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diff --git a/1710-h/1710-h.htm b/1710-h/1710-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4805880 --- /dev/null +++ b/1710-h/1710-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,1440 @@ +<?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> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" /> + <title>La Grande Bretèche, by Balzac</title> + <meta content="pg2html (binary v0.17)" /> + <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: 5%; margin-right: 5%; text-align: justify; font-size: 80%; font-style: italic;} + 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%;} + .xx-small {font-size: 60%;} + .x-small {font-size: 75%;} + .small {font-size: 85%;} + .large {font-size: 115%;} + .x-large {font-size: 130%;} + .indent5 { margin-left: 5%;} + .indent10 { margin-left: 10%;} + .indent15 { margin-left: 15%;} + .indent20 { margin-left: 20%;} + .indent30 { margin-left: 30%;} + .indent40 { margin-left: 40%;} + 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 {position: absolute; right: 1%; font-size: 0.6em; + font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; + text-align: right; background-color: #FFFACD; + border: 1px solid; padding: 0.3em;text-indent: 0em;} + .side { float: left; font-size: 75%; width: 15%; padding-left: 0.8em; + border-left: dashed thin; text-align: left; + text-indent: 0; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; + font-weight: bold; color: black; background: #eeeeee; border: solid 1px;} + .head { float: left; font-size: 90%; width: 98%; padding-left: 0.8em; + border-left: dashed thin; text-align: center; + text-indent: 0; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; + font-weight: bold; color: black; background: #eeeeee; border: solid 1px;} + p.pfirst, p.noindent {text-indent: 0} + span.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.1em 0 0; line-height: 0.8 } + pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +</style> + </head> + <body> +<pre> + + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of La Grande Bretèche, by Honoré de Balzac + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: La Grande Bretèche + +Author: Honoré de Balzac + +Translator: Ellen Marriage and Clara Bell + +Release Date: February 28, 2010 [EBook #1710] +Last Updated: October 24, 2016 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LA GRANDE BRETÈCHE *** + + + +Produced by John Bickers, and Dagny, and David Widger +</pre> + + <div style="height: 8em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h1> + LA GRANDE BRETÈCHE (Sequel to “Another Study of Woman.”) + </h1> + <h2> + By Honoré De Balzac + </h2> + <h3> + Translated by Ellen Marriage and Clara Bell + </h3> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <p> + <b>CONTENTS</b> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0001"> LA GRANDE BRETÈCHE </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0002"> ADDENDUM</a> + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + LA GRANDE BRETÈCHE + </h2> + <p> + “Ah! madame,” replied the doctor, “I have some appalling stories in my + collection. But each one has its proper hour in a conversation—you know + the pretty jest recorded by Chamfort, and said to the Duc de Fronsac: + ‘Between your sally and the present moment lie ten bottles of champagne.’” + </p> + <p> + “But it is two in the morning, and the story of Rosina has prepared us,” + said the mistress of the house. + </p> + <p> + “Tell us, Monsieur Bianchon!” was the cry on every side. + </p> + <p> + The obliging doctor bowed, and silence reigned. + </p> + <p> + “At about a hundred paces from Vendôme, on the banks of the Loir,” said + he, “stands an old brown house, crowned with very high roofs, and so + completely isolated that there is nothing near it, not even a fetid + tannery or a squalid tavern, such as are commonly seen outside small + towns. In front of this house is a garden down to the river, where the box + shrubs, formerly clipped close to edge the walks, now straggle at their + own will. A few willows, rooted in the stream, have grown up quickly like + an enclosing fence, and half hide the house. The wild plants we call weeds + have clothed the bank with their beautiful luxuriance. The fruit-trees, + neglected for these ten years past, no longer bear a crop, and their + suckers have formed a thicket. The espaliers are like a copse. The paths, + once graveled, are overgrown with purslane; but, to be accurate there is + no trace of a path. + </p> + <p> + “Looking down from the hilltop, to which cling the ruins of the old castle + of the Dukes of Vendôme, the only spot whence the eye can see into this + enclosure, we think that at a time, difficult now to determine, this spot + of earth must have been the joy of some country gentleman devoted to roses + and tulips, in a word, to horticulture, but above all a lover of choice + fruit. An arbor is visible, or rather the wreck of an arbor, and under it + a table still stands not entirely destroyed by time. At the aspect of this + garden that is no more, the negative joys of the peaceful life of the + provinces may be divined as we divine the history of a worthy tradesman + when we read the epitaph on his tomb. To complete the mournful and tender + impressions which seize the soul, on one of the walls there is a sundial + graced with this homely Christian motto, ‘Ultimam cogita.’ + </p> + <p> + “The roof of this house is dreadfully dilapidated; the outside shutters + are always closed; the balconies are hung with swallows’ nests; the doors + are for ever shut. Straggling grasses have outlined the flagstones of the + steps with green; the ironwork is rusty. Moon and sun, winter, summer, and + snow have eaten into the wood, warped the boards, peeled off the paint. + The dreary silence is broken only by birds and cats, polecats, rats, and + mice, free to scamper round, and fight, and eat each other. An invisible + hand has written over it all: ‘Mystery.’ + </p> + <p> + “If, prompted by curiosity, you go to look at this house from the street, + you will see a large gate, with a round-arched top; the children have made + many holes in it. I learned later that this door had been blocked for ten + years. Through these irregular breaches you will see that the side towards + the courtyard is in perfect harmony with the side towards the garden. The + same ruin prevails. Tufts of weeds outline the paving-stones; the walls + are scored by enormous cracks, and the blackened coping is laced with a + thousand festoons of pellitory. The stone steps are disjointed; the + bell-cord is rotten; the gutter-spouts broken. What fire from heaven could + have fallen there? By what decree has salt been sown on this dwelling? Has + God been mocked here? Or was France betrayed? These are the questions we + ask ourselves. Reptiles crawl over it, but give no reply. This empty and + deserted house is a vast enigma of which the answer is known to none. + </p> + <p> + “It was formerly a little domain, held in fief, and is known as La Grande + Bretèche. During my stay at Vendôme, where Despleins had left me in charge + of a rich patient, the sight of this strange dwelling became one of my + keenest pleasures. Was it not far better than a ruin? Certain memories of + indisputable authenticity attach themselves to a ruin; but this house, + still standing, though being slowly destroyed by an avenging hand, + contained a secret, an unrevealed thought. At the very least, it testified + to a caprice. More than once in the evening I boarded the hedge, run wild, + which surrounded the enclosure. I braved scratches, I got into this + ownerless garden, this plot which was no longer public or private; I + lingered there for hours gazing at the disorder. I would not, as the price + of the story to which this strange scene no doubt was due, have asked a + single question of any gossiping native. On that spot I wove delightful + romances, and abandoned myself to little debauches of melancholy which + enchanted me. If I had known the reason—perhaps quite commonplace—of this + neglect, I should have lost the unwritten poetry which intoxicated me. To + me this refuge represented the most various phases of human life, shadowed + by misfortune; sometimes the peace of the graveyard without the dead, who + speak in the language of epitaphs; one day I saw in it the home of lepers; + another, the house of the Atridae; but, above all, I found there + provincial life, with its contemplative ideas, its hour-glass existence. I + often wept there, I never laughed. + </p> + <p> + “More than once I felt involuntary terrors as I heard overhead the dull + hum of the wings of some hurrying wood-pigeon. The earth is dank; you must + be on the watch for lizards, vipers, and frogs, wandering about with the + wild freedom of nature; above all, you must have no fear of cold, for in a + few moments you feel an icy cloak settle on your shoulders, like the + Commendatore’s hand on Don Giovanni’s neck. + </p> + <p> + “One evening I felt a shudder; the wind had turned an old rusty + weathercock, and the creaking sounded like a cry from the house, at the + very moment when I was finishing a gloomy drama to account for this + monumental embodiment of woe. I returned to my inn, lost in gloomy + thoughts. When I had supped, the hostess came into my room with an air of + mystery, and said, ‘Monsieur, here is Monsieur Regnault.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Who is Monsieur Regnault?’ + </p> + <p> + “‘What, sir, do you not know Monsieur Regnault?—Well, that’s odd,’ said + she, leaving the room. + </p> + <p> + “On a sudden I saw a man appear, tall, slim, dressed in black, hat in + hand, who came in like a ram ready to butt his opponent, showing a + receding forehead, a small pointed head, and a colorless face of the hue + of a glass of dirty water. You would have taken him for an usher. The + stranger wore an old coat, much worn at the seams; but he had a diamond in + his shirt frill, and gold rings in his ears. + </p> + <p> + “‘Monsieur,’ said I, ‘whom have I the honor of addressing?’—He took a + chair, placed himself in front of my fire, put his hat on my table, and + answered while he rubbed his hands: ‘Dear me, it is very cold.—Monsieur, I + am Monsieur Regnault.’ + </p> + <p> + “I was encouraging myself by saying to myself, ‘Seek!’ + </p> + <p> + “‘I am,’ he went on, ‘notary at Vendôme.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘I am delighted to hear it, monsieur,’ I exclaimed. ‘But I am not in a + position to make a will for reasons best known to myself.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘One moment!’ said he, holding up his hand as though to gain silence. + ‘Allow me, monsieur, allow me! I am informed that you sometimes go to walk + in the garden of la Grande Bretèche.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Yes, monsieur.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘One moment!’ said he, repeating his gesture. ‘That constitutes a + misdemeanor. Monsieur, as executor under the will of the late Comtesse de + Merret, I come in her name to beg you to discontinue the practice. One + moment! I am not a Turk, and do not wish to make a crime of it. And + besides, you are free to be ignorant of the circumstances which compel me + to leave the finest mansion in Vendôme to fall into ruin. Nevertheless, + monsieur, you must be a man of education, and you should know that the + laws forbid, under heavy penalties, any trespass on enclosed property. A + hedge is the same as a wall. But, the state in which the place is left may + be an excuse for your curiosity. For my part, I should be quite content to + make you free to come and go in the house; but being bound to respect the + will of the testatrix, I have the honor, monsieur, to beg that you will go + into the garden no more. I myself, monsieur, since the will was read, have + never set foot in the house, which, as I had the honor of informing you, + is part of the estate of the late Madame de Merret. We have done nothing + there but verify the number of doors and windows to assess the taxes I + have to pay annually out of the funds left for that purpose by the late + Madame de Merret. Ah! my dear sir, her will made a great commotion in the + town.’ + </p> + <p> + “The good man paused to blow his nose. I respected his volubility, + perfectly understanding that the administration of Madame de Merret’s + estate had been the most important event of his life, his reputation, his + glory, his Restoration. As I was forced to bid farewell to my beautiful + reveries and romances, I was to reject learning the truth on official + authority. + </p> + <p> + “‘Monsieur,’ said I, ‘would it be indiscreet if I were to ask you the + reasons for such eccentricity?’ + </p> + <p> + “At these words an expression, which revealed all the pleasure which men + feel who are accustomed to ride a hobby, overspread the lawyer’s + countenance. He pulled up the collar of his shirt with an air, took out + his snuffbox, opened it, and offered me a pinch; on my refusing, he took a + large one. He was happy! A man who has no hobby does not know all the good + to be got out of life. A hobby is the happy medium between a passion and a + monomania. At this moment I understood the whole bearing of Sterne’s + charming passion, and had a perfect idea of the delight with which my + uncle Toby, encouraged by Trim, bestrode his hobby-horse. + </p> + <p> + “‘Monsieur,’ said Monsieur Regnault, ‘I was head-clerk in Monsieur + Roguin’s office, in Paris. A first-rate house, which you may have heard + mentioned? No! An unfortunate bankruptcy made it famous.—Not having money + enough to purchase a practice in Paris at the price to which they were run + up in 1816, I came here and bought my predecessor’s business. I had + relations in Vendôme; among others, a wealthy aunt, who allowed me to + marry her daughter.—Monsieur,’ he went on after a little pause, ‘three + months after being licensed by the Keeper of the Seals, one evening, as I + was going to bed—it was before my marriage—I was sent for by Madame la + Comtesse de Merret, to her Chateau of Merret. Her maid, a good girl, who + is now a servant in this inn, was waiting at my door with the Countess’ + own carriage. Ah! one moment! I ought to tell you that Monsieur le Comte + de Merret had gone to Paris to die two months before I came here. He came + to a miserable end, flinging himself into every kind of dissipation. You + understand? + </p> + <p> + “‘On the day when he left, Madame la Comtesse had quitted la Grand + Bretèche, having dismantled it. Some people even say that she had burnt + all the furniture, the hangings—in short, all the chattels and furniture + whatever used in furnishing the premises now let by the said M.—(Dear, + what am I saying? I beg your pardon, I thought I was dictating a + lease.)—In short, that she burnt everything in the meadow at Merret. Have + you been to Merret, monsieur?—No,’ said he, answering himself, ‘Ah, it is + a very fine place.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘For about three months previously,’ he went on, with a jerk of his head, + ‘the Count and Countess had lived in a very eccentric way; they admitted + no visitors; Madame lived on the ground-floor, and Monsieur on the first + floor. When the Countess was left alone, she was never seen excepting at + church. Subsequently, at home, at the chateau, she refused to see the + friends, whether gentlemen or ladies, who went to call on her. She was + already very much altered when she left la Grande Bretèche to go to + Merret. That dear lady—I say dear lady, for it was she who gave me this + diamond, but indeed I saw her but once—that kind lady was very ill; she + had, no doubt, given up all hope, for she died without choosing to send + for a doctor; indeed, many of our ladies fancied she was not quite right + in her head. Well, sir, my curiosity was strangely excited by hearing that + Madame de Merret had need of my services. Nor was I the only person who + took an interest in the affair. That very night, though it was already + late, all the town knew that I was going to Merret. + </p> + <p> + “‘The waiting-woman replied but vaguely to the questions I asked her on + the way; nevertheless, she told me that her mistress had received the + Sacrament in the course of the day at the hands of the Curé of Merret, and + seemed unlikely to live through the night. It was about eleven when I + reached the chateau. I went up the great staircase. After crossing some + large, lofty, dark rooms, diabolically cold and damp, I reached the state + bedroom where the Countess lay. From the rumors that were current + concerning this lady (monsieur, I should never end if I were to repeat all + the tales that were told about her), I had imagined her a coquette. + Imagine, then, that I had great difficulty in seeing her in the great bed + where she was lying. To be sure, to light this enormous room, with + old-fashioned heavy cornices, and so thick with dust that merely to see it + was enough to make you sneeze, she had only an old Argand lamp. Ah! but + you have not been to Merret. Well, the bed is one of those old world beds, + with a high tester hung with flowered chintz. A small table stood by the + bed, on which I saw an “Imitation of Christ,” which, by the way, I bought + for my wife, as well as the lamp. There were also a deep armchair for her + confidential maid, and two small chairs. There was no fire. That was all + the furniture, not enough to fill ten lines in an inventory. + </p> + <p> + “‘My dear sir, if you had seen, as I then saw, that vast room, papered and + hung with brown, you would have felt yourself transported into a scene of + a romance. It was icy, nay more, funereal,’ and he lifted his hand with a + theatrical gesture and paused. + </p> + <p> + “‘By dint of seeking, as I approached the bed, at last I saw Madame de + Merret, under the glimmer of the lamp, which fell on the pillows. Her face + was as yellow as wax, and as narrow as two folded hands. The Countess had + a lace cap showing her abundant hair, but as white as linen thread. She + was sitting up in bed, and seemed to keep upright with great difficulty. + Her large black eyes, dimmed by fever, no doubt, and half-dead already, + hardly moved under the bony arch of her eyebrows.—There,’ he added, + pointing to his own brow. ‘Her forehead was clammy; her fleshless hands + were like bones covered with soft skin; the veins and muscles were + perfectly visible. She must have been very handsome; but at this moment I + was startled into an indescribable emotion at the sight. Never, said those + who wrapped her in her shroud, had any living creature been so emaciated + and lived. In short, it was awful to behold! Sickness so consumed that + woman, that she was no more than a phantom. Her lips, which were pale + violet, seemed to me not to move when she spoke to me. + </p> + <p> + “‘Though my profession has familiarized me with such spectacles, by + calling me not infrequently to the bedside of the dying to record their + last wishes, I confess that families in tears and the agonies I have seen + were as nothing in comparison with this lonely and silent woman in her + vast chateau. I heard not the least sound, I did not perceive the movement + which the sufferer’s breathing ought to have given to the sheets that + covered her, and I stood motionless, absorbed in looking at her in a sort + of stupor. In fancy I am there still. At last her large eyes moved; she + tried to raise her right hand, but it fell back on the bed, and she + uttered these words, which came like a breath, for her voice was no longer + a voice: “I have waited for you with the greatest impatience.” A bright + flush rose to her cheeks. It was a great effort to her to speak. + </p> + <p> + “‘"Madame,” I began. She signed to me to be silent. At that moment the old + housekeeper rose and said in my ear, “Do not speak; Madame la Comtesse is + not in a state to bear the slightest noise, and what you say might agitate + her.” + </p> + <p> + “‘I sat down. A few instants after, Madame de Merret collected all her + remaining strength to move her right hand, and slipped it, not without + infinite difficulty, under the bolster; she then paused a moment. With a + last effort she withdrew her hand; and when she brought out a sealed + paper, drops of perspiration rolled from her brow. “I place my will in + your hands—Oh! God! Oh!” and that was all. She clutched a crucifix that + lay on the bed, lifted it hastily to her lips, and died. + </p> + <p> + “‘The expression of her eyes still makes me shudder as I think of it. She + must have suffered much! There was joy in her last glance, and it remained + stamped on her dead eyes. + </p> + <p> + “‘I brought away the will, and when it was opened I found that Madame de + Merret had appointed me her executor. She left the whole of her property + to the hospital at Vendôme excepting a few legacies. But these were her + instructions as relating to la Grande Bretèche: She ordered me to leave + the place, for fifty years counting from the day of her death, in the + state in which it might be at the time of her death, forbidding any one, + whoever he might be, to enter the apartments, prohibiting any repairs + whatever, and even settling a salary to pay watchmen if it were needful to + secure the absolute fulfilment of her intentions. At the expiration of + that term, if the will of the testatrix has been duly carried out, the + house is to become the property of my heirs, for, as you know, a notary + cannot take a bequest. Otherwise la Grande Bretèche reverts to the + heirs-at-law, but on condition of fulfilling certain conditions set forth + in a codicil to the will, which is not to be opened till the expiration of + the said term of fifty years. The will has not been disputed, so——’ And + without finishing his sentence, the lanky notary looked at me with an air + of triumph; I made him quite happy by offering him my congratulations. + </p> + <p> + “‘Monsieur,’ I said in conclusion, ‘you have so vividly impressed me that + I fancy I see the dying woman whiter than her sheets; her glittering eyes + frighten me; I shall dream of her to-night.—But you must have formed some + idea as to the instructions contained in that extraordinary will.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Monsieur,’ said he, with comical reticence, ‘I never allow myself to + criticise the conduct of a person who honors me with the gift of a + diamond.’ + </p> + <p> + “However, I soon loosened the tongue of the discreet notary of Vendôme, + who communicated to me, not without long digressions, the opinions of the + deep politicians of both sexes whose judgments are law in Vendôme. But + these opinions were so contradictory, so diffuse, that I was near falling + asleep in spite of the interest I felt in this authentic history. The + notary’s ponderous voice and monotonous accent, accustomed no doubt to + listen to himself and to make himself listened to by his clients or + fellow-townsmen, were too much for my curiosity. Happily, he soon went + away. + </p> + <p> + “‘Ah, ha, monsieur,’ said he on the stairs, ‘a good many persons would be + glad to live five-and-forty years longer; but—one moment!’ and he laid the + first finger of his right hand to his nostril with a cunning look, as much + as to say, ‘Mark my words!—To last as long as that—as long as that,’ said + he, ‘you must not be past sixty now.’ + </p> + <p> + “I closed my door, having been roused from my apathy by this last speech, + which the notary thought very funny; then I sat down in my armchair, with + my feet on the fire-dogs. I had lost myself in a romance à la Radcliffe, + constructed on the juridical base given me by Monsieur Regnault, when the + door, opened by a woman’s cautious hand, turned on the hinges. I saw my + landlady come in, a buxom, florid dame, always good-humored, who had + missed her calling in life. She was a Fleming, who ought to have seen the + light in a picture by Teniers. + </p> + <p> + “‘Well, monsieur,’ said she, ‘Monsieur Regnault has no doubt been giving + you his history of la Grande Bretèche?’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Yes, Madame Lepas.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘And what did he tell you?’ + </p> + <p> + “I repeated in a few words the creepy and sinister story of Madame de + Merret. At each sentence my hostess put her head forward, looking at me + with an innkeeper’s keen scrutiny, a happy compromise between the instinct + of a police constable, the astuteness of a spy, and the cunning of a + dealer. + </p> + <p> + “‘My good Madame Lepas,’ said I as I ended, ‘you seem to know more about + it. Heh? If not, why have you come up to me?’ + </p> + <p> + “‘On my word, as an honest woman——’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Do not swear; your eyes are big with a secret. You knew Monsieur de + Merret; what sort of man was he?’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Monsieur de Merret—well, you see he was a man you never could see the + top of, he was so tall! A very good gentleman, from Picardy, and who had, + as we say, his head close to his cap. He paid for everything down, so as + never to have difficulties with any one. He was hot-tempered, you see! All + our ladies liked him very much.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Because he was hot-tempered?’ I asked her. + </p> + <p> + “‘Well, may be,’ said she; ‘and you may suppose, sir, that a man had to + have something to show for a figurehead before he could marry Madame de + Merret, who, without any reflection on others, was the handsomest and + richest heiress in our parts. She had about twenty thousand francs a year. + All the town was at the wedding; the bride was pretty and sweet-looking, + quite a gem of a woman. Oh, they were a handsome couple in their day!’ + </p> + <p> + “‘And were they happy together?’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Hm, hm! so-so—so far as can be guessed, for, as you may suppose, we of + the common sort were not hail-fellow-well-met with them.—Madame de Merret + was a kind woman and very pleasant, who had no doubt sometimes to put up + with her husband’s tantrums. But though he was rather haughty, we were + fond of him. After all, it was his place to behave so. When a man is a + born nobleman, you see——’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Still, there must have been some catastrophe for Monsieur and Madame de + Merret to part so violently?’ + </p> + <p> + “‘I did not say there was any catastrophe, sir. I know nothing about it.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Indeed. Well, now, I am sure you know everything.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Well, sir, I will tell you the whole story.—When I saw Monsieur Regnault + go up to see you, it struck me that he would speak to you about Madame de + Merret as having to do with la Grande Bretèche. That put it into my head + to ask your advice, sir, seeming to me that you are a man of good judgment + and incapable of playing a poor woman like me false—for I never did any + one a wrong, and yet I am tormented by my conscience. Up to now I have + never dared to say a word to the people of these parts; they are all + chatter-mags, with tongues like knives. And never till now, sir, have I + had any traveler here who stayed so long in the inn as you have, and to + whom I could tell the history of the fifteen thousand francs——’ + </p> + <p> + “‘My dear Madame Lepas, if there is anything in your story of a nature to + compromise me,’ I said, interrupting the flow of her words, ‘I would not + hear it for all the world.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘You need have no fears,’ said she; ‘you will see.’ + </p> + <p> + “Her eagerness made me suspect that I was not the only person to whom my + worthy landlady had communicated the secret of which I was to be the sole + possessor, but I listened. + </p> + <p> + “‘Monsieur,’ said she, ‘when the Emperor sent the Spaniards here, + prisoners of war and others, I was required to lodge at the charge of the + Government a young Spaniard sent to Vendôme on parole. Notwithstanding his + parole, he had to show himself every day to the sub-prefect. He was a + Spanish grandee—neither more nor less. He had a name in os and dia, + something like Bagos de Férédia. I wrote his name down in my books, and + you may see it if you like. Ah! he was a handsome young fellow for a + Spaniard, who are all ugly they say. He was not more than five feet two or + three in height, but so well made; and he had little hands that he kept so + beautifully! Ah! you should have seen them. He had as many brushes for his + hands as a woman has for her toilet. He had thick, black hair, a flame in + his eye, a somewhat coppery complexion, but which I admired all the same. + He wore the finest linen I have ever seen, though I have had princesses to + lodge here, and, among others, General Bertrand, the Duc and Duchesse + d’Abrantes, Monsieur Descazes, and the King of Spain. He did not eat much, + but he had such polite and amiable ways that it was impossible to owe him + a grudge for that. Oh! I was very fond of him, though he did not say four + words to me in a day, and it was impossible to have the least bit of talk + with him; if he was spoken to, he did not answer; it is a way, a mania + they all have, it would seem. + </p> + <p> + “‘He read his breviary like a priest, and went to mass and all the + services quite regularly. And where did he post himself?—we found this out + later.—Within two yards of Madame de Merret’s chapel. As he took that + place the very first time he entered the church, no one imagined that + there was any purpose in it. Besides, he never raised his nose above his + book, poor young man! And then, monsieur, of an evening he went for a walk + on the hill among the ruins of the old castle. It was his only amusement, + poor man; it reminded him of his native land. They say that Spain is all + hills! + </p> + <p> + “‘One evening, a few days after he was sent here, he was out very late. I + was rather uneasy when he did not come in till just on the stroke of + midnight; but we all got used to his whims; he took the key of the door, + and we never sat up for him. He lived in a house belonging to us in the + Rue des Casernes. Well, then, one of our stable-boys told us one evening + that, going down to wash the horses in the river, he fancied he had seen + the Spanish Grandee swimming some little way off, just like a fish. When + he came in, I told him to be careful of the weeds, and he seemed put out + at having been seen in the water. + </p> + <p> + “‘At last, monsieur, one day, or rather one morning, we did not find him + in his room; he had not come back. By hunting through his things, I found + a written paper in the drawer of his table, with fifty pieces of Spanish + gold of the kind they call doubloons, worth about five thousand francs; + and in a little sealed box ten thousand francs worth of diamonds. The + paper said that in case he should not return, he left us this money and + these diamonds in trust to found masses to thank God for his escape and + for his salvation. + </p> + <p> + “‘At that time I still had my husband, who ran off in search of him. And + this is the queer part of the story: he brought back the Spaniard’s + clothes, which he had found under a big stone on a sort of breakwater + along the river bank, nearly opposite la Grande Bretèche. My husband went + so early that no one saw him. After reading the letter, he burnt the + clothes, and, in obedience to Count Férédia’s wish, we announced that he + had escaped. + </p> + <p> + “‘The sub-prefect set all the constabulary at his heels; but, pshaw! he + was never caught. Lepas believed that the Spaniard had drowned himself. I, + sir, have never thought so; I believe, on the contrary, that he had + something to do with the business about Madame de Merret, seeing that + Rosalie told me that the crucifix her mistress was so fond of that she had + it buried with her, was made of ebony and silver; now in the early days of + his stay here, Monsieur Férédia had one of ebony and silver which I never + saw later.—And now, monsieur, do not you say that I need have no remorse + about the Spaniard’s fifteen thousand francs? Are they not really and + truly mine?’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Certainly.—But have you never tried to question Rosalie?’ said I. + </p> + <p> + “‘Oh, to be sure I have, sir. But what is to be done? That girl is like a + wall. She knows something, but it is impossible to make her talk.’ + </p> + <p> + “After chatting with me for a few minutes, my hostess left me a prey to + vague and sinister thoughts, to romantic curiosity, and a religious dread, + not unlike the deep emotion which comes upon us when we go into a dark + church at night and discern a feeble light glimmering under a lofty + vault—a dim figure glides across—the sweep of a gown or of a priest’s + cassock is audible—and we shiver! La Grande Bretèche, with its rank + grasses, its shuttered windows, its rusty iron-work, its locked doors, its + deserted rooms, suddenly rose before me in fantastic vividness. I tried to + get into the mysterious dwelling to search out the heart of this solemn + story, this drama which had killed three persons. + </p> + <p> + “Rosalie became in my eyes the most interesting being in Vendôme. As I + studied her, I detected signs of an inmost thought, in spite of the + blooming health that glowed in her dimpled face. There was in her soul + some element of ruth or of hope; her manner suggested a secret, like the + expression of devout souls who pray in excess, or of a girl who has killed + her child and for ever hears its last cry. Nevertheless, she was simple + and clumsy in her ways; her vacant smile had nothing criminal in it, and + you would have pronounced her innocent only from seeing the large red and + blue checked kerchief that covered her stalwart bust, tucked into the + tight-laced bodice of a lilac- and white-striped gown. ‘No,’ said I to + myself, ‘I will not quit Vendôme without knowing the whole history of la + Grande Bretèche. To achieve this end, I will make love to Rosalie if it + proves necessary.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Rosalie!’ said I one evening. + </p> + <p> + “‘Your servant, sir?’ + </p> + <p> + “‘You are not married?’ She started a little. + </p> + <p> + “‘Oh! there is no lack of men if ever I take a fancy to be miserable!’ she + replied, laughing. She got over her agitation at once; for every woman, + from the highest lady to the inn-servant inclusive, has a native presence + of mind. + </p> + <p> + “‘Yes; you are fresh and good-looking enough never to lack lovers! But + tell me, Rosalie, why did you become an inn-servant on leaving Madame de + Merret? Did she not leave you some little annuity?’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Oh yes, sir. But my place here is the best in all the town of Vendôme.’ + </p> + <p> + “This reply was such an one as judges and attorneys call evasive. Rosalie, + as it seemed to me, held in this romantic affair the place of the middle + square of the chess-board: she was at the very centre of the interest and + of the truth; she appeared to me to be tied into the knot of it. It was + not a case for ordinary love-making; this girl contained the last chapter + of a romance, and from that moment all my attentions were devoted to + Rosalie. By dint of studying the girl, I observed in her, as in every + woman whom we make our ruling thought, a variety of good qualities; she + was clean and neat; she was handsome, I need not say; she soon was + possessed of every charm that desire can lend to a woman in whatever rank + of life. A fortnight after the notary’s visit, one evening, or rather one + morning, in the small hours, I said to Rosalie: + </p> + <p> + “‘Come, tell me all you know about Madame de Merret.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Oh!’ she said, ‘I will tell you; but keep the secret carefully.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘All right, my child; I will keep all your secrets with a thief’s honor, + which is the most loyal known.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘If it is all the same to you,’ said she, ‘I would rather it should be + with your own.’ + </p> + <p> + “Thereupon she set her head-kerchief straight, and settled herself to tell + the tale; for there is no doubt a particular attitude of confidence and + security is necessary to the telling of a narrative. The best tales are + told at a certain hour—just as we are all here at table. No one ever told + a story well standing up, or fasting. + </p> + <p> + “If I were to reproduce exactly Rosalie’s diffuse eloquence, a whole + volume would scarcely contain it. Now, as the event of which she gave me a + confused account stands exactly midway between the notary’s gossip and + that of Madame Lepas, as precisely as the middle term of a rule-of-three + sum stands between the first and third, I have only to relate it in as few + words as may be. I shall therefore be brief. + </p> + <p> + “The room at la Grande Bretèche in which Madame de Merret slept was on the + ground floor; a little cupboard in the wall, about four feet deep, served + her to hang her dresses in. Three months before the evening of which I + have to relate the events, Madame de Merret had been seriously ailing, so + much so that her husband had left her to herself, and had his own bedroom + on the first floor. By one of those accidents which it is impossible to + foresee, he came in that evening two hours later than usual from the club, + where he went to read the papers and talk politics with the residents in + the neighborhood. His wife supposed him to have come in, to be in bed and + asleep. But the invasion of France had been the subject of a very animated + discussion; the game of billiards had waxed vehement; he had lost forty + francs, an enormous sum at Vendôme, where everybody is thrifty, and where + social habits are restrained within the bounds of a simplicity worthy of + all praise, and the foundation perhaps of a form of true happiness which + no Parisian would care for. + </p> + <p> + “For some time past Monsieur de Merret had been satisfied to ask Rosalie + whether his wife was in bed; on the girl’s replying always in the + affirmative, he at once went to his own room, with the good faith that + comes of habit and confidence. But this evening, on coming in, he took it + into his head to go to see Madame de Merret, to tell her of his ill-luck, + and perhaps to find consolation. During dinner he had observed that his + wife was very becomingly dressed; he reflected as he came home from the + club that his wife was certainly much better, that convalescence had + improved her beauty, discovering it, as husbands discover everything, a + little too late. Instead of calling Rosalie, who was in the kitchen at the + moment watching the cook and the coachman playing a puzzling hand at + cards, Monsieur de Merret made his way to his wife’s room by the light of + his lantern, which he set down at the lowest step of the stairs. His step, + easy to recognize, rang under the vaulted passage. + </p> + <p> + “At the instant when the gentleman turned the key to enter his wife’s + room, he fancied he heard the door shut of the closet of which I have + spoken; but when he went in, Madame de Merret was alone, standing in front + of the fireplace. The unsuspecting husband fancied that Rosalie was in the + cupboard; nevertheless, a doubt, ringing in his ears like a peal of bells, + put him on his guard; he looked at his wife, and read in her eyes an + indescribably anxious and haunted expression. + </p> + <p> + “‘You are very late,’ said she.—Her voice, usually so clear and sweet, + struck him as being slightly husky. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur de Merret made no reply, for at this moment Rosalie came in. + This was like a thunder-clap. He walked up and down the room, going from + one window to another at a regular pace, his arms folded. + </p> + <p> + “‘Have you had bad news, or are you ill?’ his wife asked him timidly, + while Rosalie helped her to undress. He made no reply. + </p> + <p> + “‘You can go, Rosalie,’ said Madame de Merret to her maid; ‘I can put in + my curl-papers myself.‘—She scented disaster at the mere aspect of her + husband’s face, and wished to be alone with him. As soon as Rosalie was + gone, or supposed to be gone, for she lingered a few minutes in the + passage, Monsieur de Merret came and stood facing his wife, and said + coldly, ‘Madame, there is some one in your cupboard!’ She looked at her + husband calmly, and replied quite simply, ‘No, monsieur.’ + </p> + <p> + “This ‘No’ wrung Monsieur de Merret’s heart; he did not believe it; and + yet his wife had never appeared purer or more saintly than she seemed to + be at this moment. He rose to go and open the closet door. Madame de + Merret took his hand, stopped him, looked at him sadly, and said in a + voice of strange emotion, ‘Remember, if you should find no one there, + everything must be at an end between you and me.’ + </p> + <p> + “The extraordinary dignity of his wife’s attitude filled him with deep + esteem for her, and inspired him with one of those resolves which need + only a grander stage to become immortal. + </p> + <p> + “‘No, Josephine,’ he said, ‘I will not open it. In either event we should + be parted for ever. Listen; I know all the purity of your soul, I know you + lead a saintly life, and would not commit a deadly sin to save your + life.‘—At these words Madame de Merret looked at her husband with a + haggard stare.—‘See, here is your crucifix,’ he went on. ‘Swear to me + before God that there is no one in there; I will believe you—I will never + open that door.’ + </p> + <p> + “Madame de Merret took up the crucifix and said, ‘I swear it.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Louder,’ said her husband; ‘and repeat: “I swear before God that there + is nobody in that closet.”’ She repeated the words without flinching. + </p> + <p> + “‘That will do,’ said Monsieur de Merret coldly. After a moment’s silence: + ‘You have there a fine piece of work which I never saw before,’ said he, + examining the crucifix of ebony and silver, very artistically wrought. + </p> + <p> + “‘I found it at Duvivier’s; last year when that troop of Spanish prisoners + came through Vendôme, he bought it of a Spanish monk.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Indeed,’ said Monsieur de Merret, hanging the crucifix on its nail; and + he rang the bell. + </p> + <p> + “He had to wait for Rosalie. Monsieur de Merret went forward quickly to + meet her, led her into the bay of the window that looked on to the garden, + and said to her in an undertone: + </p> + <p> + “‘I know that Gorenflot wants to marry you, that poverty alone prevents + your setting up house, and that you told him you would not be his wife + till he found means to become a master mason.—Well, go and fetch him; tell + him to come here with his trowel and tools. Contrive to wake no one in his + house but himself. His reward will be beyond your wishes. Above all, go + out without saying a word—or else!’ and he frowned. + </p> + <p> + “Rosalie was going, and he called her back. ‘Here, take my latch-key,’ + said he. + </p> + <p> + “‘Jean!’ Monsieur de Merret called in a voice of thunder down the passage. + Jean, who was both coachman and confidential servant, left his cards and + came. + </p> + <p> + “‘Go to bed, all of you,’ said his master, beckoning him to come close; + and the gentleman added in a whisper, ‘When they are all asleep—mind, + asleep—you understand?—come down and tell me.’ + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur de Merret, who had never lost sight of his wife while giving his + orders, quietly came back to her at the fireside, and began to tell her + the details of the game of billiards and the discussion at the club. When + Rosalie returned she found Monsieur and Madame de Merret conversing + amiably. + </p> + <p> + “Not long before this Monsieur de Merret had had new ceilings made to all + the reception-rooms on the ground floor. Plaster is very scarce at + Vendôme; the price is enhanced by the cost of carriage; the gentleman had + therefore had a considerable quantity delivered to him, knowing that he + could always find purchasers for what might be left. It was this + circumstance which suggested the plan he carried out. + </p> + <p> + “‘Gorenflot is here, sir,’ said Rosalie in a whisper. + </p> + <p> + “‘Tell him to come in,’ said her master aloud. + </p> + <p> + “Madame de Merret turned paler when she saw the mason. + </p> + <p> + “‘Gorenflot,’ said her husband, ‘go and fetch some bricks from the + coach-house; bring enough to wall up the door of this cupboard; you can + use the plaster that is left for cement.’ Then, dragging Rosalie and the + workman close to him—‘Listen, Gorenflot,’ said he, in a low voice, ‘you + are to sleep here to-night; but to-morrow morning you shall have a + passport to take you abroad to a place I will tell you of. I will give you + six thousand francs for your journey. You must live in that town for ten + years; if you find you do not like it, you may settle in another, but it + must be in the same country. Go through Paris and wait there till I join + you. I will there give you an agreement for six thousand francs more, to + be paid to you on your return, provided you have carried out the + conditions of the bargain. For that price you are to keep perfect silence + as to what you have to do this night. To you, Rosalie, I will secure ten + thousand francs, which will not be paid to you till your wedding day, and + on condition of your marrying Gorenflot; but, to get married, you must + hold your tongue. If not, no wedding gift!’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Rosalie,’ said Madame de Merret, ‘come and brush my hair.’ + </p> + <p> + “Her husband quietly walked up and down the room, keeping an eye on the + door, on the mason, and on his wife, but without any insulting display of + suspicion. Gorenflot could not help making some noise. Madame de Merret + seized a moment when he was unloading some bricks, and when her husband + was at the other end of the room to say to Rosalie: ‘My dear child, I will + give you a thousand francs a year if only you will tell Gorenflot to leave + a crack at the bottom.’ Then she added aloud quite coolly: ‘You had better + help him.’ + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur and Madame de Merret were silent all the time while Gorenflot + was walling up the door. This silence was intentional on the husband’s + part; he did not wish to give his wife the opportunity of saying anything + with a double meaning. On Madame de Merret’s side it was pride or + prudence. When the wall was half built up the cunning mason took advantage + of his master’s back being turned to break one of the two panes in the top + of the door with a blow of his pick. By this Madame de Merret understood + that Rosalie had spoken to Gorenflot. They all three then saw the face of + a dark, gloomy-looking man, with black hair and flaming eyes. + </p> + <p> + “Before her husband turned round again the poor woman had nodded to the + stranger, to whom the signal was meant to convey, ‘Hope.’ + </p> + <p> + “At four o’clock, as the day was dawning, for it was the month of + September, the work was done. The mason was placed in charge of Jean, and + Monsieur de Merret slept in his wife’s room. + </p> + <p> + “Next morning when he got up he said with apparent carelessness, ‘Oh, by + the way, I must go to the Maire for the passport.’ He put on his hat, took + two or three steps towards the door, paused, and took the crucifix. His + wife was trembling with joy. + </p> + <p> + “‘He will go to Duvivier’s,’ thought she. + </p> + <p> + “As soon as he had left, Madame de Merret rang for Rosalie, and then in a + terrible voice she cried: ‘The pick! Bring the pick! and set to work. I + saw how Gorenflot did it yesterday; we shall have time to make a gap and + build it up again.’ + </p> + <p> + “In an instant Rosalie had brought her mistress a sort of cleaver; she, + with a vehemence of which no words can give an idea, set to work to + demolish the wall. She had already got out a few bricks, when, turning to + deal a stronger blow than before, she saw behind her Monsieur de Merret. + She fainted away. + </p> + <p> + “‘Lay madame on her bed,’ said he coldly. + </p> + <p> + “Foreseeing what would certainly happen in his absence, he had laid this + trap for his wife; he had merely written to the Maire and sent for + Duvivier. The jeweler arrived just as the disorder in the room had been + repaired. + </p> + <p> + “‘Duvivier,’ asked Monsieur de Merret, ‘did not you buy some crucifixes of + the Spaniards who passed through the town?’ + </p> + <p> + “‘No, monsieur.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Very good; thank you,’ said he, flashing a tiger’s glare at his wife. + ‘Jean,’ he added, turning to his confidential valet, ‘you can serve my + meals here in Madame de Merret’s room. She is ill, and I shall not leave + her till she recovers.’ + </p> + <p> + “The cruel man remained in his wife’s room for twenty days. During the + earlier time, when there was some little noise in the closet, and + Josephine wanted to intercede for the dying man, he said, without allowing + her to utter a word, ‘You swore on the Cross that there was no one + there.’” + </p> + <p> + After this story all the ladies rose from table, and thus the spell under + which Bianchon had held them was broken. But there were some among them + who had almost shivered at the last words. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + ADDENDUM The following personage appears in other stories of the Human + </h2> + <p> + Comedy. + </p> + <p> + Bianchon, Horace Father Goriot The Atheist’s Mass Cesar Birotteau The + Commission in Lunacy Lost Illusions A Distinguished Provincial at Paris A + Bachelor’s Establishment The Secrets of a Princess The Government Clerks + Pierrette A Study of Woman Scenes from a Courtesan’s Life Honorine The + Seamy Side of History The Magic Skin A Second Home A Prince of Bohemia + Letters of Two Brides The Muse of the Department The Imaginary Mistress + The Middle Classes Cousin Betty The Country Parson + </p> + <p> + In addition, M. Bianchon narrated the following: Another Study of Woman + </p> + <div style="height: 6em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + +<pre> + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of La Grande Bretèche, by Honore de +Balzac + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LA GRANDE BRETECHE *** + +***** This file should be named 1710-h.htm or 1710-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: +http://www.gutenberg.org/1/7/1/1710/ + +Produced by John Bickers, and Dagny, and David Widger + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will +be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one +owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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