madame d'arglade was the wife of a great provincial dignitary. she had obtained an introduction to the marchioness de villemer at the south, when the latter was passing the summer there upon a large estate, since sold to pay the debts of her eldest son. madame d'arglade had that particular kind of narrow and persevering ambition of which certain wives of officials, small or great, furnish quite remarkable specimens. to rise in order to shine, and to shine in order to rise,—that was the sole thought, the sole dream, the sole talent, the sole principle of this little woman. rich, and without an ancestry to boast of, she had bestowed her dowry upon a ruined noble to serve as security for a place in the department of finance, and to add splendor to her house; for she understood perfectly well that, in that condition of life, the best way to acquire a large fortune was to begin by having one suitable to her position and by spending it liberally. plump, active, pretty, cool, and adroit, she considered a certain amount of coquetry as a duty of her station, and secretly prided herself upon the lofty science which consists in promising with the eyes but never with the pen or the lips, in making transient impressions, but calling forth no abiding attachments, and, lastly, in gaining her objects by surprise, without appearing to hold them, and never descending to ask for them, that she might find herself supported on all occasions by useful friends, she gathered them up everywhere, received every one with no great nicety of choice, with a well-acted good-nature or thoughtlessness, and, in fine, she penetrated skilfully into the most exclusive families and was not long in contriving to become indispensable to them.
it was thus that madame d'arglade had wormed herself into what was almost an intimacy with madame de villemer, in spite of the prejudice of that noble lady against her origin, her position, and the occupation of her husband; but léonie d'arglade paraded her own complete lack of political opinions, and dexterously went round begging pardon of every one for her utter incapacity and nothingness in this regard,—which was her expedient to shock no one, and to make people forget the compulsory zeal of her husband for the cause he served. she was gay, heedless, sometimes silly, laughing loudly at herself, but inwardly laughing at the simplicity of others, and managing to pass for the most ingenuous and disinterested creature in the world, while all her proceedings were based on calculation, and all her impulses were premeditated.
she had very well understood that a certain class of society, however divided in opinion it may be, is always held together by some indissoluble tie of kinship or expediency, and that, upon occasion, all its shades of difference are blended by one animating spirit of caste or of common interest. she was quite well aware, then, that she needed acquaintance with the faubourg st. germain, where her husband was not usually admitted, and, thanks to madame de villemer, whose good-nature she had adroitly captivated by her prattle and untiring "availability," she had gained a foothold in certain drawing-rooms, where she pleased people and passed for an amiable child of no great consequence.
this child was already twenty-eight years old and did not appear more than twenty-two or twenty-three, although balls were a little fatiguing to her; she had managed to preserve so much engaging sauciness and simplicity that no one perceived her growing a trifle too fleshy. she showed her little dazzling teeth when she smiled, lisped in her speech, and seemed intoxicated with dress and pleasure. in fine, no one suspected her and perhaps there was really nothing to dread in her, since her first interest was to appear good-natured and to make herself inoffensive; but it required great exertion in any one who did not want to find himself suddenly entangled with her.
it was in this way that, without being on her guard and all the while declaring that she would take no step to influence the ministry of the citizen king, madame de villemer had found herself inveigled into affecting more or less directly léonie's withdrawal from her province. thanks to madame de villemer and to the duke d'aléria, m. d'arglade had just received an appointment in paris, and his wife had written to the marchioness:—
"dear madame, i owe to you my life; you are my guardian angel. i quit the south, and i shall only touch at paris; for, before establishing myself there, before beginning to rejoice and amuse myself, before everything, in a word, i want to go and thank you and prostrate myself before you at séval for twenty-four hours, and tell you during those twenty-four hours how much i love you and bless you.
"i will be with you on the 10th of june. say to his grace the duke that it will be the 9th or the 11th, and that, in the mean time, i thank him for having been so kind to my husband, who is going to write him on his own account."
this pretended uncertainty as to the day of her arrival was, on the part of madame d'arglade, the graceful reception of a joke which the duke had often made about the ignorance of days and hours that she always affected. the duke, with all his cunning with regard to women, had been completely duped by léonie. he thought her silly, and had a way of addressing her thus: "that's it! you are coming to see my mother to-day, monday, tuesday, or sunday, the seventh, sixth, or fifth day of the month of november, september, or december, in your blue or gray or rose-colored dress, and you are going to honor us by supping, dining, or breakfasting with us, or with them, or with other people."
the duke was not at all taken with her. she amused him, and the small talk and witticism which characterized his manner with her were merely as a mask for a sort of desultory groping about in the dark, which madame d'arglade pretended not to notice, but of which she knew very well how to keep clear.
when the duke entered the presence of madame d'arglade and his mother, he was still much disturbed, and the change in his countenance struck the marchioness. "bless me!" cried she, "there has been some accident!"
"none at all, dear mother. reassure yourself; everything has passed off finely. i have been a little cold, that is all."
he was really cold, although he had still on his brow the perspiration of vexation and anger. he drew near the fire which burned every evening, at all seasons of the year, in the drawing-room of the marchioness; but, after a few moments, the habit of self-mastery, which is the whole science of fashionable life, and the brilliant pyrotechnics of léonie's words and smiles, dispelled his bitterness.
mlle de saint-geneix now came forward to embrace her old companion at the convent. "ah! but you are pale too," said the marchioness to caroline. "you are concealing something from me! there has been some accident—i am sure of it—with those infernal beasts."
"no, madame," replied caroline, "none at all, i assure you, and, to relieve your anxiety, i will tell you everything: i have been very much frightened."
"really? by what, pray?" asked the duke; "it certainly was not by your horse?"
"perhaps it was by you, your grace. come, was it you who stopped my horse for sport, while i was alone walking him slowly in the green avenue?"
"well, yes, it was i," replied the duke. "i wanted to see whether you were as brave as you seemed."
"and i was not. i ran like a terrified chicken."
"but you did not cry out, and you did not lose your presence of mind,—that's something."
they told madame d'arglade about the horseback ride. as was her custom, she pretended to take very little notice of what was said; but she lost not a word, and asked herself earnestly whether the duke had deceived or wanted to deceive caroline, and whether this combination might not be useful in some way at a future day. the duke left the ladies together, and went up to his brother's room.
the reason why caroline and léonie were not intimate at the convent was the difference in their ages. four years establish a very considerable barrier in youth. caroline had not wished to tell the duke the true reason, fearing to seem desirous to make her companion appear old, fully aware besides, that it is doing an ill-turn to most pretty women to recollect their ages too faithfully. it is also worth mention, that all the time madame d'arglade remained at séval, she passed for the younger, and that caroline, like a good girl, allowed this error of memory to go uncontradicted.
caroline then, in reality, knew very little about her protectress; she had never met her since the time, when, as a child upon the benches of the "little class," she had seen mlle léonie lecompte emerge from the convent, eager to marry some man of birth or position, regretting no one, but, already shrewd and calculating, bidding every one a tender farewell. caroline and camille de saint-geneix, at that period girls of gentle blood and comfortable fortune, might, she thought, be good acquaintances to find again at some future time. she wrote them, in a very compassionate tone, therefore, when she learned of their father's death. in her reply caroline did not conceal the fact that she was left not only an orphan but penniless, madame d'arglade took good care not to desert her friend in her misfortunes. other convent mates, of whom she saw more, had told her that both the saint-geneix were charming, and that, with her talents and beauty, caroline would be sure to make a good match nevertheless,—the idle talk of inexperienced young women. léonie thought, indeed, that they were mistaken; but she might try to marry off caroline, and in that way find herself mixed up in confidential questions, and in intimate negotiations with divers families. from that time she thought of nothing but gaining many supporters, extending her relations everywhere, and obtaining the secrets of others while pretending to impart her own. she wanted to attract caroline to her house in her province, offering her with a delicate grace, a refuge and a prospective home of her own. caroline, touched by so much kindness, replied that she could not leave her sister, and did not wish to marry, but that if she should ever find herself painfully situated, she would appeal to léonie's generous heart to seek out for her some modest employment.
from that time léonie, always full of promises and praises, saw plainly that caroline did not understand a life of expedients, and troubled herself no further about her, until some old friends, who perhaps pitied caroline more sincerely, informed léonie that she was seeking a place as governess in a quiet family, or as reader to some intelligent old lady. léonie loved to use her influence, and always had something to ask for some one; it was an opportunity for her to get into notice, and to make herself agreeable. finding herself in paris at the time, she made greater haste than any one else did, and in her search fell upon the marchioness de villemer, who had just then dismissed her reader. she wanted an elderly lady. madame d'arglade expatiated on the disadvantages of old age, which had made esther so crabbed. she also diminished as much as she could the youth and beauty of caroline. she was a girl about thirty, pretty enough in other days, but who had suffered and must have faded. then she wrote to caroline to describe the marchioness, urging her to come quickly, and offering to share her own temporary lodgings in paris with her. we have seen that caroline did not find her at home, but introduced herself to the marchioness, astonished the latter with her beauty, and charmed her with her frankness, doing by the charm and ascendency of her appearance more than léonie had ever hoped for her.
upon seeing léonie stout, flaunting, and shrewd, but having still preserved her girlish ways, and even exaggerated her childish lisping, caroline was astonished and asked herself at first sight if all this was not affected; but she was soon to change her mind good-naturedly, and to share in the delusion of every one else. madame d'arglade was charmingly polite to her, and all the more so because she had already questioned the marchioness about mlle de saint-geneix, and knew her to be well anchored in the good graces of the old lady. madame de villemer declared her perfect in all respects, quick and discreet, frank and gentle, of unusual intelligence and the noblest character. she had warmly thanked madame d'arglade for having procured her this "pearl of the orient," and madame d'arglade had said to herself, "well and good! i see that caroline can be useful to me; she is so already. it is always well not to despise or neglect any one." and she overwhelmed the young lady with caresses and flatteries, which seemed as unstudied as the affectionate rapture of a school-girl.
just before going to his brother's room, the duke, who was resolved upon a reconciliation, walked for five minutes on the lawn. involuntary fits of wrath returned upon him, and he feared that he might not be master of himself, if the marquis should renew his admonitions. at last he came to a decision, went up stairs, crossed a long vestibule, hearing his blood beat so loudly in his temples as to conceal the sound of his footsteps.
urbain was alone at the farther end of the library, a long room in the ogive style, with slender arches, which his small lamp lighted but feebly. he was not reading; but hearing the approach of the duke, he had placed a book before himself, ashamed of appearing unable to work.
the duke stopped to look at him before saying a word. his dull paleness, and his eyes hollow with suffering, touched the duke deeply. he was going to offer his hand, when the marquis rose and said to him in a grave voice: "my brother, i offended you very much an hour ago. i was unjust probably, and, in any case, i had no right to remonstrate with you,—i who, having loved but one woman in my whole life, have yet been the guilty cause of her ruin and her death. i confess the absurdity, the harshness, the arrogance of my words, and i sincerely beg your pardon."
"well, then, i thank you with all my heart," replied gaëtan, taking him by both hands; "you are doing me a great kindness, for i had resolved to make an apology to you. the deuce take me, if i know what for! but i said to myself, that in wrestling with you under the trees, i must have excited your nerves. perhaps i hurt you; my hand is heavy. why didn't you speak to me? and then—and then—come, i had been causing you much suffering, and perhaps for a long time, without knowing it; but i could not guess,—i ought to have suspected it, though, and i, too, sincerely beg your pardon for that, my poor brother. ah! why did you lack confidence in me after what we had both solemnly promised?"
"have confidence in you!" rejoined the marquis; "do you not see that this is my greatest need, my keenest thirst, and that my wrath was only grief? i wept for it, this confidence that was put in question, i wept bitter tears for it. give it back to me; i cannot do without it."
"what must i do? tell me, do tell me! i am ready to go through fire and water! it is only the trial by water which i beg you to spare. what if i should be called upon to drink it!"
"ah! you laugh at everything; do you not see that you do?"
"i laugh—i laugh—because it is my way of being pleased, and from the moment you love me again, the rest is nothing. and then what is there so very serious? you love this charming girl. you are not wrong. do you wish me never to speak to her, and never to meet her, or never to look at her? it shall be done, i swear, it, and if this is not enough, i will set out to-morrow, or now, if you like, on blanche. i don't see what worse thing i can do?"
"no, no, don't go away, don't desert me! do you not see, gaëtan, that i am dying?"
"my god! why do you say that?" cried the duke, lifting up the shade of the lamp and looking his brother in the face; then he seized the hands of the marquis, and, not finding the pulse readily, laid both his own on his brother's chest, and felt the disordered and uneven beating of the invalid's heart.
this disease had seriously threatened the life of the marquis in his early youth. it had disappeared, leaving a delicate complexion, a great deal of nervous uneasiness, with sudden reactions of strength, but, on the whole, as great certitude of life as a hundred others have who are apparently more energetic and really less finely tempered, less sustained by a healthy will and the power of discrimination. this time, however, the old disease had reappeared, with violence enough to justify the alarm of gaëtan and to produce in his brother the oppression and the awful sensations of a death-agony.
"not a word to my mother!" said the marquis, rising and going to open the window. "it is not to-morrow that i shall sink under this. i have some strength still; i do not give myself up yet. where are you going?"
"why, i am going to get a horse. i am going for a physician."
"where? for whom? there is not one here who knows my constitution so well as not to run a risk of killing me, should he undertake my case in the name of his logic. if i should fail, take care not to leave me to any village esculapius, and remember that bleeding will carry me off as the wind carries away an autumn leaf. i was doctored enough ten years ago to know what i need, and i am in the habit of taking care of myself. come, do not doubt this," added he, showing the duke some powders prepared in doses, from a drawer in his bureau. "here are quieting and stimulating medicines, which i know how to use variously. i perfectly understand my disease and its treatment. be sure that, if i can be cured, i shall be cured, and that, to this end, i shall do all that ought to be done by a man who knows the extent of his duties. be calm. it was my duty to tell you what i am threatened with, so that you might thoroughly forgive in your heart my feverish anger. keep my secret for me; we must not uselessly alarm our poor mother. if the time to prepare her should arrive, i shall feel it and will give you warning. until then, be calm, i beg of you!"
"calm! it is you who must be calm," retorted the duke, "and here you are fighting with a passion! it is passion that has awakened this poor heart physically as well as morally. it is love, it is happiness, enthusiasm, tenderness, that you need. well, nothing is lost then. tell me, do you wish her to love you, this girl? she shall love you. what am i saying? she does love you, she has always loved you, from the very first day. now i recall the whole. i see plainly. it is you—"
"stop, stop!" said the marquis, falling back into his arm-chair. "i cannot hear it; it stifles me."
but after a momentary silence, during which the duke watched him with anxiety, he seemed better, and said with a smile, which restored to his expressive face all its youthful charm,—
"and yet what you said then was true! it is perhaps love. perhaps it is nothing else. you have soothed me with an illusion, and i have given myself up to it like a child. feel of my heart now; it is refreshed. the dream has passed over it like a cool breeze."
"since you are feeling better," said the duke, after making sure that he was really calm, "you ought to make the most of it and try to sleep. you do not sleep, and that is dreadful! in the morning, when i start for a hunt, i often see your lamp still burning."
"and yet, for many nights past, i have not been at work."
"well, then, if it is sleeplessness, you shall not keep watch alone; i will answer for that. let me see; you are going to lie down, to lie down on your bed."
"it is impossible."
"yes, i see: you would suffocate. well, you shall sit up and sleep. i will stay close by. i will talk to you about her until you no longer hear me."
the duke conducted his brother to his room, placed him in a large arm-chair, took care of him as a mother would take care of her child, and seated himself near him, holding his hand in his own. then all urbain's natural kindliness returned, and he said, gratefully,—
"i have been hateful this evening. tell me again that you forgive me."
"i do what is better: i love you," replied gaëtan; "and i am not the only one, either. she is also thinking about you at this very hour."
"o heaven! you are lying. you are lulling me with a celestial song; but you are lying. she loves no one; she will never love me!"
"do you want me to go after her and tell her that you are seriously ill? i'll wager that in five minutes she would be here!"
"it is possible," replied the marquis, with languid gentleness. "she is full of charity and devotedness; but it would be worse for me to ascertain that i had her pity—and nothing more."
"bah! you know nothing about it. pity is the beginning of love. everything must begin with something which is not quite the middle or the end. if you would let yourself be guided by me, in a week you would see—"
"ah! now you are doing me more harm still. if it were as easy as you think to win her love, i should not long for it so ardently."
"very well. the illusion would be dispelled. you would regain your peace of mind. that would be something at least."
"it would be my death, gaëtan," resumed the marquis, growing animated and recovering strength in his voice. "how unhappy i am that you cannot understand me! but there is an abyss between us. take care, my poor friend, with an imprudence, or a slight levity, or a mistaken devotedness, you can kill me as quickly as if you held a pistol to my head."
the duke was very much puzzled. he found the situation simple enough, between two persons more or less attracted toward each other and separated only by scruples, which had little importance in his eyes; but in his opinion, urbain was complicating this situation by whimsical delicacy. if mlle de saint-geneix should accept him without really loving him, the marquis felt that his own love for her would die, and in the loss of this love which was killing him, the thunderbolt would fall the quicker. this was a sort of blind alley which drove the duke wellnigh to despair, but into which it was none the less necessary respectfully to follow his brother's wishes and ideas. by conversing longer with him, and sounding him to the very depths of his being, gaëtan reached the conclusion that the only joy it was possible to give him would consist in aiding him to a knowledge of caroline's affection and to a hope of its patient and delicate growth. so long as his imagination could wander through this garden of early emotions, romantic and pure, the marquis was lulled by pleasant ideas and exquisite joys. as soon, however, as he saw the uncertain approach of the hour when he must decide upon his course and risk an avowal, he felt a dark presentiment of an inevitable disaster, and, unhappily for him, he was not mistaken. caroline would refuse him and take to flight, or, if she should accept his hand, his aged mother would be driven to despair and perhaps sink under the loss of her illusions.
the duke plunged deeply into these reflections, for urbain began to drowse, after having made him promise that he would leave to get some rest himself as soon as he should see him fairly asleep. gaëtan was vexed at finding no way to be of real service to him. he would have liked to tell caroline the danger, to appeal to her kindliness and her esteem, asking her to humor the moral condition of the invalid, veiling the future to him, whatever it might be, and soothing him with vague hopes and fair dreams; but this would be pushing the poor girl down a very dangerous slope, and she was not so childish as not to understand that she would thus risk her reputation and probably her own peace of mind.
destiny, which is very active in dramas of this kind, since it always meets with souls predisposed to yield to its action, did what the duke dared not do.
