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diff --git a/1453-h/1453-h.htm b/1453-h/1453-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a6369d3 --- /dev/null +++ b/1453-h/1453-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,8443 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> + +<!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" lang="en"> + <head> + <title> + The Alkahest, by Honore de Balzac + </title> + <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + + body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify} + P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } + hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} + .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; } + blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} + .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;} + .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;} + div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } + div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; } + .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;} + .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;} + .pagenum {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal; + margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%; + text-align: right;} + pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +</style> + </head> + <body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 1453 ***</div> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h1> + THE ALKAHEST + </h1> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h2> + By Honore De Balzac + </h2> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h3> + Translated by Katharine Prescott Wormeley + </h3> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + DEDICATION + + To Madame Josephine Delannoy nee Doumerc. + + Madame, may God grant that this, my book, may live longer than I, + for then the gratitude which I owe to you, and which I hope will + equal your almost maternal kindness to me, would last beyond the + limits prescribed for human affection. This sublime privilege of + prolonging life in our hearts for a time by the life of the work + we leave behind us would be (if we could only be sure of gaining + it at last) a reward indeed for all the labor undertaken by those + who aspire to such an immortality. + + Yet again I say—May God grant it! + + DE BALZAC. +</pre> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h2> + Contents + </h2> + <h3> + <a href="#link2H_4_0001"> <b>THE ALKAHEST</b> </a><br /> + </h3> + <h3> + </h3> + <table summary="" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto"> + <tr> + <td> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV </a> + </p> + </td> + <td> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER VI </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER VII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER VIII </a> + </p> + </td> + <td> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII </a> + </p> + </td> + <td> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER XIII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER XIV </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER XV </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER XVI </a> + </p> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <h3> + <a href="#link2H_4_0018"> ADDENDUM </a> + </h3> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <h1> + THE ALKAHEST + </h1> + <h3> + (THE HOUSE OF CLAES) + </h3> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER I + </h2> + <p> + There is a house at Douai in the rue de Paris, whose aspect, interior + arrangements, and details have preserved, to a greater degree than those + of other domiciles, the characteristics of the old Flemish buildings, so + naively adapted to the patriarchal manners and customs of that excellent + land. Before describing this house it may be well, in the interest of + other writers, to explain the necessity for such didactic preliminaries,—since + they have roused a protest from certain ignorant and voracious readers who + want emotions without undergoing the generating process, the flower + without the seed, the child without gestation. Is Art supposed to have + higher powers than Nature? + </p> + <p> + The events of human existence, whether public or private, are so closely + allied to architecture that the majority of observers can reconstruct + nations and individuals, in their habits and ways of life, from the + remains of public monuments or the relics of a home. Archaeology is to + social nature what comparative anatomy is to organized nature. A mosaic + tells the tale of a society, as the skeleton of an ichthyosaurus opens up + a creative epoch. All things are linked together, and all are therefore + deducible. Causes suggest effects, effects lead back to causes. Science + resuscitates even the warts of the past ages. + </p> + <p> + Hence the keen interest inspired by an architectural description, provided + the imagination of the writer does not distort essential facts. The mind + is enabled by rigid deduction to link it with the past; and to man, the + past is singularly like the future; tell him what has been, and you seldom + fail to show him what will be. It is rare indeed that the picture of a + locality where lives are lived does not recall to some their dawning + hopes, to others their wasted faith. The comparison between a present + which disappoints man’s secret wishes and a future which may realize them, + is an inexhaustible source of sadness or of placid content. + </p> + <p> + Thus, it is almost impossible not to feel a certain tender sensibility + over a picture of Flemish life, if the accessories are clearly given. Why + so? Perhaps, among other forms of existence, it offers the best conclusion + to man’s uncertainties. It has its social festivities, its family ties, + and the easy affluence which proves the stability of its comfortable + well-being; it does not lack repose amounting almost to beatitude; but, + above all, it expresses the calm monotony of a frankly sensuous happiness, + where enjoyment stifles desire by anticipating it. Whatever value a + passionate soul may attach to the tumultuous life of feeling, it never + sees without emotion the symbols of this Flemish nature, where the + throbbings of the heart are so well regulated that superficial minds deny + the heart’s existence. The crowd prefers the abnormal force which + overflows to that which moves with steady persistence. The world has + neither time nor patience to realize the immense power concealed beneath + an appearance of uniformity. Therefore, to impress this multitude carried + away on the current of existence, passion, like a great artist, is + compelled to go beyond the mark, to exaggerate, as did Michael Angelo, + Bianca Capello, Mademoiselle de la Valliere, Beethoven, and Paganini. + Far-seeing minds alone disapprove such excess, and respect only the energy + represented by a finished execution whose perfect quiet charms superior + men. The life of this essentially thrifty people amply fulfils the + conditions of happiness which the masses desire as the lot of the average + citizen. + </p> + <p> + A refined materialism is stamped on all the habits of Flemish life. + English comfort is harsh in tone and arid in color; whereas the + old-fashioned Flemish interiors rejoice the eye with their mellow tints, + and the feelings with their genuine heartiness. There, work implies no + weariness, and the pipe is a happy adaptation of Neapolitan “far-niente.” + Thence comes the peaceful sentiment in Art (its most essential condition), + patience, and the element which renders its creations durable, namely, + conscience. Indeed, the Flemish character lies in the two words, patience + and conscience; words which seem at first to exclude the richness of + poetic light and shade, and to make the manners and customs of the country + as flat as its vast plains, as cold as its foggy skies. And yet it is not + so. Civilization has brought her power to bear, and has modified all + things, even the effects of climate. If we observe attentively the + productions of various parts of the globe, we are surprised to find that + the prevailing tints from the temperate zones are gray or fawn, while the + more brilliant colors belong to the products of the hotter climates. The + manners and customs of a country must naturally conform to this law of + nature. + </p> + <p> + Flanders, which in former times was essentially dun-colored and monotonous + in tint, learned the means of irradiating its smoky atmosphere through its + political vicissitudes, which brought it under the successive dominion of + Burgundy, Spain, and France, and threw it into fraternal relations with + Germany and Holland. From Spain it acquired the luxury of scarlet dyes and + shimmering satins, tapestries of vigorous design, plumes, mandolins, and + courtly bearing. In exchange for its linen and its laces, it brought from + Venice that fairy glass-ware in which wine sparkles and seems the + mellower. From Austria it learned the ponderous diplomacy which, to use a + popular saying, takes three steps backward to one forward; while its trade + with India poured into it the grotesque designs of China and the marvels + of Japan. + </p> + <p> + And yet, in spite of its patience in gathering such treasures, its + tenacity in parting with no possession once gained, its endurance of all + things, Flanders was considered nothing more than the general storehouse + of Europe, until the day when the discovery of tobacco brought into one + smoky outline the scattered features of its national physiognomy. + Thenceforth, and notwithstanding the parcelling out of their territory, + the Flemings became a people homogeneous through their pipes and beer.[*] + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + [*] Flanders was parcelled into three divisions; of which Eastern + Flanders, capital Ghent, and Western Flanders, capital Bruges, are + two provinces of Belgium. French Flanders, capital Lille, is the + Departement du Nord of France. Douai, about twenty miles from + Lille, is the chief town of the arrondissement du Nord. +</pre> + <p> + After assimilating, by constant sober regulation of conduct, the products + and the ideas of its masters and its neighbors, this country of Flanders, + by nature so tame and devoid of poetry, worked out for itself an original + existence, with characteristic manners and customs which bear no signs of + servile imitation. Art stripped off its ideality and produced form alone. + We may seek in vain for plastic grace, the swing of comedy, dramatic + action, musical genius, or the bold flight of ode and epic. On the other + hand, the people are fertile in discoveries, and trained to scientific + discussions which demand time and the midnight oil. All things bear the + ear-mark of temporal enjoyment. There men look exclusively to the thing + that is: their thoughts are so scrupulously bent on supplying the wants of + this life that they have never risen, in any direction, above the level of + this present earth. The sole idea they have ever conceived of the future + is that of a thrifty, prosaic statecraft: their revolutionary vigor came + from a domestic desire to live as they liked, with their elbows on the + table, and to take their ease under the projecting roofs of their own + porches. + </p> + <p> + The consciousness of well-being and the spirit of independence which comes + of prosperity begot in Flanders, sooner than elsewhere, that craving for + liberty which, later, permeated all Europe. Thus the compactness of their + ideas, and the tenacity which education grafted on their nature made the + Flemish people a formidable body of men in the defence of their rights. + Among them nothing is half-done,—neither houses, furniture, dikes, + husbandry, nor revolutions; and they hold a monopoly of all that they + undertake. The manufacture of linen, and that of lace, a work of patient + agriculture and still more patient industry, are hereditary like their + family fortunes. If we were asked to show in human form the purest + specimen of solid stability, we could do no better than point to a + portrait of some old burgomaster, capable, as was proved again and again, + of dying in a commonplace way, and without the incitements of glory, for + the welfare of his Free-town. + </p> + <p> + Yet we shall find a tender and poetic side to this patriarchal life, which + will come naturally to the surface in the description of an ancient house + which, at the period when this history begins, was one of the last in + Douai to preserve the old-time characteristics of Flemish life. + </p> + <p> + Of all the towns in the Departement du Nord, Douai is, alas, the most + modernized: there the innovating spirit has made the greatest strides, and + the love of social progress is the most diffused. There the old buildings + are daily disappearing, and the manners and customs of a venerable past + are being rapidly obliterated. Parisian ideas and fashions and modes of + life now rule the day, and soon nothing will be left of that ancient + Flemish life but the warmth of its hospitality, its traditional Spanish + courtesy, and the wealth and cleanliness of Holland. Mansions of white + stone are replacing the old brick buildings, and the cosy comfort of + Batavian interiors is fast yielding before the capricious elegance of + Parisian novelties. + </p> + <p> + The house in which the events of this history occurred stands at about the + middle of the rue de Paris, and has been known at Douai for more than two + centuries as the House of Claes. The Van Claes were formerly one of the + great families of craftsmen to whom, in various lines of production, the + Netherlands owed a commercial supremacy which it has never lost. For a + long period of time the Claes lived at Ghent, and were, from generation to + generation, the syndics of the powerful Guild of Weavers. When the great + city revolted under Charles V., who tried to suppress its privileges, the + head of the Claes family was so deeply compromised in the rebellion that, + foreseeing a catastrophe and bound to share the fate of his associates, he + secretly sent wife, children, and property to France before the Emperor + invested the town. The syndic’s forebodings were justified. Together with + other burghers who were excluded from the capitulation, he was hanged as a + rebel, though he was, in reality, the defender of the liberties of Ghent. + </p> + <p> + The death of Claes and his associates bore fruit. Their needless execution + cost the King of Spain the greater part of his possessions in the + Netherlands. Of all the seed sown in the earth, the blood of martyrs gives + the quickest harvest. When Philip the Second, who punished revolt through + two generations, stretched his iron sceptre over Douai, the Claes + preserved their great wealth by allying themselves in marriage with the + very noble family of Molina, whose elder branch, then poor, thus became + rich enough to buy the county of Nourho which they had long held titularly + in the kingdom of Leon. + </p> + <p> + At the beginning of the nineteenth century, after vicissitudes which are + of no interest to our present purpose, the family of Claes was represented + at Douai in the person of Monsieur Balthazar Claes-Molina, Comte de + Nourho, who preferred to be called simply Balthazar Claes. Of the immense + fortune amassed by his ancestors, who had kept in motion over a thousand + looms, there remained to him some fifteen thousand francs a year from + landed property in the arrondissement of Douai, and the house in the rue + de Paris, whose furniture in itself was a fortune. As to the family + possessions in Leon, they had been in litigation between the Molinas of + Douai and the branch of the family which remained in Spain. The Molinas of + Leon won the domain and assumed the title of Comtes de Nourho, though the + Claes alone had a legal right to it. But the pride of a Belgian burgher + was superior to the haughty arrogance of Castile: after the civil rights + were instituted, Balthazar Claes cast aside the ragged robes of his + Spanish nobility for his more illustrious descent from the Ghent martyr. + </p> + <p> + The patriotic sentiment was so strongly developed in the families exiled + under Charles V. that, to the very close of the eighteenth century, the + Claes remained faithful to the manners and customs and traditions of their + ancestors. They married into none but the purest burgher families, and + required a certain number of aldermen and burgomasters in the pedigree of + every bride-elect before admitting her to the family. They sought their + wives in Bruges or Ghent, in Liege or in Holland; so that the time-honored + domestic customs might be perpetuated around their hearthstones. This + social group became more and more restricted, until, at the close of the + last century, it mustered only some seven or eight families of the + parliamentary nobility, whose manners and flowing robes of office and + magisterial gravity (partly Spanish) harmonized well with the habits of + their life. + </p> + <p> + The inhabitants of Douai held the family in a religious esteem that was + well-nigh superstition. The sturdy honesty, the untainted loyalty of the + Claes, their unfailing decorum of manners and conduct, made them the + objects of a reverence which found expression in the name,—the House + of Claes. The whole spirit of ancient Flanders breathed in that mansion, + which afforded to the lovers of burgher antiquities a type of the modest + houses which the wealthy craftsmen of the Middle Ages constructed for + their homes. + </p> + <p> + The chief ornament of the facade was an oaken door, in two sections, + studded with nails driven in the pattern of a quineunx, in the centre of + which the Claes pride had carved a pair of shuttles. The recess of the + doorway, which was built of freestone, was topped by a pointed arch + bearing a little shrine surmounted by a cross, in which was a statuette of + Sainte-Genevieve plying her distaff. Though time had left its mark upon + the delicate workmanship of portal and shrine, the extreme care taken of + it by the servants of the house allowed the passers-by to note all its + details. + </p> + <p> + The casing of the door, formed by fluted pilasters, was dark gray in + color, and so highly polished that it shone as if varnished. On either + side of the doorway, on the ground-floor, were two windows, which + resembled all the other windows of the house. The casing of white stone + ended below the sill in a richly carved shell, and rose above the window + in an arch, supported at its apex by the head-piece of a cross, which + divided the glass sashes in four unequal parts; for the transversal bar, + placed at the height of that in a Latin cross, made the lower sashes of + the window nearly double the height of the upper, the latter rounding at + the sides into the arch. The coping of the arch was ornamented with three + rows of brick, placed one above the other, the bricks alternately + projecting or retreating to the depth of an inch, giving the effect of a + Greek moulding. The glass panes, which were small and diamond-shaped, were + set in very slender leading, painted red. The walls of the house, of brick + jointed with white mortar, were braced at regular distances, and at the + angles of the house, by stone courses. + </p> + <p> + The first floor was pierced by five windows, the second by three, while + the attic had only one large circular opening in five divisions, + surrounded by a freestone moulding and placed in the centre of the + triangular pediment defined by the gable-roof, like the rose-window of a + cathedral. At the peak was a vane in the shape of a weaver’s shuttle + threaded with flax. Both sides of the large triangular pediment which + formed the wall of the gable were dentelled squarely into something like + steps, as low down as the string-course of the upper floor, where the rain + from the roof fell to right and left of the house through the jaws of a + fantastic gargoyle. A freestone foundation projected like a step at the + base of the house; and on either side of the entrance, between the two + windows, was a trap-door, clamped by heavy iron bands, through which the + cellars were entered,—a last vestige of ancient usages. + </p> + <p> + From the time the house was built, this facade had been carefully cleaned + twice a year. If a little mortar fell from between the bricks, the crack + was instantly filled up. The sashes, the sills, the copings, were dusted + oftener than the most precious sculptures in the Louvre. The front of the + house bore no signs of decay; notwithstanding the deepened color which age + had given to the bricks, it was as well preserved as a choice old picture, + or some rare book cherished by an amateur, which would be ever new were it + not for the blistering of our climate and the effect of gases, whose + pernicious breath threatens our own health. + </p> + <p> + The cloudy skies and humid atmosphere of Flanders, and the shadows + produced by the narrowness of the street, sometimes diminished the + brilliancy which the old house derived from its cleanliness; moreover, the + very care bestowed upon it made it rather sad and chilling to the eye. A + poet might have wished some leafage about the shrine, a little moss in the + crevices of the freestone, a break in the even courses of the brick; he + would have longed for a swallow to build her nest in the red coping that + roofed the arches of the windows. The precise and immaculate air of this + facade, a little worn by perpetual rubbing, gave the house a tone of + severe propriety and estimable decency which would have driven a + romanticist out of the neighborhood, had he happened to take lodgings over + the way. + </p> + <p> + When a visitor had pulled the braided iron wire bell-cord which hung from + the top of the pilaster of the doorway, and the servant-woman, coming from + within, had admitted him through the side of the double-door in which was + a small grated loop-hole, that half of the door escaped from her hand and + swung back by its own weight with a solemn, ponderous sound that echoed + along the roof of a wide paved archway and through the depths of the + house, as though the door had been of iron. This archway, painted to + resemble marble, always clean and daily sprinkled with fresh sand, led + into a large court-yard paved with smooth square stones of a greenish + color. On the left were the linen-rooms, kitchens, and servants’ hall; to + the right, the wood-house, coal-house, and offices, whose doors, walls, + and windows were decorated with designs kept exquisitely clean. The + daylight, threading its way between four red walls chequered with white + lines, caught rosy tints and reflections which gave a mysterious grace and + fantastic appearance to faces, and even to trifling details. + </p> + <p> + A second house, exactly like the building on the street, and called in + Flanders the “back-quarter,” stood at the farther end of the court-yard, + and was used exclusively as the family dwelling. The first room on the + ground-floor was a parlor, lighted by two windows on the court-yard, and + two more looking out upon a garden which was of the same size as the + house. Two glass doors, placed exactly opposite to each other, led at one + end of the room to the garden, at the other to the court-yard, and were in + line with the archway and the street door; so that a visitor entering the + latter could see through to the greenery which draped the lower end of the + garden. The front building, which was reserved for receptions and the + lodging-rooms of guests, held many objects of art and accumulated wealth, + but none of them equalled in the eyes of a Claes, nor indeed in the + judgment of a connoisseur, the treasures contained in the parlor, where + for over two centuries the family life had glided on. + </p> + <p> + The Claes who died for the liberties of Ghent, and who might in these days + be thought a mere ordinary craftsman if the historian omitted to say that + he possessed over forty thousand silver marks, obtained by the manufacture + of sail-cloth for the all-powerful Venetian navy,—this Claes had a + friend in the famous sculptor in wood, Van Huysum of Bruges. The artist + had dipped many a time into the purse of the rich craftsman. Some time + before the rebellion of the men of Ghent, Van Huysum, grown rich himself, + had secretly carved for his friend a wall-decoration in ebony, + representing the chief scenes in the life of Van Artevelde,—that + brewer of Ghent who, for a brief hour, was King of Flanders. This + wall-covering, of which there were no less than sixty panels, contained + about fourteen hundred principal figures, and was held to be Van Huysum’s + masterpiece. The officer appointed to guard the burghers whom Charles V. + determined to hang when he re-entered his native town, proposed, it is + said, to Van Claes to let him escape if he would give him Van Huysum’s + great work; but the weaver had already despatched it to Douai. + </p> + <p> + The parlor, whose walls were entirely panelled with this carving, which + Van Huysum, out of regard for the martyr’s memory, came to Douai to frame + in wood painted in lapis-lazuli with threads of gold, is therefore the + most complete work of this master, whose least carvings now sell for + nearly their weight in gold. Hanging over the fire-place, Van Claes the + martyr, painted by Titian in his robes as president of the Court of + Parchons, still seemed the head of the family, who venerated him as their + greatest man. The chimney-piece, originally in stone with a very high + mantle-shelf, had been made over in marble during the last century; on it + now stood an old clock and two candlesticks with five twisted branches, in + bad taste, but of solid silver. The four windows were draped by wide + curtains of red damask with a flowered black design, lined with white + silk; the furniture, covered with the same material, had been renovated in + the time of Louis XIV. The floor, evidently modern, was laid in large + squares of white wood bordered with strips of oak. The ceiling, formed of + many oval panels, in each of which Van Huysum had carved a grotesque mask, + had been respected and allowed to keep the brown tones of the native Dutch + oak. + </p> + <p> + In the four corners of this parlor were truncated columns, supporting + candelabra exactly like those on the mantle-shelf; and a round table stood + in the middle of the room. Along the walls card-tables were symmetrically + placed. On two gilded consoles with marble slabs there stood, at the + period when this history begins, two glass globes filled with water, in + which, above a bed of sand and shells, red and gold and silver fish were + swimming about. The room was both brilliant and sombre. The ceiling + necessarily absorbed the light and reflected none. Although on the garden + side all was bright and glowing, and the sunshine danced upon the ebony + carvings, the windows on the court-yard admitted so little light that the + gold threads in the lapis-lazuli scarcely glittered on the opposite wall. + This parlor, which could be gorgeous on a fine day, was usually, under the + Flemish skies, filled with soft shadows and melancholy russet tones, like + those shed by the sun on the tree-tops of the forests in autumn. + </p> + <p> + It is unnecessary to continue this description of the House of Claes, in + other parts of which many scenes of this history will occur: at present, + it is enough to make known its general arrangement. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER II + </h2> + <p> + Towards the end of August, 1812, on a Sunday evening after vespers, a + woman was sitting in a deep armchair placed before one of the windows + looking out upon the garden. The sun’s rays fell obliquely upon the house + and athwart the parlor, breaking into fantastic lights on the carved + panellings of the wall, and wrapping the woman in a crimson halo projected + through the damask curtains which draped the window. Even an ordinary + painter, had he sketched this woman at this particular moment, would + assuredly have produced a striking picture of a head that was full of pain + and melancholy. The attitude of the body, and that of the feet stretched + out before her, showed the prostration of one who loses consciousness of + physical being in the concentration of powers absorbed in a fixed idea: + she was following its gleams in the far future, just as sometimes on the + shores of the sea, we gaze at a ray of sunlight which pierces the clouds + and draws a luminous line to the horizon. + </p> + <p> + The hands of this woman hung nerveless outside the arms of her chair, and + her head, as if too heavy to hold up, lay back upon its cushions. A dress + of white cambric, very full and flowing, hindered any judgment as to the + proportions of her figure, and the bust was concealed by the folds of a + scarf crossed on the bosom and negligently knotted. If the light had not + thrown into relief her face, which she seemed to show in preference to the + rest of her person, it would still have been impossible to escape riveting + the attention exclusively upon it. Its expression of stupefaction, which + was cold and rigid despite hot tears that were rolling from her eyes, + would have struck the most thoughtless mind. Nothing is more terrible to + behold than excessive grief that is rarely allowed to break forth, of + which traces were left on this woman’s face like lava congealed about a + crater. She might have been a dying mother compelled to leave her children + in abysmal depths of wretchedness, unable to bequeath them to any human + protector. + </p> + <p> + The countenance of this lady, then about forty years of age and not nearly + so far from handsome as she had been in her youth, bore none of the + characteristics of a Flemish woman. Her thick black hair fell in heavy + curls upon her shoulders and about her cheeks. The forehead, very + prominent, and narrow at the temples, was yellow in tint, but beneath it + sparkled two black eyes that were capable of emitting flames. Her face, + altogether Spanish, dark skinned, with little color and pitted by the + small-pox, attracted the eye by the beauty of its oval, whose outline, + though slightly impaired by time, preserved a finished elegance and + dignity, and regained at times its full perfection when some effort of the + soul restored its pristine purity. The most noticeable feature in this + strong face was the nose, aquiline as the beak of an eagle, and so sharply + curved at the middle as to give the idea of an interior malformation; yet + there was an air of indescribable delicacy about it, and the partition + between the nostrils was so thin that a rosy light shone through it. + Though the lips, which were large and curved, betrayed the pride of noble + birth, their expression was one of kindliness and natural courtesy. + </p> + <p> + The beauty of this vigorous yet feminine face might indeed be questioned, + but the face itself commanded attention. Short, deformed, and lame, this + woman remained all the longer unmarried because the world obstinately + refused to credit her with gifts of mind. Yet there were men who were + deeply stirred by the passionate ardor of that face and its tokens of + ineffable tenderness, and who remained under a charm that was seemingly + irreconcilable with such personal defects. + </p> + <p> + She was very like her grandfather, the Duke of Casa-Real, a grandee of + Spain. At this moment, when we first see her, the charm which in earlier + days despotically grasped the soul of poets and lovers of poesy now + emanated from that head with greater vigor than at any former period of + her life, spending itself, as it were, upon the void, and expressing a + nature of all-powerful fascination over men, though it was at the same + time powerless over destiny. + </p> + <p> + When her eyes turned from the glass globes, where they were gazing at the + fish they saw not, she raised them with a despairing action, as if to + invoke the skies. Her sufferings seemed of a kind that are told to God + alone. The silence was unbroken save for the chirp of crickets and the + shrill whirr of a few locusts, coming from the little garden then hotter + than an oven, and the dull sound of silver and plates, and the moving of + chairs in the adjoining room, where a servant was preparing to serve the + dinner. + </p> + <p> + At this moment, the distressed woman roused herself from her abstraction + and listened attentively; she took her handkerchief, wiped away her tears, + attempted to smile, and so resolutely effaced the expression of pain that + was stamped on every feature that she presently seemed in the state of + happy indifference which comes with a life exempt from care. Whether it + were that the habit of living in this house to which infirmities confined + her enabled her to perceive certain natural effects that are imperceptible + to the senses of others, but which persons under the influence of + excessive feeling are keen to discover, or whether Nature, in compensation + for her physical defects, had given her more delicate sensations than + better organized beings,—it is certain that this woman had heard the + steps of a man in a gallery built above the kitchens and the servants’ + hall, by which the front house communicated with the “back-quarter.” The + steps grew more distinct. Soon, without possessing the power of this + ardent creature to abolish space and meet her other self, even a stranger + would have heard the foot-fall of a man upon the staircase which led down + from the gallery to the parlor. + </p> + <p> + The sound of that step would have startled the most heedless being into + thought; it was impossible to hear it coolly. A precipitate, headlong step + produces fear. When a man springs forward and cries, “Fire!” his feet + speak as loudly as his voice. If this be so, then a contrary gait ought + not to cause less powerful emotion. The slow approach, the dragging step + of the coming man might have irritated an unreflecting spectator; but an + observer, or a nervous person, would undoubtedly have felt something akin + to terror at the measured tread of feet that seemed devoid of life, and + under which the stairs creaked loudly, as though two iron weights were + striking them alternately. The mind recognized at once either the heavy, + undecided step of an old man or the majestic tread of a great thinker + bearing the worlds with him. + </p> + <p> + When the man had reached the lowest stair, and had planted both feet upon + the tiled floor with a hesitating, uncertain movement, he stood still for + a moment on the wide landing which led on one side to the servants’ hall, + and on the other to the parlor through a door concealed in the panelling + of that room,—as was another door, leading from the parlor to the + dining-room. At this moment a slight shudder, like the sensation caused by + an electric spark, shook the woman seated in the armchair; then a soft + smile brightened her lips, and her face, moved by the expectation of a + pleasure, shone like that of an Italian Madonna. She suddenly gained + strength to drive her terrors back into the depths of her heart. Then she + turned her face to the panel of the wall which she knew was about to open, + and which in fact was now pushed in with such brusque violence that the + poor woman herself seemed jarred by the shock. + </p> + <p> + Balthazar Claes suddenly appeared, made a few steps forward, did not look + at the woman, or if he looked at her did not see her, and stood erect in + the middle of the parlor, leaning his half-bowed head on his right hand. A + sharp pang to which the woman could not accustom herself, although it was + daily renewed, wrung her heart, dispelled her smile, contracted the sallow + forehead between the eyebrows, indenting that line which the frequent + expression of excessive feeling scores so deeply; her eyes filled with + tears, but she wiped them quickly as she looked at Balthazar. + </p> + <p> + It was impossible not to be deeply impressed by this head of the family of + Claes. When young, he must have resembled the noble family martyr who had + threatened to be another Artevelde to Charles V.; but as he stood there at + this moment, he seemed over sixty years of age, though he was only fifty; + and this premature old age had destroyed the honorable likeness. His tall + figure was slightly bent,—either because his labors, whatever they + were, obliged him to stoop, or that the spinal column was curved by the + weight of his head. He had a broad chest and square shoulders, but the + lower parts of his body were lank and wasted, though nervous; and this + discrepancy in a physical organization evidently once perfect puzzled the + mind which endeavored to explain this anomalous figure by some possible + singularities of the man’s life. + </p> + <p> + His thick blond hair, ill cared-for, fell over his shoulders in the Dutch + fashion, and its very disorder was in keeping with the general + eccentricity of his person. His broad brow showed certain protuberances + which Gall identifies with poetic genius. His clear and full blue eyes had + the brusque vivacity which may be noticed in searchers for occult causes. + The nose, probably perfect in early life, was now elongated, and the + nostrils seemed to have gradually opened wider from an involuntary tension + of the olfactory muscles. The cheek-bones were very prominent, which made + the cheeks themselves, already withered, seem more sunken; his mouth, full + of sweetness, was squeezed in between the nose and a short chin, which + projected sharply. The shape of the face, however, was long rather than + oval, and the scientific doctrine which sees in every human face a + likeness to an animal would have found its confirmation in that of + Balthazar Claes, which bore a strong resemblance to a horse’s head. The + skin clung closely to the bones, as though some inward fire were + incessantly drying its juices. Sometimes, when he gazed into space, as if + to see the realization of his hopes, it almost seemed as though the flames + that devoured his soul were issuing from his nostrils. + </p> + <p> + The inspired feelings that animate great men shone forth on the pale face + furrowed with wrinkles, on the brow haggard with care like that of an old + monarch, but above all they gleamed in the sparkling eye, whose fires were + fed by chastity imposed by the tyranny of ideas and by the inward + consecration of a great intellect. The cavernous eyes seemed to have sunk + in their orbits through midnight vigils and the terrible reaction of hopes + destroyed, yet ceaselessly reborn. The zealous fanaticism inspired by an + art or a science was evident in this man; it betrayed itself in the + strange, persistent abstraction of his mind expressed by his dress and + bearing, which were in keeping with the anomalous peculiarities of his + person. + </p> + <p> + His large, hairy hands were dirty, and the nails, which were very long, + had deep black lines at their extremities. His shoes were not cleaned and + the shoe-strings were missing. Of all that Flemish household, the master + alone took the strange liberty of being slovenly. His black cloth trousers + were covered with stains, his waistcoat was unbuttoned, his cravat awry, + his greenish coat ripped at the seams,—completing an array of signs, + great and small, which in any other man would have betokened a poverty + begotten of vice, but which in Balthazar Claes was the negligence of + genius. + </p> + <p> + Vice and Genius too often produce the same effects; and this misleads the + common mind. What is genius but a long excess which squanders time and + wealth and physical powers, and leads more rapidly to a hospital than the + worst of passions? Men even seem to have more respect for vices than for + genius, since to the latter they refuse credit. The profits accruing from + the hidden labors of the brain are so remote that the social world fears + to square accounts with the man of learning in his lifetime, preferring to + get rid of its obligations by not forgiving his misfortunes or his + poverty. + </p> + <p> + If, in spite of this inveterate forgetfulness of the present, Balthazar + Claes had abandoned his mysterious abstractions, if some sweet and + companionable meaning had revisited that thoughtful countenance, if the + fixed eyes had lost their rigid strain and shone with feeling, if he had + ever looked humanly about him and returned to the real life of common + things, it would indeed have been difficult not to do involuntary homage + to the winning beauty of his face and the gracious soul that would then + have shone from it. As it was, all who looked at him regretted that the + man belonged no more to the world at large, and said to one another: “He + must have been very handsome in his youth.” A vulgar error! Never was + Balthazar Claes’s appearance more poetic than at this moment. Lavater, had + he seen him, would fain have studied that head so full of patience, of + Flemish loyalty, and pure morality,—where all was broad and noble, + and passion seemed calm because it was strong. + </p> + <p> + The conduct of this man could not be otherwise than pure; his word was + sacred, his friendships seemed undeviating, his self-devotedness complete: + and yet the will to employ those qualities in patriotic service, for the + world or for the family, was directed, fatally, elsewhere. This citizen, + bound to guard the welfare of a household, to manage property, to guide + his children towards a noble future, was living outside the line of his + duty and his affections, in communion with an attendant spirit. A priest + might have thought him inspired by the word of God; an artist would have + hailed him as a great master; an enthusiast would have taken him for a + seer of the Swedenborgian faith. + </p> + <p> + At the present moment, the dilapidated, uncouth, and ruined clothes that + he wore contrasted strangely with the graceful elegance of the woman who + was sadly admiring him. Deformed persons who have intellect, or nobility + of soul, show an exquisite taste in their apparel. Either they dress + simply, convinced that their charm is wholly moral, or they make others + forget their imperfections by an elegance of detail which diverts the eye + and occupies the mind. Not only did this woman possess a noble soul, but + she loved Balthazar Claes with that instinct of the woman which gives a + foretaste of the communion of angels. Brought up in one of the most + illustrious families of Belgium, she would have learned good taste had she + not possessed it; and now, taught by the desire of constantly pleasing the + man she loved, she knew how to clothe herself admirably, and without + producing incongruity between her elegance and the defects of her + conformation. The bust, however, was defective in the shoulders only, one + of which was noticeably much larger than the other. + </p> + <p> + She looked out of the window into the court-yard, then towards the garden, + as if to make sure she was alone with Balthazar, and presently said, in a + gentle voice and with a look full of a Flemish woman’s submissiveness,—for + between these two love had long since driven out the pride of her Spanish + nature:— + </p> + <p> + “Balthazar, are you so very busy? this is the thirty-third Sunday since + you have been to mass or vespers.” + </p> + <p> + Claes did not answer; his wife bowed her head, clasped her hands, and + waited: she knew that his silence meant neither contempt nor indifference, + only a tyrannous preoccupation. Balthazar was one of those beings who + preserve deep in their souls and after long years all their youthful + delicacy of feeling; he would have thought it criminal to wound by so much + as a word a woman weighed down by the sense of physical disfigurement. No + man knew better than he that a look, a word, suffices to blot out years of + happiness, and is the more cruel because it contrasts with the unfailing + tenderness of the past: our nature leads us to suffer more from one + discord in our happiness than pleasure coming in the midst of trouble can + bring us joy. + </p> + <p> + Presently Balthazar appeared to waken; he looked quickly about him, and + said,— + </p> + <p> + “Vespers? Ah, yes! the children are at vespers.” + </p> + <p> + He made a few steps forward, and looked into the garden, where magnificent + tulips were growing on all sides; then he suddenly stopped short as if + brought up against a wall, and cried out,— + </p> + <p> + “Why should they not combine within a given time?” + </p> + <p> + “Is he going mad?” thought the wife, much terrified. + </p> + <p> + To give greater interest to the present scene, which was called forth by + the situation of their affairs, it is absolutely necessary to glance back + at the past lives of Balthazar Claes and the granddaughter of the Duke of + Casa-Real. + </p> + <p> + Towards the year 1783, Monsieur Balthazar Claes-Molina de Nourho, then + twenty-two years of age, was what is called in France a fine man. He came + to finish his education in Paris, where he acquired excellent manners in + the society of Madame d’Egmont, Count Horn, the Prince of Aremberg, the + Spanish ambassador, Helvetius, and other Frenchmen originally from + Belgium, or coming lately thence, whose birth or wealth won them + admittance among the great seigneurs who at that time gave the tone to + social life. Young Claes found several relations and friends ready to + launch him into the great world at the very moment when that world was + about to fall. Like other young men, he was at first more attracted by + glory and science than by the vanities of life. He frequented the society + of scientific men, particularly Lavoisier, who at that time was better + known to the world for his enormous fortune as a “fermier-general” than + for his discoveries in chemistry,—though later the great chemist was + to eclipse the man of wealth. + </p> + <p> + Balthazar grew enamored of the science which Lavoisier cultivated, and + became his devoted disciple; but he was young, and handsome as Helvetius, + and before long the Parisian women taught him to distil wit and love + exclusively. Though he had studied chemistry with such ardor that + Lavoisier commended him, he deserted science and his master for those + mistresses of fashion and good taste from whom young men take finishing + lessons in knowledge of life, and learn the usages of good society, which + in Europe forms, as it were, one family. + </p> + <p> + The intoxicating dream of social success lasted but a short time. + Balthazar left Paris, weary of a hollow existence which suited neither his + ardent soul nor his loving heart. Domestic life, so calm, so tender, which + the very name of Flanders recalled to him, seemed far more fitted to his + character and to the aspirations of his heart. No gilded Parisian salon + had effaced from his mind the harmonies of the panelled parlor and the + little garden where his happy childhood had slipped away. A man must needs + be without a home to remain in Paris,—Paris, the city of + cosmopolitans, of men who wed the world, and clasp her with the arms of + Science, Art, or Power. + </p> + <p> + The son of Flanders came back to Douai, like La Fontaine’s pigeon to its + nest; he wept with joy as he re-entered the town on the day of the Gayant + procession,—Gayant, the superstitious luck of Douai, the glory of + Flemish traditions, introduced there at the time the Claes family had + emigrated from Ghent. The death of Balthazar’s father and mother had left + the old mansion deserted, and the young man was occupied for a time in + settling its affairs. His first grief over, he wished to marry; he needed + the domestic happiness whose every religious aspect had fastened upon his + mind. He even followed the family custom of seeking a wife in Ghent, or at + Bruges, or Antwerp; but it happened that no woman whom he met there suited + him. Undoubtedly, he had certain peculiar ideas as to marriage; from his + youth he had been accused of never following the beaten track. + </p> + <p> + One day, at the house of a relation in Ghent, he heard a young lady, then + living in Brussels, spoken of in a manner which gave rise to a long + discussion. Some said that the beauty of Mademoiselle de Temninck was + destroyed by the imperfections of her figure; others declared that she was + perfect in spite of her defects. Balthazar’s old cousin, at whose house + the discussion took place, assured his guests that, handsome or not, she + had a soul that would make him marry her were he a marrying man; and he + told how she had lately renounced her share of her parents’ property to + enable her brother to make a marriage worthy of his name; thus preferring + his happiness to her own, and sacrificing her future to his interests,—for + it was not to be supposed that Mademoiselle de Temninck would marry late + in life and without property when, young and wealthy, she had met with no + aspirant. + </p> + <p> + A few days later, Balthazar Claes made the acquaintance of Mademoiselle de + Temninck; with whom he fell deeply in love. At first, Josephine de + Temninck thought herself the object of a mere caprice, and refused to + listen to Monsieur Claes; but passion is contagious; and to a poor girl + who was lame and ill-made, the sense of inspiring love in a young and + handsome man carries with it such strong seduction that she finally + consented to allow him to woo her. + </p> + <p> + It would need a volume to paint the love of a young girl humbly submissive + to the verdict of a world that calls her plain, while she feels within + herself the irresistible charm which comes of sensibility and true + feeling. It involves fierce jealousy of happiness, freaks of cruel + vengeance against some fancied rival who wins a glance,—emotions, + terrors, unknown to the majority of women, and which ought, therefore, to + be more than indicated. The doubt, the dramatic doubt of love, is the + keynote of this analysis, where certain souls will find once more the + lost, but unforgotten, poetry of their early struggles; the passionate + exaltations of the heart which the face must not betray; the fear that we + may not be understood, and the boundless joy of being so; the hesitations + of the soul which recoils upon itself, and the magnetic propulsions which + give to the eyes an infinitude of shades; the promptings to suicide caused + by a word, dispelled by an intonation; trembling glances which veil an + inward daring; sudden desires to speak and act that are paralyzed by their + own violence; the secret eloquence of common phrases spoken in a quivering + voice; the mysterious workings of that pristine modesty of soul and that + divine discernment which lead to hidden generosities, and give so + exquisite a flavor to silent devotion; in short, all the loveliness of + young love, and the weaknesses of its power. + </p> + <p> + Mademoiselle Josephine de Temninck was coquettish from nobility of soul. + The sense of her obvious imperfections made her as difficult to win as the + handsomest of women. The fear of some day displeasing the eye roused her + pride, destroyed her trustfulness, and gave her the courage to hide in the + depths of her heart that dawning happiness which other women delight in + making known by their manners,—wearing it proudly, like a coronet. + The more love urged her towards Balthazar, the less she dared to express + her feelings. The glance, the gesture, the question and answer as it were + of a pretty woman, so flattering to the man she loves, would they not be + in her case mere humiliating speculation? A beautiful woman can be her + natural self,—the world overlooks her little follies or her + clumsiness; whereas a single criticising glance checks the noblest + expression on the lips of an ugly woman, adds to the ill-grace of her + gesture, gives timidity to her eyes and awkwardness to her whole bearing. + She knows too well that to her alone the world condones no faults; she is + denied the right to repair them; indeed, the chance to do so is never + given. This necessity of being perfect and on her guard at every moment, + must surely chill her faculties and numb their exercise? Such a woman can + exist only in an atmosphere of angelic forbearance. Where are the hearts + from which forbearance comes with no alloy of bitter and stinging pity. + </p> + <p> + These thoughts, to which the codes of social life had accustomed her, and + the sort of consideration more wounding than insult shown to her by the + world,—a consideration which increases a misfortune by making it + apparent,—oppressed Mademoiselle de Temninck with a constant sense + of embarrassment, which drove back into her soul its happiest expression, + and chilled and stiffened her attitudes, her speech, her looks. Loving and + beloved, she dared to be eloquent or beautiful only when alone. Unhappy + and oppressed in the broad daylight of life, she might have been + enchanting could she have expanded in the shadow. Often, to test the love + thus offered to her, and at the risk of losing it, she refused to wear the + draperies that concealed some portion of her defects, and her Spanish eyes + grew entrancing when they saw that Balthazar thought her beautiful as + before. + </p> + <p> + Nevertheless, even so, distrust soiled the rare moments when she yielded + herself to happiness. She asked herself if Claes were not seeking a + domestic slave,—one who would necessarily keep the house? whether he + had himself no secret imperfection which obliged him to be satisfied with + a poor, deformed girl? Such perpetual misgivings gave a priceless value to + the few short hours during which she trusted the sincerity and the + permanence of a love which was to avenge her on the world. Sometimes she + provoked hazardous discussions, and probed the inner consciousness of her + lover by exaggerating her defects. At such times she often wrung from + Balthazar truths that were far from flattering; but she loved the + embarrassment into which he fell when she had led him to say that what he + loved in a woman was a noble soul and the devotion which made each day of + life a constant happiness; and that after a few years of married life the + handsomest of women was no more to a husband than the ugliest. After + gathering up what there was of truth in all such paradoxes tending to + reduce the value of beauty, Balthazar would suddenly perceive the + ungraciousness of his remarks, and show the goodness of his heart by the + delicate transitions of thought with which he proved to Mademoiselle de + Temninck that she was perfect in his eyes. + </p> + <p> + The spirit of devotion which, it may be, is the crown of love in a woman, + was not lacking in this young girl, who had always despaired of being + loved; at first, the prospect of a struggle in which feeling and sentiment + would triumph over actual beauty tempted her; then, she fancied a grandeur + in giving herself to a man in whose love she did not believe; finally, she + was forced to admit that happiness, however short its duration might be, + was too precious to resign. + </p> + <p> + Such hesitations, such struggles, giving the charm and the unexpectedness + of passion to this noble creature, inspired Balthazar with a love that was + well-nigh chivalric. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER III + </h2> + <p> + The marriage took place at the beginning of the year 1795. Husband and + wife came to Douai that the first days of their union might be spent in + the patriarchal house of the Claes,—the treasures of which were + increased by those of Mademoiselle de Temninck, who brought with her + several fine pictures of Murillo and Velasquez, the diamonds of her + mother, and the magnificent wedding-gifts, made to her by her brother, the + Duke of Casa-Real. + </p> + <p> + Few women were ever happier than Madame Claes. Her happiness lasted for + fifteen years without a cloud, diffusing itself like a vivid light into + every nook and detail of her life. Most men have inequalities of character + which produce discord, and deprive their households of the harmony which + is the ideal of a home; the majority are blemished with some littleness or + meanness, and meanness of any kind begets bickering. One man is honorable + and diligent, but hard and crabbed; another kindly, but obstinate; this + one loves his wife, yet his will is arbitrary and uncertain; that other, + preoccupied by ambition, pays off his affections as he would a debt, + bestows the luxuries of wealth but deprives the daily life of happiness,—in + short, the average man of social life is essentially incomplete, without + being signally to blame. Men of talent are as variable as barometers; + genius alone is intrinsically good. + </p> + <p> + For this reason unalloyed happiness is found at the two extremes of the + moral scale. The good-natured fool and the man of genius alone are capable—the + one through weakness, the other by strength—of that equanimity of + temper, that unvarying gentleness, which soften the asperities of daily + life. In the one, it is indifference or stolidity; in the other, + indulgence and a portion of the divine thought of which he is the + interpreter, and which needs to be consistent alike in principle and + application. Both natures are equally simple; but in one there is vacancy, + in the other depth. This is why clever women are disposed to take dull men + as the small change for great ones. + </p> + <p> + Balthazar Claes carried his greatness into the lesser things of life. He + delighted in considering conjugal love as a magnificent work; and like all + men of lofty aims who can bear nothing imperfect, he wished to develop all + its beauties. His powers of mind enlivened the calm of happiness, his + noble nature marked his attentions with the charm of grace. Though he + shared the philosophical tenets of the eighteenth century, he installed a + chaplain in his home until 1801 (in spite of the risk he ran from the + revolutionary decrees), so that he might not thwart the Spanish fanaticism + which his wife had sucked in with her mother’s milk: later, when public + worship was restored in France, he accompanied her to mass every Sunday. + His passion never ceased to be that of a lover. The protecting power, + which women like so much, was never exercised by this husband, lest to + that wife it might seem pity. He treated her with exquisite flattery as an + equal, and sometimes mutinied against her, as men will, as though to brave + the supremacy of a pretty woman. His lips wore a smile of happiness, his + speech was ever tender; he loved his Josephine for herself and for + himself, with an ardor that crowned with perpetual praise the qualities + and the loveliness of a wife. + </p> + <p> + Fidelity, often the result of social principle, religious duty, or + self-interest on the part of a husband, was in this case involuntary, and + not without the sweet flatteries of the spring-time of love. Duty was the + only marriage obligation unknown to these lovers, whose love was equal; + for Balthazar Claes found the complete and lasting realization of his + hopes in Mademoiselle de Temninck; his heart was satisfied but not + wearied, the man within him was ever happy. + </p> + <p> + Not only did the daughter of Casa-Real derive from her Spanish blood the + intuition of that science which varies pleasure and makes it infinite, but + she possessed the spirit of unbounded self-devotion, which is the genius + of her sex as grace is that of beauty. Her love was a blind fanaticism + which, at a nod, would have sent her joyously to her death. Balthazar’s + own delicacy had exalted the generous emotions of his wife, and inspired + her with an imperious need of giving more than she received. This mutual + exchange of happiness which each lavished upon the other, put the + mainspring of her life visibly outside of her personality, and filled her + words, her looks, her actions, with an ever-growing love. Gratitude + fertilized and varied the life of each heart; and the certainty of being + all in all to one another excluded the paltry things of existence, while + it magnified the smallest accessories. + </p> + <p> + The deformed woman whom her husband thinks straight, the lame woman whom + he would not have otherwise, the old woman who seems ever young—are + they not the happiest creatures of the feminine world? Can human passion + go beyond it? The glory of a woman is to be adored for a defect. To forget + that a lame woman does not walk straight may be the glamour of a moment, + but to love her because she is lame is the deification of her defects. In + the gospel of womanhood it is written: “Blessed are the imperfect, for + theirs is the kingdom of Love.” If this be so, surely beauty is a + misfortune; that fugitive flower counts for too much in the feeling that a + woman inspires; often she is loved for her beauty as another is married + for her money. But the love inspired or bestowed by a woman disinherited + of the frail advantages pursued by the sons of Adam, is true love, the + mysterious passion, the ardent embrace of souls, a sentiment for which the + day of disenchantment never comes. That woman has charms unknown to the + world, from whose jurisdiction she withdraws herself: she is beautiful + with a meaning; her glory lies in making her imperfections forgotten, and + thus she constantly succeeds in doing so. + </p> + <p> + The celebrated attachments of history were nearly all inspired by women in + whom the vulgar mind would have found defects,—Cleopatra, Jeanne de + Naples, Diane de Poitiers, Mademoiselle de la Valliere, Madame de + Pompadour; in fact, the majority of the women whom love has rendered + famous were not without infirmities and imperfections, while the greater + number of those whose beauty is cited as perfect came to some tragic end + of love. + </p> + <p> + This apparent singularity must have a cause. It may be that man lives more + by sentiment than by sense; perhaps the physical charm of beauty is + limited, while the moral charm of a woman without beauty is infinite. Is + not this the moral of the fable on which the Arabian Nights are based? An + ugly wife of Henry VIII. might have defied the axe, and subdued to herself + the inconstancy of her master. + </p> + <p> + By a strange chance, not inexplicable, however, in a girl of Spanish + origin, Madame Claes was uneducated. She knew how to read and write, but + up to the age of twenty, at which time her parents withdrew her from a + convent, she had read none but ascetic books. On her first entrance into + the world, she was eager for pleasure and learned only the flimsy art of + dress; she was, moreover, so deeply conscious of her ignorance that she + dared not join in conversation; for which reason she was supposed to have + little mind. Yet, the mystical education of a convent had one good result; + it left her feelings in full force and her natural powers of mind + uninjured. Stupid and plain as an heiress in the eyes of the world, she + became intellectual and beautiful to her husband. During the first years + of their married life, Balthazar endeavored to give her at least the + knowledge that she needed to appear to advantage in good society: but he + was doubtless too late, she had no memory but that of the heart. Josephine + never forgot anything that Claes told her relating to themselves; she + remembered the most trifling circumstances of their happy life; but of her + evening studies nothing remained to her on the morrow. + </p> + <p> + This ignorance might have caused much discord between husband and wife, + but Madame Claes’s understanding of the passion of love was so simple and + ingenuous, she loved her husband so religiously, so sacredly, and the + thought of preserving her happiness made her so adroit, that she managed + always to seem to understand him, and it was seldom indeed that her + ignorance was evident. Moreover, when two persons love one another so well + that each day seems for them the beginning of their passion, phenomena + arise out of this teeming happiness which change all the conditions of + life. It resembles childhood, careless of all that is not laughter, joy, + and merriment. Then, when life is in full activity, when its hearths glow, + man lets the fire burn without thought or discussion, without considering + either the means or the end. + </p> + <p> + No daughter of Eve ever more truly understood the calling of a wife than + Madame Claes. She had all the submission of a Flemish woman, but her + Spanish pride gave it a higher flavor. Her bearing was imposing; she knew + how to command respect by a look which expressed her sense of birth and + dignity: but she trembled before Claes; she held him so high, so near to + God, carrying to him every act of her life, every thought of her heart, + that her love was not without a certain respectful fear which made it + keener. She proudly assumed all the habits of a Flemish bourgeoisie, and + put her self-love into making the home life liberally happy,—preserving + every detail of the house in scrupulous cleanliness, possessing nothing + that did not serve the purposes of true comfort, supplying her table with + the choicest food, and putting everything within those walls into harmony + with the life of her heart. + </p> + <p> + The pair had two sons and two daughters. The eldest, Marguerite, was born + in 1796. The last child was a boy, now three years old, named + Jean-Balthazar. The maternal sentiment in Madame Claes was almost equal to + her love for her husband; and there rose in her soul, especially during + the last days of her life, a terrible struggle between those nearly + balanced feelings, of which the one became, as it were, an enemy of the + other. The tears and the terror that marked her face at the moment when + this tale of a domestic drama then lowering over the quiet house begins, + were caused by the fear of having sacrificed her children to her husband. + </p> + <p> + In 1805, Madame Claes’s brother died without children. The Spanish law + does not allow a sister to succeed to territorial possessions, which + follow the title; but the duke had left her in his will about sixty + thousand ducats, and this sum the heirs of the collateral branch did not + seek to retain. Though the feeling which united her to Balthazar Claes was + such that no thought of personal interest could ever sully it, Josephine + felt a certain pleasure in possessing a fortune equal to that of her + husband, and was happy in giving something to one who had so nobly given + everything to her. Thus, a mere chance turned a marriage which worldly + minds had declared foolish, into an excellent alliance, seen from the + standpoint of material interests. The use to which this sum of money + should be put became, however, somewhat difficult to determine. + </p> + <p> + The House of Claes was so richly supplied with furniture, pictures, and + objects of art of priceless value, that it was difficult to add anything + worthy of what was already there. The tastes of the family through long + periods of time had accumulated these treasures. One generation followed + the quest of noble pictures, leaving behind it the necessity of completing + a collection still unfinished; and thus the taste became hereditary in the + family. The hundred pictures which adorned the gallery leading from the + family building to the reception-rooms on the first floor of the front + house, as well as some fifty others placed about the salons, were the + product of the patient researches of three centuries. Among them were + choice specimens of Rubens, Ruysdael, Vandyke, Terburg, Gerard Dow, + Teniers, Mieris, Paul Potter, Wouvermans, Rembrandt, Hobbema, Cranach, and + Holbein. French and Italian pictures were in a minority, but all were + authentic and masterly. + </p> + <p> + Another generation had fancied Chinese and Japanese porcelains: this Claes + was eager after rare furniture, that one for silver-ware; in fact, each + and all had their mania, their passion,—a trait which belongs in a + striking degree to the Flemish character. The father of Balthazar, a last + relic of the once famous Dutch society, left behind him the finest known + collection of tulips. + </p> + <p> + Besides these hereditary riches, which represented an enormous capital, + and were the choice ornament of the venerable house,—a house that + was simple as a shell outside but, like a shell, adorned within by pearls + of price and glowing with rich color,—Balthazar Claes possessed a + country-house on the plain of Orchies, not far from Douai. Instead of + basing his expenses, as Frenchmen do, upon his revenues, he followed the + old Dutch custom of spending only a fourth of his income. Twelve hundred + ducats a year put his costs of living at a level with those of the richest + men of the place. The promulgation of the Civil Code proved the wisdom of + this course. Compelling, as it did, the equal division of property, the + Title of Succession would some day leave each child with limited means, + and disperse the treasures of the Claes collection. Balthazar, therefore, + in concert with Madame Claes, invested his wife’s property so as to secure + to each child a fortune eventually equal to his own. The house of Claes + still maintained its moderate scale of living, and bought woodlands + somewhat the worse for wars that had laid waste the country, but which in + ten years’ time, if well-preserved, would return an enormous value. + </p> + <p> + The upper ranks of society in Douai, which Monsieur Claes frequented, + appreciated so justly the noble character and qualities of his wife that, + by tacit consent she was released from those social duties to which the + provinces cling so tenaciously. During the winter season, when she lived + in town, she seldom went into society; society came to her. She received + every Wednesday, and gave three grand dinners every month. Her friends + felt that she was more at ease in her own house; where, indeed, her + passion for her husband and the care she bestowed on the education of her + children tended to keep her. + </p> + <p> + Such had been, up to the year 1809, the general course of this household, + which had nothing in common with the ordinary run of conventional ideas, + though the outward life of these two persons, secretly full of love and + joy, was like that of other people. Balthazar Claes’s passion for his + wife, which she had known how to perpetuate, seemed, to use his own + expression, to spend its inborn vigor and fidelity on the cultivation of + happiness, which was far better than the cultivation of tulips (though to + that he had always had a leaning), and dispensed him from the duty of + following a mania like his ancestors. + </p> + <p> + At the close of this year, the mind and the manners of Balthazar Claes + underwent a fatal change,—a change which began so gradually that at + first Madame Claes did not think it necessary to inquire the cause. One + night her husband went to bed with a mind so preoccupied that she felt it + incumbent on her to respect his mood. Her womanly delicacy and her + submissive habits always led her to wait for Balthazar’s confidence; + which, indeed, was assured to her by so constant an affection that she had + never had the slightest opening for jealousy. Though certain of obtaining + an answer whenever she should make the inquiry, she still retained enough + of the earlier impressions of her life to dread a refusal. Besides, the + moral malady of her husband had its phases, and only came by slow degrees + to the intolerable point at which it destroyed the happiness of the + family. + </p> + <p> + However occupied Balthazar Claes might be, he continued for several months + cheerful, affectionate, and ready to talk; the change in his character + showed itself only by frequent periods of absent-mindedness. Madame Claes + long hoped to hear from her husband himself the nature of the secret + employment in which he was engaged; perhaps, she thought, he would reveal + it when it developed some useful result; many men are led by pride to + conceal the nature of their efforts, and only make them known at the + moment of success. When the day of triumph came, surely domestic happiness + would return, more vivid than ever when Balthazar became aware of this + chasm in the life of love, which his heart would surely disavow. Josephine + knew her husband well enough to be certain that he would never forgive + himself for having made his Pepita less than happy during several months. + </p> + <p> + She kept silence therefore, and felt a sort of joy in thus suffering by + him for him: her passion had a tinge of that Spanish piety which allows no + separation between religion and love, and believes in no sentiment without + suffering. She waited for the return of her husband’s affection, saying + daily to herself, “To-morrow it may come,”—treating her happiness as + though it were an absent friend. + </p> + <p> + During this stage of her secret distress, she conceived her last child. + Horrible crisis, which revealed a future of anguish! In the midst of her + husband’s abstractions love showed itself on this occasion an abstraction + even greater than the rest. Her woman’s pride, hurt for the first time, + made her sound the depths of the unknown abyss which separated her from + the Claes of earlier days. From that time Balthazar’s condition grew + rapidly worse. The man formerly so wrapped up in his domestic happiness, + who played for hours with his children on the parlor carpet or round the + garden paths, who seemed able to exist only in the light of his Pepita’s + dark eyes, did not even perceive her pregnancy, seldom shared the family + life, and even forgot his own. + </p> + <p> + The longer Madame Claes postponed inquiring into the cause of his + preoccupation the less she dared to do so. At the very idea, her blood ran + cold and her voice grew faint. At last the thought occurred to her that + she had ceased to please her husband, and then indeed she was seriously + alarmed. That fear now filled her mind, drove her to despair, then to + feverish excitement, and became the text of many an hour of melancholy + reverie. She defended Balthazar at her own expense, calling herself old + and ugly; then she imagined a generous though humiliating consideration + for her in this secret occupation by which he secured to her a negative + fidelity; and she resolved to give him back his independence by allowing + one of those unspoken divorces which make the happiness of many a + marriage. + </p> + <p> + Before bidding farewell to conjugal life, Madame Claes made some attempt + to read her husband’s heart, and found it closed. Little by little, she + saw him become indifferent to all that he had formerly loved; he neglected + his tulips, he cared no longer for his children. There could be no doubt + that he was given over to some passion that was not of the heart, but + which, to a woman’s mind, is not less withering. His love was dormant, not + lost: this might be a consolation, but the misfortune remained the same. + </p> + <p> + The continuance of such a state of things is explained by one word,—hope, + the secret of all conjugal situations. It so happened that whenever the + poor woman reached a depth of despair which gave her courage to question + her husband, she met with a few brief moments of happiness when she was + able to feel that if Balthazar was indeed in the clutch of some devilish + power, he was permitted, sometimes at least, to return to himself. At such + moments, when her heaven brightened, she was too eager to enjoy its + happiness to trouble him with importunate questions: later, when she + endeavored to speak to him, he would suddenly escape, leave her abruptly, + or drop into the gulf of meditation from which no word of hers could drag + him. + </p> + <p> + Before long the reaction of the moral upon the physical condition began + its ravages,—at first imperceptibly, except to the eyes of a loving + woman following the secret thought of a husband through all its + manifestations. Often she could scarcely restrain her tears when she saw + him, after dinner, sink into an armchair by the corner of the fireplace, + and remain there, gloomy and abstracted. She noted with terror the slow + changes which deteriorated that face, once, to her eyes, sublime through + love: the life of the soul was retreating from it; the structure remained, + but the spirit was gone. Sometimes the eyes were glassy, and seemed as if + they had turned their gaze and were looking inward. When the children had + gone to bed, and the silence and solitude oppressed her, Pepita would say, + “My friend, are you ill?” and Balthazar would make no answer; or if he + answered, he would come to himself with a quiver, like a man snatched + suddenly from sleep, and utter a “No” so harsh and grating that it fell + like a stone on the palpitating heart of his wife. + </p> + <p> + Though she tried to hide this strange state of things from her friends, + Madame Claes was obliged sometimes to allude to it. The social world of + Douai, in accordance with the custom of provincial towns, had made + Balthazar’s aberrations a topic of conversation, and many persons were + aware of certain details that were still unknown to Madame Claes. + Disregarding the reticence which politeness demanded, a few friends + expressed to her so much anxiety on the subject that she found herself + compelled to defend her husband’s peculiarities. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur Claes,” she said, “has undertaken a work which wholly absorbs + him; its success will eventually redound not only to the honor of the + family but to that of his country.” + </p> + <p> + This mysterious explanation was too flattering to the ambition of a town + whose local patriotism and desire for glory exceed those of other places, + not to be readily accepted, and it produced on all minds a reaction in + favor of Balthazar. + </p> + <p> + The supposition of his wife was, to a certain extent, well-founded. + Several artificers of various trades had long been at work in the garret + of the front house, where Balthazar went early every morning. After + remaining, at first, for several hours, an absence to which his wife and + household grew gradually accustomed, he ended by being there all day. But—unexpected + shock!—Madame Claes learned through the humiliating medium of some + women friends, who showed surprise at her ignorance, that her husband + constantly imported instruments of physical science, valuable materials, + books, machinery, etc., from Paris, and was on the highroad to ruin in + search of the Philosopher’s Stone. She ought, so her kind friends added, + to think of her children, and her own future; it was criminal not to use + her influence to draw Monsieur Claes from the fatal path on which he had + entered. + </p> + <p> + Though Madame Claes, with the tone and manner of a great lady, silenced + these absurd speeches, she was inwardly terrified in spite of her apparent + confidence, and she resolved to break through her present system of + silence and resignation. She brought about one of those little scenes in + which husband and wife are on an equal footing; less timid at such a + moment, she dared to ask Balthazar the reason for his change, the motive + of his constant seclusion. The Flemish husband frowned, and replied:— + </p> + <p> + “My dear, you could not understand it.” + </p> + <p> + Soon after, however, Josephine insisted on being told the secret, gently + complaining that she was not allowed to share all the thoughts of one + whose life she shared. + </p> + <p> + “Very well, since it interests you so much,” said Balthazar, taking his + wife upon his knee and caressing her black hair, “I will tell you that I + have returned to the study of chemistry, and I am the happiest man on + earth.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IV + </h2> + <p> + Two years after the winter when Monsieur Claes returned to chemistry, the + aspect of his house was changed. Whether it were that society was + affronted by his perpetual absent-mindedness and chose to think itself in + the way, or that Madame Claes’s secret anxieties made her less agreeable + than before, certain it is that she no longer saw any but her intimate + friends. Balthazar went nowhere, shut himself up in his laboratory all + day, sometimes stayed there all night, and only appeared in the bosom of + his family at dinner-time. + </p> + <p> + After the second year he no longer passed the summer at his country-house, + and his wife was unwilling to live there alone. Sometimes he went to walk + and did not return till the following day, leaving Madame Claes a prey to + mortal anxiety during the night. After causing a fruitless search for him + through the town, whose gates, like those of other fortified places, were + closed at night, it was impossible to send into the country, and the + unhappy woman could only wait and suffer till morning. Balthazar, who had + forgotten the hour at which the gates closed, would come tranquilly home + next day, quite unmindful of the tortures his absence had inflicted on his + family; and the happiness of getting him back proved as dangerous an + excitement of feeling to his wife as her fears of the preceding night. She + kept silence and dared not question him, for when she did so on the + occasion of his first absence, he answered with an air of surprise:— + </p> + <p> + “Well, what of it? Can I not take a walk?” + </p> + <p> + Passions never deceive. Madame Claes’s anxieties corroborated the rumors + she had taken so much pains to deny. The experience of her youth had + taught her to understand the polite pity of the world. Resolved not to + undergo it a second time, she withdrew more and more into the privacy of + her own house, now deserted by society and even by her nearest friends. + </p> + <p> + Among these many causes of distress, the negligence and disorder of + Balthazar’s dress, so degrading to a man of his station, was not the least + bitter to a woman accustomed to the exquisite nicety of Flemish life. At + first Josephine endeavored, in concert with Balthazar’s valet, + Lemulquinier, to repair the daily devastation of his clothing, but even + that she was soon forced to give up. The very day when Balthazar, unaware + of the substitution, put on new clothes in place of those that were + stained, torn, or full of holes, he made rags of them. + </p> + <p> + The poor wife, whose perfect happiness had lasted fifteen years, during + which time her jealousy had never once been roused, was apparently and + suddenly nothing in the heart where she had lately reigned. Spanish by + race, the feelings of a Spanish woman rose within her when she discovered + her rival in a Science that allured her husband from her: torments of + jealousy preyed upon her heart and renewed her love. What could she do + against Science? Should she combat that tyrannous, unyielding, growing + power? Could she kill an invisible rival? Could a woman, limited by + nature, contend with an Idea whose delights are infinite, whose + attractions are ever new? How make head against the fascination of ideas + that spring the fresher and the lovelier out of difficulty, and entice a + man so far from this world that he forgets even his dearest loves? + </p> + <p> + At last one day, in spite of Balthazar’s strict orders, Madame Claes + resolved to follow him, to shut herself up in the garret where his life + was spent, and struggle hand to hand against her rival by sharing her + husband’s labors during the long hours he gave to that terrible mistress. + She determined to slip secretly into the mysterious laboratory of + seduction, and obtain the right to be there always. Lemulquinier alone had + that right, and she meant to share it with him; but to prevent his + witnessing the contention with her husband which she feared at the outset, + she waited for an opportunity when the valet should be out of the way. For + a while she studied the goings and comings of the man with angry + impatience; did he not know that which was denied to her—all that + her husband hid from her, all that she dared not inquire into? Even a + servant was preferred to a wife! + </p> + <p> + The day came; she approached the place, trembling, yet almost happy. For + the first time in her life she encountered Balthazar’s anger. She had + hardly opened the door before he sprang upon her, seized her, threw her + roughly on the staircase, so that she narrowly escaped rolling to the + bottom. + </p> + <p> + “God be praised! you are still alive!” he cried, raising her. + </p> + <p> + A glass vessel had broken into fragments over Madame Claes, who saw her + husband standing by her, pale, terrified, and almost livid. + </p> + <p> + “My dear, I forbade you to come here,” he said, sitting down on the + stairs, as though prostrated. “The saints have saved your life! By what + chance was it that my eyes were on the door when you opened it? We have + just escaped death.” + </p> + <p> + “Then I might have been happy!” she exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “My experiment has failed,” continued Balthazar. “You alone could I + forgive for that terrible disappointment. I was about to decompose + nitrogen. Go back to your own affairs.” + </p> + <p> + Balthazar re-entered the laboratory and closed the door. + </p> + <p> + “Decompose nitrogen!” said the poor woman as she re-entered her chamber, + and burst into tears. + </p> + <p> + The phrase was unintelligible to her. Men, trained by education to have a + general conception of everything, have no idea how distressing it is for a + woman to be unable to comprehend the thought of the man she loves. More + forbearing than we, these divine creatures do not let us know when the + language of their souls is not understood by us; they shrink from letting + us feel the superiority of their feelings, and hide their pain as gladly + as they silence their wishes: but, having higher ambitions in love than + men, they desire to wed not only the heart of a husband, but his mind. + </p> + <p> + To Madame Claes the sense of knowing nothing of a science which absorbed + her husband filled her with a vexation as keen as the beauty of a rival + might have caused. The struggle of woman against woman gives to her who + loves the most the advantage of loving best; but a mortification like this + only proved Madame Claes’s powerlessness and humiliated the feelings by + which she lived. She was ignorant; and she had reached a point where her + ignorance parted her from her husband. Worse than all, last and keenest + torture, he was risking his life, he was often in danger—near her, + yet far away, and she might not share, nor even know, his peril. Her + position became, like hell, a moral prison from which there was no issue, + in which there was no hope. Madame Claes resolved to know at least the + outward attractions of this fatal science, and she began secretly to study + chemistry in the books. From this time the family became, as it were, + cloistered. + </p> + <p> + Such were the successive changes brought by this dire misfortune upon the + family of Claes, before it reached the species of atrophy in which we find + it at the moment when this history begins. + </p> + <p> + The situation grew daily more complicated. Like all passionate women, + Madame Claes was disinterested. Those who truly love know that + considerations of money count for little in matters of feeling and are + reluctantly associated with them. Nevertheless, Josephine did not hear + without distress that her husband had borrowed three hundred thousand + francs upon his property. The apparent authenticity of the transaction, + the rumors and conjectures spread through the town, forced Madame Claes, + naturally much alarmed, to question her husband’s notary and, disregarding + her pride, to reveal to him her secret anxieties or let him guess them, + and even ask her the humiliating question,— + </p> + <p> + “How is it that Monsieur Claes has not told you of this?” + </p> + <p> + Happily, the notary was almost a relation,—in this wise: The + grandfather of Monsieur Claes had married a Pierquin of Antwerp, of the + same family as the Pierquins of Douai. Since the marriage the latter, + though strangers to the Claes, claimed them as cousins. Monsieur Pierquin, + a young man twenty-six years of age, who had just succeeded to his + father’s practice, was the only person who now had access to the House of + Claes. + </p> + <p> + Madame Balthazar had lived for several months in such complete solitude + that the notary was obliged not only to confirm the rumor of the + disasters, but to give her further particulars, which were now well known + throughout the town. He told her that it was probably that her husband + owed considerable sums of money to the house which furnished him with + chemicals. That house, after making inquiries as to the fortune and credit + of Monsieur Claes, accepted all his orders and sent the supplies without + hesitation, notwithstanding the heavy sums of money which became due. + Madame Claes requested Pierquin to obtain the bill for all the chemicals + that had been furnished to her husband. + </p> + <p> + Two months later, Messieurs Protez and Chiffreville, manufacturers of + chemical products, sent in a schedule of accounts rendered, which amounted + to over one hundred thousand francs. Madame Claes and Pierquin studied the + document with an ever-increasing surprise. Though some articles, entered + in commercial and scientific terms, were unintelligible to them, they were + frightened to see entries of precious metals and diamonds of all kinds, + though in small quantities. The large sum total of the debt was explained + by the multiplicity of the articles, by the precautions needed in + transporting some of them, more especially valuable machinery, by the + exorbitant price of certain rare chemicals, and finally by the cost of + instruments made to order after the designs of Monsieur Claes himself. + </p> + <p> + The notary had made inquiries, in his client’s interest, as to Messieurs + Protez and Chiffreville, and found that their known integrity was + sufficient guarantee as to the honesty of their operations with Monsieur + Claes, to whom, moreover, they frequently sent information of results + obtained by chemists in Paris, for the purpose of sparing him expense. + Madame Claes begged the notary to keep the nature of these purchases from + the knowledge of the people of Douai, lest they should declare the whole + thing a mania; but Pierquin replied that he had already delayed to the + very last moment the notarial deeds which the importance of the sum + borrowed necessitated, in order not to lessen the respect in which + Monsieur Claes was held. He then revealed the full extent of the evil, + telling her plainly that if she could not find means to prevent her + husband from thus madly making way with his property, in six months the + patrimonial fortune of the Claes would be mortgaged to its full value. As + for himself, he said, the remonstrances he had already made to his cousin, + with all the consideration due to a man so justly respected, had been + wholly unavailing. Balthazar had replied, once for all, that he was + working for the fame and the fortune of his family. + </p> + <p> + Thus, to the tortures of the heart which Madame Claes had borne for two + years—one following the other with cumulative suffering—was + now added a dreadful and ceaseless fear which made the future terrifying. + Women have presentiments whose accuracy is often marvellous. Why do they + fear so much more than they hope in matters that concern the interests of + this life? Why is their faith given only to religious ideas of a future + existence? Why do they so ably foresee the catastrophes of fortune and the + crises of fate? Perhaps the sentiment which unites them to the men they + love gives them a sense by which they weigh force, measure faculties, + understand tastes, passions, vices, virtues. The perpetual study of these + causes in the midst of which they live gives them, no doubt, the fatal + power of foreseeing effects in all possible relations of earthly life. + What they see of the present enables them to judge of the future with an + intuitive ability explained by the perfection of their nervous system, + which allows them to seize the lightest indications of thought and + feeling. Their whole being vibrates in communion with great moral + convulsions. Either they feel, or they see. + </p> + <p> + Now, although separated from her husband for over two years, Madame Claes + foresaw the loss of their property. She fully understood the deliberate + ardor, the well-considered, inalterable steadfastness of Balthazar; if it + were indeed true that he was seeking to make gold, he was capable of + throwing his last crust into the crucible with absolute indifference. But + what was he really seeking? Up to this time maternal feeling and conjugal + love had been so mingled in the heart of this woman that the children, + equally beloved by husband and wife, had never come between them. Suddenly + she found herself at times more mother than wife, though hitherto she had + been more wife than mother. However ready she had been to sacrifice her + fortune and even her children to the man who had chosen her, loved her, + adored her, and to whom she was still the only woman in the world, the + remorse she felt for the weakness of her maternal love threw her into + terrible alternations of feeling. As a wife, she suffered in heart; as a + mother, through her children; as a Christian, for all. + </p> + <p> + She kept silence, and hid the cruel struggle in her soul. Her husband, + sole arbiter of the family fate, was the master by whose will it must be + guided; he was responsible to God only. Besides, could she reproach him + for the use he now made of his fortune, after the disinterestedness he had + shown to her for many happy years? Was she to judge his purposes? And yet + her conscience, in keeping with the spirit of the law, told her that + parents were the depositaries and guardians of property, and possessed no + right to alienate the material welfare of the children. To escape replying + to such stern questions she preferred to shut her eyes, like one who + refuses to see the abyss into whose depths he knows he is about to fall. + </p> + <p> + For more than six months her husband had given her no money for the + household expenses. She sold secretly, in Paris, the handsome diamond + ornaments her brother had given her on her marriage, and placed the family + on a footing of the strictest economy. She sent away the governess of her + children, and even the nurse of little Jean. Formerly the luxury of + carriages and horses was unknown among the burgher families, so simple + were they in their habits, so proud in their feelings; no provision for + that modern innovation had therefore been made at the House of Claes, and + Balthazar was obliged to have his stable and coach-house in a building + opposite to his own house: his present occupations allowed him no time to + superintend that portion of his establishment, which belongs exclusively + to men. Madame Claes suppressed the whole expense of equipages and + servants, which her present isolation from the world rendered unnecessary, + and she did so without pretending to conceal the retrenchment under any + pretext. So far, facts had contradicted her assertions, and silence for + the future was more becoming: indeed the change in the family mode of + living called for no explanation in a country where, as in Flanders, any + one who lives up to his income is considered a madman. + </p> + <p> + And yet, as her eldest daughter, Marguerite, approached her sixteenth + birthday, Madame Claes longed to procure for her a good marriage, and to + place her in society in a manner suitable to a daughter of the Molinas, + the Van Ostron-Temnincks, and the Casa-Reals. A few days before the one on + which this story opens, the money derived from the sale of the diamonds + had been exhausted. On the very day, at three o’clock in the afternoon, as + Madame Claes was taking her children to vespers, she met Pierquin, who was + on his way to see her, and who turned and accompanied her to the church, + talking in a low voice of her situation. + </p> + <p> + “My dear cousin,” he said, “unless I fail in the friendship which binds me + to your family, I cannot conceal from you the peril of your position, nor + refrain from begging you to speak to your husband. Who but you can hold + him back from the gulf into which he is plunging? The rents from the + mortgaged estates are not enough to pay the interest on the sums he has + borrowed. If he cuts the wood on them he destroys your last chance of + safety in the future. My cousin Balthazar owes at this moment thirty + thousand francs to the house of Protez and Chiffreville. How can you pay + them? What will you live on? If Claes persists in sending for reagents, + retorts, voltaic batteries, and other such playthings, what will become of + you? Your whole property, except the house and furniture, has been + dissipated in gas and carbon; yesterday he talked of mortgaging the house, + and in answer to a remark of mine, he cried out, ‘The devil!’ It was the + first sign of reason I have known him show for three years.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Claes pressed the notary’s arm, and said in a tone of suffering, + “Keep it secret.” + </p> + <p> + Overwhelmed by these plain words of startling clearness, the poor woman, + pious as she was, could not pray; she sat still on her chair between her + children, with her prayer-book open, but not turning its leaves; her mind + was sunk in meditations as absorbing as those of her husband. The Spanish + sense of honor, the Flemish integrity, resounded in her soul with a peal + louder than any organ. The ruin of her children was accomplished! Between + them and their father’s honor she must no longer hesitate. The necessity + of a coming struggle with her husband terrified her; in her eyes he was so + great, so majestic, that the mere prospect of his anger made her tremble + as at a vision of the divine wrath. She must now depart from the + submission she had sacredly practised as a wife. The interests of her + children compelled her to oppose, in his most cherished tastes, the man + she idolized. Must she not daily force him back to common matters from the + higher realms of Science; drag him forcibly from a smiling future and + plunge him into a materialism hideous to artists and great men? To her, + Balthazar Claes was a Titan of science, a man big with glory; he could + only have forgotten her for the riches of a mighty hope. Then too, was he + not profoundly wise? she had heard him talk with such good sense on every + subject that he must be sincere when he declared he worked for the glory + and prosperity of his family. His love for his wife and family was not + only vast, it was infinite. That feeling could not be extinct; it was + magnified, and reproduced in another form. + </p> + <p> + Noble, generous, timid as she was, she prepared herself to ring into the + ears of this noble man the word and the sound of money, to show him the + sores of poverty, and force him to hear cries of distress when he was + listening only for the melodious voice of Fame. Perhaps his love for her + would lessen! If she had had no children, she would bravely and joyously + have welcomed the new destiny her husband was making for her. Women who + are brought up in opulence are quick to feel the emptiness of material + enjoyments; and when their hearts, more wearied than withered, have once + learned the happiness of a constant interchange of real feelings, they + feel no shrinking from reduced outward circumstances, provided they are + still acceptable to the man who has loved them. Their wishes, their + pleasures, are subordinated to the caprices of that other life outside of + their own; to them the only dreadful future is to lose him. + </p> + <p> + At this moment, therefore, her children came between Pepita and her true + life, just as Science had come between herself and Balthazar. And thus, + when she reached home after vespers, and threw herself into the deep + armchair before the window of the parlor, she sent away her children, + directing them to keep perfectly quiet, and despatched a message to her + husband, through Lemulquinier, saying that she wished to see him. But + although the old valet did his best to make his master leave the + laboratory, Balthazar scarcely heeded him. Madame Claes thus gained time + for reflection. She sat thinking, paying no attention to the hour nor the + light. The thought of owing thirty thousand francs that could not be paid + renewed her past anguish and joined it to that of the present and the + future. This influx of painful interests, ideas, and feelings overcame + her, and she wept. + </p> + <p> + As Balthazar entered at last through the panelled door, the expression of + his face seemed to her more dreadful, more absorbed, more distracted than + she had yet seen it. When he made her no answer she was magnetized for a + moment by the fixity of that blank look emptied of all expression, by the + consuming ideas that issued as if distilled from that bald brow. Under the + shock of this impression she wished to die. But when she heard the callous + voice, uttering a scientific wish at the moment when her heart was + breaking, her courage came back to her; she resolved to struggle with that + awful power which had torn a lover from her arms, a father from her + children, a fortune from their home, happiness from all. And yet she could + not repress a trepidation which made her quiver; in all her life no such + solemn scene as this had taken place. This dreadful moment—did it + not virtually contain her future, and gather within it all the past? + </p> + <p> + Weak and timid persons, or those whose excessive sensibility magnifies the + smallest difficulties of life, men who tremble involuntarily before the + masters of their fate, can now, one and all, conceive the rush of thoughts + that crowded into the brain of this woman, and the feelings under the + weight of which her heart was crushed as her husband slowly crossed the + room towards the garden-door. Most women know that agony of inward + deliberation in which Madame Claes was writhing. Even one whose heart has + been tried by nothing worse than the declaration to a husband of some + extravagance, or a debt to a dress-maker, will understand how its pulses + swell and quicken when the matter is one of life itself. + </p> + <p> + A beautiful or graceful woman might have thrown herself at her husband’s + feet, might have called to her aid the attitudes of grief; but to Madame + Claes the sense of physical defects only added to her fears. When she saw + Balthazar about to leave the room, her impulse was to spring towards him; + then a cruel thought restrained her—she should stand before him! + would she not seem ridiculous in the eyes of a man no longer under the + glamour of love—who might see true? She resolved to avoid all + dangerous chances at so solemn a moment, and remained seated, saying in a + clear voice, + </p> + <p> + “Balthazar.” + </p> + <p> + He turned mechanically and coughed; then, paying no attention to his wife, + he walked to one of the little square boxes that are placed at intervals + along the wainscoting of every room in Holland and Belgium, and spat in + it. This man, who took no thought of other persons, never forgot the + inveterate habit of using those boxes. To poor Josephine, unable to find a + reason for this singularity, the constant care which her husband took of + the furniture caused her at all times an unspeakable pang, but at this + moment the pain was so violent that it put her beside herself and made her + exclaim in a tone of impatience, which expressed her wounded feelings,— + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur, I am speaking to you!” + </p> + <p> + “What does that mean?” answered Balthazar, turning quickly, and casting a + look of reviving intelligence upon his wife, which fell upon her like a + thunderbolt. + </p> + <p> + “Forgive me, my friend,” she said, turning pale. She tried to rise and put + out her hand to him, but her strength gave way and she fell back. “I am + dying!” she cried in a voice choked by sobs. + </p> + <p> + At the sight Balthazar had, like all abstracted persons, a vivid reaction + of mind; and he divined, so to speak, the secret cause of this attack. + Taking Madame Claes at once in his arms, he opened the door upon the + little antechamber, and ran so rapidly up the ancient wooden staircase + that his wife’s dress having caught on the jaws of one of the griffins + that supported the balustrade, a whole breadth was torn off with a loud + noise. He kicked in the door of the vestibule between their chambers, but + the door of Josephine’s bedroom was locked. + </p> + <p> + He gently placed her on a chair, saying to himself, “My God! the key, + where is the key?” + </p> + <p> + “Thank you, dear friend,” said Madame Claes, opening her eyes. “This is + the first time for a long, long while that I have been so near your + heart.” + </p> + <p> + “Good God!” cried Claes, “the key!—here come the servants.” + </p> + <p> + Josephine signed to him to take a key that hung from a ribbon at her + waist. After opening the door, Balthazar laid his wife on a sofa, and left + the room to stop the frightened servants from coming up by giving them + orders to serve the dinner; then he went back to Madame Claes. + </p> + <p> + “What is it, my dear life?” he said, sitting down beside her, and taking + her hand and kissing it. + </p> + <p> + “Nothing—now,” she answered. “I suffer no longer. Only, I would I + had the power of God to pour all the gold of the world at thy feet.” + </p> + <p> + “Why gold?” he asked. He took her in his arms, pressed her to him and + kissed her once more upon the forehead. “Do you not give me the greatest + of all riches in loving me as you do love me, my dear and precious wife?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! my Balthazar, will you not drive away the anguish of our lives as + your voice now drives out the misery of my heart? At last, at last, I see + that you are still the same.” + </p> + <p> + “What anguish do you speak of, dear?” + </p> + <p> + “My friend, we are ruined.” + </p> + <p> + “Ruined!” he repeated. Then, with a smile, he stroked her hand, holding it + within his own, and said in his tender voice, so long unheard: “To-morrow, + dear love, our wealth may perhaps be limitless. Yesterday, in searching + for a far more important secret, I think I found the means of + crystallizing carbon, the substance of the diamond. Oh, my dear wife! in a + few days’ time you will forgive me all my forgetfulness—I am + forgetful sometimes, am I not? Was I not harsh to you just now? Be + indulgent for a man who never ceases to think of you, whose toils are full + of you—of us.” + </p> + <p> + “Enough, enough!” she said, “let us talk of it all to-night, dear friend. + I suffered from too much grief, and now I suffer from too much joy.” + </p> + <p> + “To-night,” he resumed; “yes, willingly: we will talk of it. If I fall + into meditation, remind me of this promise. To-night I desire to leave my + work, my researches, and return to family joys, to the delights of the + heart—Pepita, I need them, I thirst for them!” + </p> + <p> + “You will tell me what it is you seek, Balthazar?” + </p> + <p> + “Poor child, you cannot understand it.” + </p> + <p> + “You think so? Ah! my friend, listen; for nearly four months I have + studied chemistry that I might talk of it with you. I have read Fourcroy, + Lavoisier, Chaptal, Nollet, Rouelle, Berthollet, Gay-Lussac, Spallanzani, + Leuwenhoek, Galvani, Volta,—in fact, all the books about the science + you worship. You can tell me your secrets, I shall understand you.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! you are indeed an angel,” cried Balthazar, falling at her feet, and + shedding tears of tender feeling that made her quiver. “Yes, we will + understand each other in all things.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” she cried, “I would throw myself into those hellish fires which heat + your furnaces to hear these words from your lips and to see you thus.” + Then, hearing her daughter’s step in the anteroom, she sprang quickly + forward. “What is it, Marguerite?” she said to her eldest daughter. + </p> + <p> + “My dear mother, Monsieur Pierquin has just come. If he stays to dinner we + need some table-linen; you forgot to give it out this morning.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Claes drew from her pocket a bunch of small keys and gave them to + the young girl, pointing to the mahogany closets which lined the + ante-chamber as she said: + </p> + <p> + “My daughter, take a set of the Graindorge linen; it is on your right.” + </p> + <p> + “Since my dear Balthazar comes back to me, let the return be complete,” + she said, re-entering her chamber with a soft and arch expression on her + face. “My friend, go into your own room; do me the kindness to dress for + dinner, Pierquin will be with us. Come, take off this ragged clothing; see + those stains! Is it muratic or sulphuric acid which left these yellow + edges to the holes? Make yourself young again,—I will send you + Mulquinier as soon as I have changed my dress.” + </p> + <p> + Balthazar attempted to pass through the door of communication, forgetting + that it was locked on his side. He went out through the anteroom. + </p> + <p> + “Marguerite, put the linen on a chair, and come and help me dress; I don’t + want Martha,” said Madame Claes, calling her daughter. + </p> + <p> + Balthazar had caught Marguerite and turned her towards him with a joyous + action, exclaiming: “Good-evening, my child; how pretty you are in your + muslin gown and that pink sash!” Then he kissed her forehead and pressed + her hand. + </p> + <p> + “Mamma, papa has kissed me!” cried Marguerite, running into her mother’s + room. “He seems so joyous, so happy!” + </p> + <p> + “My child, your father is a great man; for three years he has toiled for + the fame and fortune of his family: he thinks he has attained the object + of his search. This day is a festival for us all.” + </p> + <p> + “My dear mamma,” replied Marguerite, “we shall not be alone in our joy, + for the servants have been so grieved to see him unlike himself. Oh! put + on another sash, this is faded.” + </p> + <p> + “So be it; but make haste, I want to speak to Pierquin. Where is he?” + </p> + <p> + “In the parlor, playing with Jean.” + </p> + <p> + “Where are Gabriel and Felicie?” + </p> + <p> + “I hear them in the garden.” + </p> + <p> + “Run down quickly and see that they do not pick the tulips; your father + has not seen them in flower this year, and he may take a fancy to look at + them after dinner. Tell Mulquinier to go up and assist your father in + dressing.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER V + </h2> + <p> + As Marguerite left the room, Madame Claes glanced at the children through + the windows of her chamber, which looked on the garden, and saw that they + were watching one of those insects with shining wings spotted with gold, + commonly called “darning-needles.” + </p> + <p> + “Be good, my darlings,” she said, raising the lower sash of the window and + leaving it up to air the room. Then she knocked gently on the door of + communication, to assure herself that Balthazar had not fallen into + abstraction. He opened it, and seeing him half-dressed, she said in joyous + tones:— + </p> + <p> + “You won’t leave me long with Pierquin, will you? Come as soon as you + can.” + </p> + <p> + Her step was so light as she descended that a listener would never have + supposed her lame. + </p> + <p> + “When monsieur carried madame upstairs,” said the old valet, whom she met + on the staircase, “he tore this bit out of her dress, and he broke the jaw + of that griffin; I’m sure I don’t know who can put it on again. There’s + our staircase ruined—and it used to be so handsome!” + </p> + <p> + “Never mind, my poor Mulquinier; don’t have it mended at all—it is + not a misfortune,” said his mistress. + </p> + <p> + “What can have happened?” thought Lemulquinier; “why isn’t it a + misfortune, I should like to know? has the master found the Absolute?” + </p> + <p> + “Good-evening, Monsieur Pierquin,” said Madame Claes, opening the parlor + door. + </p> + <p> + The notary rushed forward to give her his arm; as she never took any but + that of her husband she thanked him with a smile and said,— + </p> + <p> + “Have you come for the thirty thousand francs?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, madame; when I reached home I found a letter of advice from + Messieurs Protez and Chiffreville, who have drawn six letters of exchange + upon Monsieur Claes for five thousand francs each.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, say nothing to Balthazar to-day,” she replied. “Stay and dine with + us. If he happens to ask why you came, find some plausible pretext, I + entreat you. Give me the letter. I will speak to him myself about it. All + is well,” she added, noticing the lawyer’s surprise. “In a few months my + husband will probably pay off all the sums he has borrowed.” + </p> + <p> + Hearing these words, which were said in a low voice, the notary looked at + Mademoiselle Claes, who was entering the room from the garden followed by + Gabriel and Felicie, and remarked,— + </p> + <p> + “I have never seen Mademoiselle Marguerite as pretty as she is at this + moment.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Claes, who was sitting in her armchair with little Jean upon her + lap, raised her head and looked at her daughter, and then at the notary, + with a pretended air of indifference. + </p> + <p> + Pierquin was a man of middle height, neither stout nor thin, with vulgar + good looks, a face that expressed vexation rather than melancholy, and a + pensive habit in which there was more of indecision than thought. People + called him a misanthrope, but he was too eager after his own interests, + and too extortionate towards others to have set up a genuine divorce from + the world. His indifferent demeanor, his affected silence, his habitual + custom of looking, as it were, into the void, seemed to indicate depth of + character, while in fact they merely concealed the shallow insignificance + of a notary busied exclusively with earthly interests; though he was still + young enough to feel envy. To marry into the family of Claes would have + been to him an object of extreme desire, if an instinct of avarice had not + underlain it. He could seem generous, but for all that he was a keen + reckoner. And thus, without explaining to himself the motive for his + change of manner, his behavior was harsh, peremptory, and surly, like that + of an ordinary business man, when he thought the Claes were ruined; + accommodating, affectionate, and almost servile, when he saw reason to + believe in a happy issue to his cousin’s labors. Sometimes he beheld an + infanta in Margeurite Claes, to whom no provincial notary might aspire; + then he regarded her as any poor girl too happy if he deigned to make her + his wife. He was a true provincial, and a Fleming; without malevolence, + not devoid of devotion and kindheartedness, but led by a naive selfishness + which rendered all his better qualities incomplete, while certain + absurdities of manner spoiled his personal appearance. + </p> + <p> + Madame Claes recollected the curt tone in which the notary had spoken to + her that afternoon in the porch of the church, and she took note of the + change which her present reply had wrought in his demeanor; she guessed + its meaning and tried to read her daughter’s mind by a penetrating glance, + seeking to discover if she thought of her cousin; but the young girl’s + manner showed complete indifference. + </p> + <p> + After a few moments spent in general conversation on the current topics of + the day, the master of the house came down from his bedroom, where his + wife had heard with inexpressible delight the creaking sound of his boots + as he trod the floor. The step was that of a young and active man, and + foretold so complete a transformation, that the mere expectation of his + appearance made Madame Claes quiver as he descended the stairs. Balthazar + entered, dressed in the fashion of the period. He wore highly polished + top-boots, which allowed the upper part of the white silk stockings to + appear, blue kerseymere small-clothes with gold buttons, a flowered white + waistcoat, and a blue frock-coat. He had trimmed his beard, combed and + perfumed his hair, pared his nails, and washed his hands, all with such + care that he was scarcely recognizable to those who had seen him lately. + Instead of an old man almost decrepit, his children, his wife, and the + notary saw a Balthazar Claes who was forty years old, and whose courteous + and affable presence was full of its former attractions. The weariness and + suffering betrayed by the thin face and the clinging of the skin to the + bones, had in themselves a sort of charm. + </p> + <p> + “Good-evening, Pierquin,” said Monsieur Claes. + </p> + <p> + Once more a husband and a father, he took his youngest child from his + wife’s lap and tossed him in the air. + </p> + <p> + “See that little fellow!” he exclaimed to the notary. “Doesn’t such a + pretty creature make you long to marry? Take my word for it, my dear + Pierquin, family happiness consoles a man for everything. Up, up!” he + cried, tossing Jean into the air; “down, down! up! down!” + </p> + <p> + The child laughed with all his heart as he went alternately to the ceiling + and down to the carpet. The mother turned away her eyes that she might not + betray the emotion which the simple play caused her,—simple + apparently, but to her a domestic revolution. + </p> + <p> + “Let me see how you can walk,” said Balthazar, putting his son on the + floor and throwing himself on a sofa near his wife. + </p> + <p> + The child ran to its father, attracted by the glitter of the gold buttons + which fastened the breeches just above the slashed tops of his boots. + </p> + <p> + “You are a darling!” cried Balthazar, kissing him; “you are a Claes, you + walk straight. Well, Gabriel, how is Pere Morillon?” he said to his eldest + son, taking him by the ear and twisting it. “Are you struggling valiantly + with your themes and your construing? have you taken sharp hold of + mathematics?” + </p> + <p> + Then he rose, and went up to the notary with the affectionate courtesy + that characterized him. + </p> + <p> + “My dear Pierquin,” he said, “perhaps you have something to say to me.” He + took his arm to lead him to the garden, adding, “Come and see my tulips.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Claes looked at her husband as he left the room, unable to repress + the joy she felt in seeing him once more so young, so affable, so truly + himself. She rose, took her daughter round the waist and kissed her, + exclaiming:— + </p> + <p> + “My dear Marguerite, my darling child! I love you better than ever + to-day.” + </p> + <p> + “It is long since I have seen my father so kind,” answered the young girl. + </p> + <p> + Lemulquinier announced dinner. To prevent Pierquin from offering her his + arm, Madame Claes took that of her husband and led the way into the next + room, the whole family following. + </p> + <p> + The dining-room, whose ceiling was supported by beams and decorated with + paintings cleaned and restored every year, was furnished with tall oaken + side-boards and buffets, on whose shelves stood many a curious piece of + family china. The walls were hung with violet leather, on which designs of + game and other hunting objects were stamped in gold. Carefully arranged + here and there above the shelves, shone the brilliant plumage of strange + birds, and the lustre of rare shells. The chairs, which evidently had not + been changed since the beginning of the sixteenth century, showed the + square shape with twisted columns and the low back covered with a fringed + stuff, common to that period, and glorified by Raphael in his picture of + the Madonna della Sedia. The wood of these chairs was now black, but the + gilt nails shone as if new, and the stuff, carefully renewed from time to + time, was of an admirable shade of red. + </p> + <p> + The whole life of Flanders with its Spanish innovations was in this room. + The decanters and flasks on the dinner-table, with their graceful antique + lines and swelling curves, had an air of respectability. The glasses were + those old goblets with stems and feet which may be seen in the pictures of + the Dutch or Flemish school. The dinner-service of faience, decorated with + raised colored figures, in the manner of Bernard Palissy, came from the + English manufactory of Wedgwood. The silver-ware was massive, with square + sides and designs in high relief,—genuine family plate, whose + pieces, in every variety of form, fashion, and chasing, showed the + beginnings of prosperity and the progress towards fortune of the Claes + family. The napkins were fringed, a fashion altogether Spanish; and as for + the linen, it will readily be supposed that the Claes’s household made it + a point of honor to possess the best. + </p> + <p> + All this service of the table, silver, linen, and glass, were for the + daily use of the family. The front house, where the social entertainments + were given, had its own especial luxury, whose marvels, being reserved for + great occasions, wore an air of dignity often lost to things which are, as + it were, made common by daily use. Here, in the home quarter, everything + bore the impress of patriarchal use and simplicity. And—for a final + and delightful detail—a vine grew outside the house between the + windows, whose tendrilled branches twined about the casements. + </p> + <p> + “You are faithful to the old traditions, madame,” said Pierquin, as he + received a plate of that celebrated thyme soup in which the Dutch and + Flemish cooks put little force-meat balls and dice of fried bread. “This + is the Sunday soup of our forefathers. Your house and that of my uncle des + Racquets are the only ones where we still find this historic soup of the + Netherlands. Ah! pardon me, old Monsieur Savaron de Savarus of Tournai + makes it a matter of pride to keep up the custom; but everywhere else old + Flanders is disappearing. Now-a-days everything is changing; furniture is + made from Greek models; wherever you go you see helmets, lances, shields, + and bows and arrows! Everybody is rebuilding his house, selling his old + furniture, melting up his silver dishes, or exchanging them for Sevres + porcelain,—which does not compare with either old Dresden or with + Chinese ware. Oh! as for me, I’m Flemish to the core; my heart actually + bleeds to see the coppersmiths buying up our beautiful inlaid furniture + for the mere value of the wood and the metal. The fact is, society wants + to change its skin. Everything is being sacrificed, even the old methods + of art. When people insist on going so fast, nothing is conscientiously + done. During my last visit to Paris I was taken to see the pictures in the + Louvre. On my word of honor, they are mere screen-painting,—no + depth, no atmosphere; the painters were actually afraid to put colors on + their canvas. And it is they who talk of overturning our ancient school of + art! Ah, bah!—” + </p> + <p> + “Our old masters,” replied Balthazar, “studied the combination of colors + and their endurance by submitting them to the action of sun and rain. You + are right enough, however; the material resources of art are less + cultivated in these days than formerly.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Claes was not listening to the conversation. The notary’s remark + that porcelain dinner-services were now the fashion, gave her the + brilliant idea of selling a quantity of heavy silver-ware which she had + inherited from her brother,—hoping to be able thus to pay off the + thirty thousand francs which her husband owed. + </p> + <p> + “Ha! ha!” Balthazar was saying to Pierquin when Madame Claes’s mind + returned to the conversation, “so they are discussing my work in Douai, + are they?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” replied the notary, “every one is asking what it is you spend so + much money on. Only yesterday I heard the chief-justice deploring that a + man like you should be searching for the Philosopher’s stone. I ventured + to reply that you were too wise not to know that such a scheme was + attempting the impossible, too much of a Christian to take God’s work out + of his hands; and, like every other Claes, too good a business man to + spend your money for such befooling quackeries. Still, I admit that I + share the regret people feel at your absence from society. You might as + well not live here at all. Really, madame, you would have been delighted + had you heard the praises showered on Monsieur Claes and on you.” + </p> + <p> + “You acted like a faithful friend in repelling imputations whose least + evil is to make me ridiculous,” said Balthazar. “Ha! so they think me + ruined? Well, my dear Pierquin, two months hence I shall give a fete in + honor of my wedding-day whose magnificence will get me back the respect my + dear townsmen bestow on wealth.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Claes colored deeply. For two years the anniversary had been + forgotten. Like madmen whose faculties shine at times with unwonted + brilliancy, Balthazar was never more gracious and delightful in his + tenderness than at this moment. He was full of attention to his children, + and his conversation had the charms of grace, and wit, and pertinence. + This return of fatherly feeling, so long absent, was certainly the truest + fete he could give his wife, for whom his looks and words expressed once + more that unbroken sympathy of heart for heart which reveals to each a + delicious oneness of sentiment. + </p> + <p> + Old Lemulquinier seemed to renew his youth; he came and went about the + table with unusual liveliness, caused by the accomplishment of his secret + hopes. The sudden change in his master’s ways was even more significant to + him than to Madame Claes. Where the family saw happiness he saw fortune. + While helping Balthazar in his experiments he had come to share his + beliefs. Whether he really understood the drift of his master’s researches + from certain exclamations which escaped the chemist when expected results + disappointed him, or whether the innate tendency of mankind towards + imitation made him adopt the ideas of the man in whose atmosphere he + lived, certain it is that Lemulquinier had conceived for his master a + superstitious feeling that was a mixture of terror, admiration, and + selfishness. The laboratory was to him what a lottery-office is to the + masses,—organized hope. Every night he went to bed saying to + himself, “To-morrow we may float in gold”; and every morning he woke with + a faith as firm as that of the night before. + </p> + <p> + His name proved that his origin was wholly Flemish. In former days the + lower classes were known by some name or nickname derived from their + trades, their surroundings, their physical conformation, or their moral + qualities. This name became the patronymic of the burgher family which + each established as soon as he obtained his freedom. Sellers of linen + thread were called in Flanders, “mulquiniers”; and that no doubt was the + trade of the particular ancestor of the old valet who passed from a state + of serfdom to one of burgher dignity, until some unknown misfortune had + again reduced his present descendant to the condition of a serf, with the + addition of wages. The whole history of Flanders and its linen-trade was + epitomized in this old man, often called, by way of euphony, Mulquinier. + He was not without originality, either of character or appearance. His + face was triangular in shape, broad and long, and seamed by small-pox + which had left innumerable white and shining patches that gave him a + fantastic appearance. He was tall and thin; his whole demeanor solemn and + mysterious; and his small eyes, yellow as the wig which was smoothly + plastered on his head, cast none but oblique glances. + </p> + <p> + The old valet’s outward man was in keeping with the feeling of curiosity + which he everywhere inspired. His position as assistant to his master, the + depositary of a secret jealously guarded and about which he maintained a + rigid silence, invested him with a species of charm. The denizens of the + rue de Paris watched him pass with an interest mingled with awe; to all + their questions he returned sibylline answers big with mysterious + treasures. Proud of being necessary to his master, he assumed an annoying + authority over his companions, employing it to further his own interests + and compel a submission which made him virtually the ruler of the house. + Contrary to the custom of Flemish servants, who are deeply attached to the + families whom they serve, Mulquinier cared only for Balthazar. If any + trouble befell Madame Claes, or any joyful event happened to the family, + he ate his bread and butter and drank his beer as phlegmatically as ever. + </p> + <p> + Dinner over, Madame Claes proposed that coffee should be served in the + garden, by the bed of tulips which adorned the centre of it. The + earthenware pots in which the bulbs were grown (the name of each flower + being engraved on slate labels) were sunk in the ground and so arranged as + to form a pyramid, at the summit of which rose a certain dragon’s-head + tulip which Balthazar alone possessed. This flower, named “tulipa + Claesiana,” combined the seven colors; and the curved edges of each petal + looked as though they were gilt. Balthazar’s father, who had frequently + refused ten thousand florins for this treasure, took such precautions + against the theft of a single seed that he kept the plant always in the + parlor and often spent whole days in contemplating it. The stem was + enormous, erect, firm, and admirably green; the proportions of the plant + were in harmony with the proportions of the flower, whose seven colors + were distinguishable from each other with the clearly defined brilliancy + which formerly gave such fabulous value to these dazzling plants. + </p> + <p> + “Here you have at least thirty or forty thousand francs’ worth of tulips,” + said the notary, looking alternately at Madame Claes and at the + many-colored pyramid. The former was too enthusiastic over the beauty of + the flowers, which the setting sun was just then transforming into jewels, + to observe the meaning of the notary’s words. + </p> + <p> + “What good do they do you?” continued Pierquin, addressing Balthazar; “you + ought to sell them.” + </p> + <p> + “Bah! am I in want of money?” replied Claes, in the tone of a man to whom + forty thousand francs was a matter of no consequence. + </p> + <p> + There was a moment’s silence, during which the children made many + exclamations. + </p> + <p> + “See this one, mamma!” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! here’s a beauty!” + </p> + <p> + “Tell me the name of that one!” + </p> + <p> + “What a gulf for human reason to sound!” cried Balthazar, raising his + hands and clasping them with a gesture of despair. “A compound of hydrogen + and oxygen gives off, according to their relative proportions, under the + same conditions and by the same principle, these manifold colors, each of + which constitutes a distinct result.” + </p> + <p> + His wife heard the words of his proposition, but it was uttered so rapidly + that she did not seize its exact meaning; and Balthazar, as if remembering + that she had studied his favorite science, made her a mysterious sign, + saying,— + </p> + <p> + “You do not yet understand me, but you will.” + </p> + <p> + Then he apparently fell back into the absorbed meditation now habitual to + him. + </p> + <p> + “No, I am sure you do not understand him,” said Pierquin, taking his + coffee from Marguerite’s hand. “The Ethiopian can’t change his skin, nor + the leopard his spots,” he whispered to Madame Claes. “Have the goodness + to remonstrate with him later; the devil himself couldn’t draw him out of + his cogitation now; he is in it for to-day, at any rate.” + </p> + <p> + So saying, he bade good-bye to Claes, who pretended not to hear him, + kissed little Jean in his mother’s arms, and retired with a low bow. + </p> + <p> + When the street-door clanged behind him, Balthazar caught his wife round + the waist, and put an end to the uneasiness his feigned reverie was + causing her by whispering in her ear,— + </p> + <p> + “I knew how to get rid of him.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Claes turned her face to her husband, not ashamed to let him see + the tears of happiness that filled her eyes: then she rested her forehead + against his shoulder and let little Jean slide to the floor. + </p> + <p> + “Let us go back into the parlor,” she said, after a pause. + </p> + <p> + Balthazar was exuberantly gay throughout the evening. He invented games + for the children, and played with such zest himself that he did not notice + two or three short absences made by his wife. About half-past nine, when + Jean had gone to bed, Marguerite returned to the parlor after helping her + sister Felicie to undress, and found her mother seated in the deep + armchair, and her father holding his wife’s hand as he talked to her. The + young girl feared to disturb them, and was about to retire without + speaking, when Madame Claes caught sight of her, and said:— + </p> + <p> + “Come in, Marguerite; come here, dear child.” She drew her down, kissed + her tenderly on the forehead, and said, “Carry your book into your own + room; but do not sit up too late.” + </p> + <p> + “Good-night, my darling daughter,” said Balthazar. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite kissed her father and mother and went away. Husband and wife + remained alone for some minutes without speaking, watching the last + glimmer of the twilight as it faded from the trees in the garden, whose + outlines were scarcely discernible through the gathering darkness. When + night had almost fallen, Balthazar said to his wife in a voice of emotion,— + </p> + <p> + “Let us go upstairs.” + </p> + <p> + Long before English manners and customs had consecrated the wife’s chamber + as a sacred spot, that of a Flemish woman was impenetrable. The good + housewives of the Low Countries did not make it a symbol of virtue. It was + to them a habit contracted from childhood, a domestic superstition, + rendering the bedroom a delightful sanctuary of tender feelings, where + simplicity blended with all that was most sweet and sacred in social life. + Any woman in Madame Claes’s position would have wished to gather about her + the elegances of life, but Josephine had done so with exquisite taste, + knowing well how great an influence the aspect of our surroundings exerts + upon the feelings of others. To a pretty creature it would have been mere + luxury, to her it was a necessity. No one better understood the meaning of + the saying, “A pretty woman is self-created,”—a maxim which guided + every action of Napoleon’s first wife, and often made her false; whereas + Madame Claes was ever natural and true. + </p> + <p> + Though Balthazar knew his wife’s chamber well, his forgetfulness of + material things had lately been so complete that he felt a thrill of soft + emotion when he entered it, as though he saw it for the first time. The + proud gaiety of a triumphant woman glowed in the splendid colors of the + tulips which rose from the long throats of Chinese vases judiciously + placed about the room, and sparkled in the profusion of lights whose + effect can only be compared to a joyous burst of martial music. The gleam + of the wax candles cast a mellow sheen on the coverings of pearl-gray + silk, whose monotony was relieved by touches of gold, soberly distributed + here and there on a few ornaments, and by the varied colors of the tulips, + which were like sheaves of precious stones. The secret of this choice + arrangement—it was he, ever he! Josephine could not tell him in + words more eloquent that he was now and ever the mainspring of her joys + and woes. + </p> + <p> + The aspect of that chamber put the soul deliciously at ease, cast out sad + thoughts, and left a sense of pure and equable happiness. The silken + coverings, brought from China, gave forth a soothing perfume that + penetrated the system without fatiguing it. The curtains, carefully drawn, + betrayed a desire for solitude, a jealous intention of guarding the sound + of every word, of hiding every look of the reconquered husband. Madame + Claes, wearing a dressing-robe of muslin, which was trimmed by a long + pelerine with falls of lace that came about her throat, and adorned with + her beautiful black hair, which was exquisitely glossy and fell on either + side of her forehead like a raven’s wing, went to draw the tapestry + portiere that hung before the door and allowed no sound to penetrate the + chamber from without. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VI + </h2> + <p> + At the doorway Josephine turned, and threw to her husband, who was sitting + near the chimney, one of those gay smiles with which a sensitive woman + whose soul comes at moments into her face, rendering it beautiful, gives + expression to irresistible hopes. Woman’s greatest charm lies in her + constant appeal to the generosity of man by the admission of a weakness + which stirs his pride and wakens him to the nobler sentiments. Is not such + an avowal of weakness full of magical seduction? When the rings of the + portiere had slipped with a muffled sound along the wooden rod, she turned + towards Claes, and made as though she would hide her physical defects by + resting her hand upon a chair and drawing herself gracefully forward. It + was calling him to help her. Balthazar, sunk for a moment in contemplation + of the olive-tinted head, which attracted and satisfied the eye as it + stood out in relief against the soft gray background, rose to take his + wife in his arms and carry her to her sofa. This was what she wanted. + </p> + <p> + “You promised me,” she said, taking his hand which she held between her + own magnetic palms, “to tell me the secret of your researches. Admit, dear + friend, that I am worthy to know it, since I have had the courage to study + a science condemned by the Church that I might be able to understand you. + I am curious; hide nothing from me. Tell me first how it happened, that + you rose one morning anxious and oppressed, when over night I had left you + happy.” + </p> + <p> + “Is it to hear me talk of chemistry that you have made yourself so + coquettishly delightful?” + </p> + <p> + “Dear friend, a confidence which puts me in your inner heart is the + greatest of all pleasures for me; is it not a communion of souls which + gives birth to the highest happiness of earth? Your love comes back to me + not lessened, pure; I long to know what dream has had the power to keep it + from me so long. Yes, I am more jealous of a thought than of all the women + in the world. Love is vast, but it is not infinite, while Science has + depths unfathomed, to which I will not let you go alone. I hate all that + comes between us. If you win the glory for which you strive, I must be + unhappy; it will bring you joy, while I—I alone—should be the + giver of your happiness.” + </p> + <p> + “No, my angel, it was not an idea, not a thought; it was a man that first + led me into this glorious path.” + </p> + <p> + “A man!” she cried in terror. + </p> + <p> + “Do you remember, Pepita, the Polish officer who stayed with us in 1809?” + </p> + <p> + “Do I remember him!” she exclaimed; “I am often annoyed because my memory + still recalls those eyes, like tongues of fire darting from coals of hell, + those hollows above the eyebrows, that broad skull stripped of hair, the + upturned moustache, the angular, worn face!—What awful impassiveness + in his bearing! Ah! surely if there had been a room in any inn I would + never have allowed him to sleep here.” + </p> + <p> + “That Polish gentleman,” resumed Balthazar, “was named Adam de + Wierzchownia. When you left us alone that evening in the parlor, we + happened by chance to speak of chemistry. Compelled by poverty to give up + the study of that science, he had become a soldier. It was, I think, by + means of a glass of sugared water that we recognized each other as adepts. + When I ordered Mulquinier to bring the sugar in pieces, the captain gave a + start of surprise. ‘Have you studied chemistry?’ he asked. ‘With + Lavoisier,’ I answered. ‘You are happy in being rich and free,’ he cried; + then from the depths of his bosom came the sigh of a man,—one of + those sighs which reveal a hell of anguish hidden in the brain or in the + heart, a something ardent, concentrated, not to be expressed in words. He + ended his sentence with a look that startled me. After a pause, he told me + that Poland being at her last gasp he had taken refuge in Sweden. There he + had sought consolation for his country’s fate in the study of chemistry, + for which he had always felt an irresistible vocation. ‘And I see you + recognize as I do,’ he added, ‘that gum arabic, sugar, and starch, reduced + to powder, each yield a substance absolutely similar, with, when analyzed, + the same qualitative result.’ + </p> + <p> + “He paused again; and then, after examining me with a searching eye, he + said confidentially, in a low voice, certain grave words whose general + meaning alone remains fixed on my memory; but he spoke with a force of + tone, with fervid inflections, with an energy of gesture, which stirred my + very vitals, and struck my imagination as the hammer strikes the anvil. I + will tell you briefly the arguments he used, which were to me like the + live coal laid by the Almighty upon Isaiah’s tongue; for my studies with + Lavoisier enabled me to understand their full bearing. + </p> + <p> + “‘Monsieur,’ he said, ‘the parity of these three substances, in appearance + so distinct, led me to think that all the productions of nature ought to + have a single principle. The researches of modern chemistry prove the + truth of this law in the larger part of natural effects. Chemistry divides + creation into two distinct parts,—organic nature, and inorganic + nature. Organic nature, comprising as it does all animal and vegetable + creations which show an organization more or less perfect,—or, to be + more exact, a greater or lesser motive power, which gives more or less + sensibility,—is, undoubtedly, the more important part of our earth. + Now, analysis has reduced all the products of this nature to four simple + substances, namely: three gases, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, and + another simple substance, non-metallic and solid, carbon. Inorganic + nature, on the contrary, so simple, devoid of movement and sensation, + denied the power of growth (too hastily accorded to it by Linnaeus), + possesses fifty-three simple substances, or elements, whose different + combinations make its products. Is it probable that means should be more + numerous where a lesser number of results are produced? + </p> + <p> + “‘My master’s opinion was that these fifty-three primary bodies have one + originating principle, acted upon in the past by some force the knowledge + of which has perished to-day, but which human genius ought to rediscover. + Well, then, suppose that this force does live and act again; we have + chemical unity. Organic and inorganic nature would apparently then rest on + four essential principles,—in fact, if we could decompose nitrogen + which we ought to consider a negation, we should have but three. This + brings us at once close upon the great Ternary of the ancients and of the + alchemists of the Middle Ages, whom we do wrong to scorn. Modern chemistry + is nothing more than that. It is much, and yet little,—much, because + the science has never recoiled before difficulty; little, in comparison + with what remains to be done. Chance has served her well, my noble + Science! Is not that tear of crystallized pure carbon, the diamond, + seemingly the last substance possible to create? The old alchemists, who + thought that gold was decomposable and therefore creatable, shrank from + the idea of producing the diamond. Yet we have discovered the nature and + the law of its composition. + </p> + <p> + “‘As for me,’ he continued, ‘I have gone farther still. An experiment + proved to me that the mysterious Ternary, which has occupied the human + mind from time immemorial, will not be found by physical analyses, which + lack direction to a fixed point. I will relate, in the first place, the + experiment itself. + </p> + <p> + “‘Sow cress-seed (to take one among the many substances of organic nature) + in flour of brimstone (to take another simple substance). Sprinkle the + seed with distilled water, that no unknown element may reach the product + of the germination. The seed germinates, and sprouts from a known + environment, and feeds only on elements known by analysis. Cut off the + stalks from time to time, till you get a sufficient quantity to produce + after burning them enough ashes for the experiment. Well, by analyzing + those ashes, you will obtain silicic acid, aluminium, phosphate and + carbonate of lime, carbonate of magnesia, the sulphate and carbonate of + potassium, and oxide of iron, precisely as if the cress had grown in + ordinary earth, beside a brook. Now, those elements did not exist in the + brimstone, a simple substance which served for soil to the cress, nor in + the distilled water with which the plant was nourished, whose composition + was known. But since they are no more to be found in the seed itself, we + can explain their presence in the plant only by assuming the existence of + a primary element common to all the substances contained in the cress, and + also to all those by which we environed it. Thus the air, the distilled + water, the brimstone, and the various elements which analysis finds in the + cress, namely, potash, lime, magnesia, aluminium, etc., should have one + common principle floating in the atmosphere like light of the sun. + </p> + <p> + “‘From this unimpeachable experiment,’ he cried, ‘I deduce the existence + of the Alkahest, the Absolute,—a substance common to all created + things, differentiated by one primary force. Such is the net meaning and + position of the problem of the Absolute, which appears to me to be + solvable. In it we find the mysterious Ternary, before whose shrine + humanity has knelt from the dawn of ages,—the primary matter, the + medium, the product. We find that terrible number THREE in all things + human. It governs religions, sciences, and laws. + </p> + <p> + “‘It was at this point,’ he went on, ‘that poverty put an end to my + researches. You were the pupil of Lavoisier, you are rich, and master of + your own time, I will therefore tell you my conjectures. Listen to the + conclusions my personal experiments have led me to foresee. The PRIME + MATTER must be the common principle in the three gases and in carbon. The + MEDIUM must be the principle common to negative and positive electricity. + Proceed to the discovery of the proofs that will establish those two + truths; you will then find the explanation of all phenomenal existence. + </p> + <p> + “‘Oh, monsieur!’ he cried, striking his brow, ‘when I know that I carry + here the last word of Creation, when intuitively I perceive the + Unconditioned, is it LIVING to be dragged hither and thither in the ruck + of men who fly at each other’s throats at the word of command without + knowing what they are doing? My actual life is an inverted dream. My body + comes and goes and acts; it moves amid bullets, and cannon, and men; it + crosses Europe at the will of a power I obey and yet despise. My soul has + no consciousness of these acts; it is fixed, immovable, plunged in one + idea, rapt in that idea, the Search for the Alkahest,—for that + principle by which seeds that are absolutely alike, growing in the same + environments, produce, some a white, others a yellow flower. The same + phenomenon is seen in silkworms fed from the same leaves, and apparently + constituted exactly alike,—one produces yellow silk, another white; + and if we come to man himself, we find that children often resemble + neither father nor mother. The logical deduction from this fact surely + involves the explanation of all the phenomena of nature. + </p> + <p> + “‘Ah, what can be more in harmony with our ideas of God than to believe + that he created all things by the simplest method? The Pythagorean worship + of ONE, from which come all other numbers, and which represented Primal + Matter; that of the number TWO, the first aggregation and the type of all + the rest; that of the number THREE, which throughout all time has + symbolized God,—that is to say, Matter, Force, and Product,—are + they not an echo, lingering along the ages, of some confused knowledge of + the Absolute? Stahl, Becker, Paracelsus, Agrippa, all the great Searchers + into occult causes took the Great Triad for their watchword,—in + other words, the Ternary. Ignorant men who despise alchemy, that + transcendent chemistry, are not aware that our work is only carrying + onward the passionate researches of those great men. Had I found the + Absolute, the Unconditioned, I meant to have grappled with Motion. Ah! + while I am swallowing gunpowder and leading men uselessly to their death, + my former master is piling discovery upon discovery! he is soaring towards + the Absolute, while I—I shall die like a dog in the trenches!’ + </p> + <p> + “When this poor grand man recovered his composure, he said, in a touching + tone of brotherhood, ‘If I see cause for a great experiment I will + bequeath it to you before I die.’—My Pepita,” cried Balthazar, + taking his wife’s hands, “tears of anguish rolled down his hollow cheeks, + as he cast into my soul the fiery arguments that Lavoisier had timidly + recognized without daring to follow them out—” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” cried Madame Claes, unable to refrain from interrupting her husband, + “that man, passing one night under our roof, was able to deprive us of + your love, to destroy with a phrase, a word, the happiness of a family! + Oh, my dear Balthazar, did he make the sign of the cross? did you examine + him? The Tempter alone could have had that flaming eye which sent forth + the fire of Prometheus. Yes, none but the devil could have torn you from + me. From that day you have been neither husband, nor father, nor master of + your family.” + </p> + <p> + “What!” exclaimed Balthazar, springing to his feet and casting a piercing + glance at his wife, “do you blame your husband for rising above the level + of other men that he may lay at your feet the divine purple of his glory, + as a paltry offering in exchange for the treasures of your heart! Ah, my + Pepita,” he cried, “you do not know what I have done. In these three years + I have made giant strides—” + </p> + <p> + His face seemed to his wife at this moment more transfigured under the + fires of genius than she had ever seen it under the fires of love; and she + wept as she listened to him. + </p> + <p> + “I have combined chlorine and nitrogen; I have decomposed many substances + hitherto considered simple; I have discovered new metals. Why!” he + continued, noticing that his wife wept, “I have even decomposed tears. + Tears contain a little phosphate of lime, chloride of sodium, mucin, and + water.” + </p> + <p> + He went on speaking, without observing the spasm of pain that contracted + Josephine’s features; he was again astride of Science, which bore him with + outspread wings far away from material existence. + </p> + <p> + “This analysis, my dear,” he went on, “is one of the most convincing + proofs of the theory of the Absolute. All life involves combustion. + According to the greater or the lesser activity of the fire on its hearth + is life more or less enduring. In like manner, the destruction of mineral + bodies is indefinitely retarded, because in their case combustion is + nominal, latent, or imperceptible. In like manner, again, vegetables, + which are constantly revived by combinations producing dampness, live + indefinitely; in fact, we still possess certain vegetables which existed + before the period of the last cataclysm. But each time that nature has + perfected an organism and then, for some unknown reason, has introduced + into it sensation, instinct, or intelligence (three marked stages of the + organic system), these three agencies necessitate a combustion whose + activity is in direct proportion to the result obtained. Man, who + represents the highest point of intelligence, and who offers us the only + organism by which we arrive at a power that is semi-creative—namely, + THOUGHT—is, among all zoological creations, the one in which + combustion is found in its most intense degree; whose powerful effects may + in fact be seen to some extent in the phosphates, sulphates, and + carbonates which a man’s body reveals to our analysis. May not these + substances be traces left within him of the passage of the electric fluid + which is the principle of all fertilization? Would not electricity + manifest itself by a greater variety of compounds in him than in any other + animal? Should not he have faculties above those of all other created + beings for the purpose of absorbing fuller portions of the Absolute + principle? and may he not assimilate that principle so as to produce, in + some more perfect mechanism, his force and his ideas? I think so. Man is a + retort. In my judgment, the brain of an idiot contains too little + phosphorous or other product of electro-magnetism, that of a madman too + much; the brain of an ordinary man has but little, while that of a man of + genius is saturated to its due degree. The man constantly in love, the + street-porter, the dancer, the large eater, are the ones who disperse the + force resulting from their electrical apparatus. Consequently, our + feelings—” + </p> + <p> + “Enough, Balthazar! you terrify me; you commit sacrilege. What, is my love—” + </p> + <p> + “An ethereal matter disengaged, an emanation, the key of the Absolute. + Conceive if I—I, the first, should find it, find it, find it!” + </p> + <p> + As he uttered the words in three rising tones, the expression of his face + rose by degrees to inspiration. “I shall make metals,” he cried; “I shall + make diamonds, I shall be a co-worker with Nature!” + </p> + <p> + “Will you be the happier?” she asked in despair. “Accursed science! + accursed demon! You forget, Claes, that you commit the sin of pride, the + sin of which Satan was guilty; you assume the attributes of God.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! oh! God!” + </p> + <p> + “He denies Him!” she cried, wringing her hands. “Claes, God wields a power + that you can never gain.” + </p> + <p> + At this argument, which seemed to discredit his beloved Science, he looked + at his wife and trembled. + </p> + <p> + “What power?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Primal force—motion,” she replied. “This is what I learn from the + books your mania has constrained me to read. Analyze fruits, flowers, + Malaga wine; you will discover, undoubtedly, that their substances come, + like those of your water-cress, from a medium that seems foreign to them. + You can, if need be, find them in nature; but when you have them, can you + combine them? can you make the flowers, the fruits, the Malaga wine? Will + you have grasped the inscrutable effects of the sun, of the atmosphere of + Spain? Ah! decomposing is not creating.” + </p> + <p> + “If I discover the magistral force, I shall be able to create.” + </p> + <p> + “Will nothing stop him?” cried Pepita. “Oh! my love, my love! it is + killed! I have lost him!” + </p> + <p> + She wept bitterly, and her eyes, illumined by grief and by the sanctity of + the feelings that flooded her soul, shone with greater beauty than ever + through her tears. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she resumed in a broken voice, “you are dead to all. I see it but + too well. Science is more powerful within you than your own self; it bears + you to heights from which you will return no more to be the companion of a + poor woman. What joys can I still offer you? Ah! I would fain believe, as + a wretched consolation, that God has indeed created you to make manifest + his works, to chant his praises; that he has put within your breast the + irresistible power that has mastered you—But no; God is good; he + would keep in your heart some thoughts of the woman who adores you, of the + children you are bound to protect. It is the Evil One alone who is helping + you to walk amid these fathomless abysses, these clouds of outer darkness, + where the light of faith does not guide you,—nothing guides you but + a terrible belief in your own faculties! Were it otherwise, would you not + have seen that you have wasted nine hundred thousand francs in three + years? Oh! do me justice, you, my God on earth! I reproach you not; were + we alone I would bring you, on my knees, all I possess and say, ‘Take it, + fling it into your furnace, turn it into smoke’; and I should laugh to see + it float away in vapor. Were you poor, I would beg without shame for the + coal to light your furnace. Oh! could my body yield your hateful Alkahest, + I would fling myself upon those fires with joy, since your glory, your + delight is in that unfound secret. But our children, Claes, our children! + what will become of them if you do not soon discover this hellish thing? + Do you know why Pierquin came to-day? He came for thirty thousand francs, + which you owe and cannot pay. I told him that you had the money, so that I + might spare you the mortification of his questions; but to get it I must + sell our family silver.” + </p> + <p> + She saw her husband’s eyes grow moist, and she flung herself despairingly + at his feet, raising up to him her supplicating hands. + </p> + <p> + “My friend,” she cried, “refrain awhile from these researches; let us + economize, let us save the money that may enable you to take them up + hereafter,—if, indeed, you cannot renounce this work. Oh! I do not + condemn it; I will heat your furnaces if you ask it; but I implore you, do + not reduce our children to beggary. Perhaps you cannot love them, Science + may have consumed your heart; but oh! do not bequeath them a wretched life + in place of the happiness you owe them. Motherhood has sometimes been too + weak a power in my heart; yes, I have sometimes wished I were not a + mother, that I might be closer to your soul, your life! And now, to stifle + my remorse, must I plead the cause of my children before you, and not my + own?” + </p> + <p> + Her hair fell loose and floated over her shoulders, her eyes shot forth + her feelings as though they had been arrows. She triumphed over her rival. + Balthazar lifted her, carried her to the sofa, and knelt at her feet. + </p> + <p> + “Have I caused you such grief?” he said, in the tone of a man waking from + a painful dream. + </p> + <p> + “My poor Claes! yes, and you will cause me more, in spite of yourself,” + she said, passing her hand over his hair. “Sit here beside me,” she + continued, pointing to the sofa. “Ah! I can forget it all now, now that + you come back to us; all can be repaired—but you will not abandon me + again? say that you will not! My noble husband, grant me a woman’s + influence on your heart, that influence which is so needful to the + happiness of suffering artists, to the troubled minds of great men. You + may be harsh to me, angry with me if you will, but let me check you a + little for your good. I will never abuse the power if you will grant it. + Be famous, but be happy too. Do not love Chemistry better than you love + us. Hear me, we will be generous; we will let Science share your heart; + but oh! my Claes, be just; let us have our half. Tell me, is not my + disinterestedness sublime?” + </p> + <p> + She made him smile. With the marvellous art such women possess, she + carried the momentous question into the regions of pleasantry where women + reign. But though she seemed to laugh, her heart was violently contracted + and could not easily recover the quiet even action that was habitual to + it. And yet, as she saw in the eyes of Balthazar the rebirth of a love + which was once her glory, the full return of a power she thought she had + lost, she said to him with a smile:— + </p> + <p> + “Believe me, Balthazar, nature made us to feel; and though you may wish us + to be mere electrical machines, yet your gases and your ethereal + disengaged matters will never explain the gift we possess of looking into + futurity.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he exclaimed, “by affinity. The power of vision which makes the + poet, the power of deduction which makes the man of science, are based on + invisible affinities, intangible, imponderable, which vulgar minds class + as moral phenomena, whereas they are physical effects. The prophet sees + and deduces. Unfortunately, such affinities are too rare and too obscure + to be subjected to analysis or observation.” + </p> + <p> + “Is this,” she said, giving him a kiss to drive away the Chemistry she had + so unfortunately reawakened, “what you call an affinity?” + </p> + <p> + “No; it is a compound; two substances that are equivalents are neutral, + they produce no reaction—” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! hush, hush,” she cried, “you will make me die of grief. I can never + bear to see my rival in the transports of your love.” + </p> + <p> + “But, my dear life, I think only of you. My work is for the glory of my + family. You are the basis of all my hopes.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, look me in the eyes!” + </p> + <p> + The scene had made her as beautiful as a young woman; of her whole person + Balthazar saw only her head, rising from a cloud of lace and muslin. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I have done wrong to abandon you for Science,” he said. “If I fall + back into thought and preoccupation, then, my Pepita, you must drag me + from them; I desire it.” + </p> + <p> + She lowered her eyes and let him take her hand, her greatest beauty,—a + hand that was both strong and delicate. + </p> + <p> + “But I ask more,” she said. + </p> + <p> + “You are so lovely, so delightful, you can obtain all,” he answered. + </p> + <p> + “I wish to destroy that laboratory, and chain up Science,” she said, with + fire in her eyes. + </p> + <p> + “So be it—let Chemistry go to the devil!” + </p> + <p> + “This moment effaces all!” she cried. “Make me suffer now, if you will.” + </p> + <p> + Tears came to Balthazar’s eyes, as he heard these words. + </p> + <p> + “You were right, love,” he said. “I have seen you through a veil; I have + not understood you.” + </p> + <p> + “If it concerned only me,” she said, “willingly would I have suffered in + silence, never would I have raised my voice against my sovereign. But your + sons must be thought of, Claes. If you continue to dissipate your + property, no matter how glorious the object you have in view the world + will take little account of it, it will only blame you and yours. But + surely, it is enough for a man of your noble nature that his wife has + shown him a danger he did not perceive. We will talk of this no more,” she + cried, with a smile and a glance of coquetry. “To-night, my Claes, let us + not be less than happy.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VII + </h2> + <p> + On the morrow of this evening so eventful for the Claes family, Balthazar, + from whom Josephine had doubtless obtained some promise as to the + cessation of his researches, remained in the parlor, and did not enter his + laboratory. The succeeding day the household prepared to move into the + country, where they stayed for more than two months, only returning to + town in time to prepare for the fete which Claes determined to give, as in + former years, to commemorate his wedding-day. He now began by degrees to + obtain proof of the disorder which his experiments and his indifference + had brought into his business affairs. + </p> + <p> + Madame Claes, far from irritating the wound by remarking on it, + continually found remedies for the evil that was done. Of the seven + servants who customarily served the family, there now remained only + Lemulquinier, Josette the cook, and an old waiting-woman, named Martha, + who had never left her mistress since the latter left her convent. It was + of course impossible to give a fete to the whole society of Douai with so + few servants, but Madame Claes overcame all difficulties by proposing to + send to Paris for a cook, to train the gardener’s son as a waiter, and to + borrow Pierquin’s manservant. Thus the pinched circumstances of the family + passed unnoticed by the community. + </p> + <p> + During the twenty days of preparation for the fete, Madame Claes was + cleverly able to outwit her husband’s listlessness. She commissioned him + to select the rarest plants and flowers to decorate the grand staircase, + the gallery, and the salons; then she sent him to Dunkerque to order one + of those monstrous fish which are the glory of the burgher tables in the + northern departments. A fete like that the Claes were about to give is a + serious affair, involving thought and care and active correspondence, in a + land where traditions of hospitality put the family honor so much at stake + that to servants as well as masters a grand dinner is like a victory won + over the guests. Oysters arrived from Ostend, grouse were imported from + Scotland, fruits came from Paris; in short, not the smallest accessory was + lacking to the hereditary luxury. + </p> + <p> + A ball at the House of Claes had an importance of its own. The government + of the department was then at Douai, and the anniversary fete of the Claes + usually opened the winter season and set the fashion to the neighborhood. + For fifteen years, Balthazar had endeavored to make it a distinguished + occasion, and had succeeded so well that the fete was talked of throughout + a circumference of sixty miles, and the toilettes, the guests, the + smallest details, the novelties exhibited, and the events that took place, + were discussed far and wide. These preparations now prevented Claes from + thinking, for the time being, of the Alkahest. Since his return to social + life and domestic bliss, the servant of science had recovered his + self-love as a man, as a Fleming, as the master of a household, and he now + took pleasure in the thought of surprising the whole country. He resolved + to give a special character to this ball by some exquisite novelty; and he + chose, among all other caprices of luxury, the loveliest, the richest, and + the most fleeting,—he turned the old mansion into a fairy bower of + rare plants and flowers, and prepared choice bouquets for all the ladies. + </p> + <p> + The other details of the fete were in keeping with this unheard-of luxury, + and nothing seemed likely to mar the effect. But the Twenty-ninth Bulletin + and the news of the terrible disasters of the grand army in Russia, and at + the passage of the Beresina, were made known on the afternoon of the + appointed day. A sincere and profound grief was felt in Douai, and those + who were present at the fete, moved by a natural feeling of patriotism, + unanimously declined to dance. + </p> + <p> + Among the letters which arrived that day in Douai, was one for Balthazar + from Monsieur de Wierzchownia, then in Dresden and dying, he wrote, from + wounds received in one of the late engagements. He remembered his promise, + and desired to bequeath to his former host several ideas on the subject of + the Absolute, which had come to him since the period of their meeting. The + letter plunged Claes into a reverie which apparently did honor to his + patriotism; but his wife was not misled by it. To her, this festal day + brought a double mourning: and the ball, during which the House of Claes + shone with departing lustre, was sombre and sad in spite of its + magnificence, and the many choice treasures gathered by the hands of six + generations, which the people of Douai now beheld for the last time. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite Claes, just sixteen, was the queen of the day, and on this + occasion her parents presented her to society. She attracted all eyes by + the extreme simplicity and candor of her air and manner, and especially by + the harmony of her form and countenance with the characteristics of her + home. She was the embodiment of the Flemish girl whom the painters of that + country loved to represent,—the head perfectly rounded and full, + chestnut hair parted in the middle and laid smoothly on the brow, gray + eyes with a mixture of green, handsome arms, natural stoutness which did + not detract from her beauty, a timid air, and yet, on the high square brow + an expression of firmness, hidden at present under an apparent calmness + and docility. Without being sad or melancholy, she seemed to have little + natural enjoyment. Reflectiveness, order, a sense of duty, the three chief + expressions of Flemish nature, were the characteristics of a face that + seemed cold at first sight, but to which the eye was recalled by a certain + grace of outline and a placid pride which seemed the pledges of domestic + happiness. By one of those freaks which physiologists have not yet + explained, she bore no likeness to either father or mother, but was the + living image of her maternal great-grandmother, a Conyncks of Bruges, + whose portrait, religiously preserved, bore witness to the resemblance. + </p> + <p> + The supper gave some life to the ball. If the military disasters forbade + the delights of dancing, every one felt that they need not exclude the + pleasures of the table. The true patriots, however, retired early; only + the more indifferent remained, together with a few card players and the + intimate friends of the family. Little by little the brilliantly lighted + house, to which all the notabilities of Douai had flocked, sank into + silence, and by one o’clock in the morning the great gallery was deserted, + the lights were extinguished in one salon after another, and the + court-yard, lately so bustling and brilliant, grew dark and gloomy,—prophetic + image of the future that lay before the family. When the Claes returned to + their own appartement, Balthazar gave his wife the letter he had received + from the Polish officer: Josephine returned it with a mournful gesture; + she foresaw the coming doom. + </p> + <p> + From that day forth, Balthazar made no attempt to disguise the weariness + and the depression that assailed him. In the mornings, after the family + breakfast, he played for awhile in the parlor with little Jean, and talked + to his daughters, who were busy with their sewing, or embroidery or + lace-work; but he soon wearied of the play and of the talk, and seemed at + last to get through with them as a duty. When his wife came down again + after dressing, she always found him sitting in an easy-chair looking + blankly at Marguerite and Felicie, quite undisturbed by the rattle of + their bobbins. When the newspaper was brought in, he read it slowly like a + retired merchant at a loss how to kill the time. Then he would get up, + look at the sky through the window panes, go back to his chair and mend + the fire drearily, as though he were deprived of all consciousness of his + own movements by the tyranny of ideas. + </p> + <p> + Madame Claes keenly regretted her defects of education and memory. It was + difficult for her to sustain an interesting conversation for any length of + time; perhaps this is always difficult between two persons who have said + everything to each other, and are forced to seek for subjects of interest + outside the life of the heart, or the life of material existence. The life + of the heart has its own moments of expansion which need some stimulus to + bring them forth; discussions of material life cannot long occupy superior + minds accustomed to decide promptly; and the mere gossip of society is + intolerable to loving natures. Consequently, two isolated beings who know + each other thoroughly ought to seek their enjoyments in the higher regions + of thought; for it is impossible to satisfy with paltry things the + immensity of the relation between them. Moreover, when a man has + accustomed himself to deal with great subjects, he becomes unamusable, + unless he preserves in the depths of his heart a certain guileless + simplicity and unconstraint which often make great geniuses such charming + children; but the childhood of the heart is a rare human phenomenon among + those whose mission it is to see all, know all, and comprehend all. + </p> + <p> + During these first months, Madame Claes worked her way through this + critical situation, by unwearying efforts, which love or necessity + suggested to her. She tried to learn backgammon, which she had never been + able to play, but now, from an impetus easy to understand, she ended by + mastering it. Then she interested Balthazar in the education of his + daughters, and asked him to direct their studies. All such resources were, + however, soon exhausted. There came a time when Josephine’s relation to + Balthazar was like that of Madame de Maintenon to Louis XIV.; she had to + amuse the unamusable, but without the pomps of power or the wiles of a + court which could play comedies like the sham embassies from the King of + Siam and the Shah of Persia. After wasting the revenues of France, Louis + XIV., no longer young or successful, was reduced to the expedients of a + family heir to raise the money he needed; in the midst of his grandeur he + felt his impotence, and the royal nurse who had rocked the cradles of his + children was often at her wit’s end to rock his, or soothe the monarch now + suffering from his misuse of men and things, of life and God. Claes, on + the contrary, suffered from too much power. Stifling in the clutch of a + single thought, he dreamed of the pomps of Science, of treasures for the + human race, of glory for himself. He suffered as artists suffer in the + grip of poverty, as Samson suffered beneath the pillars of the temple. The + result was the same for the two sovereigns; though the intellectual + monarch was crushed by his inward force, the other by his weakness. + </p> + <p> + What could Pepita do, singly, against this species of scientific + nostalgia? After employing every means that family life afforded her, she + called society to the rescue, and gave two “cafes” every week. Cafes at + Douai took the place of teas. A cafe was an assemblage which, during a + whole evening, the guests sipped the delicious wines and liqueurs which + overflow the cellars of that ever-blessed land, ate the Flemish dainties + and took their “cafe noir” or their “cafe au lait frappe,” while the women + sang ballads, discussed each other’s toilettes, and related the gossip of + the day. It was a living picture by Mieris or Terburg, without the pointed + gray hats, the scarlet plumes, or the beautiful costumes of the sixteenth + century. And yet, Balthazar’s efforts to play the part of host, his + constrained courtesy, his forced animation, left him the next day in a + state of languor which showed but too plainly the depths of the inward + ill. + </p> + <p> + These continual fetes, weak remedies for the real evil, only increased it. + Like branches which caught him as he rolled down the precipice, they + retarded Claes’s fall, but in the end he fell the heavier. Though he never + spoke of his former occupations, never showed the least regret for the + promise he had given not to renew his researches, he grew to have the + melancholy motions, the feeble voice, the depression of a sick person. The + ennui that possessed him showed at times in the very manner with which he + picked up the tongs and built fantastic pyramids in the fire with bits of + coal, utterly unconscious of what he was doing. When night came he was + evidently relieved; sleep no doubt released him from the importunities of + thought: the next day he rose wearily to encounter another day,—seeming + to measure time as the tired traveller measures the desert he is forced to + cross. + </p> + <p> + If Madame Claes knew the cause of this languor she endeavored not to see + the extent of its ravages. Full of courage against the sufferings of the + mind, she was helpless against the generous impulses of the heart. She + dared not question Balthazar when she saw him listening to the laughter of + little Jean or the chatter of his girls, with the air of a man absorbed in + secret thoughts; but she shuddered when she saw him shake off his + melancholy and try, with generous intent, to seem cheerful, that he might + not distress others. The little coquetries of the father with his + daughters, or his games with little Jean, moistened the eyes of the poor + wife, who often left the room to hide the feelings that heroic effort + caused her,—a heroism the cost of which is well understood by women, + a generosity that well-nigh breaks their heart. At such times Madame Claes + longed to say, “Kill me, and do what you will!” + </p> + <p> + Little by little Balthazar’s eyes lost their fire and took the glaucous + opaque tint which overspreads the eyes of old men. His attentions to his + wife, his manner of speaking, his whole bearing, grew heavy and inert. + These symptoms became more marked towards the end of April, terrifying + Madame Claes, to whom the sight was now intolerable, and who had all along + reproached herself a thousand times while she admired the Flemish loyalty + which kept her husband faithful to his promise. + </p> + <p> + At last, one day when Balthazar seemed more depressed than ever, she + hesitated no longer; she resolved to sacrifice everything and bring him + back to life. + </p> + <p> + “Dear friend,” she said, “I release you from your promise.” + </p> + <p> + Balthazar looked at her in amazement. + </p> + <p> + “You are thinking of your researches, are you not?” she continued. + </p> + <p> + He answered by a gesture of startling eagerness. Far from remonstrating, + Madame Claes, who had had leisure to sound the abyss into which they were + about to fall together, took his hand and pressed it, smiling. + </p> + <p> + “Thank you,” she said; “now I am sure of my power. You sacrificed more + than your life to me. In future, be the sacrifices mine. Though I have + sold some of my diamonds, enough are left, with those my brother gave me, + to get the necessary money for your experiments. I intended those jewels + for my daughters, but your glory shall sparkle in their stead; and, + besides, you will some day replace them with other and finer diamonds.” + </p> + <p> + The joy that suddenly lighted her husband’s face was like a death-knell to + the wife: she saw, with anguish, that the man’s passion was stronger than + himself. Claes had faith in his work which enabled him to walk without + faltering on a path which, to his wife, was the edge of a precipice. For + him faith, for her doubt,—for her the heavier burden: does not the + woman ever suffer for the two? At this moment she chose to believe in his + success, that she might justify to herself her connivance in the probable + wreck of their fortunes. + </p> + <p> + “The love of all my life can be no recompense for your devotion, Pepita,” + said Claes, deeply moved. + </p> + <p> + He had scarcely uttered the words when Marguerite and Felicie entered the + room and wished him good-morning. Madame Claes lowered her eyes and + remained for a moment speechless in presence of her children, whose future + she had just sacrificed to a delusion; her husband, on the contrary, took + them on his knees, and talked to them gaily, delighted to give vent to the + joy that choked him. + </p> + <p> + From this day Madame Claes shared the impassioned life of her husband. The + future of her children, their father’s credit, were two motives as + powerful to her as glory and science were to Claes. After the diamonds + were sold in Paris, and the purchase of chemicals was again begun, the + unhappy woman never knew another hour’s peace of mind. The demon of + Science and the frenzy of research which consumed her husband now agitated + her own mind; she lived in a state of continual expectation, and sat + half-lifeless for days together in the deep armchair, paralyzed by the + very violence of her wishes, which, finding no food, like those of + Balthazar, in the daily hopes of the laboratory, tormented her spirit and + aggravated her doubts and fears. Sometimes, blaming herself for compliance + with a passion whose object was futile and condemned by the Church, she + would rise, go to the window on the courtyard and gaze with terror at the + chimney of the laboratory. If the smoke were rising, an expression of + despair came into her face, a conflict of thoughts and feelings raged in + her heart and mind. She beheld her children’s future fleeing in that + smoke, but—was she not saving their father’s life? was it not her + first duty to make him happy? This last thought calmed her for a moment. + </p> + <p> + She obtained the right to enter the laboratory and remain there; but even + this melancholy satisfaction was soon renounced. Her sufferings were too + keen when she saw that Balthazar took no notice of her, or seemed at times + annoyed by her presence; in that fatal place she went through paroxysms of + jealous impatience, angry desires to destroy the building,—a living + death of untold miseries. Lemulquinier became to her a species of + barometer: if she heard him whistle as he laid the breakfast-table or the + dinner-table, she guessed that Balthazar’s experiments were satisfactory, + and there were prospects of a coming success; if, on the other hand, the + man were morose and gloomy, she looked at him and trembled,—Balthazar + must surely be dissatisfied. Mistress and valet ended by understanding + each other, notwithstanding the proud reserve of the one and the reluctant + submission of the other. + </p> + <p> + Feeble and defenceless against the terrible prostrations of thought, the + poor woman at last gave way under the alternations of hope and despair + which increased the distress of the loving wife, and the anxieties of the + mother trembling for her children. She now practised the doleful silence + which formerly chilled her heart, not observing the gloom that pervaded + the house, where whole days went by in that melancholy parlor without a + smile, often without a word. Led by sad maternal foresight, she trained + her daughters to household work, and tried to make them skilful in womanly + employments, that they might have the means of living if destitution came. + The outward calm of this quiet home covered terrible agitations. Towards + the end of the summer Balthazar had used the money derived from the + diamonds, and was twenty thousand francs in debt to Messieurs Protez and + Chiffreville. + </p> + <p> + In August, 1813, about a year after the scene with which this history + begins, although Claes had made a few valuable experiments, for which, + unfortunately, he cared but little, his efforts had been without result as + to the real object of his researches. There came a day when he ended the + whole series of experiments, and the sense of his impotence crushed him; + the certainty of having fruitlessly wasted enormous sums of money drove + him to despair. It was a frightful catastrophe. He left the garret, + descended slowly to the parlor, and threw himself into a chair in the + midst of his children, remaining motionless for some minutes as though + dead, making no answer to the questions his wife pressed upon him. Tears + came at last to his relief, and he rushed to his own chamber that no one + might witness his despair. + </p> + <p> + Josephine followed him and drew him into her own room, where, alone with + her, Balthazar gave vent to his anguish. These tears of a man, these + broken words of the hopeless toiler, these bitter regrets of the husband + and father, did Madame Claes more harm than all her past sufferings. The + victim consoled the executioner. When Balthazar said to her in a tone of + dreadful conviction: “I am a wretch; I have gambled away the lives of my + children, and your life; you can have no happiness unless I kill myself,”—the + words struck home to her heart; she knew her husband’s nature enough to + fear he might at once act out the despairing wish: an inward convulsion, + disturbing the very sources of life itself, seized her, and was all the + more dangerous because she controlled its violent effects beneath a + deceptive calm of manner. + </p> + <p> + “My friend,” she said, “I have consulted, not Pierquin, whose friendship + does not hinder him from feeling some secret satisfaction at our ruin, but + an old man who has been as good to me as a father. The Abbe de Solis, my + confessor, has shown me how we can still save ourselves from ruin. He came + to see the pictures. The value of those in the gallery is enough to pay + the sums you have borrowed on your property, and also all that you owe to + Messieurs Protez and Chiffreville, who have no doubt an account against + you.” + </p> + <p> + Claes made an affirmative sign and bowed his head, the hair of which was + now white. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur de Solis knows the Happe and Duncker families of Amsterdam; they + have a mania for pictures, and are anxious, like all parvenus, to display + a luxury which ought to belong only to the old families: he thinks they + will pay the full value of ours. By this means we can recover our + independence, and out of the purchase money, which will amount to over one + hundred thousand ducats, you will have enough to continue the experiments. + Your daughters and I will be content with very little; we can fill up the + empty frames with other pictures in course of time and by economy; + meantime you will be happy.” + </p> + <p> + Balthazar raised his head and looked at his wife with a joy that was + mingled with fear. Their roles were changed. The wife was the protector of + the husband. He, so tender, he, whose heart was so at one with his + Pepita’s, now held her in his arms without perceiving the horrible + convulsion that made her palpitate, and even shook her hair and her lips + with a nervous shudder. + </p> + <p> + “I dared not tell you,” he said, “that between me and the Unconditioned, + the Absolute, scarcely a hair’s breadth intervenes. To gasify metals, I + only need to find the means of submitting them to intense heat in some + centre where the pressure of the atmosphere is nil,—in short, in a + vacuum.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Claes could not endure the egotism of this reply. She expected a + passionate acknowledgment of her sacrifices—she received a problem + in chemistry! The poor woman left her husband abruptly and returned to the + parlor, where she fell into a chair between her frightened daughters, and + burst into tears. Marguerite and Felicie took her hands, kneeling one on + each side of her, not knowing the cause of her grief, and asking at + intervals, “Mother, what is it?” + </p> + <p> + “My poor children, I am dying; I feel it.” + </p> + <p> + The answer struck home to Marguerite’s heart; she saw, for the first time + on her mother’s face, the signs of that peculiar pallor which only comes + on olive-tinted skins. + </p> + <p> + “Martha, Martha!” cried Felicie, “come quickly; mamma wants you.” + </p> + <p> + The old duenna ran in from the kitchen, and as soon as she saw the livid + hue of the dusky skin usually high-colored, she cried out in Spanish,— + </p> + <p> + “Body of Christ! madame is dying!” + </p> + <p> + Then she rushed precipitately back, told Josette to heat water for a + footbath, and returned to the parlor. + </p> + <p> + “Don’t alarm Monsieur Claes; say nothing to him, Martha,” said her + mistress. “My poor dear girls,” she added, pressing Marguerite and Felicie + to her heart with a despairing action; “I wish I could live long enough to + see you married and happy. Martha,” she continued, “tell Lemulquinier to + go to Monsieur de Solis and ask him in my name to come here.” + </p> + <p> + The shock of this attack extended to the kitchen. Josette and Martha, both + devoted to Madame Claes and her daughters, felt the blow in their own + affections. Martha’s dreadful announcement,—“Madame is dying; + monsieur must have killed her; get ready a mustard-bath,”—forced + certain exclamations from Josette, which she launched at Lemulquinier. He, + cold and impassive, went on eating at the corner of a table before one of + the windows of the kitchen, where all was kept as clean as the boudoir of + a fine lady. + </p> + <p> + “I knew how it would end,” said Josette, glancing at the valet and + mounting a stool to take down a copper kettle that shone like gold. + “There’s no mother could stand quietly by and see a father amusing himself + by chopping up a fortune like his into sausage-meat.” + </p> + <p> + Josette, whose head was covered by a round cap with crimped borders, which + made it look like a German nut-cracker, cast a sour look at Lemulquinier, + which the greenish tinge of her prominent little eyes made almost + venomous. The old valet shrugged his shoulders with a motion worthy of + Mirobeau when irritated; then he filled his large mouth with bread and + butter sprinkled with chopped onion. + </p> + <p> + “Instead of thwarting monsieur, madame ought to give him more money,” he + said; “and then we should soon be rich enough to swim in gold. There’s not + the thickness of a farthing between us and—” + </p> + <p> + “Well, you’ve got twenty thousand francs laid by; why don’t you give ‘em + to monsieur? he’s your master, and if you are so sure of his doings—” + </p> + <p> + “You don’t know anything about them, Josette. Mind your pots and pans, and + heat the water,” remarked the old Fleming, interrupting the cook. + </p> + <p> + “I know enough to know there used to be several thousand ounces of + silver-ware about this house which you and your master have melted up; and + if you are allowed to have your way, you’ll make ducks and drakes of + everything till there’s nothing left.” + </p> + <p> + “And monsieur,” added Martha, entering the kitchen, “will kill madame, + just to get rid of a woman who restrains him and won’t let him swallow up + everything he’s got. He’s possessed by the devil; anybody can see that. + You don’t risk your soul in helping him, Mulquinier, because you haven’t + got any; look at you! sitting there like a bit of ice when we are all in + such distress; the young ladies are crying like two Magdalens. Go and + fetch Monsieur l’Abbe de Solis.” + </p> + <p> + “I’ve got something to do for monsieur. He told me to put the laboratory + in order,” said the valet. “Besides, it’s too far—go yourself.” + </p> + <p> + “Just hear the brute!” cried Martha. “Pray who is to give madame her + foot-bath? do you want her to die? she has got a rush of blood to the + head.” + </p> + <p> + “Mulquinier,” said Marguerite, coming into the servants’ hall, which + adjoined the kitchen, “on your way back from Monsieur de Solis, call at + Dr. Pierquin’s house and ask him to come here at once.” + </p> + <p> + “Ha! you’ve got to go now,” said Josette. + </p> + <p> + “Mademoiselle, monsieur told me to put the laboratory in order,” said + Lemulquinier, facing the two women and looking them down, with a despotic + air. + </p> + <p> + “Father,” said Marguerite, to Monsieur Claes who was just then descending + the stairs, “can you let Mulquinier do an errand for us in town?” + </p> + <p> + “Now you’re forced to go, you old barbarian!” cried Martha, as she heard + Monsieur Claes put Mulquinier at his daughter’s bidding. + </p> + <p> + The lack of good-will and devotion shown by the old valet for the family + whom he served was a fruitful cause of quarrel between the two women and + Lemulquinier, whose cold-heartedness had the effect of increasing the + loyal attachment of Josette and the old duenna. + </p> + <p> + This dispute, apparently so paltry, was destined to influence the future + of the Claes family when, at a later period, they needed succor in + misfortune. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VIII + </h2> + <p> + Balthazar was again so absorbed that he did not notice Josephine’s + condition. He took Jean upon his knee and trotted him mechanically, + pondering, no doubt, the problem he now had the means of solving. He saw + them bring the footbath to his wife, who was still in the parlor, too weak + to rise from the low chair in which she was lying; he gazed abstractedly + at his daughters now attending on their mother, without inquiring the + cause of their tender solicitude. When Marguerite or Jean attempted to + speak aloud, Madame Claes hushed them and pointed to Balthazar. Such a + scene was of a nature to make a young girl think; and Marguerite, placed + as she was between her father and mother, was old enough and sensible + enough to weigh their conduct. + </p> + <p> + There comes a moment in the private life of every family when the + children, voluntarily or involuntarily, judge their parents. Madame Claes + foresaw the dangers of that moment. Her love for Balthazar impelled her to + justify in Marguerite’s eyes conduct that might, to the upright mind of a + girl of sixteen, seem faulty in a father. The very respect which she + showed at this moment for her husband, making herself and her condition of + no account that nothing might disturb his meditation, impressed her + children with a sort of awe of the paternal majesty. Such self-devotion, + however infectious it might be, only increased Marguerite’s admiration for + her mother, to whom she was more particularly bound by the close intimacy + of their daily lives. This feeling was based on the intuitive perception + of sufferings whose causes naturally occupied the young girl’s mind. No + human power could have hindered some chance word dropped by Martha, or by + Josette, from enlightening her as to the real reasons for the condition of + her home during the last four years. Notwithstanding Madame Claes’s + reserve, Marguerite discovered slowly, thread by thread, the clue to the + domestic drama. She was soon to be her mother’s active confidante, and + later, under other circumstances, a formidable judge. + </p> + <p> + Madame Claes’s watchful care now centred upon her eldest daughter, to whom + she endeavored to communicate her own self-devotion towards Balthazar. The + firmness and sound judgment which she recognized in the young girl made + her tremble at the thought of a possible struggle between father and + daughter whenever her own death should make the latter mistress of the + household. The poor woman had reached a point where she dreaded the + consequences of her death far more than death itself. Her tender + solicitude for Balthazar showed itself in the resolution she had this day + taken. By freeing his property from encumbrance she secured his + independence, and prevented all future disputes by separating his + interests from those of her children. She hoped to see him happy until she + closed her eyes on earth, and she studied to transmit the tenderness of + her own heart to Marguerite, trusting that his daughter might continue to + be to him an angel of love, while exercising over the family a protecting + and conservative authority. Might she not thus shed the light of her love + upon her dear ones from beyond the grave? Nevertheless, she was not + willing to lower the father in the eyes of his daughter by initiating her + into the secret dangers of his scientific passion before it became + necessary to do so. She studied Marguerite’s soul and character, seeking + to discover if the girl’s own nature would lead her to be a mother to her + brothers and her sister, and a tender, gentle helpmeet to her father. + </p> + <p> + Madame Claes’s last days were thus embittered by fears and mental + disquietudes which she dared not confide to others. Conscious that the + recent scene had struck her death-blow, she turned her thoughts wholly to + the future. Balthazar, meanwhile, now permanently unfitted for the care of + property or the interests of domestic life, thought only of the Absolute. + </p> + <p> + The heavy silence that reigned in the parlor was broken only by the + monotonous beating of Balthazar’s foot, which he continued to trot, wholly + unaware that Jean had slid from his knee. Marguerite, who was sitting + beside her mother and watching the changes on that pallid, convulsed face, + turned now and again to her father, wondering at his indifference. + Presently the street-door clanged, and the family saw the Abbe de Solis + leaning on the arm of his nephew and slowly crossing the court-yard. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! there is Monsieur Emmanuel,” said Felicie. + </p> + <p> + “That good young man!” exclaimed Madame Claes; “I am glad to welcome him.” + </p> + <p> + Marguerite blushed at the praise that escaped her mother’s lips. For the + last two days a remembrance of the young man had stirred mysterious + feelings in her heart, and wakened in her mind thoughts that had lain + dormant. During the visit made by the Abbe de Solis to Madame Claes on the + occasion of his examining the pictures, there happened certain of those + imperceptible events which wield so great an influence upon life; and + their results were sufficiently important to necessitate a brief sketch of + the two personages now first introduced into the history of this family. + </p> + <p> + It was a matter of principle with Madame Claes to perform the duties of + her religion privately. Her confessor, who was almost unknown in the + family, now entered the house for the second time only; but there, as + elsewhere, every one was impressed with a sort of tender admiration at the + aspect of the uncle and his nephew. + </p> + <p> + The Abbe de Solis was an octogenarian, with silvery hair, and a withered + face from which the vitality seemed to have retreated to the eyes. He + walked with difficulty, for one of his shrunken legs ended in a painfully + deformed foot, which was cased in a species of velvet bag, and obliged him + to use a crutch when the arm of his nephew was not at hand. His bent + figure and decrepit body conveyed the impression of a delicate, suffering + nature, governed by a will of iron and the spirit of religious purity. + This Spanish priest, who was remarkable for his vast learning, his sincere + piety, and a wide knowledge of men and things, had been successively a + Dominican friar, the “grand penitencier” of Toledo, and the vicar-general + of the archbishopric of Malines. If the French Revolution had not + intervened, the influence of the Casa-Real family would have made him one + of the highest dignitaries of the Church; but the grief he felt for the + death of the young duke, Madame Claes’s brother, who had been his pupil, + turned him from active life, and he now devoted himself to the education + of his nephew, who was made an orphan at an early age. + </p> + <p> + After the conquest of Belgium, the Abbe de Solis settled at Douai to be + near Madame Claes. From his youth up he had professed an enthusiasm for + Saint Theresa which, together with the natural bent of his mind, led him + to the mystical time of Christianity. Finding in Flanders, where + Mademoiselle Bourignon and the writings of the Quietists and Illuminati + made the greatest number of proselytes, a flock of Catholics devoted to + those ideas, he remained there,—all the more willingly because he + was looked up to as a patriarch by this particular communion, which + continued to follow the doctrines of the Mystics notwithstanding the + censures of the Church upon Fenelon and Madame Guyon. His morals were + rigid, his life exemplary, and he was believed to have visions. In spite + of his own detachment from the things of life, his affection for his + nephew made him careful of the young man’s interests. When a work of + charity was to be done, the old abbe put the faithful of his flock under + contribution before having recourse to his own means; and his patriarchal + authority was so well established, his motives so pure, his discernment so + rarely at fault, that every one was ready to answer his appeal. To give an + idea of the contrast between the uncle and the nephew, we may compare the + old man to a willow on the borders of a stream, hollowed to a skeleton and + barely alive, and the young man to a sweet-brier clustering with roses, + whose erect and graceful stems spring up about the hoary trunk of the old + tree as if they would support it. + </p> + <p> + Emmanuel de Solis, rigidly brought up by his uncle, who kept him at his + side as a mother keeps her daughter, was full of delicate sensibility, of + half-dreamy innocence,—those fleeting flowers of youth which bloom + perennially in souls that are nourished on religious principles. The old + priest had checked all sensuous emotions in his pupil, preparing him for + the trials of life by constant study and a discipline that was almost + cloisteral. Such an education, which would launch the youth unstained upon + the world and render him happy, provided he were fortunate in his earliest + affections, had endowed him with a purity of spirit which gave to his + person something of the charm that surrounds a maiden. His modest eyes, + veiling a strong and courageous soul, sent forth a light that vibrated in + the soul as the tones of a crystal bell sound their undulations on the + ear. His face, though regular, was expressive, and charmed the eye with + its clear-cut outline, the harmony of its lines, and the perfect repose + which came of a heart at peace. All was harmonious. His black hair, his + brown eyes and eyebrows, heightened the effect of a white skin and a + brilliant color. His voice was such as might have been expected from his + beautiful face; and something feminine in his movements accorded well with + the melody of its tones and with the tender brightness of his eyes. He + seemed unaware of the charm he exercised by his modest silence, the + half-melancholy reserve of his manner, and the respectful attentions he + paid to his uncle. + </p> + <p> + Those who saw the young man as he watched the uncertain steps of the old + abbe, and altered his own to suit their devious course, looking for + obstructions that might trip his uncle’s feet and guiding him to a + smoother way, could not fail to recognize in Emmanuel de Solis the + generous nature which makes the human being a divine creation. There was + something noble in the love that never criticised his uncle, in the + obedience that never cavilled at the old man’s orders; it seemed as though + there were prophecy in the gracious name his godmother had given him. When + the abbe gave proof of his Dominican despotism, in their own home or in + the presence of others, Emmanuel would sometimes lift his head with so + much dignity, as if to assert his metal should any other man assail him, + that men of honor were moved at the sight like artists before a glorious + picture; for noble sentiments ring as loudly in the soul from living + incarnations as from the imagery of art. + </p> + <p> + Emmanuel had accompanied his uncle when the latter came to examine the + pictures of the House of Claes. Hearing from Martha that the Abbe de Solis + was in the gallery, Marguerite, anxious to see so celebrated a man, + invented an excuse to join her mother and gratify her curiosity. Entering + hastily, with the heedless gaiety young girls assume at times to hide + their wishes, she encountered near the old abbe, clothed in black and + looking decrepit and cadaverous, the fresh, delightful face of a young + man. The naive glances of the youthful pair expressed their mutual + astonishment. Marguerite and Emmanuel had no doubt seen each other in + their dreams. Both lowered their eyes and raised them again with one + impulse; each, by the action, made the same avowal. Marguerite took her + mother’s arm, and spoke to her to cover her confusion and find shelter + under the maternal wing, turning her neck with a swan-like motion to keep + sight of Emmanuel, who still supported his uncle on his arm. The light was + cleverly arranged to give due value to the pictures, and the + half-obscurity of the gallery encouraged those furtive glances which are + the joy of timid natures. Neither went so far, even in thought, as the + first note of love; yet both felt the mysterious trouble which stirs the + heart, and is jealously kept secret in our youth from fastidiousness or + modesty. + </p> + <p> + The first impression which forces a sensibility hitherto suppressed to + overflow its borders, is followed in all young people by the same + half-stupefied amazement which the first sounds of music produce upon a + child. Some children laugh and think; others do not laugh till they have + thought; but those whose hearts are called to live by poetry or love, + listen stilly and hear the melody with a look where pleasure flames + already, and the search for the infinite begins. If, from an irresistible + feeling, we love the places where our childhood first perceived the + beauties of harmony, if we remember with delight the musician, and even + the instrument, that taught them to us, how much more shall we love the + being who reveals to us the music of life? The first heart in which we + draw the breath of love,—is it not our home, our native land? + Marguerite and Emmanuel were, each to each, that Voice of music which + wakes a sense, that hand which lifts the misty veil, and reveals the + distant shores bathed in the fires of noonday. + </p> + <p> + When Madame Claes paused before a picture by Guido representing an angel, + Marguerite bent forward to see the impression it made upon Emmanuel, and + Emmanuel looked at Marguerite to compare the mute thought on the canvas + with the living thought beside him. This involuntary and delightful homage + was understood and treasured. The old abbe gravely praised the picture, + and Madame Claes answered him, but the youth and the maiden were silent. + </p> + <p> + Such was their first meeting: the mysterious light of the picture gallery, + the stillness of the old house, the presence of their elders, all + contributed to trace upon their hearts the delicate lines of this vaporous + mirage. The many confused thoughts that surged in Marguerite’s mind grew + calm and lay like a limpid ocean traversed by a luminous ray when Emmanuel + murmured a few farewell words to Madame Claes. That voice, whose fresh and + mellow tone sent nameless delights into her heart, completed the + revelation that had come to her,—a revelation which Emmanuel, were + he able, should cherish to his own profit; for it often happens that the + man whom destiny employs to waken love in the heart of a young girl is + ignorant of his work and leaves it unfinished. Marguerite bowed + confusedly; her true farewell was in the glance which seemed unwilling to + lose so pure and lovely a vision. Like a child she wanted her melody. + Their parting took place at the foot of the old staircase near the parlor; + and when Marguerite re-entered the room she watched the uncle and the + nephew till the street-door closed upon them. + </p> + <p> + Madame Claes had been so occupied with the serious matters which caused + her conference with the abbe that she did not on this occasion observe her + daughter’s manner. When Monsieur de Solis came again to the house on the + occasion of her illness, she was too violently agitated to notice the + color that rushed into Marguerite’s face and betrayed the tumult of a + virgin heart conscious of its first joy. By the time the old abbe was + announced, Marguerite had taken up her sewing and appeared to give it such + attention that she bowed to the uncle and nephew without looking at them. + Monsieur Claes mechanically returned their salutation and left the room + with the air of a man called away by his occupations. The good Dominican + sat down beside Madame Claes and looked at her with one of those searching + glances by which he penetrated the minds of others; the sight of Monsieur + Claes and his wife was enough to make him aware of a catastrophe. + </p> + <p> + “My children,” said the mother, “go into the garden; Marguerite, show + Emmanuel your father’s tulips.” + </p> + <p> + Marguerite, half abashed, took Felicie’s arm and looked at the young man, + who blushed and caught up little Jean to cover his confusion. When all + four were in the garden, Felicie and Jean ran to the other side, leaving + Marguerite, who, conscious that she was alone with young de Solis, led him + to the pyramid of tulips, arranged precisely in the same manner year after + year by Lemulquinier. + </p> + <p> + “Do you love tulips?” asked Marguerite, after standing for a moment in + deep silence,—a silence Emmanuel seemed little disposed to break. + </p> + <p> + “Mademoiselle, these flowers are beautiful, but to love them we must + perhaps have a taste of them, and know how to understand their beauties. + They dazzle me. Constant study in the gloomy little chamber in which I + live, close to my uncle, makes me prefer those flowers that are softer to + the eye.” + </p> + <p> + Saying these words he glanced at Marguerite; but the look, full as it was + of confused desires, contained no allusion to the lily whiteness, the + sweet serenity, the tender coloring which made her face a flower. + </p> + <p> + “Do you work very hard?” she asked, leading him to a wooden seat with a + back, painted green. “Here,” she continued, “the tulips are not so close; + they will not tire your eyes. Yes, you are right, those colors are + dazzling; they give pain.” + </p> + <p> + “Do I work hard?” replied the young man after a short silence, as he + smoothed the gravel with his foot. “Yes; I work at many things. My uncle + wished to make me a priest.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” exclaimed Marguerite, naively. + </p> + <p> + “I resisted; I felt no vocation for it. But it required great courage to + oppose my uncle’s wishes. He is so good, he loves me so much! Quite + recently he bought a substitute to save me from the conscription—me, + a poor orphan!” + </p> + <p> + “What do you mean to be?” asked Marguerite; then, immediately checking + herself as though she would unsay the words, she added with a pretty + gesture, “I beg your pardon; you must think me very inquisitive.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, mademoiselle,” said Emmanuel, looking at her with tender admiration, + “except my uncle, no one ever asked me that question. I am studying to be + a teacher. I cannot do otherwise; I am not rich. If I were principal of a + college-school in Flanders I should earn enough to live moderately, and I + might marry some single woman whom I could love. That is the life I look + forward to. Perhaps that is why I prefer a daisy in the meadows to these + splendid tulips, whose purple and gold and rubies and amethysts betoken a + life of luxury, just as the daisy is emblematic of a sweet and patriarchal + life,—the life of a poor teacher like me.” + </p> + <p> + “I have always called the daisies marguerites,” she said. + </p> + <p> + Emmanuel colored deeply and sought an answer from the sand at his feet. + Embarrassed to choose among the thoughts that came to him, which he feared + were silly, and disconcerted by his delay in answering, he said at last, + “I dared not pronounce your name”—then he paused. + </p> + <p> + “A teacher?” she said. + </p> + <p> + “Mademoiselle, I shall be a teacher only as a means of living: I shall + undertake great works which will make me nobly useful. I have a strong + taste for historical researches.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” + </p> + <p> + That “ah!” so full of secret thoughts added to his confusion; he gave a + foolish laugh and said:— + </p> + <p> + “You make me talk of myself when I ought only to speak of you.” + </p> + <p> + “My mother and your uncle must have finished their conversation, I think,” + said Marguerite, looking into the parlor through the windows. + </p> + <p> + “Your mother seems to me greatly changed,” said Emmanuel. + </p> + <p> + “She suffers, but she will not tell us the cause of her sufferings; and we + can only try to share them with her.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Claes had, in fact, just ended a delicate consultation which + involved a case of conscience the Abbe de Solis alone could decide. + Foreseeing the utter ruin of the family, she wished to retain, unknown to + Balthazar who paid no attention to his business affairs, part of the price + of the pictures which Monsieur de Solis had undertaken to sell in Holland, + intending to hold it secretly in reserve against the day when poverty + should overtake her children. With much deliberation, and after weighing + every circumstance, the old Dominican approved the act as one of prudence. + He took his leave to prepare at once for the sale, which he engaged to + make secretly, so as not to injure Monsieur Claes in the estimation of + others. + </p> + <p> + The next day Monsieur de Solis despatched his nephew, armed with letters + of introduction, to Amsterdam, where Emmanuel, delighted to do a service + to the Claes family, succeeded in selling all the pictures in the gallery + to the noted bankers Happe and Duncker for the ostensible sum of + eighty-five thousand Dutch ducats and fifteen thousand more which were + paid over secretly to Madame Claes. The pictures were so well known that + nothing was needed to complete the sale but an answer from Balthazar to + the letter which Messieurs Happe and Duncker addressed to him. Emmanuel de + Solis was commissioned by Claes to receive the price of the pictures, + which were thereupon packed and sent away secretly, to conceal the sale + from the people of Douai. + </p> + <p> + Towards the end of September, Balthazar paid off all the sums that he had + borrowed, released his property from encumbrance, and resumed his chemical + researches; but the House of Claes was deprived of its noblest ornament. + Blinded by his passion, the master showed no regret; he felt so sure of + repairing the loss that in selling the pictures he reserved the right of + redemption. In Josephine’s eyes a hundred pictures were as nothing + compared to domestic happiness and the satisfaction of her husband’s mind; + moreover, she refilled the gallery with other paintings taken from the + reception-rooms, and to conceal the gaps which these left in the front + house, she changed the arrangement of the furniture. + </p> + <p> + When Balthazar’s debts were all paid he had about two hundred thousand + francs with which to carry on his experiments. The Abbe de Solis and his + nephew took charge secretly of the fifteen thousand ducats reserved by + Madame Claes. To increase that sum, the abbe sold the Dutch ducats, to + which the events of the Continental war had given a commercial value. One + hundred and sixty-five thousand francs were buried in the cellar of the + house in which the abbe and his nephew resided. + </p> + <p> + Madame Claes had the melancholy happiness of seeing her husband + incessantly busy and satisfied for nearly eight months. But the shock he + had lately given her was too severe; she sank into a state of languor and + debility which steadily increased. Balthazar was now so completely + absorbed in science that neither the reverses which had overtaken France, + nor the first fall of Napoleon, nor the return of the Bourbons, drew him + from his laboratory; he was neither husband, father, nor citizen,—solely + chemist. + </p> + <p> + Towards the close of 1814 Madame Claes declined so rapidly that she was no + longer able to leave her bed. Unwilling to vegetate in her own chamber, + the scene of so much happiness, where the memory of vanished joys forced + involuntary comparisons with the present and depressed her, she moved into + the parlor. The doctors encouraged this wish by declaring the room more + airy, more cheerful, and therefore better suited to her condition. The bed + in which the unfortunate woman ended her life was placed between the + fireplace and a window looking on the garden. There she passed her last + days, sacredly occupied in training the souls of her young daughters, + striving to leave within them the fire of her own. Conjugal love, deprived + of its manifestations, allowed maternal love to have its way. The mother + now seemed the more delightful because her motherhood had blossomed late. + Like all generous persons, she passed through sensitive phases of feeling + that she mistook for remorse. Believing that she had defrauded her + children of the tenderness that should have been theirs, she sought to + redeem those imaginary wrongs; bestowing attentions and tender cares which + made her precious to them; she longed to make her children live, as it + were, within her heart; to shelter them beneath her feeble wings; to + cherish them enough in the few remaining days to redeem the time during + which she had neglected them. The sufferings of her mind gave to her words + and her caresses a glowing warmth that issued from her soul. Her eyes + caressed her children, her voice with its yearning intonations touched + their hearts, her hand showered blessings on their heads. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IX + </h2> + <p> + The good people of Douai were not surprised that visitors were no longer + received at the House of Claes, and that Balthazar gave no more fetes on + the anniversary of his marriage. Madame Claes’s state of health seemed a + sufficient reason for the change, and the payment of her husband’s debts + put a stop to the current gossip; moreover, the political vicissitudes to + which Flanders was subjected, the war of the Hundred-days, and the + occupation of the Allied armies, put the chemist and his researches + completely out of people’s minds. During those two years Douai was so + often on the point of being taken, it was so constantly occupied either by + the French or by the enemy, so many foreigners came there, so many of the + country-people sought refuge within its walls, so many lives were in + peril, so many catastrophes occurred, that each man thought only of + himself. + </p> + <p> + The Abbe de Solis and his nephew, and the two Pierquins, doctor and + lawyer, were the only persons who now visited Madame Claes; for whom the + winter of 1814-1815 was a long and dreary death-scene. Her husband rarely + came to see her. It is true that after dinner he remained some hours in + the parlor, near her bed; but as she no longer had the strength to keep up + a conversation, he merely said a few words, invariably the same, sat down, + spoke no more, and a dreary silence settled down upon the room. The + monotony of this existence was broken only on the days when the Abbe de + Solis and his nephew passed the evening with Madame Claes. + </p> + <p> + While the abbe played backgammon with Balthazar, Marguerite talked with + Emmanuel by the bedside of her mother, who smiled at their innocent joy, + not allowing them to see how painful and yet how soothing to her wounded + spirit were the fresh breezes of their virgin love, murmuring in fitful + words from heart to heart. The inflection of their voices, to them so full + of charm, to her was heart-breaking; a glance of mutual understanding + surprised between the two threw her, half-dead as she was, back to the + young and happy past which gave such bitterness to the present. Emmanuel + and Marguerite with intuitive delicacy of feeling repressed the sweet + half-childish play of love, lest it should hurt the saddened woman whose + wounds they instinctively divined. + </p> + <p> + No one has yet remarked that feelings have an existence of their own, a + nature which is developed by the circumstances that environ them, and in + which they are born; they bear a likeness to the places of their growth, + and keep the imprint of the ideas that influenced their development. There + are passions ardently conceived which remain ardent, like that of Madame + Claes for her husband: there are sentiments on which all life has smiled; + these retain their spring-time gaiety, their harvest-time of joy, seasons + that never fail of laughter or of fetes; but there are other loves, framed + in melancholy, circled by distress, whose pleasures are painful, costly, + burdened by fears, poisoned by remorse, or blackened by despair. The love + in the heart of Marguerite and Emmanuel, as yet unknown to them for love, + the sentiment that budded into life beneath the gloomy arches of the + picture-gallery, beside the stern old abbe, in a still and silent moment, + that love so grave and so discreet, yet rich in tender depths, in secret + delights that were luscious to the taste as stolen grapes snatched from a + corner of the vineyard, wore in coming years the sombre browns and grays + that surrounded the hour of its birth. + </p> + <p> + Fearing to give expression to their feelings beside that bed of pain, they + unconsciously increased their happiness by a concentration which deepened + its imprint on their hearts. The devotion of the daughter, shared by + Emmanuel, happy in thus uniting himself with Marguerite and becoming by + anticipation the son of her mother, was their medium of communication. + Melancholy thanks from the lips of the young girl supplanted the honeyed + language of lovers; the sighing of their hearts, surcharged with joy at + some interchange of looks, was scarcely distinguishable from the sighs + wrung from them by the mother’s sufferings. Their happy little moments of + indirect avowal, of unuttered promises, of smothered effusion, were like + the allegories of Raphael painted on a black ground. Each felt a certainty + that neither avowed; they knew the sun was shining over them, but they + could not know what wind might chase away the clouds that gathered about + their heads. They doubted the future; fearing that pain would ever follow + them, they stayed timidly among the shadows of the twilight, not daring to + say to each other, “Shall we end our days together?” + </p> + <p> + The tenderness which Madame Claes now testified for her children nobly + concealed much that she endeavored to hide from herself. Her children + caused her neither fear nor passionate emotion: they were her comforters, + but they were not her life: she lived by them; she died through Balthazar. + However painful her husband’s presence might be to her, lost as he was for + hours together in depths of thought from which he looked at her without + seeing her, it was only during those cruel moments that she forgot her + griefs. His indifference to the dying woman would have seemed criminal to + a stranger, but Madame Claes and her daughters were accustomed to it; they + knew his heart and they forgave him. If, during the daytime, Josephine was + seized by some sudden illness, if she were worse and seemed near dying, + Claes was the only person in the house or in the town who remained + ignorant of it. Lemulquinier knew it, but neither the daughters, bound to + silence by their mother, nor Josephine herself let Balthazar know the + danger of the being he had once so passionately loved. + </p> + <p> + When his heavy step sounded in the gallery as he came to dinner, Madame + Claes was happy—she was about to see him! and she gathered up her + strength for that happiness. As he entered, the pallid face blushed + brightly and recovered for an instant the semblance of health. Balthazar + came to her bedside, took her hand, saw the misleading color on her cheek, + and to him she seemed well. When he asked, “My dear wife, how are you + to-day?” she answered, “Better, dear friend,” and made him think she would + be up and recovered on the morrow. His preoccupation was so great that he + accepted this reply, and believed the illness of which his wife was dying + a mere indisposition. Dying to the eyes of the world, in his alone she was + living. + </p> + <p> + A complete separation between husband and wife was the result of this + year. Claes slept in a distant chamber, got up early in the morning, and + shut himself into his laboratory or his study. Seeing his wife only in + presence of his daughters or of the two or three friends who came to visit + them, he lost the habit of communicating with her. These two beings, + formerly accustomed to think as one, no longer, unless at rare intervals, + enjoyed those moments of communion, of passionate unreserve which feed the + life of the heart; and finally there came a time when even these rare + pleasures ceased. Physical suffering was now a boon to the poor woman, + helping her to endure the void of separation, which might have killed her + had she been truly living. Her bodily pain became so great that there were + times when she was joyful in the thought that he whom she loved was not a + witness of it. She lay watching Balthazar in the evening hours, and + knowing him happy in his own way, she lived in the happiness she had + procured for him,—a shadowy joy, and yet it satisfied her. She no + longer asked herself if she were loved, she forced herself to believe it; + and she glided over that icy surface, not daring to rest her weight upon + it lest it should break and drown her soul in a gulf of awful nothingness. + </p> + <p> + No events stirred the calm of this existence; the malady that was slowly + consuming Madame Claes added to the household stillness, and in this + condition of passive gloom the House of Claes reached the first weeks of + the year 1816. Pierquin, the lawyer, was destined, at the close of + February, to strike the death-blow of the fragile woman who, in the words + of the Abbe de Solis, was well-nigh without sin. + </p> + <p> + “Madame,” said Pierquin, seizing a moment when her daughters could not + hear the conversation, “Monsieur Claes has directed me to borrow three + hundred thousand francs on his property. You must do something to protect + the future of your children.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Claes clasped her hands and raised her eyes to the ceiling; then + she thanked the notary with a sad smile and a kindly motion of her head + which affected him. + </p> + <p> + His words were the stab that killed her. During that day she had yielded + herself up to sad reflections which swelled her heart; she was like the + wayfarer walking beside a precipice who loses his balance and a mere + pebble rolls him to the depth of the abyss he had so long and so + courageously skirted. When the notary left her, Madame Claes told + Marguerite to bring writing materials; then she gathered up her remaining + strength to write her last wishes. Several times she paused and looked at + her daughter. The hour of confidence had come. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite’s management of the household since her mother’s illness had + amply fulfilled the dying woman’s hopes that Madame Claes was able to look + upon the future of the family without absolute despair, confident that she + herself would live again in this strong and loving angel. Both women felt, + no doubt, that sad and mutual confidences must now be made between them; + the daughter looked at the mother, the mother at the daughter, tears + flowing from their eyes. Several times, as Madame Claes rested from her + writing, Marguerite said: “Mother?” then she dropped as if choking; but + the mother, occupied with her last thoughts, did not ask the meaning of + the interrogation. At last, Madame Claes wished to seal the letter; + Marguerite held the taper, turning aside her head that she might not see + the superscription. + </p> + <p> + “You can read it, my child,” said the mother, in a heart-rending voice. + </p> + <p> + The young girl read the words, “To my daughter Marguerite.” + </p> + <p> + “We will talk to each other after I have rested awhile,” said Madame + Claes, putting the letter under her pillow. + </p> + <p> + Then she fell back as if exhausted by the effort, and slept for several + hours. When she woke, her two daughters and her two sons were kneeling by + her bed and praying. It was Thursday. Gabriel and Jean had been brought + from school by Emmanuel de Solis, who for the last six months was + professor of history and philosophy. + </p> + <p> + “Dear children, we must part!” she cried. “You have never forsaken me, + never! and he who—” + </p> + <p> + She stopped. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur Emmanuel,” said Marguerite, seeing the pallor on her mother’s + face, “go to my father, and tell him mamma is worse.” + </p> + <p> + Young de Solis went to the door of the laboratory and persuaded + Lemulquinier to make Balthazar come and speak to him. On hearing of the + urgent request of the young man, Claes answered, “I will come.” + </p> + <p> + “Emmanuel,” said Madame Claes when he returned to her, “take my sons away, + and bring your uncle here. It is time to give me the last sacraments, and + I wish to receive them from his hand.” + </p> + <p> + When she was alone with her daughters she made a sign to Marguerite, who + understood her and sent Felicie away. + </p> + <p> + “I have something to say to you myself, dear mamma,” said Marguerite who, + not believing her mother so ill as she really was, increased the wound + Pierquin had given. “I have had no money for the household expenses during + the last ten days; I owe six months’ wages to the servants. Twice I have + tried to ask my father for money, but did not dare to do so. You don’t + know, perhaps, that all the pictures in the gallery have been sold, and + all the wines in the cellar?” + </p> + <p> + “He never told me!” exclaimed Madame Claes. “My God! thou callest me to + thyself in time! My poor children! what will become of them?” + </p> + <p> + She made a fervent prayer, which brought the fires of repentance to her + eyes. + </p> + <p> + “Marguerite,” she resumed, drawing the letter from her pillow, “here is a + paper which you must not open or read until a time, after my death, when + some great disaster has overtaken you; when, in short, you are without the + means of living. My dear Marguerite, love your father, but take care of + your brothers and your sister. In a few days, in a few hours perhaps, you + will be the head of this household. Be economical. Should you find + yourself opposed to the wishes of your father,—and it may so happen, + because he has spent vast sums in searching for a secret whose discovery + is to bring glory and wealth to his family, and he will no doubt need + money, perhaps he may demand it of you,—should that time come, treat + him with the tenderness of a daughter, strive to reconcile the interests + of which you will be the sole protector with the duty which you owe to a + father, to a great man who sacrificed his happiness and his life to the + glory of his family; he can only do wrong in act, his intentions are + noble, his heart is full of love; you will see him once more kind and + affectionate—YOU! Marguerite, it is my duty to say these words to + you on the borders of the grave. If you wish to soften the anguish of my + death, promise me, my child, to take my place beside your father; to cause + him no grief; never to reproach him; never to condemn him. Be a gentle, + considerate guardian of the home until—his work accomplished—he + is again the master of his family.” + </p> + <p> + “I understand you, dear mother,” said Marguerite, kissing the swollen + eyelids of the dying woman. “I will do as you wish.” + </p> + <p> + “Do not marry, my darling, until Gabriel can succeed you in the management + of the property and the household. If you married, your husband might not + share your feelings, he might bring trouble into the family and disturb + your father’s life.” + </p> + <p> + Marguerite looked at her mother and said, “Have you nothing else to say to + me about my marriage?” + </p> + <p> + “Can you hesitate, my child?” cried the dying woman in alarm. + </p> + <p> + “No,” the daughter answered; “I promise to obey you.” + </p> + <p> + “Poor girl! I did not sacrifice myself for you,” said the mother, shedding + hot tears. “Yet I ask you to sacrifice yourself for all. Happiness makes + us selfish. Be strong; preserve your own good sense to guard others who as + yet have none. Act so that your brothers and your sister may not reproach + my memory. Love your father, and do not oppose him—too much.” + </p> + <p> + She laid her head on her pillow and said no more; her strength was gone; + the inward struggle between the Wife and the Mother had been too violent. + </p> + <p> + A few moments later the clergy came, preceded by the Abbe de Solis, and + the parlor was filled by the children and the household. When the ceremony + was about to begin, Madame Claes, awakened by her confessor, looked about + her and not seeing Balthazar said quickly,— + </p> + <p> + “Where is my husband?” + </p> + <p> + Those words—summing up, as it were, her life and her death—were + uttered in such lamentable tones that all present shuddered. Martha, in + spite of her great age, darted out of the room, ran up the staircase and + through the gallery, and knocked loudly on the door of the laboratory. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur, madame is dying; they are waiting for you, to administer the + last sacraments,” she cried with the violence of indignation. + </p> + <p> + “I am coming,” answered Balthazar. + </p> + <p> + Lemulquinier came down a moment later, and said his master was following + him. Madame Claes’s eyes never left the parlor door, but her husband did + not appear until the ceremony was over. When at last he entered, Josephine + colored and a few tears rolled down her cheeks. + </p> + <p> + “Were you trying to decompose nitrogen?” she said to him with an angelic + tenderness which made the spectators quiver. + </p> + <p> + “I have done it!” he cried joyfully; “Nitrogen contains oxygen and a + substance of the nature of imponderable matter, which is apparently the + principle of—” + </p> + <p> + A murmur of horror interrupted his words and brought him to his senses. + </p> + <p> + “What did they tell me?” he demanded. “Are you worse? What is the matter?” + </p> + <p> + “This is the matter, monsieur,” whispered the Abbe de Solis, indignant at + his conduct; “your wife is dying, and you have killed her.” + </p> + <p> + Without waiting for an answer the abbe took the arm of his nephew and went + out followed by the family, who accompanied him to the court-yard. + Balthazar stood as if thunderstruck; he looked at his wife, and a few + tears dropped from his eyes. + </p> + <p> + “You are dying, and I have killed you!” he said. “What does he mean?” + </p> + <p> + “My husband,” she answered, “I only lived in your love, and you have taken + my life away from me; but you knew not what you did.” + </p> + <p> + “Leave us,” said Claes to his children, who now re-entered the room. “Have + I for one moment ceased to love you?” he went on, sitting down beside his + wife, and taking her hands and kissing them. + </p> + <p> + “My friend, I do not blame you. You made me happy—too happy, for I + have not been able to bear the contrast between our early married life, so + full of joy, and these last days, so desolate, so empty, when you are not + yourself. The life of the heart, like the life of the body, has its + functions. For six years you have been dead to love, to the family, to all + that was once our happiness. I will not speak of our early married days; + such joys must cease in the after-time of life, but they ripen into fruits + which feed the soul,—confidence unlimited, the tender habits of + affection: you have torn those treasures from me! I go in time: we live + together no longer; you hide your thoughts and actions from me. How is it + that you fear me? Have I ever given you one word, one look, one gesture of + reproach? And yet, you have sold your last pictures, you have sold even + the wine in your cellar, you are borrowing money on your property, and + have said no word to me. Ah! I go from life weary of life. If you are + doing wrong, if you delude yourself in following the unattainable, have I + not shown you that my love could share your faults, could walk beside you + and be happy, though you led me in the paths of crime? You loved me too + well,—that was my glory; it is now my death. Balthazar, my illness + has lasted long; it began on the day when here, in this place where I am + about to die, you showed me that Science was more to you than Family. And + now the end has come; your wife is dying, and your fortune lost. Fortune + and wife were yours,—you could do what you willed with your own; but + on the day of my death my property goes to my children, and you cannot + touch it; what will then become of you? I am telling you the truth; I owe + it to you. Dying eyes see far; when I am gone will anything outweigh that + cursed passion which is now your life? If you have sacrificed your wife, + your children will count but little in the scale; for I must be just and + own you loved me above all. Two millions and six years of toil you have + cast into the gulf,—and what have you found?” + </p> + <p> + At these words Claes grasped his whitened head in his hands and hid his + face. + </p> + <p> + “Humiliation for yourself, misery for your children,” continued the dying + woman. “You are called in derision ‘Claes the alchemist’; soon it will be + ‘Claes the madman.’ For myself, I believe in you. I know you great and + wise; I know your genius: but to the vulgar eye genius is mania. Fame is a + sun that lights the dead; living, you will be unhappy with the unhappiness + of great minds, and your children will be ruined. I go before I see your + fame, which might have brought me consolation for my lost happiness. Oh, + Balthazar! make my death less bitter to me, let me be certain that my + children will not want for bread—Ah, nothing, nothing, not even you, + can calm my fears.” + </p> + <p> + “I swear,” said Claes, “to—” + </p> + <p> + “No, do not swear, that you may not fail of your oath,” she said, + interrupting him. “You owed us your protection; we have been without it + seven years. Science is your life. A great man should have neither wife + nor children; he should tread alone the path of sacrifice. His virtues are + not the virtues of common men; he belongs to the universe, he cannot + belong to wife or family; he sucks up the moisture of the earth about him, + like a majestic tree—and I, poor plant, I could not rise to the + height of your life, I die at its feet. I have waited for this last day to + tell you these dreadful thoughts: they came to me in the lightnings of + desolation and anguish. Oh, spare my children! let these words echo in + your heart. I cry them to you with my last breath. The wife is dead, dead; + you have stripped her slowly, gradually, of her feelings, of her joys. + Alas! without that cruel care could I have lived so long? But those poor + children did not forsake me! they have grown beside my anguish, the mother + still survives. Spare them! Spare my children!” + </p> + <p> + “Lemulquinier!” cried Claes in a voice of thunder. + </p> + <p> + The old man appeared. + </p> + <p> + “Go up and destroy all—instruments, apparatus, everything! Be + careful, but destroy all. I renounce Science,” he said to his wife. + </p> + <p> + “Too late,” she answered, looking at Lemulquinier. “Marguerite!” she + cried, feeling herself about to die. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite came through the doorway and uttered a piercing cry as she saw + her mother’s eyes now glazing. + </p> + <p> + “MARGUERITE!” repeated the dying woman. + </p> + <p> + The exclamation contained so powerful an appeal to her daughter, she + invested that appeal with such authority, that the cry was like a dying + bequest. The terrified family ran to her side and saw her die; the vital + forces were exhausted in that last conversation with her husband. + </p> + <p> + Balthazar and Marguerite stood motionless, she at the head, he at the foot + of the bed, unable to believe in the death of the woman whose virtues and + exhaustless tenderness were known fully to them alone. Father and daughter + exchanged looks freighted with meaning: the daughter judged the father, + and already the father trembled, seeing in his daughter an instrument of + vengeance. Though memories of the love with which his Pepita had filled + his life crowded upon his mind, and gave to her dying words a sacred + authority whose voice his soul must ever hear, yet Balthazar knew himself + helpless in the grasp of his attendant genius; he heard the terrible + mutterings of his passion, denying him the strength to carry his + repentance into action: he feared himself. + </p> + <p> + When the grave had closed upon Madame Claes, one thought filled the minds + of all,—the house had had a soul, and that soul was now departed. + The grief of the family was so intense that the parlor, where the noble + woman still seemed to linger, was closed; no one had the courage to enter + it. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER X + </h2> + <p> + Society practises none of the virtues it demands from individuals: every + hour it commits crimes, but the crimes are committed in words; it paves + the way for evil actions with a jest; it degrades nobility of soul by + ridicule; it jeers at sons who mourn their fathers, anathematizes those + who do not mourn them enough, and finds diversion (the hypocrite!) in + weighing the dead bodies before they are cold. + </p> + <p> + The evening of the day on which Madame Claes died, her friends cast a few + flowers upon her memory in the intervals of their games of whist, doing + homage to her noble qualities as they sorted their hearts and spades. + Then, after a few lachrymal phrases,—the fi, fo, fum of collective + grief, uttered in precisely the same tone, and with neither more nor less + of feeling, at all hours and in every town in France,—they proceeded + to estimate the value of her property. Pierquin was the first to observe + that the death of this excellent woman was a mercy, for her husband had + made her unhappy; and it was even more fortunate for her children: she was + unable while living to refuse her money to the husband she adored; but now + that she was dead, Claes was debarred from touching it. Thereupon all + present calculated the fortune of that poor Madame Claes, wondered how + much she had laid by (had she, in fact, laid by anything?), made an + inventory of her jewels, rummaged in her wardrobe, peeped into her + drawers, while the afflicted family were still weeping and praying around + her death-bed. + </p> + <p> + Pierquin, with an appraising eye, stated that Madame Claes’s possessions + in her own right—to use the notarial phrase—might still be + recovered, and ought to amount to nearly a million and a half of francs; + basing this estimate partly on the forest of Waignies,—whose timber, + counting the full-grown trees, the saplings, the primeval growths, and the + recent plantations, had immensely increased in value during the last + twelve years,—and partly on Balthazar’s own property, of which + enough remained to “cover” the claims of his children, if the liquidation + of their mother’s fortune did not yield sufficient to release him. + Mademoiselle Claes was still, in Pierquin’s slang, “a + four-hundred-thousand-franc girl.” “But,” he added, “if she doesn’t marry,—a + step which would of course separate her interests and permit us to sell + the forest and auction, and so realize the property of the minor children + and reinvest it where the father can’t lay hands on it,—Claes is + likely to ruin them all.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon, everybody looked about for some eligible young man worthy to + win the hand of Mademoiselle Claes; but none of them paid the lawyer the + compliment of suggesting that he might be the man. Pierquin, however, + found so many good reasons to reject the suggested matches as unworthy of + Marguerite’s position, that the confabulators glanced at each other and + smiled, and took malicious pleasure in prolonging this truly provincial + method of annoyance. Pierquin had already decided that Madame Claes’s + death would have a favorable effect upon his suit, and he began mentally + to cut up the body in his own interests. + </p> + <p> + “That good woman,” he said to himself as he went home to bed, “was as + proud as a peacock; she would never gave given me her daughter. Hey, hey! + why couldn’t I manage matters now so as to marry the girl? Pere Claes is + drunk on carbon, and takes no care of his children. If, after convincing + Marguerite that she must marry to save the property of her brothers and + sister, I were to ask him for his daughter, he will be glad to get rid of + a girl who is likely to thwart him.” + </p> + <p> + He went to sleep anticipating the charms of the marriage contract, and + reflecting on the advantages of the step and the guarantees afforded for + his happiness in the person he proposed to marry. In all the provinces + there was certainly not a better brought-up or more delicately lovely + young girl than Mademoiselle Claes. Her modesty, her grace, were like + those of the pretty flower Emmanuel had feared to name lest he should + betray the secret of his heart. Her sentiments were lofty, her principles + religious, she would undoubtedly make him a faithful wife: moreover, she + not only flattered the vanity which influences every man more or less in + the choice of a wife, but she gratified his pride by the high + consideration which her family, doubly ennobled, enjoyed in Flanders,—a + consideration which her husband of course would share. + </p> + <p> + The next day Pierquin extracted from his strong-box several thousand-franc + notes, which he offered with great friendliness to Balthazar, so as to + relieve him of pecuniary annoyance in the midst of his grief. Touched by + this delicate attention, Balthazar would, he thought, praise his goodness + and his personal qualities to Marguerite. In this he was mistaken. + Monsieur Claes and his daughter thought it was a very natural action, and + their sorrow was too absorbing to let them even think of the lawyer. + </p> + <p> + Balthazar’s despair was indeed so great that persons who were disposed to + blame his conduct could not do otherwise than forgive him,—less on + account of the Science which might have excused him, than for the remorse + which could not undo his deeds. Society is satisfied by appearances: it + takes what it gives, without considering the intrinsic worth of the + article. To the world real suffering is a show, a species of enjoyment, + which inclines it to absolve even a criminal; in its thirst for emotions + it acquits without judging the man who raises a laugh, or he who makes it + weep, making no inquiry into their methods. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite was just nineteen when her father put her in charge of the + household; and her brothers and sister, whom Madame Claes in her last + moments exhorted to obey their elder sister, accepted her authority with + docility. Her mourning attire heightened the dewy whiteness of her skin, + just as the sadness of her expression threw into relief the gentleness and + patience of her manner. From the first she gave proofs of feminine + courage, of inalterable serenity, like that of angels appointed to shed + peace on suffering hearts by a touch of their waving palms. But although + she trained herself, through a premature perception of duty, to hide her + personal grief, it was none the less bitter; her calm exterior was not in + keeping with the deep trouble of her thoughts, and she was destined to + undergo, too early in life, those terrible outbursts of feeling which no + heart is wholly able to subdue: her father was to hold her incessantly + under the pressure of natural youthful generosity on the one hand, and the + dictates of imperious duty on the other. The cares which came upon her the + very day of her mother’s death threw her into a struggle with the + interests of life at an age when young girls are thinking only of its + pleasures. Dreadful discipline of suffering, which is never lacking to + angelic natures! + </p> + <p> + The love which rests on money or on vanity is the most persevering of + passions. Pierquin resolved to win the heiress without delay. A few days + after Madame Claes’s death he took occasion to speak to Marguerite, and + began operations with a cleverness which might have succeeded if love had + not given her the power of clear insight and saved her from mistaking + appearances that were all the more specious because Pierquin displayed his + natural kindheartedness,—the kindliness of a notary who thinks + himself loving while he protects a client’s money. Relying on his rather + distant relationship and his constant habit of managing the business and + sharing the secrets of the Claes family, sure of the esteem and friendship + of the father, greatly assisted by the careless inattention of that + servant of science who took no thought for the marriage of his daughter, + and not suspecting that Marguerite could prefer another,—Pierquin + unguardedly enabled her to form a judgment on a suit in which there was no + passion except that of self-interest, always odious to a young soul, and + which he was not clever enough to conceal. It was he who on this occasion + was naively above-board, it was she who dissimulated,—simply because + he thought he was dealing with a defenceless girl, and wholly misconceived + the privileges of weakness. + </p> + <p> + “My dear cousin,” he said to Marguerite, with whom he was walking about + the paths of the little garden, “you know my heart, you understand how + truly I desire to respect the painful feelings which absorb you at this + moment. I have too sensitive a nature for a lawyer; I live by my heart + only, I am forced to spend my time on the interests of others when I would + fain let myself enjoy the sweet emotions which make life happy. I suffer + deeply in being obliged to talk to you of subjects so discordant with your + state of mind, but it is necessary. I have thought much about you during + the last few days. It is evident that through a fatal delusion the fortune + of your brothers and sister and your own are in jeopardy. Do you wish to + save your family from complete ruin?” + </p> + <p> + “What must I do?” she asked, half-frightened by his words. + </p> + <p> + “Marry,” answered Pierquin. + </p> + <p> + “I shall not marry,” she said. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, you will marry,” replied the notary, “when you have soberly thought + over the critical position in which you are placed.” + </p> + <p> + “How can my marriage save—” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! I knew you would consider it, my dear cousin,” he exclaimed, + interrupting her. “Marriage will emancipate you.” + </p> + <p> + “Why should I be emancipated?” asked Marguerite. + </p> + <p> + “Because marriage will put you at once into possession of your property, + my dear little cousin,” said the lawyer in a tone of triumph. “If you + marry you take your share of your mother’s property. To give it to you, + the whole property must be liquidated; to do that, it becomes necessary to + sell the forest of Waignies. That done, the proceeds will be capitalized, + and your father, as guardian, will be compelled to invest the fortune of + his children in such a way that Chemistry can’t get hold of it.” + </p> + <p> + “And if I do not marry, what will happen?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said the notary, “your father will manage your estate as he + pleases. If he returns to making gold, he will probably sell the timber of + the forest of Waignies and leave his children as naked as the little Saint + Johns. The forest is now worth about fourteen hundred thousand francs; but + from one day to another you are not sure your father won’t cut it down, + and then your thirteen hundred acres are not worth three hundred thousand + francs. Isn’t it better to avoid this almost certain danger by at once + compelling the division of property on your marriage? If the forest is + sold now, while Chemistry has gone to sleep, your father will put the + proceeds into the Grand-Livre. The Funds are at 59; those dear children + will get nearly five thousand francs a year for every fifty thousand + francs: and, inasmuch as the property of minors cannot be sold out, your + brothers and sister will find their fortunes doubled in value by the time + they come of age. Whereas, in the other case,—faith, no one knows + what may happen: your father has already impaired your mother’s property; + we shall find out the deficit when we come to make the inventory. If he is + in debt to her estate, you will take a mortgage on his, and in that way + something may be recovered—” + </p> + <p> + “For shame!” said Marguerite. “It would be an outrage on my father. It is + not so long since my mother uttered her last words that I have forgotten + them. My father is incapable of robbing his children,” she continued, + giving way to tears of distress. “You misunderstand him, Monsieur + Pierquin.” + </p> + <p> + “But, my dear cousin, if your father gets back to chemistry—” + </p> + <p> + “We are ruined; is that what you mean?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, utterly ruined. Believe me, Marguerite,” he said, taking her hand + which he placed upon his heart, “I should fail of my duty if I did not + persist in this matter. Your interests alone—” + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur,” said Marguerite, coldly withdrawing her hand, “the true + interests of my family require me not to marry. My mother thought so.” + </p> + <p> + “Cousin,” he cried, with the earnestness of a man who sees a fortune + escaping him, “you commit suicide; you fling your mother’s property into a + gulf. Well, I will prove the devotion I feel for you: you know not how I + love you. I have admired you from the day of that last ball, three years + ago; you were enchanting. Trust the voice of love when it speaks to you of + your own interests, Marguerite.” He paused. “Yes, we must call a family + council and emancipate you—without consulting you,” he added. + </p> + <p> + “But what is it to be emancipated?” + </p> + <p> + “It is to enjoy your own rights.” + </p> + <p> + “If I can be emancipated without being married, why do you want me to + marry? and whom should I marry?” + </p> + <p> + Pierquin tried to look tenderly at his cousin, but the expression + contrasted so strongly with his hard eyes, usually fixed on money, that + Marguerite discovered the self-interest in his improvised tenderness. + </p> + <p> + “You would marry the person who—pleases you—the most,” he + said. “A husband is indispensable, were it only as a matter of business. + You are now entering upon a struggle with your father; can you resist him + all alone?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, monsieur; I shall know how to protect my brothers and sister when + the time comes.” + </p> + <p> + “Pshaw! the obstinate creature,” thought Pierquin. “No, you will not + resist him,” he said aloud. + </p> + <p> + “Let us end the subject,” she said. + </p> + <p> + “Adieu, cousin, I shall endeavor to serve you in spite of yourself; I will + prove my love by protecting you against your will from a disaster which + all the town foresees.” + </p> + <p> + “I thank you for the interest you take in me,” she answered; “but I + entreat you to propose nothing and to undertake nothing which may give + pain to my father.” + </p> + <p> + Marguerite stood thoughtfully watching Pierquin as he departed; she + compared his metallic voice, his manners, flexible as a steel spring, his + glance, servile rather than tender, with the mute melodious poetry in + which Emmanuel’s sentiments were wrapped. No matter what may be said, or + what may be done, there exists a wonderful magnetism whose effects never + deceive. The tones of the voice, the glance, the passionate gestures of a + lover may be imitated; a young girl can be deluded by a clever comedian; + but to succeed, the man must be alone in the field. If the young girl has + another soul beside her whose pulses vibrate in unison with hers, she is + able to distinguish the expressions of a true love. Emmanuel, like + Marguerite, felt the influence of the chords which, from the time of their + first meeting had gathered ominously about their heads, hiding from their + eyes the blue skies of love. His feeling for the Elect of his heart was an + idolatry which the total absence of hope rendered gentle and mysterious in + its manifestations. Socially too far removed from Mademoiselle Claes by + his want of fortune, with nothing but a noble name to offer her, he saw no + chance of ever being her husband. Yet he had always hoped for certain + encouragements which Marguerite refused to give before the failing eyes of + her dying mother. Both equally pure, they had never said to one another a + word of love. Their joys were solitary joys tasted by each alone. They + trembled apart, though together they quivered beneath the rays of the same + hope. They seemed to fear themselves, conscious that each only too surely + belonged to the other. Emmanuel trembled lest he should touch the hand of + the sovereign to whom he had made a shrine of his heart; a chance contact + would have roused hopes that were too ardent, he could not then have + mastered the force of his passion. And yet, while neither bestowed the + vast, though trivial, the innocent and yet all-meaning signs of love that + even timid lovers allow themselves, they were so firmly fixed in each + other’s hearts that both were ready to make the greatest sacrifices, which + were, indeed, the only pleasures their love could expect to taste. + </p> + <p> + Since Madame Claes’s death this hidden love was shrouded in mourning. The + tints of the sphere in which it lived, dark and dim from the first, were + now black; the few lights were veiled by tears. Marguerite’s reserve + changed to coldness; she remembered the promise exacted by her mother. + With more freedom of action, she nevertheless became more distant. + Emmanuel shared his beloved’s grief, comprehending that the slightest word + or wish of love at such a time transgressed the laws of the heart. Their + love was therefore more concealed than it had ever been. These tender + souls sounded the same note: held apart by grief, as formerly by the + timidities of youth and by respect for the sufferings of the mother, they + clung to the magnificent language of the eyes, the mute eloquence of + devoted actions, the constant unison of thoughts,—divine harmonies + of youth, the first steps of a love still in its infancy. Emmanuel came + every morning to inquire for Claes and Marguerite, but he never entered + the dining-room, where the family now sat, unless to bring a letter from + Gabriel or when Balthazar invited him to come in. His first glance at the + young girl contained a thousand sympathetic thoughts; it told her that he + suffered under these conventional restraints, that he never left her, he + was always with her, he shared her grief. He shed the tears of his own + pain into the soul of his dear one by a look that was marred by no selfish + reservation. His good heart lived so completely in the present, he clung + so firmly to a happiness which he believed to be fugitive, that Marguerite + sometimes reproached herself for not generously holding out her hand and + saying, “Let us at least be friends.” + </p> + <p> + Pierquin continued his suit with an obstinacy which is the unreflecting + patience of fools. He judged Marguerite by the ordinary rules of the + multitude when judging of women. He believed that the words marriage, + freedom, fortune, which he had put into her mind, would geminate and + flower into wishes by which he could profit; he imagined that her coldness + was mere dissimulation. But surround her as he would with gallant + attentions, he could not hide the despotic ways of a man accustomed to + manage the private affairs of many families with a high hand. He + discoursed to her in those platitudes of consolation common to his + profession, which crawl like snails over the suffering mind, leaving + behind them a trail of barren words which profane its sanctity. His + tenderness was mere wheedling. He dropped his feigned melancholy at the + door when he put on his overshoes, or took his umbrella. He used the tone + his long intimacy authorized as an instrument to work himself still + further into the bosom of the family, and bring Marguerite to a marriage + which the whole town was beginning to foresee. The true, devoted, + respectful love formed a striking contrast to its selfish, calculating + semblance. Each man’s conduct was homogenous: one feigned a passion and + seized every advantage to gain the prize; the other hid his love and + trembled lest he should betray his devotion. + </p> + <p> + Some time after the death of her mother, and, as it happened, on the same + day, Marguerite was enabled to compare the only two men of whom she had + any opportunity of judging; for the social solitude to which she was + condemned kept her from seeing life and gave no access to those who might + think of her in marriage. One day after breakfast, a fine morning in + April, Emmanuel called at the house just as Monsieur Claes was going out. + The aspect of his own house was so unendurable to Balthazar that he spent + part of every day in walking about the ramparts. Emmanuel made a motion as + if to follow him, then he hesitated, seemed to gather up his courage, + looked at Marguerite and remained. The young girl felt sure that he wished + to speak with her, and asked him to go into the garden; then she sent + Felicie to Martha, who was sewing in the antechamber on the upper floor, + and seated herself on a garden-seat in full view of her sister and the old + duenna. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur Claes is as much absorbed by grief as he once was by science,” + began the young man, watching Balthazar as he slowly crossed the + court-yard. “Every one in Douai pities him; he moves like a man who has + lost all consciousness of life; he stops without a purpose, he gazes + without seeing anything.” + </p> + <p> + “Every sorrow has its own expression,” said Marguerite, checking her + tears. “What is it you wish to say to me?” she added after a pause, coldly + and with dignity. + </p> + <p> + “Mademoiselle,” answered Emmanuel in a voice of feeling, “I scarcely know + if I have the right to speak to you as I am about to do. Think only of my + desire to be of service to you, and give me the right of a teacher to be + interested in the future of a pupil. Your brother Gabriel is over fifteen; + he is in the second class; it is now necessary to direct his studies in + the line of whatever future career he may take up. It is for your father + to decide what that career shall be: if he gives the matter no thought, + the injury to Gabriel would be serious. But then, again, would it not + mortify your father if you showed him that he is neglecting his son’s + interests? Under these circumstances, could you not yourself consult + Gabriel as to his tastes, and help him to choose a career, so that later, + if his father should think of making him a public officer, an + administrator, a soldier, he might be prepared with some special training? + I do not suppose that either you or Monsieur Claes would wish to bring + Gabriel up in idleness.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, no!” said Marguerite; “when my mother taught us to make lace, and + took such pains with our drawing and music and embroidery, she often said + we must be prepared for whatever might happen to us. Gabriel ought to have + a thorough education and a personal value. But tell me, what career is + best for a man to choose?” + </p> + <p> + “Mademoiselle,” said Emmanuel, trembling with pleasure, “Gabriel is at the + head of his class in mathematics; if he would like to enter the Ecole + Polytechnique, he could there acquire the practical knowledge which will + fit him for any career. When he leaves the Ecole he can choose the path in + life for which he feels the strongest bias. Thus, without compromising his + future, you will have saved a great deal of time. Men who leave the Ecole + with honors are sought after on all sides; the school turns out statesmen, + diplomats, men of science, engineers, generals, sailors, magistrates, + manufacturers, and bankers. There is nothing extraordinary in the son of a + rich or noble family preparing himself to enter it. If Gabriel decides on + this course I shall ask you to—will you grant my request? Say yes!” + </p> + <p> + “What is it?” + </p> + <p> + “Let me be his tutor,” he answered, trembling. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite looked at Monsieur de Solis; then she took his hand, and said, + “Yes”—and paused, adding presently in a broken voice:— + </p> + <p> + “How much I value the delicacy which makes you offer me a thing I can + accept from you. In all that you have said I see how much you have thought + for us. I thank you.” + </p> + <p> + Though the words were simply said, Emmanuel turned away his head not to + show the tears that the delight of being useful to her brought to his + eyes. + </p> + <p> + “I will bring both boys to see you,” he said, when he was a little calmer; + “to-morrow is a holiday.” + </p> + <p> + He rose and bowed to Marguerite, who followed him into the house; when he + had crossed the court-yard he turned and saw her still at the door of the + dining-room, from which she made him a friendly sign. + </p> + <p> + After dinner Pierquin came to see Monsieur Claes, and sat down between + father and daughter on the very bench in the garden where Emmanuel had sat + that morning. + </p> + <p> + “My dear cousin,” he said to Balthazar, “I have come to-night to talk to + you on business. It is now forty-two days since the decease of your wife.” + </p> + <p> + “I keep no account of time,” said Balthazar, wiping away the tears that + came at the word “decease.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, monsieur!” cried Marguerite, looking at the lawyer, “how can you?” + </p> + <p> + “But, my dear Marguerite, we notaries are obliged to consider the limits + of time appointed by law. This is a matter which concerns you and your + co-heirs. Monsieur Claes has none but minor children, and he must make an + inventory of his property within forty-five days of his wife’s decease, so + as to render in his accounts at the end of that time. It is necessary to + know the value of his property before deciding whether to accept it as + sufficient security, or whether we must fall back on the legal rights of + minors.” + </p> + <p> + Marguerite rose. + </p> + <p> + “Do not go away, my dear cousin,” continued Pierquin; “my words concern + you—you and your father both. You know how truly I share your grief, + but to-day you must give your attention to legal details. If you do not, + every one of you will get into serious difficulties. I am only doing my + duty as the family lawyer.” + </p> + <p> + “He is right,” said Claes. + </p> + <p> + “The time expires in two days,” resumed Pierquin; “and I must begin the + inventory to-morrow, if only to postpone the payment of the legacy-tax + which the public treasurer will come here and demand. Treasurers have no + hearts; they don’t trouble themselves about feelings; they fasten their + claws upon us at all seasons. Therefore for the next two days my clerk and + I will be here from ten till four with Monsieur Raparlier, the public + appraiser. After we get through the town property we shall go into the + country. As for the forest of Waignies, we shall be obliged to hold a + consultation about that. Now let us turn to another matter. We must call a + family council and appoint a guardian to protect the interests of the + minor children. Monsieur Conyncks of Bruges is your nearest relative; but + he has now become a Belgian. You ought,” continued Pierquin, addressing + Balthazar, “to write to him on this matter; you can then find out if he + has any intention of settling in France, where he has a fine property. + Perhaps you could persuade him and his daughter to move into French + Flanders. If he refuses, then I must see about making up the council with + the other near relatives.” + </p> + <p> + “What is the use of an inventory?” asked Marguerite. + </p> + <p> + “To put on record the value and the claims of the property, its debts and + its assets. When that is all clearly scheduled, the family council, acting + on behalf of the minors, makes such dispositions as it sees fit.” + </p> + <p> + “Pierquin,” said Claes, rising from the bench, “do all that is necessary + to protect the rights of my children; but spare us the distress of selling + the things that belonged to my dear—” he was unable to continue; but + he spoke with so noble an air and in a tone of such deep feeling that + Marguerite took her father’s hand and kissed it. + </p> + <p> + “To-morrow, then,” said Pierquin. + </p> + <p> + “Come to breakfast,” said Claes; then he seemed to gather his scattered + senses together and exclaimed: “But in my marriage contract, which was + drawn under the laws of Hainault, I released my wife from the obligation + of making an inventory, in order that she might not be annoyed by it: it + is very probable that I was equally released—” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, what happiness!” cried Marguerite. “It would have been so distressing + to us.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, I will look into your marriage contract to-morrow,” said the + notary, rather confused. + </p> + <p> + “Then you did not know of this?” said Marguerite. + </p> + <p> + This remark closed the interview; the lawyer was far too much confused to + continue it after the young girl’s comment. + </p> + <p> + “The devil is in it!” he said to himself as he crossed the court-yard. + “That man’s wandering memory comes back to him in the nick of time,—just + when he needed it to hinder us from taking precautions against him! I have + cracked my brains to save the property of those children. I meant to + proceed regularly and come to an understanding with old Conyncks, and + here’s the end of it! I shall lose ground with Marguerite, for she will + certainly ask her father why I wanted an inventory of the property, which + she now sees was not necessary; and Claes will tell her that notaries have + a passion for writing documents, that we are lawyers above all, above + cousins or friends or relatives, and all such stuff as that.” + </p> + <p> + He slammed the street door violently, railing at clients who ruin + themselves by sensitiveness. + </p> + <p> + Balthazar was right. No inventory could be made. Nothing, therefore, was + done to settle the relation of the father to the children in the matter of + property. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XI + </h2> + <p> + Several months went by and brought no change to the House of Claes. + Gabriel, under the wise management of his tutor, Monsieur de Solis, worked + studiously, acquired foreign languages, and prepared to pass the necessary + examinations to enter the Ecole Polytechnique. Marguerite and Felicie + lived in absolute retirement, going in summer to their father’s country + place as a measure of economy. Monsieur Claes attended to his business + affairs, paid his debts by borrowing a considerable sum of money on his + property, and went to see the forest at Waignies. + </p> + <p> + About the middle of the year 1817, his grief, slowly abating, left him a + prey to solitude and defenceless under the monotony of the life he was + leading, which heavily oppressed him. At first he struggled bravely + against the allurements of Science as they gradually beset him; he forbade + himself even to think of Chemistry. Then he did think of it. Still, he + would not actively take it up, and only gave his mind to his researches + theoretically. Such constant study, however, swelled his passion which + soon became exacting. He asked himself whether he was really bound not to + continue his researches, and remembered that his wife had refused his + oath. Though he had pledged his word to himself that he would never pursue + the solution of the great Problem, might he not change that determination + at a moment when he foresaw success? He was now fifty-nine years old. At + that age a predominant idea contracts a certain peevish fixedness which is + the first stage of monomania. + </p> + <p> + Circumstances conspired against his tottering loyalty. The peace which + Europe now enjoyed encouraged the circulation of discoveries and + scientific ideas acquired during the war by the learned of various + countries, who for nearly twenty years had been unable to hold + communication. Science was making great strides. Claes found that the + progress of chemistry had been directed, unknown to chemists themselves, + towards the object of his researches. Learned men devoted to the higher + sciences thought, as he did, that light, heat, electricity, galvanism, + magnetism were all different effects of the same cause, and that the + difference existing between substances hitherto considered simple must be + produced by varying proportions of an unknown principle. The fear that + some other chemist might effect the reduction of metals and discover the + constituent principle of electricity,—two achievements which would + lead to the solution of the chemical Absolute,—increased what the + people of Douai called a mania, and drove his desires to a paroxysm + conceivable to those who devote themselves to the sciences, or who have + ever known the tyranny of ideas. + </p> + <p> + Thus it happened that Balthazar was again carried away by a passion all + the more violent because it had lain dormant so long. Marguerite, who + watched every evidence of her father’s state of mind, opened the + long-closed parlor. By living in it she recalled the painful memories + which her mother’s death had caused, and succeeded for a time in + re-awaking her father’s grief, and retarding his plunge into the gulf to + the depths of which he was, nevertheless, doomed to fall. She determined + to go into society and force Balthazar to share in its distractions. + Several good marriages were proposed to her, which occupied Claes’s mind, + but to all of them she replied that she should not marry until after she + was twenty-five. But in spite of his daughter’s efforts, in spite of his + remorseful struggles, Balthazar, at the beginning of the winter, returned + secretly to his researches. It was difficult, however, to hide his + operations from the inquisitive women in the kitchen; and one morning + Martha, while dressing Marguerite, said to her:— + </p> + <p> + “Mademoiselle, we are as good as lost. That monster of a Mulquinier—who + is a devil disguised, for I never saw him make the sign of the cross—has + gone back to the garret. There’s monsieur on the high-road to hell. Pray + God he mayn’t kill you as he killed my poor mistress.” + </p> + <p> + “It is not possible!” exclaimed Marguerite. + </p> + <p> + “Come and see the signs of their traffic.” + </p> + <p> + Mademoiselle Claes ran to the window and saw the light smoke rising from + the flue of the laboratory. + </p> + <p> + “I shall be twenty-one in a few months,” she thought, “and I shall know + how to oppose the destruction of our property.” + </p> + <p> + In giving way to his passion Balthazar necessarily felt less respect for + the interests of his children than he formerly had felt for the happiness + of his wife. The barriers were less high, his conscience was more elastic, + his passion had increased in strength. He now set forth in his career of + glory, toil, hope, and poverty, with the fervor of a man profoundly + trustful of his convictions. Certain of the result, he worked night and + day with a fury that alarmed his daughters, who did not know how little a + man is injured by work that gives him pleasure. + </p> + <p> + Her father had no sooner recommenced his experiments than Marguerite + retrenched the superfluities of the table, showing a parsimony worthy of a + miser, in which Josette and Martha admirably seconded her. Claes never + noticed the change which reduced the household living to the merest + necessaries. First he ceased to breakfast with the family; then he only + left his laboratory when dinner was ready; and at last, before he went to + bed, he would sit some hours in the parlor between his daughters without + saying a word to either of them; when he rose to go upstairs they wished + him good-night, and he allowed them mechanically to kiss him on both + cheeks. Such conduct would have led to great domestic misfortunes had + Marguerite not been prepared to exercise the authority of a mother, and + if, moreover, she were not protected by a secret love from the dangers of + so much liberty. + </p> + <p> + Pierquin had ceased to come to the house, judging that the family ruin + would soon be complete. Balthazar’s rural estates, which yielded sixteen + thousand francs a year, and were worth about six hundred thousand, were + now encumbered by mortgages to the amount of three hundred thousand + francs; for, in order to recommence his researches, Claes had borrowed a + considerable sum of money. The rents were exactly enough to pay the + interest of the mortgages; but, with the improvidence of a man who is the + slave of an idea, he made over the income of his farm lands to Marguerite + for the expenses of the household, and the notary calculated that three + years would suffice to bring matters to a crisis, when the law would step + in and eat up all that Balthazar had not squandered. Marguerite’s coldness + brought Pierquin to a state of almost hostile indifference. To give + himself an appearance in the eyes of the world of having renounced her + hand, he frequently remarked of the Claes family in a tone of compassion:— + </p> + <p> + “Those poor people are ruined; I have done my best to save them. Well, it + can’t be helped; Mademoiselle Claes refused to employ the legal means + which might have rescued them from poverty.” + </p> + <p> + Emmanuel de Solis, who was now principal of the college-school in Douai, + thanks to the influence of his uncle and to his own merits which made him + worthy of the post, came every evening to see the two young girls, who + called the old duenna into the parlor as soon as their father had gone to + bed. Emmanuel’s gentle rap at the street-door was never missing. For the + last three months, encouraged by the gracious, though mute gratitude with + which Marguerite now accepted his attentions, he became at his ease, and + was seen for what he was. The brightness of his pure spirit shone like a + flawless diamond; Marguerite learned to understand its strength and its + constancy when she saw how inexhaustible was the source from which it + came. She loved to watch the unfolding, one by one, of the blossoms of his + heart, whose perfume she had already breathed. Each day Emmanuel realized + some one of Marguerite’s hopes, and illumined the enchanted regions of + love with new lights that chased away the clouds and brought to view the + serene heavens, giving color to the fruitful riches hidden away in the + shadow of their lives. More at his ease, the young man could display the + seductive qualities of his heart until now discreetly hidden, the + expansive gaiety of his age, the simplicity which comes of a life of + study, the treasures of a delicate mind that life has not adulterated, the + innocent joyousness which goes so well with loving youth. His soul and + Marguerite’s understood each other better; they went together to the + depths of their hearts and found in each the same thoughts,—pearls + of equal lustre, sweet fresh harmonies like those the legends tell of + beneath the waves, which fascinate the divers. They made themselves known + to one another by an interchange of thought, a reciprocal introspection + which bore the signs, in both, of exquisite sensibility. It was done + without false shame, but not without mutual coquetry. The two hours which + Emmanuel spent with the sisters and old Martha enabled Marguerite to + accept the life of anguish and renunciation on which she had entered. This + artless, progressive love was her support. In all his testimonies of + affection Emmanuel showed the natural grace that is so winning, the sweet + yet subtile mind which breaks the uniformity of sentiment as the facets of + a diamond relieve, by their many-sided fires, the monotony of the stone,—adorable + wisdom, the secret of loving hearts, which makes a woman pliant to the + artistic hand that gives new life to old, old forms, and refreshes with + novel modulations the phrases of love. Love is not only a sentiment, it is + an art. Some simple word, a trifling vigilance, a nothing, reveals to a + woman the great, the divine artist who shall touch her heart and yet not + blight it. The more Emmanuel was free to utter himself, the more charming + were the expressions of his love. + </p> + <p> + “I have tried to get here before Pierquin,” he said to Marguerite one + evening. “He is bringing some bad news; I would rather you heard it from + me. Your father has sold all the timber in your forest at Waignies to + speculators, who have resold it to dealers. The trees are already felled, + and the logs are carried away. Monsieur Claes received three hundred + thousand francs in cash as a first instalment of the price, which he has + used towards paying his bills in Paris; but to clear off his debts + entirely he has been forced to assign a hundred thousand francs of the + three hundred thousand still due to him on the purchase-money.” + </p> + <p> + Pierquin entered at this moment. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my dear cousin,” he said, “you are ruined. I told you how it would + be; but you would not listen to me. Your father has an insatiable + appetite. He has swallowed your woods at a mouthful. Your family guardian, + Monsieur Conyncks, is just now absent in Amsterdam, and Claes has seized + the opportunity to strike the blow. It is all wrong. I have written to + Monsieur Conyncks, but he will get here too late; everything will be + squandered. You will be obliged to sue your father. The suit can’t be + long, but it will be dishonorable. Monsieur Conyncks has no alternative + but to institute proceedings; the law requires it. This is the result of + your obstinacy. Do you now see my prudence, and how devoted I was to your + interests?” + </p> + <p> + “I bring you some good news, mademoiselle,” said young de Solis in his + gentle voice. “Gabriel has been admitted to the Ecole Polytechnique. The + difficulties that seemed in the way have all been removed.” + </p> + <p> + Marguerite thanked him with a smile as she said:— + </p> + <p> + “My savings will now come in play! Martha, we must begin to-morrow on + Gabriel’s outfit. My poor Felicie, we shall have to work hard,” she added, + kissing her sister’s forehead. + </p> + <p> + “To-morrow you shall have him at home, to remain ten days,” said Emmanuel; + “he must be in Paris by the fifteenth of November.” + </p> + <p> + “My cousin Gabriel has done a sensible thing,” said the lawyer, eyeing the + professor from head to foot; “for he will have to make his own way. But, + my dear cousin, the question now is how to save the honor of the family: + will you listen to what I say this time?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” she said, “not if it relates to marriage.” + </p> + <p> + “Then what will you do?” + </p> + <p> + “I?—nothing.” + </p> + <p> + “But you are of age.” + </p> + <p> + “I shall be in a few days. Have you any course to suggest to me,” she + added, “which will reconcile our interests with the duty we owe to our + father and to the honor of the family?” + </p> + <p> + “My dear cousin, nothing can be done till your uncle arrives. When he + does, I will call again.” + </p> + <p> + “Adieu, monsieur,” said Marguerite. + </p> + <p> + “The poorer she is the more airs she gives herself,” thought the notary. + “Adieu, mademoiselle,” he said aloud. “Monsieur, my respects to you”; and + he went away, paying no attention to Felicie or Martha. + </p> + <p> + “I have been studying the Code for the last two days, and I have consulted + an experienced old lawyer, a friend of my uncle,” said Emmanuel, in a + hesitating voice. “If you will allow me, I will go to Amsterdam to-morrow + and see Monsieur Conyncks. Listen, dear Marguerite—” + </p> + <p> + He uttered her name for the first time; she thanked him with a smile and a + tearful glance, and made a gentle inclination of her head. He paused, + looking at Felicie and Martha. + </p> + <p> + “Speak before my sister,” said Marguerite. “She is so docile and + courageous that she does not need this discussion to make her resigned to + our life of toil and privation; but it is best that she should see for + herself how necessary courage is to us.” + </p> + <p> + The two sisters clasped hands and kissed each other, as if to renew some + pledge of union before the coming disaster. + </p> + <p> + “Leave us, Martha.” + </p> + <p> + “Dear Marguerite,” said Emmanuel, letting the happiness he felt in + conquering the lesser rights of affection sound in the inflections of his + voice, “I have procured the names and addresses of the purchasers who + still owe the remaining two hundred thousand francs on the felled timber. + To-morrow, if you give consent, a lawyer acting in the name of Monsieur + Conyncks, who will not disavow the act, will serve an injunction upon + them. Six days hence, by which time your uncle will have returned, the + family council can be called together, and Gabriel put in possession of + his legal rights, for he is now eighteen. You and your brother being thus + authorized to use those rights, you will demand your share in the proceeds + of the timber. Monsieur Claes cannot refuse you the two hundred thousand + francs on which the injunction will have been put; as to the remaining + hundred thousand which is due to you, you must obtain a mortgage on this + house. Monsieur Conyncks will demand securities for the three hundred + thousand belonging to Felicie and Jean. Under these circumstances your + father will be obliged to mortgage his property on the plain of Orchies, + which he has already encumbered to the amount of three hundred thousand + francs. The law gives a retrospective priority to the claims of minors; + and that will save you. Monsieur Claes’s hands will be tied for the + future; your property becomes inalienable, and he can no longer borrow on + his own estates because they will be held as security for other sums. + Moreover, the whole can be done quietly, without scandal or legal + proceedings. Your father will be forced to greater prudence in making his + researches, even if he cannot be persuaded to relinquish them altogether.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Marguerite, “but where, meantime, can we find the means of + living? The hundred thousand francs for which, you say, I must obtain a + mortgage on this house, would bring in nothing while we still live here. + The proceeds of my father’s property in the country will pay the interest + on the three hundred thousand francs he owes to others; but how are we to + live?” + </p> + <p> + “In the first place,” said Emmanuel, “by investing the fifty thousand + francs which belong to Gabriel in the public Funds you will get, according + to present rates, more than four thousand francs’ income, which will + suffice to pay your brother’s board and lodging and all his other expenses + in Paris. Gabriel cannot touch the capital until he is of age, therefore + you need not fear that he will waste a penny of it, and you will have one + expense the less. Besides, you will have your own fifty thousand.” + </p> + <p> + “My father will ask me for them,” she said in a frightened tone; “and I + shall not be able to refuse him.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, dear Marguerite, even so, you can evade that by robbing yourself. + Place your money in the Grand-Livre in Gabriel’s name: it will bring you + twelve or thirteen thousand francs a year. Minors who are emancipated + cannot sell property without permission of the family council; you will + thus gain three years’ peace of mind. By that time your father will either + have solved his problem or renounced it; and Gabriel, then of age, will + reinvest the money in your own name.” + </p> + <p> + Marguerite made him explain to her once more the legal points which she + did not at first understand. It was certainly a novel sight to see this + pair of lovers poring over the Code, which Emmanuel had brought with him + to show his mistress the laws which protected the property of minors; she + quickly caught the meaning of them, thanks to the natural penetration of + women, which in this case love still further sharpened. + </p> + <p> + Gabriel came home to his father’s house on the following day. When + Monsieur de Solis brought him up to Balthazar and told of his admission to + the Ecole Polytechnique, the father thanked the professor with a wave of + his hand, and said:— + </p> + <p> + “I am very glad; Gabriel may become a man of science.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, my brother,” cried Marguerite, as Balthazar went back to his + laboratory, “work hard, waste no money; spend what is necessary, but + practise economy. On the days when you are allowed to go out, pass your + time with our friends and relations; contract none of the habits which + ruin young men in Paris. Your expenses will amount to nearly three + thousand francs, and that will leave you a thousand francs for your + pocket-money; that is surely enough.” + </p> + <p> + “I will answer for him,” said Emmanuel de Solis, laying his hand on his + pupil’s shoulder. + </p> + <p> + A month later, Monsieur Conyncks, in conjunction with Marguerite, had + obtained all necessary securities from Claes. The plan so wisely proposed + by Emmanuel de Solis was fully approved and executed. Face to face with + the law, and in presence of his cousin, whose stern sense of honor allowed + no compromise, Balthazar, ashamed of the sale of the timber to which he + had consented at a moment when he was harassed by creditors, submitted to + all that was demanded of him. Glad to repair the almost involuntary wrong + that he had done to his children, he signed the deeds in a preoccupied + way. He was now as careless and improvident as a Negro who sells his wife + in the morning for a drop of brandy, and cries for her at night. He gave + no thought to even the immediate future, and never asked himself what + resources he would have when his last ducat was melted up. He pursued his + work and continued his purchases, apparently unaware that he was now no + more than the titular owner of his house and lands, and that he could not, + thanks to the severity of the laws, raise another penny upon a property of + which he was now, as it were, the legal guardian. + </p> + <p> + The year 1818 ended without bringing any new misfortune. The sisters paid + the costs of Jean’s education and met all the expenses of the household + out of the thirteen thousand francs a year from the sum placed in the + Grand-Livre in Gabriel’s name, which he punctually remitted to them. + Monsieur de Solis lost his uncle, the abbe, in December of that year. + </p> + <p> + Early in January Marguerite learned through Martha that her father had + sold his collection of tulips, also the furniture of the front house, and + all the family silver. She was obliged to buy back the spoons and forks + that were necessary for the daily service of the table, and these she now + ordered to be stamped with her initials. Until that day Marguerite had + kept silence towards her father on the subject of his depredations, but + that evening after dinner she requested Felicie to leave her alone with + him, and when he seated himself as usual by the corner of the parlor + fireplace, she said:— + </p> + <p> + “My dear father, you are the master here, and can sell everything, even + your children. We are ready to obey you without a murmur; but I am forced + to tell you that we are without money, that we have barely enough to live + on, and that Felicie and I are obliged to work night and day to pay for + the schooling of little Jean with the price of the lace dress we are now + making. My dear father, I implore you to give up your researches.” + </p> + <p> + “You are right, my dear child; in six weeks they will be finished; I shall + have found the Absolute, or the Absolute will be proved undiscoverable. + You will have millions—” + </p> + <p> + “Give us meanwhile the bread to eat,” replied Marguerite. + </p> + <p> + “Bread? is there no bread here?” said Claes, with a frightened air. “No + bread in the house of a Claes! What has become of our property?” + </p> + <p> + “You have cut down the forest of Waignies. The ground has not been cleared + and is therefore unproductive. As for your farms at Orchies, the rents + scarcely suffice to pay the interest of the sums you have borrowed—” + </p> + <p> + “Then what are we living on?” he demanded. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite held up her needle and continued:— + </p> + <p> + “Gabriel’s income helps us, but it is insufficient; I can make both ends + meet at the close of the year if you do not overwhelm me with bills that I + do not expect, for purchases you tell me nothing about. When I think I + have enough to meet my quarterly expenses some unexpected bill for potash, + or zinc, or sulphur, is brought to me.” + </p> + <p> + “My dear child, have patience for six weeks; after that, I will be + judicious. My little Marguerite, you shall see wonders.” + </p> + <p> + “It is time you should think of your affairs. You have sold everything,—pictures, + tulips, plate; nothing is left. At least, refrain from making debts.” + </p> + <p> + “I don’t wish to make any more!” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Any more?” she cried, “then you have some?” + </p> + <p> + “Mere trifles,” he said, but he dropped his eyes and colored. + </p> + <p> + For the first time in her life Marguerite felt humiliated by the lowering + of her father’s character, and suffered from it so much that she dared not + question him. + </p> + <p> + A month after this scene one of the Douai bankers brought a bill of + exchange for ten thousand francs signed by Claes. Marguerite asked the + banker to wait a day, and expressed her regret that she had not been + notified to prepare for this payment; whereupon he informed her that the + house of Protez and Chiffreville held nine other bills to the same amount, + falling due in consecutive months. + </p> + <p> + “All is over!” cried Marguerite, “the time has come.” + </p> + <p> + She sent for her father, and walked up and down the parlor with hasty + steps, talking to herself:— + </p> + <p> + “A hundred thousand francs!” she cried. “I must find them, or see my + father in prison. What am I to do?” + </p> + <p> + Balthazar did not come. Weary of waiting for him, Marguerite went up to + the laboratory. As she entered she saw him in the middle of an immense, + brilliantly-lighted room, filled with machinery and dusty glass vessels: + here and there were books, and tables encumbered with specimens and + products ticketed and numbered. On all sides the disorder of scientific + pursuits contrasted strongly with Flemish habits. This litter of retorts + and vaporizers, metals, fantastically colored crystals, specimens hooked + upon the walls or lying on the furnaces, surrounded the central figure of + Balthazar Claes, without a coat, his arms bare like those of a workman, + his breast exposed, and showing the white hair which covered it. His eyes + were gazing with horrible fixity at a pneumatic trough. The receiver of + this instrument was covered with a lens made of double convex glasses, the + space between the glasses being filled with alchohol, which focussed the + light coming through one of the compartments of the rose-window of the + garret. The shelf of the receiver communicated with the wire of an immense + galvanic battery. Lemulquinier, busy at the moment in moving the pedestal + of the machine, which was placed on a movable axle so as to keep the lens + in a perpendicular direction to the rays of the sun, turned round, his + face black with dust, and called out,— + </p> + <p> + “Ha! mademoiselle, don’t come in.” + </p> + <p> + The aspect of her father, half-kneeling beside the instrument, and + receiving the full strength of the sunlight upon his head, the + protuberances of his skull, its scanty hairs resembling threads of silver, + his face contracted by the agonies of expectation, the strangeness of the + objects that surrounded him, the obscurity of parts of the vast garret + from which fantastic engines seemed about to spring, all contributed to + startle Marguerite, who said to herself, in terror,— + </p> + <p> + “He is mad!” + </p> + <p> + Then she went up to him and whispered in his ear, “Send away + Lemulquinier.” + </p> + <p> + “No, no, my child; I want him: I am in the midst of an experiment no one + has yet thought of. For the last three days we have been watching for + every ray of sun. I now have the means of submitting metals, in a complete + vacuum, to concentrated solar fires and to electric currents. At this very + moment the most powerful action a chemist can employ is about to show + results which I alone—” + </p> + <p> + “My father, instead of vaporizing metals you should employ them in paying + your notes of hand—” + </p> + <p> + “Wait, wait!” + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur Merkstus has been here, father; and he must have ten thousand + francs by four o’clock.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, presently. True, I did sign a little note which is payable this + month. I felt sure I should have found the Absolute. Good God! If I could + only have a July sun the experiment would be successful.” + </p> + <p> + He grasped his head and sat down on an old cane chair; a few tears rolled + from his eyes. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur is quite right,” said Lemulquinier; “it is all the fault of that + rascally sun which is too feeble,—the coward, the lazy thing!” + </p> + <p> + Master and valet paid no further attention to Marguerite. + </p> + <p> + “Leave us, Mulquinier,” she said. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! I see a new experiment!” cried Claes. + </p> + <p> + “Father, lay aside your experiments,” said his daughter, when they were + alone. “You have one hundred thousand francs to pay, and we have not a + penny. Leave your laboratory; your honor is in question. What will become + of you if you are put in prison? Will you soil your white hairs and the + name of Claes with the disgrace of bankruptcy? I will not allow it. I + shall have strength to oppose your madness; it would be dreadful to see + you without bread in your old age. Open your eyes to our position; see + reason at last!” + </p> + <p> + “Madness!” cried Balthazar, struggling to his feet. He fixed his luminous + eyes upon his daughter, crossed his arms on his breast, and repeated the + word “Madness!” so majestically that Marguerite trembled. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” he cried, “your mother would never have uttered that word to me. She + was not ignorant of the importance of my researches; she learned a science + to understand me; she recognized that I toiled for the human race; she + knew there was nothing sordid or selfish in my aims. The feelings of a + loving wife are higher, I see it now, than filial affection. Yes, Love is + above all other feelings. See reason!” he went on, striking his breast. + “Do I lack reason? Am I not myself? You say we are poor; well, my + daughter, I choose it to be so. I am your father, obey me. I will make you + rich when I please. Your fortune? it is a pittance! When I find the + solvent of carbon I will fill your parlor with diamonds, and they are but + a scintilla of what I seek. You can well afford to wait while I consume my + life in superhuman efforts.” + </p> + <p> + “Father, I have no right to ask an account of the four millions you have + already engulfed in this fatal garret. I will not speak to you of my + mother whom you killed. If I had a husband, I should love him, doubtless, + as she loved you; I should be ready to sacrifice all to him, as she + sacrificed all for you. I have obeyed her orders in giving myself wholly + to you; I have proved it in not marrying and compelling you to render an + account of your guardianship. Let us dismiss the past and think of the + present. I am here now to represent the necessity which you have created + for yourself. You must have money to meet your notes—do you + understand me? There is nothing left to seize here but the portrait of + your ancestor, the Claes martyr. I come in the name of my mother, who felt + herself too feeble to defend her children against their father; she + ordered me to resist you. I come in the name of my brothers and my sister; + I come, father, in the name of all the Claes, and I command you to give up + your experiments, or earn the means of pursuing them hereafter, if pursue + them you must. If you arm yourself with the power of your paternity, which + you employ only for our destruction, I have on my side your ancestors and + your honor, whose voice is louder than that of chemistry. The Family is + greater than Science. I have been too long your daughter.” + </p> + <p> + “And you choose to be my executioner,” he said, in a feeble voice. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite turned and fled away, that she might not abdicate the part she + had just assumed: she fancied she heard again her mother’s voice saying to + her, “Do not oppose your father too much; love him well.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XII + </h2> + <p> + “Mademoiselle has made a pretty piece of work up yonder,” said + Lemulquinier, coming down to the kitchen for his breakfast. “We were just + going to put our hands on the great secret, we only wanted a scrap of July + sun, for monsieur,—ah, what a man! he’s almost in the shoes of the + good God himself!—was almost within THAT,” he said to Josette, + clicking his thumbnail against a front tooth, “of getting hold of the + Absolute, when up she came, slam bang, screaming some nonsense about notes + of hand.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, pay them yourself,” said Martha, “out of your wages.” + </p> + <p> + “Where’s the butter for my bread?” said Lemulquinier to the cook. + </p> + <p> + “Where’s the money to buy it?” she answered, sharply. “Come, old villain, + if you make gold in that devil’s kitchen of yours, why don’t you make + butter? ‘Twouldn’t be half so difficult, and you could sell it in the + market for enough to make the pot boil. We all eat dry bread. The young + ladies are satisfied with dry bread and nuts, and do you expect to be + better fed than your masters? Mademoiselle won’t spend more than one + hundred francs a month for the whole household. There’s only one dinner + for all. If you want dainties you’ve got your furnaces upstairs where you + fricassee pearls till there’s nothing else talked of in town. Get your + roast chickens up there.” + </p> + <p> + Lemulquinier took his dry bread and went out. + </p> + <p> + “He will go and buy something to eat with his own money,” said Martha; + “all the better,—it is just so much saved. Isn’t he stingy, the old + scarecrow!” + </p> + <p> + “Starve him! that’s the only way to manage him,” said Josette. “For a week + past he hasn’t rubbed a single floor; I have to do his work, for he is + always upstairs. He can very well afford to pay me for it with the present + of a few herrings; if he brings any home, I shall lay hands on them, I can + tell him that.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” exclaimed Martha, “I hear Mademoiselle Marguerite crying. Her wizard + of a father would swallow the house at a gulp without asking a Christian + blessing, the old sorcerer! In my country he’d be burned alive; but people + here have no more religion than the Moors in Africa.” + </p> + <p> + Marguerite could scarcely stifle her sobs as she came through the gallery. + She reached her room, took out her mother’s letter, and read as follows:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + My Child,—If God so wills, my spirit will be within your heart + when you read these words, the last I shall ever write; they are + full of love for my dear ones, left at the mercy of a demon whom I + have not been able to resist. When you read these words he will + have taken your last crust, just as he took my life and squandered + my love. You know, my darling, if I loved your father: I die + loving him less, for I take precautions against him which I never + could have practised while living. Yes, in the depths of my coffin + I shall have kept a resource for the day when some terrible + misfortune overtakes you. If when that day comes you are reduced + to poverty, or if your honor is in question, my child, send for + Monsieur de Solis, should he be living,—if not, for his nephew, + our good Emmanuel; they hold one hundred and seventy thousand + francs which are yours and will enable you to live. + + If nothing shall have subdued his passion; if his children prove + no stronger barrier than my happiness has been, and cannot stop + his criminal career,—leave him, leave your father, that you may + live. I could not forsake him; I was bound to him. You, + Marguerite, you must save the family. I absolve you for all you + may do to defend Gabriel and Jean and Felicie. Take courage; be + the guardian angel of the Claes. Be firm,—I dare not say be + pitiless; but to repair the evil already done you must keep some + means at hand. On the day when you read this letter, regard + yourself as ruined already, for nothing will stay the fury of that + passion which has torn all things from me. + + My child, remember this: the truest love is to forget your heart. + Even though you be forced to deceive your father, your + dissimulation will be blessed; your actions, however blamable they + may seem, will be heroic if taken to protect the family. The + virtuous Monsieur de Solis tells me so; and no conscience was ever + purer or more enlightened than his. I could never have had the + courage to speak these words to you, even with my dying breath. + + And yet, my daughter, be respectful, be kind in the dreadful + struggle. Resist him, but love him; deny him gently. My hidden + tears, my inward griefs will be known only when I am dead. Kiss my + dear children in my name when the hour comes and you are called + upon to protect them. + + May God and the saints be with you! +</pre> + <p> + Josephine. + </p> + <p> + To this letter was added an acknowledgment from the Messieurs de Solis, + uncle and nephew, who thereby bound themselves to place the money + entrusted to them by Madame Claes in the hands of whoever of her children + should present the paper. + </p> + <p> + “Martha,” cried Marguerite to the duenna, who came quickly; “go to + Monsieur Emmanuel de Solis, and ask him to come to me.—Noble, + discreet heart! he never told me,” she thought; “though all my griefs and + cares are his, he never told me!” + </p> + <p> + Emmanuel came before Martha could get back. + </p> + <p> + “You have kept a secret from me,” she said, showing him her mother’s + letter. + </p> + <p> + Emmanuel bent his head. + </p> + <p> + “Marguerite, are you in great trouble?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she answered; “be my support,—you, whom my mother calls ‘our + good Emmanuel.’” She showed him the letter, unable to repress her joy in + knowing that her mother approved her choice. + </p> + <p> + “My blood and my life were yours on the morrow of the day when I first saw + you in the gallery,” he said; “but I scarcely dared to hope the time might + come when you would accept them. If you know me well, you know my word is + sacred. Forgive the absolute obedience I have paid to your mother’s + wishes; it was not for me to judge her intentions.” + </p> + <p> + “You have saved us,” she said, interrupting him, and taking his arm to go + down to the parlor. + </p> + <p> + After hearing from Emmanuel the origin of the money entrusted to him, + Marguerite confided to him the terrible straits in which the family now + found themselves. + </p> + <p> + “I must pay those notes at once,” said Emmanuel. “If Merkstus holds them + all, you can at least save the interest. I will bring you the remaining + seventy thousand francs. My poor uncle left me quite a large sum in + ducats, which are easy to carry secretly.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” she said, “bring them at night; we can hide them when my father is + asleep. If he knew that I had money, he might try to force it from me. Oh, + Emmanuel, think what it is to distrust a father!” she said, weeping and + resting her forehead against the young man’s heart. + </p> + <p> + This sad, confiding movement, with which the young girl asked protection, + was the first expression of a love hitherto wrapped in melancholy and + restrained within a sphere of grief: the heart, too full, was forced to + overflow beneath the pressure of this new misery. + </p> + <p> + “What can we do; what will become of us? He sees nothing, he cares for + nothing,—neither for us nor for himself. I know not how he can live + in that garret, where the air is stifling.” + </p> + <p> + “What can you expect of a man who calls incessantly, like Richard III., + ‘My kingdom for a horse’?” said Emmanuel. “He is pitiless; and in that you + must imitate him. Pay his notes; give him, if you will, your whole + fortune; but that of your sister and of your brothers is neither yours nor + his.” + </p> + <p> + “Give him my fortune?” she said, pressing her lover’s hand and looking at + him with ardor in her eyes; “you advise it, you!—and Pierquin told a + hundred lies to make me keep it!” + </p> + <p> + “Alas! I may be selfish in my own way,” he said. “Sometimes I long for you + without fortune; you seem nearer to me then! At other times I want you + rich and happy, and I feel how paltry it is to think that the poor + grandeurs of wealth can separate us.” + </p> + <p> + “Dear, let us not speak of ourselves.” + </p> + <p> + “Ourselves!” he repeated, with rapture. Then, after a pause, he added: + “The evil is great, but it is not irreparable.” + </p> + <p> + “It can be repaired only by us: the Claes family has now no head. To reach + the stage of being neither father nor man, to have no consciousness of + justice or injustice (for, in defiance of the laws, he has dissipated—he, + so great, so noble, so upright—the property of the children he was + bound to defend), oh, to what depths must he have fallen! My God! what is + this thing he seeks?” + </p> + <p> + “Unfortunately, dear Marguerite, wrong as he is in his relation to his + family, he is right scientifically. A score of men in Europe admire him + for the very thing which others count as madness. But nevertheless you + must, without scruple, refuse to let him take the property of his + children. Great discoveries have always been accidental. If your father + ever finds the solution of the problem, it will be when it costs him + nothing; in a moment, perhaps, when he despairs of it.” + </p> + <p> + “My poor mother is happy,” said Marguerite; “she would have suffered a + thousand deaths before she died: as it was, her first encounter with + Science killed her. Alas! the strife is endless.” + </p> + <p> + “There is an end,” said Emmanuel. “When you have nothing left, Monsieur + Claes can get no further credit; then he will stop.” + </p> + <p> + “Let him stop now, then,” cried Marguerite, “for we are without a penny!” + </p> + <p> + Monsieur de Solis went to buy up Claes’s notes and returned, bringing them + to Marguerite. Balthazar, contrary to his custom, came down a few moments + before dinner. For the first time in two years his daughter noticed the + signs of a human grief upon his face: he was again a father, reason and + judgment had overcome Science; he looked into the court-yard, then into + the garden, and when he was certain he was alone with his daughter, he + came up to her with a look of melancholy kindness. + </p> + <p> + “My child,” he said, taking her hand and pressing it with persuasive + tenderness, “forgive your old father. Yes, Marguerite, I have done wrong. + You spoke truly. So long as I have not FOUND I am a miserable wretch. I + will go away from here. I cannot see Van Claes sold,” he went on, pointing + to the martyr’s portrait. “He died for Liberty, I die for Science; he is + venerated, I am hated.” + </p> + <p> + “Hated? oh, my father, no,” she cried, throwing herself on his breast; “we + all adore you. Do we not, Felicie?” she said, turning to her sister who + came in at the moment. + </p> + <p> + “What is the matter, dear father?” said his youngest daughter, taking his + hand. + </p> + <p> + “I have ruined you.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” cried Felicie, “but our brothers will make our fortune. Jean is + always at the head of his class.” + </p> + <p> + “See, father,” said Marguerite, leading Balthazar in a coaxing, filial way + to the chimney-piece and taking some papers from beneath the clock, “here + are your notes of hand; but do not sign any more, there is nothing left to + pay them with—” + </p> + <p> + “Then you have money?” whispered Balthazar in her ear, when he recovered + from his surprise. + </p> + <p> + His words and manner tortured the heroic girl; she saw the delirium of joy + and hope in her father’s face as he looked about him to discover the gold. + </p> + <p> + “Father,” she said, “I have my own fortune.” + </p> + <p> + “Give it to me,” he said with a rapacious gesture; “I will return you a + hundred-fold.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I will give it to you,” answered Marguerite, looking gravely at + Balthazar, who did not know the meaning she put into her words. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, my dear daughter!” he cried, “you save my life. I have thought of a + last experiment, after which nothing more is possible. If, this time, I do + not find the Absolute, I must renounce the search. Come to my arms, my + darling child; I will make you the happiest woman upon earth. You give me + glory; you bring me back to happiness; you bestow the power to heap + treasures upon my children—yes! I will load you with jewels, with + wealth.” + </p> + <p> + He kissed his daughter’s forehead, took her hands and pressed them, and + testified his joy by fondling caresses which to Marguerite seemed almost + obsequious. During the dinner he thought only of her; he looked at her + eagerly with the assiduous devotion displayed by a lover to his mistress: + if she made a movement, he tried to divine her wish, and rose to fulfil + it; he made her ashamed by the youthful eagerness of his attentions, which + were painfully out of keeping with his premature old age. To all these + cajoleries, Marguerite herself presented the contrast of actual distress, + shown sometimes by a word of doubt, sometimes by a glance along the empty + shelves of the sideboards in the dining-room. + </p> + <p> + “Well, well,” he said, following her eyes, “in six months we shall fill + them again with gold, and marvellous things. You shall be like a queen. + Bah! nature herself will belong to us, we shall rise above all created + beings—through you, you my Marguerite! Margarita,” he said, smiling, + “thy name is a prophecy. ‘Margarita’ means a pearl. Sterne says so + somewhere. Did you ever read Sterne? Would you like to have a Sterne? it + would amuse you.” + </p> + <p> + “A pearl, they say, is the result of a disease,” she answered; “we have + suffered enough already.” + </p> + <p> + “Do not be sad; you will make the happiness of those you love; you shall + be rich and all-powerful.” + </p> + <p> + “Mademoiselle has got such a good heart,” said Lemulquinier, whose seamed + face stretched itself painfully into a smile. + </p> + <p> + For the rest of the evening Balthazar displayed to his daughters all the + natural graces of his character and the charms of his conversation. + Seductive as the serpent, his lips, his eyes, poured out a magnetic fluid; + he put forth that power of genius, that gentleness of spirit, which once + fascinated Josephine and now drew, as it were, his daughters into his + heart. When Emmanuel de Solis came he found, for the first time in many + months, the father and the children reunited. The young professor, in + spite of his reserve, came under the influence of the scene; for Claes’s + manners and conversation had recovered their former irresistible + seduction! + </p> + <p> + Men of science, plunged though they be in abysses of thought and + ceaselessly employed in studying the moral world, take notice, + nevertheless, of the smallest details of the sphere in which they live. + More out of date with their surroundings than really absent-minded, they + are never in harmony with the life about them; they know and forget all; + they prejudge the future in their own minds, prophesy to their own souls, + know of an event before it happens, and yet they say nothing of all this. + If, in the hush of meditation, they sometimes use their power to observe + and recognize that which goes on around them, they are satisfied with + having divined its meaning; their occupations hurry them on, and they + frequently make false application of the knowledge they have acquired + about the things of life. Sometimes they wake from their social apathy, or + they drop from the world of thought to the world of life; at such times + they come with well-stored memories, and are by no means strangers to what + is happening. + </p> + <p> + Balthazar, who joined the perspicacity of the heart to that of the brain, + knew his daughter’s whole past; he knew, or he had guessed, the history of + the hidden love that united her with Emmanuel: he now showed this + delicately, and sanctioned their affection by taking part in it. It was + the sweetest flattery a father could bestow, and the lovers were unable to + resist it. The evening passed delightfully,—contrasting with the + griefs which threatened the lives of these poor children. When Balthazar + retired, after, as we may say, filling his family with light and bathing + them with tenderness, Emmanuel de Solis, who had shown some embarrassment + of manner, took from his pockets three thousand ducats in gold, the + possession of which he had feared to betray. He placed them on the + work-table, where Marguerite covered them with some linen she was mending; + and then he went to his own house to fetch the rest of the money. When he + returned, Felicie had gone to bed. Eleven o’clock struck; Martha, who sat + up to undress her mistress, was still with Felicie. + </p> + <p> + “Where can we hide it?” said Marguerite, unable to resist the pleasure of + playing with the gold ducats,—a childish amusement which proved + disastrous. + </p> + <p> + “I will lift this marble pedestal, which is hollow,” said Emmanuel; “you + can slip in the packages, and the devil himself will not think of looking + for them there.” + </p> + <p> + Just as Marguerite was making her last trip but one from the work-table to + the pedestal, carrying the gold, she suddenly gave a piercing cry, and let + fall the packages, the covers of which broke as they fell, and the coins + were scattered about the room. Her father stood at the parlor door; the + avidity of his eyes terrified her. + </p> + <p> + “What are you doing,” he said, looking first at his daughter, whose terror + nailed her to the floor, and then at the young man, who had hastily sprung + up,—though his attitude beside the pedestal was sufficiently + significant. The rattle of the gold upon the ground was horrible, the + scattering of it prophetic. + </p> + <p> + “I could not be mistaken,” said Balthazar, sitting down; “I heard the + sound of gold.” + </p> + <p> + He was not less agitated than the young people, whose hearts were beating + so in unison that their throbs might be heard, like the ticking of a + clock, amid the profound silence which suddenly settled on the parlor. + </p> + <p> + “Thank you, Monsieur de Solis,” said Marguerite, giving Emmanuel a glance + which meant, “Come to my rescue and help me to save this money.” + </p> + <p> + “What gold is this?” resumed Balthazar, casting at Marguerite and Emmanuel + a glance of terrible clear-sightedness. + </p> + <p> + “This gold belongs to Monsieur de Solis, who is kind enough to lend it to + me that I may pay our debts honorably,” she answered. + </p> + <p> + Emmanuel colored and turned as though to leave the room: Balthazar caught + him by the arm. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur,” he said, “you must not escape my thanks.” + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur, you owe me none. This money belongs to Mademoiselle Marguerite, + who borrows it from me on the security of her own property,” Emmanuel + replied, looking at his mistress, who thanked him with an almost + imperceptible movement of her eyelids. + </p> + <p> + “I shall not allow that,” said Claes, taking a pen and a sheet of paper + from the table where Felicie did her writing, and turning to the + astonished young people. “How much is it?” His eager passion made him more + astute than the wiliest of rascally bailiffs: the sum was to be his. + Marguerite and Monsieur de Solis hesitated. + </p> + <p> + “Let us count it,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “There are six thousand ducats,” said Emmanuel. + </p> + <p> + “Seventy thousand francs,” remarked Claes. + </p> + <p> + The glance which Marguerite threw at her lover gave him courage. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur,” he said, “your note bears no value; pardon this purely + technical term. I have to-day lent Mademoiselle Claes one hundred thousand + francs to redeem your notes of hand which you had no means of paying: you + are therefore unable to give me any security. These one hundred and + seventy thousand francs belong to Mademoiselle Claes, who can dispose of + them as she sees fit; but I have lent them on a pledge that she will sign + a deed securing them to me on her share of the now denuded land of the + forest of Waignies.” + </p> + <p> + Marguerite turned away her head that her lover might not see the tears + that gathered in her eyes. She knew Emmanuel’s purity of soul. Brought up + by his uncle to the practice of the sternest religious virtues, the young + man had an especial horror of falsehood: after giving his heart and life + to Marguerite Claes he now made her the sacrifice of his conscience. + </p> + <p> + “Adieu, monsieur,” said Balthazar, “I thought you had more confidence in a + man who looked upon you with the eyes of a father.” + </p> + <p> + After exchanging a despairing look with Marguerite, Emmanuel was shown out + by Martha, who closed and fastened the street-door. + </p> + <p> + The moment the father and daughter were alone Claes said,— + </p> + <p> + “You love me, do you not?” + </p> + <p> + “Come to the point, father. You want this money: you cannot have it.” + </p> + <p> + She began to pick up the coins; her father silently helped her to gather + them together and count the sum she had dropped; Marguerite allowed him to + do so without manifesting the least distrust. When two thousand ducats + were piled on the table, Balthazar said, with a desperate air,— + </p> + <p> + “Marguerite, I must have that money.” + </p> + <p> + “If you take it, it will be robbery,” she replied coldly. “Hear me, + father: better kill us at one blow than make us suffer a hundred deaths a + day. Let it now be seen which of us must yield.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you mean to kill your father?” + </p> + <p> + “We avenge our mother,” she said, pointing to the spot where Madame Claes + died. + </p> + <p> + “My daughter, if you knew the truth of the matter, you would not use those + words to me. Listen, and I will endeavor to exlain the great problem—but + no, you cannot comprehend me,” he cried in accents of despair. “Come, give + me the money; believe for once in your father. Yes, I know I caused your + mother pain: I have dissipated—to use the word of fools—my own + fortune and injured yours; I know my children are sacrificed for a thing + you call madness; but my angel, my darling, my love, my Marguerite, hear + me! If I do not now succeed, I will give myself up to you; I will obey you + as you are bound to obey me; I will do your will; you shall take charge of + all my property; I will no longer be the guardian of my children; I pledge + myself to lay down my authority. I swear by your mother’s memory!” he + cried, shedding tears. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite turned away her head, unable to bear the sight. Claes, thinking + she meant to yield, flung himself on his knees beside her. + </p> + <p> + “Marguerite, Marguerite! give it to me—give it!” he cried. “What are + sixty thousand francs against eternal remorse? See, I shall die, this will + kill me. Listen, my word is sacred. If I fail now I will abandon my + labors; I will leave Flanders,—France even, if you demand it; I will + go away and toil like a day-laborer to recover, sou by sou, the fortunes I + have lost, and restore to my children all that Science has taken from + them.” + </p> + <p> + Marguerite tried to raise her father, but he persisted in remaining on his + knees, and continued, still weeping:— + </p> + <p> + “Be tender and obedient for this last time! If I do not succeed, I will + myself declare your hardness just. You shall call me a fool; you shall say + I am a bad father; you may even tell me that I am ignorant and incapable. + And when I hear you say those words I will kiss your hands. You may beat + me, if you will, and when you strike I will bless you as the best of + daughters, remembering that you have given me your blood.” + </p> + <p> + “If it were my blood, my life’s blood, I would give it to you,” she cried; + “but can I let Science cut the throats of my brothers and sister? No. + Cease, cease!” she said, wiping her tears and pushing aside her father’s + caressing hands. + </p> + <p> + “Sixty thousand francs and two months,” he said, rising in anger; “that is + all I want: but my daughter stands between me and fame and wealth. I curse + you!” he went on; “you are no daughter of mine, you are not a woman, you + have no heart, you will never be a mother or a wife!—Give it to me, + let me take it, my little one, my precious child, I will love you + forever,”—and he stretched his hand with a movement of hideous + energy towards the gold. + </p> + <p> + “I am helpless against physical force; but God and the great Claes see us + now,” she said, pointing to the picture. + </p> + <p> + “Try to live, if you can, with your father’s blood upon you,” cried + Balthazar, looking at her with abhorrence. He rose, glanced round the + room, and slowly left it. When he reached the door he turned as a beggar + might have done and implored his daughter with a gesture, to which she + replied by a negative motion of her head. + </p> + <p> + “Farewell, my daughter,” he said, gently, “may you live happy!” + </p> + <p> + When he had disappeared, Marguerite remained in a trance which separated + her from earth; she was no longer in the parlor; she lost consciousness of + physical existence; she had wings, and soared amid the immensities of the + moral world, where Thought contracts the limits both of Time and Space, + where a divine hand lifts the veil of the Future. It seemed to her that + days elapsed between each footfall of her father as he went up the stairs; + then a shudder of dread went over her as she heard him enter his chamber. + Guided by a presentiment which flashed into her soul with the piercing + keenness of lightning, she ran up the stairway, without light, without + noise, with the velocity of an arrow, and saw her father with a pistol at + his head. + </p> + <p> + “Take all!” she cried, springing towards him. + </p> + <p> + She fell into a chair. Balthazar, seeing her pallor, began to weep as old + men weep; he became like a child, he kissed her brow, he spoke in + disconnected words, he almost danced with joy, and tried to play with her + as a lover with a mistress who has made him happy. + </p> + <p> + “Enough, father, enough,” she said; “remember your promise. If you do not + succeed now, you pledge yourself to obey me?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, mother!” she cried, turning towards Madame Claes’s chamber, “YOU + would have given him all—would you not?” + </p> + <p> + “Sleep in peace,” said Balthazar, “you are a good daughter.” + </p> + <p> + “Sleep!” she said, “the nights of my youth are gone; you have made me old, + father, just as you slowly withered my mother’s heart.” + </p> + <p> + “Poor child, would I could re-assure you by explaining the effects of the + glorious experiment I have now imagined! you would then comprehend the + truth.” + </p> + <p> + “I comprehend our ruin,” she said, leaving him. + </p> + <p> + The next morning, being a holiday, Emmanuel de Solis brought Jean to spend + the day. + </p> + <p> + “Well?” he said, approaching Marguerite anxiously. + </p> + <p> + “I yielded,” she replied. + </p> + <p> + “My dear life,” he said, with a gesture of melancholy joy, “if you had + withstood him I should greatly have admired you; but weak and feeble, I + adore you!” + </p> + <p> + “Poor, poor Emmanuel; what is left for us?” + </p> + <p> + “Leave the future to me,” cried the young man, with a radiant look; “we + love each other, and all is well.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIII + </h2> + <p> + Several months went by in perfect tranquillity. Monsieur de Solis made + Marguerite see that her petty economies would never produce a fortune, and + he advised her to live more at ease, by taking all that remained of the + sum which Madame Claes had entrusted to him for the comfort and well-being + of the household. + </p> + <p> + During these months Marguerite fell a prey to the anxieties which beset + her mother under like circumstances. However incredulous she might be, she + had come to hope in her father’s genius. By an inexplicable phenomenon, + many people have hope when they have no faith. Hope is the flower of + Desire, faith is the fruit of Certainty. Marguerite said to herself, “If + my father succeeds, we shall be happy.” Claes and Lemulquinier alone said: + “We shall succeed.” Unhappily, from day to day the Searcher’s face grew + sadder. Sometimes, when he came to dinner he dared not look at his + daughter; at other times he glanced at her in triumph. Marguerite employed + her evenings in making young de Solis explain to her many legal points and + difficulties. At last her masculine education was completed; she was + evidently preparing herself to execute the plan she had resolved upon if + her father were again vanquished in his duel with the Unknown (X). + </p> + <p> + About the beginning of July, Balthazar spend a whole day sitting on a + bench in the garden, plunged in gloomy meditation. He gazed at the mound + now bare of tulips, at the windows of his wife’s chamber; he shuddered, no + doubt, as he thought of all that his search had cost him: his movements + betrayed that his thoughts were busy outside of Science. Marguerite + brought her sewing and sat beside him for a while before dinner. + </p> + <p> + “You have not succeeded, father?” + </p> + <p> + “No, my child.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” said Marguerite, in a gentle voice. “I will not say one word of + reproach; we are both equally guilty. I only claim the fulfilment of your + promise; it is surely sacred to you—you are a Claes. Your children + will surround you with love and filial respect; but you now belong to me; + you owe me obedience. Do not be uneasy; my reign will be gentle, and I + will endeavor to bring it quickly to an end. Father, I am going to leave + you for a month; I shall be busy with your affairs; for,” she said, + kissing him on his brow, “you are now my child. I take Martha with me; + to-morrow Felicie will manage the household. The poor child is only + seventeen, and she will not know how to resist you; therefore be generous, + do not ask her for money; she has only enough for the barest necessaries + of the household. Take courage: renounce your labors and your thoughts for + three or four years. The great problem may ripen towards discovery; by + that time I shall have gathered the money that is necessary to solve it,—and + you will solve it. Tell me, father, your queen is clement, is she not?” + </p> + <p> + “Then all is not lost?” said the old man. + </p> + <p> + “No, not if you keep your word.” + </p> + <p> + “I will obey you, my daughter,” answered Claes, with deep emotion. + </p> + <p> + The next day, Monsieur Conyncks of Cambrai came to fetch his great-niece. + He was in a travelling-carriage, and would only remain long enough for + Marguerite and Martha to make their last arrangements. Monsieur Claes + received his cousin with courtesy, but he was obviously sad and + humiliated. Old Conyncks guessed his thoughts, and said with blunt + frankness while they were breakfasting:— + </p> + <p> + “I have some of your pictures, cousin; I have a taste for pictures,—a + ruinous passion, but we all have our manias.” + </p> + <p> + “Dear uncle!” exclaimed Marguerite. + </p> + <p> + “The world declares that you are ruined, cousin; but the treasure of a + Claes is there,” said Conyncks, tapping his forehead, “and here,” striking + his heart; “don’t you think so? I count upon you: and for that reason, + having a few spare ducats in my wallet, I put them to use in your + service.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” cried Balthazar, “I will repay you with treasures—” + </p> + <p> + “The only treasures we possess in Flanders are patience and labor,” + replied Conyncks, sternly. “Our ancestor has those words engraved upon his + brow,” he said, pointing to the portrait of Van Claes. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite kissed her father and bade him good-bye, gave her last + directions to Josette and to Felicie, and started with Monsieur Conyncks + for Paris. The great-uncle was a widower with one child, a daughter twelve + years old, and he was possessed of an immense fortune. It was not + impossible that he would take a wife; consequently, the good people of + Douai believed that Mademoiselle Claes would marry her great-uncle. The + rumor of this marriage reached Pierquin, and brought him back in hot haste + to the House of Claes. + </p> + <p> + Great changes had taken place in the ideas of that clever speculator. For + the last two years society in Douai had been divided into hostile camps. + The nobility formed one circle, the bourgeoisie another; the latter + naturally inimical to the former. This sudden separation took place, as a + matter of fact, all over France, and divided the country into two warring + nations, whose jealous squabbles, always augmenting, were among the chief + reasons why the revolution of July, 1830, was accepted in the provinces. + Between these social camps, the one ultra-monarchical, the other + ultra-liberal, were a number of functionaries of various kinds, admitted, + according to their importance, to one or the other of these circles, and + who, at the moment of the fall of the legitimate power, were neutral. At + the beginning of the struggle between the nobility and the bourgeoisie, + the royalist “cafes” displayed an unheard-of splendor, and eclipsed the + liberal “cafes” so brilliantly that these gastronomic fetes were said to + have cost the lives of some of their frequenters who, like ill-cast + cannon, were unable to withstand such practice. The two societies + naturally became exclusive. + </p> + <p> + Pierquin, though rich for a provincial lawyer, was excluded from + aristocratic circles and driven back upon the bourgeoisie. His self-love + must have suffered from the successive rebuffs which he received when he + felt himself insensibly set aside by people with whom he had rubbed + shoulders up to the time of this social change. He had now reached his + fortieth year, the last epoch at which a man who intends to marry can + think of a young wife. The matches to which he was able to aspire were all + among the bourgeoisie, but ambition prompted him to enter the upper circle + by means of some creditable alliance. + </p> + <p> + The isolation in which the Claes family were now living had hitherto kept + them aloof from these social changes. Though Claes belonged to the old + aristocracy of the province, his preoccupation of mind prevented him from + sharing the class antipathies thus created. However poor a daughter of the + Claes might be, she would bring to a husband the dower of social vanity so + eagerly desired by all parvenus. Pierquin therefore returned to his + allegiance, with the secret intention of making the necessary sacrifices + to conclude a marriage which should realize all his ambitions. He kept + company with Balthazar and Felicie during Marguerite’s absence; but in so + doing he discovered, rather late in the day, a formidable competitor in + Emmanuel de Solis. The property of the deceased abbe was thought to be + considerable, and to the eyes of a man who calculated all the affairs of + life in figures, the young heir seemed more powerful through his money + than through the seductions of the heart—as to which Pierquin never + made himself uneasy. In his mind the abbe’s fortune restored the de Solis + name to all its pristine value. Gold and nobility of birth were two orbs + which reflected lustre on one another and doubled the illumination. + </p> + <p> + The sincere affection which the young professor testified for Felicie, + whom he treated as a sister, excited Pierquin’s spirit of emulation. He + tried to eclipse Emmanuel by mingling a fashionable jargon and sundry + expressions of superficial gallantry with anxious elegies and business + airs which sat more naturally on his countenance. When he declared himself + disenchanted with the world he looked at Felicie, as if to let her know + that she alone could reconcile him with life. Felicie, who received for + the first time in her life the compliments of a man, listened to this + language, always sweet however deceptive; she took emptiness for depth, + and needing an object on which to fix the vague emotions of her heart, she + allowed the lawyer to occupy her mind. Envious perhaps, though quite + unconsciously, of the loving attentions with which Emmanuel surrounded her + sister, she doubtless wished to be, like Marguerite, the object of the + thoughts and cares of a man. + </p> + <p> + Pierquin readily perceived the preference which Felicie accorded him over + Emmanuel, and to him it was a reason why he should persist in his + attentions; so that in the end he went further than he at first intended. + Emmanuel watched the beginning of this passion, false perhaps in the + lawyer, artless in Felicie, whose future was at stake. Soon, little + colloquies followed, a few words said in a low voice behind Emmanuel’s + back, trifling deceptions which give to a look or a word a meaning whose + insidious sweetness may be the cause of innocent mistakes. Relying on his + intimacy with Felicie, Pierquin tried to discover the secret of + Marguerite’s journey, and to know if it were really a question of her + marriage, and whether he must renounce all hope; but, notwithstanding his + clumsy cleverness in questioning them, neither Balthazar nor Felicie could + give him any light, for the good reason that they were in the dark + themselves: Marguerite in taking the reins of power seemed to have + followed its maxims and kept silence as to her projects. + </p> + <p> + The gloomy sadness of Balthazar and his great depression made it difficult + to get through the evenings. Though Emmanuel succeeded in making him play + backgammon, the chemist’s mind was never present; during most of the time + this man, so great in intellect, seemed simply stupid. Shorn of his + expectations, ashamed of having squandered three fortunes, a gambler + without money, he bent beneath the weight of ruin, beneath the burden of + hopes that were betrayed rather than annihilated. This man of genius, + gagged by dire necessity and upbraiding himself, was a tragic spectacle, + fit to touch the hearts of the most unfeeling of men. Even Pierquin could + not enter without respect the presence of that caged lion, whose eyes, + full of baffled power, now calmed by sadness and faded from excess of + light, seemed to proffer a prayer for charity which the mouth dared not + utter. Sometimes a lightning flash crossed that withered face, whose fires + revived at the conception of a new experiment; then, as he looked about + the parlor, Balthazar’s eyes would fasten on the spot where his wife had + died, a film of tears rolled like hot grains of sand across the arid + pupils of his eyes, which thought had made immense, and his head fell + forward on his breast. Like a Titan he had lifted the world, and the world + fell on his breast and crushed him. + </p> + <p> + This gigantic grief, so manfully controlled, affected Pierquin and + Emmanuel powerfully, and each felt moved at times to offer this man the + necessary money to renew his search,—so contagious are the + convictions of genius! Both understood how it was that Madame Claes and + Marguerite had flung their all into this gulf; but reason promptly checked + the impulse of their hearts, and their emotion was spent in efforts at + consolation which still further embittered the anguish of the doomed + Titan. + </p> + <p> + Claes never spoke of his eldest daughter, and showed no interest in her + departure nor any anxiety as to her silence in not writing either to him + or to Felicie. When de Solis or Pierquin asked for news of her he seemed + annoyed. Did he suspect that Marguerite was working against him? Was he + humiliated at having resigned the majestic rights of paternity to his own + child? Had he come to love her less because she was now the father, he the + child? Perhaps there were many of these reasons, many of these + inexpressible feelings which float like vapors through the soul, in the + mute disgrace which he laid upon Marguerite. However great may be the + great men of earth, be they known or unknown, fortunate or unfortunate in + their endeavors, all have likenesses which belong to human nature. By a + double misfortune they suffer through their greatness not less than + through their defects; and perhaps Balthazar needed to grow accustomed to + the pangs of wounded vanity. The life he was leading, the evenings when + these four persons met together in Marguerite’s absence, were full of + sadness and vague, uneasy apprehensions. The days were barren like a + parched-up soil; where, nevertheless, a few flowers grew, a few rare + consolations, though without Marguerite, the soul, the hope, the strength + of the family, the atmosphere seemed misty. + </p> + <p> + Two months went by in this way, during which Balthazar awaited the return + of his daughter. Marguerite was brought back to Douai by her uncle who + remained at the house instead of returning to Cambrai, no doubt to lend + the weight of his authority to some coup d’etat planned by his niece. + Marguerite’s return was made a family fete. Pierquin and Monsieur de Solis + were invited to dinner by Felicie and Balthazar. When the + travelling-carriage stopped before the house, the four went to meet it + with demonstrations of joy. Marguerite seemed happy to see her home once + more, and her eyes filled with tears as she crossed the court-yard to + reach the parlor. When embracing her father she colored like a guilty wife + who is unable to dissimulate; but her face recovered its serenity as she + looked at Emmanuel, from whom she seemed to gather strength to complete a + work she had secretly undertaken. + </p> + <p> + Notwithstanding the gaiety which animated all present during the dinner, + father and daughter watched each other with distrust and curiosity. + Balthazar asked his daughter no questions as to her stay in Paris, + doubtless to preserve his parental dignity. Emmanuel de Solis imitated his + reserve; but Pierquin, accustomed to be told all family secrets, said to + Marguerite, concealing his curiosity under a show of liveliness:— + </p> + <p> + “Well, my dear cousin, you have seen Paris and the theatres—” + </p> + <p> + “I have seen little of Paris,” she said; “I did not go there for + amusement. The days went by sadly, I was so impatient to see Douai once + more.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, if I had not been angry about it she would not have gone to the + Opera; and even there she was uneasy,” said Monsieur Conyncks. + </p> + <p> + It was a painful evening; every one was embarrassed and smiled vaguely + with the artificial gaiety which hides such real anxieties. Marguerite and + Balthazar were a prey to cruel, latent fears which reacted on the rest. As + the hours passed, the bearing of the father and daughter grew more and + more constrained. Sometimes Marguerite tried to smile, but her motions, + her looks, the tones of her voice betrayed a keen anxiety. Messieurs + Conyncks and de Solis seemed to know the meaning of the secret feelings + which agitated the noble girl, and they appeared to encourage her by + expressive glances. Balthazar, hurt at being kept from a knowledge of the + steps that had been taken on his behalf, withdrew little by little from + his children and friends, and pointedly kept silence. Marguerite would no + doubt soon disclose what she had decided upon for his future. + </p> + <p> + To a great man, to a father, the situation was intolerable. At his age a + man no longer dissimulates in his own family; he became more and more + thoughtful, serious, and grieved as the hour approached when he would be + forced to meet his civil death. This evening covered one of those crises + in the inner life of man which can only be expressed by imagery. The + thunderclouds were gathering in the sky, people were laughing in the + fields; all felt the heat and knew the storm was coming, but they held up + their heads and continued on their way. Monsieur Conyncks was the first to + leave the room, conducted by Balthazar to his chamber. During the latter’s + absence Pierquin and Monsieur de Solis went away. Marguerite bade the + notary good-night with much affection; she said nothing to Emmanuel, but + she pressed his hand and gave him a tearful glance. She sent Felicie away, + and when Claes returned to the parlor he found his daughter alone. + </p> + <p> + “My kind father,” she said in a trembling voice, “nothing could have made + me leave home but the serious position in which we found ourselves; but + now, after much anxiety, after surmounting the greatest difficulties, I + return with some chances of deliverance for all of us. Thanks to your + name, and to my uncle’s influence, and to the support of Monsieur de + Solis, we have obtained for you an appointment under government as + receiver of customs in Bretagne; the place is worth, they say, eighteen to + twenty thousand francs a year. Our uncle has given bonds as your security. + Here is the nomination,” she added, drawing a paper from her bag. “Your + life in Douai, in this house, during the coming years of privation and + sacrifice would be intolerable to you. Our father must be placed in a + situation at least equal to that in which he has always lived. I ask + nothing from the salary you will receive from this appointment; employ it + as you see fit. I will only beg you to remember that we have not a penny + of income, and that we must live on what Gabriel can give us out of his. + The town shall know nothing of our inner life. If you were still to live + in this house you would be an obstacle to the means my sister and I are + about to employ to restore comfort and ease to the home. Have I abused the + authority you gave me by putting you in a position to remake your own + fortune? In a few years, if you so will, you can easily become the + receiver-general.” + </p> + <p> + “In other words, Marguerite,” said Balthazar, gently, “you turn me out of + my own house.” + </p> + <p> + “I do not deserve that bitter reproach,” replied the daughter, quelling + the tumultuous beatings of her heart. “You will come back to us in a + manner becoming to your dignity. Besides, father, I have your promise. You + are bound to obey me. My uncle has stayed here that he might himself + accompany you to Bretagne, and not leave you to make the journey alone.” + </p> + <p> + “I shall not go,” said Balthazar, rising; “I need no help from any one to + restore my property and pay what I owe to my children.” + </p> + <p> + “It would be better, certainly,” replied Marguerite, calmly. “But now I + ask you to reflect on our respective situations, which I will explain in a + few words. If you stay in this house your children will leave it, so that + you may remain its master.” + </p> + <p> + “Marguerite!” cried Balthazar. + </p> + <p> + “In that case,” she said, continuing her words without taking notice of + her father’s anger, “it will be necessary to notify the minister of your + refusal, if you decide not to accept this honorable and lucrative post, + which, in spite of our many efforts, we should never have obtained but for + certain thousand-franc notes my uncle slipped into the glove of a lady.” + </p> + <p> + “My children leave me!” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “You must leave us or we must leave you,” she said. “If I were your only + child, I should do as my mother did, without murmuring against my fate; + but my brothers and sister shall not perish beside you with hunger and + despair. I promised it to her who died there,” she said, pointing to the + place where her mother’s bed had stood. “We have hidden our troubles from + you; we have suffered in silence; our strength is gone. My father, we are + not on the edge of an abyss, we are at the bottom of it. Courage is not + sufficient to drag us out of it; our efforts must not be incessantly + brought to nought by the caprices of a passion.” + </p> + <p> + “My dear children,” cried Balthazar, seizing Marguerite’s hand, “I will + help you, I will work, I—” + </p> + <p> + “Here is the means,” she answered, showing him the official letter. + </p> + <p> + “But, my darling, the means you offer me are too slow; you make me lose + the fruits of ten years’ work, and the enormous sums of money which my + laboratory represents. There,” he said, pointing towards the garret, “are + our real resources.” + </p> + <p> + Marguerite walked towards the door, saying:— + </p> + <p> + “Father, you must choose.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my daughter, you are very hard,” he replied, sitting down in an + armchair and allowing her to leave him. + </p> + <p> + The next morning, on coming downstairs, Marguerite learned from + Lemulquinier that Monsieur Claes had gone out. This simple announcement + turned her pale; her face was so painfully significant that the old valet + remarked hastily:— + </p> + <p> + “Don’t be troubled, mademoiselle; monsieur said he would be back at eleven + o’clock to breakfast. He didn’t go to bed all night. At two in the morning + he was still standing in the parlor, looking through the window at the + laboratory. I was waiting up in the kitchen; I saw him; he wept; he is in + trouble. Here’s the famous month of July when the sun is able to enrich us + all, and if you only would—” + </p> + <p> + “Enough,” said Marguerite, divining the thoughts that must have assailed + her father’s mind. + </p> + <p> + A phenomenon which often takes possession of persons leading sedentary + lives had seized upon Balthazar; his life depended, so to speak, on the + places with which it was identified; his thought was so wedded to his + laboratory and to the house he lived in that both were indispensable to + him,—just as the Bourse becomes a necessity to a stock-gambler, to + whom the public holidays are so much lost time. Here were his hopes; here + the heavens contained the only atmosphere in which his lungs could breathe + the breath of life. This alliance of places and things with men, which is + so powerful in feeble natures, becomes almost tyrannical in men of science + and students. To leave his house was, for Balthazar, to renounce Science, + to abandon the Problem,—it was death. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite was a prey to anxiety until the breakfast hour. The former + scene in which Balthazar had meant to kill himself came back to her + memory, and she feared some tragic end to the desperate situation in which + her father was placed. She came and went restlessly about the parlor, and + quivered every time the bell or the street-door sounded. + </p> + <p> + At last Balthazar returned. As he crossed the courtyard Marguerite studied + his face anxiously and could see nothing but an expression of stormy + grief. When he entered the parlor she went towards him to bid him + good-morning; he caught her affectionately round the waist, pressed her to + his heart, kissed her brow, and whispered,— + </p> + <p> + “I have been to get my passport.” + </p> + <p> + The tones of his voice, his resigned look, his feeble movements, crushed + the poor girl’s heart; she turned away her head to conceal her tears, and + then, unable to repress them, she went into the garden to weep at her + ease. During breakfast, Balthazar showed the cheerfulness of a man who had + come to a decision. + </p> + <p> + “So we are to start for Bretagne, uncle,” he said to Monsieur Conyncks. “I + have always wished to go there.” + </p> + <p> + “It is a place where one can live cheaply,” replied the old man. + </p> + <p> + “Is our father going away?” cried Felicie. + </p> + <p> + Monsieur de Solis entered, bringing Jean. + </p> + <p> + “You must leave him with me to-day,” said Balthazar, putting his son + beside him. “I am going away to-morrow, and I want to bid him good-bye.” + </p> + <p> + Emmanuel glanced at Marguerite, who held down her head. It was a gloomy + day for the family; every one was sad, and tried to repress both thoughts + and tears. This was not an absence, it was an exile. All instinctively + felt the humiliation of the father in thus publicly declaring his ruin by + accepting an office and leaving his family, at Balthazar’s age. At this + crisis he was great, while Marguerite was firm; he seemed to accept nobly + the punishment of faults which the tyrannous power of genius had forced + him to commit. When the evening was over, and father and daughter were + again alone, Balthazar, who throughout the day had shown himself tender + and affectionate as in the first years of his fatherhood, held out his + hand and said to Marguerite with a tenderness that was mingled with + despair,— + </p> + <p> + “Are you satisfied with your father?” + </p> + <p> + “You are worthy of HIM,” said Marguerite, pointing to the portrait of Van + Claes. + </p> + <p> + The next morning Balthazar, followed by Lemulquinier, went up to the + laboratory, as if to bid farewell to the hopes he had so fondly cherished, + and which in that scene of his toil were living things to him. Master and + man looked at each other sadly as they entered the garret they were about + to leave, perhaps forever. Balthazar gazed at the various instruments over + which his thoughts so long had brooded; each was connected with some + experiment or some research. He sadly ordered Lemulquinier to evaporate + the gases and the dangerous acids, and to separate all substances which + might produce explosions. While taking these precautions, he gave way to + bitter regrets, like those uttered by a condemned man before going to the + scaffold. + </p> + <p> + “Here,” he said, stopping before a china capsule in which two wires of a + voltaic pile were dipped, “is an experiment whose results ought to be + watched. If it succeeds—dreadful thought!—my children will + have driven from their home a father who could fling diamonds at their + feet. In a combination of carbon and sulphur,” he went on, speaking to + himself, “carbon plays the part of an electro-positive substance; the + crystallization ought to begin at the negative pole; and in case of + decomposition, the carbon would crop into crystals—” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! is that how it would be?” said Lemulquinier, contemplating his master + with admiration. + </p> + <p> + “Now here,” continued Balthazar, after a pause, “the combination is + subject to the influence of the galvanic battery, which may act—” + </p> + <p> + “If monsieur wishes, I can increase its force.” + </p> + <p> + “No, no; leave it as it is. Perfect stillness and time are the conditions + of crystallization—” + </p> + <p> + “Confound it, it takes time enough, that crystallization,” cried the old + valet impatiently. + </p> + <p> + “If the temperature goes down, the sulphide of carbon will crystallize,” + said Balthazar, continuing to give forth shreds of indistinct thoughts + which were parts of a complete conception in his own mind; “but if the + battery works under certain conditions of which I am ignorant—it + must be watched carefully—it is quite possible that—Ah! what + am I thinking of? It is no longer a question of chemistry, my friend; we + are to keep accounts in Bretagne.” + </p> + <p> + Claes rushed precipitately from the laboratory, and went downstairs to + take a last breakfast with his family, at which Pierquin and Monsieur de + Solis were present. Balthazar, hastening to end the agony Science had + imposed upon him, bade his children farewell and got into the carriage + with his uncle, all the family accompanying him to the threshold. There, + as Marguerite strained her father to her breast with a despairing + pressure, he whispered in her ear, “You are a good girl; I bear you no + ill-will”; then she darted through the court-yard into the parlor, and + flung herself on her knees upon the spot where her mother had died, and + prayed to God to give her strength to accomplish the hard task that lay + before her. She was already strengthened by an inward voice, sounding in + her heart the encouragement of angels and the gratitude of her mother, + when her sister, her brother, Emmanuel, and Pierquin came in, after + watching the carriage until it disappeared. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIV + </h2> + <h3> + “And now, mademoiselle, what do you intend to do!” said Pierquin. + </h3> + <p> + “Save the family,” she answered simply. “We own nearly thirteen hundred + acres at Waignies. I intend to clear them, divide them into three farms, + put up the necessary buildings, and then let them. I believe that in a few + years, with patience and great economy, each of us,” motioning to her + sister and brother, “will have a farm of over four-hundred acres, which + may bring in, some day, a rental of nearly fifteen thousand francs. My + brother Gabriel will have this house, and all that now stands in his name + on the Grand-Livre, for his portion. We shall then be able to redeem our + father’s property and return it to him free from all encumbrance, by + devoting our incomes, each of us, to paying off his debts.” + </p> + <p> + “But, my dear cousin,” said the lawyer, amazed at Marguerite’s + understanding of business and her cool judgment, “you will need at least + two hundred thousand francs to clear the land, build your houses, and + purchase cattle. Where will you get such a sum?” + </p> + <p> + “That is where my difficulties begin,” she said, looking alternately at + Pierquin and de Solis; “I cannot ask it from my uncle, who has already + spent much money for us and has given bonds as my father’s security.” + </p> + <p> + “You have friends!” cried Pierquin, suddenly perceiving that the + demoiselles Claes were “four-hundred-thousand-franc girls,” after all. + </p> + <p> + Emmanuel de Solis looked tenderly at Marguerite. Pierquin, unfortunately + for himself, was a notary still, even in the midst of his enthusiasm, and + he promptly added,— + </p> + <p> + “I will lend you these two hundred thousand francs.” + </p> + <p> + Marguerite and Emmanuel consulted each other with a glance which was a + flash of light to Pierquin; Felicie colored highly, much gratified to find + her cousin as generous as she desired him to be. She looked at her sister, + who suddenly guessed the fact that during her absence the poor girl had + allowed herself to be caught by Pierquin’s meaningless gallantries. + </p> + <p> + “You shall only pay me five per cent interest,” went on the lawyer, “and + refund the money whenever it is convenient to do so; I will take a + mortgage on your property. And don’t be uneasy; you shall only have the + outlay on your improvements to pay; I will find you trustworthy farmers, + and do all your business gratuitously, so as to help you like a good + relation.” + </p> + <p> + Emmanuel made Marguerite a sign to refuse the offer, but she was too much + occupied in studying the changes of her sister’s face to perceive it. + After a slight pause, she looked at the notary with an amused smile, and + answered of her own accord, to the great joy of Monsieur de Solis:— + </p> + <p> + “You are indeed a good relation,—I expected nothing less of you; but + an interest of five per cent would delay our release too long. I shall + wait till my brother is of age, and then we will sell out what he has in + the Funds.” + </p> + <p> + Pierquin bit his lip. Emmanuel smiled quietly. + </p> + <p> + “Felicie, my dear child, take Jean back to school; Martha will go with + you,” said Marguerite to her sister. “Jean, my angel, be a good boy; don’t + tear your clothes, for we shall not be rich enough to buy you as many new + ones as we did. Good-bye, little one; study hard.” + </p> + <p> + Felicie carried off her brother. + </p> + <p> + “Cousin,” said Marguerite to Pierquin, “and you, monsieur,” she said to + Monsieur de Solis, “I know you have been to see my father during my + absence, and I thank you for that proof of friendship. You will not do + less I am sure for two poor girls who will be in need of counsel. Let us + understand each other. When I am at home I shall receive you both with the + greatest of pleasure, but when Felicie is here alone with Josette and + Martha, I need not tell you that she ought to see no one, not even an old + friend or the most devoted of relatives. Under the circumstances in which + we are placed, our conduct must be irreproachable. We are vowed to toil + and solitude for a long, long time.” + </p> + <p> + There was silence for some minutes. Emmanuel, absorbed in contemplation of + Marguerite’s head, seemed dumb. Pierquin did not know what to say. He took + leave of his cousin with feelings of rage against himself; for he suddenly + perceived that Marguerite loved Emmanuel, and that he, Pierquin, had just + behaved like a fool. + </p> + <p> + “Pierquin, my friend,” he said, apostrophizing himself in the street, “if + a man said you were an idiot he would tell the truth. What a fool I am! + I’ve got twelve thousand francs a year outside of my business, without + counting what I am to inherit from my uncle des Racquets, which is likely + to double my fortune (not that I wish him dead, he is so economical), and + I’ve had the madness to ask interest from Mademoiselle Claes! I know those + two are jeering at me now! I mustn’t think of Marguerite any more. No. + After all, Felicie is a sweet, gentle little creature, who will suit me + much better. Marguerite’s character is iron; she would want to rule me—and—she + would rule me. Come, come, let’s be generous; I wish I was not so much of + a lawyer: am I never to get that harness off my back? Bless my soul! I’ll + begin to fall in love with Felicie, and I won’t budge from that sentiment. + She will have a farm of four hundred and thirty acres, which, sooner or + later, will be worth twelve or fifteen thousand francs a year, for the + soil about Waignies is excellent. Just let my old uncle des Racquets die, + poor dear man, and I’ll sell my practice and be a man of leisure, with + fifty—thou—sand—francs—a—year. My wife is a + Claes, I’m allied to the great families. The deuce! we’ll see if those + Courtevilles and Magalhens and Savaron de Savarus will refuse to come and + dine with a Pierquin-Claes-Molina-Nourho. I shall be mayor of Douai; I’ll + obtain the cross, and get to be deputy—in short, everything. Ha, ha! + Pierquin, my boy, now keep yourself in hand; no more nonsense, because—yes, + on my word of honor—Felicie—Mademoiselle Felicie Van Claes—loves + you!” + </p> + <p> + When the lovers were left alone Emmanuel held out his hand to Marguerite, + who did not refuse to put her right hand into it. They rose with one + impulse and moved towards their bench in the garden; but as they reached + the middle of the parlor, the lover could not resist his joy, and, in a + voice that trembled with emotion, he said,— + </p> + <p> + “I have three hundred thousand francs of yours.” + </p> + <p> + “What!” she cried, “did my poor mother entrust them to you? No? then where + did you get them?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, my Marguerite! all that is mine is yours. Was it not you who first + said the word ‘ourselves’?” + </p> + <p> + “Dear Emmanuel!” she exclaimed, pressing the hand which still held hers; + and then, instead of going into the garden, she threw herself into a low + chair. + </p> + <p> + “It is for me to thank you,” he said, with the voice of love, “since you + accept all.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, my dear beloved one,” she cried, “this moment effaces many a grief + and brings the happy future nearer. Yes, I accept your fortune,” she + continued, with the smile of an angel upon her lips, “I know the way to + make it mine.” + </p> + <p> + She looked up at the picture of Van Claes as if calling him to witness. + The young man’s eyes followed those of Marguerite, and he did not notice + that she took a ring from her finger until he heard the words:— + </p> + <p> + “From the depths of our greatest misery one comfort rises. My father’s + indifference leaves me the free disposal of myself,” she said, holding out + the ring. “Take it, Emmanuel. My mother valued you—she would have + chosen you.” + </p> + <p> + The young man turned pale with emotion and fell on his knees beside her, + offering in return a ring which he always wore. + </p> + <p> + “This is my mother’s wedding-ring,” he said, kissing it. “My Marguerite, + am I to have no other pledge than this?” + </p> + <p> + She stooped a little till her forehead met his lips. + </p> + <p> + “Alas, dear love,” she said, greatly agitated, “are we not doing wrong? We + have so long to wait!” + </p> + <p> + “My uncle used to say that adoration was the daily bread of patience,—he + spoke of Christians who love God. That is how I love you; I have long + mingled my love for you with my love for Him. I am yours as I am His.” + </p> + <p> + They remained for a few moments in the power of this sweet enthusiasm. It + was the calm, sincere effusion of a feeling which, like an overflowing + spring, poured forth its superabundance in little wavelets. The events + which separated these lovers produced a melancholy which only made their + happiness the keener, giving it a sense of something sharp, like pain. + </p> + <p> + Felicie came back too soon. Emmanuel, inspired by that delightful tact of + love which discerns all feelings, left the sisters alone,—exchanging + a look with Marguerite to let her know how much this discretion cost him, + how hungry his soul was for that happiness so long desired, which had just + been consecrated by the betrothal of their hearts. + </p> + <p> + “Come here, little sister,” said Marguerite, taking Felicie round the + neck. Then, passing into the garden they sat down on the bench where + generation after generation had confided to listening hearts their words + of love, their sighs of grief, their meditations and their projects. In + spite of her sister’s joyous tone and lively manner, Felicie experienced a + sensation that was very like fear. Marguerite took her hand and felt it + tremble. + </p> + <p> + “Mademoiselle Felicie,” said the elder, with her lips at her sister’s ear. + “I read your soul. Pierquin has been here often in my absence, and he has + said sweet words to you, and you have listened to them.” Felicie blushed. + “Don’t defend yourself, my angel,” continued Marguerite, “it is so natural + to love! Perhaps your dear nature will improve his; he is egotistical and + self-interested, but for all that he is a good man, and his defects may + even add to your happiness. He will love you as the best of his + possessions; you will be a part of his business affairs. Forgive me this + one word, dear love; you will soon correct the bad habit he has acquired + of seeing money in everything, by teaching him the business of the heart.” + </p> + <p> + Felicie could only kiss her sister. + </p> + <p> + “Besides,” added Marguerite, “he has property; and his family belongs to + the highest and the oldest bourgeoisie. But you don’t think I would oppose + your happiness even if the conditions were less prosperous, do you?” + </p> + <p> + Felicie let fall the words, “Dear sister.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, you may confide in me,” cried Marguerite, “sisters can surely tell + each other their secrets.” + </p> + <p> + These words, so full of heartiness, opened the way to one of those + delightful conversations in which young girls tell all. When Marguerite, + expert in love, reached an understanding of the real state of Felicie’s + heart, she wound up their talk by saying:— + </p> + <p> + “Well, dear child, let us make sure he truly loves you, and—then—” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” cried Felicie, laughing, “leave me to my own devices; I have a model + before my eyes.” + </p> + <p> + “Saucy child!” exclaimed Marguerite, kissing her. + </p> + <p> + Though Pierquin belonged to the class of men who regard marriage as the + accomplishment of a social duty and the means of transmitting property, + and though he was indifferent to which sister he should marry so long as + both had the same name and the same dower, he did perceive that the two + were, to use his own expression, “romantic and sentimental girls,” + adjectives employed by commonplace people to ridicule the gifts which + Nature sows with grudging hand along the furrows of humanity. The lawyer + no doubt said to himself that he had better swim with the stream; and + accordingly the next day he came to see Marguerite, and took her + mysteriously into the little garden, where he began to talk sentiment,—that + being one of the clauses of the primal contract which, according to social + usage, must precede the notarial contract. + </p> + <p> + “Dear cousin,” he said, “you and I have not always been of one mind as to + the best means of bringing your affairs to a happy conclusion; but you do + now, I am sure, admit that I have always been guided by a great desire to + be useful to you. Well, yesterday I spoiled my offer by a fatal habit + which the legal profession forces upon us—you understand me? My + heart did not share in the folly. I have loved you well; but I have a + certain perspicacity, legal perhaps, which obliges me to see that I do not + please you. It is my own fault; another has been more successful than I. + Well, I come now to tell you, like an honest man, that I sincerely love + your sister Felicie. Treat me therefore as a brother; accept my purse, + take what you will from it,—the more you take the better you prove + your regard for me. I am wholly at your service—WITHOUT INTEREST, + you understand, neither at twelve nor at one quarter per cent. Let me be + thought worthy of Felicie, that is all I ask. Forgive my defects; they + come from business habits; my heart is good, and I would fling myself into + the Scarpe sooner than not make my wife happy.” + </p> + <p> + “This is all satisfactory, cousin,” answered Marguerite; “but my sister’s + choice depends upon herself and also on my father’s will.” + </p> + <p> + “I know that, my dear cousin,” said the lawyer, “but you are the mother of + the whole family; and I have nothing more at heart than that you should + judge me rightly.” + </p> + <p> + This conversation paints the mind of the honest notary. Later in life, + Pierquin became celebrated by his reply to the commanding officer at + Saint-Omer, who had invited him to be present at a military fete; the note + ran as follows: “Monsieur Pierquin-Claes de Molina-Nourho, mayor of the + city of Douai, chevalier of the Legion of honor, will have THAT of being + present, etc.” + </p> + <p> + Marguerite accepted the lawyer’s offer only so far as it related to his + professional services, so that she might not in any degree compromise + either her own dignity as a woman, or her sister’s future, or her father’s + authority. + </p> + <p> + The next day she confided Felicie to the care of Martha and Josette (who + vowed themselves body and soul to their young mistress, and seconded all + her economies), and started herself for Waignies, where she began + operations, which were judiciously overlooked and directed by Pierquin. + Devotion was now set down as a good speculation in the mind of that worthy + man; his care and trouble were in fact an investment, and he had no wish + to be niggardly in making it. First he contrived to save Marguerite the + trouble of clearing the land and working the ground intended for the + farms. He found three young men, sons of rich farmers, who were anxious to + settle themselves in life, and he succeeded, through the prospect he held + out to them of the fertility of the land, in making them take leases of + the three farms on which the buildings were to be constructed. To gain + possession of the farms rent-free for three years the tenants bound + themselves to pay ten thousand francs a year the fourth year, twelve + thousand the sixth year, and fifteen thousand for the remainder of the + term; to drain the land, make the plantations, and purchase the cattle. + While the buildings were being put up the farmers were to clear the land. + </p> + <p> + Four years after Balthazar Claes’s departure from his home Marguerite had + almost recovered the property of her brothers and sister. Two hundred + thousand francs, lent to her by Emmanuel, had sufficed to put up the farm + buildings. Neither help nor counsel was withheld from the brave girl, + whose conduct excited the admiration of the whole town. Marguerite + superintended the buildings, and looked after her contracts and leases + with the good sense, activity, and perseverance, which women know so well + how to call up when they are actuated by a strong sentiment. By the fifth + year she was able to apply thirty thousand francs from the rental of the + farms, together with the income from the Funds standing in her brother’s + name, and the proceeds of her father’s property, towards paying off the + mortgages on that property, and repairing the devastation which her + father’s passion had wrought in the old mansion of the Claes. This + redemption went on more rapidly as the interest account decreased. + Emmanuel de Solis persuaded Marguerite to take the remaining one hundred + thousand francs of his uncle’s bequest, and by joining to it twenty + thousand francs of his own savings, pay off in the third year of her + management a large slice of the debts. This life of courage, privation, + and endurance was never relaxed for five years; but all went well,—everything + prospered under the administration and influence of Marguerite Claes. + </p> + <p> + Gabriel, now holding an appointment under government as engineer in the + department of Roads and Bridges, made a rapid fortune, aided by his + great-uncle, in a canal which he was able to construct; moreover, he + succeeded in pleasing his cousin Mademoiselle Conyncks, the idol of her + father, and one of the richest heiresses in Flanders. In 1824 the whole + Claes property was free, and the house in the rue de Paris had repaired + its losses. Pierquin made a formal application to Balthazar for the hand + of Felicie, and Monsieur de Solis did the same for that of Marguerite. + </p> + <p> + At the beginning of January, 1825, Marguerite and Monsieur Conyncks left + Douai to bring home the exiled father, whose return was eagerly desired by + all, and who had sent in his resignation that he might return to his + family and crown their happiness by his presence. Marguerite had often + expressed a regret at not being able to replace the pictures which had + formerly adorned the gallery and the reception-rooms, before the day when + her father would return as master of his house. In her absence Pierquin + and Monsieur de Solis plotted with Felicie to prepare a surprise which + should make the younger sister a sharer in the restoration of the House of + Claes. The two bought a number of fine pictures, which they presented to + Felicie to decorate the gallery. Monsieur Conyncks had thought of the same + thing. Wishing to testify to Marguerite the satisfaction he had taken in + her noble conduct and in the self-devotion with which she had fulfilled + her mother’s dying mandate, he arranged that fifty of his fine pictures, + among them several of those which Balthazar had formerly sold, should be + brought to Douai in Marguerite’s absence, so that the Claes gallery might + once more be complete. + </p> + <p> + During the years that had elapsed since Balthazar Claes left his home, + Marguerite had visited her father several times, accompanied by her sister + or by Jean. Each time she had found him more and more changed; but since + her last visit old age had come upon Balthazar with alarming symptoms, the + gravity of which was much increased by the parsimony with which he lived + that he might spend the greater part of his salary in experiments the + results of which forever disappointed him. Though he was only sixty-five + years of age, he appeared to be eighty. His eyes were sunken in their + orbits, his eyebrows had whitened, only a few hairs remained as a fringe + around his skull; he allowed his beard to grow, and cut it off with + scissors when its length annoyed him; he was bent like a field-laborer, + and the condition of his clothes had reached a degree of wretchedness + which his decrepitude now rendered hideous. Thought still animated that + noble face, whose features were scarcely discernible under its wrinkles; + but the fixity of the eyes, a certain desperation of manner, a restless + uneasiness, were all diagnostics of insanity, or rather of many forms of + insanity. Sometimes a flash of hope gave him the look of a monomaniac; at + other times impatient anger at not seizing a secret which flitted before + his eyes like a will o’ the wisp brought symptoms of madness into his + face; or sudden bursts of maniacal laughter betrayed his irrationality: + but during the greater part of the time, he was sunk in a state of + complete depression which combined all the phases of insanity in the cold + melancholy of an idiot. However fleeting and imperceptible these symptoms + may have been to the eye of strangers, they were, unfortunately, only too + plain to those who had known Balthazar Claes sublime in goodness, noble in + heart, stately in person,—a Claes of whom, alas, scarcely a vestige + now remained. + </p> + <p> + Lemulquinier, grown old and wasted like his master with incessant toil, + had not, like him, been subjected to the ravages of thought. The + expression of the old valet’s face showed a singular mixture of anxiety + and admiration for his master which might easily have misled an onlooker. + Though he listened to Balthazar’s words with respect, and followed his + every movement with tender solicitude, he took charge of the servant of + science very much as a mother takes care of her child, and even seemed to + protect him, because in the vulgar details of life, to which Balthazar + gave no thought, he actually did protect him. These old men, wrapped in + one idea, confident of the reality of their hope, stirred by the same + breath, the one representing the shell, the other the soul of their mutual + existence, formed a spectacle at once tender and distressing. + </p> + <p> + When Marguerite and Monsieur Conyncks arrived, they found Claes living at + an inn. His successor had not been kept waiting, and was already in + possession of his office. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XV + </h2> + <p> + Through all the preoccupations of science, the desire to see his native + town, his house, his family, agitated Balthazar’s mind. His daughter’s + letters had told him of the happy family events; he dreamed of crowning + his career by a series of experiments that must lead to the solution of + the great Problem, and he awaited Marguerite’s arrival with extreme + impatience. + </p> + <p> + The daughter threw herself into her father’s arms and wept for joy. This + time she came to seek a recompense for years of pain, and pardon for the + exercise of her domestic authority. She seemed to herself criminal, like + those great men who violate the liberties of the people for the safety of + the nation. But she shuddered as she now contemplated her father and saw + the change which had taken place in him since her last visit. Monsieur + Conyncks shared the secret alarm of his niece, and insisted on taking + Balthazar as soon as possible to Douai, where the influence of his native + place might restore him to health and reason amid the happiness of a + recovered domestic life. + </p> + <p> + After the first transports of the heart were over,—which were far + warmer on Balthazar’s part than Marguerite had expected,—he showed a + singular state of feeling towards his daughter. He expressed regret at + receiving her in a miserable inn, inquired her tastes and wishes, and + asked what she would have to eat, with the eagerness of a lover; his + manner was even that of a culprit seeking to propitiate a judge. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite knew her father so well that she guessed the motive of this + solicitude; she felt sure he had contracted debts in the town which he + wished to pay before his departure. She observed him carefully for a time, + and saw the human heart in all its nakedness. Balthazar had dwindled from + his true self. The consciousness of his abasement, and the isolation of + his life in the pursuit of science made him timid and childish in all + matters not connected with his favorite occupations. His daughter awed + him; the remembrance of her past devotion, of the energy she had + displayed, of the powers he had allowed her to take away from him, of the + wealth now at her command, and the indefinable feelings that had preyed + upon him ever since the day when he had abdicated a paternity he had long + neglected,—all these things affected his mind towards her, and + increased her importance in his eyes. Conyncks was nothing to him beside + Marguerite; he saw only his daughter, he thought only of her, and seemed + to fear her, as certain weak husbands fear a superior woman who rules + them. When he raised his eyes and looked at her, Marguerite noticed with + distress an expression of fear, like that of a child detected in a fault. + The noble girl was unable to reconcile the majestic and terrible + expression of that bald head, denuded by science and by toil, with the + puerile smile, the eager servility exhibited on the lips and countenance + of the old man. She suffered from the contrast of that greatness to that + littleness, and resolved to use her utmost influence to restore her + father’s sense of dignity before the solemn day on which he was to + reappear in the bosom of his family. Her first step when they were alone + was to ask him,— + </p> + <p> + “Do you owe anything here?” + </p> + <p> + Balthazar colored, and replied with an embarrassed air:— + </p> + <p> + “I don’t know, but Lemulquinier can tell you. That worthy fellow knows + more about my affairs than I do myself.” + </p> + <p> + Marguerite rang for the valet: when he came she studied, almost + involuntarily, the faces of the two old men. + </p> + <p> + “What does monsieur want?” asked Lemulquinier. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite, who was all pride and dignity, felt an oppression at her heart + as she perceived from the tone and manner of the servant that some + mortifying familiarity had grown up between her father and the companion + of his labors. + </p> + <p> + “My father cannot make out the account of what he owes in this place + without you,” she said. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur,” began Lemulquinier, “owes—” + </p> + <p> + At these words Balthazar made a sign to his valet which Marguerite + intercepted; it humiliated her. + </p> + <p> + “Tell me all that my father owes,” she said. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur owes, here, about three thousand francs to an apothecary who is + a wholesale dealer in drugs; he has supplied us with pearl-ash and lead, + and zinc and the reagents—” + </p> + <p> + “Is that all?” asked Marguerite. + </p> + <p> + Again Balthazar made a sign to Lemulquinier, who replied, as if under a + spell,— + </p> + <p> + “Yes, mademoiselle.” + </p> + <p> + “Very good,” she said, “I will give them to you.” + </p> + <p> + Balthazar kissed her joyously and said,— + </p> + <p> + “You are an angel, my child.” + </p> + <p> + He breathed at his ease and glanced at her with eyes that were less sad; + and yet, in spite of this apparent joy, Marguerite easily detected the + signs of deep anxiety upon his face, and felt certain that the three + thousand francs represented only the pressing debts of his laboratory. + </p> + <p> + “Be frank with me, father,” she said, letting him seat her on his knee; + “you owe more than that. Tell me all, and come back to your home without + an element of fear in the midst of the general joy.” + </p> + <p> + “My dear Marguerite,” he said, taking her hands and kissing them with a + grace that seemed a memory of her youth, “you would scold me—” + </p> + <p> + “No,” she said. + </p> + <p> + “Truly?” he asked, giving way to childish expressions of delight. “Can I + tell you all? will you pay—” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she said, repressing the tears which came into her eyes. + </p> + <p> + “Well, I owe—oh! I dare not—” + </p> + <p> + “Tell me, father.” + </p> + <p> + “It is a great deal.” + </p> + <p> + She clasped her hands, with a gesture of despair. + </p> + <p> + “I owe thirty thousand francs to Messieurs Protez and Chiffreville.” + </p> + <p> + “Thirty thousand francs,” she said, “is just the sum I have laid by. I am + glad to give it to you,” she added, respectfully kissing his brow. + </p> + <p> + He rose, took his daughter in his arms, and whirled about the room, + dancing her as though she were an infant; then he placed her in the chair + where she had been sitting, and exclaimed:— + </p> + <p> + “My darling child! my treasure of love! I was half-dead: the Chiffrevilles + have written me three threatening letters; they were about to sue me,—me, + who would have made their fortune!” + </p> + <p> + “Father,” said Marguerite in accents of despair, “are you still + searching?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, still searching,” he said, with the smile of a madman, “and I shall + FIND. If you could only understand the point we have reached—” + </p> + <p> + “We? who are we?” + </p> + <p> + “I mean Mulquinier: he has understood me, he loves me. Poor fellow! he is + devoted to me.” + </p> + <p> + Conyncks entered at the moment and interrupted the conversation. + Marguerite made a sign to her father to say no more, fearing lest he + should lower himself in her uncle’s eyes. She was frightened at the + ravages thought had made in that noble mind, absorbed in searching for the + solution of a problem that was perhaps insoluble. Balthazar, who saw and + knew nothing outside of his furnaces, seemed not to realize the liberation + of his fortune. + </p> + <p> + On the morrow they started for Flanders. During the journey Marguerite + gained some confused light upon the position in which Lemulquinier and her + father stood to each other. The valet had acquired an ascendancy over his + master such as common men without education are able to obtain over great + minds to whom they feel themselves necessary; such men, taking advantage + of concession after concession, aim at complete dominion with the + persistency that comes of a fixed idea. In this case the master had + contracted for the man the sort of affection that grows out of habit, like + that of a workman for his creative tool, or an Arab for the horse that + gives him freedom. Marguerite studied the signs of this tyranny, resolving + to withdraw her father from its humiliating yoke if it were real. + </p> + <p> + They stopped several days in Paris on the way home, to enable Marguerite + to pay off her father’s debts and request the manufacturers of chemical + products to send nothing to Douai without first informing her of any + orders given by Claes. She persuaded her father to change his style of + dress and buy clothes that were suitable to a man of his station. This + corporal restoration gave Balthazar a certain physical dignity which + augured well for a change in his ideas; and Marguerite, joyous in the + thought of all the surprises that awaited her father when he entered his + own house, started for Douai. + </p> + <p> + Nine miles from the town Balthazar was met by Felicie on horseback, + escorted by her two brothers, Emmanuel, Pierquin, and some of the nearest + friends of the three families. The journey had necessarily diverted the + chemist’s mind from its habitual thoughts; the aspect of his own Flanders + acted on his heart; when, therefore, he saw the joyous company of his + family and friends gathering about him his emotion was so keen that the + tears came to his eyes, his voice trembled, his eyelids reddened, and he + held his children in so passionate an embrace, seeming unable to release + them, that the spectators of the scene were moved to tears. + </p> + <p> + When at last he saw the House of Claes he turned pale, and sprang from the + carriage with the agility of a young man; he breathed the air of the + court-yard with delight, and looked about him at the smallest details with + a pleasure that could express itself only in gestures: he drew himself + erect, and his whole countenance renewed its youth. The tears came into + his eyes when he entered the parlor and noticed the care with which his + daughter had replaced the old silver candelabra that he formerly had sold,—a + visible sign that all the other disasters had been repaired. Breakfast was + served in the dining-room, whose sideboards and shelves were covered with + curios and silver-ware not less valuable than the treasures that formerly + stood there. Though the family meal lasted a long time, it was still too + short for the narratives which Balthazar exacted from each of his + children. The reaction of his moral being caused by this return to his + home wedded him once more to family happiness, and he was again a father. + His manners recovered their former dignity. At first the delight of + recovering possession kept him from dwelling on the means by which the + recovery had been brought about. His joy therefore was full and unalloyed. + </p> + <p> + Breakfast over, the four children, the father and Pierquin went into the + parlor, where Balthazar saw with some uneasiness a number of legal papers + which the notary’s clerk had laid upon a table, by which he was standing + as if to assist his chief. The children all sat down, and Balthazar, + astonished, remained standing before the fireplace. + </p> + <p> + “This,” said Pierquin, “is the guardianship account which Monsieur Claes + renders to his children. It is not very amusing,” he added, laughing after + the manner of notaries who generally assume a lively tone in speaking of + serious matters, “but I must really oblige you to listen to it.” + </p> + <p> + Though the phrase was natural enough under the circumstances, Monsieur + Claes, whose conscience recalled his past life, felt it to be a reproach, + and his brow clouded. + </p> + <p> + The clerk began the reading. Balthazar’s amazement increased as little by + little the statement unfolded the facts. In the first place, the fortune + of his wife at the time of her decease was declared to have been sixteen + hundred thousand francs or thereabouts; and the summing up of the account + showed clearly that the portion of each child was intact and as + well-invested as if the best and wisest father had controlled it. In + consequence of this the House of Claes was free from all lien, Balthazar + was master of it; moreover, his rural property was likewise released from + encumbrance. When all the papers connected with these matters were signed, + Pierquin presented the receipts for the repayment of the moneys formerly + borrowed, and releases of the various liens on the estates. + </p> + <p> + Balthazar, conscious that he had recovered the honor of his manhood, the + life of a father, the dignity of a citizen, fell into a chair, and looked + about for Marguerite; but she, with the distinctive delicacy of her sex, + had left the room during the reading of the papers, as if to see that all + the arrangements for the fete were properly prepared. Each member of the + family understood the old man’s wish when the failing humid eyes sought + for the daughter,—who was seen by all present, with the eyes of the + soul, as an angel of strength and light within the house. Gabriel went to + find her. Hearing her step, Balthazar ran to clasp her in his arms. + </p> + <p> + “Father,” she said, at the foot of the stairs, where the old man caught + her and strained her to his breast, “I implore you not to lessen your + sacred authority. Thank me before the family for carrying out your wishes, + and be the sole author of the good that has been done here.” + </p> + <p> + Balthazar lifted his eyes to heaven, then looked at his daughter, folded + his arms, and said, after a pause, during which his face recovered an + expression his children had not seen upon it for ten long years,— + </p> + <p> + “Pepita, why are you not here to praise our child!” + </p> + <p> + He strained Marguerite to him, unable to utter another word, and went back + to the parlor. + </p> + <p> + “My children,” he said, with the nobility of demeanor that in former days + had made him so imposing, “we all owe gratitude and thanks to my daughter + Marguerite for the wisdom and courage with which she has fulfilled my + intentions and carried out my plans, when I, too absorbed by my labors, + gave the reins of our domestic government into her hands.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, now!” cried Pierquin, looking at the clock, “we must read the + marriage contracts. But they are not my affair, for the law forbids me to + draw up such deeds between my relations and myself. Monsieur Raparlier is + coming.” + </p> + <p> + The friends of the family, invited to the dinner given to celebrate + Claes’s return and the signing of the marriage contracts, now began to + arrive; and their servants brought in the wedding-presents. The company + quickly assembled, and the scene was imposing as much from the quality of + the persons present as from the elegance of the toilettes. The three + families, thus united through the happiness of their children, seemed to + vie with each other in contributing to the splendor of the occasion. The + parlor was soon filled with the charming gifts that are made to bridal + couples. Gold shimmered and glistened; silks and satins, cashmere shawls, + necklaces, jewels, afforded as much delight to those who gave as to those + who received; enjoyment that was almost childlike shone on every face, and + the mere value of the magnificent presents was lost sight of by the + spectators,—who often busy themselves in estimating it out of + curiosity. + </p> + <p> + The ceremonial forms used for generations in the Claes family for + solemnities of this nature now began. The parents alone were seated, all + present stood before them at a little distance. To the left of the parlor + on the garden side were Gabriel and Mademoiselle Conyncks, next to them + stood Monsieur de Solis and Marguerite, and farther on, Felicie and + Pierquin. Balthazar and Monsieur Conyncks, the only persons who were + seated, occupied two armchairs beside the notary who, for this occasion, + had taken Pierquin’s duty. Jean stood behind his father. A score of ladies + elegantly dressed, and a few men chosen from among the nearest relatives + of the Pierquins, the Conyncks, and the Claes, the mayor of Douai, who was + to marry the couples, the twelve witnesses chosen from among the nearest + friends of the three families, all, even the curate of Saint-Pierre, + remained standing and formed an imposing circle at the end of the parlor + next the court-yard. This homage paid by the whole assembly to Paternity, + which at such a moment shines with almost regal majesty, gave to the scene + a certain antique character. It was the only moment for sixteen long years + when Balthazar forgot the Alkahest. + </p> + <p> + Monsieur Raparlier went up to Marguerite and her sister and asked if all + the persons invited to the ceremony and to the dinner had arrived; on + receiving an affirmative reply, he returned to his station and took up the + marriage contract between Marguerite and Monsieur de Solis, which was the + first to be read, when suddenly the door of the parlor opened and + Lemulquinier entered, his face flaming. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur! monsieur!” he cried. + </p> + <p> + Balthazar flung a look of despair at Marguerite, then, making her a sign, + he drew her into the garden. The whole assembly were conscious of a shock. + </p> + <p> + “I dared not tell you, my child,” said the father, “but since you have + done so much, you will save me, I know, from this last trouble. + Lemulquinier lent me all his savings—the fruit of twenty years’ + economy—for my last experiment, which failed. He has come no doubt, + finding that I am once more rich, to insist on having them back. Ah! my + angel, give them to him; you owe him your father; he alone consoled me in + my troubles, he alone has had faith in me,—without him I should have + died.” + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur! monsieur!” cried Lemulquinier. + </p> + <p> + “What is it?” said Balthazar, turning round. + </p> + <p> + “A diamond!” + </p> + <p> + Claes sprang into the parlor and saw the stone in the hands of the old + valet, who whispered in his ear,— + </p> + <p> + “I have been to the laboratory.” + </p> + <p> + The chemist, forgetting everything about him, cast a terrible look on the + old Fleming which meant, “You went before me to the laboratory!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” continued Lemulquinier, “I found the diamond in the china capsule + which communicated with the battery which we left to work, monsieur—and + see!” he added, showing a white diamond of octahedral form, whose + brilliancy drew the astonished gaze of all present. + </p> + <p> + “My children, my friends,” said Balthazar, “forgive my old servant, + forgive me! This event will drive me mad. The chance work of seven years + has produced—without me—a discovery I have sought for sixteen + years. How? My God, I know not—yes, I left sulphide of carbon under + the influence of a Voltaic pile, whose action ought to have been watched + from day to day. During my absence the power of God has worked in my + laboratory, but I was not there to note its progressive effects! Is it not + awful? Oh, cursed exile! cursed chance! Alas! had I watched that slow, + that sudden—what can I call it?—crystallization, + transformation, in short that miracle, then, then my children would have + been richer still. Though this result is not the solution of the Problem + which I seek, the first rays of my glory would have shone from that + diamond upon my native country, and this hour, which our satisfied + affections have made so happy, would have glowed with the sunlight of + Science.” + </p> + <p> + Every one kept silence in the presence of such a man. The disconnected + words wrung from him by his anguish were too sincere not to be sublime. + </p> + <p> + Suddenly, Balthazar drove back his despair into the depths of his own + being, and cast upon the assembly a majestic look which affected the souls + of all; he took the diamond and offered it to Marguerite, saying,— + </p> + <p> + “It is thine, my angel.” + </p> + <p> + Then he dismissed Lemulquinier with a gesture, and motioned to the notary, + saying, “Go on.” + </p> + <p> + The two words sent a shudder of emotion through the company such as Talma + in certain roles produced among his auditors. Balthazar, as he reseated + himself, said in a low voice,— + </p> + <p> + “To-day I must be a father only.” + </p> + <p> + Marguerite hearing the words went up to him and caught his hand and kissed + it respectfully. + </p> + <p> + “No man was ever greater,” said Emmanuel, when his bride returned to him; + “no man was ever so mighty; another would have gone mad.” + </p> + <p> + After the three contracts were read and signed, the company hastened to + question Balthazar as to the manner in which the diamond had been formed; + but he could tell them nothing about so strange an accident. He looked + through the window at his garret and pointed to it with an angry gesture. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, the awful power resulting from a movement of fiery matter which no + doubt produces metals, diamonds,” he said, “was manifested there for one + moment, by one chance.” + </p> + <p> + “That chance was of course some natural effect,” whispered a guest + belonging to the class of people who are ready with an explanation of + everything. “At any rate, it is something saved out of all he has wasted.” + </p> + <p> + “Let us forget it,” said Balthazar, addressing his friends; “I beg you to + say no more about it to-day.” + </p> + <p> + Marguerite took her father’s arm to lead the way to the reception-rooms of + the front house, where a sumptuous fete had been prepared. As he entered + the gallery, followed by his guests, he beheld it filled with pictures and + garnished with choice flowers. + </p> + <p> + “Pictures!” he exclaimed, “pictures!—and some of the old ones!” + </p> + <p> + He stopped short; his brow clouded; for a moment grief overcame him; he + felt the weight of his wrong-doing as the vista of his humiliation came + before his eyes. + </p> + <p> + “It is all your own, father,” said Marguerite, guessing the feelings that + oppressed his soul. + </p> + <p> + “Angel, whom the spirits in heaven watch and praise,” he cried, “how many + times have you given life to your father?” + </p> + <p> + “Then keep no cloud upon your brow, nor the least sad thought in your + heart,” she said, “and you will reward me beyond my hopes. I have been + thinking of Lemulquinier, my darling father; the few words you said a + little while ago have made me value him; perhaps I have been unjust to + him; he ought to remain your humble friend. Emmanuel has laid by nearly + sixty thousand francs which he has economized, and we will give them to + Lemulquinier. After serving you so well the man ought to be made + comfortable for his remaining years. Do not be uneasy about us. Monsieur + de Solis and I intend to lead a quiet, peaceful life,—a life without + luxury; we can well afford to lend you that money until you are able to + return it.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, my daughter! never forsake me; continue to be thy father’s + providence.” + </p> + <p> + When they entered the reception-rooms Balthazar found them restored and + furnished as elegantly as in former days. The guests presently descended + to the dining-room on the ground-floor by the grand staircase, on every + step of which were rare plants and flowering shrubs. A silver service of + exquisite workmanship, the gift of Gabriel to his father, attracted all + eyes to a luxury which was surprising to the inhabitants of a town where + such luxury is traditional. The servants of Monsieur Conyncks and of + Pierquin, as well as those of the Claes household, were assembled to serve + the repast. Seeing himself once more at the head of that table, surrounded + by friends and relatives and happy faces beaming with heartfelt joy, + Balthazar, behind whose chair stood Lemulquinier, was overcome by emotions + so deep and so imposing that all present kept silence, as men are silent + before great sorrows or great joys. + </p> + <p> + “Dear children,” he cried, “you have killed the fatted calf to welcome + home the prodigal father.” + </p> + <p> + These words, in which the father judged himself (and perhaps prevented + others from judging him more severely), were spoken so nobly that all + present shed tears; they were the last expression of sadness, however, and + the general happiness soon took on the merry, animated character of a + family fete. + </p> + <p> + Immediately after dinner the principal people of the city began to arrive + for the ball, which proved worthy of the almost classic splendor of the + restored House of Claes. The three marriages followed this happy day, and + gave occasion to many fetes, and balls, and dinners, which involved + Balthazar for some months in the vortex of social life. His eldest son and + his wife removed to an estate near Cambrai belonging to Monsieur Conyncks, + who was unwilling to separate from his daughter. Madame Pierquin also left + her father’s house to do the honors of a fine mansion which Pierquin had + built, and where he desired to live in all the dignity of rank; for his + practise was sold, and his uncle des Racquets had died and left him a + large property scraped together by slow economy. Jean went to Paris to + finish his education, and Monsieur and Madame de Solis alone remained with + their father in the House de Claes. Balthazar made over to them the family + home in the rear house, and took up his own abode on the second floor of + the front building. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVI + </h2> + <p> + Marguerite continued to keep watch over her father’s material comfort, + aided in the sweet task by Emmanuel. The noble girl received from the + hands of love that most envied of all garlands, the wreath that happiness + entwines and constancy keeps ever fresh. No couple ever afforded a better + illustration of the complete, acknowledged, spotless felicity which all + women cherish in their dreams. The union of two beings so courageous in + the trials of life, who had loved each other through years with so sacred + an affection, drew forth the respectful admiration of the whole community. + Monsieur de Solis, who had long held an appointment as inspector-general + of the University, resigned those functions to enjoy his happiness more + freely, and remained at Douai where every one did such homage to his + character and attainments that his name was proposed as candidate for the + Electoral college whenever he should reach the required age. Marguerite, + who had shown herself so strong in adversity, became in prosperity a sweet + and tender woman. + </p> + <p> + Throughout the following year Claes was grave and preoccupied; and yet, + though he made a few inexpensive experiments for which his ordinary income + sufficed, he seemed to neglect his laboratory. Marguerite restored all the + old customs of the House of Claes, and gave a family fete every month in + honor of her father, at which the Pierquins and the Conyncks were present; + and she also received the upper ranks of society one day in the week at a + “cafe” which became celebrated. Though frequently absent-minded, Claes + took part in all these assemblages and became, to please his daughter, so + willingly a man of the world that the family were able to believe he had + renounced his search for the solution of the great problem. + </p> + <p> + Three years went by. In 1828 family affairs called Emmanuel de Solis to + Spain. Although there were three numerous branches between himself and the + inheritance of the house of Solis, yellow fever, old age, barrenness, and + other caprices of fortune, combined to make him the last lineal descendant + of the family and heir to the titles and estates of his ancient house. + Moreover, by one of those curious chances which seem impossible except in + a book, the house of Solis had acquired the territory and titles of the + Comtes de Nourho. Marguerite did not wish to separate from her husband, + who was to stay in Spain long enough to settle his affairs, and she was, + moreover, curious to see the castle of Casa-Real where her mother had + passed her childhood, and the city of Granada, the cradle of the de Solis + family. She left Douai, consigning the care of the house to Martha, + Josette, and Lemulquinier. Balthazar, to whom Marguerite had proposed a + journey into Spain, declined to accompany her on the ground of his + advanced age; but certain experiments which he had long meditated, and to + which he now trusted for the realization of his hopes were the real reason + of his refusal. + </p> + <p> + The Comte and Comtesse de Solis y Nourho were detained in Spain longer + than they intended. Marguerite gave birth to a son. It was not until the + middle of 1830 that they reached Cadiz, intending to embark for Italy on + their way back to France. There, however, they received a letter from + Felicie conveying disastrous news. Within a few months, their father had + completely ruined himself. Gabriel and Pierquin were obliged to pay + Lemulquinier a monthly stipend for the bare necessaries of the household. + The old valet had again sacrificed his little property to his master. + Balthazar was no longer willing to see any one, and would not even admit + his children to the house. Martha and Josette were dead. The coachman, the + cook, and the other servants had long been dismissed; the horses and + carriages were sold. Though Lemulquinier maintained the utmost secrecy as + to his master’s proceedings, it was believed that the thousand francs + supplied by Gabriel and Pierquin were spent chiefly on experiments. The + small amount of provisions which the old valet purchased in the town + seemed to show that the two old men contented themselves with the barest + necessaries. To prevent the sale of the House of Claes, Gabriel and + Pierquin were paying the interest of the sums which their father had again + borrowed on it. None of his children had the slightest influence upon the + old man, who at seventy years of age displayed extraordinary energy in + bending everything to his will, even in matters that were trivial. + Gabriel, Conyncks, and Pierquin had decided not to pay off his debts. + </p> + <p> + This letter changed all Marguerite’s travelling plans, and she immediately + took the shortest road to Douai. Her new fortune and her past savings + enabled her to pay off Balthazar’s debts; but she wished to do more, she + wished to obey her mother’s last injunction and save him from sinking + dishonored to the grave. She alone could exercise enough ascendancy over + the old man to keep him from completing the work of ruin, at an age when + no fruitful toil could be expected from his enfeebled faculties. But she + was also anxious to control him without wounding his susceptibilities,—not + wishing to imitate the children of Sophocles, in case her father neared + the scientific result for which he had sacrificed so much. + </p> + <p> + Monsieur and Madame de Solis reached Flanders in the last days of + September, 1831, and arrived at Douai during the morning. Marguerite + ordered the coachman to drive to the house in the rue de Paris, which they + found closed. The bell was loudly rung, but no one answered. A shopkeeper + left his door-step, to which he had been attracted by the noise of the + carriages; others were at their windows to enjoy a sight of the return of + the de Solis family to whom all were attached, enticed also by a vague + curiosity as to what would happen in that house on Marguerite’s return to + it. The shopkeeper told Monsieur de Solis’s valet that old Claes had gone + out an hour before, and that Monsieur Lemulquinier was no doubt taking him + to walk on the ramparts. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite sent for a locksmith to force the door,—glad to escape a + scene in case her father, as Felicie had written, should refuse to admit + her into the house. Meantime Emmanuel went to meet the old man and prepare + him for the arrival of his daughter, despatching a servant to notify + Monsieur and Madame Pierquin. + </p> + <p> + When the door was opened, Marguerite went directly to the parlor. Horror + overcame her and she trembled when she saw the walls as bare as if a fire + had swept over them. The glorious carved panellings of Van Huysum and the + portrait of the great Claes had been sold. The dining-room was empty: + there was nothing in it but two straw chairs and a common deal table, on + which Marguerite, terrified, saw two plates, two bowls, two forks and + spoons, and the remains of a salt herring which Claes and his servant had + evidently just eaten. In a moment she had flown through her father’s + portion of the house, every room of which exhibited the same desolation as + the parlor and dining-room. The idea of the Alkahest had swept like a + conflagration through the building. Her father’s bedroom had a bed, one + chair, and one table, on which stood a miserable pewter candlestick with a + tallow candle burned almost to the socket. The house was so completely + stripped that not so much as a curtain remained at the windows. Every + object of the smallest value,—everything, even the kitchen utensils, + had been sold. + </p> + <p> + Moved by that feeling of curiosity which never entirely leaves us even in + moments of misfortune, Marguerite entered Lemulquinier’s chamber and found + it as bare as that of his master. In a half-opened table-drawer she found + a pawnbroker’s ticket for the old servant’s watch which he had pledged + some days before. She ran to the laboratory and found it filled with + scientific instruments, the same as ever. Then she returned to her own + appartement and ordered the door to be broken open—her father had + respected it! + </p> + <p> + Marguerite burst into tears and forgave her father all. In the midst of + his devastating fury he had stopped short, restrained by paternal feeling + and the gratitude he owed to his daughter! This proof of tenderness, + coming to her at a moment when despair had reached its climax, brought + about in Marguerite’s soul one of those moral reactions against which the + coldest hearts are powerless. She returned to the parlor to wait her + father’s arrival, in a state of anxiety that was cruelly aggravated by + doubt and uncertainty. In what condition was she about to see him? Ruined, + decrepit, suffering, enfeebled by the fasts his pride compelled him to + undergo? Would he have his reason? Tears flowed unconsciously from her + eyes as she looked about the desecrated sanctuary. The images of her whole + life, her past efforts, her useless precautions, her childhood, her mother + happy and unhappy,—all, even her little Joseph smiling on that scene + of desolation, all were parts of a poem of unutterable melancholy. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite foresaw an approaching misfortune, yet she little expected the + catastrophe that was to close her father’s life,—that life at once + so grand and yet so miserable. + </p> + <p> + The condition of Monsieur Claes was no secret in the community. To the + lasting shame of men, there were not in all Douai two hearts generous + enough to do honor to the perseverance of this man of genius. In the eyes + of the world Balthazar was a man to be condemned, a bad father who had + squandered six fortunes, millions, who was actually seeking the + philosopher’s stone in the nineteenth century, this enlightened century, + this sceptical century, this century!—etc. They calumniated his + purposes and branded him with the name of “alchemist,” casting up to him + in mockery that he was trying to make gold. Ah! what eulogies are uttered + on this great century of ours, in which, as in all others, genius is + smothered under an indifference as brutal a that of the gate in which + Dante died, and Tasso and Cervantes and “tutti quanti.” The people are as + backward as kings in understanding the creations of genius. + </p> + <p> + These opinions on the subject of Balthazar Claes filtered, little by + little, from the upper society of Douai to the bourgeoisie, and from the + bourgeoisie to the lower classes. The old chemist excited pity among + persons of his own rank, satirical curiosity among the others,—two + sentiments big with contempt and with the “vae victis” with which the + masses assail a man of genius when they see him in misfortune. Persons + often stopped before the House of Claes to show each other the rose window + of the garret where so much gold and so much coal had been consumed in + smoke. When Balthazar passed along the streets they pointed to him with + their fingers; often, on catching sight of him, a mocking jest or a word + of pity would escape the lips of a working-man or some mere child. But + Lemulquinier was careful to tell his master it was homage; he could + deceive him with impunity, for though the old man’s eyes retained the + sublime clearness which results from the habit of living among great + thoughts, his sense of hearing was enfeebled. + </p> + <p> + To most of the peasantry, and to all vulgar and superstitious minds, + Balthazar Claes was a sorcerer. The noble old mansion, once named by + common consent “the House of Claes,” was now called in the suburbs and the + country districts “the Devil’s House.” Every outward sign, even the face + of Lemulquinier, confirmed the ridiculous beliefs that were current about + Balthazar. When the old servant went to market to purchase the few + provisions necessary for their subsistence, picking out the cheapest he + could find, insults were flung in as make-weights,—just as butchers + slip bones into their customers’ meat,—and he was fortunate, poor + creature, if some superstitious market-woman did not refuse to sell him + his meagre pittance lest she be damned by contact with an imp of hell. + </p> + <p> + Thus the feelings of the whole town of Douai were hostile to the grand old + man and to his attendant. The neglected state of their clothes added to + this repulsion; they went about clothed like paupers who have seen better + days, and who strive to keep a decent appearance and are ashamed to beg. + It was probable that sooner or later Balthazar would be insulted in the + streets. Pierquin, feeling how degrading to the family any public insult + would be, had for some time past sent two or three of his own servants to + follow the old man whenever he went out, and keep him in sight at a little + distance, for the purpose of protecting him if necessary,—the + revolution of July not having contributed to make the citizens respectful. + </p> + <p> + By one of those fatalities which can never be explained, Claes and + Lemulquinier had gone out early in the morning, thus evading the secret + guardianship of Monsieur and Madame Pierquin. On their way back from the + ramparts they sat down to sun themselves on a bench in the place + Saint-Jacques, an open space crossed by children on their way to school. + Catching sight from a distance of the defenceless old men, whose faces + brightened as they sat basking in the sun, a crowd of boys began to talk + of them. Generally, children’s chatter ends in laughter; on this occasion + the laughter led to jokes of which they did not know the cruelty. Seven or + eight of the first-comers stood at a little distance, and examined the + strange old faces with smothered laughter and remarks which attracted + Lemulquinier’s attention. + </p> + <p> + “Hi! do you see that one with a head as smooth as my knee?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, he was born a Wise Man.” + </p> + <p> + “My papa says he makes gold,” said another. + </p> + <p> + The youngest of the troop, who had his basket full of provisions and was + devouring a slice of bread and butter, advanced to the bench and said + boldly to Lemulquinier,— + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur, is it true you make pearls and diamonds?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, my little man,” replied the valet, smiling and tapping him on the + cheek; “we will give you some of you study well.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! monsieur, give me some, too,” was the general exclamation. + </p> + <p> + The boys all rushed together like a flock of birds, and surrounded the old + men. Balthazar, absorbed in meditation from which he was drawn by these + sudden cries, made a gesture of amazement which caused a general shout of + laughter. + </p> + <p> + “Come, come, boys; be respectful to a great man,” said Lemulquinier. + </p> + <p> + “Hi, the old harlequin!” cried the lads; “the old sorcerer! you are + sorcerers! sorcerers! sorcerers!” + </p> + <p> + Lemulquinier sprang to his feet and threatened the crowd with his cane; + they all ran to a little distance, picking up stones and mud. A workman + who was eating his breakfast near by, seeing Lemulquinier brandish his + cane to drive the boys away, thought he had struck them, and took their + part, crying out,— + </p> + <p> + “Down with the sorcerers!” + </p> + <p> + The boys, feeling themselves encouraged, flung their missiles at the old + men, just as the Comte de Solis, accompanied by Pierquin’s servants, + appeared at the farther end of the square. The latter were too late, + however, to save the old man and his valet from being pelted with mud. The + shock was given. Balthazar, whose faculties had been preserved by a + chastity of spirit natural to students absorbed in a quest of discovery + that annihilates all passions, now suddenly divined, by the phenomenon of + introsusception, the true meaning of the scene: his decrepit body could + not sustain the frightful reaction he underwent in his feelings, and he + fell, struck with paralysis, into the arms of Lemulquinier, who brought + him to his home on a shutter, attended by his sons-in-law and their + servants. No power could prevent the population of Douai from following + the body of the old man to the door of his house, where Felicie and her + children, Jean, Marguerite, and Gabriel, whom his sister had sent for, + were waiting to receive him. + </p> + <p> + The arrival of the old man gave rise to a frightful scene; he struggled + less against the assaults of death than against the horror of seeing that + his children had entered the house and penetrated the secret of his + impoverished life. A bed was at once made up in the parlor and every care + bestowed upon the stricken man, whose condition, towards evening, allowed + hopes that his life might be preserved. The paralysis, though skilfully + treated, kept him for some time in a state of semi-childhood; and when by + degrees it relaxed, the tongue was found to be especially affected, + perhaps because the old man’s anger had concentrated all his forces upon + it at the moment when he was about to apostrophize the children. + </p> + <p> + This incident roused a general indignation throughout the town. By a law, + up to that time unknown, which guides the affects of the masses, this + event brought back all hearts to Monsieur Claes. He became once more a + great man; he excited the admiration and received the good-will that a few + hours earlier were denied to him. Men praised his patience, his strength + of will, his courage, his genius. The authorities wished to arrest all + those who had a share in dealing him this blow. Too late,—the evil + was done! The Claes family were the first to beg that the matter might be + allowed to drop. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite ordered furniture to be brought into the parlor, and the + denuded walls to be hung with silk; and when, a few days after his + seizure, the old father recovered his faculties and found himself once + more in a luxurious room surrounded by all that makes life easy, he tried + to express his belief that his daughter Marguerite had returned. At that + moment she entered the room. When Balthazar caught sight of her he + colored, and his eyes grew moist, though the tears did not fall. He was + able to press his daughter’s hand with his cold fingers, putting into that + pressure all the thoughts, all the feelings he no longer had the power to + utter. There was something holy and solemn in that farewell of the brain + which still lived, of the heart which gratitude revived. Worn out by + fruitless efforts, exhausted in the long struggle with the gigantic + problem, desperate perhaps at the oblivion which awaited his memory, this + giant among men was about to die. His children surrounded him with + respectful affection; his dying eyes were cheered with images of plenty + and the touching picture of his prosperous and noble family. His every + look—by which alone he could manifest his feelings—was + unchangeably affectionate; his eyes acquired such variety of expression + that they had, as it were, a language of light, easy to comprehend. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite paid her father’s debts, and restored a modern splendor to the + House of Claes which removed all outward signs of decay. She never left + the old man’s bedside, endeavoring to divine his every thought and + accomplish his slightest wish. + </p> + <p> + Some months went by with those alternations of better and worse which + attend the struggle of life and death in old people; every morning his + children came to him and spent the day in the parlor, dining by his + bedside and only leaving him when he went to sleep for the night. The + occupation which gave him most pleasure, among the many with which his + family sought to enliven him, was the reading of newspapers, to which the + political events then occurring gave great interest. Monsieur Claes + listened attentively as Monsieur de Solis read them aloud beside his bed. + </p> + <p> + Towards the close of the year 1832, Balthazar passed an extremely critical + night, during which Monsieur Pierquin, the doctor, was summoned by the + nurse, who was greatly alarmed at the sudden change which took place in + the patient. For the rest of the night the doctor remained to watch him, + fearing he might at any moment expire in the throes of inward convulsion, + whose effects were like those of a last agony. + </p> + <p> + The old man made incredible efforts to shake off the bonds of his + paralysis; he tried to speak and moved his tongue, unable to make a sound; + his flaming eyes emitted thoughts; his drawn features expressed an untold + agony; his fingers writhed in desperation; the sweat stood out in drops + upon his brow. In the morning when his children came to his bedside and + kissed him with an affection which the sense of coming death made day by + day more ardent and more eager, he showed none of his usual satisfaction + at these signs of their tenderness. Emmanuel, instigated by the doctor, + hastened to open the newspaper to try if the usual reading might not + relieve the inward crisis in which Balthazar was evidently struggling. As + he unfolded the sheet he saw the words, “DISCOVERY OF THE ABSOLUTE,”—which + startled him, and he read a paragraph to Marguerite concerning a sale made + by a celebrated Polish mathematician of the secret of the Absolute. Though + Emmanuel read in a low voice, and Marguerite signed to him to omit the + passage, Balthazar heard it. + </p> + <p> + Suddenly the dying man raised himself by his wrists and cast on his + frightened children a look which struck like lightning; the hairs that + fringed the bald head stirred, the wrinkles quivered, the features were + illumined with spiritual fires, a breath passed across that face and + rendered it sublime; he raised a hand, clenched in fury, and uttered with + a piercing cry the famous word of Archimedes, “EUREKA!”—I have + found. + </p> + <p> + He fell back upon his bed with the dull sound of an inert body, and died, + uttering an awful moan,—his convulsed eyes expressing to the last, + when the doctor closed them, the regret of not bequeathing to Science the + secret of an Enigma whose veil was rent away,—too late!—by the + fleshless fingers of Death. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0018" id="link2H_4_0018"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + ADDENDUM + </h2> + <h3> + The following personages appear in other stories of the Human Comedy. + </h3> + <p> + Note: The Alkahest is also known as The Quest of the Absolute and is + referred to by that title when mentioned in other addendums. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Casa-Real, Duc de + The Quest of the Absolute + A Marriage Settlement + + Chiffreville, Monsieur and Madame + Cesar Birotteau + The Quest of the Absolute + + Claes, Josephine de Temninck, Madame + The Quest of the Absolute + A Marriage Settlement + + Protez and Chiffreville + The Quest of the Absolute + Cesar Birotteau + + Savaron de Savarus + The Quest of the Absolute + Albert Savarus + + Savarus, Albert Savaron de + The Quest of the Absolute + Albert Savarus +</pre> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 1453 ***</div> +</body> +</html> |