sort of respect for a nature so adorable, a sort of -unpolished enthusiasm which he would not have had for his own children. -But he was proud of her beauty, of her goodness, of her common sense and -of her courage, like a man who knows the value of those qualities, and -feels keenly the honor of a noble attachment. -</p> - -<p> -The familiarity with which he expressed himself concerning her, dropping -the title of mademoiselle in accordance with his habit of calling every -one by his or her name, in no wise detracted from his instinctive -veneration for her, and Emile's ears were not wounded thereby, although -he would never have dared do the same. -</p> - -<p> -The young man took keen delight in hearing of Gilberte's childish sports -and pretty ways, of her kindly impulses, of her generous and delicate -attentions to the friend who, but for her, would have lacked everything. -</p> - -<p> -"When I was wandering in the mountains not long ago," said Jappeloup, "I -was pressed so close sometimes that I dared not leave the hole in the -cliff or the branches of some tree with dense foliage, in which I had -hidden in the morning. At such times hunger took hold of me, and one -night when I was thoroughly done up with weakness and fatigue, and was -creeping round the mountain, saying to myself that it was a long, long -way to Châteaubrun, and if I should happen to meet gendarmes on the way -I shouldn't have the strength to run, I saw a little wagon on the road -with several bundles of straw, and Gilberte walking alongside and making -signs to me. She had come all that distance with Sylvain Charasson, -looking for me everywhere, and watching like a little quail under a -bush. I lay down and hid in the straw. Gilberte sat down by my side, and -Sylvain led us back to Châteaubrun, where I went in under the noses of -the gendarmes, who were hunting for me not two steps away. -</p> - -<p> -"Another time we had agreed that Sylvain should bring me something to -eat and put it in the hollow trunk of an old willow about a league from -Châteaubrun. It was horrible weather, pelting rain, and I had a strong -suspicion that the little rascal, who likes to be comfortable, would -pretend to forget me or would eat my dinner on the road. However, I went -there at the time agreed upon, and I found the little basket well filled -and well out of sight. But what do you suppose I spied near the willow? -The print of a cunning little foot on the damp sand, and I was able to -follow the poor little foot along the ground, where it had sunk in more -than once over the ankle. The dear child had got wet through, dirty and -tired, because she wouldn't trust anyone but herself to look after her -old friend! -</p> - -<p> -"And still another day she saw the bloodhounds marching straight for an -old ruin, where, thinking that I was perfectly safe, I was calmly taking -a nap at midday. It was terribly hot that day! It was the very day you -arrived in the neighborhood. Well, Gilberte took the short cut, a very -rough and dangerous path, where the horsemen could not have followed -her, and arrived a quarter of an hour ahead of them, all red and all out -of breath, to wake me and tell me to make tracks. She was sick -afterward, poor dear heart, and her people knew nothing about it. That -was what made me particularly anxious that evening, when we took supper -at Châteaubrun and Janille told us that she had gone to bed. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! yes, the little one has always had a great heart. If the King of -France knew her worth he would be too much honored to obtain her hand -for the best of his sons. When she was no bigger than my fist, any one -could see that she would be as pretty and lovable a creature as ever -was. You may seek as you will among the greatest and richest ladies, my -boy, you will never find a Gilberte like Gilberte de Châteaubrun!" -</p> - -<p> -Emile listened with delight, asked him innumerable questions, and made -him repeat the same stories ten times over. -</p> - -<p> -It was not long before Monsieur Cardonnet discovered the cause of the -change that had taken place in Emile. There was no more melancholy, no -more painful reticence, no more indirect reproof. It seemed as if Emile -had never been in opposition to him on any subject whatever, or at least -had never noticed that his father had different ideas from his own. He -had become a child once more in many respects. He did not heave sighs at -this or that plan of study; he seemed not to see things which might have -offended his principles; he dreamed of naught but lovely, sunny -mornings, long walks, precipices to climb, solitudes to explore; and yet -he brought back neither sketches, nor plants, nor mineralogical -specimens, as he would have done at other times. -</p> - -<p> -Country life pleased him above all things. It was the loveliest region -in the world; the open air and exercise in the saddle did him a vast -amount of good; in a word, everything was for the best, provided that he -was allowed to have his way; and if he fell into a fit of musing, he -would come out of it with a smile that seemed to say: -</p> - -<p> -"I have things within me to occupy my mind, and what you say to me is -nothing compared to what I think." -</p> - -<p> -If Monsieur Cardonnet, by some artifice, succeeded in keeping him at -home, he seemed distressed for a moment, then, suddenly assuming an air -of resignation, like a man whom it is impossible to dispossess of his -stock of happiness, he made haste to obey, and set about his task in -order to have done with it the sooner. -</p> - -<p> -"There's a pretty girl at the bottom of all this," said Monsieur -Cardonnet to himself, "and it is love that makes this rebellious mind so -docile. It's a very good thing to know. So the philosophical, -argumentative fever may give way to thirst for pleasure or to sentimental -reveries! I was very foolish not to reckon on his youth and the passions -of youth! I must let this storm rage—it will blow away the -obstacle upon which I should have gone to pieces; and when it is time to -stay the storm, I will see what it is best to do. Make haste with your -riding about the country and your loving, my poor Emile! It's the same -with you as with this mountain stream that has declared war on me: you -will both submit when you feel the hand of the master!" -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur Cardonnet was not conscious of his cruelty. He believed neither -in the force nor duration of love, and attached no more importance to a -young man's despair than to a child's tears. If he had thought that -Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun could become the victim of his plan of -waiting, he might perhaps have been conscience-stricken. But the spirit -of a proprietor and of <i>everyone for himself</i>, prevented him from -foreseeing the danger of another. -</p> - -<p> -"It's old Antoine's business to look out for his daughter," he thought. -"If the old sot sleeps on his own perils, he has at all events a -servant-mistress who has nothing better to do than put the key of the -famous pavilion in her pocket at night. I can open the duenna's eyes -when the time comes." -</p> - -<p> -With this persuasion he left Emile almost free, both as to his time and -his acts. He confined himself to ridiculing and bitterly decrying the -family of Châteaubrun when opportunity offered, in order to protect -himself from the reproach of having openly encouraged his son's suit. -</p> - -<p> -In his opinion, Antoine de Châteaubrun was really a poor creature, a -man of no consideration, whom poverty had degraded and idleness -brutalized. He saw with vainglorious pleasure the former lords of the -soil, thus fallen from their high estate, take refuge in the arms of the -people, not daring to have recourse to the protection and companionship -of the newly rich. -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Boisguilbault found no favor in his eyes, although it was -difficult to reproach him with dissipation and impropriety of conduct. -The wealth which he had succeeded in retaining gave much more umbrage to -Cardonnet than the name of Châteaubrun, and while he despised the -count, he had a sort of hatred for the marquis. He declared that he was -a fit subject for the lunatic hospital, and he blushed for him, he said, -because of the idiotic use he had made of so long a life and so vast a -fortune. -</p> - -<p> -Emile took pains to defend Monsieur de Boisguilbault, but without -avowing that he saw him two or three times a week. He was afraid that -his father, by suggesting to him that he must make his visits more -infrequent, would deprive him of the excuse he had for making a short -call on the family at Châteaubrun as he rode by. He needed that excuse -particularly on Gilberte's account, for he was confident that Monsieur -Antoine would make no comment; but he was afraid that Janille might -convince Mademoiselle that her dignity demanded that she should keep at -a respectful distance a young man who was too wealthy to marry her, -according to worldly ideas. -</p> - -<p> -He foresaw clearly enough that the day would come when his assiduity -would be observed. -</p> - -<p> -"But by that time," he said to himself, "perhaps she will love me, and I -can explain the seriousness of my attentions." -</p> - -<p> -This thought naturally led him to anticipate a long and vehement -opposition on Monsieur Cardonnet's part; but thereupon there rose in him -a sort of well-spring of courage and determination; his heart beat like -that of a soldier rushing forward to the assault, burning to plant his -flag on the breach with his own hand; he felt that he quivered like the -war-horse intoxicated by the smell of powder. -</p> - -<p> -Sometimes, when his father overwhelmed one of his workmen with his cold, -concentrated wrath, he would fold his arms and involuntarily measure him -with his eye. -</p> - -<p> -"We shall see," he would say to himself, "if such things will terrify -me, and if such a blast will make me bend when he raises his hand -against the sacred ark of my love.—O father! you have succeeded in -turning me aside from the studies to which I was devoted, in stifling -all my aspirations in my bosom, in wounding my self-esteem with impunity -and trampling on my sympathies. If you demand the sacrifice of my -intelligence and my inclinations, why, I will submit once more. But the -sacrifice of my love! Ah! you are too prudent, too discerning to demand -it, for if you did, you would see that, while I am your son to love you, -I have your blood in my veins to resist you. We should shatter ourselves -against each other, like two machines of equal strength, and you would -have to become a parricide in order to win the victory." -</p> - -<p> -Awaiting that terrible day, which Emile accustomed himself to -contemplate, he allowed his father's secret rancor to vent itself in -empty words against the worthy Antoine and his faithful Janille. It had -even become a matter of indifference whether he did or did not allude to -the doubtful parentage of the count's daughter. It mattered little to -him whether she had plebeian blood in her veins, and he hardly heard -what Monsieur Cardonnet said on that subject. -</p> - -<p> -It seemed to him, furthermore, that it would have been an insult to -Gilberte's father to seek to defend him against the other accusations of -his father. He smiled almost like a martyr, who receives a wound and -defies pain. -</p> - -<p> -Thus, despite all his shrewdness, Cardonnet was on the wrong road and -was dragging his son with him into the abyss, flattering himself that he -could readily hold him back when they had reached the brink. He thought -that he knew the human heart, because he knew the secret of human -weaknesses; but he who knows only the weak and miserable side of men and -things, knows only half of the truth. -</p> - -<p> -"I have made him submit on more important occasions," he said to -himself; "an <i>amourette</i> is of no account." -</p> - -<p> -He was right as to <i>amourettes</i>; perhaps he had had experience of -them; but a great passion was to him an inaccessible ideal, and he had no -conception of the sublime or disastrous resolutions it can inspire. -</p> - -<p> -It may be that Monsieur de Boisguilbault contributed in some degree to -allay Emile's tempestuous ardor in regard to social questions; sometimes -his tone of glacial security had aroused the impetuous youth's -impatience; but more frequently he realized that tranquil prophet was -right in submitting patiently to the present, in view of what the future -was certain to bring forth. -</p> - -<p> -When the marquis discoursed to him in the name of the logic of -ideas—sovereign of all worlds and mother of human -destinies—instead of irritating him as Monsieur Cardonnet did by -invoking the false and clumsy logic of facts, he succeeded in pacifying -and convincing him. -</p> - -<p> -If the contrast between the two sometimes caused a sort of generous -irritability in the least patient of the two, the more tranquil soon -recovered his influence and disclosed the power that was concealed -within him and that made him, so to speak, superior to himself. -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur Cardonnet's raillery had wounded Emile deeply, and had almost -driven him to the exaggeration of fanaticism. Monsieur de -Boisguilbault's exalted good sense reconciled him to himself, and he -felt proud to have the sanction of an old man so enlightened and so -rigid in his deductions. As they were in perfect accord as to the -fundamental points, their discussions could not last long, and as -communism was the only subject capable of rousing the marquis from his -usual taciturnity, it often happened that they were silent for a long -while in a sort of reverie <i>à deux</i>. -</p> - -<p> -But Emile was never bored at Boisguilbault. The beauty of the park, the -library, and, above all, the reserved but indubitable pleasure which the -marquis derived from his society, made his visits agreeably restful and -delightful to him as a relief from more intense emotions. He created for -himself there, unconsciously, a second home, much more in conformity -with his tastes than the noisy factory and his father's household, -managed as it was with military strictness. -</p> - -<p> -Châteaubrun would have been a retreat even more after his heart. There -he loved everything and everybody, without exception: the family, the -old ruins, even the domestic animals and the plants. But to enjoy the -happiness of passing his life there, he must scale the walls of heaven; -and as he must needs fall back to the earth after his dream, Emile found -that the fall was less severe at Boisguilbault than at Gargilesse. -Boisguilbault was a sort of half-way station between the bottomless pit and -heaven; the <i>limbo</i> between purgatory and paradise. He was so warmly -welcomed there, and so warmly urged to remain, that he became accustomed -to the idea that he was at home there. He busied himself about the park, -arranged the books, and took riding-lessons in the main courtyard. -</p> - -<p> -Gradually the old marquis yielded to the pleasures of companionship, and -sometimes his smile indicated genuine cheerfulness. He did not realize -the fact or did not choose to admit it: but the young man became -necessary to him and brought life to him. For hours at a time he seemed -to accept the boon indifferently, but when Emile was about to leave him -that pale face would gradually change its expression, and the wheeze of -asthma would become a sigh of affection and regret when the young man -leaped upon his horse, impatient to descend the hill. -</p> - -<p> -At last it became evident to Emile, who was learning day by day to -decipher that mysterious book, that the old man's heart was affectionate -and sympathetic, that he regretted, secretly but constantly, that he had -adopted a life of solitude, and that he had other reasons for taking -that course than a misanthropic temperament simply. -</p> - -<p> -He believed that the time had come to probe the wound and suggest the -remedy. The name of Antoine de Châteaubrun, which he had already -mentioned many times to no purpose, and which had died away, leaving no -echo, in the silence of the park, came once more to his lips and clung -there more obstinately. The marquis was forced to hear it and make some -reply. -</p> - -<p> -"My dear Emile," he said, in the most solemn tone he had as yet assumed -with him, "you can cause me much pain, and if such is your purpose, I -will furnish you with the means, namely, to speak to me of the person -you have just mentioned." -</p> - -<p> -"I know," replied the young man, "but——" -</p> - -<p> -"You know!" Monsieur de Boisguilbault interrupted him; "what do you -know?" -</p> - -<p> -And, as he asked this question, he seemed so indignant, and his lifeless -eyes were filled with such threatening fire, that Emile, taken by -surprise, remembered what was said at their first interview about his -alleged irascibility, although it was said in such a tone that at the -time he had been unable to view it in any other light than as a boastful -joke. -</p> - -<p> -"Answer me!" continued Monsieur de Boisguilbault, in a milder voice but -with a bitter smile. "If you know the causes of my resentment, how dare -you remind me of them?" -</p> - -<p> -"If they are serious," replied Emile, "I certainly know nothing of them; -for what I have been told is so frivolous that I am entirely unable to -credit it, seeing how angry you are with me." -</p> - -<p> -"Frivolous! frivolous! In heaven's name what has anyone told you? Be -honest: don't hope to deceive me!" -</p> - -<p> -"Since when, pray, have I given you the right to suspect me of anything -so base as falsehood?" retorted Emile, becoming a little heated in his -turn. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur Cardonnet," said the marquis, taking the young man's arm in a -hand that trembled like the leaf fluttering in the autumn breeze, "I do -not think that you will seek to make sport of my suffering. Speak, -therefore, and tell me what you know, for I must hear it." -</p> - -<p> -"I know what people say and no more. They say that you broke off a -friendship of twenty years' standing because of a quarrel about a deer. -One of those creatures, which you had tamed for your amusement, escaped -from your enclosure, and Monsieur de Châteaubrun, having fallen in with -it a short distance from your park, was inconsiderate enough to kill it. -It would have been exceedingly inconsiderate, it is true, as there are -no deer in this region, so that he must have known that it was one of -your pets; Monsieur de Châteaubrun has always been very absent-minded, -and that is not an injury of the sort for which one cannot forgive a -friend." -</p> - -<p> -"Who told you that story? He, I suppose?" -</p> - -<p> -"He has never mentioned the subject to me. It was Jean, the carpenter, -another man whom you won't talk about, although you have been very kind -to him, who told me that he has never known of any other reason for -misunderstanding between you." -</p> - -<p> -"And from whom did he obtain this interesting explanation? from the -maid-servant, doubtless?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, monsieur le marquis. The servant never mentions you any more than -the master does. What I have told you is the story generally believed -among the peasants." -</p> - -<p> -"And the basis of it is true," rejoined Monsieur de Boisguilbault, after -a long pause, which seemed to restore his tranquillity entirely. "Why -should you be surprised, Emile? Don't you know that it only takes a drop -of water to make a lake overflow?" -</p> - -<p> -"But if your lake of bitterness was filled with such drops of water -only, how can I fail to be surprised by your sensitiveness? I can -discover no other fault in Monsieur de Châteaubrun than constant -inertia and heedlessness. If it was a series of absent-minded freaks and -<i>gaucheries</i> that made his presence insupportable to you, I must say -that I do not recognize your accustomed good judgment and tolerant -spirit. I, whom you often call a volcano in eruption, should have been -more patient than you, for Monsieur Antoine's fits of abstraction amuse -me rather than irritate me, and I see in them a proof of his openness of -heart and the artlessness of his mind." -</p> - -<p> -"Emile, Emile, you are not qualified to judge of such matters," rejoined -Monsieur de Boisguilbault with an embarrassed air. "I am very -absent-minded myself, and I suffer from my own mistakes. Those of other -people are evidently more than I can stand, you see. Affection lives -only upon contrasts, they say. Two deaf or two blind men are sadly bored -together. In short, I was tired of that man! say no more to me about -him." -</p> - -<p> -"I cannot believe that prohibition is intended seriously. O my -noble-hearted friend, turn your wrath upon me alone; if I insist; but it -is impossible for me to avoid seeing that this rupture is one of the -principal causes of your sadness. At the bottom of your heart you -reproach yourself with it as an act of injustice; and who can say that -it is not the only source of your misanthropy? We find it difficult to -tolerate other men when there is in the depths of our minds something -for which we cannot give ourselves absolution. I believe, and I dare to -tell you, that you would be comforted if you should repair the injury -which you inflicted on one of your fellow-men so many years ago." -</p> - -<p> -"The injury I inflicted on him? What injury, pray? What revenge did I -take on him? to whom did I ever say an unkind word of him? to whom have -I complained? what do you yourself know of my inmost feelings toward -him? The miserable fellow had better hold his peace! he will commit a -great sin if he complains of my conduct." -</p> - -<p> -"He does not complain of it, monsieur le marquis, but he deplores the -loss of your friendship. That regret disturbs his sleep and sometimes -obscures the serenity of his amiable and resigned heart. He does not of -his own accord mention your name, but if anybody mentions it in his -presence, he speaks of you in the highest terms and his eyes fill with -tears. And then, too, there is some one very near to him who suffers -even more than himself in his sorrow, some one who respects you, who -fears you and who dares not implore you, but whose affection and -gratitude would be a blessing in your loneliness and a support in your -old age." -</p> - -<p> -"What do you mean, Emile?" said the marquis, painfully affected. "Are -you speaking of yourself? Does your friendship for me depend upon that -condition? That would be very cruel on your part." -</p> - -<p> -"There is no question of me in this matter," Emile replied. "My -attachment to you is too profound, and my sympathy too instinctive for -me to put any price on them. I am speaking of some one who knows you -only through me, but who had already divined your character and who does -full justice to your noble qualities; of a person a thousand times more -estimable than I, whom you would love with a father's affection if you -knew her; in a word, I am speaking of an angel, of Mademoiselle Gilberte -de Châteaubrun." -</p> - -<p> -Emile had no sooner pronounced that name, upon which he relied as a -magic charm, than he saw his host's expression change in an alarming -manner. The knobs of his thin, sallow cheeks flushed purple; his eyes -started from their sockets; his arms and legs twitched convulsively. He -tried to speak and stammered unintelligible words. At last he succeeded -in saying this: -</p> - -<p> -"Enough, monsieur, that is enough, too much. Never be so misguided as to -mention that <i>demoiselle's</i> name to me!" -</p> - -<p> -And, leaving the cliff in the park, where this conversation took place, -he entered the chalet and closed the door violently behind him. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap19"></a></h4> - -<h4>XIX -<br /><br /> -THE PORTRAIT</h4> - -<p> -Emile did not return to Boisguilbault for several days. His sorrow was -deep-seated. At first he was annoyed and angry at the marquis's -distressing and incomprehensible caprice. But soon, after reflecting -upon that strange episode, he conceived an immense pity for that -diseased mind, which, amid ideas so lucid and instincts so affectionate, -nourished a deplorable sort of mania, paroxysms of hatred or resentment -closely akin to mental alienation. -</p> - -<p> -That was the only explanation that the young man could conceive of the -violent effect produced on his venerable friend by the adored name of -Gilberte. He was so dismayed by the discovery, that he no longer felt -the courage to pursue so hopeless an undertaking and determined to -inform Mademoiselle frankly of his failure. -</p> - -<p> -He bent his steps toward the ruins one evening, depressed by his -discomfiture, and for the first time he was sad on his arrival. But love -is a magician who overturns all our anticipations by unexpected favors -or cruelties. -</p> - -<p> -Gilberte was alone. To be sure, Janille was not far away; but as she -left the house to find one of her goats, and as Gilberte did not know in -what direction she had gone, so that they could not go to meet her, they -had a plausible excuse for indulging in a tête-à-tête. Gilberte also -seemed a little sad. She would have been sorely embarrassed to say why, -or how it happened that, after passing five minutes with Emile, she -entirely forgot that she had had any gloomy thoughts prior to his -arrival. -</p> - -<p> -They had dined at Châteaubrun long before: according to a custom of -many years' standing, they ate at the same hours as the peasants, that -is to say, in the morning, at noon, and after the day's work—a -perfectly logical arrangement for those who do not turn night into day. -</p> - -<p> -The sun was sinking when Emile arrived: it was the hour when all things -are lovely—grave and smiling at once. Emile fancied that he had never -before appreciated Gilberte's beauty, he was so impressed by it at that -moment; as if it were the first time, as if he had not been living for -six weeks in an ecstasy of contemplation. -</p> - -<p> -No matter; he persuaded himself that he had hitherto noticed only the -half of her hair and only the hundredth part of the charms contained in -her smile, of her grace of movement, of the inestimable treasures of her -glance. -</p> - -<p> -He had some important things to say to her, he remembered nothing. He -could think of nothing but looking at her and listening to her. All that -she said was so striking, so novel to him! How redolent she was of the -richness of nature, how she made him realize the perfection of its most -trivial details! If she showed him a flower, he discovered shades of -coloring therein whose delicacy or beauty he had never before -appreciated; if she spoke in terms of admiration of the sky, he -discovered that he had never seen the sky so lovely. The landscape at -which she gazed assumed a magical aspect and he could think of nothing -to say, except: -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! yes, how lovely it is! Oh! you are right. Of course, of course, -what you see and what you say is so true!" -</p> - -<p> -There is a delicious stupidity in the mind of a lover: everything means -<i>I love you</i>! and it would be a vain task to seek any other meaning to -their monotonous agreement on all subjects. Still, although she was even -less experienced than Emile, Gilberte, being a woman, understood a -little more clearly what she herself felt, whereas Emile loved, as we -breathe, without reflecting that a problem or a prodigy is connected -with every minute of our lives. -</p> - -<p> -Gilberte questioned herself more and was more overcome with -astonishment. She speedily made an effort to change the form of their -conversation, in which, by dint of saying nothing at all, they said far -too much. -</p> - -<p> -She mentioned Monsieur de Boisguilbault, and Emile was compelled to say -that he had no hope. All his disappointment reawoke at that admission -and he bitterly lamented the destiny that deprived him of his sole -opportunity to make himself useful to Monsieur de Châteaubrun and to -gratify Gilberte. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! have no fear on that score," said the girl innocently, "I shall be -none the less under obligation to you; for thanks to your zeal and -courage my mind is at rest on the main point. Let me tell you what -worried me most. In view of the marquis's haughty obstinacy and my -father's generous humility, an intolerable suspicion had found its way -into my mind. I fancied that my dear father might have inflicted some -grave injury upon him—unintentionally, I am sure,—and I was -anxious to discover the secret so that I could take upon myself to repair -it. Oh! I would have done it at the cost of my life! But now——" -</p> - -<p> -"But now! well, now," said Monsieur Antoine, suddenly appearing around a -clump of wild shrubs, and smiling with his usual expression of frank -trustfulness, "what the deuce are you telling in such a serious tone, -and what is it that you would repair at the cost of your life, my dear -love? I see, Emile, that she has taken you for her confessor, and that -she is accusing herself of killing a fly with too much temper. What is -it? Come, speak out; for your embarrassed air makes me long to laugh. -Can it be by any chance that you have secrets from your old father?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! no, father! I never will have a secret from you!" cried Gilberte, -throwing an arm around Antoine's neck and laying her pink cheek against -his copper-colored one. "And then you listen at keyholes in the open -air, so you are going to be compelled to hear what is under -consideration. If you find any reason to blame us, remember that you -have forfeited the right to do it by taking me by surprise and -criticising my words. Listen, Monsieur Emile, I am going to tell him -everything, for it is much better that he should know it. My dear -father, you are unhappy over Monsieur de Boisguilbault's unjust -resentment against you on account of a mere trifle." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! <i>diantre</i>! do you propose to talk about that? What's the use? You -know well that it's a painful subject to me!" said Monsieur Antoine, his -good-humored face suddenly becoming clouded. -</p> - -<p> -"You must talk about it, as it is for the last time," said Gilberte. -"What I am going to say will pain you, and yet I am sure that it will -take a great weight off your heart. Come, come, dear father, don't turn -your head away, and don't put on that careworn expression that makes -your Gilberte feel so pained. I know very well that you don't want me to -mention the marquis's name before you; you say that it's none of my -affair and that I can do nothing to bring you together. But it is too -bad to treat me as a little girl, and I am quite old enough to know a -little something of your sorrows so that I can help you to find -consolation for them. Very good; I was making inquiries of Monsieur -Cardonnet,—who sees Monsieur de Boisguilbault frequently, and to whom -he has given his confidence on many important matters,—as to that -gentleman's frame of mind toward us. I was saying to him that to relieve -you from the regret which you still feel for having unintentionally -wounded him, I would give my life—wasn't that what I was saying?" -</p> - -<p> -"And then?" queried Monsieur de Châteaubrun, putting his daughter's -pretty hand to his lips with a preoccupied air. -</p> - -<p> -"And then," she continued, "Monsieur Emile had already told me what I -wanted to know, namely, that Monsieur de Boisguilbault still nourishes -an intense resentment, but that we need think no more about it, because -it is founded upon nothing at all, and you have, thank God! nothing with -which to reproach yourself! Indeed, I was sure of it, dearest father; I -simply dreaded one of your fits of absent-mindedness. But now you can -set your mind at rest, although you will be distressed, I am sure, at -your old friend's deplorable condition. Monsieur de Boisguilbault really -is what he is said to be, and you must recognize it as everybody else -does—the poor man is mad." -</p> - -<p> -"Mad!" cried Monsieur Antoine, terror-stricken and grief-stricken at -once, "really mad? Have you heard him talk wildly, Emile? Does he suffer -much? does he complain? has he been pronounced mad by the doctors? Oh! -that is horrible news to me!" -</p> - -<p> -And honest Antoine, sinking upon a bench, tried in vain to repress his -sobs. His robust breast swelled as if it would burst. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>O mon Dieu</i>! see how he loves him still!" cried Gilberte, throwing -herself on her knees at her father's feet and covering him with kisses. -"Oh! forgive me, forgive me, father dear! I spoke too hastily! I have -pained you! Come and help me to console him, Emile." -</p> - -<p> -Emile started when Gilberte, in her excitement, forgot for the first -time to call him <i>monsieur</i>. It seemed that she looked upon him as a -brother, and, in an outburst of emotion, he too knelt beside poor -Antoine, who seemed to be threatened with an apoplectic stroke, he was -so red and so oppressed. -</p> - -<p> -"Never fear," said Emile, "matters have not reached that point and never -will, I trust. Monsieur de Boisguilbault is not ill; he has the full -enjoyment of all his faculties. His monomania, if we may so describe his -professed repulsion for your family, is not a new disease; only, finding -that strange freak in a man so tranquil and tolerant in all other -respects, I believed for a long while that there must be some serious -reasons for it, and I am forced to admit now that there are none; that -it is a streak of temporary madness, which he will forget if it is not -stirred up again, and that you are not the sole object of it, since -other persons, of whom he has never had any reason to complain, and whom -he does not know at all, inspire the same unhealthy feeling of horror -and repulsion." -</p> - -<p> -"Explain yourself," said Monsieur Antoine, beginning to breathe once -more; "who are these other persons?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, Jean, for one," replied Emile. "You know very well that he has no -reason to dread his presence as he does, and that excellent man is -entirely at sea as to any possible cause of ill-will the marquis can -have toward him." -</p> - -<p> -"He has no reason to reproach him, nor anyone else; but I know very well -what he imagines. Go on! if Jean is the only other one, the marquis is -not mad in the least degree, he is simply unjust or mistaken as to our -friend the carpenter. But it is as impossible to convince him of his -mistake as to close the wound that is bleeding in his heart. Poor -Boisguilbault! Ah! Gilberte, I would gladly sacrifice my life to enable -him to forget the past. Let us say no more about it." -</p> - -<p> -"One word more," said Gilberte, "for that word will enlighten you, -father. Jean Jappeloup is not the only one whom the marquis detests so -bitterly; he has the same feeling against me, whom he has hardly seen, -who have never spoken to him, and of whom he most assuredly can have no -reason to complain. Upon mentioning my name, with the purpose of calming -him, Monsieur Cardonnet, who will tell you so himself, found that his -anger sprang up afresh, and he slammed the door, shouting, as if he had -heard the name of a mortal enemy: -</p> - -<p> -"'Woe to you if you ever mention that <i>demoiselle</i> to me!'" -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Châteaubrun hung his head and sat for some moments without -speaking. Several times he wiped the perspiration from his broad brow -with his coarse blue and white handkerchief. Then he took Gilberte's -hand and Emile's in his, unconsciously placing them so that they -touched, so engrossed was he by every other subject except the -possibility of their love. -</p> - -<p> -"My children," he said, "you thought that you were doing me good, and -you have added to my grief. I thank you none the less for your kind -intentions, but I wish you both to give me your word not to refer to -this subject again with me, nor with each other, nor in Janille's -presence or Jean's, nor you, Emile, with Monsieur de Boisguilbault. -Never, never—do you understand?" he added, in the most solemn and -impressive tone of which he was capable. Then, addressing Emile more -particularly, and pressing his hand against Gilberte's with less -consciousness than before of his acts: -</p> - -<p> -"My dear Monsieur Emile," he said, with emotion, "you have been led by -your friendship for me to do a very imprudent thing. Remember that the -first time you went to Boisguilbault I said to you: 'Do not mention my -name in that house, if you do not wish to injure my friend Jean!' And -now you have injured me myself by forgetting my injunction. All that I -can tell you is that Monsieur de Boisguilbault is no more insane than -any of us three, and that, if he is unjust to Jean or my daughter, who -are both innocent of my wrong-doing, it is because one naturally -includes an enemy's friends and kindred in the hatred which he inspires. -Monsieur de Boisguilbault would be very cruel not to forgive me if he -could read my heart; but his suffering is too great to allow him to do -it. Respect his grief, therefore, Emile, and do not call a man insane -whose misfortunes deserve the consolation of your friendship and all the -consideration of which you are capable. Come! promise me that you will -not conspire together for my repose any more, for whatever you do will -really be conspiring against it." -</p> - -<p> -Emile and Gilberte promised, trembling with excitement; whereupon -Antoine said to them: "That is well, my children; there are incurable -diseases and griefs that one must learn to submit to in silence. Now let -us go to see if Janille has found her goat. I have in my basket some -apricots I have been picking for you two; for I saw Emile coming up the -path, and I was determined to regale him with the first ripe fruit from -my old trees." -</p> - -<p> -After divers efforts, Antoine recovered his cheerful humor—with -greater ease than Gilberte and Emile. The latter dared make no further -comments or investigations; for whatever concerned Gilberte was sacred -to him, and Antoine's earnest injunction to give no more thought to the -matter was sufficient inducement for him to try and put it out of his -mind. But there were many other subjects of anxiety in his heart, and -love had taken such deep root there that he fell into fits of -abstraction more complete than Monsieur Antoine's. -</p> - -<p> -When he found himself on the road to Gargilesse, at the point where the -road to Boisguilbault branches off, his horse, which was equally -attached to both places, turned toward Boisguilbault. Emile did not -notice it at first, and, when he did notice it, he said to himself that -Providence willed it so; that he had left the melancholy old man, whom -he had promised to love as his father, all alone for three days; and -that, at the risk of being coldly received, he must go at once and -obtain his pardon. -</p> - -<p> -The gates of the park were not closed for the night when he arrived at -the foot of the hill. He entered and rode in the direction of the -chalet, expecting that, even if he did not find the marquis there, he -would surely arrive as soon as it was dark. -</p> - -<p> -Having hitched <i>Corbeau</i> to the balcony rail of the ground floor, he -knocked softly at the door of the Swiss chalet, and, as a little breeze -had sprung up with the sunset, it seemed to him that he could hear -sounds inside and the marquis's feeble voice bidding him come in. But it -was a pure illusion, for when he had opened the door he noticed that the -interior was empty. -</p> - -<p> -However, Monsieur de Boisguilbault might be in the invisible room to -which he was accustomed to retire at night. Emile coughed and stamped on -the floor to give notice of his presence, determined to go away without -seeing him, rather than pass through the door that was closed to -everybody without exception. -</p> - -<p> -As no sound replied to the noise he made, he concluded that the marquis -was still at the château, and he was about to walk in that direction -when a gust of wind blew a window violently open, also a door at the end -of the room. He turned toward the door, expecting to see Monsieur de -Boisguilbault, but no one appeared, and Emile found himself looking into -a small study, the disorderly arrangement of which was as noticeable as -the scrupulous neatness of the apartments at the château. -</p> - -<p> -He would have considered it an impertinence on his part to enter the -room or even to scrutinize from a distance the cheap, common furniture -and the mass of old books and papers which he saw confusedly at the -first glance. But there was one thing that arrested his attention in -spite of himself—a life-size portrait of a woman, hung at the farther -end of that den, directly opposite him, so that it was impossible for -him not to see it, to say nothing of the fact that it would have been -difficult not to gaze at so fine a painting and so charming a face. -</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>EMILE EXAMINES THE PORTRAIT OF -THE MARQUISE DE BOISGUILBAULT.</i> -</p> -<p> -<i>Nothing could be more refined and charming than that youthful face; -doubtless it was Madame de Boisguilbault, and our hero forgot himself -altogether as he gazed with deep interest at the features of that woman, -whose life and death must have had so vast an influence on the destiny -of the recluse.</i></p></div> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -The lady was dressed in the style of the Empire; but a sky-blue shawl -richly embroidered and draped over her shoulders, concealed the apparent -deformity produced by the fashionable short waist of that period. The -arrangement of her hair, in so-called natural curls, was most becoming, -and the hair itself was of a magnificent golden hue. -</p> - -<p> -Nothing could be more refined and charming than that youthful face; -doubtless it was Madame de Boisguilbault, and our hero forgot himself -altogether as he gazed with deep interest at the features of that woman, -whose life and death must have had so vast an influence on the destiny -of the recluse. -</p> - -<p> -But it rarely happens that a portrait gives us a just idea of the -original; indeed, in the majority of cases one may say that nothing -resembles the person so little as his image. -</p> - -<p> -Emile had thought of the marchioness as a pale, melancholy creature; he -saw a fashionable beauty, with a proud, sweet smile, with a noble and -triumphant bearing. Was she like that before or after her marriage? Or -was hers a nature entirely different from what he had supposed? -</p> - -<p> -One thing of which he was certain was that he had before him a most -fascinating face, and, as it was impossible for him to look upon the -image of youth and beauty without thinking instantly of Gilberte, he -began to compare the two types, in which it seemed to him that he -discovered points of resemblance. The light was rapidly failing, and, as -Emile dared not take a step toward the mysterious study, the outlines of -the portrait soon became very indistinct. The white flesh and golden -hair, standing forth from the shadow, produced so powerful an illusion -upon him, that he thought that he had a portrait of Gilberte before him, -and when he could no longer see aught but a sort of mist filled with -dancing sparks, he had to make a strong effort of his will to remember -that in his first impression, the only reliable one under such -circumstances, there had been no thought of a resemblance between Madame -de Boisguilbault's face and Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun's. -</p> - -<p> -He left the chalet, and, meeting no one in the park, went on to the -château. -</p> - -<p> -The same silence and solitude reigned in the courtyard. He mounted the -stairs in the turret, but did not as usual meet Martin coming to -announce him in that ceremonious tone from which he never departed, even -with the only habitué of the house. -</p> - -<p> -At last he reached the salon, which was always very dark, the blinds -being closed night and day; and, seized with a vague alarm, as if death -had entered that house in which there was so little life at the best, he -ran through the other rooms and at last found Monsieur de Boisguilbault -lying on a bed. He was as pale and motionless as a corpse. The last rays -of daylight cast a vague and melancholy reflection into the room, and -old Martin, whose deafness prevented him from hearing Emile's approach, -had every appearance of a statue as he sat at his master's pillow. -</p> - -<p> -Emile darted to the bed and seized the marquis's hand. It was burning; -and as the two old men awoke, one from the troubled sleep of fever, the -other from the drowsiness of fatigue or inaction, the young man soon -satisfied himself that the marquis's indisposition was in itself of -little consequence. However, the ravages which two days of illness had -wrought in that feeble, worn out frame were most disquieting for the -future. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! you have done well to come!" said Monsieur de Boisguilbault, -pressing Emile's hand feebly; "ennui would soon have consumed me if you -had abandoned me!" -</p> - -<p> -And Martin, who had not heard his master's words, but seemed to receive -his thoughts on the rebound, repeated in a louder voice than he -supposed: -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! Monsieur Emile, you did well to come! Monsieur le marquis was -suffering terribly from ennui because you didn't come." -</p> - -<p> -Thereupon he told him that monsieur le marquis had been taken with the -fever as he was about to go to the park two nights before, and had -tranquilly made up his mind that he was going to die. He had insisted on -going to bed in that very room, although he was not accustomed to sleep -there, and he had given him instructions as if he never expected to get -up again. He had a very restless night and the next morning he said to -him: -</p> - -<p> -"I feel much better; this will not amount to anything; but I feel as -tired as if I had made a long journey and I need to rest a little. -Perfect silence, Martin; little light, little nursing and no doctor; -those are my orders. Don't be alarmed about me." -</p> - -<p> -"And as I couldn't help being frightened," continued the old retainer, -"monsieur le marquis said to me: -</p> - -<p> -"'Never fear, my dear fellow, my time hasn't come yet.'" -</p> - -<p> -"Is monsieur le marquis subject to such attacks?" Emile inquired; "are -they serious? do they last long?" -</p> - -<p> -But he had forgotten that Martin could hear nobody but his master, and, -at a signal from the latter, he had already left the room. -</p> - -<p> -"I allowed the poor old deaf fellow to have his say," said Monsieur de -Boisguilbault, "for it would have been of no use to try to interrupt -him. But don't take me for a coward from his story. I am not afraid of -death, Emile; I used to long for it; now I await it calmly. I have been -conscious of its approach for a long time; but it comes slowly, and I -shall die as I have lived, without haste. I am subject to intermittent -fevers which take away my appetite and my sleep, but which no one ever -discovers because they leave me enough strength for the little I have to -do. I do not believe in medicine; thus far it has found no means of -curing disease without attacking the vital principle. In whatever form -it assumes, it is empiricism, and I prefer bending under God's hand to -leaping and capering under the hand of a man. This time I was harder hit -than usual; I felt weaker mentally, and I will confess without shame, -Emile, that I realized that I could no longer live alone. Old men are -like children for falling in love with a new pleasure; but when it comes -to losing it, they are not easily consoled like children. They become -old men again and die. Don't be embarrassed by what I say: it is the -fever that makes me so talkative. When I am cured, I shall not say it, I -shall not even think it; but I shall always feel it as an instinct -beneath my apathy. Do not feel that you are chained henceforth to my sad -old age. It is of little importance whether I live a year more or less, -or whether a friendly hand closes the eyes of him who has lived alone. -But I thank you for coming again. Let us talk no more of me, but of you. -What have you been doing during these sad days?" -</p> - -<p> -"I have been sad myself because I have passed them away from you," Emile -replied. -</p> - -<p> -"Is it possible! Such is life, such is man. To make oneself suffer by -making others suffer! That is a convincing proof of the brotherhood of -souls." -</p> - -<p> -Emile passed two hours with the marquis, and found him more confidential -and more affectionate than he had ever been. He felt that his attachment -to him became stronger, and he determined that he would cause him no -more suffering. And when, upon taking his leave, he expressed some -anxiety because he had allowed him to talk so earnestly, the marquis -replied: -</p> - -<p> -"Never fear. Come again to-morrow and you will find me on my feet. That -is not the kind of thing that tires one; it is the absence of -opportunities for pouring out one's heart that dries up and kills." -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap20"></a></h4> - -<h4>XX -<br /><br /> -THE FORTRESS OF CROZANT</h4> - -<p> -The marquis was in fact almost well on the following day, and -breakfasted with Emile. Thenceforth nothing disturbed that curious -friendship between an old man and a very young man; and, thanks to -Monsieur de Châteaubrun's final declarations, the painful apprehensions -of insanity no longer impaired the pleasure which Emile took in Monsieur -de Boisguilbault's society. He refrained, as he had promised Antoine, -from ever mentioning his name, and made up for it by opening his heart -to the marquis concerning all his other secrets; for it was impossible -for him not to describe his past life, not to impart to him his plans -for the future, and, as a consequence thereof, the suffering, allayed -for a time, but inevitably lasting, which his father's opposition had -caused him and was certain to cause him at the first provocation. -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Boisguilbault encouraged Emile in his projects of respect -and submission; but he was amazed at the pains Monsieur Cardonnet had -always taken to stifle the legitimate instincts of a son so well -inclined to work and so richly endowed. -</p> - -<p> -The liking for agriculture and the intelligent understanding of it -displayed by Emile seemed to point to a noble and generous vocation for -him, and the marquis said to himself that if he had had the good fortune -to possess such a son, he would have been able to make use in his -lifetime of the great fortune which he had destined for the poor, but of -which he had been unable to make any use in the present. -</p> - -<p> -He could not refrain from saying with a sigh that a man was blessed of -heaven who found in a son, in a friend, in another self, a mind fertile -in invention and the means of completing in all seriousness the work of -his destiny. In his heart he accused Cardonnet of seeking to consecrate -to evil purposes the forces and the instruments which God had given him -to assist him in doing good, and he looked upon him as a blind and -obstinate tyrant, who placed money above the happiness of his fellows -and his own, as if man were the slave of material things and not the -servant of truth before all else. -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Boisguilbault was not however essentially religious. Emile -found him always too indifferent in that respect. When the marquis had -said: "I believe in God," he thought that he could dispense with saying: -"I adore Him." When his thoughts, taking the highest flight of which he -was capable, rose to a sort of invocation which was not so much prayer -as homage, he said to God: "Thy name is wisdom!" Emile added: "Thy name -is love!" Whereupon the old man would reply: "It is the same thing;" and -he was right. -</p> - -<p> -Emile could hardly contradict him; but in that disposition to insist -upon the sublime character of the divine logic and rectitude, one could -but be conscious of the absence of that exalted passion for the -inexhaustible loving-kindness of the Omnipotent, which Emile bore in his -bosom. But, when the facts, the miseries of life, human weakness, and -all the evil that is done on earth seemed to give the lie to that theory -of a merciful Providence, and Emile became in a measure discouraged, the -old logician triumphed in the superiority of his faith. -</p> - -<p> -He never doubted, he could not doubt. He did not need to see in order to -know, he said, and the coming and going of the plagues of this world no -more disturbed in his eyes the moral order of eternal affairs than the -passing of a cloud over the sun disturbed their physical order. His -resignation was not due to a feeling of humility or affection; for he -admitted that he had never been able to reconcile himself to his own -sorrows except outwardly; but he believed in a well-spring of optimistic -fatalism for the universe at large which was in striking contrast with -his personal pessimism, and which formed the most unique feature of his -mind and his character. -</p> - -<p> -"Just see," he would say, "logic is everywhere! It is infinite in the -works of God; but it is incomplete and intangible in everything, because -everything is finite, even man himself, although he is the most -impressive reflection of the infinite on this little earth. No man can -understand infinite wisdom except as an abstract idea; for, if he looks -within himself and about him, he cannot grasp it or fix it in his mind -in any way. You often call me a logician; I accept the name: I love -logic and cultivate it. I have a tremendous craving for it and I care -for nothing that is not akin to it. But am I logical in my acts and my -instincts? Less than any one on earth. The more I test myself, the more -conscious I am of the abyss of contradictions, the chaotic confusion -within me. Very good; I am a special example of what man is in general; -and the more illogical I am in my own eyes, the more strongly I feel -that the logic of God is soaring over my poor feeble head, which would -go astray without that celestial compass and would foolishly hold the -earth responsible for its own weakness." -</p> - -<p> -Once he took Emile into the country and they explored, on horseback, the -marquis's vast estates. Emile was struck by the small income produced by -such territorial wealth. -</p> - -<p> -"All these farms are let at the lowest possible price," said the -marquis; "when one is unable to escape from the present economical -notions, the best he can do is to bear as lightly as possible on the -hard-working cultivator of the soil. These people are grateful to me, as -you see, and wish me long life. God save the mark! They consider me very -kind, although they do not much like my face. They do not know that I do -not care for them as they understand the word, and that I see in them -only victims whom I cannot save, but whose executioner I do not choose -to be. I know very well that, under logical legislation, this estate -should produce a hundred times as much as it does. My dissatisfaction is -allayed when I think of it; but in order to think of it and to sustain -myself with the certainty that it will some day be the instrument of the -voluntary labor of a multitude of prudent men, I must avoid seeing it in -its present state, for this spectacle saddens me and turns me cold; for -this reason I very rarely expose myself to it." -</p> - -<p> -It was in fact about two years since Monsieur de Boisguilbault had -visited his farms and made the circuit of his domain. He could make up -his mind to do it only in case of absolute necessity. He was greeted -everywhere with demonstrations of respect and affection which were not -without a touch of superstitious terror; for his solitude and eccentric -habits had given him the reputation of a sorcerer with many peasants. -</p> - -<p> -Many a time, during a storm, they had said sadly: "Ah! if Monsieur de -Boisguilbault chose to prevent the hail, he could do it! but, instead of -doing what he can, he is always looking for something else that nobody -knows and that he will never find perhaps!" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Emile, what would you do with all this, if it were yours?" said -the marquis as they rode home; "for in asking you to make this tiresome -round of visits with me, I had no other purpose than to question you." -</p> - -<p> -"I would try!" Emile replied, warmly. -</p> - -<p> -"Of course," said the marquis, "I would try to found a genuine -<i>commune</i> if I could. But I should try in vain, I should fail. And -you, too, perhaps!" -</p> - -<p> -"What does it matter?" -</p> - -<p> -"That is the generous, insane cry of youth: what does it matter if you -fail, providing only that you are doing something, eh? You yield to a -craving for activity and do not see the obstacles. There are obstacles, -however, and the worst of all is this: that there are no men. In that -sense your father is right in appealing to a brutal but none the less -powerful fact. Men's minds are not ripe, their hearts are not -well-disposed; I see much land and many arms, but I do not see a single -mind detached from the <i>ego</i> which governs the earth. A little more -time, Emile, for the idea to bloom and spread; it will not be so long as -people think; I shall not see it, but you will. Be patient, therefore!" -</p> - -<p> -"What do you mean? does time do anything without us?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, but it will do nothing without us <i>all</i>. There are times when one -should be consoled for not being at work, if one is learning; then comes -the time when one can learn and work at the same time. Do you feel that -you are strong?" -</p> - -<p> -"Very!" -</p> - -<p> -"So much the better! And I believe it!—Well, Emile, we will talk some -day—soon perhaps, in my next attack of fever, when my pulse beats a -little faster than it does to-day." -</p> - -<p> -In such conversations as this Emile found strength to live through the -hours that he could not pass with Gilberte. There was something lacking -in his friendship with Monsieur de Boisguilbault: it was the being able -to speak to him of her and to tell him of his love. But there is in -happy love a something superb which can do very well without advice of -others, and the time when Emile would feel the need of complaining and -of seeking a support under the burden of despair had not yet arrived. -</p> - -<p> -In what did this happiness consist, do you ask? In the first place, he -was in love—that is almost enough for him who loves dearly. And then -he knew that he was loved, although he had never dared to ask the question -and she would have dared even less to tell him so. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile clouds were gathering on the horizon and Emile was destined to -feel the approach of the storm. One day Janille said to him as he was -leaving Châteaubrun: "Don't come again for three or four days; we have -some business to attend to in the neighborhood and we shall be away." -Emile turned pale: he thought that he was receiving his sentence, and he -hardly had strength to ask what day the family would have returned to -its penates. "Oh! toward the end of the week, I suppose," said Janille. -"Indeed it is probable that I shall stay here; I am too old to run about -over mountains, and you might come in as you ride by and ask if Monsieur -Antoine and his daughter have returned." -</p> - -<p> -"You will allow me then to call upon you?" said Emile, striving to -conceal his mortal suffering. -</p> - -<p> -"Why not, if your heart bids you?" replied the little old woman, drawing -herself up with an air in which the distrustful Emile fancied that he -could detect a touch of malice. "I am not afraid of being compromised!" -</p> - -<p> -"It's all over," thought Emile. "My assiduity has been observed, and -although Monsieur Antoine and his daughter have no suspicion as yet, -Janille has made up her mind to turn me out. Her power here is absolute -and the critical moment has arrived. Well, Mademoiselle Janille," he -said, "I will come to see you to-morrow. I shall take great pleasure in -talking with you." -</p> - -<p> -"How well that happens," said Janille; "I am very anxious to talk too! -But I have some flax to pick to-morrow and I shall not expect you until -the next day. That is understood; I shall be at home all day; don't fail -to come. Good-night, Monsieur Emile, we will have a good friendly talk. -Oh! you see I too am very fond of you!" -</p> - -<p> -There was no longer any doubt in Emile's mind; the housekeeper at -Châteaubrun had opened her eyes to his love. Some officious neighbor -was beginning to be surprised to see him so often on the road to the -ruins. Antoine knew nothing as yet, nor Gilberte; for the latter, when -she told him that her father was going away for a few days, could not -have foreseen that Janille would arrange for her to go with him. The -shrewd housekeeper had laid her plans well: first to get Emile out of -the way, and then to arrange for Gilberte to go away unexpectedly, thus -making sure of a few days in which to avert the little outbreak which -she anticipated on the young man's part. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, then, I must speak," said Emile to himself; "and why should I -recoil from the inevitable end of my secret aspirations? I will tell her -loyal governess and her excellent father that I love her and aspire to -her hand. I will ask for a little time to broach the subject to my -father and come to an understanding with him as to my choice of a -career, for I have made none as yet, and my fate must be decided. There -will be a fierce struggle, but I shall be strong, for I love. It is not -a question of myself alone, so I shall have invincible courage, I shall -have the gift of persuasion, I shall carry the day!" -</p> - -<p> -Despite all this confidence, Emile passed the night in horrible -perplexity. He imagined the conversation he was about to have with -Janille, and he could have written out the questions and answers, so -well he knew the little woman's self-possession and outspokenness. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! but you must speak to your father first of all, -monsieur,"—she would surely say,—"and have an understanding -with him; for it is quite useless to disturb Monsieur Antoine's mind -with a conditional request, with projects that may not be realized. -Meanwhile, do not come here any more, or come very little, for no one is -supposed to be aware of your intentions, and Gilberte is not the girl to -listen to you unless she is sure that she can be your wife." -</p> - -<p> -Then, too, he feared that Janille, who was very matter-of-fact, would -treat the possibility of Monsieur Cardonnet's consent as a pure -delusion, and would forbid him to make frequent visits unless he should -produce satisfactory proof that he was at liberty to choose for himself. -</p> - -<p> -Thus was it fully demonstrated that Emile must enter upon the conflict -with his father first of all, and must govern his actions accordingly; -that is to say, go infrequently to Châteaubrun until he had reason to -entertain a strong hope of victory, or, if he had no ground for hope, to -abstain forever from destroying the happiness of the family of -Châteaubrun by fruitless overtures—in a word, he must go away and -renounce Gilberte. -</p> - -<p> -But it was utterly impossible for Emile to include that alternative -among the possibilities. The idea of death would find its way more -easily into an infant's head than that of renouncing the woman he loves -into the head of a man who is deeply in love. -</p> - -<p> -Thus Emile could more readily conceive the possibility of blowing out -his brains before his father's eyes than of yielding to his will. "Very -well!" he said to himself, "I will speak to-morrow to this terrible -master, and I will speak to him in such a way that I shall be able to -appear at Châteaubrun with my head erect." -</p> - -<p> -And yet, when the morrow came, Emile, instead of feeling inspired by all -the force of his determination, felt so exhausted by insomnia, and so -overwhelmed by sadness, that he feared his own weakness and did not -speak. Indeed, what can be more painful, when the heart has revelled in -a blissful dream, than to find oneself brought suddenly face to face -with a cruel reality? When one has enjoyed all by oneself the delicious -secret of a chastely hidden passion, to be forced to reveal it in cold -blood to those who do not understand it or who scorn it? -</p> - -<p> -Whether Emile should make the avowal to his father or to Janille, he -must lay bare his heart, filled as it was with a modest languor and a -holy ecstasy, to hearts that had never known or had long been closed to -sentiments of that nature. And he had dreamed of such a sublime -<i>dénouement</i>! Should not Gilberte, alone with him under the eye of -God, be the first to receive in her heart the sacred word love when it -should escape from his lips? -</p> - -<p> -The world and the laws of honor, so unfeeling in such cases, were to -deprive the virginity of his passion of all that was purest and most -ideal about it! He suffered intensely, and it seemed to him that a -century of bitter sorrow had elapsed between his dreams of the day -before and the gloomy day that was beginning. -</p> - -<p> -He mounted his horse, determined to seek at a distance, in some solitary -spot, the calm and resignation necessary to enable him to withstand the -first shock. He intended to avoid Châteaubrun; but he found himself -near the ruin, unconscious how he had come thither. He rode by without -turning his head, ascended the rough road where, in the howling storm, -he had first seen the château by the light of the lightning flashes. He -recognized the rocks behind which he had found shelter with Jean -Jappeloup, and he could not realize that more than two months had passed -since that night when he was so light-hearted, so self-controlled, so -different from what he had since become. -</p> - -<p> -He rode on toward Eguzon, in order to see once more the whole of the -road he had then passed over, as he had not visited it since. But when -he reached the first houses, the sight of the villagers scrutinizing him -caused the same thrill of horror and misanthropy which Monsieur de -Boisguilbault would have been likely to feel at such a time. He turned -sharply into a dark, wooded road at his left and rode into the country, -without any definite goal. -</p> - -<p> -This rough but fascinating road, passing now over broad, flat rocks, now -over the fresh green sward, now over fine sand, and bordered by -venerable chestnuts with furrowed trunks and enormous roots, conducted -him to vast moors, where he rode slowly along, content to be alone at -last in a desolate region. The road stretched before him, sometimes in -zigzag fashion, sometimes straight up and down, through fields covered -with broom and furze, and over sandy hillocks intersected by brooks that -had no well-defined bed and no fixed course. -</p> - -<p> -From time to time a partridge skimmed along the grass at his feet, or a -kingfisher flew like an arrow across a swamp, a flash of blue and fiery -red. -</p> - -<p> -After an hour's ride, being still absorbed in his thoughts, he saw that -the path became narrower, plunged into the bushes, and finally -disappeared under his feet. He raised his eyes and saw before him, -beyond steep precipices and deep ravines, the ruins of Crozant rising -like a sharp arrow over curiously jagged peaks of such extent that one -could hardly embrace the whole at a single glance. -</p> - -<p> -Emile had already visited that interesting fortress, but by a more -direct road, and as his preoccupation had prevented him from taking his -bearings, he was uncertain for a moment where he was. Nothing could be -more consonant with his frame of mind than that wild locality and those -desolate ruins. He left his horse at a hut and descended on foot the -narrow path that led down to the bed of the torrent by a series of steps -cut in the rock. Then he ascended by similar means and buried himself in -the ruins, where he remained for several hours, a prey to an intensity -of suffering which the aspect of a spot that was so horrifying and so -sublime exalted at times almost to delirium. -</p> - -<p> -Few fortresses so advantageously situated as that of Crozant were -erected in the first centuries of feudalism. The mountain on which it -stands descends perpendicularly on all sides, to two mountain streams, -the Creuse and the Sédelle, which unite tumultuously at the end of the -peninsula and keep up a constant roaring as they leap over huge -fragments of stone. The sides of the mountain are very peculiar, -bristling everywhere with long, grayish rocks, which rise from the abyss -like giants or hang like stalactites over the torrent. -</p> - -<p> -The ruins of the château have taken on so completely the color and -shape of the surrounding rocks that in many places one can hardly -distinguish them at a little distance. -</p> - -<p> -It is hard to say which was the bolder and the more tragically inspired -in that spot, nature or man, and one cannot imagine, upon such a stage, -other than scenes of implacable fury and unending despair. -</p> - -<p> -A drawbridge, several dark posterns and a double encircling wall, -flanked by towers and bastions, the remains of which can still be seen, -made this fortress impregnable before the invention of cannon. And yet -almost nothing is known of the history of a place that was of such -importance in the wars of the Middle Ages. -</p> - -<p> -A vague tradition attributes its construction to certain Saracen chiefs -who are said to have defended themselves there for a long while. The -frost, which is severe and of long duration in that region, accelerates -each year the destruction of those fortifications which cannon-balls -have shattered and years have reduced to dust. The great square donjon, -however, which has the aspect of a Saracen structure, still stands in -the centre, and, being undermined, threatens to fall at any moment, like -all the rest. Several towers, of which a single side only is standing, -planted upon cone-shaped points of rock, present the appearance of sharp -rocky peaks around which clouds of birds of prey scream incessantly. -</p> - -<p> -The circuit of the fortress cannot be made without danger. In many -places there is no trace of a path, and the foot trembles on the brink -of precipices over which the water plunges headlong. -</p> - -<p> -The approach of the enemy could be detected only from the top of the -towers of observation; for on a level with the lower portions of the -buildings and the summit of the mountain, the view was restricted by -other barren mountains. But to-day there are gaps in their rocky sides, -patches of fertile soil where noble trees grow freely, often uprooted by -the rising of the waters when they have reached a considerable height. -</p> - -<p> -A few goats, less wild than the wretched children who guard them, cling -to the ruins and climb fearlessly over the precipitous cliffs. -</p> - -<p> -The whole spot is so magnificently desolate and so rich in contrasts -that the painter knows not where to stop. The imagination of the artist -would find a superfluity of material in that gorgeous panorama of terror -and menace. -</p> - -<p> -Emile passed several hours there, plunged in the chaos of his -uncertainty and his projects. As he had left home at daybreak, he was -consumed by hunger, but paid no heed to the physical discomfort which -aggravated his mental distress. Stretched out upon a rock, he was -watching the vultures hovering overhead and thinking of the tortures of -Prometheus, when the distant sound of a man's voice, which seemed not -unfamiliar to him, sent a thrill through his whole being. He rose and -ran to the edge of the precipice and saw three persons descending the -path on the opposite side of the ravine. -</p> - -<p> -A man in a blouse and broad-brimmed gray hat rode ahead, turning from -time to time to warn those who came behind to be careful; next to him -came a peasant leading a donkey by the bridle, and on the donkey was a -woman in a faded lilac dress and a simple straw hat. -</p> - -<p> -Emile darted to meet them, without asking himself if Janille had spoken, -if they were on their guard against him, if they were likely to greet -him coldly. He ran and leaped like a stone thrown down the steep side of -the ravine. He ran as the crow flies, crossing the stream, which bounded -with empty threats over the slippery stones, and reached the other slope -to receive a hearty welcome from honest Antoine, and to take from the -hands of Sylvain Charasson the bridle of the modest steed who bore -Gilberte and her sweet smile and her blushing cheek and the joyous air -which she tried in vain to restrain. Janille was not there. Janille had -not spoken! -</p> - -<p> -How much sweeter joy seems after sorrow, and how quickly love makes up -for the time wasted in suffering! Emile no longer remembered the day -before and thought no more of the morrow. -</p> - -<p> -When he was among the ruins of Crozant once more, leading his beloved in -triumph, he broke off all the branches he could reach and threw them -under the donkey's feet, as the Hebrews of old strewed pearls along the -track of the divine Master's humble beast. -</p> - -<p> -Then he took Gilberte in his arms to put her down upon the loveliest bit -of greensward he could find, although she needed no such assistance to -alight from so small and placid a creature. Emile was no longer timid, -for he was mad; and if Antoine had not been the least clear-sighted of -mankind, he would have realized that it was of no more use to think of -holding in check that exalted passion, than of preventing the Creuse or -the Sédelle from flowing and roaring. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, I am dying of hunger," said Monsieur Antoine, "and before I -inquire how it happens that we meet so opportunely, I should like to -hear something about luncheon. One guest more does not alarm us, for -Janille has stuffed us with provender. Open your game-bag, you young -rascal," he said to Sylvain, "while I go and cut a hole in the bag that -my daughter has <i>en croupe</i>. Then Emile will run to the house yonder -and obtain a supply of brown bread. Let us stay by the stream, it is pure -water from the rock and is excellent when taken in small quantities with -a generous quantity of wine." -</p> - -<p> -The repast was soon spread on the grass, Gilberte took a huge lotus leaf -for a plate, and her father carved with a sort of sabre which he called -a clasp-knife. In addition to the bread, Emile brought milk for Gilberte -and wild cherries which were voted delicious, their bitter taste having -at all events the merit of stimulating the appetite. Sylvain, perched -like a monkey on an overhanging bough, had as generous a share as the -others and ate with the more enjoyment, he said, because Mademoiselle -Janille's eyes were not there to count his mouthfuls with an air of -reproof. Emile was satisfied in a moment. Laugh as you will at the -heroes in novels who never eat, it is very certain that lovers have -little appetite, and that therein novels are as true as life itself. -</p> - -<p> -What bliss for Emile, after believing that when he saw Gilberte again, -she would be stern and distrustful of him, to find her as he had left -her the day before, entirely without constraint and overflowing with -dignified trustfulness! And how he loved Antoine for being incapable of -a suspicion and for displaying the same open-hearted gayety. -</p> - -<p> -Never had he felt so light-hearted himself; never had he seen a lovelier -day than that mild September day, never a more cheerful and enchanted -spot than that frowning fortress of Crozant! And Gilberte wore that day -her lilac dress, which he had not seen for a long while, and which -reminded him of the day and hour when he had fallen madly in love with -her! -</p> - -<p> -He learned that they had set out to visit a relative at La Clavière -before going to Argenton for two days, and that, finding no one at that -château, they had determined to make a detour to Crozant and remain -there until evening; and it was only midday! Emile imagined that he had -all eternity before him. Monsieur Antoine lay down in the shade after -luncheon and slept soundly. The two lovers, followed by Charasson, -undertook to make the circuit of the fortress. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap21"></a></h4> - -<h4>XXI -<br /><br /> -MONSIEUR ANTOINE'S NAP</h4> - -<p> -The page of Châteaubrun amused the young couple for a few moments with -his ingenuous remarks; but he was speedily vanquished by the longing to -run, and started off in pursuit of the goats, narrowly escaped having -trouble with their keepers, and ended by making it up with them and -playing at quoits on the bank of the Creuse, while Emile and Gilberte -attempted to follow the course of the Sédelle on the other side of the -mountain. -</p> - -<p> -As the torrent has eaten away the base of the cliff in many places, they -had sometimes to crawl, sometimes to retrace their steps, sometimes to -step on stones that were level with the water, and all of this not -without some difficulty and some danger. But youth is adventurous and -love is afraid of nothing. -</p> - -<p> -A special providence protects both alike, and our lovers came bravely -forth from all the perils of their undertaking,—Emile trembling with -an emotion very different from fear when he lifted Gilberte or held her in -his arms; Gilberte laughing to conceal her confusion or to forget it. -</p> - -<p> -Gilberte was strong, active and brave, like a true child of the -mountain; and yet, by dint of passing over a constant succession of -obstacles, she became breathless, sank on the moss beside the leaping -stream, and threw her hat on the grass, having to put up her hair which -had fallen over her shoulders. -</p> - -<p> -"Do go and pick me that lovely digitalis over yonder," she said to -Emile, thinking that she would have time to rearrange her locks before -he returned. But he went and came again so quickly that he found her -still inundated by the golden flood which her little hands could hardly -gather up into a single braid. -</p> - -<p> -Standing beside her, he gazed in admiration at those treasures which she -twisted up behind her head with more impatience than pride, and which -she would have cut off long before as being an annoying burden, if -Antoine and Janille had not strenuously objected. -</p> - -<p> -At that moment, however, she was grateful to them for refusing to allow -it; for, although she was little inclined to coquetry, she saw that -Emile was lost in admiration, and she had done nothing to arouse it. If -there are some triumphs of beauty, which love cannot refuse to enjoy, -they are those above all which are unforeseen and involuntary. That -beautiful hair would have been a genuine compensation to an ugly woman, -and in Gilberte's case it was a lavish outlay of nature added to all her -other gifts. -</p> - -<p> -It should be said that Gilberte, like her father, was industrious rather -than clever with her hands, and moreover, she had lost all her pins -while running and the heavy braid, hurriedly twisted, twice burst its -bonds and fell to her feet. -</p> - -<p> -Emile's eyes were still fixed upon her; Gilberte did not see them, but -she felt them, as if the atmosphere were filled with the fire of that -passionate gaze. She soon became so confused that she forgot to be -merry, and finally, as ordinarily, made an effort to relieve, by a jest, -their mutual emotion. -</p> - -<p> -"I wish this hair was <i>my own</i>," she said; "then I would cut it off -and throw it into the stream." -</p> - -<p> -There was an opportunity for a well-turned compliment; but Emile was -careful not to take advantage of it. What could he say about that hair -which would express the love he bore it? He had never touched it and he -was dying with the longing to do so. He glanced furtively about. A -circle of rocks and shrubs isolated Gilberte and himself from the whole -world. There was no spot on the mountain from which they could be seen. -One would have said that she had selected that sheltered retreat to -tempt him, and yet the innocent maiden had not thought of it, nor did -she think that she was in any danger there. -</p> - -<p> -Emile was no longer master of himself. Insomnia, alarm, grief and joy -had kindled fever in his blood. He knelt beside Gilberte and took a -handful of her rebellious hair in his trembling hand; then, as she -started, he dropped it again, saying: -</p> - -<p> -"I thought it was a wasp, but it is only a bit of moss." -</p> - -<p> -"You frightened me," said Gilberte, shaking her head; "I thought it was -a snake." -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile Emile's hand was clinging to her hair and could not let it go. -On the pretext of assisting Gilberte to collect the scattered locks of -which the breeze disputed possession with her, he touched it a hundred -times, and at last put his lips to it stealthily. Gilberte did not seem -to notice it, and hurriedly replacing her hat upon the ill-assured mass, -she rose and said with an air which she strove to render unconcerned: -</p> - -<p> -"Let us go to see if my father has awakened." -</p> - -<p> -But she was trembling; a sudden pallor had driven the brilliant color -from her cheeks; her heart was ready to burst; she staggered and leaned -against the rock to keep from falling. Emile was at her feet. -</p> - -<p> -What did he say to her? He did not know himself, and the echoes of -Crozant did not retain his words. Gilberte did not hear them distinctly; -she had the roar of the torrent in her ears, increased a hundredfold by -the throbbing of the blood in her arteries, and it seemed to her that -the mountain, seized with convulsions, was swaying to and fro over her -head. -</p> - -<p> -She had no legs with which to fly, indeed she did not think of it. In -vain does one fly from love; when it has found its way into the heart, -it takes root there and accompanies it everywhere. Gilberte did not know -that there was any other peril in love than that of allowing her heart -to be taken by surprise, and, in truth, there were no others for her -with Emile. That danger was great enough, Heaven knows, and the vertigo -it caused was full of irresistible delights. -</p> - -<p> -All that Gilberte could say was to repeat with a sort of terror, -instinct with regret and pain: -</p> - -<p> -"No, no! you must not love me!" -</p> - -<p> -"That means that you hate me then!" rejoined Emile; and Gilberte turned -her face away, for she had not the courage to lie. "Very well," he -continued; "if you do not love me, what harm does it do for you to know -that I love you? Let me tell you so, since I can conceal it no longer. -It is a matter of indifference to you, and one does not fear what one -despises. Know that it is true then, and if I leave you, if I am to see -you no more, at all events understand why it is: it is because I am -dying for love of you, because I cannot sleep or work, because I am -losing my wits and shall soon find myself telling your father what I am -telling you now. I would rather be driven away by you than by the -others. So drive me away; but you shall hear me now, because my secret -is suffocating me; I love you, Gilberte, I love you so that it is killing -me!"—And Emile's heart was so full that it overflowed in sobs. -</p> - -<p> -Gilberte attempted to leave him; but she sat down only a few feet away -and began to weep. There was more joy than bitterness behind those -tears. So that Emile soon went to her to comfort her and was soon -comforted in his turn; for there was naught but affection and regret in -the terror that she felt. -</p> - -<p> -"I am a poor girl," she said, "you are rich and your father, they say, -thinks of nothing but increasing his fortune. You cannot marry me, and I -ought not to think of marrying in my position. It would be by mere -chance if I should fall in with a man as poor as myself, who had -received a little education; and I have never counted on that chance. I -said to myself long ago that I must make the best of my lot, in order to -accustom myself to a sense of true dignity, which consists in not -envying others and in forming oneself to simple tastes and honorable -employment. So I do not think of marriage at all, since it would -probably be necessary to change my way of thinking in order to find a -husband. I must tell you that Janille got an idea into her head several -days ago that troubles me a great deal. She wants my father to seek a -husband for me. Seek a husband! Isn't that shameful and humiliating? Can -you imagine anything more repulsive? And yet the dear old soul cannot -understand my objection, and as my father was going to Argenton to -receive the quarterly payment of his small pension, she suddenly decided -this morning that he must take me and introduce me to some of his -acquaintances. We can't resist Janille, so we started; but my father, -thank heaven! doesn't know how to find husbands, and I shall be so -cunning about helping him not to think of it, that this little excursion -will result in nothing. You see, Monsieur Emile, that you mustn't pay -your court to a girl who has no illusions and who has made up her mind, -without regret or shame, to remain unmarried. I supposed that you would -understand this, and that your friendly sentiments would prevent you -from seeking to ruffle my quiet life. So forget this folly which has -passed through your mind, and look upon me simply as a sister, who will -forget what you have said, if you promise to love her with a calm and -brotherly love. Why should we part? it would be a great sorrow to my -father and me!" -</p> - -<p> -"It would be a great sorrow to you, Gilberte?" said Emile; "why is it -that you weep when you say such cold words to me? Either I do not -understand you, or you are concealing something from me. And do you want -me to tell you what I think that I divine? that you have not enough -esteem for me to listen to me with confidence. You take me for a young -madman, who prates of love without religion or conscience, and you think -that you can treat me like a child to whom you would say: 'I forgive -you, don't do it again.' But, if you believe that a genuine, serious -passion can be allayed by a few cold words, you are a child yourself, -Gilberte, and you have no feeling at all for me in the depths of your -heart. O my God, can it be possible? and do those eyes that avoid mine, -that hand that spurns me, mean contempt or incredulity?" -</p> - -<p> -"Haven't I said enough? Do you think that I can consent to love you, -with the certainty that you will belong to another sooner or later? It -seems to me that love means living together forever: that is why, when I -renounced the thought of marriage, I had to renounce the thought of -love." -</p> - -<p> -"I understand it so, too, Gilberte: love means living together forever! -To my mind not even death can put an end to it; did I not say all that -to you when I told you that I loved you? Ah! cruel Gilberte, you failed -to understand me, or else you do not choose to understand me; but if you -loved me you would not doubt. You would not tell me that you are poor, -you would forget all about it as I do." -</p> - -<p> -"O <i>mon Dieu</i>! I do not doubt you, Emile; I know that you are as -incapable as myself of being guided by self-interest. But I ask you -again, are we stronger than destiny, than your father's will, for -instance?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Gilberte, yes, stronger than the whole world, if—we love each -other." -</p> - -<p> -It is quite useless to repeat the remainder of the interview. We might -describe certain interludes of dismay and discouragement, when Gilberte, -becoming reasonable, that is to say miserable, once more, pointed out -obstacles and manifested a pride which, while not strongly marked, was -sufficiently intense to lead her to prefer eternal solitude to the -humiliation of a struggle against arrogance and wealth. We might tell by -what honorable and manly arguments Emile sought to restore her -confidence. But the strongest arguments, those to which Gilberte found -no reply, are those which we cannot transcribe, for they were all -enthusiasm and ingenuous pantomime. -</p> - -<p> -Lovers are not eloquent after the manner of rhetoricians, and their -words written down have never had much meaning for those to whom they -were not addressed. If we could remember in cooler moments the -insignificant remark that caused us to lose our wits, we should not -understand how it could be and should jeer at ourselves. -</p> - -<p> -But the tone and the glance find magical resources in passion, and Emile -soon succeeded in persuading Gilberte of what he himself believed at -that moment: namely that nothing was simpler or easier than for them to -marry, consequently that nothing was more legitimate and necessary than -that they should love each other with all their strength. -</p> - -<p> -The noble-hearted girl loved Emile too dearly to harbor the thought that -he was a rash and presumptuous youth. He said that he would overcome any -possible resistance on his father's part, and Gilberte knew nothing of -Monsieur Cardonnet except by vague rumors. Emile guaranteed his loving -mother's consent and that assurance set Gilberte's conscience at rest. -She soon shared all his illusions, and it was agreed that he should -speak to his father before applying to Monsieur Antoine. -</p> - -<p> -A selfish or ambitious girl would have been more prudent. She would have -made the avowal of her feelings depend upon harsher conditions. She -would have refused to see her lover again until such time as he should -come prepared to go through with all the formalities, including the -request for her hand. But Gilberte's mind never entertained such -precautions. -</p> - -<p> -She felt in her heart a something infinite, a faith in and respect for -her lover's word, which had no bounds. She was no longer disturbed save -by one thing; the thought that she might become a source of discord and -affliction in Emile's family on the day that he spoke to his father. -</p> - -<p> -She could entertain no doubt of the victory which he was so certain of -winning; but the thought of the battle pained her and she would have -liked to postpone the awful moment. -</p> - -<p> -"Listen," she said, with angelic naïveté, "there is no hurry; we are -happy as we are, and young enough to wait. I am afraid indeed that will -be your father's principal and strongest objection; you are only -twenty-one, and he may fear that you have not made your choice with -sufficient care, that you have not examined your fiancée's character -closely enough. If he talks to you about waiting, and asks for time to -reflect, submit to every test. Even if we should not be united for -several years, what does it matter, provided that we see each other, -since we cannot doubt each other's constancy?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! you are a saint!" Emile replied, kissing the edge of her scarf, -"and I will be worthy of you." -</p> - -<p> -When they returned to the place where they had left Antoine, they saw -him at some distance talking with a miller of his acquaintance, and they -went to the foot of the great tower to meet him. -</p> - -<p> -The hours passed for them like seconds, and yet they were as full of -events as centuries. How many things they said to each other, and how -many more they did not say! Then the happiness of looking at each other, -of understanding and loving each other, became so intense that they were -seized with a wild gayety, and, joining hands, ran down the steep -slopes, leaping like deer, throwing stones to the foot of the -precipices, so transported with an unfamiliar joy that they were no more -conscious of danger than young children. -</p> - -<p> -Emile pushed the débris from his path or jumped over it excitedly. One -would have said that he fancied that he was confronted by obstacles -placed in his way by destiny. Gilberte had no fear, either for him or -for herself. She laughed aloud; she shouted and sang like a bird in the -air, and forgot to fasten up her hair, which floated in the wind, and -sometimes completely enveloped her like a veil of fire. -</p> - -<p> -When her father surprised her in the midst of her excitement she rushed -to him and embraced him passionately, as if she wished to communicate to -him all the joy with which her heart was flooded. The good man's hat -fell off during this sudden embrace and started to roll into the ravine. -Gilberte darted like a flash to catch it, and Antoine, terrified by her -impetuosity, darted to catch his daughter. Both were in great danger -when Emile passed them, seized the flying hat on the wing, and, as he -replaced it on Antoine's head, took his turn at pressing that fond -father in his arms. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Vive Dieu</i>!" cried Antoine, ordering them back to a less perilous -spot, "you both receive me very warmly, but you frighten me even more! -For God's sake did you meet the devil's goat that makes those whom it -bewitches with its glance run and jump about like lunatics? Is it the -mountain air that makes you so wild, little girl? All the better say I, -but don't run such risks as that. What color! What a sparkling eye! I -see that I must take you out for a walk often, that you don't have -enough exercise at the house. She has made me anxious lately, do you -know, Emile? She doesn't eat, she reads too much, and I have been -thinking of throwing all your books out of the window if it goes on. -Luckily she seems different to-day, and, that being the case, I am -tempted to take her as far as Saint-Germain-Beaupré. It's a fine place -to look at. We will pass the day there to-morrow, and if you choose to -come with us we will have a royal good time. Come, Emile, what do you -say? What does it matter if we go to Argenton a day later, eh, Gilberte? -And even suppose we spend only one day there?" -</p> - -<p> -"Or don't go there at all?" said Gilberte, jumping for joy. "Let's go to -Saint-Germain, father; I have never been there. Oh! what a fine idea!" -</p> - -<p> -"We are on the road," continued Monsieur de Châteaubrun, "but we must -go to pass the night at Fresselines, for staying here is not to be -thought of. However, Fresselines and Confolens are well worth seeing. -The roads are not good, and we must start before dark. Monsieur -Charasson, go and give poor Lanterne some oats. She likes journeys, for -they are the only opportunities she ever has for feasting. You will take -the donkey back to the people who lent him to you, up at Vitra, and then -go to wait for us, with the barrow and Monsieur Emile's horse, on the -other side of the stream. We will be there in two hours." -</p> - -<p> -"And I," said Emile, "will write a line to my mother, so that she won't -worry over my absence, and I will find a child somewhere to carry my -note." -</p> - -<p> -"Send one of these little savages so far? that won't be easy. Upon my -word! we are in luck, for yonder is someone from your place if I am not -mistaken." -</p> - -<p> -Emile turned and saw Constant Galuchet, his father's secretary, who had -just thrown his coat on the grass, and, having enveloped his head in a -pocket handkerchief, was engaged in baiting his hook. -</p> - -<p> -"Hallo! Constant, do you come as far as this to catch gudgeons?" asked -Emile. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! no indeed, monsieur," replied Galuchet, with a serious air, "I -cherish the hope of catching a trout." -</p> - -<p> -"But do you expect to return to Gargilesse to-night?" -</p> - -<p> -"Certainly, monsieur. Your father didn't want me to-day, so he gave me -permission to take the whole day; but as soon as I have caught my trout, -please God, I shall leave this wretched spot." -</p> - -<p> -"And suppose you catch nothing?" -</p> - -<p> -"Then I shall curse still more bitterly the idea that occurred to me of -coming so far to see such a hovel. What a horrible place, monsieur? Can -anyone imagine a more melancholy country and a château in worse -condition? And to think that tourists tell you that it's superb, and -that nobody should live on the Creuse without going to see Crozant! -Unless there are fish in this stream, I'll be hanged if you ever catch -me here again. But I have no faith in their stream. This clear water is -detestable for angling, and the constant noise makes your headache. I am -sick with it." -</p> - -<p> -"I see that you haven't had a very pleasant walk," said Gilberte, who -had never seen Galuchet's absurd face before, and who was sorely tempted -to laugh at his prosaic scorn. "But you must agree that these ruins are -very impressive; at all events they are unique. Have you been up in the -great tower?" -</p> - -<p> -"God forbid, mademoiselle!" replied Galuchet, flattered by Gilberte's -attention, and gazing at her with his wide-open round eyes, which were -extraordinarily far apart and separated by a curious little bunch of -sandy eyebrows. "I can see the interior of the barrack from here, as it -is open on all sides like a lantern, and I don't think it's worth the -trouble of breaking one's neck." And taking Gilberte's smile for -approval of this stinging satire, he added, in a tone which he -considered jocose and clever: "A fine country, on my word! not even -dog-tooth will grow here! If the Moorish kings were no better housed -than that, I congratulate them! Those fellows had vile taste, and they -must have cut a curious figure! Doubtless they wore clogs and ate with -their fingers." -</p> - -<p> -"That is a very wise historical commentary," said Emile to Gilberte, who -was biting her handkerchief to avoid laughing outright at Monsieur -Galuchet's knowing tone and comical countenance. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! I see that monsieur is very sarcastic," she replied. "He is -entitled to be, as he comes from Paris where everybody is witty and has -fine manners, while here he is among savages." -</p> - -<p> -"I cannot say that at this moment," retorted Galuchet, shooting a -killing glance at the fair Gilberte whom he found very much to his -liking; "but frankly, this province is a little behind the times. The -people are very dirty. Look at those barefooted, ragged children! In -Paris everybody has shoes, and those who haven't any don't go out on -Sunday. I tried to get something to eat at a house to-day: there was -nothing except black bread that a dog wouldn't eat, and goat's milk that -smelt decidedly rank. Those people have no shame, to live so miserably!" -</p> - -<p> -"May it not be that they are too poor to do better?" said Gilberte, -disgusted by Monsieur Galuchet's aristocratic tone. -</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>GALUCHET SURPRISED.</i> -</p> -<p> -<i>Emile turned and saw Constant Galuchet, his father's secretary, who had -just thrown his coat on the grass, and, having enveloped his head in a -pocket handkerchief, was engaged in baiting his hook.</i> -</p></div> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -"It is rather because they are too lazy," he replied, somewhat -bewildered by that suggestion, which had not occurred to him. -</p> - -<p> -"What do you know about it, pray?" retorted Gilberte, with an -indignation which he did not understand. -</p> - -<p> -"This young woman is very piquant," he thought, "and her little air of -determination pleases me immensely. If I should talk to her long, I -would show her that I am no blockhead of a provincial." -</p> - -<p> -"Well," said Emile to Gilberte, while Constant hunted for worms under -the stones, in order to bait his hook, "you have seen the features of a -perfect idiot." -</p> - -<p> -"I am afraid he is more conceited than foolish," she replied. -</p> - -<p> -"Come, come, children, you are not indulgent," observed honest Antoine. -"That young man is not handsome, I agree, but he seems to be a good -fellow, and Monsieur Cardonnet is well satisfied with him. He is very -obliging and has offered several times to do little favors for me. -Indeed he once gave me a very nice line, such as we can't find -hereabout; unfortunately I lost it before I went home, so that Janille -scolded me that day almost as much as she did the day I lost my hat. By -the way, Monsieur Galuchet," he added, raising his voice, "you promised -to come to fish in our neighborhood; I don't disturb my fish much, I -haven't your patience, so that you are likely to find some. I count upon -seeing you one of these days; come to breakfast at the house and then I -will take you to a good place; there are plenty of barbel, and they are -good sport." -</p> - -<p> -"You are too kind, monsieur," said Galuchet; "I will certainly come some -Sunday, since you are pleased to overwhelm me with your courtesy." -</p> - -<p> -And Galuchet, enchanted to have perpetrated that sentence, bowed as -gracefully as he could and took his leave, after Emile had given him his -message for his parents. -</p> - -<p> -Gilberte was somewhat disposed to find fault with her father for such -excessive benevolence to so dull and unattractive a subject; but she was -too kind-hearted herself not to overcome her repugnance very quickly, -and in a moment she had ceased to think of it, the more readily because -on that day it was impossible for her to feel vexed at anything. -</p> - -<p> -Thanks to their frame of mind, our lovers found all the incidents of the -remainder of their journey agreeable and amusing. Monsieur Antoine's old -mare, hitched to a sort of open buggy, which he was justified in calling -his wheelbarrow, performed prodigies of skill and courage in the -shocking roads that they had to follow to reach their destination. The -vehicle had room for three persons, and Sylvain Charasson, seated in the -middle, drove the peaceful Lanterne <i>superlatively</i>—to use his -own expression. -</p> - -<p> -The horrible jolting of a carriage so poorly hung in no wise disturbed -Gilberte and her father, who were accustomed to occasional discomfort -and never allowed their plans to be disarranged by the weather or the -state of the roads. -</p> - -<p> -Emile rode in front on horseback, to give warning and to help them to -alight when the road became too dangerous. Then, when they came out on -the soft sandy soil of the moors, he dropped behind, to chat with the -others, and above all to look at Gilberte. -</p> - -<p> -Never was dandy in the Bois de Boulogne, darting his eyes into his -triumphant mistress's superb calèche, so happy and so proud as Emile, -as he followed the lovely country girl whom he adored, along the -ill-defined roads of that desert, by the light of the first stars. -</p> - -<p> -What did it matter to him whether she was seated on a sort of litter -drawn by a sorry nag, or in a fine carriage? whether she was dressed in -silk and velvet, or in a faded calico? She wore torn gloves which showed -the tips of her pink fingers resting on the back of the wagon. To save -her Sunday scarf she had folded it and placed it on her knee. Her -graceful figure, slender and willowy, was even more graceful without it. -The soft evening breeze seemed to caress with zest her alabaster neck. -Emile's breath mingled with the breezes and he was bound like the slave -to the chariot of the conqueror. -</p> - -<p> -There was one time when the vehicle, owing to Sylvain's lack of caution, -stopped short, and nearly came in collision with Emile's horse's head. -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur Sacripant had placed one paw on the step, to signify that he -was tired and that they must take him inside. Monsieur Antoine alighted -to seize him by the skin of his neck and toss him in on the floor of the -wagon, for the poor beast no longer had enough spring in his legs to -jump so high. Meanwhile Gilberte patted Corbeau's nose and passed her -little hand through his black mane. Emile felt that his heart was -beating as if a magnetic current conveyed her caresses to him. He was on -the point of making some remark concerning Corbeau's happiness, as -naïve as those Galuchet would have been likely to make on such an -occasion; but he contented himself with being stupid silently. One is so -happy when, having no lack of wit, he is conscious of an attack of such -stupidity! -</p> - -<p> -It was quite dark when they reached Fresselines. The trees and rocks had -become simply black masses, whence the solemn and majestic roar of the -stream came forth. -</p> - -<p> -A delicious lassitude and the cool night air cast Emile and Gilberte -into a sort of blissful drowsiness. They had before them the whole of -the next day, a whole century of happiness. -</p> - -<p> -The inn at which they alighted, and which was the best in the village, -had only two beds, in two different rooms. They decided that Gilberte -should have the better room, and that Monsieur Antoine and Emile should -share the other, each taking a mattress. But when they came to inspect -the beds, they found that there was but one mattress to each, and Emile -took a childish pleasure in the thought of sleeping on the straw in the -barn. -</p> - -<p> -This arrangement, which threatened Charasson with a like fate, seemed -sorely to displease the page of Châteaubrun. That young man liked his -comfort, especially when he was travelling. Being accustomed to attend -his master in all his journeys, he made amends for the austere régime -of Janille at Châteaubrun by eating and sleeping to his heart's content -when away from home. -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur Antoine, while making sport of him with a rough sort of gayety, -overlooked all his whims and made himself his slave, talking to him as -to a negro all the while. Thus, while Sylvain made a pretence of -grooming the horse and harnessing him, it was always his master who -handled the curry-comb and lifted the shafts. -</p> - -<p> -If the child fell asleep while driving, Antoine would rub his eyes, pick -up the reins, and struggle against sleep rather than wake his page. -</p> - -<p> -If there were only one portion of meat at supper, Monsieur Antoine would -say to Charasson, as he feasted his eyes on the appetizing dish: "You -may share the bones with Monsieur Sacripant;" but the goodman would, -almost unconsciously, gnaw the bones himself and leave the best piece -for Sylvain. Thus the crafty urchin knew his master's ways, and the more -he was threatened with having to go hungry and work and lose his sleep, -the more surely he relied on his lucky star. -</p> - -<p> -However, when he saw that Monsieur Antoine paid no attention to the -matter of his sleeping accommodations, and that Emile was content with -the straw, he began, while he was serving the supper, to yawn and -stretch, and to observe that they had a long journey, that infernal -place was at the world's end, and that he had really thought they would -never get there. -</p> - -<p> -Antoine turned a deaf ear to it all, and, although the supper was far -from dainty, ate with excellent appetite. -</p> - -<p> -"This is how I like to travel," he said, clinking his glass against -Emile's every other minute, as a consequence of the habit he had fallen -into with Jean Jappeloup; "when I have all the comforts and everybody I -love with me. Don't talk to me about taking long journeys in a -post-chaise or on a ship, wandering about the world, alone and -miserable, in quest of fortune. It's very nice to enjoy the little money -one may have, riding about a beautiful region where you know everybody -you meet by name, and every house, every tree and every rut! Am I not -just as comfortable here as at home? If I had Jean and Janille at the -table, I should think I was at Châteaubrun, for I have my daughter here -and one of my best friends; and my dog, too, and even Monsieur -Charasson, who is as pleased as a king to see the world and be quartered -according to his deserts." -</p> - -<p> -"It pleases you to say that, monsieur," replied Charasson, who, instead -of waiting on the table, had seated himself in the chimney corner; "this -is an abominable inn, and they make you sleep with the dogs." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, you good-for-naught, isn't that too good for you?" retorted -Monsieur Antoine, in his sternest voice; "you're very lucky not to be -sent to perch with the hens! Deuce take it, you sybarite, you have straw -to sleep on; but I suppose you are afraid of dying of hunger in the -night, eh?" -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me, monsieur, the straw here is hay and hay makes your -headache." -</p> - -<p> -"If that's so, you can lie on the floor at the foot of my bed, to teach -you to complain. You stand like a hunchback, so a hard bed like that -will do you a deal of good. Go and prepare your master's bed and spread -the horse blanket for Monsieur Sacripant." -</p> - -<p> -Emile wondered what would be the end of this jest, which Monsieur -Antoine seemed determined to carry on to the end with a sober face, and, -when Gilberte had gone to her room, he followed Monsieur Antoine to his -to find out whether he would persuade his page to make the best of the -straw. -</p> - -<p> -The count amused himself by causing himself to be waited on like a man -of quality. "Come," he said, "pull off my boots, give me my nightcap and -put out the lights. You can stretch yourself on the bricks here, and -look out for yourself if you are unlucky enough to snore! Good-night, -Emile. Go to bed; you won't be vexed with the company of this rascal, -who would prevent you from sleeping. He'll sleep on the floor, to punish -him for his absurd complaints." -</p> - -<p> -After about two hours' sleep, Emile was awakened with a start by the -fall of a heavy body on the straw beside him. "It's nothing, it's only -I," said Monsieur Antoine; "don't let me disturb you. I undertook to -share my bed with that good-for-naught; but my gentleman, on the plea -that he is growing, must needs have the fidgets in his legs, and he -kicked me so many times that I abandoned the field to him. Let him sleep -in a bed, as he's so set upon it! for my part, I shall be much more -comfortable here." -</p> - -<p> -Such was the exemplary punishment which the page of Châteaubrun -underwent at Fresselines. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap22"></a></h4> - -<h4>XXII -<br /><br /> -INTRIGUE</h4> - -<p> -We will leave Emile to forget his appointment with Janille, and to -wander over hill and dale with the object of his thoughts; and we will -take up the thread of the events in which his destiny is involved, at -the Cardonnet factory. -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur Cardonnet was beginning to be seriously annoyed by Emile's -continual absences, and to say to himself that the time would soon come -to keep watch on and regulate his actions. "Now that his mind is -diverted from his socialism," he thought, "it is time for him to take -hold of some profitable reality. Argument will have little effect on a -mind so addicted to discussion. It seems that his hobby-horse is in the -stable for a while, and I won't do anything to make him take him out; -but let us see if we cannot replace theories by practice. At his age a -man is led by instinct rather than by ideas, although he proudly fancies -that the contrary is true; first of all let us bind him down to some -practical work and make him devote himself to it, against his will, if -necessary. He is too hard-working and intelligent not to do well what he -is compelled to do. Gradually whatever employment I may have provided -for him will become a necessity to him. He was always like that. Even -although he detested the study of the law, he learned the law. Very -good, let him finish his law-studies, even if he is destined to hate it -more and more, and to relapse into the aberrations which have disturbed -me so. I know now that it won't take very much time or a very clever -coquette to rid him of the coat of pedagogy of the new schools." -</p> - -<p> -But it was the middle of vacation, and Monsieur Cardonnet had no -immediate pretext for sending Emile back to Poitiers. Moreover, he had -great hopes of his stay at Gargilesse; for, little by little, Emile -overcame his repugnance to the occupations which his father marked out -for him from time to time, and seemed to be no longer engrossed by the -object for which he had fought so earnestly. All the work that Emile did -he did in a superior way and Monsieur Cardonnet flattered himself that -he could drive love from his mind when he chose, without impairing the -submission and the talents of which he sometimes reaped the fruits. -</p> - -<p> -Nothing was farther from Madame Cardonnet's intention than to call her -husband's attention to Emile's strange conduct. If she could have -divined the joy which her son derived from absenting himself thus, and -the secret of that joy, she would have assisted to save appearances and -with more affection than prudence, would have become his accomplice. But -she imagined that Monsieur Cardonnet's manner, which was often cold and -sarcastic, was the only cause of the discomfort Emile suffered in his -father's house; and, nursing a secret grudge against her lord and master -therefor, she suffered bitterly because she enjoyed so little of her -son's society. When Galuchet returned with the information that Monsieur -Emile would not be at home until the evening of the next day or the next -but one, she could not restrain her tears, and said in an undertone: -"Now he has begun to pass the night away from home! He is not willing -even to sleep here; he must be very unhappy!" -</p> - -<p> -"Upon my word, that's a pretty subject for lamentation!" said Monsieur -Cardonnet with a shrug. "Is your son a girl, that you are so frightened -for him to pass a night away from home? If you begin this way, you are -not at the end of your troubles; for this is only the beginning of the -escapades a young man is likely to indulge in! Constant," he said to his -secretary when they were alone, "who were the people in whose company -you met my son?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! a very agreeable party, monsieur. Monsieur Antoine de Châteaubrun, -who is a high-liver, a stout, jovial man, altogether agreeable in his -manners; and his daughter, a superb woman, with a perfect figure, the -most attractive creature you can imagine." -</p> - -<p> -"I see that you are a connoisseur, Galuchet, and that you missed none of -the damsel's charms." -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Dame!</i> monsieur, when a man has eyes, he uses them," said Galuchet, -with a loud laugh of self-satisfaction; for it very rarely happened that -his employer did him the honor to talk with him on a subject unconnected -with his duties. -</p> - -<p> -"And it is with these same persons, I suppose, that my son continued his -romantic excursions?" -</p> - -<p> -"I think so, monsieur; for I saw him in the distance on horseback, as if -accompanying them." -</p> - -<p> -"Have you ever been to Châteaubrun, Galuchet?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, I went there once when the masters were absent, and if I -had known that I should find no one there but the old servant I wouldn't -have been such a fool." -</p> - -<p> -"Why?" -</p> - -<p> -"Because I might have seen the château for nothing at another time, I -have no doubt; whereas that old witch, after showing me around her den, -demanded fifty centimes, monsieur, as the price of her condescension! -It's a shame to bleed people for showing them such a ruin!" -</p> - -<p> -"I thought that old Antoine had made some repairs since I was there." -</p> - -<p> -"Repairs, monsieur! it's a pitiful sight! They have rebuilt one corner, -about as big as your hand, and they didn't even have money enough to put -wall-papers on their rooms. The master isn't half so well lodged as I am -in your house! It's a depressing place, inside! Heaps of stones in the -courtyard to break your legs over, nettles, brambles, no door under a -great archway that resembles the entrance to the château of Vincennes -and which would be pretty enough if they would give it a coat of plaster -of Paris; but all the rest in such a state! Not a wall secure, not a -staircase that doesn't shake, cracks big enough to hold a man, ivy that -they don't even take the pains to tear down, although it would be easy -enough, and rooms that have neither floor nor ceiling! On my word, the -people hereabout are genuine Gascons for boasting about their old -châteaux, and sending you about on break-neck roads, to find -what?—ruins and thistles! Crozant is a stupendous fraud, and -Châteaubrun is little better than Crozant!" -</p> - -<p> -"So you were not charmed with Crozant either? But my son seemed to like -it immensely, I'll be bound?" -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur Emile might very well like it, with such a pretty slip of a -girl on his arm! If I had been in his shoes I shouldn't have complained -overmuch about the place; but for my part, as I went there hoping to -catch a trout and didn't get as much as a gudgeon, I am not very well -satisfied with my walk, especially as it is twenty kilometres each way, -making four myriameters on foot." -</p> - -<p> -"Are you tired, Galuchet?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, very tired and very dissatisfied! they'll never catch me -in their Moorish kings' fortress again." -</p> - -<p> -And Galuchet, recalling with pride his jest of the morning, repeated -complacently and with a cunning smile: -</p> - -<p> -"Those kings must have cut a curious figure! doubtless they wore clogs -and ate with their fingers." -</p> - -<p> -"You are very bright to-night, Galuchet," rejoined Monsieur Cardonnet, -not deigning to smile; "but, smitten as you are, if you were brighter -you would find some pretext for calling on old Châteaubrun from time to -time." -</p> - -<p> -"I need no pretexts, monsieur," replied Galuchet in an important tone. -"I am well acquainted with him; he has often invited me to fish in his -stream, and again to-day he urged me to go to breakfast with him some -Sunday." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, why don't you go? I am glad to allow you a little recreation -from time to time." -</p> - -<p> -"You are too kind, monsieur; if you don't need me, I will go next -Sunday, for I am very fond of fishing." -</p> - -<p> -"Galuchet, my boy, you are an idiot!" -</p> - -<p> -"What's that, monsieur?" said Galuchet, disconcerted. -</p> - -<p> -"I tell you, my dear fellow, you are an idiot," Cardonnet calmly -repeated. "You think of nothing but catching gudgeons, when you might be -paying court to a pretty girl." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! I don't know about that, monsieur!" said Galuchet, scratching his -ear with a fatuous air; "I should like the girl well enough, that's -true! she's a jewel! blue eyes, fair hair that's a metre and a half -long, I'll wager, superb teeth, and a mischievous little glance. I could -be dead in love with her, if I chose!" -</p> - -<p> -"And why don't you choose?" -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Dame!</i> if I had ten thousand francs of my own, I might suit her! but -when one has nothing, one is hardly a suitable match for a girl who has -nothing." -</p> - -<p> -"Is your salary equal to her income?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why her income is contingent, and old Janille, who is supposed to be her -mother—I must confess, it would be a little distasteful to me to be -the son-in-law of a servant,—old Janille would certainly insist on a -small sum to begin housekeeping with." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you think ten thousand francs would be enough?" -</p> - -<p> -"I have no idea; but it seems to me that those people have no right to -be very ambitious. Their hovel isn't worth four thousand francs; the -mountain, the garden, a bit of meadow on the edge of the stream, all -overgrown with rushes, and the orchard where there are some fruit trees -good for nothing but to burn,—all those together wouldn't bring in a -hundred francs a year. They say Monsieur Antoine has a little capital in -government securities. It can't be much, judging from the life they -lead. But, if I were sure of a thousand francs a year, I would arrange -matters with the girl. She pleases me and I am old enough to settle -down." -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur Antoine has twelve hundred francs a year, I know." -</p> - -<p> -"Reverting to his daughter, monsieur?" -</p> - -<p> -"I am sure of it." -</p> - -<p> -"But, although he has recognized her, she is a natural daughter and -entitled to only half of it." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, do you feel that you can aspire to her hand now?" -</p> - -<p> -"Thanks, monsieur! What are we to live on? and bring up children?" -</p> - -<p> -"Of course you would need a little capital. We might be able to find -that for you, Galuchet, if your happiness absolutely depended on it." -</p> - -<p> -"I do not know how to acknowledge your kindness, monsieur, -but——" -</p> - -<p> -"But what? come, don't scratch your ear so much, but answer." -</p> - -<p> -"I don't dare, monsieur." -</p> - -<p> -"Why not? don't I talk to you as if I were your friend?" -</p> - -<p> -"I am deeply touched by it," rejoined Galuchet, "but——" -</p> - -<p> -"But you annoy me. Speak, in heaven's name!" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, monsieur, even though you should call me a fool again, I will say -what I think. I think that Monsieur Emile is paying court to that young -lady." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you mean it?" exclaimed Monsieur Cardonnet, feigning surprise. -</p> - -<p> -"If monsieur is not aware of it, I should be very sorry to be the cause -of trouble between him and his son." -</p> - -<p> -"Is there any common rumor to that effect?" -</p> - -<p> -"I don't know whether people are talking about it; I pay little -attention to gossip; but I myself have noticed that Monsieur Emile goes -to Châteaubrun very often." -</p> - -<p> -"What does that prove?" -</p> - -<p> -"That is as monsieur may choose to think, and it is all the same to me. -I simply meant to say that if I had any idea of marrying a young woman, -I should not be very well pleased to come in second." -</p> - -<p> -"I can imagine that. But it is hardly likely that my son would pay -serious attention to a young woman whom he neither would nor could -marry. My son has lofty sentiments, he would never descend to a -falsehood, to false promises. If the girl is virtuous, be assured that -her relations with Emile are entirely innocent. Isn't that your -opinion?" -</p> - -<p> -"I will have whatever opinion monsieur may desire on that subject." -</p> - -<p> -"That is altogether too accommodating! If you were in love with -Mademoiselle de Châteaubrun, wouldn't you try to find out the truth for -yourself?" -</p> - -<p> -"Certainly, monsieur; but I can hardly be in love with her, having seen -her but once." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, listen to me, Galuchet: you can do me a service. What you have -just told me makes me a little more anxious than it makes you, and all -that we have been saying, by way of conjecture and jest, will have at -all events, the serious result of having warned me of certain dangers. I -tell you again that my son is too honorable a man to seduce a penniless, -inexperienced girl; but it might happen to him, if he sees her too -often, to conceive for her somewhat too warm a feeling, which would -expose them both to temporary but unnecessary suffering. It would be -very easy for me to cut the whole thing off short by sending Emile away -at once; but that would interfere with the plan I have formed of -training him to share my occupations, and I regret to be compelled for -so unimportant a reason to part with him under present circumstances. -Consent therefore to help me. You are sure of a warm welcome at -Châteaubrun; go there often, as often as my son; make yourself the -friend of the family. Père Antoine's unsuspecting nature will assist -you. Look about you, observe, and report to me all that happens. If your -presence annoys my son, it will be a proof that the danger exists; if he -tries to have you turned out, stand your ground, and pose unhesitatingly -as an aspirant to the young lady's hand." -</p> - -<p> -"And what if I am accepted?" -</p> - -<p> -"So much the better for you!" -</p> - -<p> -"That depends, monsieur, on how far things have gone between her and -your son." -</p> - -<p> -"You must be very simple if with time and address you can't find out -about that, as you are going there in the quality of an observer." -</p> - -<p> -"And suppose I find that I have arrived too late?" -</p> - -<p> -"You will retire." -</p> - -<p> -"I shall have made a ridiculous campaign, and Monsieur Emile will bear -me a grudge for it." -</p> - -<p> -"Galuchet, I don't ask anything for nothing. Certainly, all this can't -be done without some ennui and some unpleasantness for you; but there's -a good bonus at the end of all the sacrifices I ask you to make." -</p> - -<p> -"That's enough, monsieur, and I have only one other word to say; and -that is that in case the girl should suit me, and I should suit her too, -I should be too poor at this moment to go to housekeeping." -</p> - -<p> -"We have already anticipated that contingency. I would assist you to -make a position for yourself. For example, you undertake to work for me -for a certain time, and I make you an advance of five thousand francs on -your salary, and a bonus of five thousand francs in addition, if -necessary." -</p> - -<p> -"This is no longer a jest, a conjecture, I suppose?" said Galuchet, -scratching his head harder than ever. -</p> - -<p> -"I don't often jest, as you know, and this time I am not jesting at -all." -</p> - -<p> -"Very good, monsieur; you are too kind to me. I will plant myself beside -Monsieur Emile, and he will be very shrewd if I lose sight of him!" -</p> - -<p> -"He will be shrewder than you, and that will not be difficult," thought -Monsieur Cardonnet as soon as Galuchet had retired; "but a rival of your -sort will be enough to make him feel humiliated by his choice, very -soon; and if she prefers a dull lout like you for a husband to a -handsome chance suitor like him, he will have received a useful lesson. -In that event a trifling sacrifice for Monsieur Galuchet's establishment -would not be draining the sea dry, especially as that would keep him in -my service and cut short his ambition to leave me. But that is the worst -possible result of my plan, and Galuchet has twenty chances to one of -being shown the door sooner or later. Meanwhile I shall have had time to -think of something better, and I shall at all events have succeeded in -worrying Emile, in disenchanting him, in fastening to his sides an enemy -whom he will hardly know how to combat—ennui in the shape of Constant -Galuchet." -</p> - -<p> -Cardonnet's idea did not lack depth, and if it had not been too soon or -too late for Emile to renounce his illusions, it might have been -successful. Any sort of competition stimulates vulgar minds, but a -refined mind suffers from an unworthy rivalry. An exalted nature will -infallibly be disgusted with the being who takes pleasure in the homage -of stupidity; the mere fact that the object of his adoration tolerates -such homage too patiently may be enough to cause him to blush and take -himself away. But Cardonnet reckoned without Gilberte's pride. -</p> - -<p> -Emile returned from his excursion more inflamed with passion than ever, -and in such a state of blissful enthusiasm that it seemed to him -impossible that he should not triumph over everything. The generous -Gilberte had powerfully assisted his illusion by sharing it, and therein -she had shown herself, by her lack of prudence and her openness of -heart, the worthy child of Antoine. Emile might well have reproached -himself, however, for having gone so far with her without having first -made sure of Monsieur Cardonnet's consent. That was a terrible -imprudence; indeed it was culpable rashness; for, unless a miracle -should happen, he could reckon on his father's refusal. But Emile was in -that state of delirious excitement in which one reckons on miracles and -deems himself almost a god because he is loved. -</p> - -<p> -However, he returned to Gargilesse without having made up his mind at -what moment he would announce his sentiments to his family; for Gilberte -had insisted that he should do nothing suddenly, and had received his -promise to begin by gradually appealing to the affection of his parents, -by governing his conduct in accordance with their wishes. Thus Emile was -to make amends for an absence which had doubtless caused them some -anxiety, by staying with them all the rest of the week and working -zealously at whatever his father chose to give him to do. "You must not -come to see us until next Sunday," Gilberte had said when they parted, -"and then we will arrange our plans for the following week." The poor -child felt that she must live from day to day, and, like Emile, she -derived infinite pleasure from caressing in her thoughts the mystery of -a love of which they alone realized the charm and the depth. -</p> - -<p> -Emile kept his word. He did not absent himself from home during the -week, and contented himself with writing Monsieur de Boisguilbault an -affectionate letter to set his mind at rest concerning his sentiments, -in case the suspicious old man should take alarm because he did not see -him. He followed his father like a shadow; he even asked him for -employment, and devoted himself to the construction of the factory like -one who took the deepest interest in the success of the undertaking. -But, as it is not natural to do violence to one's own heart for long, it -was impossible for him to push the indolent workmen. Monsieur Cardonnet -derived no sort of benefit from the employment of men of that -description. They lacked energy, and the rivalry of the more active -produced discouragement in them instead of emulation. They were well -paid, but, as they saw, from the master's dissatisfaction, that they -would not be retained long, they determined to make the most of the -present, and consequently economized in their food. When Emile saw them -sitting on the damp stones, with their feet in the mud, eating a piece -of black bread and raw onions, like the Hebrew slaves employed in -building the Pyramids, he had such a feeling of compassion for them that -he would have preferred giving them his own blood to drink, to -abandoning them to that slow death of toil and starvation. -</p> - -<p> -Thereupon, he tried to persuade his father, since he could not save all -those numerous lives, to afford them at all events some temporary relief -by feeding them better than they fed themselves, or by giving them, at -least, a little wine. But Monsieur Cardonnet reminded him, only too -justly, that, as all the vines were frozen in the preceding year, they -could not obtain wine in that country except at a very high price, and -that it was for the table of the bourgeois only. Where no general system -of economy was practised, it was easy to prove that economy in special -directions was powerless to bring about any important amelioration, and -to demonstrate, by the unanswerable evidence of figures, that they must -either abandon the idea of building or compel the mechanic to undergo -the unpleasant necessities of his position. Monsieur Cardonnet did his -utmost to remedy the evil, but that utmost was confined within narrow -limits. Emile submitted and sighed; he could give Gilberte no stronger -proof of his love than to hold his peace. -</p> - -<p> -"Well," said Monsieur Cardonnet, "I see that you will never be very -sharp in the matter of superintending; but when I am no longer in this -world, it will be enough if you realize the need of having a good -superintendent in my place. The material part of the work is the least -poetic; you will find your field of activity in the direction of art and -science, which have their place in manufacturing as in everything else. -Come to my study, help me to understand the things that escape my -comprehension, and place your genius at the service of my energy." -</p> - -<p> -During that week Emile had to read, to study, to comprehend and to -summarize several works on hydrostatics. Monsieur Cardonnet did not -think that he really needed to have that work done, but it was one way -of testing Emile, and he was overjoyed by his rapidity and mental -keenness. Such studies could arouse no disgust in a mind occupied with -theories. Anything connected with science may have some useful -application in the future, and when one has not under his eyes the -deplorable conditions through which social inequality compels the men of -the present day to pass, in the execution of any work, he may well -become deeply interested in the abstract theories of science. Monsieur -Cardonnet recognized Emile's lofty intelligence and said to himself -that, with such eminent faculties, it was not possible that he would -always close his eyes to what he called evidence. -</p> - -<p> -When Sunday arrived, it seemed to Emile that a century had passed since -he had seen that enchanted palace of Châteaubrun, where, in his eyes, -nature was lovelier, the air softer and the light more glorious than in -any spot on earth. He began with Boisguilbault however; for he -remembered that Constant Galuchet was to breakfast at Châteaubrun, and -he hoped that uninteresting individual would have departed or would be -busy with his fishing when he arrived; but he was far from anticipating -Monsieur Constant's Machiavelism. He found him still at table with -Monsieur Antoine, a little overburdened by the native wine, to which he -was not accustomed, shuffling about on his chair and making commonplace -remarks, while Gilberte, sitting in the courtyard, waited impatiently -until a relaxation of vigilance on Janille's part should enable her to -go out on the terrace and watch for her lover's coming. -</p> - -<p> -But Janille did not relax her vigilance; she was prowling about in every -corner of the ruins and was on the spot to receive half the salutation -which Emile addressed to Gilberte. But Emile saw, at the first glance, -that she had said nothing. -</p> - -<p> -"Really, monsieur," she said, lisping with more affectation than usual, -"you are not polite, and you have nearly caused a rivals' quarrel -between my girl and me. What! you lead me to hope that you will come and -keep me company in her absence, you even go so far as to appoint a day, -and then, instead of coming here, you go and enjoy yourself taking an -excursion with mademoiselle, on the pretext that she is forty years -younger than me! as if that was my fault, and as if I am not as light of -foot and as lively to talk with as a mere girl! It was very rude on your -part, and you have done well to let my anger lie for a few days; for if -you had come sooner you would have had a very cold reception." -</p> - -<p> -"Hasn't Monsieur Antoine justified me," rejoined Emile, "by telling you -how entirely unforeseen our meeting at Crozant was, and that our trip to -Saint Germain was suggested by him on the spur of the moment? Forgive -me, dear Mademoiselle Janille, and be sure that nothing less than being -ten leagues away would have induced me to break my appointment with -you." -</p> - -<p> -"I know, I know," said Janille, in a meaning tone, "that it was Monsieur -Antoine who did all the harm; he is so inconsiderate! but I should have -thought that you would be more reasonable." -</p> - -<p> -"I am very reasonable, my dear Janille," replied Emile in the same tone, -"and I have proved it by passing the week with my father, working to -please him, in spite of my longing to come and obtain my pardon." -</p> - -<p> -"And you did well, my boy; for it is a good thing for young men to be -employed." -</p> - -<p> -"You will be satisfied with me hereafter," said Emile, glancing at -Gilberte, "and my father has already forgiven me for the time I have -wasted. He is very kind to me, and I will show my appreciation of his -kindness by forcing myself to undergo the most painful sacrifices, even -that of seeing you a little less frequently henceforth, Mademoiselle -Janille; so scold me to-day, quickly, but not too hard, and forgive me -even more quickly, for I shall probably be able to come here very seldom -for several weeks. I have much work to do, and my courage would fail me -if I knew that you were angry with me." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, well, you are a good boy, and no one can bear you a grudge," said -Janille. "I see," she added with a knowing air, lowering her voice, -"that we understand each other perfectly without any further -explanation, and that it's a good thing to have people of honor and good -sense like you to deal with." -</p> - -<p> -This result of the explanations threatened by Janille relieved Emile -from a great anxiety. His position was quite serious enough, without -being complicated by the alarms and questions of that faithful retainer. -The advice Gilberte had given him, to come more rarely and to let time -do its work, was thus proved to be most judicious, and if she had been a -trained diplomatist, she could not have acted more shrewdly on that -occasion. In very truth, how many marriages between persons of unequal -fortune would become possible, did not the woman, by her exactions, her -pride or her suspicion, involve the man enamored of her in a labyrinth -of suffering and anxiety, amid which his prudence and courage in -overcoming obstacles fail him! With Gilberte's childlike innocence was -blended calm common sense and unselfish courage. She did not look upon -her union with Emile as possible until after several years, and she felt -that her love was strong enough to wait. That cruel future appeared to -her heart, overflowing with faith, like a day radiant with sunshine; and -therein she was not so foolish as some might think. It is faith and not -prudence that moves mountains. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap23"></a></h4> - -<h4>XXIII -<br /><br /> -THE DEVIL'S ROCK</h4> - -<p> -Emile had forgotten even Constant Galuchet's name when he found himself -once more within the walls of the dear old château; and when he went in -to salute Monsieur Antoine, the stupid features of his father's clerk -produced the same effect upon him that a caterpillar produces upon one -who puts out his hand unsuspiciously to pluck a fruit. Galuchet had -prepared to greet Emile with the assured air of a man who has taken -possession first of a coveted seat, and who can afford an affable -greeting to those who come too late. A little more and he would have -done the honors of the château to Emile. But the young man's cold and -mocking glance, as he replied to his familiar and effusive salutation, -disconcerted him sadly; that glance seemed to say to him: -</p> - -<p> -"What are you doing here?" -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile Galuchet, who thought much more of earning Monsieur -Cardonnet's liberality than of winning Gilberte's good graces, made a -mighty effort to recover his self-possession, and his face, while not -expressing actual hostility, assumed an unaccustomed air of insolence -which was, under the circumstances, as injudicious as possible. -</p> - -<p> -Emile had determined to make the best of the native wine, and, in order -not to offend Monsieur de Châteaubrun, he did not refuse to drink with -him on his arrival. It may be that, by virtue of the utter fascination -which took possession of him in the place where Gilberte passed her -days, he really considered that thin, sour beverage better than all the -choice wines in his father's cellar. But on this occasion it seemed -bitter to him, when Galuchet, assuming the air of a man who condescends -to howl with the wolves, put out his glass toward his, proposing to -touch glasses after the manner of Monsieur de Châteaubrun. He -accompanied this familiarity with an unpleasantly vulgar movement of the -elbow and shoulder, thinking to imitate in jovial mood Monsieur -Antoine's patriarchal simplicity. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur le comte," said Emile, ostentatiously treating Antoine with -even more respect than usual, "I fear that you have induced Monsieur -Constant Galuchet to drink too much. See how red his eyes are and how he -stares! Be careful; I warn you that his head is very weak." -</p> - -<p> -"My head weak, Monsieur Emile! why do you say that my head is weak?" -retorted Galuchet. "You have never seen me drunk, so far as I know." -</p> - -<p> -"This will be the first time that I shall have had that pleasure, if you -continue to drink as you are doing." -</p> - -<p> -"So it would give you pleasure to see me commit an impropriety?" -</p> - -<p> -"I trust that will not happen, if you follow my advice." -</p> - -<p> -"Very good," said Galuchet, rising, "if Monsieur Antoine cares to take a -walk, I shall be glad to offer my arm to Mademoiselle Gilberte, and then -you can see if I walk crooked." -</p> - -<p> -"I prefer not to risk the experiment," said Gilberte, who was sitting at -the door of the pavilion, caressing Monsieur Sacripant. -</p> - -<p> -"So you take sides against me, too, Mademoiselle Gilberte?" rejoined -Galuchet, walking toward her; "do you believe what Monsieur Emile says?" -</p> - -<p> -"My daughter takes sides against no one, monsieur," said Janille, "and I -don't understand why you bother your head about somebody who doesn't -bother her head about you." -</p> - -<p> -"If you forbid her to take my arm," replied Galuchet, "I have nothing to -say. It seems to me, however, that it's no breach of true French -courtesy to offer a young lady your arm." -</p> - -<p> -"My mother does not forbid me to accept your arm, monsieur," said -Gilberte, sweetly but with much dignity; "but I thank you for your -courtesy. I am not a Parisian and I can hardly appreciate the custom of -taking a support in walking. Besides, our paths do not permit that -custom." -</p> - -<p> -"Your paths are no worse than those at Crozant, and the rougher they are -the more need there is for people to help one another. I saw you plainly -enough at Crozant put your lovely hand on Monsieur Emile's shoulder, to -go down the mountain; oh! I saw it, Mademoiselle Gilberte, and I would -have liked right well to be in his place!" -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur Galuchet, if you had not drunk beyond all reason," said Emile, -"you would not concern yourself so much about me, and I beg you not to -concern yourself about me at all." -</p> - -<p> -"Hoity-toity! now you are losing your temper, are you?" said Galuchet, -trying to adopt a good-natured tone. "Everybody is hard on me here, -except Monsieur Antoine." -</p> - -<p> -"Perhaps that is because you are a little too familiar with everybody," -retorted Emile. -</p> - -<p> -"What's going on here?" said Jean Jappeloup, entering the room. "Are you -quarreling? Here am I, to make peace. Good-day, <i>ma mie</i> Janille; -good-day, my Gilberte du bon Dieu; good-day, friend Emile; good-day, -Antoine, my master: and good-day, you," he said to Galuchet; "I don't -know you, but it's all the same. Ah! it's Père Cardonnet's man of -business!—Ah! good-day to you, my dear Monsieur Sacripant; I didn't -notice your greeting." -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Vive Dieu</i>!" cried Antoine, "better late than never; but do you -know, Jean, you are going wrong? When we only have one day a week to see -you,—and God knows how long the week is without you!—you get -here at noon on Sunday!" -</p> - -<p> -"Listen, master——" -</p> - -<p> -"I don't want you to call me master." -</p> - -<p> -"What if I choose to call you so? I was your master long enough, and it -would be a bore to me to give orders all the time. Now, I choose to be -your apprentice, for a little change. Come, give me something fresh and -cool to drink, quickly, Janille. I am warm! Not that I am hungry; they -wouldn't let me go after mass, my good friends at Gargilesse! I must -needs stop and chatter a little with Mère Laroze, and you can't keep -your throat from getting dry when you talk without drinking. But I came -fast, because I knew you would be thinking about me here. You see, -Gilberte, since I came back to the old place the Sunday would have to be -forty-eight hours long to allow me to satisfy all the friends who are -glad to see me!" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, my dear Jean, if you are happy, that consoles us a little for -seeing you less often," said Gilberte. -</p> - -<p> -"Happy?" rejoined the carpenter; "there's no happier man than I on the -face of the earth!" -</p> - -<p> -"That's easy to see," said Janille. "See how he has cheered up since he -ceased to be tracked every morning like an old rabbit! And then he -shaves every Sunday now, and he has new clothes that look very well on -him." -</p> - -<p> -"And who was it who spun the wool for this pretty drugget?" said Jean. -"Why, <i>ma mie</i> Janille and the good Lord's child! And who gave the -wool? my master's sheep. And who paid the cost? it is paid in friendship -here. You don't have coats like this, bourgeois. I wouldn't change my -fustian jacket for your black broadcloth swallow-tail." -</p> - -<p> -"I would be satisfied with the spinstress," observed Galuchet, glancing -at Gilberte. -</p> - -<p> -"You?" said Jean, good-humoredly bringing his hand down on Galuchet's -shoulder with force enough to crush an ox; "you have spinstresses like -this one? Why, <i>ma mie</i> Janille is too young for you, my boy; and as -for the other, I would kill her if she should spin a bit of wool as long as -your nose for you!" -</p> - -<p> -Galuchet was wounded by this allusion to his flat nose, and retorted, -rubbing his shoulder: -</p> - -<p> -"Look you, peasant, your manners are <i>too touching</i>; joke with your -equals, I have nothing to say to you." -</p> - -<p> -"What's this gentleman's name?" Jean asked Monsieur Antoine. "I can't -remember his devil of a name." -</p> - -<p> -"Come, come, Jean, you go a little too fast, old fellow," replied -Monsieur Antoine. "Don't undertake to tease Monsieur Galuchet; he's a -very worthy young man, and, furthermore, he is my guest." -</p> - -<p> -"Well said, master! Let us make peace, Monsieur Maljuché. Will you have -a pinch of snuff?" -</p> - -<p> -"I don't use it," replied Galuchet, haughtily. "With Monsieur Antoine's -permission, I will leave the table." -</p> - -<p> -"At your pleasure, young man, at your pleasure," said the châtelain. -"Monsieur Emile doesn't enjoy long sessions either, and you can stroll -about a bit. Janille will show you the château, or, if you prefer to go -down to the brook, get your lines ready. We will join you directly, and -take you where you will find good sport." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! yes," said the carpenter, "he's a fisher of small fry! He does -nothing else every evening at Gargilesse, and when anyone speaks to him -he makes a wry face because it disturbs his fish. Well, we will go -directly and help him to catch something better than his small fry. Look -you, Monsieur Maljuché, if I don't put you in the way of carrying home -a salmon for your supper, I'll agree to change names with you. You don't -need to be in such a hurry. The boat should be in good condition, for I -nailed a plank in its belly not long ago. We'll find an old harpoon -somewhere, and the <i>Devil's Rock</i>, where the salmon usually go to take -a nap in the sun, isn't far away. But it's a dangerous place, and you must -not go alone." -</p> - -<p> -"We will all go," said Gilberte, "if Jean manages the boat. It's very -interesting sport, and the place itself is magnificent." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! if you are coming, Mademoiselle Gilberte, I will await your -pleasure," said Galuchet. -</p> - -<p> -"Hear that! wouldn't anyone think she was going on your account, -paper-scratcher? This youngster is impertinent beyond everything. Is -everybody like that where you come from? Oh! don't put on that indignant -expression and look over your shoulder, for it doesn't frighten me much. -If you choose to be agreeable, I will be, too; but if, just because you -are dressed in black like a notary, you think you can leave the table -when I remain, you are much mistaken. Sit down, sit down, Maljuché! I -haven't finished drinking, and you are going to drink with me." -</p> - -<p> -"I have had enough," said Galuchet, resisting. "I tell you I have had -enough!" -</p> - -<p> -But the carpenter would have broken him in two like a lath rather than -let him go. He forced him to sit down again on the bench and swallow -several more bumpers, Galuchet striving to show a bold front to -evil-fortune, and Monsieur Antoine shielding him ineffectually against -his old friend's malicious shafts, although he did not share the -antipathy which the secretary's face and manners aroused in the rest of -the family. -</p> - -<p> -Emile had slowly followed Gilberte and Janille into the courtyard, and, -despite the little old woman's jealous watchfulness, he had succeeded in -telling his sweetheart that he had obeyed her orders zealously, and that -he found his father in such a favorable frame of mind that he could -safely risk some overture in the following week. But Gilberte thought -that the risk would be too great, and urged him to persevere in that -sedentary, laborious life. Courage seemed easy to them both. Now that -Emile was sure that he was loved, he was so happy that he thought that -he could demand nothing more of fortune for a long while. There was a -divine tranquillity in the depths of his heart. Gilberte's clear and -searching glance said so many things to him now! -</p> - -<p> -There is, in the dawn of a lover's happiness, a moment of tranquil -beatitude, when the most penetrating observer would have difficulty in -detecting the secret on the surface. The desire to see and speak to each -other every hour seems to disappear with the anxious longing to reach an -understanding. When their hearts are bound together by a mutual avowal, -neither witnesses nor separation can embarrass them or part them in -reality. Thus the clear-sighted Janille was deceived by their peaceful -merriment and by the prudence which comes only when suffering and doubt -are at an end. The perturbation which Janille had often noticed in young -Cardonnet, the sudden flush that rose to Gilberte's cheeks at certain -words of which she alone had grasped the meaning, her sadness and her -ill-designed agitation when he was late in coming, all had vanished -since the trip to Crozant, and Janille was amazed that an incident the -consequences of which she had dreaded had caused a favorable change in -the state of affairs. -</p> - -<p> -"I was mistaken," she said to herself. "My girl is not thinking too much -about him; and if he thinks of her, he will know enough to say nothing, -and draw back little by little, rather than endanger our repose. He is -behaving well, and it would be a pity to hurt his feelings, since he -understood me with half a word, and is carrying out my wishes of his own -accord." -</p> - -<p> -If Jean Jappeloup had conspired with Emile to take vengeance on Galuchet -for his pretensions, he could have done no better than he did; for -during more than an hour, while the lovers were strolling about with -Janille in the neighborhood of the pavilion, he employed sometimes -cunning raillery, sometimes open force to keep him at the table and make -him drink, <i>willy-nilly</i>. In this test, which was beyond his strength, -Galuchet soon lost the little good sense with which nature had endowed -him. He was much scandalized at first by the châtelain's habits and -conceived a profound contempt for him whom he regarded as the count's -companion in debauchery. In a word, Galuchet, who had no trace of -elevation in his feelings or his ideas, and who was not worth a single -hair from the heads of those two rough-spoken worthies, deemed himself -degraded, and promised himself that he would, in his report to his -master, depict in startling colors the painful task he had undertaken. -But, as he drank, his wits went astray altogether, his vulgar instincts -gained the upper hand of his secret vanity, and he began to laugh, to -pound on the table, to talk loud, to boast of innumerable feats of -valor, and to make such a pitiful exhibition of himself, that Jappeloup, -who was as refined as his manners were abrupt, took compassion on him -and gave him a severe lecture with a cold and serious air. -</p> - -<p> -"You don't know how to drink, my friend," he said; "you are ugly when -you laugh and you are stupid when you try to be witty. If I ventured to -give Monsieur Antoine a piece of advice, it would be to give you a glass -of water when you come to breakfast with him, otherwise you might make -remarks before his daughter that would force me to put you out of doors. -You thought, when you saw us all so merry and so unceremonious with one -another, that we were vulgar folk and that you must become vulgar to -descend to our level. You made a mistake. Whoever has nothing evil in -his heart or unclean in his mind can let himself go; and even if I -should be so drunk that I couldn't stand, I shouldn't be afraid that I -could be made to blush the next day for anything I had said. It seems -that it's not the same with you; that is why you do well to dress in -black from head to foot and make people who don't know you think you're -a gentleman; for if there is a peasant here, you are the man!" -</p> - -<p> -Antoine tried to soften the sermon, and Galuchet tried to get angry. -Jean shrugged his shoulders and left the table to avoid having to give -him a lesson more appropriate to the state of his intellect. -</p> - -<p> -When they left the pavilion Galuchet was still walking straight; but his -head was so heavy and so heated, that he dared not utter a word before -Gilberte, for fear of saying one thing for another. -</p> - -<p> -"Well," said Gilberte to Jappeloup, "are we going to the Devil's Rock? -It's more than a year since I was there; Janille will never let father -take me there because she says it's too dangerous and one can't afford -to be absent-minded there; but she will let me go with you, my good -Jean! Do you feel that your hand is still strong and your eye sure -enough?" -</p> - -<p> -"I?" said Jappeloup, "why, I feel as well equal to the task as if I were -no more than twenty-five." -</p> - -<p> -"And you are not tipsy?" said Janille, taking hold of Jean's sleeve and -standing on tiptoe to look into his eyes. -</p> - -<p> -"Look, look all you please," said he. "If you can do this, I will agree -that I am tipsy!" And he placed on his head a pitcher of water that -Janille was carrying, and ran several yards without upsetting it. -</p> - -<p> -"Very good," said Janille; "I could do as much if I chose, but it's no -use; I am sure of you, and I trust my girl with you. For my part, I -haven't the time to go along. Do you, Monsieur Emile, just keep an eye -on the father, for he is quite capable of trying to step ashore in -mid-stream, if he is busy laughing or talking." -</p> - -<p> -"And who will keep an eye on Maljuché?" queried Jappeloup, pointing to -Galuchet, who had gone ahead with Monsieur Antoine. "I won't be -responsible for him." -</p> - -<p> -"Nor I," said Gilberte. -</p> - -<p> -"Never fear," said Emile, "I will undertake to keep him quiet." -</p> - -<p> -"It's not at all certain that you will succeed," rejoined Jean; "if he -isn't drunk, he's something like it. You can't say that he's downright -<i>rich</i>, but he's just <i>comfortable</i>. A bed would be better for -him than a boat." -</p> - -<p> -"You can notice how he goes down the mountain," suggested Janille; "and -if there's danger of his sinking you, leave him on the rocks on the -bank." -</p> - -<p> -Galuchet was already in the boat with Monsieur de Châteaubrun when the -others arrived. He was flushed and silent. But when they were in -midstream the swift current made him dizzy and he began to sway so -violently from side to side that Jappeloup, losing patience, took a rope -and bound his body securely to the thwart on which he sat. He fell -asleep in that position. -</p> - -<p> -"You have a delightful secretary there," said Gilberte to Emile. "I -trust, dear papa, that you won't invite him to breakfast again." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! bless my soul, it's not his fault," replied Monsieur Antoine, "but -Jean's, who made him drink more than he wanted." -</p> - -<p> -"What does a man amount to who can't drink without getting drunk?" said -Jean; "he's worse than nobody." -</p> - -<p> -The boat glided swiftly down-stream to a spot where the rocks on each -side approached so nearly that it was impossible to pass without great -danger. Jean was one of the most powerful men in the province. His -fearless nature and his strong will added tenfold to his physical -strength. He was accustomed to enter into the most trivial undertakings -with as much passionate enthusiasm as if he were setting out to conquer -the world; and yet, notwithstanding this youthful excitability, his -presence of mind was wonderful. He guided the boat in the centre of the -current, and, when they entered the narrow passage, threw her across the -stream and avoided the shock of a collision with the cliff by leaning -out and grasping it with his hand. Emile, who seconded him, gallantly -relieved him from time to time, and, the boat being thus held in place, -they made ready the harpoon and waited in silence for the prey to pass. -Every one knows that the fish always try to swim up against the current, -but they were frightened by the unusual barrier and kept approaching and -retreating. The lookout leaned forward, stretching his arms as far as he -could. Monsieur Antoine and Gilberte, kneeling behind him, watched to -see that the movement he made in throwing the harpoon did not sink the -boat or drag him overboard. Gilberte, when it was the carpenter's turn, -clung to his coat, fearing that he would fall into the water; and when -Emile's turn came, she earnestly urged her father to hold him with all -his strength. But soon, trusting to no one else, she seized his jacket -herself, and more than once he felt the touch of her lovely arms, ready -to embrace him in case of accident. -</p> - -<p> -In this situation, which was dangerous for all, Jean's attention and -Antoine's was completely absorbed by the excitement of fishing, and the -same excitement served the two lovers as a pretext for exchanging -glances and words, which Galuchet, although half awake, was in no -condition to observe. What would Monsieur Cardonnet have thought could -he have seen how well his agent was earning his reward! -</p> - -<p> -At last a salmon was speared, amid frantic shouts from Jean Jappeloup, -and Galuchet, partly aroused by the sight of the capture, tried to take -a hand in landing him. But his clumsiness and obstinacy spoiled -everything, and Jean, beside himself with wrath, turned the boat around, -saying: -</p> - -<p> -"When you want to fish for salmon, you will go with somebody besides me. -Gudgeons of this size aren't in your line, and if we stayed here long, I -should break your head with the shaft of my harpoon." -</p> - -<p> -"God preserve me from coming again with such a boor as you," retorted -Galuchet, sitting on the edge of the boat. -</p> - -<p> -"Don't sit there," said the carpenter; "you are in my way, and you would -do much better to help me pull up against this current, which runs like -a mill-race. Here is Monsieur Emile working like a good fellow, and you, -stout and strong as you are, fold your arms and watch the sweat roll off -us." -</p> - -<p> -"Faith, it's your own fault," retorted Galuchet; "you made me drink and -I am good for nothing." -</p> - -<p> -"Very good, but you are heavy, and as you are not working you can go -ashore. To the bank, to the bank, my little Emile! let us get rid of -bundles that are in the way!" -</p> - -<p> -They headed for the shore; but Galuchet considered the proposed step -insulting, and refused to land, blaspheming in the most reckless way. -</p> - -<p> -"Ten thousand devils!" cried Jappeloup, thoroughly angry, "you have made -me lose a superb salmon, but you shan't make me break my back in your -service!" -</p> - -<p> -And he pushed him out of the boat; but Galuchet, because he resisted, -fell between the boat and the bank, into the water, up to his waist. -</p> - -<p> -"Faith, that's well done," said Jappeloup, "that will put a little water -in your wine." -</p> - -<p> -And he pulled the boat rapidly out of Galuchet's reach, for, in his -rage, he tried to upset her. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! the miserable fellow!" cried the carpenter, "confess, that if there -are some good beasts, there are many vicious ones. Let him wallow," he -said to his companions, who feared that poor Galuchet, because of his -fuddled condition, might drown, although the water was not dangerously -deep. "If he sinks too far I'll stick my harpoon in his belt and fish -him up like a salmon. Bah! if it were anything of value, we might have -reason to be anxious, but things that are good for nothing, dead cats -and empty bottles, always float." -</p> - -<p> -In a few moments Galuchet jumped up on the bank, shook his fist and -vanished. -</p> - -<p> -This ridiculous incident depressed Gilberte. For the first time she -detected a serious inconvenience in her father's too great good-nature. -His rustic and simple manners, which were those of the people about him -and were the expression of a kindly and innocent nature, began to -terrify her, as not affording such enlightened and judicious protection -as her age and sex demanded. -</p> - -<p> -"I am a poor country girl," she said to herself, "and I can get along -very well with peasants; but on the condition that no ill-bred -semi-bourgeois undertakes to interfere; for then the peasants become a -little too violent in their wrath, and the life I lead does not put me -out of reach of a coward's revenge." -</p> - -<p> -Thereupon she thought of Emile as a protector destined for her by -heaven; but she asked herself amid what surroundings he himself was -compelled to live, and the idea that Monsieur Cardonnet employed people -of the Galuchet species caused her a sort of vague alarm with regard to -his character and habits. -</p> - -<p> -When Jean Jappeloup returned to Gargilesse that evening, he found -Galuchet lying like a dead man in the middle of the road. The poor -devil, sobered momentarily by the bath he had taken, had entered a -wineshop to dry his clothes, and as he was afraid of his health, he had -allowed himself to be persuaded to take a glass of eau-de-vie, which had -finished him. He was returning home literally on all fours. Jean had had -time to forget his anger, nor was he the man to leave a fellow-man in -danger of being trampled upon by horses' feet. He lifted him up, -submitted patiently to his threats and insults, and led him, more than -half carrying him, to the factory; and Galuchet, who did not recognize -him, went in, swearing that he would be revenged on the scoundrel who -had tried to drown him. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SIN OF MONSIEUR ANTOINE, VOLUME I (OF 2) ***</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/67460-h/images/antoine01_cover.jpg b/old/67460-h/images/antoine01_cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index a911af8..0000000 --- a/old/67460-h/images/antoine01_cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67460-h/images/figure01.jpg b/old/67460-h/images/figure01.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index c6437d6..0000000 --- a/old/67460-h/images/figure01.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67460-h/images/figure02.jpg b/old/67460-h/images/figure02.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 73994ef..0000000 --- a/old/67460-h/images/figure02.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67460-h/images/figure03.jpg b/old/67460-h/images/figure03.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0ed0474..0000000 --- a/old/67460-h/images/figure03.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67460-h/images/figure04.jpg b/old/67460-h/images/figure04.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 8f42064..0000000 --- a/old/67460-h/images/figure04.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67460-h/images/figure05.jpg b/old/67460-h/images/figure05.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ff3ab84..0000000 --- a/old/67460-h/images/figure05.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67460-h/images/figure06.jpg b/old/67460-h/images/figure06.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 66be7b3..0000000 --- a/old/67460-h/images/figure06.jpg +++ /dev/null |
